LSU President F. King Alexander announced Wednesday that University administrators are working on a financial exigency plans because no significant steps have been made to halt the $608 million cut to higher
education.
“Based on the current status of the budget debate, we have decided to begin contingency planning for exigency as many of our campuses may be impacted, as well as other campuses across the state. We know the worst-case scenario, we know the timeframe and we know what’s at stake,” Alexander said in an email statement to students. “We are optimistic that solutions to mitigate the devastation these budget cuts promise are forthcoming from our state legislators; however, we owe it to our students, faculty and staff to be fully prepared for every possible outcome.”
Financial exigency, equitable to bankruptcy in business terms, would give the administration more leeway in cutting programs and dismissing faculty, including those with tenure.
Even with 39 legislative days left in the session and multiple bills addressing higher education, things do not look hopeful enough for Alexander to continue without a plan.
Alexander said in an interview with The Daily Reveille in January when rumors of proposed cuts hovered around 40 percent, financial exigency would be an option if the cuts were larger than expected.
Without action from the Louisiana State Legislature, higher education now faces an 82 percent cut in state funding.
Though declaring financial exigency would allow the University more freedom in letting faculty go, the status does not show the flagship in a positive
light.
Laying off tenured faculty could induce a negative reaction from the American Association of University Professors, which holds job security in higher education necessary for a successful academic environment.
The University has been under AAUP censure for almost four years, a list the Faculty Senate is actively seeking removal from.
Alexander sent a letter to the AAUP in January stating he had no intention of seeking removal from the censure list, but since then the Faculty Senate has tried to reopened discussion with the University President about the
issue.
This is not the first time an LSU System President has claimed financial exigency as a last resort. In May 2012 when the system was facing a $97.6 million cut, then-president William Jenkins said the measure would threaten the University’s status as the state flagship.