FranU named safest campus in Louisiana

Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University has been ranked the number one safest college campus in Louisiana by Niche and graded an A by American School Search.

The university provides an annual security report in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, as amended.  It offers students and employees of FranU with information on the university’s security arrangements, safety policies and procedures; programs that provide education on such things as drug and alcohol abuse, awareness of various kinds of sex offenses, and the prevention of crime generally; and procedures the university will take to notify the campus community in the event of an emergency. 

Its purpose is to provide students and employees with information that will help them make informed decisions relating to their safety and the safety of others.

“As parents of four children, all of whom were blessed to attend college, my husband and I were no different than today’s parents for whom safety is an important factor when choosing a college or university experience. All colleges and universities must comply with strict requirements imposed by federal authorities and accrediting agencies. While the need for compliance goes without speaking, what motivates us at FranU to ensure a safe campus is our Franciscan mission.  We are commanded to love and respect the members of our campus community, and as such, we do our best to ensure their safety and well-being,” stated Dr. Tina Holland, president and CEO of FranU. 

 FranU has also added an Applied Behavior Analysts Master’s program to its curriculum for fall 2023.

The Master of Science in Applied Behavior Analysis program is designed to prepare students for employment at the master’s level in ABA or to pursue doctoral studies in the field. The program will include extensive training in skill acquisition and behavior reduction procedures and expose students to a broad range of applied and experimental areas through coursework, service learning, research, internships and other applied experiences.

Through courses in conditioning and learning, research methods, ethics, biostatistics and epidemiology, behaviorism and supervision and management, ABA master’s students will develop the skills they need to confidently perform ABA to suit client needs and serve their community. The ABA master’s degree also offers an optional internship component, which allows students to put their education into action through hands-on learning experiences.

The program is for individuals interested in entering the workforce as a Board-Certified Behavior Analysts. The populations most likely to seek ABA training include special education teachers, recent psychology majors from colleges and universities across Louisiana and those already working in the field as Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analysts.

Admission to the program would be open to anyone who has previously received a bachelor’s degree and who has successfully completed at least one behavior analytic course and two other psychology courses.

ABA is used prevalently in assisting individuals diagnosed with autism-spectrum disorder with therapy typically reimbursable through health insurance. 

The curriculum is designed to not only meet standards necessary for graduates to take the ABA licensure exam but also meet standards for the optional national accreditation. 

According to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (2022), the demand for behavior analysts has increased every year since 2010. Demand specifically for those with a master’s-level certification in the field has risen nearly 6,000%  in just over a decade. From April 2018 to March 2019 there were 199 unique BCBA job postings in the state of Louisiana.

ABA Program Director Tracy Lepper said that the ABA master’s program at FranU was developed to help address the need in Baton Rouge, and based on program quality indicators, such as high BCBA pass rates. “Based on that research, we adopted the face-to-face modality of instruction, decided to offer a variety of applied learning experiences including a thesis requirement, limited our cohort size, and restricted enrollment to the fall semester,” she continued. 

Prospective students should start the application process no later than February by visiting franu.edu/apply. 

For more information, visit franu.edu/abamasters.