A Message From the
Chancellor
Optimism Amid the Sobering Reality of Finances Spring is traditionally the time of year for renewal. Magnolias bloom, the grass turns green, and the weather warms. On college campuses, renewal comes in the fall. Students return, faculty and staff are refreshed from vacations, and images of crystal footballs dance in our heads.
“We are expecting one of the largest freshman classes in years ...”
So, as we enter the fall semester at LSU, there is much reason for optimism. We are expecting one of the largest freshman classes in years as the best and brightest high school students in Louisiana and surrounding states choose to pursue their academic careers as Tigers. Our year-long celebration of LSU’s 150th anniversary continues. The signature event of the sesquicentennial year is LSU Day, postponed this past spring due to bad weather and now scheduled for Nov. 13 when it will share the stage with Homecoming for the biggest “open house” in school history. LSU continues to be a leader in research. As a summer that will long be remembered for the devastating oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico winds down, we can all be grateful for the work of our LSU researchers, to whom the world turned for analysis and expertise in saving our cherished coast. (See story on page 32.) Hope springs eternal in Death Valley. We look forward to autumn Saturdays when families gather to tailgate and the lights of Tiger Stadium brighten south Louisiana nights as our beloved Tigers embark on another season of LSU football. And the support of our University from private donors has never been stronger. We near the end of a successful Forever LSU fundraising campaign and expect to reach our goal of $750 million by year’s end, proving once again that winners invest in winners. Meanwhile, much continues to be written and discussed about funding for higher education in Louisiana. Amidst the optimism of the new fall semester, the realism of dire future finances is sobering. Over the course of the last eighteen months, LSU’s budget has been trimmed by more than $42 million. And if the exercise recently requested by the LSU System becomes a reality, we would lose an additional $46 million for the fiscal year 2011-12. Now, more than ever, we need our friends and supporters to make a statement. The greatest travesty of our budget situation is the lost opportunities for students who dream of attending LSU. Among the cruelest budget cuts of all are the reduction in scholarships that allow in-need students to earn an education and entice high-achieving students to choose LSU. Soon we will be calling on many of our supporters to help us fill the financial hole created by cuts to scholarships. As we come to the stretch drive of the Forever LSU campaign, there is no better investment than in the young people who will be future graduates of LSU and future leaders of Louisiana and beyond. Though our fall semester may be tinged with apprehension about financial concerns, we remain steadfastly optimistic about our University, our students, and the future of our state’s flagship university, LSU.
Michael V. Martin Chancellor
LSU Alumni Magazine | Fall 2010
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