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Legislature approves plan to transfer University of New Orleans into LSU system
Summary
The House Education Committee favorably reported Senate Bill 202, which would move the University of New Orleans from the University of Louisiana system to the Louisiana State University system, subject to transition conditions and $20 million in transition funding.
Senate Bill 202, the measure to transfer the University of New Orleans (UNO) from the University of Louisiana system into the Louisiana State University (LSU) system, was reported favorably by the House Education Committee on Tuesday.
The bill, sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Cleo Harris, directs the LSU Board of Supervisors to develop a comprehensive transition plan and requires that plan be submitted to the Board of Regents and the House and Senate education committees by April 1, 2026. “SB202 is the product of that study,” Sen. Harris told the committee, adding that the change follows a feasibility study requested earlier this year by UNO’s president and the Speaker of the House.
The measure includes fiscal provisions: a finance amendment allocates $20,000,000 to support the transfer, with additional regents or higher-education funds available as needed. Harris said the legislature placed the funding “subject to appropriations” and required transition benchmarks and reporting to ensure legislative oversight.
Kim Hunter-Reid, Commissioner of Higher Education, testified the Board of Regents conducted on-campus work and found UNO remains an important regional asset. “UNO is doing good work for students. It must continue to serve the community and business and industry in the New Orleans area,” Hunter-Reid said.
John Walters, speaking for the LSU system, and other higher-education and economic-development leaders said they had negotiated the transition language with UNO, the UL system and the Board of Regents before the bill was filed. Committee members asked about employee benefits and retirement plans; Harris and Walters said transition teams would address benefits, tenure and other personnel issues and aim to make the transfer “flawless and seamless.”
The bill directs the UL Board of Supervisors to continue balancing UNO’s budget until the transfer and requires immediate transfer of UNO assets, obligations and programs upon enactment. The committee recorded no objections and reported SB202 favorably to the full House.
Committee action clears the measure for floor consideration; a detailed transition plan and subsequent legislative oversight are required before LSU assumes governance.
