BR chamber backs tuition increase

• By JORDAN BLUM
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Apr 24, 2008 - Page: 16A - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

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The Baton Rouge Area Chamber is supporting increasing state funding, student fees and tuition at LSU to transform the university into the true flagship, top-notch research institution the group said it should become.

BRAC released a report Wednesday, titled “Developing the Flagship: Supporting State Investments in Louisiana State University,” to help boost LSU and the Baton Rouge economy.

The report coincides with the ongoing legislative session, in which there are pending proposals to increase LSU student costs and to take away tuition control from the Legislature.

LSU is “one of the most powerful economic development assets in the Capital Region and in the state,” according to the report.

“At the same time, BRAC has recognized that LSU is an institution that has suffered in recent decades from a lack of sufficient resources, causing its facilities to crumble and its research enterprise to shrink,” the report states.

BRAC contends that LSU needs an additional $113 million in annual operating dollars and $700 million in construction and research space expansion by 2015.

The report also argues that the LSU Board of Supervisors should have control over its own tuition and fee policies.

New BRAC President and CEO Adam Knapp said the chamber is emphasizing more legislative involvement recently by “getting into the weeds” of the session.

“These are critical steps the Legislature can take right now,” Knapp said.

“We’re always hopeful. There’s a lot of session left to go.”

Besides providing LSU with more state operational and construction funds, BRAC urges the Legislature this year to support a handful of specific bills:

• House Bill 677 to increase student operational fee $500 per academic year.
• House Bill 734 to increase college tuition statewide by up to 5 percent each of the next four years.
• House Bill 755 to take away legislative control of tuition and hand it over to the state’s higher education boards.

Louisiana is the only state that requires two-thirds approval in the House and Senate to increase tuition or fees.

LSU System President John Lombardi did not return two requests for an interview Wednesday.

But in an e-mail response, Lombardi said he is pleased BRAC is helping LSU become a “superb national research university” for the whole state.