By Johnny Clements and Chinazaekpere Amalu 

Tuition at McNeese State University is getting more expensive for students in some more resource-intensive majors starting next fall, officials said at a State of the University Town Hall meeting Wednesday. 

Interim President Dr. Kedrick Nicholas led the forum, which also included Dr. Michael Buckles, provost and vice president of academic affairs; April Broussard, vice president for business affairs; Heath Schroyer, vice president of athletics; faculty senate president Dr. Vipin Menon; staff senate president Dr. Curtis Rogers; and SGA president Lianne Montelibano. 

Among other items, Nicholas answered questions about the increase, 2.42% for undergraduates in affected majors and 2.34% in affected graduate programs, which translates to an increase of approximately $105 per semester. Nicholas said the increase is lower compared to other University of Louisiana system schools. 

Nicholas said the programs affected are those with higher costs in materials and operations. 

“This will allow us to serve students at a higher level,” Nicholas said. 

The differential tuition program is part of a legislative effort in 2024 that allows universities to act individually to increase tuition up to 10% in two-year cycles. Nicholas said he did not expect McNeese to make any changes during the next cycle, partly because the university is in a relatively strong position. 

“We are not trying to nickel and dime our students to survive,” said Nicholas. “If we are in a strong financial position, we want to make that evident by not asking our students for more money.” 

In fact, Nicholas said the meeting wasn’t because of bad news. 

“We are not here because something is wrong,” Nicholas told the group of faculty, staff and students at both a morning and afternoon session. “We are celebrating right now as a university.” 

Nicholas said spring is the fourth straight semester of enrollment growth at McNeese. Overall enrollment is up 7%. Students are also staying enrolled at higher rates, with this spring showing strong retention. 

In other updates: 

• The Old Ranch is set for demolition in 2026. Nicholas said the university has the estimated $1 million in hand but is working to get state funds to offset the cost. The space will become a green space until the university finishes paying outstanding debt on existing housing, at which point the plan is to build additional housing space. The goal will then be to have enough student housing to possibly require first-year students to live on campus, Nicholas said. 

• The university is prioritizing faculty and staff compensation in its planning. 

“We want people to feel like they are fairly compensated,” Nicholas said. 

• Nicholas said the administration is watching several bills proposed as part of this year’s legislative work, some of which will come up for a vote during midterm elections. The first piece is a proposed bill that would allow people as young as 21 years old to be full-time teachers with just a two-year degree. There is also a proposed bill that would allow the concealed carrying of firearms on college campuses. The last proposed piece of legislation Nicholas mentioned would abolish the Louisiana Board of Regents, the governing body that manages all higher education in Louisiana. 

• The SGA is working on several projects, including working with staff senate on new digital signs; an update to attendance policies that would allow students to take a mental health day off from school without needing an excuse, and turning Ash Wednesday into a campus-recognized holiday that would give students the day off from class. 

“We plan to put up digital signages at various areas to help students navigate areas on campus,” Montelibano said. “Digital would be better so, if a building hall gets changed or renamed, it would be a quicker transition. The signage project is being funded by the Senate project fund.”