The LSU Board of Supervisors approved a slate of committee recommendations on operating budgets, facility projects, naming requests and athletics contracts at its regular meeting.

Key approvals included the system operating budget for the year, multiple consent-agenda naming requests across campuses, campus facility projects and a capital research well for LSU’s PERT lab, and several athletics-related ticket and personnel actions. The board also voted to withhold consent to a proposed sale of a research building adjacent to the LSU Health Sciences Center in Shreveport pending review and an appraisal.

Highlights from committee actions and votes

- Operating budget: The board approved the fiscal-year operating budget presented to the board. Presenters reported the operating budget including the Health Care Services Division at about $1.46 billion including HCSD; the presentation said the system’s overall operating budget reflects an approximate 3.1% increase systemwide.

- Academic committee consent agenda: The board approved a consent agenda containing nine items, including facility namings and continued authorizations for centers and institutes: naming the School of Music recital hall (John G. Turner and Jerry G. Fisher Recital Hall) and the Davis Business Engagement Center at LSU Shreveport; renaming the LSU Leadership Development Institute to the Leadership and Workforce Development Institute; continued authorizations of the Riley Center for Media and Public Affairs, the Center for Economics, Business, and Policy Research, the George and Jean Pugh Institute for Justice, Pennington/LSU Center for Research Excellence for invasive species, and the Feist-Wheeler Cancer Center for Research Excellence; and naming the Offensive Line Meeting Room the Root Hogs Offensive Line Meeting Room in recognition of donors.

- Property and facilities: The board approved a $1.7 million Act 959 project to renovate student-union restrooms at LSU A&M, financed with self-generated revenue. It approved adding a $10.16 million LSU PERT Lab Research Well No. 3 project to the FY26–27 capital outlay plan; the project is funded by a combination of federal matching funds, previously allocated state funds and industry contributions and will include a horizontal section for carbon-capture testing. The board approved amended ground- and facilities-lease agreements related to Bingle Village student housing at LSU Eunice to refinance existing debt and preserve LSU’s option to assume ownership at the end of the ground lease.

- Sheehy-Reese Institute sale: The board voted to withhold consent for a proposed sale of the Sheehy-Reese Institute building (a facility adjacent to LSU Health Shreveport) to a third party; staff told the board an appraisal and further assessments were needed before the board could consent to a sale, because the sale price could affect the fair-market rent and future rental adjustments under the lease.

- Athletics committee actions: The athletics committee approved several ticket and parking price adjustments (including proposed increases to bleacher-season baseball tickets, PMAC season tickets and parking rates) and approved multiple employment agreements, including a four-year agreement for executive deputy athletic director and chief operating officer Julie Cromer; a seven-year head baseball coach contract for Jeh Johnson; three-year contracts for baseball assistant Josh Jordan and Josh Simpson; and a two-year extension for assistant women’s basketball coach Gary Reidis. Several board members discussed buyout provisions and industry norms during debate.

Board process notes: Most items were presented by committee chairs and staff presenters (for example, Annzie Gilmore presented property items; Trey Jones presented the Sheehy-Reese recommendation; Lori Williams presented athletics items). Votes were recorded by motion and second on the floor and approved by the board in committee and on the consolidated board action vote.

The board approved each committee’s recommended actions by motion and, later in the meeting, moved to accept all committee recommendations as a group.