KEY TAKEAWAYS: Report identifies tens of millions needed to move UNO into the LSU System More than $46 million required for immediate IT and technology upgrades Deferred campus maintenance backlog totals $59 million Enrollment decline and fiscal instability drove the system transfer   A report on how to move the University of New Orleans into the LSU System has identified tens of millions of dollars in needed upgrades, maintenance and staff. The report was formulated by a transition committee created to steer the move, which will reverse action legislators took 14 years ago to make UNO part of the University of Louisiana System after it had been affiliated with LSU since its founding in 1958. UNO’s transfer back to the LSU System is happening in response to a long-running enrollment decline at the New Orleans school, which has caused a fiscal crisis. The school had a student body of around 17,000 before Hurricane Katrina, with an immediate drop to around 6,000 after the storm. For the fall 2025 semester, its total enrollment was 5,670. The university needs an influx of cash to bring its systems and infrastructure up to LSU’s standards, according to the report. The biggest investments deemed necessary are to improve UNO’s information technology, as the report claims all of UNO’s critical IT infrastructure is past its useful life and must be replaced. The report identified more than $46 million in technology upgrades that are needed immediately, including $13 million to transition the central campus software system, $8 million for cable infrastructure and $8 million for artificial intelligence infrastructure. LSU System President Wade Rousse did not rule out the possibility of seeking additional funding from the legislature. Last year, lawmakers provided an additional $23 million to wipe out some of the struggling school’s debts. “We appreciate the work of the transition committee and are evaluating the recommendations included in their report,” Rousse said. “However, we know there is not an endless supply of money to support this effort.” “While additional funding from the state may be needed, we will rebuild UNO primarily through fiscal discipline, stronger management and by making the tough choices a struggling institution demands,” Rousse added. The report also called for $1.5 million for student recruitment initiatives, as enrollment growth will be key in stabilizing UNO’s finances. Other recommendations related to shoring up the university’s budget include growing its external relations team. The report called for the immediate hiring of six new staff members to focus on fundraising. The new staff should be paid between $70,000 and $200,000 each, the report recommends. Within the next 3-5 years, the university should add six more external relations staff to be paid between $60,000 and $350,000 each. Other identified costs include $113,000 to update UNO’s branding to reflect its new name, LSU New Orleans, and its new purple and gold color scheme, $15,000 for accreditation costs and at least $135,000 for external studies on its real estate footprint. The university owns a significant amount of property on the Lake Pontchartrain lakefront, which will be evaluated for potential development and the possible creation of a university hotel, which could be used for experiential learning in the university’s hospitality program. The report also identified a $59 million deferred campus maintenance backlog, including $46 million for projects that are beyond their useful life. Just $2 million of this is designated as necessary emergency repairs. The LSU System as a whole has a deferred maintenance backlog of approximately $1 billion. ...read more read less