Harlan Kirgan
For the first time in eight years, The 243 employees at LSUE are getting a 4 percent pay raise, Chancellor Kim Russell said Thursday at a Eunice Kiwanis Club meeting.
“The only reason we are able to do that is really due to the financial stability of the institution now,” she said at the meeting on Thursday.
Russell also credits the increase in enrollment and help from legislators, the governor’s office that “... really allowed us to have this freedom to be able to do that so that can continue to attract and retain quality faculty and staff on campus.”
Russell said, “It was a welcome event and I was just really sorry to say it hasn’t happened in previous years.”
The LSUE payrol is about $7.4 million and $3.6 million in benefits. There are 173 full-time faculty and staff and 71 part-time faculty and staff.
Russell was selected in June 2015 to become the first female chancellor in the college’s history.
Louisiana State University Eunice’s fall enrollment will likely be more than 3,000 students, she said.
Russell did not release the student count, but said fall enrollment is up 8 percent, semester credit hours are up 6 percent and students who are financially cleared are up 15 percent compared to same time last fall.
“At this point in time our numbers are looking very strong,” she said. “We don’t actually do the fall count until the 14th day of class.”
The goal for the fall semester is 3,051 students, she said.
Enrollment peaked in 2010 at about 3,400 students, she said.
Students returned to campus on Monday.
Fall 2016 enrollment rose by about 16 percent to 2,906 students and the freshman class was up 20 percent compared to the previous fall.
LSUE is now a tuition-driven institution, she said. The college receives about $4.5 million of its $20 million budget from the state, she said. Much of the additional revenue is from tuition, fees and sales from sources such as its book store, she said.
Russell said the presentation she gave at the Kiwanis Club meeting is the same given to faculty and staff on Thursday.
New programs at LSUE include:
— Nursing classes at Lafayette General Hospital, which will eventually double the annual class size to 120.
— Diagnostic Medical Sonography.
— Surgical Technology.
— Pharmacy Technician.
— Athletic Training.
— Information Technology and Cybersecurity.
The campus also is getting a student testing center at the library; a renovated dining area; new signage; and new communication system.