Protect Higher Ed

[CajunFun]

I have know problem with athletics funding them self, but the cost of a college education should reflect its value. A college education in Louisiana is dirt cheap compared to other states.

Is that a good thing, or a bad thing? Is education another socialist give-away program, or is it a shrewd economic investment?

When tuitions rise, enrollments decline, college graduate rates drop (and worse, college graduates grab the TOPS money and then quickly leave the state) and then Louisiana becomes increasingly less competitive. Not just less competitive compared to Texas and Florida, but to heavyweights like Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi.

Smart people are the best investment any entity can make. HP hired smart people in their formative years, and really had no idea what they were going to do with them; they just knew that those people would design their future. All current evidence suggests it was a smart move.

'Cheap' is a relative concept, it's always in relation to what the market price is elsewhere. So should we be cheap, competitive, or expensive?

Would Louisiana excel by trying to be the most expensive to get an education? By trying to be average? I can't see how either of those make sense.

Higher ed-- and that includes the enormously expensive professional and other graduate schools-- consumes a piddling 3% of the Louisiana budget (or at least it did a few years ago). I estimate that for 6% of our state's budget, we could educate every qualified student in Louisiana for free, and then go out and make the same offer to a few exceptional students from the rest of the USA.

What do you think that would do for Louisiana's future? Do you think the investment will pay off quickly?

And if not, where do you think we can invest that 6% so that it will give us anywhere near the same ROI?

[CajunFun]

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.

Fine, say that to the governor. We can amend the constitution anyway we want, to say anything we desire.

But don't sit on your hands just because the other political party thought of it first.

[Cajunrunner]

Fine, say that to the governor. We can amend the constitution anyway we want, to say anything we desire.

But don't sit on your hands just because the other political party thought of it first.

1) Speaking for myself personally, I have NOT been sitting on my hands. I've tried to be as involved and out-spoken as any non-legislator/non-lobbyist citizen with a full-time private sector job and family can be in regards to state government.

2) Governor Jindal is not the only one to blame (though he sure deserves a "fair share") for Higher Ed and healthcare funding "falling behind". The vast majority of your state legislators deserve every bit as much blame. Sure, they'll hold townhall meetings and run to the media complaining that the Governor is "gutting" Higher Ed and healthcare, but they themselves are allowing it to happen. They allow their votes to be bought off with state-funding for their local re-election pet projects.

One specific example (there are other examples): During the 2010 Regular Session, State Rep. John Schroder proposed an amendment to HB 1 (Operating Budget) striking out all local/NGO projects out of the budget. The thought was that if the state was running out of money to properly fund Higher Ed, then it sure can't afford to fund non-state government projects and organizations. He argued that money should be diverted to other state responsibilities during the shortfall, such as Higher Ed.

The amendment failed 22-70. Take a good look at those NO votes:

http://www.legis.la.gov/Legis/ViewDo...713400&n=House Vote on HB 1, AMENDMENT A-34, MOTION TO ADOPT (#1188)

A few of those legislators in that NO column have since then "seen the light", but the number is still way too small. You should be blaming the self-serving legislators on both sides of the aisle who continue to play this game, not just the vote-buying 4th Floor.

[USL1970]

Link to US News and World Report.

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandre...lafayette-2031

Some of the numbers seem to be off.

12% graduation rate after 4 years?

69+ million endowment?