The Baton Rouge Area Chamber released a strategic plan supporting legislative actions that would transform the University into “a premier public research” institution by giving the Board of Supervisors tuition and fee authority and increasing operation funding, capital investments in research facilities and tuition and fee revenues.
“Developing the Flagship: Supporting State Investments in Louisiana State University,” outlines BRAC’s support of legislative bills that seek to propel the University to the goals BRAC outlined in the December 2007 report “Transforming LSU into a Premier Public Research University: An Investment in Louisiana’s Economic Future.” The latter report was developed with input from University administrators, faculty, staff and national higher-education experts.
The recent plan identifies the University as “one of the most powerful economic development assets in the capital region and in the state,” stressing the importance of improving the University’s research initiatives, enabling Louisiana to “successfully compete in today’s global economy.”
Among efforts to increase the University’s research potential, the report recognized the University has been deprived of “sufficient resources” in recent decades, causing deteriorating facilities and the “research enterprise to shrink.”
The University will require, in 2007 currency, an additional $113 million in recurring funding for annual operation and $700 million in capital improvement for 2015, according to the plan.
The $113 million in recurring funding calls for the creation of 100 pre-eminent research positions and 200 junior research positions costing $78 million annually, creating 400 new graduate research assistantships and providing competitive financial- and merit-based aid costing $17 million annually and increasing technology and entrepreneurial match programs costing $5 million annually.
The plan also said the University should also eliminate deferred maintenance and develop an additional 600,000 sq. ft. of research space, which leads to the $700 million price tag for capital improvements.
Bases on the plan’s analysis, BRAC supports six different house bills: 1, 2, 677, 734, 755 and 756.
BRAC supports house bills 677 and 734 because they “address fees and tuition increases and provide the funding needed,” citing the University’s lower tuition and fees per student compared to peer research institutions.
The plan recommends securing funding to improve several campus buildings including the business education complex, Choppin Hall Annex, Chemistry Lab, Veterinary Medicine building repairs and the College of Engineering. Should extra funds become available the plan calls for two floors to be added to the Choppin Hall Annex, because the University has “roughly half the lab space typically found at premier public research universities.”
The plan also calls for tuition and fee authority to be returned to the LSU Board of Supervisors. Because Louisiana is one of only two states where tuition and fee policy of public colleges and universities are controlled by the state legislature, obtaining appropriate tuition and fee levels is more difficult and infrequent.
—-Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]
BR Area Chamber outlines plan for LSU to become “premier” University — 1:40 p.m.
April 22, 2008