For Immediate Release | January 13, 2021
Media Contact: 
Quintin Taylor
Chief Public Affairs Officer
Louisiana Community and Technical College System quintintaylor@lctcs.edu
(225) 922-2391
Focused on Equity and Inclusion, LCTCS Board Unanimously Approves New Eight-Year Strategic Plan

~Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030~

BATON ROUGE, LA – At its January 12, 2022 meeting, the Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the system’s new eight-year strategic plan: “Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030”. The Reaching Equitable Prosperity strategic plan is a roadmap that will guide Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges over the next eight years to achieve equity in access, learning outcomes, and success for students from every race, ethnicity, gender, and socioeconomic group. The plan is built on the foundations of Quantity, Quality, and Equity. By “Focusing on equity and inclusion, LCTCS will graduate 330,000 individuals by 2030 who earn on average 150% above the median income.”

“Our vote to approve Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030 is our promise to Louisiana,” said Paul Price Jr., LCTCS Board of Supervisors Chair. “Since I have been on this board, we have always promoted a culture of inclusion and enacted policies to provide access to opportunity. It is at the heart of our mission. But we also understand that our efforts to translate those principles into action for all Louisianans have not always generated the results we seek. We are doubling down on the mission to better serve all people.”  

The past two years will be most remembered for the COVID-19 pandemic and the social justice movement that brought racism, health, and other inequities to the forefront of the national dialogue. During this time, the LCTCS completed its “Our Louisiana 2020” strategic plan by accomplishing four of the plan’s six goals. Collectively, the system’s colleges doubled the annual earnings of graduates, quadrupled student transfers to four-year universities, quadrupled business partnerships, and doubled foundation assets.  

With this as the backdrop, the LCTCS Board of Supervisors and LCTCS System President Monty Sullivan established a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion task force charged with developing meaningful, actionable, and measurable recommendations focused on diversity and inclusion for all. Second, Sullivan and the 12 LCTCS college chancellors agreed to start the development of this new eight-year strategic plan focused on eliminating equity gaps across Louisiana’s community and technical colleges. Over 14 months, and in collaboration with external stakeholders, the strategic plan task force comprised of Board Members, chancellors, faculty, staff, and system office personnel developed a framework and presented it to the President’s Advisory Council of Chancellors. That framework focuses on establishing targets around educational attainment that include quantity, quality, and equity components. The framework also calls for college leaders to determine additional strategies and targets to support the unique needs of each college and its community focusing on maximizing student access and success, enhancing community connectivity, and strengthening organizational effectiveness and sustainability.

“Today’s unanimous approval of the Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030 strategic plan reinforces our commitment to the State of Louisiana and its people. It shows that we will provide greater access to academic and workforce training for all of our people”, said Monty Sullivan, LCTCS system president. “From our urban hubs to our rural communities, we have to do a better job of ensuring that everyone feels safe and welcomed on our campuses and that everyone has the tools to participate in and complete programs of value that will help lift them out of poverty. Our new strategic plan focuses on doing just that.” 

The Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030 strategic plan aligns with the Board of Regents Master Plan “Louisiana Prospers”, which calls for 60% of all working-age adults (25-64) in Louisiana to hold a degree or high-value credential by 2030.

“Regents congratulates the LCTCS Board of Supervisors, President Sullivan, and the System’s college chancellors for going all-in regarding talent development in Louisiana through their Reaching Equitable Prosperity strategic plan,” said Commissioner of Education Dr. Kim Hunter Reed. “Today’s vote signals the continued commitment by LCTCS to accelerate delivery of high-quality postsecondary education across our state and significantly supports the goal of the state’s Master Plan to double the number of college credentials annually awarded by 2030. Louisiana prospers when we are aligned in our work to expand educational opportunities. We are grateful for this strong partnership.”

Through August of this year, colleges will continue developing and refining data collection and analysis, develop regional goals and targets based on the data, continue engaging college faculty and staff and determine college-specific metrics to achieve the plan's overall goals. The Reaching Equitable Prosperity by 2030 strategic plan will launch at the beginning of the Fall 2022 semester.
 
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Address: 265 South Foster Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70806
Phone Number: (225) 922-2800