BATON ROUGE – On Thursday, September 22, 2016, The Board of Regents approved the current year operating budgets for all higher education institutions, as required by law, after holding a series of budget hearings on Wednesday.
“The budget is one of the most critical discussions in higher education,” said Board of Regents Chairman Richard Lipsey. “These hearings allow us to analyze the budgets of each system, discuss their challenges, and plan for the future.”
Topics discussed during the hearings included Fall 2016 and Spring 2017 budget allocations, tuition and fees for each campus, and financial improvement plans.
“Overall our budget hearings went well,” said Chairman Lipsey. “After reviewing all of the budgets it’s apparent that that we must find additional areas of funding to support higher education. We must find a way to stabilize budgets, and not on the backs of our students.”
The Board of Regents, a state agency created by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution, coordinates all public higher education in Louisiana. The Board of Regents believes that a robust public postsecondary education system is critical in order to enhance Louisiana's social and economic environment, Board reps said. Through statewide academic planning and review, budgeting and performance funding, research, and accountability, Regents strives to ensure that all students have access to high-quality educational opportunities, they said.
