Savoie on the Budget Cuts

[Hammer58]

_ That's incorrect, after Phillip Austin left Bama, he brought the concept to Connecticut. After the model was instituted there, the university went from a bottom tier institution, to the top public school in New England and a first tier university in a matter of 5 years.

Emmert took the concept from Connecticut and brought it to LSU, whose national reputation has improved significantly in the last 10 years, and he's continued to pursue the concept in Washington (which for some reason has garnered resentment from the WSU people)
The concept works, and has been adopted by far more than two states....and in every state, there's bound to be resentment from the "other" schools. The reality of the matter is, higher ed is a zero sum game. _

What a surprise! Don't those people understand the concept of "knowing their place"?

[Turbine]

. . .the concept would be called "Flagships Agenda." The entire concept that Emmert took from UConn and pursued at LSU was founded on the concept that stratification of public institutions is necessary, if a state wants a nationally recognized institution. As opposed to just a bunch of random and unselective institutions that teach kids. . . .

This is nothing new.

I can assure you the concept "started" in Louisiana decades ago with Huey P. Long.

It just took someone else to come up with a name for it and easily sell the perfect fit back to Louisiana.

[awadelewis]

As for North Carolina, UNC is THE school. Be it an NC resident, or any other potential student, and that's the primary target...if you attend another state school, it's only because UNC rejected you. _

Definitely not. Take it from someone who was grew up in NC, only alumni of UNC-CH have that view of the Chapel Hill campus of the UNC. It goes by programs; you want to be lawyer, doctor, or historian, then UNC-CH (and equally Duke or Wake Forest but we're limiting ourselves to the state schools) is the leader while the people who want to be engineers, chemists, and such go to NC State.

On top of that, the UNC system (which consists of all state-owned four year institutions of higher learning) doesn't starve the other campuses in the system in favor of the original campus (doesn't matter if you're UNC-Asheville, UNC-Wilmington, UNC-Charlotte, UNC-Pembroke, AppState, Western Carolina, W-S State, NC A&T, ...).

If you're going to compare higher education in NC vs. our system here in LA, then you have to consider it as a counterexample to the "Flagship" crap instead of supporting that idea.

[awadelewis]

One more point on this topic:
Both UL and LSU supporters need to work together with our legislature to fix the state constitution so that higher education and health care isn't the only thing that gets nuked when the state has to tighten the budgetary belts. This affects the entire state; only public safety, IMO, should have higher priority than these two items when it comes time to decide what gets cut and what doesn't.

[cajunfan96]

_ One more point on this topic:
Both UL and LSU supporters need to work together with our legislature to fix the state constitution so that higher education and health care isn't the only thing that gets nuked when the state has to tighten the budgetary belts. This affects the entire state; only public safety, IMO, should have higher priority than these two items when it comes time to decide what gets cut and what doesn't. _

The bottom line is UL is about to get it broken off in the arse! We need to do all we can to soften the blow! This will not be pretty Guys! Contact your elected officials!

[RiverRanchMan]

_ There are, in fact, only two states that have adopted the 'Flagship' model; Louisiana and Arkansas. Two states that rank last and next to last in darn near every educational measurement you can think of. It's not a coincidence.

Alabama, almost as small in population as Louisiana, and MUCH poorer in resources, has as many 4 year public schools as Louisiana [give or take a couple, I counted 12 and stopped] and MORE than Arkansas, but NO flagship; yet Auburn, Alabama and UAB are all above LSU and Arkansas academically.

That's not an accident, either. _

Alabama & Louisiana have nearly identical populations & average per capita incomes. Alabama education expeditures are comparable to LA. The problem in LA is the number of Universities. Another university would have to emerge as a "flagship" school and none of the "other" schools in the state are going to back down.

[MissingMandy]

A "flagship" school by its very definition should have the best interests of all state universities. They should be a leader. That isn't the case in Louisiana and it's pretty sad. Nothing defines that situation better then the fight for the name change at UL and the obvious feelings of contempt that many people feel for every other school other then the "flagship". Seems ridiculous to me and a waste of people's time and money. So much good could come for both schools if one didn't feel the need to keep the other under its thumb.

[VObserver]

_ Alabama & Louisiana have nearly identical populations & average per capita incomes. Alabama education expeditures are comparable to LA. The problem in LA is the number of Universities. Another university would have to emerge as a "flagship" school and none of the "other" schools in the state are going to back down. _

Read the whole paragraph; Alabama has at least as many public 4 year cilleges as Louisiana. Find another excuse.

[RiverRanchMan]

_ Read the whole paragraph; Alabama has at least as many public 4 year cilleges as Louisiana. Find another excuse. _

If you want to count all the insignificant four year Universities in Alabama, then they have just as many. I promise you that the funding is not the same to each school, which is what you’re suggesting. Anyway, the premise of my statement is that Louisiana can’t afford to fund all Universities the same. The LSU system & the UL system get the same amount of funds. If a school in the UL system was declared “flagship” of the UL system, then more funds would be funneled to it but the others would suffer.

I continuously see LSU being blamed for UL-Lafayette’s problems on this board. The big boogie man in Baton Rouge. It is starting to sound like AL Sharpton & Jessie Jackson when continuously blaming white America for Black people’s problems. Why not take responsibility for yourself? You all look ridiculous.

Another thing, you keep referring to another flagship university. The assumption here seems to be that UL-Lafayette should be the other flagship. You really think LA Tech, UL-Monroe & others will allow that to happen? I think you have more than LSU to worry about trying to become the flagship school of the UL system. Even if LSU endorsed such an idea, the other schools will fight it.

[CajunSaint]

_ If you want to count all the insignificant four year Universities in Alabama, then they have just as many. I promise you that the funding is not the same to each school, which is what you’re suggesting. Anyway, the premise of my statement is that Louisiana can’t afford to fund all Universities the same. The LSU system & the UL system get the same amount of funds. If a school in the UL system was declared “flagship” of the UL system, then more funds would be funneled to it but the others would suffer.

I continuously see LSU being blamed for UL-Lafayette’s problems on this board. The big boogie man in Baton Rouge. It is starting to sound like AL Sharpton & Jessie Jackson when continuously blaming white America for Black people’s problems. Why not take responsibility for yourself? You all look ridiculous.

Another thing, you keep referring to another flagship university. The assumption here seems to be that UL-Lafayette should be the other flagship. You really think LA Tech, UL-Monroe & others will allow that to happen? I think you have more than LSU to worry about trying to become the flagship school of the UL system. Even if LSU endorsed such an idea, the other schools will fight it. _

he says, as he lives in lafayette, probably raises his children in lafayette, and earns his living in lafayette. pathetic.