SUSLA and LSUS are teaming up with local and state leaders and educators to talk bout the state of higher education in Louisiana.
Join in the conversation 6:30 Thursday night at the Southern University Metro Campus at 610 Texas Street Room 311.
Notable panelists include State Senator Ryan Gatti Caddo Commission President Steven Jackson and Caddo Parish School Board Member Mary Trammel. The forum will be moderated by Fox 33 News Good Day Anchor Karen Edwards.
Before the forum, there is a free reception at the Southern University Museum of Art from 5:30 6:30 p.m.
See the press release below for more information:
The Southern University at Shreveport Faculty Senate and AAUP in partnership with Louisiana State University Shreveport hosts a Higher Education Forum to be held at Southern University Metro Campus at 610 Texas Street Room 311. This forum will take place on Thursday, November 2, 2017 at 6:30 p.m. as part of a statewide day of town hall meetings and forums throughout Louisiana, organized by members from the Association of Louisiana Faculty Senates.
The Statewide Higher Education Forum in Shreveport will host panel members including: Senator, Ryan Gatti; Caddo Commission President, Steven Jackson; Caddo Parish School Board Member, Mary Trammel; Shreveport-Bossier Alliance for Higher Education President, Dr. Johnette Magner; SUAF President, Attorney Preston Castille;
LSUS Professor, Dr. Brian Salvatore; SUBR Professor, Dr. Albert Samuels; LSUHSC Professor, Dr. Michelle Arnold; and Southern Strategy Group, Dr. Markey Pierre.
The Statewide Higher Education Forum provides an opportunity for faculty, students, and the public to speak with state and city legislators about the plans for higher education in Louisiana. The event involves faculty senates from more than a dozen campuses across the state, including those from the LSU, UL, and Southern University Systems holding forums concurrently.
Now more than ever, Louisiana has experienced significant drops in enrollment and faculty which has directly impacted the ability to train the doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and business people. Instead, it is our neighboring states that will benefit from having more educated individuals. Louisiana’s loss is their gain. Almost a decade of deficits has been met with a regular progression of cuts to the budgets of state campuses. The fiscal year now in front of state legislators includes a budget gap estimated at $1.5 billion. Stark realities confront the states higher educational systems, because stark realities confront the state legislature. What is needed is a path to budgetary sustainability, and for legislators to appreciate that nearly a decade of cuts has weakened Louisiana’s colleges and universities. Above all else, what is needed is the voice of the people of Louisiana, which is the purpose of these forums being held across the state.
Prior to the forum, a reception is being held at the Southern University Museum of Art from 5:30-6:30 p.m. These events are free and open to the public.
