LSU president reports record enrollments, rising research and retention; lawmakers press on out‑of‑state recruitment, scholarships and DEI/Title IX reporting

President William F. Tate and LSU senior staff updated the House Education Committee on Feb. 12 about enrollment, strategic priorities (a ‘‘Pentagon’’ of research focus areas), Title IX operations and the system’s ongoing reviews of diversity‑related programs.

"We now have over 66,700 students across all our campuses," Tate told the committee, reporting record enrollments at multiple LSU campuses and a flagship freshman class he described as ‘‘the most accomplished class in LSU history.’’ He said the flagship (A&M campus) had a record‑setting first‑year class of about 7,900 students.

Danny Barrow, LSU vice president for enrollment and student success, credited targeted recruitment and improved campus visit experiences for reducing the net out‑migration of top Louisiana students and increasing applications. Barrow said LSU had reduced notification times for admission packages from more than 100 days to about 60 days and that further reductions were a priority.

Tate and Barrow said the system is retaining a high share of Louisiana graduates: 65% of Louisiana residents who graduate from LSU remain in the state after graduation, with higher retention rates outside the flagship campus. They also highlighted research growth:…