LSU System President John Lombardi wrote to state House Appropriations Education Subcommittee Chairman Eddie Lambert on Thursday to express concerns over a proposed 5 percent budget cut for the System’s 2008-2009 fiscal year. “Such cutbacks will send shock waves through our faculty, staff and students statewide,” Lombardi wrote. “For example, progress in achieving LSU A&M’s National Flagship Agenda would be frozen.” In the letter, Lombardi said he has asked chancellors of System institutions to began considering how to reduce their budgets if the cuts take place. Lombardi said the System will comply with the mandated cuts but asked Lambert to consider the far-reaching implications, which Lombardi said would reduce the System budget by more than $36.6 million. “The LSU System has made great strides over the last several years,” Lombardi wrote. “These collective accomplishments could be quickly negated by this unforeseen reduction in state appropriations.” Lombardi said a preliminary analysis indicates the budget decrease would “dramatically increase pressure” at the Flagship University to “raise tuition and fees to prevent the loss of LSU’s programs and quality.” The possible tuition increase would be a 12 percent raise – or $270 per student per semester. Charles Zewe, System vice president for communications and external affairs, said the cut would put System funding below regional peers as identified by the Southern Regional Education Board average. The System leveled with the regional average for the first time in 30 years this past year, Zewe said, and cutting the budget back below the average would be detrimental. “If we get hit by a 5 percent cut, we lose all the progress we’ve made,” Zewe said. Zewe said Lambert asked the heads of all higher education systems to evaluative the impacts of the cut. These system leaders met Wednesday to discuss their “deep concerns about these cuts,” Zewe said. Zewe said for the cut to take place, an amendment to House Bill 1- the state’s 2008-2009 fiscal year budget – would be made in May, when the State Legislature debates the bill. The cuts would affect all higher education institutions in the state, not just the LSU System.
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