The LSU Board of Supervisors will meet today and is expected to vote on a critical matter concerning students – tuition increase.
Full-time undergraduate resident students will need to find an extra $234 to pay their yearly tuition, upon the Board’s approval.
Full-time undergraduate non-resident students will need to find almost three times that number: $648.
The state Legislature passed House Bill 734 during its 2008 session. The Bill gave authority to the governing boards of public higher education institutions to raise tuitions anywhere between 3 and 5 percent.
Students at other universities in the LSU System should also expect a tuition increase. LSU-Shreveport, the University of New Orleans and LSU-Alexandria are all expected to see the same 5 percent tuition increase as LSU-Baton Rouge.
LSU-Eunice is also scheduled to receive an increase but by only 3 percent.
The tuition increase at LSU’s main campus is projected to generate more than $7.8 million in revenue.
This new source of income is not enough to cover the budget cuts the state government imposed on LSU.
Louisiana’s 2008-09 fiscal budget appropriated about $233 million to LSU – a decrease of about $10 million from the 2007-08 budget.
The tuition hike is presumed to provide raises for faculty and staff, as well as provide graduate student stipends and need-based scholarships.
Along with the tuition increase, the Board will also vote to amend the contracts of several head coaches at LSU.
LSU softball coach Yvette Girouard will receive a $12,000 increase in salary to $120,000. LSU men’s golf coach Charles Winstead’s salary will be $105,000, an increase of $21,000.
Women’s golf coach Karen Bahnsen will get a $7,000 salary increase to $92,000. Men’s and women’s swimming and diving coach Adam Schmitt will have an $83,000 salary, up by $10,800.
Women’s soccer coach Brian Lee’s new salary will be $96,000, up from $88,000.
Gymnastics coach D-D Breaux will have a new salary of $130,000, up by $20,000.
Men’s tennis coach Jeff Brown will receive a $5,000 salary increase to $110,000, and women’s tennis coach Tony Minnis will receive a $10,000 increase in pay to $78,000.
Volleyball coach Fran Flory will have a new $100,000 salary, an increase of $12,000.
Girouard’s new contract will have an additional $32,000 compensation per year, and Breaux will have a provision which will provide an automatic increase to $138,000 beginning July 2009.
All new contracts will be retroactively effective July 1. Previously salaries are as of March 2007.
Incoming Chancellor Michael Martin will also make an appearance at today’s meeting.
Martin, who assumes duties Aug. 1, will be meeting the Board for the first time.
Charles Zewe, System vice president for communications and external affairs, said Martin will be coming say “hello” to the Board and to make a few remarks about assuming the chancellor position.
The Board’s agenda also includes swearing in new members R. Blake Chatelain of Alexandria and James Moore of Monroe. Chatelain and Moore will take the Oath of Office, both representing Louisiana’s Fifth Congressional District.
Gov. Bobby Jindal appointed Chatelain and Moore on July 1. Chatelain and Moore will replace former Board members Charles Weems and Hal Hinchliffe, respectively.
—-Contact J.J. Alcantara at [email protected]