(The Center Square) — Louisiana's public colleges and universities are seeking $1.25 billion for construction projects amid a $4 billion backlog of overdue campus repairs.
The Louisiana Board of Regents' proposed capital outlay budget includes 73 projects across the state's four public higher education systems, with $702.1 million requested for the 2027-28 fiscal year alone.
The funding gap underscores the challenge facing lawmakers as universities seek to expand and modernize facilities while struggling to maintain aging infrastructure.
A two-year assessment conducted by Gordian, a facilities management consulting firm, identified a $4 billion deferred maintenance backlog across Louisiana's public colleges and universities.
The findings also revealed the age of the state's higher education facilities. Buildings in the LSU and University of Louisiana systems have an average age of 64 years, followed by the Southern University System at 61 years and the Louisiana Community and Technical College System at 53 years.
According to Gordian's assessment criteria, buildings more than 50 years old fall into the highest-risk category because major building components have exceeded their expected life cycles, increasing the possibility of failures.
The University of Louisiana System had the largest proportion of buildings in that category, at 35%.
The Regents are considering new requirements that would force institutions to demonstrate that existing campus infrastructure can support proposed facilities before additional construction projects are recommended.
Among the proposed projects is a $60 million overhaul of Southern University Baton Rouge's electrical distribution system, which has experienced repeated failures involving transformers, breakers and other equipment.
Those failures have disrupted instruction and forced the university to deploy emergency generators to maintain power at residence halls and other facilities. The university's electrical grid is more than 70 years old. The Regents are requesting $56.5 million for the project in the upcoming fiscal year.
The broader capital outlay proposal also includes projects at LSU, University of Louisiana System institutions and community and technical colleges.
Of the 117 projects submitted for consideration, Regents staff initially recommended 71 for inclusion in the state's construction budget, along with two new infrastructure projects.
The recommended projects carry a combined estimated cost of $1.25 billion, including approximately $990.8 million in funding still needed across multiple fiscal years.
Beyond the $702.1 million requested for 2027-28, the proposal identifies another $386.9 million in funding needs for 2028-29 and $75.4 million for 2029-30.