Welcome to LSU, where the value of your education is determined by the football team’s success.
That great professor recruited from an Ivy League school? You can thank quarterback Zach Mettenberger for him. The new beakers in your chemistry lab? Props to defensive end Sam Montgomery for those. Don’t forget about the money you now have to do research overseas, courtesy of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
A decision made Friday by the LSU System Board of Supervisors after the University has been marred by years of budget cuts made the above conversation possible. The Annual Transfer Fund Policy forces the LSU Athletics Department to fork over $7.2 million to the University annually, plus a percentage of surplus money.
The University set the precedent for the transfer this year when the Athletics Department contributed $5.5 million to help offset budget cuts. Interim System President and Chancellor William “Bill” Jenkins said the continued donations from LSU Athletics would give the University “discretionary” income. It’s likely the first round of money would go toward faculty raises, which have not happened in five years.
Is the University desperate enough to accept money based on the success of LSU Athletics?
It appears this might have been the only choice to stay afloat amidst repeated cuts. But how is it that the state’s flagship university can’t even uphold its academic reputation without upholding its reputation of dominance of the football field?
It’s time for Louisiana to demand that higher education is prioritized, for the sake of the University’s academic reputation and for the sake of other higher educational institutions in the state that don’t have athletics departments that regularly bring in millions of dollars.
If the past few years have been any indication, it’s unlikely the budget cuts will stop soon. Given state budget fluctuations, the University shouldn’t hedge its bets and rely on state funds. Already, its operating budget has flip-flopped into a model where students’ money makes up more than state funds.
The responsible move for the University now is to build an endowment that will give it insurance throughout budget uncertainties. The state should help the University build that endowment, but the chances of such a gesture happening are slim.
A bailout from LSU Athletics is kind, but it’s not a long-term solution to the University and the state’s lack of financial security. What if the football team has a season, in three years from now, when it loses every game? Will Athletics still bring in the same amount of money? Will the success of the University fail when the football team fails?
Jenkins seems to think so.
“I believe it’s unique,” he told The Daily Reveille last week. “The success of athletics will impact the success of academics.”
Until the state stops cutting higher education funding and the University builds an endowment, let’s hope the football team continues breaking records and winning. Our classes and LSU’s future could depend on it.
