LSU President William F. Tate IV announced Friday morning that Our Lady of the Lake and LCMC Health will donate $245 million to the university over the next 10 years, the largest philanthropic investment in LSU history.
The commitment will be used to improve recruitment, research, and education for healthcare and STEM, particularly with cancer research.
“This is a game changer for LSU and for Louisiana,” Tate said. “As the state’s flagship university, LSU has an inherent responsibility to our fellow Louisianians.”
A main goal of the commitment will be to attain National Cancer Institute designation to the university, of which only 71 exist nationwide.
“The cancer rates here are too high, and the outcomes are too poor,” said Gov. John Bel Edwards in a press conference regarding the donation. “In 2022, there is no reason for that to be the case.”
A new $25-million LSU Interdisciplinary Science Building will also be constructed, which will be named after Our Lady of the Lake. The building will house the LSU College of Science and “will instantly close more than half of the college’s gap in education and lab space needs.”
Forty-million dollars will be invested in providing healthcare to uninsured and underinsured LSU students at the LSU Student Health Center.
Additional funding will go toward strengthening training programs at the LSU School of Medicine New Orleans Baton Rouge Branch, creating a scholarship fund for nursing needs in the state and funding healthcare-focused research directed by the LSU President.
Of the $245 million donation, $85 million will go toward LSU Athletics to advance sports medicine and improve facilities, which Edwards said was a worthwhile investment considering the number of LSU alumni competing in Sunday’s Super Bowl game.
The donation will join LSU’s $1.5-billion Fierce for the Future Campaign, which hopes to utilize LSU research and leadership to positively impact Louisiana and its citizens.
“What a championship day for Louisiana,” said OLOL President Scott Werster. “Through this unprecedented collaboration, our combined expertise and experiences allow us to accomplish more together than either of us could if we go alone.”
LSU president William F. Tate IV, Scott Wester president and CEO of Our Lady of the Lake, Greg Feirn, CEO of LCMC Health and others pose for a picture after the Our Lady of the Lake and LCMC Health game-changing investment press conference Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, at the LSU Foundation Center for Philanthropy in Baton Rouge, La.
