A state force is staring at a growing problem with higher education in Louisiana: How to fund a system with more demands than ever before while state and federal dollars are on the decline.

The Princeton Review's latest ranking offers a reminder that campus reputation extends beyond graduation rates and endowment size.

The condensed programs have exploded in popularity. As of this spring, 26 U.S. states have a college that offers at least one reduced-credit, three-year bachelor's, according to the nonprofit research group RAND.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon asked all university presidents and governing boards to address a series of questions and "describe to the American public your commitments to rigorous teaching, pathbreaking research and national service."