AgCenter chancellor nearly finished with budget plan

LSU AgCenter Chancellor Bill Richardson says he should know by the middle of next week whether he will ask the Board of Supervisors for a declaration of financial exigency. He’s been meeting with staff this week and expects to meet soon with LSU system president John Lombardi. An exigency declaration would allow the AgCenter to lay off tenured faculty. Richardson plans to present a detailed business plan at the next board meeting Aug. 26. Along with the rest of higher education, the AgCenter’s state allocation has been reduced in recent years. But unlike universities, it has no students, so it can’t take advantage of legislation to increase revenue through tuition and fees. The AgCenter didn’t take a budget cut this year, but it lost about $20 million in state appropriations over the past two budget cycles, while mandated costs have risen by about $5 million, Richardson says. “Any one year we might be able to survive,” he says. “It’s just a cumulative effect. I no longer have the flexibility.” The AgCenter is operating with about 300 fewer people than it had a few years ago, Richardson says. Vacant positions have been eliminated, and the workforce has been reduced through attrition and early retirement buyouts. A financial exigency declaration would allow for strategic cuts to programs deemed nonessential, while protecting the AgCenter’s core missions. Richardson says programs that benefit the sugar cane, rice and forestry industries likely will be protected. —David Jacobs