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State university considers 'college bankruptcy,' liberal arts schools aren't only ones in trouble
Business Insider ^ | 04/24/2015 | Abby Jackson

Posted on 04/24/2015 1:41:36 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Proving it's not only small, private, liberal-arts colleges that are susceptible to financial distress, Louisiana State University (LSU) announced that it's in the midst of drawing up a financial exigency plan.

Bloomberg News, which reported the development, called the plan "equivalent to a college bankruptcy" and noted that it would let LSU fire tenured faculty and restructure its finances.

The Baton Rouge-based university with over 30,000 students is drafting the plan, in part, because the most recently proposed budgetary cuts by Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal threaten to severely impact the higher-education system in the state. The governor's plans would cut the budgets for Louisiana's colleges and universities to the tune of 82%, according to Bloomberg.

The president and chancellor of LSU, F. King Alexander, stressed the bankruptcy plan was essential since there has been little movement in the state's legislature to make updates to the budget.

"We don't say that to scare people," Alexander was quoted as saying in The Times-Picayune. "Basically, it is how we are going to survive."

(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Education; Society
KEYWORDS: bankruptcy; college; education; liberalarts; university
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1 posted on 04/24/2015 1:41:37 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

I can’t believe a South Eastern Conference team could go bankrupt.


2 posted on 04/24/2015 1:44:25 PM PDT by Zuben Elgenubi
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To: SeekAndFind

Bullsh!+ move to punish the conservative governor.


3 posted on 04/24/2015 1:45:08 PM PDT by dangus
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To: SeekAndFind
Not Bankrupt.


4 posted on 04/24/2015 1:48:39 PM PDT by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: dangus
Exactly. Makes good press and nothing more. If a tiny little Liberal Arts college like Hillsdale College in Michigan can thrive without a penny in government assistance, then there is no reason why any government funded university can't get by either.
5 posted on 04/24/2015 1:49:25 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: SeekAndFind

“The governor’s plans would cut the budgets for Louisiana’s colleges and universities to the tune of 82%, according to Bloomberg.”

Oh BS. They are just trying to stampede the herd.


6 posted on 04/24/2015 1:50:29 PM PDT by AppyPappy (If you are not part of the solution, there is good money to be made prolonging the problem.)
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To: SeekAndFind
This sounds like a great plan!

it would let LSU fire tenured faculty and restructure its finances.

7 posted on 04/24/2015 1:51:13 PM PDT by nascarnation (Impeach, convict, deport)
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To: cripplecreek
Beat me by less than one minute, though I didn't realize their acceptance rate was under 50% and their tuition over $20K.

Of course, kids will get a far better education there than at many state colleges in the same tuition range.

8 posted on 04/24/2015 1:52:17 PM PDT by Vigilanteman (Obama: Fake black man. Fake Messiah. Fake American. How many fakes can you fit in one Zer0?)
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To: Vigilanteman
There is no reason whatsoever for a government-run school at any level. Private institutions from nursery schools to post-graduate universities are far better. Proof? Look no further than where Senator Ted Cruz made his presidential announcement!
9 posted on 04/24/2015 1:55:04 PM PDT by re_nortex (DP - that's what I like about Texas)
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To: Vigilanteman

When my girls went there in late 90s early 00s Hillsdale had a lot of scholarships for a lot of situations. With those scholarships it didn’t cost any more to go there than to our state’s flagship gov’t university.


10 posted on 04/24/2015 1:56:15 PM PDT by Controlling Legal Authority
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To: Vigilanteman

Low acceptance rate with a pricey tuition produces top notch students.

However there are loan programs and scholarships available. I recently read about an inner city kid in Detroit winning a full ride scholarship to Hillsdale.


11 posted on 04/24/2015 1:57:34 PM PDT by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: Controlling Legal Authority

Hillsdale isn’t a typical college town either.


12 posted on 04/24/2015 1:59:32 PM PDT by cripplecreek ("For by wise guidance you can wage your war")
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To: SeekAndFind

The budget isn’t being cut 82%. Leave it to Bloomberg to carry this lie.


13 posted on 04/24/2015 2:09:49 PM PDT by <1/1,000,000th%
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To: AppyPappy

You can bet that the educational staff will be the first to go; by the time the “administration” has a single person laid off students will be bringing their own toilet paper - and taking it home after it’s used, too!


14 posted on 04/24/2015 2:14:06 PM PDT by The Antiyuppie ("When small men cast long shadows, then it is very late in the day".)
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To: SeekAndFind

As long as it doesn’t impact the football program, there shouldn’t be much push-back.


15 posted on 04/24/2015 2:21:06 PM PDT by PAR35
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To: SeekAndFind

State funding has gone up a tiny little bit under Jindal. Basically, aid to institutions has been cut, and aid to needy students has gone up. Institutions will have to raise tuition, and will have to compete for student dollars. This means SOME departments and their staff will be eliminated because they are not in demand by students. LSU is saying that they will eliminate departments and fire faculty who have tenure. Actually, LSU would be stupid to eliminate departments and fire faculty that are in demand. That’s where the money is (well, other than SEC football). Furthermore, ending the privileged position of faculty with no students and shifting funds to needy students sounds like social justice to me.


16 posted on 04/24/2015 2:21:24 PM PDT by Redmen4ever
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To: <1/1,000,000th%
“The budget isn't’t being cut 82%. Leave it to Bloomberg to carry this lie.”

Yes, this little bit of deceptive writing caught my eye:

“The governor's plans would cut the budgets for Louisiana's colleges and universities to the tune of 82%, according to Bloomberg.”

So “cut...to the tune of 82%” sounds like a cut of 82%, but carefully parsed means a cut of 18%.

17 posted on 04/24/2015 2:54:12 PM PDT by WL-law
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To: cripplecreek

Hillsdale isn’t a typical college town either.

__________________

What do you mean?


18 posted on 04/24/2015 2:56:10 PM PDT by Chickensoup (Leftist totalitarian fascism is on the move.)
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To: SeekAndFind
Financial Exigency Plan template:

1) Fire all teachers whose only classes are "___ Studies."
2) Require the remaining staff to teach at least 20 hours per week.
3) Eliminate all "____ Centers" and withdraw all financial support for non-academic clubs and organizations.
4) Eliminate 25% of administrative staff.
5) Eliminate useless majors such as "____ Studies," since there will be no teachers for them anyway.
6) Let Masters' candidates teach all courses at the "100" or survey level.
7) Apply in-state tuition rate only to residents of the state. Apply out-of-state tuition rate to residents of other states. Apply even higher rate to residents of foreign countries. Refuse to admit foreign students who cannot prove they are in the country legally.
8) Stop giving scholarships for ridiculous sports and activities no one cares about.
9) Stop subsidizing art, plays, and exhibitions that demean, degrade, or otherwise insult the United States or its cherished institutions.
10) Do not give degrees to athletes whose only demonstrable academic achievement is a learned ability to cheat on tests.

19 posted on 04/24/2015 3:00:07 PM PDT by IronJack
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To: IronJack

# 11. No support from Taxpayers!


20 posted on 04/24/2015 3:08:31 PM PDT by Cen-Tejas (it's the debt bomb stupid)
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