Williams inherited hard times

Philip Williams may be gone, but the former McNeese State University president won’t be forgotten. Williams wasn’t here long, only seven years, but he kept the university going during perhaps higher education’s worst financial times in state history.

Adoption of the $28 billion, fiscal year 2017-18 state budget at a recent special session marked the first time in a decade that budgets for higher education institutions weren’t reduced. Had the House had its way, it wouldn’t have happened.

The last glory days for the state’s colleges and universities came in 2007. The $29.7 billion budget for 2007-08 funded public colleges at the level of their peer institutions in the South for the first time since 1981. Credit for that goes to former governors Kathleen Blanco and Mike Foster.

McNeese received $40 million that year, up from $26 million in the 2006-07 budget. It has been downhill since for all of higher education.

Increased federal hurricane funding after Katrina and Rita that devastated much of the southern part of the state in 2005 seemed to give everyone a false sense of financial security. In the last year of the Blanco administration there was $2.8 billion in excess cash on the table.

Legislators passed a $1.9 billion surplus spending bill in 2007. It included $1 billion for the Road Home recovery program, $600 million for highway construction, $200 million for coastal restoration and funding for higher education and health care services.

The Stelly income tax plan approved in 2002 eliminated sales taxes on food, drugs and residential utilities in exchange for higher income taxes. The plan also did away with the remaining half of excess federal itemized deductions taxpayers could claim on their state income tax forms.

Since the state was flush with cash at the time, lawmakers decided in 2007 to give taxpayers the ability to claim all those excess itemized deductions over a three-year period — 57 percent in 2007, 65 percent in 2008 and 100 percent beginning in 2009.

Bobby Jindal took office in 2008 and inherited a $1 billion surplus, which no doubt generated interest in repealing those higher income taxes in the Stelly Plan. Jindal opposed the idea at first, but eventually gave in to public sentiment.

Both houses approved repeal unanimously at a cost of $1.15 billion over the next four years, which was just an estimated loss. It proved to be much higher. Some economists said the fiscal problems that surfaced over the next seven years of the Jindal administration wouldn’t have happened had the plan stayed on the books.

The use of one-time money over those seven years, fund sweeps and budgeting gimmicks proved disastrous for higher education and health care, the two major unprotected areas of the budget.

In 2012, Jindal bragged about cutting the state budget by 26 percent since he took office in 2008. The trend continued over the next four years and mid-year budget deficits became an annual occurrence.

Williams became McNeese president in 2010 when the tough financial times were beginning to take a heavy toll. However, Williams was optimistic and said his administration would be inclusive, transparent and visionary. He said he also believed a president should be a facilitator and McNeese would develop and expand partnerships with business and industry.

What struck many the most was his statement that “every encounter with a student is a retention opportunity.” While at exercise one day, I noticed that Williams stopped by the McNeese tennis courts and spent a long time visiting with the players. It was exactly what he was talking about.

Williams delivered on his promise to help develop and expand partnerships with business and industry. One of the ways he was able to accomplish that was by working closely with Neil Aspinwall, chancellor at Sowela Technical Community College who is setting records at his institution.

Unfortunately, professors and higher education workers who had gone without pay increases for much too long were departing for greener pastures. I interviewed one longtime respected McNeese faculty member who was forced to leave in order to provide for his growing family.

The heartbreaks experienced at McNeese have been repeated in every higher education institution in the state. However, Williams and his counterparts at other colleges and universities kept things afloat as best they could. We owe all of them a debt of gratitude.

We wish Daryl Burckel, the new McNeese president, the best and hope the full funding for higher education that occurred this year will continue. It won’t be easy because of a $1.3 billion budget deficit expected when temporary taxes go off the books on July 1, 2018.

A farewell gathering for Williams and his wife and son last week was an inspirational time for all who attended. The man’s achievements at McNeese — too numerous to mention here — were discussed and they are impressive.

Although his time here was relatively short, Williams made the most of every minute. He established some great friendships, and I am proud to be among that number.

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Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than five decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or jbeam@americanpress.com.