Interfaith Summit shows funding options for future
ULM faculty senate and staff senate came together with Interfaith to address growing concerns due to budget cuts. Interfaith is a local religious organization hoping to improve education.
“We’re here to start a conversation between educators and legislators,” said Bette Kauffman, communication professor and member of Interfaith.
Educators from Grambling University, Louisiana Delta Community College and Louisiana Technical College attended the Summit as representatives. Several state senators and representatives attended to listen to testimonials and a brief question and answer with President Nick Bruno and President Frank Pogue of Grambling.
“I am from Vietnam, a country where education is a cornerstone of life. They said education is a gateway to the middle class, to us education is the gateway to stability in our country,” Said Phuong Nguyen, a second year MBA student in general business.
While disappointed in the closed nature of the forum, Nguyen was happy to see an active attempt to help raise funding for higher education.
“Our voice needs to be heard, and education is not a temporary investment,” Nguyen said.
Interfaith presented research concerning the higher education and its benefits. Guest speakers, alumni of the various universities in attendance, shared their stories with the audience.
“Eighty-five percent of those with a bachelor’s degree voted in the 2012 presidential election. You find us, we’ll vote for you. We know the issues, we’re informed,” said Lindsey Wilkerson, director of web services.
President Sandra Woodley of the University of Louisiana System spoke, presenting the basics of the WISE plan that has been proposed by Gov. Jindal, to raise funding for higher education in Louisiana.
The Workforce and Innovation for Stronger Economy plan, announced in January, would include a push for $142 million dollars for higher education in the 2014-2015 budget.
“The WISE plan has several components, which may have changed, but we worked together with the other four systems in Louisiana. But we asked the governor to not cut the budget, to allow a year of stability for the universities to adjust,” Woodley said.
The plan also includes universities keeping tuition as new revenue.
“We have jobs all throughout the state, and yet our graduates are jobless. We’re aiming to fill that gap,” Woodley said.
Woodley also has strategies of the UL system, separate from the WISE plan to help students and universities in the system.
“It’s been very tough going, and as higher education leaders it is important to have context. I think we should spend our time focusing on the future. It’s not about the money we lost, it’s what we are doing next,” Woodley said.
Students and faculty were invited to Baton Rouge in March to help champion the higher education cause.
“We are the main participants of higher education, without us there is no higher education. I wish the students would have been included because now tuition is going to be a new revenue generator. We’re making the revenue for this school,” Nguyen said.
Vaibhaui Shetye, a second year MBA student of general business, found concerns with students leaving the state an issue.
“When students leave, we should assess the reasons why they are leaving. You get better opportunities somewhere else. Whatever a student has invested into education, they need to recover it,” Shetye said.
As a graduate assistant, Nguyen has helped run economic studies on skilled labor needs and jobs available and supports the WISE plan as a viable and effective solution to the problems Louisiana is facing.
“This plan needs to be implemented immediately, and it’s going to take a lot of advocacy to get it through. The cut has been cut, as Dr. Woodley said. But we need to move forward and look to the future,” Nguyen said.
Nguyen and Shetye both hope to continue advocating for higher education as foreign students and students of ULM.
