University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Ramesh Kolluru told faculty, staff and other stakeholders during a town hall this week that he plans to ask the Louisiana Legislature for a $15 million “strategic investment.”
The request was announced while Kolluru updated attendees Tuesday on the school’s $50-million deficit, with $25 million of that being a recurring structural deficit. The deficit was first reported last year and led to layoffs and other cost-cutting measures at the school, mostly led by the former interim president.
He told stakeholders in his email after the town hall that he was proud of them and the work they’ve completed.
But the university’s “current reality remains serious,” and it is expected to end the fiscal year on June 30 with a $12-million deficit, he said. Kolluru reiterated that no furloughs or layoffs were planned.
“As we approach July 1, our goal is to enter the new fiscal year with clearer budgets, stronger alignment and improved visibility so units can plan more effectively,” he wrote in an email to stakeholders after the townhall. “We discussed the importance of improving faculty and staff compensation as resources permit, along with several actions that support faculty success.”
Kolluru introduced the “ambitious” Louisiana Vision 2035 framework. It’s designed to focus on growing enrollment, research, student success and statewide impact, he said.
“It reflects a simple belief,” he wrote. “We cannot focus only on the next semester or even the next year. We must also plan for the next decade.”
As part of the plan, Kolluru said he would ask the legislature for a $15-million investment to “support student success, including graduate assistantships as part of our R1 engine.”
To earn an R1 designation, a university must spend at least $50 million on research and development and award at least 70 research doctorates, a move that accounts for only 5% of colleges and universities in the U.S.
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The goals for the next 10 years include increasing the amount dedicated to research from $254 million to $500 million, increasing enrollment from 16,100 to 27,500, and increasing the university’s endowment from $250 million to $500 million.
Kolluru also focused on student retention — “one of our most urgent priorities moving forward” — in his town hall. The university loses 26% of students between their freshman and sophomore year, he said. His plan to improve that includes timely feedback and grade entering on the student portal, individual advising and engagement with students and clear paths from enrollment to employment.
Kolluru was named the university’s seventh president in February. Kolluru served as UL’s interim president since November and is the former vice president of research, innovation and economic development of the university. His appointment came three months after public pushback against the board’s initial plans to install Kolluru as president without a search.
Prior to Kolluru’s appointment, the university was without a permanent president since last July when longtime President Joseph Savoie abruptly stepped down. The UL System Board, which oversees the university, named two interim presidents, first Jaimie Hebert, who served as provost and has since resigned, and Kolluru.
