The Southern University System is preparing for major cuts in the state’s higher education appropriations, a prospect that may hinder the system’s efforts to end its recently-implemented exigency plan.

Southern University System President Ronald Mason said the cut could harm the ability of the university’s main campus in Baton Rouge to recover from its declaration of financial emergency in the current fiscal year.

Mason said the campus needs “a year of breathing room to dig itself out and put in place many of the revenue measures we think will work for us. We need time to be able to build back from there.”

The state Board of Regents released its appropriations plan to schools today, about $1 billion to be divided among the state’s four higher ed systems. The money is divided by a performance-based formula comprised of graduation rates, career preparation and other metrics.

A bill in the Louisiana House proposing the dissolution of the Southern System was forwarded to the Committee on Education last week.

Southern University System