LSU Board approves new programs, leases and multi‑million dollar campus projects in wide-ranging meeting

The LSU Board of Supervisors on June 27 approved a broad package of academic programs, facility leases and funding requests, clearing a set of initiatives the board and administrators said will expand educational access, research capacity and revenue sources across the LSU system.

Board members unanimously approved LSU’s request to offer a Bachelor of Science in Robotics at the flagship campus, and approved a Bachelor of Science in Data Science at LSU Shreveport as well as an 18‑credit graduate certificate in history intended to bolster dual‑enrollment secondary instruction. The board also authorized LSU Health New Orleans to form a new Department of Radiation Oncology to support expanded clinical trials and the institution’s competitiveness for a future NCI cancer center designation.

In finance and facilities actions, the board approved a $4.5 million expenditure from the Carol W. Feist legacy funds to support basic and translational work at the Feistweiler Cancer Center, a roughly 18 percent increase versus last year’s allocation. The board also approved several real‑estate items: a 30‑year ground lease with the Zeta Zeta Alumni Association of Delta Kappa Epsilon; a lease authorizing demolition of the Edward Gay Apartments (estimated cost not to exceed $2.9 million to be funded entirely from prior P3 savings); and a 30‑year triple‑net lease of the LSU New Orleans human performance center building to Benjamin Franklin High School, which the presentation said will generate about $432,000 in net annual revenue for LSU New Orleans once the July 1 transition takes effect.

The consent agenda — which passed without objection — included several naming requests (for wings and campus centers), restructuring of academic unit titles at LSUE, the termination of the formal epilepsy center designation at LSU Health New Orleans (with the institution retaining epilepsy clinical and research work), and an increase from 120 to 121 credit hours for a Bachelor of Science in Construction Engineering to align with accreditation expectations.

Board chair and administrators emphasized that most motions carried “without objection.” When specific motions were moved, the transcript records the moving and seconding supervisors (for example, Supervisor Moran moved one item and Supervisor Williams seconded). Several items noted prior approvals of term sheets (for example, some athletic and senior personnel term sheets) or that projects will be funded by private donations or internal savings, not university operating funds.

The board also approved the FY27–28 five‑year capital outlay priority list to preserve eligibility for future state funding, and authorized the president to execute a facilities lease agreement with the LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation to renovate roughly 24,000 square feet of the law library (estimated cost ~$2.9 million, to be funded by private donations). The motion language for many agenda items and the recorded responses in the transcript show approvals were made with standard parliamentary procedure: motion, second, call for objections, and declaration that the motion carried when none were raised.

What’s next: Many of the program approvals will still require subsequent, more detailed curricular or regulatory steps (some items noted that degree proposals will be forwarded to the Board of Regents for final action). The law library and demolition projects have funding sources identified; the timing for construction and demolition was presented as contingent on abatement work and project scheduling.