Louisiana has cut $459 million in higher ed funding since 2008 - Jed Lipinski, The Times-Picayune

Cuts to state funding for higher education in Louisiana rank among the highest in the country since the 2008 recession, according to a revelatory new report by the Center for American Progress, a liberal-leaning public research and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2012, Louisiana cut its annual higher ed budget by more than $459 million, a decrease of 28 percent. Only South Carolina (30.39 percent) and Arizona (32.25 percent) saw a larger change in total state funding for public colleges and universities, the report said. The report, titled "A Great Recession, A Great Retreat," noted that the state cutbacks translated into decreased support for individual students. http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2014/10/louisiana_has_cut_459_million.html