Moving Forward

Enrollment for the fall 2016 semester at Louisiana State University at Eunice was up 15.9 percent over the fall of 2015.

The jump comes at a time when budget cuts, rising tuition and other factors have led to a decline in overall college and university enrollments in the state. Enrollment statewide has dropped about 10,000 students in five years, but LSU-E continues to show an increase, to 2,906 students this fall.

Chancellor Kimberly Russell said she is “pleased to welcome one of the largest freshman classes in our history,” and that the growing student population reflects “a commitment to providing greater access to quality higher education in southwest Louisiana.”

LSUE’s Freshman Class increased by 21.7 percent over fall 2015 and is the largest freshman class in five years.  LSU Eunice’s freshman class was 2,236 in 2010.

The chancellor said the community college is “focused on meeting the needs of Louisiana’s employers” and preparing graduates for high-demand jobs, particularly in health care, business and technology, or to continue their education at a four-year university.

This fall, LSU Eunice reported having 531 sophomores (30 plus credit hours) and 434 unclassified students, which include students with more than 60 credits.

Students from 44 parishes are enrolled in LSU Eunice classes. St. Landry Parish leads with 811, followed by Acadia (582), Evangeline (334), and Lafayette (284).

There are 496 dual enrollment students enrolled at LSUE this fall. These are high school students taking LSUE classes on their campus.  LSU Eunice saw a 78 percent increase in dual enrollment students this fall.   The U.S. Department of Education has selected LSUE as one of only 44 colleges and universities to participate in an experimental program to allow high school students to take courses for college credit.

The program is designed to introduce students to college-level work, and also give them an incentive to continue their education after graduation from high school. LSUE is working with the St. Landry Parish School Board to begin a dual enrollment health care academy for students interested in science, medicine, or allied arts.

Recent studies have indicated that health care providers have become more and more important to the overall St. Landry Parish economy.

Bill Rodier, parish director of economic development, pointed out that “health care in St. Landry Parish had a 50 percent job growth rate over the last decade” and that St. Landry is positioning itself as a regional center for care providers and support services.

By concentrating on fields such as health care LSU E is “offering training that will lead to real, good-paying jobs for our young people that will allow them to stay in St. Landry Parish as valued citizens,” he said.

St. Landry Economic Development has set support for quality education at every level from kindergarten through college as one of its highest priorities.