Louisiana is a "Tier One" School

[JamesTheJeweler]

I believe the two biggest impediment will be the athletic budget and the amount of fan support, especially for football games. Obviously all Juan status takes care of the academic qualifications and the stadium renovation should take care of the facilities question

Yes, attaining "all juan" status means a lot in the latino community as well

[covcaj]

Yes, attaining "all juan" status means a lot in the latino community as well

Tough crowd!!!!

[OrlandeauxCajun]

Will our new R1 status allow UL to raise their admission criteria as well as tuition? Anyone have insight?

[CajunEXPRESS]

Not sure how much autonomy the university has in raising the entrance standards. Is it possible? Maybe a little.

[Cajun90]

Will our new R1 status allow UL to raise their admission criteria as well as tuition? Anyone have insight?

No school other than LSU is allowed to raise tuition without legislative approval. University of Louisiana system schools can raise fees by up to 10%(?) without legislative approval. That is a significant distinction since the TOPS program covers tuition and not fees. For a Louisiana student who has earned TOPS it means that it cost less for them to attend LSU than it does for them to attend UL.

As far as admission criteria. Even the Ivy League has reduced their criteria. It would be political suicide to raise the admission criteria in the current environment. Like it or not politics are important in public higher education and upping admission criteria based on test scores and grades at this point would be asking for a lot of trouble.

[HoustonCajun]

I saw a small article on The Advocate. Nothing in The Advertiser.

Still nothing in the Advertiser.

[Cajunrunner]

Still nothing in the Advertiser.

I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

Same newspaper that on Sunday morning, after the Conference Championship game, had NOTHING about the game. Zero.

There was an article about LSU and Brian Kelly looking to fill staff.

[NOCajun]

SO PROUD of everything OUR University has accomplished this year!! Now I don't know if anyone has mentioned him in this thread, yet, but special thanks needs to go out to former president Ray Authement and his administration. THEY are the ones who got the ball rolling for this University to achieve this Tier R1 academic status. Lots of people on this board were angry and upset because Dr. Authement did not support athletics as many thought he should, but the fact is he was doing every thing he could to make this University the very best it could be academically, and put Dr. Savoie in a position to continue in that direction AND begin to focus on bringing our athletics up to the same high level.

Dr. Ray Authement deserves to be recognized for what has happened in the last few months!!!

#cULture

[CajunEXPRESS]

By your thinking let’s get back to our first president.

https://www.louisiana.edu/about-us/history/presidents

He established a short list of presidents guiding this university.

Currently averaging over twenty years. Stability, and USL’ing this has been a great thing.

[Turner]

Super news

[Cajunrunner]

Lots of people on this board were angry and upset because Dr. Authement did not support athletics as many thought he should, but the fact is he was doing every thing he could to make this University the very best it could be academically, and put Dr. Savoie in a position to continue in that direction AND begin to focus on bringing our athletics up to the same high level.

He actively tried to suffocate athletics to death. We’d have been DIII with no athletic scholarship if it were up to him. He told coaches certain academic donors were off limits to solicit athletic donations from. He refused to allow the formation of an athletic booster fund, something people in the community tried to do since the 80s.

It wasn’t that he just didn’t like athletics. He pretty much had a hostility towards it. That is not a trait a real university president should have.

[moorecajun]

He actively tried to suffocate athletics to death. We’d have been DIII with no athletic scholarship if it were up to him. He told coaches certain academic donors were off limits to solicit athletic donations from. He refused to allow the formation of an athletic booster fund, something people in the community tried to do since the 80s.

It wasn’t that he just didn’t like athletics. He pretty much had a hostility towards it. That is not a trait a real university president should have.

You are right in everything you wrote. One thing I would like to mention is that he became president right around the same time as our "death penalty" in basketball. Whether we liked it or not, he decided he was not going to let that happen again, in any sport, on his watch.

I'm not saying I liked it, because I didn't. But I can understand his view.