At a meeting next month, the Board of Regents will decide on a new Master Plan which would include tougher admission standards for Louisiana’s public colleges and universities.Joseph Savioe, state commissioner of higher education, said the present system is inadequate.

He said the intent is to expand enrollment by putting people in conditions in which they are more likely to succeed.

Dr. Alice Pecoraro, vice president of academic affairs, said the Board of Regents has been working with all institutions to develop a new Master Plan.

“The last Master Plan was developed in 1994. Basically what this document did was establish the role, scope and mission of each university and describe the kind of programs we would emphasize and the directions we would take.

“The new Master Plan is going to replace this one and it will set up a structure so that higher ed in the state of Louisiana can move forward,” Pecoraro said.

The Board made the proposal in January and Pecoraro expects it to be approved at the March meeting.

“The Board of Regents plans to approve the new Master Plan at its March meeting and right now we are looking at Draft Four.

“We are providing input to the board on our recommendations to Draft Four. That document will be presented at public forum in Baton Rouge in late February so that anyone can attend,” she said.

According to the timetable of the Board of Regents, the plan should take effect in the fall of 2005.

Pecoraro said a task force made up of university presidents researched the issue and developed the Master Plan.

“This task force looked at different models of ways that you could organize higher education,” she said.

The task force looked at the university systems in other states.

“They borrowed from the Missouri model. Missouri categorizes institutions based on admission standards,” Pecoraro said.

“We have provided a lot of input as far as how we think this model could be implemented in Louisiana. The latest draft divides universities according to admissions. They divide them into four different categories,” she said.

Categories would be Selective One, Selective Two, Selective Three, and open admissions.

Pecoraro said the open admissions institutions would include all the technical and community colleges.

“Nicholls will be a Selective Three institution meaning that we will have admission standards and we will emphasize baccalaureate and master’s degree programs that are needed in our region.

“We also would only have those associate degree programs that are what we call `two plus two’ meaning that you have an associate degree that feeds directly into a baccalaureate degree,” she said.

“So, we would be allowed to maintain, for example, our two year program in culinary arts because we have a four year program.”

Pecoraro said the University is carefully studying the criminal justice associate degree program.

We are conducting a survey in the region because we believe there is a need for a baccalaureate degree in criminal justice. So by 2005, we may possibly have a four year curriculum in criminal justice which would allow us to keep the associate degree in criminal justice.”

Under the proposed plan, students would only be allowed to enroll in one developmental course.

“Students would only be allowed to enroll in one developmental course, so students who needed more than one developmental course would possibly have to take those developmental courses elsewhere. We are preparing a plan to work with students in the summer,” Pecoraro said.

“We are planning an intensive summer program that would allow students who need more than one developmental, but who want to come to the University and who meet the additional admissions requirements, to come in the summer and take an intensive English and math preparation program.”

Pecoraro said these students could be retested, have only one developmental course left and would be able to start at Nicholls in the fall semester.

She said she is optimistic about the proposal.

“The standards themselves are a public statement that we have higher expectations for students in our state. In that light, I see it as being something very positive because, I think, the message is going to trickle down to the high schools which is really where we need it.

“I think the TOPS program has already encouraged students in high schools to think about the importance of studying in high school and the importance of enrolling in a college preparatory core curriculum,” she said.

“So, TOPS has already taken the first step.”

Pecoraro said the new standards are the state’s way of saying education is a top priority.

“It’s Louisiana’s way of making a statement that your studies are important. So, in that light, I see it as a very positive step,” she said.

Pecoraro also said she thinks it is important for the University continue to attract bright students.

“It will promote a positive atmosphere for all students.”