(02-19-2016 11:15 AM)CajunAmos Wrote:  

(02-18-2016 08:17 PM)LaCajunsFan Wrote:  

(02-18-2016 07:49 PM)Phlipper33 Wrote:  

(02-17-2016 09:12 PM)geauxcajuns Wrote:  

(02-17-2016 08:18 PM)Fanof49ASU Wrote:  Would it alleviate the states financial burden if Loser Tech closed its doors?

Just thinking out loud....looking for ideas...

Honestly the best financial strategy would be to consolidate schools.

North La: ULM, LTUrd and LSUS merge into 1.
South La: UL, McNeese, Nicholls and LSUA merge.
Nola Area: UNO, SUNO, Delgado and SeLU into 1.
HBCU: Southern & Grambling merge under SU

Then you have LSU who still reigns supreme.

Refocus empty campuses into vocational schools to address the ever widening skills gap.

From an outsiders perspective, it does seem to make sense to merge Tech and Monroe, they're only about 35 miles apart, or roughly half the distance UT-Pan Am and Brownsville were when they merged. Would have a combined enrollment a little over 20,000 - or close to 25,000 if you include LSU-Shreveport in the merger. At this point you've got a school bigger than the current UL and (IMO) more likely to succeed as an institution than any of the existing schools.

Neither Ruston or Monroe are very large towns, and a doubling of the local student population would surely cause some issues on whichever town the merged school was in, while at the same time cause the other town to lose a great amount of its economy so I understand this isn't a win-win situation. I would love to know if there were any studies being done on the possibility of a merger though.

As for the Southland schools, I know even less about them. I'm probably a little controversial but I think all HBCUs should be merged with other schools where available. We shouldn't have any need for 'separate but equal' anymore, and (without looking at any facts) I'd venture to say most HBCUs aren't equal to their corresponding 'white' campuses. High schools were integrated a couple of generations ago, its beyond time to do the same with the state universities.

EDIT: Just realized where Grambling State is located, I always thought it farther south. A merger of Grambling, Tech, Monroe, and Shreveport gives you a university of nearly 30,000 students. A large university to support the I-20 corridor just makes too much sense in my opinion.

I've said before: you need to consider more than just geography when talking consolidation. That said, you are not that far off:

1. Lsus: combine ltur, and NWST into LSUS, in Shreveport which can properly support a school that size, as well be very accessible to (all via I20 & I49). seems kinda logical to keep it part of the lsu system.

2. Combine LSUe into LSUS and limit it to a 4 year school only. Now lsu has a foot print in the s & n, and a 4 yr school in the middle. All very easily accessible via the current interstate system.

3. Mcneese and Nichols become part of UL, but are kept to bachelors degree, non research colleges. ULM mission remains the same, but is managed and otherwise becomes part of UL. Grambling also becomes 4 yr only, but also managed via ULM....more of a branch of ULM.

4. Keep SLU and sumo as is, but merge all into UNO. Get rid of suno law school.

4 systems spread out evenly, with good combinations of 2 & 4 yrs schools, plus full fledged universities evenly distributed and easily and accessible to all.

Makes perfect sense if you think about it rationally.

I'd think you'd have an argument from NWST versus LSUA. They are not that far apart and have a much more recognized history and curriculum.

Northwest State the oldest university in the ULS. Very long history, not struggling to get students.

Grambling U, HBU in the ULS will never be merged by consent decree with Uncle Sam, along with SU in Baton Rouge. Does not matter if I, or you like it, thats how the racial cookie crumbles.


LSUA is over an hour away from NWSU, and UL. It is about ten minutes South of Alexandria on Louisiana 71. Handles lots of students in the no mans land of where the Red, Mississippi, and Atchafalia rivers merge, along with CENLA.

Nichols is not within an hour of anything.

SUNO needs to be closed, the facilities given over to the local JC Delgado. The students not qualified to enroll in UNO can spend two years in Delgado getting up to par, or getting a trade.

McNeese serving the most dynamic portion of the state in new industries today. Not sure anyone is going to merge them to save a few shillings on deans.

The big problem with Louisiana is not too many colleges, but too many everything being supplied by the state instead of locals. We have a huge homestead exemption making sure locals never have enough and have to come to the state hat in hand, and of course money is always lost going from local to state, back to local.

SELA is under an hour (59 miles) to NO and Nicholls is just over an hour (66 miles) but that's still a stretch. UT system just merged 2 schools 64 miles apart so it's do-able.

No way you get to NOLA from Hammond in an hour on a school day, or visa versa. Nichols State similar problems. Don't let the miles fool you. I spent the better part of my working career driving those roads daily.

Nichols could be a satellite campus for UNO, but then at some point you still gotta have enough courses to support the students. SLU also could be a satellite campus. Your savings would be in administrative costs, and frankly I doubt they would be as much as people think. SLU and Nichols also do not have nearly as high a admittance requirement as UNO, and would leave a lot of students struggling. Creating viable juco solutions would probably exceed the current administrative costs.

While everything in Louisiana is protected except higher education and health, it can all be overridden with concerted effort by the administrative and legislative branches. We don't do things that way in Louisiana.

Texas State's School of Nursing is 53 miles from the main campus with the "worst stretch of road in the US" separating them.

I have no idea what solutions are viable for any of the Louisiana schools. I was just trying to make suggestions, like others.

(02-20-2016 12:34 AM)CajunExpress Wrote:  No way you get to NOLA from Hammond in an hour on a school day, or visa versa. Nichols State similar problems. Don't let the miles fool you. I spent the better part of my working career driving those roads daily.

Nichols could be a satellite campus for UNO, but then at some point you still gotta have enough courses to support the students. SLU also could be a satellite campus. Your savings would be in administrative costs, and frankly I doubt they would be as much as people think. SLU and Nichols also do not have nearly as high a admittance requirement as UNO, and would leave a lot of students struggling. Creating viable juco solutions would probably exceed the current administrative costs.

While everything in Louisiana is protected except higher education and health, it can all be overridden with concerted effort by the administrative and legislative branches. We don't do things that way in Louisiana.

Ok...here are a few points that i think I agree with, but then it makes the whole discussion that much more confusing:

1. Most ULS schools are currently carrying so much debt that it is not feasible to say 'shut them down' ASAP, as there would still be all of the expenses, with zero revenue coming in.

2. There would not be enough admin savings in consolidating management into a few schools.

3. Now it has been suggested that even charging missions of schools .... either down to jucos, or non-research colleges, etc. ..... would not be feasible either. Although I disagree with this one for now.


Looking to point 1, maybe the answer is that the revenue will stil be there, but consolodated into fewer schools? So this could only work with patience and a 'long term' plan from the state. Two highly unlikely prospects for La, lol. And I guess a variation of that solution could also be applied to,the other points.