The Times-Picayune Reminds Us That We’re Better Off Just Bulldozing SUNO

SUNO Chancellor Victor Ukpolo finally leaves SUNO after 10 1/2 years of mismanagement and incompetence. Ukpolo is being celebrated as the guy who “turned on the lights” after Hurricane Katrina. But just what did he turn on?

The Times-Picayune complied a bunch of statistics that only show how worthless of a four-year university SUNO is.

Here are some of them:

  • The six-year graduation rate is largely unchanged from when Ukpolo took over. It hovers around 12%. The average for a historically black university in the South is 43%.
  • From Spring 2007 to Spring 2015, the number of degrees earned per year increased by only 45, but attendance has declined in that period.
  • When Ukpolo took over in 2006, SUNO had an attendance of 2,197 students. In 2014 only 2,103 students attend SUNO.
  • Only 39% of SUNO alumni earn more than high school grads. This means that more than 3 out of 5 SUNO students were better off not even going to college.

SUNO was a failing university before Victor Ukpolo took over and it remains a failing university now that he is leaving. That is if you think SUNO’s job is to prepare students for the workforce.

Most thinking people realize that SUNO’s only true functions are to provide patronage for the Legislative Black Caucus and to create new Democratic voters. There is no reforming SUNO or transforming into a non dysfunctional university. SUNO needs to be closed and the students who actually don’t suck can transfer to better universities.

There are many uses for SUNO. For example, the Louisiana Department of Economic Development can use the grounds to bring in a call center or something.

We can bring down a diploma mill and let them use the building. At least Louisiana taxpayers won’t have to subsidize it.

It is widely accepted that Louisiana has far too many four-year universities chasing too few state education dollars. The win-win solution is to close utterly disastrous institutions like SUNO and not hold TOPS hostage in order to raise taxes.

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