ULM was scheduled to institute selective admissions this fall. But raising standards reduces enrollment for a while, and steady drops in student numbers the past three years along with the virtual disappearance of surplus self-generated funds needed to take up the slack forced ULM to defer plans for higher admissions standards. Louisiana Tech took a 2,000 student hit when it went to even minimal selective admissions, but had built up sufficient cash reserves to maintain essential academic services and physical plant until enrollment crept back to the 1990 level. It's not clear if this year's summer pay plan, which ULM announced at the last minute, helped the bottom line. Faculty members received a flat rate for summer classes plus a monthly addition to their checks during the 2000-2001 school year, all of which will total what they received for teaching summer school in 1999.
Summer school is over now, but the plan was never submitted for board approval.
Deferring summer school salary expense does not change total expenses for the year because summer school is included in the school year that begins with the upcoming fall semester. Auditors will most likely pick up the sleight and cite it in the legislative audit report due by Dec. 31. For several years ULM has relied on attrition and elimination of untenured positions to balance its budget. The tier system ranks state colleges based on admissions standards and doctoral programs. To boost the number of students enrolled in doctoral programs, ULM changed the longstanding bachelor of pharmacy to a doctorate.