SHREVEPORT – Confirmation of the choice to go to college.
That’s what LSU Shreveport associate dean Dr. Elisabeth Liebert hopes the 161 dual enrollment students who set foot on campus Friday for the university’s Dual Enrollment Day absorbs from the experience.
The Caddo Parish students visited various parts of campus, met with student clubs and organizations, and connected with different faculty members.
“We want these students to feel confident on a new college campus,” said Liebert, who is the academic director of LSUS’s early college programs. “These students have been in familiar high school environments with familiar teachers and peers.
“This day is an opportunity to move out of that familiar setting and experience a college campus, to see how it works and how it’s different from high school. By learning how to navigate a college campus, it’s an experience that can confirm that they are college bound.”
Choosing the next step in their educational career was at the forefront of students’ minds, but Friday’s choices were a little more lighthearted – like which of the 11 academic exploration topics seemed most interesting.
The choices ran the gamut – “History through Gaming,” “Atoms in Action,” “Louisiana English,” “Healthcare Meets Technology” and “Why You Buy What You Buy” were just a sampling of the options.
The message to dual enrollment students – scholars who take at least one college class for both high school and college credit in a high school setting – was clear.
“You’ve taken college classes, and you know that you are ready for college,” said Dr. Helen Taylor, LSUS Provost. “You are college students.
“This is your college campus, and we hope you continue your college journey with us.”
Dual enrollment teachers accompanied students on the visit, and Captain Shreve’s Loretta Hunt said setting foot on a college campus is monumental.
“For many students, this is the first time that they’ve been to a college campus,” said Hunt, who teaches history, including Advanced Placement U.S. History. “They don’t understand that as dual enrollment students, they have the same access and benefits that a college student has.
“They can use the library for research or reserve a study space for their group. A day like this informs them of what they have access to.”
Under Liebert’s leadership, LSUS’s early college program has exploded in the past few years.
LSUS has 592 early college students in a preliminary enrollment report this spring, which includes dual enrollment and academic excellence programs, the latter of which students take online classes directly from LSUS.
That’s more than doubled from 2021 (279 students).
LSUS is part of a national trend in which high school students are increasingly earning college credit.
In the United States, 2.8 million students were dually enrolled for the 2023-24 academic year, a 13 percent increase year over year in a student population segment that’s been growing steadily, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System report.
Louisiana has placed heavy emphasis on dual enrollment and other methods for high schoolers to graduate with either college credit or industry certification, as this increases the chances of pursuing post-secondary credentials.
The Louisiana Board of Regents seeks to reach 60 percent of the state’s working age population with a credential beyond a high school diploma by 2030.
In a 2025 report, the state has reached 52.5 percent, its highest ever and a 4.5 percentage point increase from 2019.
Normalizing earning college credit while in high school is designed to give students a headstart to a degree, reinforcing the notion that higher education is not only possible but obtainable.
And LSUS Chancellor Dr. Robert Smith reminded the students where they’ve already earned college credit.
“When you think about making the full-time commitment to college, think about LSUS – your hometown university,” Smith said. “You’ve had a good experience in dual enrollment, and the success you’ve had with us shows that you belong here.
“We have rigorous programs that prepare you for what’s next in your life.”
