This afternoon, Gov. John Bel Edwards will officially launch this year’s second special session of the Louisiana Legislature with a speech at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette campus. Standing close by will be LSU President F. King Alexander, who says there is more at stake for higher education this special session than ever before.
LSU received a flat budget from the Legislature last year when higher education was funded the most it had been in a decade. Since then, the state’s flagship university has increased student enrollment, given faculty members a 3% pay raise and fully funded TOPS, Alexander says.
It was also able to generate $13 for every $1 it got from the state, according to an economic impact study released by the university in February.
Alexander says the next two weeks could derail all those achievements and—in a worst-case scenario—could cause even more problems for LSU and higher education at large.
Lawmakers will debate whether or not to fully fund the popular TOPS program, as well as how much of an across-the-board funding cut if any, colleges and universities will face.
“What’s at stake this time is much different because of the momentum that we’ve gained from having one year of stability,” Alexander says.
The Legislature funds about 20% of LSU’s annual budget.
Proposed cuts to higher education have fluctuated nonstop throughout the regular session, Alexander says, rising from 4% to 15% in a matter of months.
“We’ve got to keep our ears to the ground and make sure we’re going to be able to handle what may or may not be done,” Alexander says, adding a faculty hiring freeze may event be needed despite growing enrollment numbers.
Alexander says his ideal version of the budget is a lot like the governor’s proposal, with the cuts to higher education eliminated and TOPS fully funded. He also wants LSU to have a flat budget again, with no more surprises in the future.
“We really don’t want our parents to realize there may be a price tag associated with further inaction in the next two weeks,” he says.
