The Bailout of ULM has Begun

[Cool Hand Clyde]

Public must rally behind university
Leesha Faulkner / Education Editor
Posted on March 9, 2003
Program reviews at the University of Louisiana at Monroe represent two larger issues.

The first involves the willingness of the state of Louisiana to put resources behind a university that stands in the heart of the northern Louisiana Delta region. The second speaks to the region's investment in this four-year institution.

Public forums involving 21 programs at ULM began last week. An Academic Planning Committee, made up of faculty at the university and chaired by Provost Steve Richters, has spent most of the year rating all ULM programs with information supplied by various department heads. These programs received ratings ranging from low to high.

While Richters and ULM President James Cofer both have said the reviews don't determine cuts, the cold reality stands that ULM needs funds because of its historically lower enrollment and high-cost programs that drain resources from other areas.

In an unprecedented move, Cofer has spoken very candidly and openly about ULM's needs. The bottom line: Some programs will have to go.

While some of ULM's challenges may result from past administrations' inability to get a grasp on dropping enrollment and spending, evidence also points to other, much larger issues.

In a meeting last week, Gov. Mike Foster pointed to using the community and technical college system providing incumbent worker training programs for businesses and the promise of attracting more businesses with a stronger community college system. The incumbent worker-training program "is a big, big thing when we have people come into this state," he said.

Investment seemed the focus of Foster's message.

Yet when pushed, Foster and his staff could speak only to the southern, central and northwestern areas of Louisiana. Northeastern Louisiana once again came up lacking.

When pressed for an answer, Foster and Andy Kopplin, the governor's chief of staff, pointed to renewal communities in northeastern Louisiana funded by federal dollars.

These parishes have children who want to attend universities. They struggle through high schools that lack financial resources to provide some of the basic courses required by the state's scholarship program, TOPS.

These students have as instructors many uncertified teachers because the quality of life in their parishes won't attract highly qualified instructors.

Some of their schools received poor accountability rankings because their students who take high-stakes tests don't have access to life and learning experiences to help them understand questions proffered by those tests.

Yet, ULM recruits these students because they deserve an opportunity close enough to home to receive a bachelor's degree. Many of these students reflect the culture of poverty from which they originate. They do not look people in the face when they speak. They seem unsure of themselves. They need confidence. ULM offers them an opportunity to grow in spirit as much as intellectually.

Commissioner of Higher Education Joe Savoie has recognized that ULM stands as a haven of hope and economic development in northeastern Louisiana. That's a major reason for the Louisiana Board of Regents request of $1 million designated for ULM in this year's budget. Yet, with a governor who rarely visits the northern region, one wonders if the Legislature will recognize the needs of more than a third of its population.

The money requested doesn't stand as a bailout for the financially troubled university, said Sally Clausen, present of the University of Louisiana System, which oversees ULM and seven other universities in the state. "It's an investment," she said.

The $1 million would be used to help bolster ULM's pharmacy program. The program costs money. To stay within resources and accreditation requirements, it accepts a limited number of students. But, Clausen reminds us, with this investment for ULM's pharmacy program, ULM administrators can divert freed resources into other programs.

Investment, raises the question of how much the businesses and people in the region want to invest to maintain ULM to help lift its young people from the culture of poverty and to provide access.

State Rep. Kay Katz, R-Monroe, who recently attended one of ULM's program forums, said, "I support any program that will promote good paying jobs for these people to stay in Louisiana. Allied health costs more, but the results are worth the investment."

Yet, when looking around at the crowd who attended the first public forum, one has to wonder about regional support. Most of those in attendance were alumni who worked in the fields of the programs - clinical laboratory science and dental hygiene. Hardly any other businesses that profit from student dollars or worker dollars, once those students graduate, attended the forums. Ben Katz, a Monroe councilman, attended a session. Local economic development officials didn't show up.

Where is the investment in ULM? This area's institution needs help. Through these public forums, we have the opportunity to witness its successes and its needs. A look around would lead one to remember William Shakespeare's line from Julius Caesar:

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars,

"But in ourselves ..."

[american]

Dr. Reneau needs to get some surrogates to fight this special funding vigorously. Incompetence should not be rewarded.

[VADawg]

This sounds like a prime opportunity for us to step in and help our "friends" in Monroe and take some programs offer of their hands such as the pharmacy program. Then in a few years we can take the medical school in Shreveport off of LSU's hands. After that we can start the only law school in North Louisiana.

I agree with the previous post that the state should not bail out a university who has not acted in a fiscally responsible manner.

[PawDawg]

As I read this on Sunday, this is what jumped out at me............

Investment seemed the focus of Foster's message.

Yet when pushed, Foster and his staff could speak only to the southern, central and northwestern areas of Louisiana. Northeastern Louisiana once again came up lacking.

When pressed for an answer, Foster and Andy Kopplin, the governor's chief of staff, pointed to renewal communities in northeastern Louisiana funded by federal dollars.

These parishes have children who want to attend universities. They struggle through high schools that lack financial resources to provide some of the basic courses required by the state's scholarship program, TOPS.

These students have as instructors many uncertified teachers because the quality of life in their parishes won't attract highly qualified instructors.

Some of their schools received poor accountability rankings because their students who take high-stakes tests don't have access to life and learning experiences to help them understand questions proffered by those tests.

Yet, ULM recruits these students because they deserve an opportunity close enough to home to receive a bachelor's degree. Many of these students reflect the culture of poverty from which they originate. They do not look people in the face when they speak. They seem unsure of themselves. They need confidence. ULM offers them an opportunity to grow in spirit as much as intellectually.

I respect Cofer a great deal, but how in the world will he overcome this? I've heard this talked for several years now, but this is the first time I've seen it in print.

[american]

Northeast Louisiana high schools produce many graduates who are ready for college. Many of them come to Tech.

[PawDawg]

There are bound to be some stats on that somewhere. I'm guessing that more NE La high grads are coming to Tech now than any other state school. I have nothing to back that up other than the fact that more of the ones I talk to now are going to Tech than a few years back.

[turbodawg]

I'm guessing this op/ed-ish piece ran as a result of the new round of program cuts that are going on at ula-mo?

Anybody know how that's going?

I read a little while back that, like they did a couple years (?) ago, they're gonna be weeding out more degree programs over there.

I really think that's good for Tech, and good for higher ed. in Louisiana.

It really sounds like Cofer is doing a pretty good job, considering what he inherited...


And, for what it's worth, you know, when a school drops degree programs like physics, geology, music, chemistry, etc., it's pretty hard for me to see how they can justify keeping a football team that keeps losing money...

[PawDawg]

Interesting that you should bring that up. I'm just now beginning to hear the rumblings from some of the nlulm folks. Talk is that the athletic department is the only department that has not taken any hits so far. That's not going over well with some of these soon to be cut departments. I don't know if this is true, but it's being talked on the street, which is almost as bad as being in print.

I still think Cofer is the man for them, but he is about to start making the tough desicions now. The ones that start to take jobs and such. He won't have quite as many fans after the cuts take place as he does now and during the cut process. Supposedly enrollment projections are down even more. Also, the Athletic department is scrambling around trying to decide Southland or Sunbelch (by July 1). Obviously Sunbelch requires a commitment to 1A. And as the world turns.........