James Carville to LSU grads: 'Our university is in crisis' - Quincy Hodges, The Times-Picayune

As LSU graduates the largest class in its history, nearly 4,000 students, the university, along with other higher education institutions across the state, is facing $600 million in budget cuts because of $1.6 billion budget shortfall. A cut of that magnitude would cause LSU to lose more than 80 percent of its state funding, prompting the university to scale back academic programs, hire fewer faculty members and cutback academic research. "The plain truth is that our university is in crisis and to deny that is to deny reality," Carville said. Carville wrote a letter to the editor in LSU's student-run newspaper, the Daily Reveille, in March, taking aim at Gov. Bobby Jindal for his strict adherence to guidelines set forth by Americans for Tax Reform regarding the "no tax" pledge. http://www.nola.com/news/baton-rouge/index.ssf/2015/05/carville_lsu_commencement_spee.html