The Research and Sponsored Initiatives (RSI) Committee approved two actions: (1) a waiver to permit LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans to fill the Henry Rimeon chair in orofacial and maxillofacial pain by internal appointment (Doctor Gary Klasser), and (2) policy revisions to the Board of Regents Support Fund Endowment Professorship subprogram to expedite the competitive review process and change the application deadline to February 28 for the current fiscal year.

Miss Robinson told the committee that LSUHSC New Orleans met policy requirements for an internal appointment to the endowed chair; an external evaluator provided an opinion as required by policy. The committee approved the waiver by voice vote.

Committee staff also reviewed changes made in June and the need to expedite the Support Fund competition timeline because of pending statewide actions: staff described prior board decisions to remove multi‑year opportunities and to limit competitions this year to endowment matching and one‑year awards so that obligations would fall in the current fiscal year. The policy revision moves the deadline for competitive requests to February 28 so funding recommendations can be made in March to fit the expedited schedule tied to a pending public vote and legislative actions that could redirect Support Fund balances to satisfy unaccrued state retirement liabilities.

Members asked how the committee would handle multi‑year awards if the fund were repealed; staff said the board had removed new multiyear competitions and planned recommendations to cover previously approved multiyear commitments and federal matching obligations. Members also asked about the status of a Department of Education review concerning whether a “first generation” scholarship would constitute an acceptable proxy for DEI purposes; staff said they were awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Department of Education and suggested donor‑approved endowment conversions if campuses seek alternatives.

Both the waiver and the policy revisions were approved by committee vote.