New Orleans Education Briefs: September 24, 2007

By Moises, Christian

Enrollment at Loyola University New Orleans is down 6 percent for the 2007-08 school year to 4,585 from 4,874 last year.

The figure includes graduate, law school and transfer students and undergraduates.

University officials remain optimistic about fall enrollment.

“While I would have liked to see a stronger growth in our undergraduate enrollment, there are positive signs in our undergraduate enrollment numbers this year,” said Loyola President Kevin Wildes.

For example, enrollment in the school’s Music Industry Studies program is up 16.3 percent to 193 from 166.

Louisiana student counts slip at eight state universities

Fall student enrollment at the eight University of Louisiana System universities is off 1.13 percent at 79,924, down from 80,840 in 2006. But ULS remains a top 20 system in the country and the largest in the state.

ULS President Sally Clausen said the numbers “show a healthy and anticipated shift in how Louisiana is delivering its higher education services. As all eight of our universities have implemented higher admissions standards. Some students not immediately prepared to enter a four-year university are beginning their academic work at a community college. As a result, we remain focused on strengthening student preparation as well as our two- year college partnerships.”

The Louisiana Board of Regents Master Plan for Higher Education forced all ULS schools to implement admissions criteria in fall 2005 with the exception of Grambling State University. Grambling chose to phase in admissions criteria starting this year, ahead of its required 2010 timeline.

ULS is one of 24 systems nationwide to join the National Association of System Heads initiative to recruit more students to higher education and improve graduation rates. In 2004, all eight ULS presidents pledged to exceed the national graduation rate by 2012. Louisiana’s 2006 graduation rate was 38 percent while the national rate was 55 percent, according to the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System for 2005-06.

Carnegie gives universities, Teach for America $12M

Carnegie Corp. of New York is giving $12 million to Dillard, Tulane and Xavier universities and Teach for America to help the post-Hurricane Katrina recovery, Tulane said.

Tulane will receive $5 million; Xavier, $4 million; Dillard, $2 million; and Teach for America, $1 million.

Teach for America is a national group of recent college graduates who commit to teach in public schools for two years.

“New Orleans universities are a powerful engine of intellectual, cultural and scientific innovation and growth,” Carnegie President Vartan Gregorian said. “Today, more than ever, New Orleans needs this engine to prepare students to think conceptually and perform competently in business and the professions and to prepare a technically skilled work force capable of contributing to the city’s long-term economic vitality.”

Tulane will use the funds to establish an endowment to recruit and retain faculty and support university efforts to help New Orleans recover from Hurricane Katrina.

Dillard University will use the grant to recruit 17 faculty members in three areas: education and psychological studies, social sciences and the humanities.

Xavier will recruit and retain faculty while augmenting student financial assistance with its grant. Its storm-related losses exceeded $90 million in physical damage, lost tuition and scholarship revenue — a devastating sum for a school with an endowment of $52 million.

By 2010, Teach for America plans to nearly triple the 130 corps members serving in New Orleans.

Community Coffee pledges school aid to Gulf Coast

Community Coffee Co. said it will donate up to $300,000 for Gulf Coast schools through its 19th annual Community Cash for Schools program.

Under the program, schools collect bar codes from Community products and send them to Community Coffee Co. in exchange for cash. Each bar code is worth up to 15 cents.

Students, parents, teachers, local restaurants, businesses, churches and others can give bar codes to schools.

Schools can use the money to make structural improvements, supplement educational programs, start a scholarship fund and purchase books, musical and athletic equipment.

One school will be chosen through a drawing to win a $10,000 classroom makeover. To be eligible for the November drawing, schools must enroll in the program by Oct. 31.

To register, schools can go to CommunityCoffee.com and click on the Community Cash for Schools icon.

If Internet access is unavailable, call Community’s Customer Service department at (800) 525-5583 and ask to have the registration information mailed.

Credit: Christian Moises

(Copyright 2007 Dolan Media Newswires)

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