Four campuses to be realigned in board action
The Louisiana Community Technical College System Board (LCTCS) announced today that four Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) campuses will be realigned to other community colleges in the state. This action is in an effort to assist in achieving new accreditation goals, better serve the needs of students, and provide greater access to expanding opportunities in each campus community. The realignment will take effect July 1 or as soon as possible thereafter.
“CLTCC continues to make progress towards meeting the requirements for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation,” said CLTCC Chancellor Jimmy Sawtelle, “Historically, Louisiana’s Community and Technical Colleges have realigned colleges in an effort to promote and facilitate accreditation.”
The four CLTCC campuses affected are the Lamar Salter Campus in Leesville, which will be realigned with SOWELA Technical Community College; the Ward H. Nash Avoyelles Campus, which will be realigned with South Louisiana Community College; and the Natchitoches and Sabine Valley Campuses, which will both be realigned with Bossier Parish Community College.
Under the realignment, CLTCC will include the Alexandria, Ferriday, Huey P. Long Campus in Winnfield and Rod Brady Campus in Jena. LCTCS has realigned campuses in the past, with the most recent realignment coming in 2017. No campuses are being closed as part of this realignment. “Today’s action by the Board of Supervisors is driven by the need to be more equitable in our program mix and delivery model as well as ensuring more students, specifically those in rural communities, have greater access to transferable and workforce training programs. Additionally, the realignment will put a greater emphasis on placing CLTCC in a better position to achieve Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accreditation,” said LCTCS President Dr. Monty Sullivan.
What is now CLTCC has been accredited under the Council on Occupational Education since 1976 and was most recently had a successful affirmation visit in March of this year. In 2012, CLTCC was established as a Technical Community College by the Louisiana Legislature. At that time, CLTCC was directed toward accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACSCOC). (MORE) Work has continued since that time to achieve SACSCOC accreditation, but efforts have been impacted by several factors, including statewide fiscal challenges that impacted all postsecondary education and, most recently, the COVID-19 pandemic.
Recently, CLTCC completed the three legislative audits required by SACSCOC in order to make an application for accreditation. The school plans to submit a SACSCOC application later this month. Central Louisiana Technical Community College (CLTCC) is a two-year technical and community college offering associate degrees, technical diplomas, industry certificates, and customized training in more than 20 disciplines to support local workforce development and prepare students for good-paying jobs.
CLTCC serves 10 parishes in Central Louisiana through its eight campuses and provides instruction in three state prisons and two federal correctional institutions. For more information, visit www.cltcc.edu.