CENTER FOR COMPUTATION & TECHNOLOGY

Fears were widespread on college campuses after Hurricane Katrina when the state cut $75 million from higher education budgets. But those fears were unfounded. The governor and Legislature approved nearly $300 million in new recurring higher education dollars and another $150 million in one-time appropriations. “This is the best higher education session I've experienced in more than 30 years,” said Joseph Savoie, state commissioner of higher education. “No one could have imagined a year and a half ago after the devastation of the storms … to go from darkness into the bright light today,” Savoie said. Highlights include fully funding the state's higher education formula to the regional average for the first time in 26 years, increasing faculty pay by a 3 percent average and starting the state's first need-based student financial aid program — GO Grants. Many criticized the legislative session for committing too much new, recurring money statewide. But one of the main benefactors is higher education. Retiring LSU System President William Jenkins said the “spectacularly successful” session is light years away from year after year of budget cuts when he came to LSU two decades ago. Jenkins admitted it is a bit unusual they are celebrating just being “average” in funding, but it is a lot better than where they were. “I'm not fussing about that,” Jenkins said. “We're at the 50 percent mark, and we're moving ahead.” Increased funding for health care also is crucial, Jenkins said, since the LSU System manages the state's public hospitals. Support for a planned LSU-Veterans Administration medical center complex in New Orleans is critical for hurricane recovery, Jenkins said. New money for pre-kindergarten through high schools also is key, he said. “Universities and colleges can only be as good as the K-12 education,” Jenkins said. On the main LSU campus, Chancellor Sean O'Keefe said the money already is allocated for strategic investments. LSU deans are not running to him with wish lists, he said. Out of about $40 million in new money for the campus, half is going to pay raises, mandated costs like insurance increases and additional library support. The rest is going to targeted faculty hires in specific fields of study, health insurance for graduate assistants, wireless Internet expansion and more need-based aid for students, O'Keefe said. Interim Southern University System President Ed Jackson said this is a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” for Southern's campuses to grow. The timing is great because reaccreditation is coming soon and the money will go to new faculty and resources to ensure the academic programs are well supported. Jackson also mentioned other funding beneficiaries, such as library growth and a new student services center in the middle of campus that will consolidate all the departments such as admissions and financial aid into one building. There were really only a couple of noticeable defeats for higher education during the entire session. Schools are getting a total of about $30 million in new deferred maintenance money to upkeep deteriorating buildings, but that is less than the nearly $80 million requested. “We were pleased to get something,” Savoie said. “I always felt that was the most-vulnerable pool of money, because maintenance is not sexy.” The other defeat was killed legislation to offer tax credits for people who donate money to colleges. Savoie said that will be a fight for another day. As for the two-year schools, Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Joe May said his first legislative session was more successful than he dreamed. Citing a few examples besides overall increased money for schools such as Baton Rouge Community College, May mentioned new money to extend the free Pathways to Construction program and a new program to expand nursing training. May said his top priority was successful, with $15 million for a top-priority electronic database system to link all the students and campuses of the many community and technical colleges statewide. Now that all this money is coming in, there are no more excuses, Savoie said. He said that with adequate funding, he welcomes the chance to prove higher education's accountability and economic development potential. “Absolutely,” Savoie said. “We have to be fully accountable to maintain this support.”