LSU Outlines Dire Budget Scenarios, Layoffs And Course Cuts

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Internal documents prepared by LSU leaders say deep budget reductions proposed by Gov. Bobby Jindal  would force widespread layoffs across LSU campuses, shutter academic programs and lessen the value of the degrees students obtain.

LSU campuses from Shreveport to New Orleans were asked to explain how a reduction between 35 percent and 40 percent in state financing for the upcoming budget year would affect their operations.

The documents were obtained by The Associated Press through a public records request.

The potential implications were added up: 1,433 faculty and staff jobs eliminated; 1,572 courses cut; 28 academic programs shut down across campuses; and 6 institutions declaring some form of financial emergency.

The documents say 27 percent of faculty positions at the main campus in Baton Rouge would have to be cut.

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