A coalition of business and good-government organizations has released a set of principles it says should guide the restructuring of post-secondary education in Louisiana. Businesses for Improving Louisiana’s Development, or BILD, cites eight points:
— Give higher education institutions sufficient authority to manage costs and set self-generated revenues.
— Institutions and systems should implement meaningful reductions in administrative costs.
— Higher education budget cuts should be strategic and preserve high-performing programs.
— Regional consolidation should be explored to eliminate duplicate programs and services.
— Performance-based funding should be used for post-secondary education.
— A balance between two-year community and technical colleges and four-year colleges and universities should be struck, by tougher admission standards and accelerating regional partnerships.
— Appropriate financial aid measures should be in place to make sure higher education is affordable to all citizens.
— Innovative practices should be embraced to control costs.
Bill Hines, chairman of the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, a member of BILD, says higher education is an integral part of the equation for the state’s competitive work force. “The Committee of 100 membership sees post-secondary education as the foundation to a sustainable workforce for our existing industry and to attract new business to our state,” he says. See the full release here.
