Annual Review of the Master Plan for Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011
Author: Louisiana Board of Regents
Date: 2012-08-00
Type: Reports - Evaluative
Subjects: Public Education,Higher Education,Educational Objectives,Educational Attainment,Innovation,Scientific Research,Accountability,Efficiency,Educational Finance,State Legislation,Educational Legislation,Education Work Relationship,Educational Cooperation,Elementary Secondary Education,College Readiness,Career Readiness,High School Graduates,Adult Education,College Attendance,College Transfer Students,Labor Force Development,Interdisciplinary Approach,Commercialization,Economic Development,Data Collection,Funding Formulas,Information Sources,College Programs,Enrollment,Two Year Colleges,Outcomes of Education,Student Improvement

Article VIII, §5 D (4) of Louisiana's Constitution requires the Board of Regents (BoR) to &quot;formulate and make timely revision of a master plan for postsecondary education…&quot; On August 24, 2011, the BoR adopted the &quot;Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011&quot; outlining the long-term goals for the State's colleges and universities through 2025. The BoR, through the development and implementation of the Master Plan, advanced its vision for the future of postsecondary education by adopting the following three broad goals: (1) Increase the educational attainment of the State's adult population to the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) States' average by 2025; (2) Invest strategically in university research; and (3) Achieve greater efficiency and accountability in the postsecondary education system. The Plan outlines 19 objectives, 71 activities, and 97 performance measures to achieve these goals. Through these goals, related activities and the measurable performance metrics, the Plan assures that its implementation will be monitored, evaluated, and reported throughout its duration. This is the first annual evaluation of the 2011 Master Plan. Subsequent annual evaluations will be forthcoming through 2025, culminating in a long-term analysis of the fifteen-year implementation of the Plan. In the first year of implementation, progress towards Goal 1 is evident in the increased preparation and college-going rate of high school graduates, increased enrollment of adult learners in postsecondary education, increases in the total number of degree/certificates awarded, and in the number of students completing a postsecondary credential. However, there are still measures which, at least in the first year of reporting, showed little to no progress. In the first year of Master Plan reporting, Goal 2 metrics largely remained stable over baseline reporting. This is likely due in part to the fact that the National Science Foundation, the source for most data on university-based research expenditures and activity, publishes data more than one year after they are collected, so much of the data presented in this annual report predates the Board's adoption of the Master Plan. Progress towards Goal 3 occurred through the implementation of the performance-based funding formula, participation in the first year of Complete College American (CCA) reporting, the development of an annual academic program review process, movement towards a more balanced enrollment mix between two-year and four-year institutions, and the development of a remedial education pilot program. The report ends with a summary and analysis of progress made during the first year of implementation of the 2011 Master Plan's goals. A comprehensive listing of all the objectives and performance measures of the Master Plan appears in Appendix A. [For the &quot;Master Plan for Public Postsecondary Education in Louisiana: 2011. Revised,&quot; see ED572286.]