BATON ROUGE — Multiple paragraphs into an email about research and student performance, LSU President William Tate announced Friday that the university is initiating a hiring freeze.

According to the email sent to LSU faculty and staff, there will be a "targeted hiring freeze" and a restructuring of the school's financial resources to navigate multiple financial challenges and continue the university's growth. 

"As we face unpredictable and unprecedented federal funding changes and a constantly shifting landscape in terms of our other measures of financial support, we must shore up our operations and protect our current stream of revenue to drive our progress and support our academic core," Tate said in the email.

LSU Vice President of Marketing and Communications Todd Woodward said that hiring freezes are "actually the norm in higher ed right now."

"This is not cost-cutting; it is aligning our resources around our core strategies for LSU," Woodward said despite Tate's statements about financial support.

The hiring freeze will take effect immediately and will affect hiring across the university with a few exceptions. There was no information as to what departments would be exempt from the freeze.

Tate also noted that these new measures are a step toward ensuring future success for the university.

"This is not a plan to maintain the status quo – it is a plan to accelerate. By acting now, we are investing in student success, fueling research excellence, and ensuring that LSU continues its ascent. These strategic actions will help our university navigate financial challenges while advancing academic distinction, research innovation, and student success. By acting decisively today, we build a stronger, more resilient institution for the future," Tate said.

Tate's email also said that the university would "eliminate redundant positions and centralize key roles" but did not clarify what this entailed.

Tate's email also highlighted other changes coming in the first phase of the school's "Plan to Accelerate and Protect LSU Student Success and Research Excellence." Investments into artificial intelligence, the expansion of LSU Online and the reinvestment of two percent of departmental budgets as "a safeguard to strengthen financial resilience and maintain our strategic momentum" are all detailed.

"The memo identifies many strategies we are implementing to protect our mission while advancing the president's goals for LSU," Woodward said.