ulm Prez: We're broke.

[turbodawg]

From today's News Star.

The situation just doesn't get any better for ulamon.

Perhaps Tech should make them an offer for their allied health.

Tech could call having Tech buildings on ulm's campus "promoting co-operation in Louisiana higher education." And Tech'd save the day by ensuring that NeLa has health care professionals.


http://www.thenewsstar.com/html/C6DD...81CFB6D5.shtml

Cofer wants doctors to help save program
Posted on October 10, 2002

University of Louisiana at Monroe President James Cofer called upon local physicians from the Ouachita Medical Society on Wednesday night to help the university save its allied health science programs.

"The institution is broke," Cofer said.

Because of a drop in enrollment, Cofer explained, ULM's health sciences programs - which train students to be pharmacists, medical technicians, occupational therapists, and dental hygienists - are funded at 80 percent of what the state Board of Regents says they should be. Cofer said if the programs aren't funded at 100 percent of the $4,400-per-student cost, cuts will have to be made.

Last year, ULM had 318 graduates in the health sciences. Cofer said most graduates get jobs in northeastern Louisiana.

Physicians are concerned that if ULM makes cuts to its allied health sciences programs, there will be a shortage of trained health professionals in the region. The nearest allied health sciences program is LSU in Baton Rouge, which graduated 407 students last year.

"If we don't train them, you'll have to go to south Louisiana and buy them," Cofer told the some 50 doctors gathered at ULM's library.

Pam Gibbs, the executive director of the Ouachita Medical Society, said she doesn't want ULM to lose any of its health sciences programs.

"The physicians are concerned about some of the cuts to the programs that Dr. Cofer is looking at," Gibbs said.

Gibbs said the cost of recruiting graduates from outside of the region would likely result in higher health care costs.

Cofer urged the physicians to call the Board of Regents and local legislators and ask that ULM's health programs be funded at 100 percent. But, he said, the universitywide decrease in enrollment has hurt the school most.

"What I need more than anything is more students," Cofer said. "If I had 3,000 more students, I wouldn't have a problem."

Cofer said he has been assessing which university programs don't meet student demand and are not central to the school's mission. He said he will be making decisions in the upcoming year about which programs might be eliminated.

Cofer has already made some changes in ULM's allied health sciences programs. After receiving approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors in the summer, ULM combined the College of Allied Health, the College of Pharmacy and the College of Rehabilitation Professions into a single College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

The consolidation was a return to the administrative structure of the health sciences colleges that existed prior to 2000.

"I put them back together under a single dean, and it seems to be working fine," Cofer said.

[DCDAWG]

I agree wholeheartedly. Instead of wasting more millions Louisiana doesn't have, the Legislature needs to just fold up the place and let Tech take over that program and whatever else they have worth saving. There's no reason Louisiana can't fund two major universities like Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, etc. Tech Law, Tech Medical School...I like the sound of that.