BATON ROUGE—Demand has been so strong that a program to help residents obtain two-year associate degrees in hot fields exhausted its funding for the current fiscal year within the first six months, a state education official said Monday.
Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, the commissioner of higher education, said the Murphy J. Foster Promise Program has already served about 10,000 students since it launched four years ago.
“It is working, and it is important,” Reed told the Senate Finance Committee.
The program provides financial assistance for Louisiana residents between the ages of 25 and 55 who are pursuing certificates or associate degrees in high-demand fields such as healthcare, construction and information technology. Eligible students can receive up to $3,200 a year to cover their tuition and fees.
Reed said the initiative has quickly become one of Louisiana’s most popular workforce developments. She said it is an effective way to meet the governor's goal of moving dependents into independent workers.
Reed’s comments came as lawmakers also discussed her request for an additional $119 million to help some of the state’s regional universities that are struggling due to enrollment shifts and population declines in their areas.
She did not name the colleges. But she said they would have to cut programs without the extra money.
Some committee members seemed skeptical about providing more money to the four-year colleges while expressing enthusiasm about the benefits that the MJ Foster program is providing for students seeking associate degrees.
Education officials estimate students who complete programs through the MJ Foster initiative see an average salary increase of about $36,000, signaling a strong return on investment for both individuals and the state’s workforce.
To keep up with demand, the governor’s executive budget proposal includes $14.5 million in additional funding for the fiscal year starting July 1. If approved, that increase would raise the program’s total funding to roughly $25 million.
Sen. Rick Edmonds, R-Baton Rouge, praised the program as one of Louisiana's success stories. Edmonds believes Louisiana can “lead the nation in workplace alignment.”
Supporters say the investment could play a role in helping Louisiana reach an ambitious higher-education benchmark set by the Louisiana Board of Regents, achieving a 60% postsecondary graduation rate by 2030.
However, some lawmakers expressed concern about whether the state is on track to meet that goal.
Sen. Thomas Pressly, R-Shreveport, told the committee that improving graduation outcomes must remain a top priority.
“Our goal has to be to graduate our kids,” said Pressly.
He warned that even small declines in graduation rates can have meaningful impacts across the state.
“When you drop by a percentage, it’s not a huge number, but it certainly is affecting the lives of everyday Louisianians,” Pressly argued.
Pressly also questioned how Louisiana could realistically reach the 60% attainment target without additional changes to the state’s current higher education strategy.