HIGHER EDUCATION GOVERNING BOARDS

BOARD OF REGENTS

The Board of Regents, a state agency created by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution, coordinates all public higher education in Louisiana. The 1974 Louisiana Constitution authorizes the Board of Regents to plan, coordinate, and have budgetary responsibility for Louisiana's public higher education community, including twenty public Colleges, Universities, and/or professional schools. The agency also serves as the state liaison to Louisiana's eight accredited, independent institutions of higher learning. The Board of Regents is responsible for a wide range of planning, policy-making, and coordinating activities. The Board is not, however, directly involved in overseeing the day-to-day operations of the various College campuses.

The 1974 Constitution gives the Board of Regents the following authority:

To review or eliminate existing degree programs or departments;
To approve, disapprove, or modify proposed academic programs or departments
To study both the need for and feasibility of new postsecondary institutions as well as the conversion of existing schools into campuses offering more advanced courses of study;
To formulate and update a master plan for higher education (which must include a higher education funding formula); and
To review annual budget proposals for the operating and capital needs of each public institution prior to compilation of the Regents' higher education budget recommendations. The Board also recommends priorities for capital construction and improvements.