University of Louisiana at Lafayette President Dr. Ramesh Kolluru highlighted an improved financial position, investments in students and employees, and the University’s continued role in Louisiana’s changing economy during the State of the University on Wednesday.
Kolluru told attendees that UL Lafayette begins the fiscal year with a balanced budget for the first time in more than a decade, while emphasizing that continued financial discipline will be necessary.
“Our work is not finished. But, most important, we have changed our trajectory,” he said. “Now, we must live within our budget, prioritize student success and generate the revenue necessary to advance our mission.”
The annual address to faculty and staff, elected leaders and community partners marks the start of the fall semester and the new academic year. Classes at UL Lafayette begin Monday. It was Kolluru’s first State of the University address since being named UL Lafayette's seventh president in February.
You can watch the 2026 State of the University here. Among its highlights:
- Enrollment momentum. UL Lafayette expects more than 3,000 first-time freshmen for the fourth consecutive fall. Transfer enrollment is projected to exceed 650, its highest since 2021, while dual enrollment is expected to surpass 1,000 for the first time since 2021.
- Investments in student success. The University is investing $1 million in academic advising, including six new professional advisors for colleges without them. UL Lafayette will also provide more than $200 million in financial aid and scholarships this year while holding tuition and housing rates steady.
- Investments in faculty and staff. The fiscal year 2027 budget includes approximately $500,000 in cost-of-living adjustments for classified staff and another $500,000 to begin addressing faculty salaries that are furthest from market averages.
Kolluru also emphasized the University’s strengths in research, academics and workforce development as significant assets for Louisiana’s economic future.
“Louisiana’s economy is changing,” he said, pointing to growing opportunities in advanced manufacturing, energy, artificial intelligence, data science, space, defense and biotechnology. “Our role is not simply to react. It is to lead. And we are.”
The University’s research enterprise provides significant capacity to do so. UL Lafayette now exceeds $263 million in annual research and development expenditures, an increase of approximately $200 million since 2013.
That capacity is translating into economic impact across the state. UL Lafayette generated more than $4.4 billion in statewide economic impact last year. Kolluru pointed to the University’s role in preparing graduates, solving problems and creating economic opportunity as evidence of how its academic and research strengths can serve Louisiana’s changing needs.
“That is Research for a Reason,” Kolluru said. “And our reason is Louisiana.”
Throughout the address, Kolluru pointed to the University’s financial progress, enrollment, student success, research and economic impact as evidence of momentum already underway.
He closed by challenging the University community to build on that momentum with intention. “Our trajectory is not predetermined,” he said. “Where we go depends on how we choose to move,” he said. “Our choice is clear. We choose to move different.”
View the presentation slides here.
Photo caption: Dr. Ramesh Kolluru delivers the State of the University on Aug. 19 in Angelle Hall on the UL Lafayette campus. (Credit: Doug Dugas / University of Louisiana at Lafayette)