BATON ROUGE, La. – On Wednesday, the Board of Regents reviewed funding recommendations from the Cybersecurity Education Management Council (CEMC) to expand cyber education for college students across Louisiana as the state seeks to better meet workforce needs. The Council was legislatively created in 2020 with funding provided to support its mission. One program launched with Council funding is the Louisiana Cyber Academy (LCA), led by Bossier Parish Community College.
The LCA is a collaborative strategy building cyber expertise in the state to develop and expand the delivery of relevant cybersecurity courses statewide. The LCA pilot launched with six institutions – Bossier Parish Community College, Baton Rouge Community College, Grambling State University, LSU Shreveport, Nicholls State University, and Southern University at New Orleans. During the Spring 2025 semester, the partner institutions offered two courses, which they co-created, to one-hundred forty (140) students across their institutions. The courses offered this semester are Problem Solving and Programming Techniques, which introduces students to programming in Python, and Information Technology Principles, which prepares students to sit for the CompTIA Tech+ exam. The plan is to offer courses to prepare students for the CompTIA A+ exam this summer and more courses this fall.
In addition, the CEMC’s recommendations to fund 11 campus-specific cyber initiatives for $1.73 million were discussed in areas ranging from cybersecurity in the energy sector to cybersecurity in AI. One of the recommendations is for continued funding of the Louisiana Cyber Academy. CEMC will consider these recommendations at its meeting in early May.
Cybersecurity is widely recognized as a critical statewide and national high-demand occupation field. According to Cyberseek, an online tool that provides data and insights related to the cybersecurity job market, in 2025 the U.S. had over 450,000 openings that required cybersecurity-related skills. On average, cybersecurity roles take 21% longer to fill than other information technology (IT) jobs.
Additionally, the Board approved a new Bachelor of Science degree in Cybersecurity Technology at LSU of Alexandria (LSUA). The proposed BS in Cybersecurity Technology will be the fourth cybersecurity bachelor’s degree offering in Louisiana and will be offered as both an on-campus and a 100% online program.
“The cybersecurity field is one of the most in-demand career opportunities in the country, but employers are struggling to find skilled professionals,” said Board Chair Misti S. Cordell. “That is where Louisiana’s postsecondary institutions step in. Programs like the Cyber Academy and this new degree at LSUA will help meet critical workforce needs for qualified, well-trained cybersecurity professionals.”
The Board also received a presentation on the 2024 Louisiana Health Works Commission Report. In 2024, Louisiana’s healthcare workforce demonstrated substantial growth, attributed in part to the concerted efforts of the Health Works Commission (HWC) and its affiliated subgroups, notably the Nursing Supply and Demand Council (NSDC) and the Simulation Medical Training and Education Council (SMTEC).
The number of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in the workforce increased to 9,670, reflecting a 9% rise from the previous year, while the Registered Nurse (RNs) workforce grew to 66,594, with an accompanying 9% increase in graduation rates. Additionally, the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPNs) workforce expanded to 22,065.
“We are pleased to see increases in the number of students enrolling and completing nursing programs, which are helping to reduce the state’s nursing shortage, but our work is far from complete,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Kim Hunter Reed. “Higher education and healthcare providers must continue to work together to meet the medical needs of our citizens by producing healthcare professionals in rural and urban communities across our state.”
Click here to read the 2024 Health Works Commission Report.
During the full Board meeting, the Board also approved the FY25 grant and endowment matching recommendations within the constitutionally dedicated Board of Regents Support Fund (BoRSF). They also received a recap of the third annual Meauxmentum Summit, a two-day statewide student success convening for faculty, administrators, and higher education leaders from all of Louisiana’s public two- and four-year institutions.
The Board of Regents will hold its next regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, June 18, in Baton Rouge.
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Contact
Chris Yandle, Ph.D., APR, Associate Commissioner for Strategic Communications
chris.yandle@laregents.edu • 985-373-5845