Louisiana State University

[cajun]

LSU is not a cash cow. However, it could be, but not with these budget cuts.

I was referring to every map dot with a college in this state. The state has to cut....only one side is fighting tooth and nail to preserve the status quo.

Edited September 11, 2012 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

Some colleges could stand to be closed. We have an abundance it seems.

[SUSAstudent]

So if it's ok to have historically black colleges I wonder why there aren't any historically white colleges. You can say it's not racism but when you create a college based around a race, that in itself, is racist.

Coming from a Southern student, there WERE historically white colleges, that's why HBCUS were established. You can't necessarily say the existence of HBCU's is "racist" when our government paved the way for them to be created. The truth of the matter is, we have a very ugly history in the US when it comes to race. Also, when you consider states like Louisiana and the state of our education system, a great majority of our aspiring students don't meet LSU or UL standards. HBCUs, like Southern and Grambling, are starting to move forward with increasing admissions standards, which has hurt enrollment specifically, but it opens the mission of HBCUS (which were formed for minorities in general, not just black students) to diversify programs and student body, and to also compete with peer institutions. If HBCUs don't produce, thats an issue. But when we rank, that's another one. We can backtrack just 50 years ago when minorities weren't even allowed on PWI campuses, so don't knock why it's "OK" to have HBCUs. I can talk about this for days. lol bottom line is, these schools are still very much necessary and relevant to higher education. Sorry if this came across as a history lesson.

[cajun]

Some colleges could stand to be closed. We have an abundance it seems.

State needed to cut waste. I'm a die hard LSU man, but I admit that there was plenty of fat in the budget for them.

Not going into specifics, but 29 institutions of higher learning in a state with stagnant population growth is foolish.

Unfortunately, you saw what happen with the local politicians when Baton Rouge wanted to shut down SUNO (and LSU-S). It's a very big political challenge.

And....plenty of the suburban and rural legislators are totally okay with cutting SUNO (which needs to happen), but they go crazy when someone in Baton Rouge wants to touch their state run hospital.

There is a silver lining. Louisiana may have up to a $188 million surplus this year for the first time since the recession started.

[cajun]

Coming from a Southern student, there WERE historically white colleges, that's why HBCUS were established. You can't necessarily say the existence of HBCU's is "racist" when our government paved the way for them to be created. The truth of the matter is, we have a very ugly history in the US when it comes to race. Also, when you consider states like Louisiana and the state of our education system, a great majority of our aspiring students don't meet LSU or UL standards. HBCUs, like Southern and Grambling, are starting to move forward with increasing admissions standards, which has hurt enrollment specifically, but it opens the mission of HBCUS (which were formed for minorities in general, not just black students) to diversify programs and student body, and to also compete with peer institutions. If HBCUs don't produce, thats an issue. But when we rank, that's another one. We can backtrack just 50 years ago when minorities weren't even allowed on PWI campuses, so don't knock why it's "OK" to have HBCUs. I can talk about this for days. lol bottom line is, these schools are still very much necessary and relevant to higher education. Sorry if this came across as a history lesson.

Great post.

I agree completely.....but in the case of SUNO, the school isn't producing good results by any stretch of the imagination. I can't help but think that the students there would be better off at UNO or Southern-BR. At this point it's being kept open for political reasons.

HBCU's (and all institutions) that don't find their niche in today's market for higher Ed either have to change or shut down.

[SUSAstudent]

There's always going to be some back and forth regarding SUNO. Personally I would like to see SUNO stay, I think the mistake was the location, but that doesn't surprise me, seeing that it was the 50s. SUNO's enrollment grows an average of 7% a semester, and the graduation rate is bullcrap. U can't graduate over 400 students each semester and have a 6% graduation rate on a campus of 3500 students! It's the way the graduation rate is calculated that needs to be changed. But regardless, it's definitely not stunting SUNOs growth. My issue comes when the legislature messes with Southern U.

[cajun]

That 6% graduate rate is more indicative of an adult day care than a school. If the stats are incorrect, then there is another issue....but by that the same measure, it falls way behind Southern-BR, UNO, and ULL who are all measured with the same flawed statistic.

It seems they have a very serious retention issue. I wouldn't expect stellar rates from a commuter school, but 6% is embarrassing.

They need more students from the higher end of their acceptance scale than they do. A large portion of better students accepted into SUNO will choose Southern BR or UNO....which creates a major statistical problem for SUNO.

That stat is published all over the place. Since UNO is a short drive away, and has access to more private funding, more resources, and more degree paths than SUNO, I can't possibly see a drawback to a merger from the student's perspective.

Edited September 21, 2012 by cajun

[SUSAstudent]

I will agree that program offerings at SUNO are not exactly ideal for a higher Ed campus. Idk this issue has always been touchy, even for Southern system students and educators

[cajun]

I will agree that program offerings at SUNO are not exactly ideal for a higher Ed campus. Idk this issue has always been touchy, even for Southern system students and educators

Just keep in mind that within the Southern U bubble (one exists at every school), what you are being told is from the perspective of students and faculty of an HBCU. They are justified in being skeptical, but they may see this as a political or racial power play when it isn't.

The state, the city, and the governor would all benefit from SUNO being a viable, competitive campus. No one wants to see any disadvsntsged student waste their money with the for-profits or drop out of school.

The big issue here is that in order for SUNO to attract the students that it needs to improve its academic stats, UNO would have to either not exist or to be way more selective.

Lots of poor students from all races in the state. Louisiana is barely industrialized. UNO can't make a business case for narrowing their admission requirements any more than SUNO can. They'd have to compete with LSU and Tulane if they did.....so they focus on competive graduate programs and widen their admissions for undergraduates. Naturally, the competitive black students are choosing UNO today.

It's a bad situation.

To LSU's benefit (and to La Tech's), their rising admission standards relative to their "in state" peers as well as the stagnant population growth of the state and the record number of freshman entering those schools this year indicate that they have created a statistical vacuum (powered by TOPS) for themselves when it comes to attracting the best students in the state. Those stats indicate that best students are choosing LSU and Tech over the other institutions.

Edited September 21, 2012 by cajun

[SUSAstudent]

Many highly marketable students are also at the private institutions as well. Dillars and Xavier are big for those higher rate or more academically sound students. We have a strong history of HBCUs here in LA.

[itsjustme3]

There's always going to be some back and forth regarding SUNO. Personally I would like to see SUNO stay, I think the mistake was the location, but that doesn't surprise me,

6% graduation rate.

6%

Spin it all you want but that is a failure and taxpayer money shouldnt be spent on it.

[SUSAstudent]

There's no "spin" to the situation. Look at the number of graduates SUNO produces in relation to its student enrollment and you will see thats CLEARLY not 6%. Im not making excuses for SUNO, I'm saying that policy is the main issue. If the graduation rate was allegedly so bad, or SUNO such a horrible school, why are they at record enrollment? Why are they growing every semester at an average of 7%? Taxpayers should look a little deeper rather than stating flawed "facts." The formula for the graduation rate for our colleges and universities needs to be revised.

[SUSAstudent]

Also, don't "spin" my comments towards a racial intent. I acknowledge that when SUNO was founded, it was because of racial tension. Im personally tired of all things race related and choose to not focus on it. I chose to speak from published facts that I research and stay up to speed on. Your comment about having historically white colleges (which sparked the founding of HBCUs) seriously needed a response. So I made an attempt to answer. You choosing to conveniently end that quote there really just pissed me off.........

[richyb83]

A new, state-of-the-art engineering education complex will be created on the LSU campus via a $100 million renovation and expansion of Patrick F. Taylor Hall, officials say. Gov. Bobby Jindal and LSU administrators have just outlined a public-private partnership to fund the project, by which the governor's office will support allocating $50 million in state capital outlay funds, with the remaining funding to be provided by private donations. To date, officials say the LSU College of Engineering has raised $8 million for the project. The design phase will start in December, with construction to begin in the fall of 2014 and completion expected in the fall of 2016.

Completed in 1977, Taylor Hall remains the largest freestanding building on the LSU campus at approximately 300,000 square feet. The building has structurally depreciated over the past 30 years, and officials say it's in need of significant repair. The renovation and addition of a new annex dedicated to chemical engineering will bring Taylor Hall's total square footage to 380,000, and provide the LSU College of Engineering about twice as much space as it currently has.

http://www.225batonrouge.com/article/20121002/BUSINESSREPORT0112/121009954/0/businessreport1003

[cajun]

Good grief the rendering is even uglier than the existing building!

Seriously, though.....it desperately needed some investment. Maybe they'll figure out a room numbering scheme that is less confusing than what currently exists. Great news for LSU.

[dan326]

Looks like they're basically building another Shaw Center, lol

[Antrell Williams]

Has a 80s vibe, no?

[dan326]

Maybe to blend in with CEBA.

[itsjustme3]

That rendering looks nothing like LSU. And that's not a compliment.

[cajun]

That rendering looks nothing like LSU. And that's not a compliment.

What is the big orange thing?

It looks like a tacky old shopping center.

[richyb83]

Renderings for the new Business Education Complex(rotunda) looked fantastic; however the the actual building turned out to be a disapointment to say the least.....while this Taylor Hall rendering looks pretty bad...maybe, just maybe it will turn out looking better??

This new building looks nice(renderings posted several pages back)

New LSU facility touted

Gov. Bobby Jindal on Thursday said LSU’s newly opened $34 million Chemistry and Materials Science Building was a first-rate teaching and research facility that should attract students and faculty from around the world.

The five-story, 85,000-square-foot building, formerly called the Choppin Annex, is made up of mostly new laboratories and support facilities, increasing LSU’s chemistry research space by about 50 percent.

With roughly 30,000 people in Louisiana working in the chemical industry, Jindal said, the new building will be needed to train future generations of chemical engineers. The governor also said he expected the building to make “LSU a magnet” in attracting some of the most-promising scientific minds in the academic world.

The building, nearly 10 years in the making, was originally planned as a three-floor chemistry research building.

A second effort was made four years ago to secure funds for the additional two floors to accommodate LSU’s growing material science and nanotechnology research.

*rest of article

http://theadvocate.com/home/4125620-125/new-lsu-facility-touted

[richyb83]

The new, two-story Barnes & Noble store at LSU is now open in the new LSU Union Square development on Highland Road. Satterfield & Pontikes Construction Group of Kenner was general contractor on the bookstore, which also features a Starbucks café and Clinique cosmetics counter.

http://www.businessreport.com/section/businessreport0113

Edited November 6, 2012 by richyb83

[pm_arch]

LSU is like a smart growth incubator for Baton Rouge. Maybe we'll see bike lanes in BR soon?

LSU to install dedicated bike lanes

• 
  
  • LSU to install dedicated bike lanes
    

BATON ROUGE -

LSU plans to improve safety for cyclist by installing bike lanes on Dalrymple Drive east of Highland.

The plan is part of the "Easy Streets" project that aims to make campus easier to travel on foot and by bike.

Students say traveling on two wheels is a difficult venture on campus.

"It's really difficult because so many people walk and there are so many cars that sometimes it's tough to get from one place to another, because you're constantly dodging out from people and cars, but it just seems more efficient for me to get to my classes," said Mikayda Mills, who rides her bike regularly on campus.

That's one reason why so many students risk the road, and why LSU wants to make it safer. LSU hopes to add dedicated lanes on Skip Bertman drive, but needs approval from the state first.

The University will also create "sharrow" lanes (shared lanes for cars and bikes) in the interior of campus. LSU will create a bike and pedestrian only promenade on Tower Drive between S. Campus and Stadium drives.

Students can expect to start seeing the changes by the Summer. The entire project totals about $1.4 million.

Edited November 15, 2012 by pm_arch

[cajun]

Are bike lanes "smart growth"? I know that is what we brand it, but is it any smarter than a sidewalk?

Am I the only one skeptical of something branded as "smart"? It seems like a low level debate to brand your idea as "smart". What is the alternative idea? I've had numerous "your stupid, I'm smart" debates in 2nd grade. Everyone ended up being wrong.

From a fiscal standpoint, should we be allocating significant resources for capacity expansion for vehicles that pay almost no taxes and require no fees to operate (yet can and do cause personal and property damage if used incorrectly)?

LSU has a parking problem, so this might save them $$ on parking. What is "smart" for LSU might be a colossally stupid move for a typical suburban area with ample parking and significant road capacity issues.

If bikes are going to eat up capacity and resources that could be used on travel lanes for vehicles that contribute to the pot in registration, fees, fuel taxes, and actually require insurance.....then why do so few cities allocate road space for parallel parking anymore? If taxpayer subsidized bike lanes are "smart", then by that logic, so should taxpayer subsidized parking.

Can I brand my lunch as smart and have taxpayers foot the bill?

Also, since so many cyclist (including this guy) bike only for the purposes of recreation and exercise, then why isn't my gym membership covered? Why are taxpayers only covering cycling when they could easily buy a tread mill or free weights? If cycling at is "smart", am I a genius when I get a Darwin Award for using Perkins as my own free gym at rush hour?

Edited November 15, 2012 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

LSU is a public entity, students and faculty use bikes to travel throughout the area. It is a means of transportation just like the sidewalks and roads, why should roads be paid for by the public but not other means of legitimate transportation? Why pay for a gym membership to run on a treadmill and watch TV rather than running around your neighborhood or your block?

I don't think it's necessarily smart as much as responsible for the safety of the students. More parking is absolutely needed, but that wouldn't account for the fact that cyclists, taxpayers, are still left to maneuver the campus with a high possibility of injury to themselves or someone else.

Bike lanes hardly eat up capacity. I'm not sure where parallel parking comes into play but setting space aside for parallel parking is probably not the smartest thing to do for car dependent cities like ours. Once 50 cars fill up the parking spots, where do the other 500 go? That's where I believe parking garages should come into play.