LSU Provost: Limit our state funding; let us charge what we want

LSU Provost Jack Hamilton says he would be “very happy” if the Legislature indexed LSU’s current general fund appropriation to inflation, while letting the university decide how much it should charge for tuition. “LSU isn’t anywhere near as good as it could be,” Hamilton said today, speaking to a luncheon hosted by the Atlas Foundation’s Baton Rouge chapter. “We’ve got to find a way to charge a reasonable amount of money for students to go to LSU.” Hamilton says LSU’s current general fund appropriation is about $215 million. He says a student on TOPS pays $848 per semester, a number a self-described middle-class parent in the audience challenged. The parent said she pays “a lot more than $848” with all the fees and that her family had to take out a loan to cover the school costs. “Bring me the bill,” Hamilton said. Hamilton has been speaking to various groups about the possible impact of budget cuts on LSU’s future, and his gloomy tone did not change despite Gov. Bobby Jindal’s assurance yesterday that his executive budget protects higher education. “I don’t understand yet what the governor’s budget is about,” Hamilton said, while adding, “The governor has moved a long way toward trying to find solutions.” —David Jacobs