UNO officially becomes LSUNO with return to LSU system

The University of New Orleans' 15-year run within the University of Louisiana System comes to an end Wednesday as the school folds back into LSU's umbrella.

Why it matters: The change, officials hope, will bring stability to New Orleans' largest public university after years of budget woes, layoffs and program cuts amid declining enrollment.

Catch up quick: UNO was founded as Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

The school welcomed its first students in 1958, transforming the site of a former Navy air station into its lakefront campus. By 1969, LSUNO was the state's second-largest university, the school history says.

Five years later, the LSU Board of Supervisors approved a name change, allowing LSUNO to become UNO.

When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005, school enrollment topped 17,000 students, but the campus suffered major damage from the storm. Enrollment hasn't been the same since.

Hoping for an enrollment boost, UNO moved into the UL System in 2011.

Yes, but: The boost never came.

Last fall, UNO counted just 5,670 students.

LSU New Orleans branding will appear on signage around the UNO campus Wednesday. Photo: Courtesy of LSU New Orleans

Follow the money: The move to bring UNO back into the LSU System is a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to stabilize and modernize the school — but it'll cost more than $46 million just to get the tech right, a transition committee report says.

The school will also need $355.5 million for its facilities over the next decade, another report says.

The school has shaved about $2 million off its bills by shuttering some of its buildings, the Louisiana Illuminator reports, and LSU System President Wade Rousse has even suggested that staff scavenge parts from closed buildings for the still-functioning ones to further save money.

In its latest iteration, LSUNO cut a handful of programs, primarily affecting arts and education degrees, without further cutting staff, president Kathy Johnson announced in April.

But the school is bringing back its marching band, hiring longtime New Orleans band educator Eddie Williams Jr. with a goal to have LSUNO marching in Mardi Gras parades by 2028, a press release says.

What's next: It's not clear whether LSUNO will retain its status as a research institution, Rousse tells the Louisiana Illuminator.

For now, the goal is to stabilize the school's finances.