State colleges trying to operate with less

• By JORDAN BLUM
• Advocate Capitol News Bureau
• Published: Jun 30, 2009 - Page: 1A

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While higher education was spared $219 million in proposed state budget cuts, colleges are now left with the task of slicing more than $100 million from their books and laying off hundreds of employees.

“The Legislature has allowed us to avoid the ‘worst case scenario’ and for this we are grateful,” LSU Chancellor Michael Martin said Monday in a campus e-mail. “Still, we will be required to make significant adjustments in the way we meet the mission and conduct the business of LSU.”

Martin, in an interview later in the day, said LSU is still at least a week away from finalizing its plans and determining whether 100 or hundreds of employees will be let go.

“I don’t think there’s any question we’re going to have to eliminate jobs,” Martin said. “At some point, we’re going to have to have substantive change.”

The proposed 15 percent in state budget cuts to colleges – because of declining state revenues – were reduced by more than $100 million on the last day of the legislative session last Thursday.

The deal represented a compromise between Gov. Bobby Jindal, the House and the Senate.

Another $55 million already was cut in January.

The Louisiana Board of Regents, which oversees higher education, is still plugging data into the state’s new performance-based funding formula to determine how much will be cut from each college system and campus, said Sally Clausen, state commissioner of higher education.

Colleges also are increasing tuition by 5 percent in the fall to raise $30 million, and increasing graduate school tuition by even more.

Clausen said Monday the Board of Regents also is figuring out funding shortages to need-based financial aid programs like the state GO Grants. The merit-based TOPS program – Taylor Opportunity Program for Students – is fully funded.

The reductions in cuts are greatly appreciated, Clausen said, but “to minimize it would be understating the impact.”

LSU System Vice President for Communication Charles Zewe said all of LSU’s campuses are looking at cuts of possibly less than $50 million, down from the initially proposed $102 million.

Zewe said Monday campuses are proposing different student fee increases that would not need two-thirds legislative approval.