Higher Ed. Board Merger Bill Passes House Committee – UL Impact

A House committee has passed a bill to consolidate the state's current five college and university management boards in to just one. The bill by House Speaker Jim Tucker would abolish the LSU, Southern University, UL and Technical and Community College Systems, plus the state board of regents. The bill would transfer their powers to a new single Board of Trustees. Kristy Nichols with the Governor's Office says the current higher education system run by  management boards costs the state over $125-million dollars a year. But LSU System President John Lombardi, who opposed the bill, says the four university systems are diverse and combining them under one management board is unwise. Because of the transitional cost the measure now heads to the House Appropriations Committee.

So, how does this affect UL Lafayette? KPEL's Nathan Pike has the latest on what could be a big financial boost for the financially strapped university.