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LSU faculty and staff receive 3 percent raises
For the first time in years, LSU faculty and staff members will receive a merit pool raise of 3 percent. Staff raises for college and universities were worked into the budget that the Louisiana Legislature passed earlier this month. Outgoing LSU President Tom Galligan said in a letter to the LSU faculty and staff he […]
LSU athletes are a step closer to earning money from endorsements
The LSU Board of Supervisors Friday established rules governing student athletes seeking to take advantage of new legislation that, if it becomes law, allows them to profit from their name, image and likeness. Stephanie Rempe, LSU’s executive deputy director of athletics and the department’s chief operating officer, told the board at a meeting at the university’s […]
Rebuffing its Faculty Council, LSU declines to mandate vaccines for students and faculty
The LSU Board of Supervisors decided against mandating COVID-19 vaccinations for students, faculty and staff returning in the fall, choosing instead to pass a resolution encouraging the LSU community “to voluntarily vaccinate against COVID-19 until the Louisiana Department of Health shall add COVID-19 vaccinations to its list of required immunizations.” The board is, however, requesting “the […]
South Louisianians should expect a storm event this weekend, John Bel Edwards said
Residents along the Louisiana coast “need to be paying attention” to a storm forming in the Gulf of Mexico, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a news conference Thursday. Storm trackers can’t predict where the storm will land or if it will cause damage. “We can’t tell yet how bad or exactly where (the storm […]
Gov. John Bel Edwards announces vaccine lottery with $1 million prize
Vaccinated Louisianians can win up to $1 million by registering for the “Shot at a Million” Program, the state’s latest vaccine incentive program, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced in a news conference Thursday. Fourteen Louisiana residents who enter the vaccine lottery will win cash prizes — including four prizes of $100,000, nine prizes of $100,000 […]
‘Tell the truth,’ Xavier University’s president says of struggle to vaccinate returning students
WASHINGTON—Leaders in higher education from New Orleans and Miami Thursday related how colleges coped with a rough year of online learning and vaccine distribution amid the pandemic, during a hearing before the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee. The hearing included Dr. C. Reynold Verret, the president of Xavier University and Madeline Pumariega, […]
Louisiana colleges and universities have out-of-date Title IX policies, attorney says
In August, the U.S. Department of Education began implementing new Title IX rules by which all schools that receive federal dollars must abide by. That means Louisiana’s Title IX policies are out of date, an attorney asked to conduct a comprehensive review of Louisiana’s public higher education campuses told the Louisiana Board of Regents Wednesday. […]
Gov. John Bel Edwards expresses support for Louisiana State Police Superintendent Col. Lamar Davis
On his first radio show after the 2021 Louisiana Legislative Session, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced that he had signed a bill increasing the number of days Louisianians will have to vote in presidential elections. The governor also said the delay in Census numbers means that a special legislative session for congressional redistricting won’t happen […]
Amazon to build $200 million delivery center in Baton Rouge
Amazon will build a $200 million “major robotics fulfillment center” in Baton Rouge on the former site of the Cortana Mall, Gov. John Bel Edwards announced Wednesday. The project will create over 1,000 new direct jobs, about 1,100 new indirect jobs and 800 construction jobs in the capital city, Edwards said. “Today’s announcement is the […]
Louisiana Legislature’s education bills will have an impact from K-college
During the legislative session that ended Thursday, the Louisiana Legislature passed bills that mandated kindergarten for 5-year-olds, created a program to help young students struggling with literacy, raised teacher pay, tinkered with TOPS eligibility and mandated that university employees who have information regarding sexual harassment or assault report it. Here are some highlights of the […]
Bills shielding Louisiana residents who refuse COVID-19 vaccine await John Bel Edwards’ response
The Louisiana Legislature passed bills that protect residents and employees who decline the COVID-19 vaccine, but Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a press conference immediately following the 2021 Legislative Session the bills “will have a high bar… to meet my approval.” “We have to make sure that we’re adequately protecting public safety,” Edwards said […]
Bills requiring public schools teach specific aspects of American history die in Louisiana Legislature
A bill from Rep. Valarie Hodges (R-Denham Springs) that would have required public schools to teach specific aspects of American history — including the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, Civics and the Holocaust — was amended by the Louisiana Senate to include lessons on the “contribution of African Americans and the history of the […]