New Commissioner of Higher Education visits Cenla

Back in April the Board of Regents announced new Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kim Hunter Reed. Monday she made a special visit to Central Louisiana and stopped by a stakeholder engagement luncheon at LSUA to hear from leaders in education.

Aside from introducing herself in this new role, Dr. Reed said it was important to hear how business leaders and school administration think they can maximize student opportunity.

She let guests ask questions, but also had a few of her own. A few at the top of her list were how to improve dual enrollment and how to better support students.

She also wanted employers to tell her what they need from the workforce.

But she said a main priority is improving talent development by getting students thinking about career pathways early on.

"How do we ensure that people have the education and skills necessary to fill great jobs and create great jobs in Louisiana," Dr. Reed said. "That is an important role. It takes a full team to do that and so I am looking forward to pushing the ball on that work. Collaborating with communities across the state and trying to make sure our students, whether they are young or young at heart, have the support that they need to be successful."

Dr. Reed also stopped by CLTCC's convocation during her visit.