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BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — As the year ends, LSU has filled deanships at the main campus level, given out faculty pay raises that have somewhat restored morale, privatized hospitals and started numerous projects that will affect students, staff and the Baton Rouge community.
LSU recently was reaccredited for the next decade, after a two-year process that mainly scrutinized LSU's decision to combine the jobs of system president and chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus. Some members of The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges were concerned that both jobs might overwhelm one person, but the university argued successfully that the jobs could be combined efficiently.
F. King Alexander celebrated his first year as LSU president and main campus chancellor on July 1. The LSU Faculty Senate, often critical of university policies, has supported Alexander's moves so far. Since he took office, faculty members have received two pay raises — the first since 2008.
The university also merged system and campus work for two other positions, chief financial officer and vice president of communications. Both consolidations were part of LSU's goal of "one LSU," bringing all of the university system under one umbrella.
Daniel Layzell was named vice president for finance and administration, making him CFO for both the main campus and statewide. Linda Bonnin, vice president for strategic communications, is chief spokesman for both campus and system.
This year, LSU graduated its largest number of African-Americans, Hispanics and women in May. In the fall, LSU's enrollment topped 30,000 for the first time since 2005, with its third-largest freshman class at 5,655. LSU also had its most diverse student body ever this year.
The university also proposed, broke ground for and opened numerous facilities.
IT broke ground in November for a chemical engineering addition to Patrick F. Taylor Hall, which also is being renovated. Renovation and construction are expected to cost $110 million, $15 million of it from Phyllis M. Taylor, to honor her husband's legacy. The project is scheduled for completion in 2017.
Recently, LSU also approved a plan to build a 22,500-square-foot, dining hall for athletes on the site of the old Alex Box Stadium. About $12 million in private money will pay for The Tigers Athletics Nutrition Center, to begin construction in April.
After years of struggling to commercialize faculty research throughout the campus, the university is investing $4 million to help faculty members bring their research to the marketplace.
In an effort to keep the best and brightest students in Louisiana, the university is improving its honors college, which received its largest gift of $12 million from Robert Ogden. The money will go towards making the honors college, which admits students with high grades and ACT scores, a place where high achieving students want to go and begin their academic careers.
University officials say they plan to hire hire and recruit more faculty members in 2015.
In June, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed a law to increase higher education funding by $40 million, nearly $15 million of which has gone to LSU. LSU is planning to add tenure-track positions in computer science, chemical engineering, petroleum engineering and kinesiology with money from the new Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy Fund.
They say they also hope to increase collaboration and communication between K-12 and higher education institutions and begin a long-awaited renovation to the university's Studio Arts building. Student picketed in the spring about problems including asbestos, lead paint, mold, jury-rigged plumbing and exposed wiring, and the building closed for two weeks for asbestos removal.
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Information from: The Times-Picayune, http://www.nola.com
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