LSU Board approves new degrees, campus leases, athletics contracts and Feist cancer funding

The Board of Supervisors of Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College approved a slate of academic, facilities and personnel actions during committee meetings and the full board session, including new degrees, private‑funded renovations, multiple leases and athletics employment contracts.

The board unanimously approved academic items presented in committee: a Bachelor of Arts in Design Studies and a Master of Science in Architecture at LSU A&M; four certificate programs at LSU Eunice (Payroll Administration, Business Entrepreneurship, Basic Management and Paraprofessional Education); the HSS Humanities Center at LSU A&M; and a revised mission statement for LSU Shreveport. Each item was presented to the academic committee and carried by voice vote in committee and by the full board when reported out.

The finance committee approved the FY‑26 expenditure request from LSU Health Shreveport for the Carol W. Feist legacy funds. The board approved a FY‑26 allocation of $3,800,000 to support the Feistwyler Cancer Center, described by presenters as funding for basic and translational science, clinical research, seed packages for recruitment and equipment and infrastructure for patient‑related research.

The property and facilities committee approved several facility and lease actions that will be privately funded in large part. The board approved: - A short extension of a cooperative endeavor agreement for the Louisiana Emerging Technology (Lehi) Building so privately leased tenants can be moved and LSU can use capital outlay funding for a military science program (CEA extended through Oct. 31). - A lease agreement with the LSU Real Estate and Facilities Foundation to renovate the School of Music recital hall; the project budget was described as approximately $4,400,000 funded entirely by private donations and to be donated back to LSU upon completion. - A lease agreement for phase 2 of Huey P. Long Field House renovation, backed by $10,000,000 in private funding; construction was estimated at $7,200,000 with the remainder for soft costs and contingency. - A 3‑year initial lease (with two 3‑year renewal options) for LSU Health Shreveport’s Family Medicine Clinic in Alexandria covering multiple leased areas totaling 1,191 rentable square feet (three separate areas) at a total annual rent described as “just over $236,000.” - A five‑year lease (with up to four 5‑year renewals) with Church of the King, Inc., raising the rent to $12,000 per year going forward; renewals will be renegotiated with a default 10% increase for each renewal term.

The athletics committee forwarded and the board approved several employment contracts and extensions for LSU athletics staff. The committee recorded these terms in its meeting and passed them by voice vote: a three‑year contract for new football defensive line coach Kyle Williams with first‑year compensation described as $700,000 and annual increases of $75,000 in years two and three; a one‑year extension and salary increase for Austin Thomas (senior associate athletic director for football administration) that changes his pay schedule to $800,000, $850,000 and $900,000 across the revised term; a new four‑year employment contract for Kelly Zinn (executive deputy athletics director/chief operating officer) that replaces prior contract language and extends employment through 2030 under updated terms; and a one‑year extension for men’s basketball associate head coach David Patrick taking him through June 30, 2028, with year‑one compensation described as $600,000 and an extension year salary of $675,000.

Consent agenda and routine business items approved included an augmentation request to the Janice Harvey Peller Endowed Chair (a $600,000 private gift plus a requested $400,000 Board of Regents match was described in the packet); conversion of the Freeport‑McMoRan endowed chair into two endowed professorships (corpus cited at $500,000 each); name and department reorganizations at LSU Health Science Center Shreveport; naming the Sunny Hill trumpet studio; and offering the Master of Science in Computer Science partially online.

All committee recommendations from the day were approved by the full board in a final vote. Routine items — minutes from prior meetings, personnel actions and reports to the board — were received and approved by voice vote. Where a motion, second, or a named mover/second was stated in the transcript, that move/second was recorded in committee but formal roll‑call tallies were not captured in the transcript; all items were described as adopted by voice vote or with the chair’s call for objections and none were recorded as opposed.

Actions listed in this summary were described during committee presentations or on the board floor and were carried by the board during the convened meeting.

Ending: The board adjourned after approving the agenda items and committee recommendations and recognized outgoing student board member Emily Otkin with a formal resolution of appreciation.