Tagged: higher education

When an insurance company informed Lisa Bothwell as a child that she wouldn’t be allowed to take equestrian riding lessons anymore because she was deaf, it not only devastated her, but set her on a path to advocate for others with hearing and vision disabilities.

Louisiana Family Forum President Gene Mills suggested Friday that the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is drifting "into sexual politics."

The school's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender studies minor, which began in the spring, drew the ire of the Louisiana Family Forum last week as going against "Louisiana values."

Mills' email says ULL President Joseph Savoie is "fooling with fire" by allowing homosexual activists to influence university decision making, The Advocate reports. He urges the program's elimination.

Nicholls State University and the University of Southeastern Louisiana are laying off employees.

Louisiana State University, though, says it will cut its budget without firing employees.

The state's public colleges and universities are absorbing a fifth round of budget cuts since 2008. In the new budget, higher education was cut by $66 million, bringing total cuts since 2008 to $420 million.

Southeastern, in Hammond, says it will lay off 36 faculty and staff members and eliminate 80 vacant positions. The university says it's cutting $13 million overall.

MONROE — An internationally recognized University of Louisiana at Monroe toxicology professor has settled a lawsuit he filed against the university alleging he was harassed and discriminated against after he suffered a stroke five years ago.

The News-Star reports (http://tnsne.ws/OG813H) that the university announced Tuesday that it had reached "an amicable settlement" with Harihara Mehendale in the College of Pharmacy.

New Orleans has a reputation for its rich food, and the extra pounds it can pack on its fans. But a Tulane University doctor is working on a culinary plan to return the city’s cuisine — and the national diet — to its healthier roots.

The Southern University System is hosting a series of town hall meetings across Louisiana to discuss concerns about the effect of budget cuts on the system's three schools.

The town halls will be held Friday in Lafayette and Alexandria, Saturday in Shreveport and Monroe, on July 24 in New Orleans, on July 25 in Baton Rouge and on July 26 in Franklinton.

SU System President Ronald Mason Jr. is expected to attend the meetings. A news release on the town halls says "enrollment challenges" and increased retirement and health care costs also will be topics for discussion.