College leader says education is an investment

As legislators haggle over possible massive spending cuts to higher education, a community college leader told a St. Landry Parish economic development group that education is an investment and not an expense.
Natalie Harder, South Louisiana Community College chancellor, spoke Tuesday to the St. Landry Parish Economic Development District Board of Directors.
The college’s main campus is at Lafayette and there are seven other campuses at Crowley, Opelousas, Ville Platte, Abbeville, New Iberia, St. Martinville and Franklin.
She was asked by Jack Ortego if there are too many colleges in the state and if the college’s campus in Opelousas competes with LSU Eunice for students.
Harder replied, “This state is 49th in terms of educational attainment as a percentage of individuals who have completed some form of college. We need more college graduates in this state not fewer, so there is plenty of work for all of us.”
At a time when health care and higher education are on the budget chopping block, Harder spoke about the value of her college’s two-year programs and its ability to make four-year degrees available locally.
When the community college graduates a welder, Harder said, “What it costs the state to produce that welder is paid back to the state in taxes in 13 months. We are a great investment because for the next 35 years that’s all gravy back to the state. We are not a cost center. We help the state produce revenue.”
After her talk, Harder said it is too soon to talk about the possible budget cuts from the governor and Legislature.
“We are trying to remain positive,” she said about the budget.
Harder also believes Acadiana legislators are working to preserve higher education after six years of budget cuts to colleges and universities.
“The only way we change the ALICE percentage in this parish is with education,” Harder said in reference to a United Way study released in January that reported that 49 percent of the households in St. Landry Parish do not have enough annual income to afford the basics.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed.
In Evangeline Parish, 48 percent of households didn’t earn enough to pay for basics and in Acadia Parish it was 45 percent.
“Moving from a social services existence to $20 an hour is a positive trajectory and that is exactly what higher education does for many people particularly in this parish,” Harder said.
The college served 11,000 students last year, she said. The college offers training in high-income, high-demands fields such as welding, nursing, machining and information technology, she said.
Budget constraints keep the college from expanding enrollment in some of the fields with better pay and employment opportunities, she said.
South Louisiana Community College is the “college on the ground,” she said, noting that eight campuses are located close to where people live.
A student can learn a baccalaureate degree at the T.H. Harris campus in Opelousas, she said. “You never had that on the ground in St. Landry.”
Tuition for two semesters is $3,200 and students use TOPS, grants and loans to pay for their education, she siad.
Harder said the campuses are not seeing a influx of unemployed oil and gas industry employees seeking retraining for another industry.
But there are people coming to the campuses seeking to upgrade their certifications for jobs opening up in the Lake Charles and Baton Rouge areas, she said.