The leadership of the flagship LSU campus is alleging the university was manipulated out of millions of dollars by the LSU System and the Louisiana Board of Regents through the state’s higher education funding formula.

The disagreement highlights a growing rift between the leadership teams of LSU Baton Rouge Chancellor Michael Martin and that of LSU System President John Lombardi, as evidenced by a series of back-and-forth letters and emails from October through December that were obtained by The Advocate through a public records request.