Wait just a minute here.

I thought the state budget was in great shape. Why the cuts?

New Orleans CityBusiness:

"The $74.5 million in state cuts to higher education in Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina forced New Orleans-area colleges and universities to eliminate faculty, staff and academic programs.

The cuts represent a nearly 6 percent dent in the state’s pre-Katrina higher education budget of $1.24 billion.

National education experts are not surprised by the reduction.

“Higher education is a fair-weather expense,” said Travis Reindl, director of state policy analysis for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities. “When there’s money, higher ed gets plenty of it from the state. When things go south, higher education gets kicked in the shins.”

Since Katrina, all public and private universities in the New Orleans area have restructured following student enrollment decreases."