Protect Higher Ed

[USL1970]

It's interesting that people say run govt like a business. But the reason you run a business in the first place is so that you can manage your family, and your nation.

In what good agribusiness do you sell off the seed stock? And in what good family do you cut back on the kids' education?

In our family, the kids' education is a very high priority, only falling behind the kids' food, clothing, shelter and health. We'll sell everything to make sure our kids get the education they need.

Well, if government's a business we know that every dollar increase in tuition results in some calculable decrease in enrollment. And every drop in higher ed enrollment decreases long-term earning for the state. By quite a lot.

Louisiana has lagged behind all other states in higher education funding, and now we are falling further behind.

At the same time, our state has not grown in the past 25 years while the states across the South are growing quickly, and our employment numbers have not budged in years.

Most people will not challenge the importance of a good education; however, not all highly educated people are good at running a business or for that matter a university.

The highest academically rated and best run higher educational insitutions in Lousiana (and the nation) are private, and the worst are public, although there are good ones in between. (Tulane & Southern)

The point is for higher education to get better, we need better leaders who are able to run their instituions more efficiently and effectively, and depend less on government and more on private support through tax exempt foundations.

You don't see private institutions paying their worst athletic coach more than their best professors. They don't need money from athletics (as much) to boost university funding like public institutions. The get most of their money from successful alumni who are mostly in some type of successful business.

One biggest problems is that public higher education "raises as much money as it can, and then spends as much as it raises" without any accountability. Some have become a bottomless pit of inefficiency and have been a drain on goverment resources.

The performance goals for funding are so low, it is really difficult not to qualify for tuition increases.

The debate is not about the importance of education.

It's about a seamingly bottomless pit for taxpayer funding of poorly performing higher educational instituions in the state.

Your train of thought is bascially how we got into this mess.

Every local politician (especially LSU) wanted a college in his or her hometown because it would be an asset to the economy and community. The more universities, the more graduates, the better the economy, and so forth.

As a result, we have too many universities chasing to few dollars. And these ubiquitous universities all seem to want a masters or Phd program which are also expensive to fund as they have fewer students (no economies of scale).

So we now have cheap degree programs all over the state. Again too many institutions, all advocating more government (taxpayer) funding. And most of these instituitions graduate less than half of their students in 6 years!

If we want to get serious about education, we need better leaders and fewer, but better instituions that are able to perform and raise money from private or business sources, and depend less on goverment support.

Higher education now views "students" as "consumers," and it seems that having some business savy as a leader would be an asset in running a university.

[Oiler]

Yep. Too many universities in Louisiana our biggest problem. All three higher education systems in Louisiana will have to go broke before anything changes. The legislature will never eliminate an established university.

[VObserver]

It's interesting that people say run govt like a business. But the reason you run a business in the first place is so that you can manage your family, and your nation.

In what good agribusiness do you sell off the seed stock? And in what good family do you cut back on the kids' education?

In our family, the kids' education is a very high priority, only falling behind the kids' food, clothing, shelter and health. We'll sell everything to make sure our kids get the education they need.

Well, if government's a business we know that every dollar increase in tuition results in some calculable decrease in enrollment. And every drop in higher ed enrollment decreases long-term earning for the state. By quite a lot.

Louisiana has lagged behind all other states in higher education funding, and now we are falling further behind.

At the same time, our state has not grown in the past 25 years while the states across the South are growing quickly, and our employment numbers have not budged in years.

There is no empirical evidence to support the assertion that tuition increases at public universities is directly linked to enrollment decreases, and anecdotal evidence suggests the exact opposite.

We do not lag behind in higher ed funding, except in the sense that we have this strange notion that students should not have to pay for it; we just have always had a very bad plan for higher ed. There is no reason for a state the size/population of Louisiana to have more than 4 public universities.

Our employment numbers are much more closely related to the business unfriendly taxation policies of this state than they are to any shortfall in higher ed funding.

[Cajunrunner]

Louisiana has lagged behind all other states in higher education funding, and now we are falling further behind.

At the same time, our state has not grown in the past 25 years while the states across the South are growing quickly, and our employment numbers have not budged in years.

So what's your solution? And again, why is it that college tuition costs and funding needs are rising much faster than inflation?

[Cajunrunner]

We do not lag behind in higher ed funding, except in the sense that we have this strange notion that students should not have to pay for it; we just have always had a very bad plan for higher ed. There is no reason for a state the size/population of Louisiana to have more than 4 public universities.

THIS. Unfortunately, we can't even get rid of/merge SUNO, much less do something about all the 4 year public universities in rural North Louisiana.

[Boomer]

Had a conversation with an alumnus who son accepted a Tulane scholly----His teachers were off a few days to go to Florida to help Obama in the election---There is all this talk about education from the private schools---What if they are learning false crap from their teachers---Just a little Rush or Fox news exposes the lies that the media displays and that are subsequently taught in our schools----Why are home schoolers out performing our kids taught by professionals---Well never mind we all know the answers!!!

[SlappyCajun]

Had a conversation with an alumnus who son accepted a Tulane scholly----His teachers were off a few days to go to Florida to help Obama in the election---There is all this talk about education from the private schools---What if they are learning false crap from their teachers---Just a little Rush or Fox news exposes the lies that the media displays and that are subsequently taught in our schools----Why are home schoolers out performing our kids taught by professionals---Well never mind we all know the answers!!!

Because home schooled kids generally have enough resources where one parent can stay at home to educate and the teacher student ratio is much smaller than public or parochial schools?

[VObserver]

Because home schooled kids generally have enough resources where one parent can stay at home to educate and the teacher student ratio is much smaller than public or parochial schools?

That is part of it slappy, but the other part is that home schooled kids are generally taught using methods that are "antiquated" [in teacher unionese that means effective] using quaint notions that children who learn phonics learn to read, and that grammar and spelling are important parts of learning your language, and children who learn basic math skills end up doing better in advanced math, and that "social studies" means teaching real history and real government, not the PC garbage that gets passed off as history and civics in schools.

As a result, home schooled kids test out MUCH better as a group than institutionally taught kids.

[Boomer]

That is part of it slappy, but the other part is that home schooled kids are generally taught using methods that are "antiquated" [in teacher unionese that means effective] using quaint notions that children who learn phonics learn to read, and that grammar and spelling are important parts of learning your language, and children who learn basic math skills end up doing better in advanced math, and that "social studies" means teaching real history and real government, not the PC garbage that gets passed off as history and civics in schools.

As a result, home schooled kids test out MUCH better as a group than institutionally taught kids.

See I told you we all know the answer!!!

[Oiler]

THIS. Unfortunately, we can't even get rid of/merge SUNO, much less do something about all the 4 year public universities in rural North Louisiana.

LSU is beginning to consolidate everything into one entity, with everything based in Baton Rouge. It is a financial necessity that they do this. Once that process is finished, look for the elimination of all of LSU's satellite campuses. Consolidation will soon take place in the UL System as well. It is a financial certainty.

[CajunFun]

Moveon.org, a hard left wing organization, sponsors this site. This petition will be used to attack Gov. Jindal and Moveon will add you to its mail list. Too political for me....I have been sending personal emails to the governor concerning the lack of higher ED. funding. I belong to no political group and this issue for me rises above politics.

George Clooney called Jerry Falwell a few years ago, said "Let's work together on AIDS in Africa." Should Falwell have told him to go pound sand just because Clooney's a liberal?

This is a respectful petition to the governor, telling him we think higher education is important and asking him to help. Should we refuse to sign on to something we agree with, just because the left started the initiative?

We don't understand why the political parties can't cooperate in D.C. Maybe it's because that's what the electorate expects.

[Cajunrunner]

This is a respectful petition to the governor, telling him we think higher education is important and asking him to help.

All fine and dandy. What is your proposed solution, though. People like Louisiana Budget Project just want to increase income taxes to feed more money into Higher Ed, without mentioning anything about any real budget reform to not spend that money elsewhere.

I'm all for pointed budget reforms (which our Governor has neglected to attempt) that put money into actual state responsibilities like Higher Ed and roads rather than other adventures; however, I will not support having to fork over more of my hard-earned income to Baton Rouge.