Today, the Executive Committee of the Louisiana Board of Regents approved the Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy (WISE) implementation plans for the four higher education systems and LUMCON, including $2 million of WISE funds for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.
Implementation plans were previously reviewed and approved by the system management boards and the WISE Council, which serves as an independent subcommittee of the Board of Regents.
“I am extremely impressed with the plans that were submitted by the institutions. The strategic direction that our institutions are moving in, as outlined in the plans, will be greatly beneficial to the future of our state," said Regents Chairman W. Clinton Rasberry, Jr.
UL Lafayette can move forward with plans to grow student enrollment and graduates in high-demand workforce fields as outlined in its WISE plan. The University will use the WISE funds to provide more faculty and resources.
New hires will include two faculty positions and a recruitment and retention coordinator in School of Computing and Informatics, a petroleum engineering assistant professor, and two instructors each for engineering and nursing programs.
New scholarships will provide undergraduate and graduate stipends and assistantships to up to a dozen computer science students, a dozen engineering students, and a half a dozen nursing students. Instructional and research laboratories in engineering and computer science would be enhanced, too.
Photo: In June 2014, Governor Bobby Jindal signed the Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy (WISE) Fund into law. This Fund allocates $40 million to higher education institutions for the purpose of new investments in workforce needs and emerging growth sectors.