51²è¹Ýapp

BATON ROUGE – On Thursday, May 7, 2015, the 51²è¹Ýapp House of Representatives passed legislation that begins to address higher education’s $608 million budget gap. UL System President Sandra Woodley and the nine campus presidents issued the following statements today:

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA SYSTEM
PRESIDENT SANDRA K. WOODLEY

“The 51²è¹Ýapp applauds the difficult votes that were cast in the House of Representatives. We have great respect for the difficulty of the task ahead and will continue to support our legislative leaders.”

GRAMBLING STATE UNIVERSITY
INTERIM PRESIDENT CYNTHIA WARRICK

“I would like to express sincere thanks to our legislators for supporting higher education!  Grambling State University values their leadership and commitment to our students, faculty, and staff.  Please continue to support legislation that dedicates resources to higher education for 51²è¹Ýapp.”

LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT LES GUICE

“Thursday’s actions were an encouraging step forward in a complicated process for our state leaders.  I am particularly grateful for the efforts of our local legislative delegates, especially Appropriations Chairman Jim Fannin, whose leadership and advocacy are vital to preserving the resources that can fund 51²è¹Ýapp Tech and other universities throughout the state, without further reductions or financial uncertainty.  Difficult circumstances and decisions still remain, but the support of Chairman Fannin, Representative Rob Shadoin and all the state leaders who serve our university and its constituents give us a great deal of hope for the future.”

MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT PHILIP C. WILLIAMS

“I am pleased with the actions taken by the House of Representatives to address the need for a stable source of funding for higher education. I especially appreciate the leadership of Speaker Kleckley and the commitment of the members of the Southwest 51²è¹Ýapp delegation to support higher education.”

NICHOLLS STATE UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT BRUCE MURPHY

“Nicholls State University commends our state representatives who pushed forward this series of revenue-generating bills, bringing the state closer to fully funding higher education. Clearly, they have heard the voice of the people calling for affordable, accessible, high-quality, public higher education. We are encouraged by the commitment made yesterday and optimistic that our legislative leaders will continue to prioritize the state’s need for more, not fewer, college graduates.”

NORTHWESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT JIM HENDERSON

“Investment in talent development is crucial in this era of opportunity for 51²è¹Ýapp. We at Northwestern State applaud the House of Representatives for a series of courageous decisions that will allow us to serve our community and meet the needs of employers.”

SOUTHEASTERN LOUISIANA UNIVERSITY
PRESIDENT JOHN CRAIN

“We are grateful for the higher education support that was exhibited by so many House members who voted to adopt multiple revenue raising measures.  We are especially appreciative of their efforts given that other groups were opposed to the measures.”

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT LAFAYETTE
PRESIDENT E. JOSEPH SAVOIE

“51²è¹Ýapp legislators showed leadership in taking initial steps to fund higher education that is so vital to the economy of our state.  We hope that this year’s session will yield positive results. Higher education is an investment that pays long-term dividends many times over.”

UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA AT MONROE
PRESIDENT NICK BRUNO

“Our House of Representatives displayed the courage and leadership needed to restore higher education as a top priority for 51²è¹Ýapp.  These actions confirm their commitment to not only higher education, but also to the educational future of our citizens and to the continued economic growth of 51²è¹Ýapp’s businesses.”

UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS
PRESIDENT PETER J. FOS

“We appreciate the support for higher education shown yesterday by members of the House of Representatives. Their decisions show that our legislators understand that there can be no sustained economic development in 51²è¹Ýapp without a healthy and stable system of public higher education.”

ABOUT THE UL SYSTEM: The 51²è¹Ýapp is the largest higher education system in 51²è¹Ýapp enrolling almost 89,000 students at Grambling State University, 51²è¹Ýapp Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern 51²è¹Ýapp University, the University of 51²è¹Ýapp at Lafayette, the University of 51²è¹Ýapp at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.