Louisiana’s colleges and universities are taking home millions for construction and other budget needs. It’s perhaps the last such funding boost before the loss of state tax revenue could slash a quarter of a billion dollars from their operations in the 2026-27 academic year.
The state budget for fiscal year 2024-25, which started Monday, includes approximately $589 million in immediate construction for higher education and around $93 million for research, campus security and other special projects.
Unless state lawmakers make sweeping constitutional changes, higher education and public health care are likely to face drastic cuts once a 0.45% portion of the state sales tax expires June 30, 2025.
Building boon
The state construction budget, detailed in House Bill 2, provides allocations for each state university system, including an investment in the planning process for a new LSU library at its main campus. Overall, it includes less immediate money for campuses than the previous year, and it lays out promised funds for upcoming years.
Projects in the LSU System are slated to receive about $186 million this year. In addition to planning a new library — more money will be delivered when construction is underway — around $65 million has been allocated for a new science building, and another $51 million was set aside for renovations at the medical education building laboratory at LSU Health Sciences Shreveport.
The Southern University System will receive about $67 million. The largest portion, $22 million, will be used for a new science, technology, engineering and math complex at the main campus in Baton Rouge.
The University of Louisiana System is slated to receive around $136 million. That includes $16 million to renovate the health science complex at the University of Louisiana Monroe and $14 million to replace a major academic building at Northwestern State University.
The Louisiana Community and Technical College System will receive around $34 million. Its biggest project is $21 million for a new building and campus development at Baton Rouge Community College.
Extra cash
Each system is slated to receive a little extra cash for special projects, research and campus improvements.
LSU will receive $6 million for graduate assistantships, a continuation of an investment made last year to increase the minimum stipend for degree-seeking graduate assistants. The LSU AgCenter will receive $4 million to modernize equipment and an additional $2 million for research and extension-related projects.
In the University of Louisiana System, Grambling State University will receive $250,000 for new uniforms for its World Famed Tiger Marching Band, Nicholls State University will receive $125,000 for campus police equipment and the University of Louisiana Monroe will receive $4 million for its pharmacy school.
The Southern University System will receive $3 million for accreditation-related expenses at Southern University New Orleans, $1 million for crime prevention in Baton Rouge and $250,000 for the workforce development center at Southern University Shreveport.
