Education
More Louisiana schools within reach of prestigious research designation
An important academic research designation, which can make schools more attractive to potential donors and faculty, is getting a makeover, offering an opportunity for some Louisiana universities to boost their credentials. The Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education confers two designations: R1 status for top universities with “very high” research activity; and R2 status […]
Gov. Edwards rejects House committee vote on high school graduation policy
In what might be a delay to the inevitable, Gov. John Bel Edwards rejected a legislative committee’s decision to deny Louisiana high school seniors an option to obtain a diploma if they can’t pass a standardized exam. Last week the House Committee on Education voted down a proposal from the state school board to create […]
Borrowers weigh personal, professional options as student loan payments resume
Justin Brown, a father of a 2-year-old who lives with his wife in the St. Louis, Missouri area, has $20,000 in student loan debt. Before the pause on loan payments at the start of the pandemic in 2020, he paid $300 a month. But now that Brown has a family, his financial responsibilities have grown […]
New LSU Litter Institute aims to become trash abatement knowdlege hub
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards announced the creation of a new LSU Litter Institute, which will support debris abatement projects and centralize knowledge on the issue. “I believe it is gonna provide a blueprint for us … not just us in Louisiana,” Edwards said. “Because … as we were studying what we should do in […]
Revenue sharing with student athletes is coming and could mean sports cutbacks
An LSU athletics administrator predicted there’s a “90% chance” a judge will rule in favor of former student athletes in a case that could result in schools sharing revenue with players. The federal lawsuit against the NCAA was filed by former college athletes seeking back pay for players’ name, image and likeness (NIL) valuations between […]
Not just Jeff Landry. Louisiana Legislature will also take a hard turn to the right.
In 2015, when Republican U.S. Sen. David Vitter was the early favorite to win the governor’s race, then-Rep. Cameron Henry was considered the chosen candidate for Louisiana House speaker. But Democrat John Bel Edwards beat Vitter in an upset election, and Henry’s hopes for the position were dashed. The House ended up selecting more moderate […]
LSU’s new energy institute faces global challenges, local skepticism
In Louisiana, the energy transition away from high-intensity carbon fuels is focused on things such as creating lower-carbon hydrogen and capturing climate-warming carbon from industry and directly from the air. But Brad Ives, the incoming director of Louisiana State University’s nascent Institute for Energy Innovation, wants to expand the possibilities to include energy sources such […]
No more attending classes: These community colleges let students learn at their own pace.
Jaqueline Yalda, who has been a campus police officer at El Paso Community College in Texas for a decade, sought a promotion earlier this year. But first, the department required her to complete a college-level course in criminal justice. It had been many years since Yalda had taken any college classes. And at age 38, […]
AG Landry’s guidance on minors’ library access already shaping local decisions
A controversial new Louisiana law does not mean libraries have to restrict minors’ access to materials deemed “sexually explicit” before checkout, Attorney General Jeff Landry is advising library administrators. The guidance, which a Northshore library board cited this week in a policy decision, comes as a blow to some far-right activists who have been using […]
Louisiana lawmakers block alternate graduation route for high schoolers
A panel of Louisiana lawmakers rejected a proposal Thursday to offer high school seniors an alternative to the standardized exam they need to pass in order to graduate. The House Education Committee considered policy the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) narrowly approved earlier this month aimed at students who struggle with Louisiana […]
UL System president to lead Louisiana Tech; Grambling president to take over system
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Wednesday to put current system President Jim Henderson in charge of Louisiana Tech University and move Grambling State University’s president into Henderson’s old job. “I am more excited to get back to the work I love, especially at a university with the history, the legacy […]
Unusual Louisiana Tech presidential search marked by frustration, confusion
The search process for Louisiana Tech’s next president has been unusual from the start, creating frustration within the university community. Rather than convene a search committee, as called for in the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors bylaws, its members instead suspended those rules earlier this month and named system President Jim Henderson the […]