Volume 1, Issue 5 July 20, 2018
A Weekly Look at News and Notes from the Louisiana Board of Regents
BOARD OF REGENTS IN THE NEWS
New diploma planned for math, science and other courses
July 18, 2018

The state plans to add an endorsement on high school diplomas for students who complete a certain set of math, science, engineering and other classes, officials said Wednesday. The change is part of Louisiana's push to elevate interest in STEM careers -- science, technology, engineering and math.

The issue surfaced during a meeting of the LaSTEM Advisory Council , which was launched last year to heighten interest in courses that can lead to jobs in engineering, digital media and cybertechnology.

The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and the state Board of Regents , during a joint meeting in December, will be asked to sign off on the plans, including which courses can count toward a diploma endorsement.

Lupe Lamadrid, senior policy analyst for the Board of Regents, said the STEM courses will be weighted, like Advanced Placement and other classes.

Deadline approaching for Louisiana teachers to apply for free tuition
July 18, 2018

The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is setting aside about $25,000 to fund a free fall semester for 100 teachers.

"The most important in-school factor on student success is the teachers in the classroom, and we are looking to provide every opportunity we can to help our teachers grow and improve," said BESE Vice President Holly Boffy. "The better our teachers get the better our students will get."

Applicants that aren't chosen can apply for the Board of Regents Classroom Teacher Enrollment Program. This program matches teachers with colleges or universities that have open classroom seats after their add/drop period.
So gross, so fascinating: Louisiana lab live-tweets dissection of giant deep-sea 'bug'
July 16, 2018
Just in time for lunch Monday (July 16), a university lab in Cocodrie took its Twitter followers on a stomach-turning tour of a rarely-seen crustacean's inner-workings. 

The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, better known as  LUMCON , live-tweeted the dissection of a giant deep-sea isopod pulled from the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. Usually measuring about a foot long, these relatives of shrimp and crab scoot around the sea floor looking for dead animals to eat. 

LOUISIANA HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
CLTCC Natchitoches to offer new Patient Care Technician program in August
July 19, 2018
The Natchitoches Campus of Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) will begin offering a Patient Care Technician (PCT) program effective August 20 when classes start for the 2018 fall semester.

The PCT program prepares students for a variety of jobs in the health care industry, and it meets the need for cross training employees in health care facilities. The program is comprehensive as it consists of classroom instruction, lab practicum, and supervised clinical activities in hospitals, nursing homes, laboratories and other health care settings.

“We are excited to expand our course offerings in nursing and allied health at the Natchitoches Campus,” said Campus Dean Laurie Morrow. “Students can earn multiple certifications through the PCT program, which increases their skill set and makes them a more diversified employee for our local health care providers.”

Hungry for change: The mindset shift higher ed needs to address student housing and food insecurity

Recognizing signs of these issues on campus is a start, but actually shifting limited resources and developing partnerships is key to change, industry leaders say.
July 18, 2018

The signs of student homelessness and hunger on campus are easy to miss: rumors circulating of that generous professor who brings snacks to the classroom, a surge in faculty complaints around students taking extra-long naps in the lounge, or maybe more students are bringing plastic bags to campus events which offer food.

That last one, says Natalie Harder, chancellor of South Louisiana Community College , is what made her realize how deeply these issues were impacting her campus. 

State association honors Fletcher student
July 17, 2018
Fletcher Technical Community College announced that Micheal Jones, a WorkReadyU student, was chosen as the Student of the Year by Louisiana Association for Public, Community and Adult Education.

As a WorkReady-U student, Micheal received a 5 for 6 scholarship and was concurrently enrolled in the electrical program while earning his high school equivalency diploma. He has successfully passed the reading, language and science parts of the diploma testing. In the electrical program, he has received certifications from the National Center for Construction Education and Research in core curriculum, construction site safety one and introductory craft skills.

LSU president paid most among Louisiana college presidents, more than national average
July 15, 2018

LSU President F. King Alexander remains the highest-paid president of a public university in Louisiana and collects more than the national average, according to a report released Sunday.

Alexander's salary of $610,666 places him 62nd in pay among 251 college chief executives, the Chronicle of Higher Education says.

The national average is about $560,000, up 5 percent from the previous year.
New Orleans higher education news for July 15, 2018: Tulane adds master's in cybersecurity; UNO gets $50K for research
July 15, 2018

Tulane adds master’s in cybersecurity

Tulane University is enrolling students in a new online master of professional studies program in cybersecurity management. The program will teach the theoretical and functional sides of cybersecurity, as well as skills that will help students excel in information technology fields, the university said.

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UNO gets $50K for student researchers

The University of New Orleans has received a $50,000 gift from the Oscar J. Tolmas Charitable Trust, which it hopes to use to expand programs that allow undergraduate students to do research work. The money will go toward two programs — the Privateer Undergraduate Research and Scholarly UNO Experience and the College of Sciences Undergraduate Research Program.
NATIONAL HIGHER EDUCATION NEWS
Americans Still Believe in Higher Ed's 'Public Good'

July 17, 2018

Most political discussion of higher education these days focuses on the return on investment to individuals, rather than on the contributions that colleges and universities make to society broadly. So it wouldn't be surprising to find that many Americans don't put much stock in the "public good" arguments on which much government funding of higher education was premised.

But a new survey finds that most Americans continue to support government funding of higher education and to recognize that colleges and universities play many roles beyond helping them (or their children) get a good job or other personal return on investment.
Who Lives in Education Deserts?

July 17, 2018

For most college students, place matters. And closer is often better. In 2016, almost 40 percent of first-time, full-time freshmen  reported that their colleges were less than 50 miles from their homes, a proportion that has held  since the 1980s .

Studying close to home, family, and community can be even more vital for the roughly  one in four undergraduate students  who are considered nontraditional — those who are older, have child-care duties, work full time, or attend college part time.
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