Latest Budget Information
LSU’s state appropriations have been slashed by $42 million since January 2009.
For the next fiscal year, (FY2012), the Division of Administration asked higher education to prepare for a 32% cut in state funding. That means a cut of $62 million for LSU. The LSU System asked for a 23%, or $46 million, cut scenario. Either way, that is too much of a cut. If imposed, LSU will not be a national contender. The Governor and Legislature must decide if they really want a research university or a large college.
In preparation for a $62 million cut, LSU estimated that it may have to close seven of 14 colleges, layoff 350 faculty, and eliminate 50 academic programs, resulting in an expected loss of 8,000 students.
The state says it wants more graduates, then slashes spending so much that students are forced to leave. This is not just a contradiction; it is breaking an unspoken covenant with the students. The students did what they were supposed to do to prepare for college, but now the quality of the education they expected will be destroyed.
LSU has prepared a special web site to report on the budget cut:
http://www.lsu.edu/FY12BudgetCrisis/.