The LSU System Board of Supervisors adopted the recommendation to increase tuition by $13.8 million for the LSU System campuses on Friday during its monthly meeting.
Each campus will be impacted differently by the increase, with a $144 per semester boost at the University.
The increase marks the fourth consecutive year of 5 percent annual increases for the University and is a result of Act 915, commonly referred to as the “3, 4, 5 Plan,” passed by the Legislature in 2008.
Board Member Laura Leach said though the Board has repeatedly passed the tuition hikes, it still “disturbs” her.
“We are putting our financial needs on the backs of the college students,” Leach said. “I consider higher education the highest issue that we have, the single most important issue.”
Leach suggested the state brainstorm creative ways to fund education, mentioning the use of Louisiana’s “rich natural resources.”
In the end, Leach said she “will vote yes on this because I feel it’s necessary.”
The Board unanimously approved the act’s extension.
In other action, the Board was presented an update on the fiscal year 2011-12 Appropriation Bill and approved the recommendation for the preliminary budget distribution methodology.
The distribution of funding to the campuses is based on a number of factors, many of which depend on the upcoming legislative session.
“If that measure doesn’t pass, we are still at risk of a $100 million loss,” said Wendy Simoneaux, assistant vice president for Budget and Finance for the LSU System, referring to legislation concerning TOPS and the Millennium Fund.
The Board also approved the construction of a Digital Media Facility, 12 suites at Alex Box Stadium and a renovation project for Annie Boyd Hall.
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]