Education
Student debt relief scams on the rise. Here’s what borrowers need to know.
Complaints about student debt relief scams are increasing as the date approaches for borrowers to restart payment on their student loans after more than a three-year pause. Consumer protection advocates say that the Biden administration’s student debt relief efforts, the subsequent halting of those policies by the courts, and the restart of student loan payments […]
St. Tammany library board chips away at mountain of challenged books
MANDEVILLE – A book shelved in the adult section of the St. Tammany Parish public library system was challenged on the grounds that it is inappropriate for children. Ten months and $400 later, the parish library board voted to keep it there. At a Thursday meeting, the St. Tammany Parish Library Board of Control voted […]
Louisiana’s universities are an ‘academic freedom oasis’ — for now
Louisiana’s higher education faculty count themselves lucky that attacks on academic freedom on campus have not taken root here. But the looming possibility of such policy changes is one key factor that critics say keeps universities from recruiting top faculty from states where it has. A state that is decidedly Republican except for a Democrat […]
Louisiana Dept. of Education failed to investigate 40% of disability complaints, audit finds
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) failed to investigate a significant number of formal complaints against schools not following federal laws to protect students with disabilities during the 2021-2022 school year, according to a new report from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor. Auditors found state education officials investigated and resolved 61 complaints during the 2021-2022 school […]
Some Gov. John Bel Edwards mega donors on higher ed boards look to Landry, Republicans
A seat on one of the boards overseeing higher education in Louisiana is one of the best appointments within the governor’s gift. It begins to explain why many appointees tend to bet on the winning horse with their political donations, rather than give ideologically, experts say. Randy Morris, for example, sits on the LSU Board […]
Karl Malone statue at Louisiana Tech rekindles discussion of athlete’s past sexual misconduct
RUSTON — In Louisiana Tech University’s champions plaza, six statues of its athletic greats sit together, immortalized in shining brass. Alongside these Louisiana legends such as Kim Mulkey and Terry Bradshaw is a statue of Karl Malone, who has a troubling history of sexual misconduct. Louisiana Tech unveiled the statues at a ceremony Wednesday night […]
LSU research team identifying orphaned oil wells leaking methane
A team of researchers at LSU is taking on the thousands of orphaned oil wells in Louisiana to determine which are leaking methane into the atmosphere so they can be prioritized for plugging. There are more than 4,500 orphaned oil wells in Louisiana, according to a press release from the university, meaning they have been […]
White House: Louisiana has shortchanged Southern $1.12 billion over 30 years
States have engaged in decades of underfunding of land-grant Historically Black Colleges and Universities, leading to a more than $12 billion disparity with comparable white institutions, leaders of the U.S. Department of Education and U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Monday. “Unacceptable funding inequities have forced many of our nation’s distinguished Historically Black Colleges and […]
LSU a case study for promoting diversity post-affirmative action, former president says
Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutting race-conscious university admissions, the Biden administration has advocated for a shift toward holistic admissions to promote diversity. LSU is a prime example of the good that can do, its former president said. LSU led the country’s most selective public universities in increasing economic diversity since 2011, according to […]
University of New Orleans lands new leader from Indiana-Purdue breakup
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors named Kathy Johnson, a top administrator at Indiana University-Purdue University Indiana (IUPUI), the next president of the University of New Orleans. IUPUI, two universities that have acted as one for half a century, is in the midst of a historic breakup. Starting in fall 2024, programs affiliated […]
Governor candidates pitch plans to keep LSU competitive as a flagship
Six of the seven major candidates for Louisiana governor presented their ideas to keep LSU competitive as the state’s flagship university at a forum held Wednesday evening at the university’s Student Union. Just one mentioned tenure, one of the most important policy issues in higher education. Former Secretary of Transportation Shawn Wilson, the leading Democrat […]
Democrats push to extend child care grant program
WASHINGTON — Congressional Democrats introduced a bill Wednesday to extend funding for five years for a pandemic-era child care subsidy program set to expire at the end of the month. The legislation would extend the child care stabilization grant program, which Congress established in 2021 to help child care providers meet additional costs during the […]