• By JORDAN BLUM
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Nov 12, 2009 - Page: 1B

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LSU Chancellor Michael Martin on Wednesday expressed the need to increase the school’s tuition or fee costs, but he disagreed with LSU System President John Lombardi’s opinions on capping the state’s popular, merit-based TOPS program.

If anything, Martin said, the standards for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students should be increased, but he said the intent of rewarding successful students with free tuition to stay in the state should not change.

Lombardi has argued for capping TOPS, eliminating it for families who make more than $100,000 a year and having the state invest more in need-based financial aid for students who need the help to pay for tuition the most.

“John Lombardi and I will disagree on this,” Martin said. “I’d say increase the standards to get them (TOPS grants) and keep it a merit-based program.”

More than 90 percent of in-state, LSU freshmen receive free tuition from TOPS.

Martin said that if the state cuts LSU’s budget again as expected because of state budget woes, then LSU will need to institute a $1,000-per-year “flagship fee” or a tuition increase. LSU currently costs more than $5,000-a-year in tuition and fees, which Martin says is $2,000 below peer averages.

TOPS covers tuition increases but not fee hikes.

After a university forum Wednesday, Martin said he is solidifying his opinion on a flagship fee, even though it is not an official proposal and would need legislative approval.

“I’m firming up my view that if we need to take another budget cut of any consequence, then that may be our only option,” Martin said.

“And I’m ready to argue emphatically that it’s worth it.”

Handing out an “LSU facts” sheet, Martin pointed out that nearly 80 percent of LSU’s budget is in personnel and the budgetary fat was already cut the past two years. Without more revenue, LSU will have to cut academic programs and lay off lots of people, he said.

Overall, LSU must become less dependent on state dollars, Martin said, noting that nearly 53 percent of the university budget comes from the state. Forty percent of the budget is tuition and fee revenue.

“There’s no fee I want,” Martin said. “There’s a fee we might have to accept to continue quality.”