Community College Students Get Chance To Jump To LSU Ag.

The state is hoping to get more students involved in the Ag industry by letting eligible two year college grads transfer directly to LSU’s College of Ag, and start as a junior.

Louisiana Community and Technical College President Monty Sullivan says the 2+2 program will help get a wider range of skilled workers into the industry…

“They need people who can analyze data, who can collect information that help to understand the costs per acre in terms of watering, or in terms of fertilizer, or seed. Ag has become a science.”

Students looking to make the jump to LSU Ag for their last two years need to have a 2.5 GPA, and an associate degree in certain fields of study.

Sullivan says while any student is eligible for the program, they’re hoping it’s influence more Louisianans with rural backgrounds to stick around their communities.

“What we are trying to provide is a bridge to the baccalaureate degree, that allows people to finish their education, but be able to stay in their rural community, continue to grow those areas, and be a part of the agricultural economy.”

The LCTC President says 2+2 is an economical program that gets kids out of college in four years with a lower debt load and bright prospects for a high paying job in a vital field.

“They do pay well, and one of the reasons that we are creating the 2+2 program is to create savings for students so they don’t have the student loan debt of four years of college.”