The (LA Tech/LSUS) Merger Thread II

[dawg80]

I had a good experience at LSUS and it is still paying dividends all these years later. Got an MBA there, total cost for the degree was just over $5,000. Other programs I considered at the time were all $20K+. All of my classes were F2F, with one hybrid course. No one cares which school I went to. All people see are those letters "MBA" and ask me if I can do....[fill in the blank]. I am doing a consulting gig right now for an energy company in Texas. I work from home, with limited travel required. The MBA also got me the position at NSU where I garnered a nice salary and am now retired from the state.

So, like anything else in life, it's what you do with opportunities that matter. For me, with an interest in marketing, I cozied up to the marketing professor and have continued to do consulting work with him, even though he left LSUS in 2012 during all that merger mess. He is now in Saudi Arabia, Director of the Marketing Department at a university there.

That $5,000 and time investment I made at LSUS has paid off many, many, many times over.

[HogDawg]

That would make sense economically/financially...so since it makes sense, it'll never happen!

But, since we're dreaming, I'll take it one more step. Have two ULS' systems, north and south. Tech to be the flagship north, with ulm, NSU, GSU, LSUS and LSUA, and SUS as satellites, and ULL to be flagship south over McNeese, Nicholls, SLU, LSUE, SUBR, UNO (did I miss any?). ULS-South would be larger in terms of enrollment, serving a larger population. But that arrangement makes sense geographically.

I know you were just "dreaming", but that plan actually makes a ton of sense economically. When one thinks about the elimination of duplicate positions and departments (e.g., have one school president instead of 6 or 7, etc...) This is exactly what Louisiana's higher education needs.

[tenacious_dog]

I had a good experience at LSUS and it is still paying dividends all these years later. Got an MBA there, total cost for the degree was just over $5,000. Other programs I considered at the time were all $20K+. All of my classes were F2F, with one hybrid course. No one cares which school I went to. All people see are those letters "MBA" and ask me if I can do....[fill in the blank]. I am doing a consulting gig right now for an energy company in Texas. I work from home, with limited travel required. The MBA also got me the position at NSU where I garnered a nice salary and am now retired from the state.

So, like anything else in life, it's what you do with opportunities that matter. For me, with an interest in marketing, I cozied up to the marketing professor and have continued to do consulting work with him, even though he left LSUS in 2012 during all that merger mess. He is now in Saudi Arabia, Director of the Marketing Department at a university there.

That $5,000 and time investment I made at LSUS has paid off many, many, many times over.

My situation is much the same. The 21 hours in accounting I took there is what I needed to sit for the CPA exam. If you don't know your stuff, you don't pass. If the classes I took at LSUS weren't up to snuff, I wouldn't have had a prayer so I give a lot of credit to the school for being where I am today. But Tech is where I got my degree and that is where I'm ever loyal.

[sportdawg]

If the main issue is cost of enrollment and admission standards, I have the answer to both!

1. Cost - LSUS Full-time 12 hours ($7462 for 2 semesters); La Tech Full-time 9-12 hours ($9255 - 3 quarters)
LSUS per/hour annually ~$620; Tech (12 hours) ~ $770 (9 hours) ~ $1030
For the 4 years after the merger of LaTech & LSUS - the classes on-campus in Shreveport will cost the same as today (+ any normal increases)
The next 4 years after that the cost per/hour annually at Shreveport campus will increase approximately $40 per year ($13/quarter) until it is the same as the main campus. Students taking under 12 hours per quarter will see a larger increase in per/hour cost ($100 annually - $33/quarter - if only taking 9 hours/quarter)

2. Admission Standards
Current (in-state only)
LSUS - GPA >2.0; ACT English 18/Math 19 orCumulative CORE GPA of at least 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale) OR an ACT composite score of at least a 20 (SAT score of 1020)
Tech - GPA >2.0; composite ACT of 23, or SAT* of 1130 (ERW + M) and overall GPA or Core GPA >2.5 with a minimum composite ACT of 15 or SAT of 810 (ERQ + M1)

First 2 years - students may enroll for classes at Shreveport campus with current LSUS requirements - they must take all of their classes 1st 3 quarters in Shreveport (exceptions may be granted). If they are in good standing after the first year, they may take classes at any campus.
Next 3 years, the Shreveport campus only registrants standards will incrementally become aligned with the Ruston campus.
Yr 1) GPA >2.0; ACT English 19/Math 20 orCumulative CORE GPA of at least 2.2 (on a 4.0 scale) AND ACT composite score of at least a 19
Yr 2) GPA >2.0; ACT English 20/Math 21 orCumulative CORE GPA of at least 2.3 (on a 4.0 scale) AND ACT composite score of at least a 18
Yr 3) GPA >2.0; ACT English 21/Math 22 orCumulative CORE GPA of at least 2.4 (on a 4.0 scale) AND ACT composite score of at least a 17
After that, the admissions standards at both campuses will be the same.

I wouldn't even mind seeing the standards stay the same for Shreveport campus and after 1 year in good standing, being able to transfer to Ruston, but I think that would be too much for admissions to keep up with.

My thought is that students that don't meet the admissions standards should start out at BPCC or Southern-Shreveport anyway. Then they can transfer to Tech.

A summary of how bad Larry Clark's news conference was yesterday.

Attachment 14406

[TechAlum05]

LSU president: We're keeping LSU-Shreveport

https://www.shreveporttimes.com/story/news/2019/04/05/lsu-president-were-keeping-lsu-shreveport/3376006002/

[qng001]

LSU president: We're keeping LSU-Shreveport

https://www.shreveporttimes.com/stor...rt/3376006002/

Just empty words from LSU System Pres/Chancellor Alexander.

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Quotes from the article by F. King Alexander:

LSUS is one of the fastest growing universities in Louisiana," Alexander said Friday morning in a statement. "Chancellor (Larrry) Clark and his faculty and staff are doing great things, and we are very proud of the impact they have on the region."

"We have never been more committed to LSUS and the Shreveport-Bossier community, and they have the full backing of the entire LSU family.”

[Blue Dawg]

Both of Alexander's statements are false.

[The Historian]

Just empty words from LSU System Pres/Chancellor Alexander.

---

Quotes from the article by F. King Alexander:

LSUS is one of the fastest growing universities in Louisiana," Alexander said Friday morning in a statement. "Chancellor (Larrry) Clark and his faculty and staff are doing great things, and we are very proud of the impact they have on the region."

"We have never been more committed to LSUS and the Shreveport-Bossier community, and they have the full backing of the entire LSU family.”

Give the man some credit. When he says ""We have never been more committed to LSUS and the Shreveport-Bossier community," I think that's a true statement. It doesn't take much of anything at all to be "more committed" when you've never shown any type of commitment whatsoever in the past.

[HogDawg]

Just empty words from LSU System Pres/Chancellor Alexander.

---

Quotes from the article by F. King Alexander:

LSUS is one of the fastest growing universities in Louisiana," Alexander said Friday morning in a statement. "Chancellor (Larrry) Clark and his faculty and staff are doing great things, and we are very proud of the impact they have on the region."

"We have never been more committed to LSUS and the Shreveport-Bossier community, and they have the full backing of the entire LSU family.”

So.....the LSU president is really named "King Alexander"? Are you kidding me? I mean....seriously, people? The whole state of Louisiana should be embarrassed about that. Furthermore, it's clear from his comment...."LSUS is one on the fastest growing universities in Louisiana".... that he's an absolute nut case.

Of course, the lazy Louisiana media didn't challenge this "King" nut at all by asking him why LSU hasn't been properly funding LSUS since their promise to do so back in 2012. This "king" doesn't seem to understand that the S-B area needs a full blown research university with resources and boots on the ground, not just a fly by night on-line business that can disappear in the blink of an eye, depending on competition from others. The on-line business adds very little value to the local economy and local community.

You can't make this stuff up. Only in Louisiana.

[dawg80]

He said: "We have never been more committed to LSUS and the Shreveport-Bossier community..."

Truth! and it's easy to maintain that when you are just barely providing anything!

[The Historian]

So.....the LSU president is really named "King Alexander"? Are you kidding me? I mean....seriously, people? The whole state of Louisiana should be embarrassed about that. Furthermore, it's clear from his comment...."LSUS is one on the fastest growing universities in Louisiana".... that he's an absolute nut case.

You can't make this stuff up. Only in Louisiana.

He's drawn the ire of at least one of LSU's biggest boosters. He has been a total disaster:

http://www.kplctv.com/2019/03/19/for...lsu-officials/

[qng001]

LSU System Pres/Chancellor Alexander ($600k) and LSUS Chancellor Clark ($240k) can't run LSUS successful. Larry Clark gets paid very well at failing.

[The Historian]

This "king" doesn't seem to understand that the S-B area needs a full blown research university with resources and boots on the ground, not just a fly by night on-line business that can disappear in the blink of an eye, depending on competition from others. The on-line business adds very little value to the local economy and local community.

Very accurate way to put it. The fact that a 4-year university under the LSU System Board's control has been allowed to offer a 10-month online MBA is astounding. The fact the school's financial future is now depended upon it is even more astounding.

[faninmonroe]

LSU needs to keep LSUS

LSUS is in worse shape than we realize. Tech, UL-L or any other state school not named LSU will not be able to handle the mess.

LSU has a shot at managing it.

[TYLERTECHSAS]

Very accurate way to put it. The fact that a 4-year university under the LSU System Board's control has been allowed to offer a 10-month online MBA is astounding. The fact the school's financial future is now depended upon it is even more astounding.

I personally think we need to approve the "athletic fee" on our Ruston campus first and then take over LSUS where it would be mediatory I would think. I would love to grab their facilities and grow it and it's old alumni base ("I feel there is still some good in them")
as La Tech - Shreveport.