Office of Media Relations
GSU Box 4236 | 100 Robinson St.
GRAMBLING, LOUISIANA
(318) 274-2560
(318) 274-3330 FAX
mediarelations@gram.edu
C/O Byron McCauley
For Immediate Release: March 31, 2008
University of Louisiana System commits to Louisiana workforce needs
President Judson signs agreement
GRAMBLING---- The University of Louisiana System
Board has committed to addressing the state's workforce needs by targeting
2,400 new graduates each year in some of Louisiana's critical shortage areas
by 2012.
During the System's recent Board meeting, President Horace A. Judson and
the other presidents of the System, signed an agreement which says the schools
will reduce the average number of years it takes for students to graduate
from six (6) to five (5) years and track graduate performance in the state's
workforce.
The commitment was part of a second-annual day-long forum in which national
and state education leaders, college presidents, legislators and others
discussed the issues surrounding students' access to college and their success
at achieving a degree.
"We're confident that, as challenging as these goals are, we know that
our reach will exceed our grasp," President Judson told the group.
The most recent Louisiana Department of Labor statistics show 981 vacancies
in education, 3,140 in engineering, 2,379 in business and 9,484 in health
care.
Ruston businessman and University of Louisiana System Access to Success
Committe Chairman Wayne Parker said Board Members were impressed with the
presidents' commitment to accountability.
Dr. Sally Clausen, System President also commended the presidents for their
commitment to accountability and affirmed that their performance toward
meeting the 2012 goals would be tied to resources. "The public will
be able to track our progress using the new on-line tool recently launched.
The College Portraits are an important step in the System's commitment to
transparency," Clausen said.
The UL system has officially launched an on-line resource for students and
parents that includes detailed data on costs and student progress. The consumer-oriented
"College Portraits" provides information relevant to degree offerings,
cost of attendance and campus safety.
The System is the first in the country to launch its College Portraits,
which is a product of a joint iniative of the American Association of State
Colleges and Universities and the National Association of State Universities
and Land-Grant Colleges called the Voluntary System of Accountability.
The College Portraits are part of the System's larger accountability efforts
to ensure all students have access to a college education, graduate on time
and meet Louisiana's workforce needs.
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