By: Piper Hutchinson | Louisiana Illuminator
The Louisiana Legislature is deciding whether to reduce, redefine or abolish the state’s higher education oversight board as multiple state universities struggle through budget crises and the federal government probes minority student completion goals.
Three bills have been filed that seek to take on the Board of Regents, the coordinating body for the LSU, University of Louisiana, Southern and Louisiana Community and Technical College systems.
Most states with multiple university or college systems also have an overarching board covering all higher education.
What is the Board of Regents?
Established in 1974, the Louisiana Board of Regents is made up of 15 members the governor appoints for six-year terms. One student member is appointed annually by a group of student leaders from all state schools.
The Board of Regents hires the state commissioner of higher education, currently Kim Hunter Reed, who oversees a professional staff that does the day-to-day work of the agency. That includes creating the state’s higher education master plan, making funding recommendations, approving academic programs for public and private institutions and overseeing a slew of statewide programs.
The U.S. Department of Education announced in February that the board is the subject of a probe into an objective in its 2019 strategic plan that called for improvements in the numbers of Black and Hispanic students who receive diplomas and certifications from a baseline of 14,579 in 2020–21 to 16,000 in academic year 2025–26.
Louisiana’s colleges and universities crossed that line early in 2023-24.
The most visible program it administers is the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Aid, which manages the TOPS scholarship program, the M.J. Foster Promise Program, which offers grants to nontraditional students seeking workforce credentials, and other tuition assistance resources.
Also falling under Regents are the Louisiana Optical Network Infrastructure, which provides internet connectivity and cybersecurity monitoring to campus; the Louisiana Library Network, which shares resources among Louisiana’s academic libraries; the 529 START savings plans for college and K-12 students; and the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium.
If Regents were abolished, some of these programs could be redistributed to other state agencies. Some states, for example, have a single department of education that oversees both K-12 and higher education. Other legislatively mandated functions would have to be absorbed by the four higher education systems, which would likely result in a significant uptick in spending for those systems.
What is the legislature considering?
The most severe measure, House Bill 391 by Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, is a constitutional amendment that would be put on the ballot to ask voters whether to completely abolish Regents, a constitutionally established agency.
McMakin, whose district encompasses LSU and who is also the public address announcer for football games at Tiger Stadium, said he would hold a hearing on the bill near the end of session. He intends to call someone from the Board of Regents to defend its functions, but he said he didn’t anticipate his bill would pass this year.
On the other end of the spectrum is Senate Bill 478 by Sen. Gerald Boudreaux, D-Lafayette, which redefines and strengthens Regents’ financial oversight powers
“I don’t know that I have a lot of confidence that each system can govern themselves,” Boudreaux said in an interview.
The only bill actively moving through the legislature is Senate Bill 484 by Sen. Mark Abraham, R-Lake Charles, which gives some, but not all, of Regents’ functions to other state agencies.
In an interview, Abraham said his bill is not a step toward abolishing Regents, as he believes there needs to be some level of oversight above the higher education management boards.
Abraham’s bill and Boudreaux’s bill have one common element. They both move the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium from Regents to the LSU System.
What is LUMCON?
The consortium, commonly known as LUMCON, is headquartered at Nicholls State University in Thibodaux but made up of multiple entities any college or university in the state can access.
LUMCON is a scientific agency focused on marine and coastal research that has several facilities and a fleet of vessels for its mission. It also oversees two federally funded affiliates that provide research resources and other financial support for ecological projects.
LUMCON currently employs nine professors, who combined spend approximately $9 million annually on research. Abraham told lawmakers on the Senate Education Committee that LSU believes it could double or even triple LUMCON’s research spending by giving it a home within a major research institution.
That would be a significant benefit to the flagship university as it seeks to become a top-50 research university, which will require LSU to significantly boost its spending on scholarly studies.
Lawmakers representing districts without LSU System schools have significant concerns about Abraham’s proposal. Sen. Katrina Jackson-Andrews, D-Monroe, said at a legislative hearing she was concerned that LSU would prioritize its use of LUMCON facilities, and schools such as the University of Louisiana at Monroe would have less access to consortium facilities and resources.
Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, R-Houma, said Abraham committed to coming up with a plan for how LUMCON would operate once transitioned to LSU before bringing his bill to the Senate floor for a vote. Zeringue is part of the regional delegation with a LUMCON presence and has taken an interest in LUMCON-related legislation in the past.
What’s next
Abraham’s bill was advanced from the Senate Education Committee earlier this month and still needs approval from the full Senate before it can move to a House committee.
His bill is the most likely to pass this session, though Abraham said he plans to amend certain portions of Boudreaux’s bill into his.
McMakin’s bill has not yet been scheduled for a committee hearing. McMakin said he has not decided whether to refile the bill next year.