About Louisiana State University
What is Louisiana State University?
Louisiana State University (LSU) is the flagship public university of Louisiana, based in Baton Rouge. Its About page says "As the flagship institution of the state, the vision of Louisiana State University is to be a leading research-extensive university", counts "41,000+ Student population" and lists "1 of 24 Universities nationwide holding land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant designations". An LSU news item says "The Old LSU Site is home to LSU's original campus, which opened in 1860" in Pineville, Louisiana, and that the campus was destroyed by a fire in 1869 and relocated to Baton Rouge. This profile covers the full-time professional and unclassified staff postings on the university's Workday site, which LSU A&M shares with the LSU Agricultural Center, LSU Eunice, LSU Alexandria and Pennington Biomedical Research Center; faculty, Civil Service classified, hourly and wages-as-earned postings are not listed.
Where will I work?
The Workday board lists staff roles in buildings across the Baton Rouge campus, such as "0330 Thomas D. Boyd Hall", and at "LSU - Alexandria", LSU Eunice and the system's health sciences offices in Shreveport and New Orleans. The Compensation Consultant posting says the section is "responsible for the revision, implementation and administration of Louisiana State University's compensation plan including the classification and pay of over 5300 Academic, Professional and Classified Civil Service jobs", and the Assistant Director of Strategic Communication at LSU Eunice is for "a creative individual with a passion for storytelling". Few postings state a salary, and their special instructions ask applicants to "include cover letter, resume, transcripts and 3 references if applicable". The postings are campus-based and name no remote or hybrid option. Two postings that welcome out-of-state candidates are not listed, because LSU says "Positions approved to work outside the State of Louisiana shall be employed through Louisiana State University's partner, nextSource Workforce Solutions, for Employer of Record Services" and that they "will not be eligible for State of Louisiana benefits and retirement".
What is the LSU team like?
The About page says "LSU isn't just an institution of higher education. We are a community and a culture." and that the university is "dedicated to changing lives, whether it's a student in the classroom or the citizens of Louisiana and the world". The Human Resource Management benefits page adds "LSU is dedicated to keeping you and your family healthy-physically, emotionally, and financially." Its perks page says HRM works "in collaboration with Finance & Administrative Services" to advertise "a variety of discounts and services for LSU employees", and the tuition exemption lets staff take classes with "Up to three (3) hours per week per semester may be taken during work time for traditional classes only without charging an employee leave time", if the supervisor approves.
Work-Life Balance
The leave policy (PS 12, last revised December 15, 2024) says "Each new eligible academic and unclassified employee shall make a choice between Annual Leave Accrual Schedule I and Annual Leave Accrual Schedule II", and "The choice must be made within 30 days of appointment". Schedule I gives "8 hours per month" in the first three years; Schedule II, for those "that have elected the LSU Leave Schedule", gives "14 hours per month with total accumulation limited to 176 hours". For leave accrual "the work day is deemed to be eight hours and the work week is deemed to be 40 hours", so Schedule II is 21 days a year. The policy says LSU holidays are set under a law "which authorizes 14 paid holidays per year", and the FY 2026-27 schedule for LSU A&M lists 14, including "Mardi Gras" and "Easter (Good Friday)". A new full-time employee who elects Schedule II therefore has 21 days of annual leave and 14 holidays, 35 total days, with sick leave of "8 hours per month" earned on top. Parental leave gives "up to 240 hours of paid leave within the first 12 weeks following the child's birth or placement" at "100% of their base pay", for employees with at least 12 months of state employment.
Perks and Benefits
Each posting lists "health, life, dental, and vision insurance; flexible spending accounts; retirement options; various leave options; paid holidays; wellness benefits; tuition exemption for qualified positions; training and development opportunities; employee discounts". The medical plans include the "LSU First Health Plan" and the Magnolia and Pelican plans, and the Magnolia Open Access plan "offers moderate deductibles and coinsurance in exchange for a higher premium". Dental cover is through Humana: "LSU partners with Humana to provide you and your family with valuable Dental coverage at affordable rates", with "100% of preventive claims" on the Basic plan. Staff appointed for more than two years at more than 50% effort are enrolled in the Teachers' Retirement System of Louisiana, where the "Employee contributes 8.0% of salary" and benefits vest "after 5 years of service", or can choose the Optional Retirement Plan, where "LSU contributes 6.2% of salary" and the "Account balance is immediately vested and easily portable". The tuition exemption gives "Full tuition exemption for traditional undergraduate and graduate coursework" to full-time staff after a year of employment. The Aetna Resources for Living Employee Assistance Program is "an LSU-sponsored benefit available at no cost" with "up to six counseling sessions per issue each year". Term life cover through UnitedHealthcare is "100% employee paid".