Higher education vs. 2011 legislature - ERIC BESSON, Tri-Parish Times

As lawmakers and lobbyists debate in the state capitol during the current legislative session, Nicholls State University President Stephen Hulbert keeps tabs from a distance, watching the many pieces of proposed legislation that will, once sorted, answer a question that has been lingering since last fall. In advance of the session, of which the main goal is to eradicate a $1.6 billion state budget deficit, Nicholls' officials have waited to see the impact on higher education and, by proxy, their university. Last fall, Hulbert began speaking of potential budget cuts in excess of $10 million, but until the outcome of the lawmaking session, and subsequently the amount of state funds dedicated for use in higher education, the exact amount cannot be determined.