BATON ROUGE (AP) — Presidents of the eight University of Louisiana System institutions have launched an effort to turn out more graduates than the national average by 2012.

The effort applies to about 83,000 students in the system, which includes Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond, the UL Lafayette, McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Grambling State University, Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Nicholls State University in Thibodaux, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.

Only 35 percent of students who attend the eight schools left with degrees in six years, according to 2002 figures. The national average is 54 percent.

The exception to the problem is Louisiana Tech, which graduated 57 percent of its students during the period covered. That school won national recognition earlier this year for improvements. The school’s completion rate was 35 percent in 1997.

As for the other schools, Sally Clausen, president of the UL system, said Thursday: “We are not pleased with where our graduation rates are.”

Ray Authement, president of UL Lafayette, said talk in national education circles has changed from access to colleges and universities to graduation and retention rates.

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