LCTCS Board Votes to Not Increase Tuition and Mandatory Fees for 2018-19 Academic Year

June 14, 2018

"The single most important measure that Louisiana's Community and Technical Colleges can take to improve access, retention, and completion is to ensure that current and potential students can afford to attend our institutions, said Board Chairman Tim Hardy. "The greatest challenge facing students is affordability, and our action today keeps tuition flat, which will help provide access to academic and workforce training for thousands of Louisianans."

The Board also addressed other affordability and access issues by approving the Go Grant Non-credit Pilot Proposal and the Implementation Plan for "Tops Tech for Adults," as authorized in the 2018 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature.

Recognizing the value of short-term, high-value workforce training, and working in coordination with the Louisiana Board of Regents and the Louisiana Office of Student Financial Assistance, the LCTCS leadership proposed an expansion of the Go Grant program for the 2018-2019 academic year. The proposal seeks to fund scholarships for adult students enrolled in certain non-credit, workforce training programs specifically those programs that lead to a high-value Industry Based Credential. LCTCS colleges will use up to 25% of their approximately $2.5 million Go Grant allocation for the pilot.

Nearly one half of Louisiana's working age adults hold a high school diploma or less. As such, they are unable to fully participate in the state's economy and are more likely to be dependent on state resources. The "Tops Tech for Adults" program calls for the development of a pilot program to establish scholarships for use in programs aligned with high-demand, high-wage occupations by Louisiana's working-age citizens who have earned an alternative high school diploma. To fund the scholarships, colleges will raise funds by working with community and industry partners.

"I am extremely proud of the action taken by our Board today which will most certainly increase access to people all over the state of Louisiana," said Monty Sullivan, LCTCS president. "The solution to Louisiana's fiscal challenges and the most effective means of reducing government spending lies in our ability to educate and skill more of Louisiana's adults, ensuring they are fully able to participate in the economy, take care of their families, and contribute to the tax base. More people educated and skilled, more people working, and more people contributing to the economy is good for Louisiana."

In other Board business, the meeting was Hardy's last as Board Chairman. He served as chairman for the past two years. "It has been an absolute pleasure to work along side Chairman Hardy," said Supervisor Mickey Murphy. "He has led this Board during very difficult financial times and worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of the students, communities we serve, and our faculty and staff."

Stephen Toups of Baton Rouge was elected Chairman, Paul Price, Jr., of Winnsboro was elected first Vice-Chair, and Willie Mount of Lake Charles was elected second Vice-Chair. Each will serve a two-year term. 

About Louisiana's community and technical colleges: Last year, Louisiana's community and technical colleges served and provided instruction to over 131,000 students, transferred over 15,000 students to four-year institutions across the country, and graduated more than 27,000 students--the largest graduating class in the system's history. Our colleges have earned a national reputation as colleges of excellence and as shining examples of efficiency and productivity. In 2016, Lumina Foundation, one of the nation's most respected educational and philanthropic organizations commissioned that Louisiana has the highest percentage in the nation of working age adults who hold a high-quality post-secondary certificate and that the state's overall degree attainment rate improved from 48th to 26th in the nation. 

Delgado Community College, founded in 1921, is Greater New Orleans’ largest higher education institution and Louisiana’s oldest and largest community college. Accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) and by industry organizations, Delgado provides students with the most comprehensive array of education and training services available in the Greater New Orleans region. Delgado has transfer articulation agreements with most of Louisiana’s four-year colleges and universities, enabling students wishing to pursue higher degrees to easily transfer credits into baccalaureate programs.Delgado locations include the City Park Campus, West Bank Campus, Charity School of Nursing, Jefferson Site, Sidney Collier Site, and the Maritime and Industrial Training Center. Delgado is also a workforce development partner in the Jefferson Business and Career Solutions Center in Gretna. Online courses are offered as well. Learn more at www.dcc.edu and #BeInThatNumber.