On October 13, 2022, a group of higher education institutions formalized the Study Louisiana consortium. In collaboration with the U.S. Commercial Service – a division of the Commerce Department – the consortium will promote Louisiana as a global destination for higher education. Founding members include: Southern University-Shreveport; LSU-Shreveport; Centenary College of Louisiana; Northwestern State University; McNeese State University; and Tulane University.
International students in Louisiana enjoy the best of Southern hospitality, Cajun and Creole cuisine, a vibrant cultural history, and a truly global economy connected by one of the world’s busiest trade corridors. Louisiana students also have access to more than 570 multinational companies that call the Pelican State home. Few states rival Louisiana for high-quality student internships across the energy, entertainment, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, tourism, bio-innovation, healthcare, agribusiness, and logistics sectors, among many others.
Louisiana already attracts more than 6,000 international students from around the world, contributing over $200 million to the state’s economy (2021 NAFSA Economic Value Data). Study Louisiana has the goal “to provide Louisiana’s higher education community with a common platform for promoting our state as a premier education destination for foreign students seeking to study in the United States,” says incoming board chair Dr. Sharron Herron-Williams.
As noted by the success of the over 30 existing ‘study state consortia’ the consortium model provides an effective mechanism for higher-ed institutions to access the variety of student recruitment benefits offered through the Commercial Service’s global network of embassies and consulates.