LSU President F. King Alexander released an LSU Budget Hub update Monday afternoon detailing the minimum effects of the $131 million reduction in State General Funds which Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne asked higher education leaders to brace themselves for last week.
In a Friday broadcast email, Alexander said a reduction of that magnitude would result in a $65 million cut to the LSU System’s statewide operations, which he clarified in his Monday Budget Hub update would mean a 32 percent decrease in the system’s State General Funds.
“We have made sacrifices, such as fewer academic programs, loss of faculty and staff and reductions in support services that would have helped more students be successful — all to address continued budget shortfalls,” Alexander said in Monday’s update.
According to a document attached to Alexander’s Monday update detailing the estimated impacts, a $65 million cut to the LSU System would cause a minimum reduction of approximately $19.9 million for the University.
The document also details several key, minimum effects of these reductions on the University, including a $690 increase in fees per student, the elimination of 275 courses and a decrease of approximately $9.5 million in external research productivity caused by eliminating faculty positions.
Increases in student fees would also be necessary during subsequent years to compensate for reduced student enrollment caused by negative publicity, according to the document. The University would also be forced to enact an enrollment cap and raise entrance requirements to maintain academic quality.
“This will limit access to the flagship and reduce the number of graduates in STEM fields, business, education, agriculture, law and other critical areas needed to grow and fuel our state’s economic engine, further compounding Louisiana’s existing workforce shortages,” the document states.
The University’s State General Funds have been cut down from $254 million to $114 million, a 55 percent reduction, since 2009, according to the document. State General Funds make up just 11 percent of the University’s annual funding, which is one of the lowest state funding contributions for a public flagship university in the country.
The University has already cut 180 faculty positions and 170 staff positions from its operating budget, eliminated or consolidated 35 degree programs and improved efficiency by combining University and system administrative positions as a result of repeated state funding reductions during the last six years.
Gov. John Bel Edwards will submit a Fiscal Year 2017 budget proposal to the legislature by Feb. 13, and a special legislative session is scheduled to begin Feb. 14 and last through March 4. In his Monday update, Alexander said the special session will address the current fiscal year’s $750 million budget shortfall and the $1.9 billion anticipated shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year.