In the business world, "adapt or die" is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism. Higher education is no different. University leaders are realizing that, to remain relevant, they must embrace the digital age. It's a theme Bill Jenkins has hammered home repeatedly since he returned to LSU as interim president and chancellor last year. "We recognize that higher education has become a global market," Jenkins says. "LSU wants to actively participate as our domestic students are coming to see their future as tied to their global citizenship." Distance learning isn't new. But LSU and Southern University, along with private and public universities across the country, are putting new emphasis on online education, as evidenced by the fact that both local institutions recently signed deals with outside firms to bring complete degree programs to...
As part of a major reorganization, the LSU Board of Supervisors already has approved changing the university's structure by combining the positions of system president and Baton Rouge campus chancellor. But there's a lot more work to do behind the scenes. A technology task force working with the Transition Advisory Team recommends moving to a "unified enterprise solution" for software used in human resource, financial and student processes. An external consultant estimates the preliminary costs of the new system would be about $8 million for acquisition and $32 million for implementation, with a recurring cost of up to $2 million per year. The investment, says Brian Nichols, LSU's chief information officer, would bring the system out of the "dark ages," but does not include LSU Shreveport and the LSU Health Sciences Center. "We should continue to transform LSU from a University simply tolerating technology to one that truly embraces it to enable research, teaching and learning, the...
As part of its push to give higher education management boards authority over setting tuition and fees—instead of the Legislature—BRAC is taking on one of the state's most sacred cows: TOPS. In a report released this morning, BRAC recommends a series of reforms to TOPS that would decouple TOPS awards from tuition costs and raise the academic standards for the popular tuition program. "We are supporting bills during the session to vest the power over tuition-setting to higher education governing boards," says BRAC spokeswoman Lauren Hatcher. "As a result, our organization feels it is necessary to have an official position on the TOPS program, because the issues are so closely related." Among the recommendations in the report: raising both the minimum GPA and ACT score requirements for TOPS Opportunity, Performance and Honors awards, three of the five scholarships in the program. The report also suggests decoupling tuition costs from the TOPS program—in other words,...
The Jindal administration and Treasurer John Kennedy are again at odds, this time on the topic of whether to refinance outstanding tobacco settlement bonds to benefit the TOPS program. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols sent out a press release lauding the passage of a motion today by the Tobacco Settlement Finance Corp. to restructure the settlement bonds to provide nearly $143 million to the TOPS program over the next three years. The move is a part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposal. "Because of out-year risk associated with declining tobacco consumption trends, the upfront savings approach is a smart financial plan that's also in the best long-term interest of the state," Nichols says. "By law, tobacco bond proceeds are directed to support the TOPS program, and I'm happy that today's action will take advantage of historically low interest rates to help fund TOPS scholarships for Louisiana young people." Not long after, Kennedy sent out his own
A committee that's helping create recommendations for LSU's future has identified six core areas of concentration for the system's research efforts: environmental science, including coastal issues; biomedical sciences; energy; arts and humanities; computation and digital media; and natural and renewable resources. The group will refine that list and come up with emphasis areas for each campus, says research and development subcommittee Chairman Jim Firnberg. LSU needs to greatly increase its federal research expenditures and produce more doctorates to be considered "globally competitive," officials say. "We are underfunded," says Christel Slaughter of SSA Consultants, who is leading the LSU Transition Advisory Team meetings. "We are not in the big leagues." She says part of the team's job will be telling the board about how much it will cost to get where the board wants to go. LSU has combined the positions of system president and flagship chancellor, and is working toward making the...
In the past five hard years of higher education's declining state support, rising tuition, defecting faculty and deteriorating facilities, college leaders have stuck together and let the Board of Regents coordinate their requests for funding from the Legislature. A lot of good that did them.
In the past five hard years of higher education's declining state support, rising tuition, defecting faculty and deteriorating facilities, college leaders have stuck together and let the Board of Regents coordinate their requests for funding from the Legislature. A lot of good that did them. Now the community college system, the only one growing in enrollment, has had enough of standing in line. In the most audacious power play of the legislative session, one that is shaking the foundations of higher education, the two-year colleges are close to pulling off a $250 million end run on established procedure in order to build 28 training and technology centers all around the state. Supporters hail the plan as essential to training a skilled workforce to fill technical jobs in high demand areas. Opponents call it a debt-ceiling buster that violates the spirit if not the letter of the constitution and robs four-year colleges of badly needed resources. Instead of following the usual process...
Senators told members of the LSU Board of Supervisors that they want an explanation for why the university system's former hospitals chief, Fred Cerise, was directed not to attend a legislative hearing to discuss plans to privatize the LSU hospitals. Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, says he asked Cerise, who is still an employee of LSU, to come to a recent budget hearing. He says he was told that Cerise was denied his request to take a personal leave day to attend the meeting. "That's really disturbing," says Murray, who made the remarks during LSU board members' confirmation hearings before the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee today. "I think that sends a really bad message." The Associated Press reports Cerise was pushed out of his hospital leadership job after clashing with Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is seeking to privatize the hospitals. LSU board members John George and Ann Duplessis told lawmakers they didn't know anything about Cerise not being able to attend the meeting.
In 2011, the Southern University System signed a deal with EOServe, a for-profit company that specializes in delivering online courses for historically black colleges and universities. System President Ronald Mason worked with the same company when he led Jackson State University.
In the business world, “adapt or die” is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism.
The buildings of LSU not only reveal a legacy that goes back to the Renaissance but also serve as a primer of architectural principles that guided the creation of one of the most unique academic environments in the United States. In The Architecture of LSU, author, professor and architect J. Michael Desmond traces the university's development, including photographs, plans, drawings and maps that underscore the contributions of historical figures and the genealogies of the campus's architecture and planning. By detailing the origins and evolution of LSU's architectural core and exploring the fundamentals of American college campus design, Desmond shows the rewards of public environments that integrate natural and constructed elements to meet both practical and aesthetic goals. The Architecture of LSU is available from LSU Press.
If LSU is going to increase its ability to compete for large research grants, it will need to find ways to collaborate more effectively across campuses and disciplines. At least, that was one of the primary discussion points at an LSU Transition Advisory Team subcommittee meeting this afternoon. In particular, meeting attendees say the administrative burden perhaps could be shared among university units so that faculty are freed up to focus on what they do best. Members say researchers should receive better incentives for their work, but acknowledge that's easier said than done in an era of tight budgets when LSU has been losing faculty. Christel Slaughter of SSA consultants, who is facilitating the Transition Advisory Team meetings, says there's a strong correlation between the loss of professors and researchers in recent years and a decline in research dollars obtained by LSU. —David Jacobs
A state audit shows that more than 44% of Louisiana students who received scholarships from the state's TOPS program over a seven-year period had their awards canceled. The audit says the state spent $165 million in TOPS awards to offset tuition for more than 42,000 students whose awards were eventually canceled. In response, TOPS administrators say more than 80% of money paid for TOPS awards went to students who completed the program, and that most of the canceled awards were lost by students who failed to maintain enough credit hours but still had good grades. The audit itself notes that 25% of TOPS recipients who graduated from Louisiana public colleges during the period measured graduated even after losing their awards. You can see the complete audit report here.
Southern University System President Ronald Mason plans to amend a controversial contract with online course provider EOServe. As written, it stipulates that if a student first enrolled in an online program then later enrolls in traditional classroom-based coursework, EOServe would get 40% of the revenue from that student's campus courses. Mason says he would rather see EOServe receive a one-time payment of about $2,500 per student to cover marketing costs, and the rest of the revenue would stay with Southern. The Board of Supervisors would have to approve the change, which would not affect other contract provisions that have been criticized by faculty leaders, such as the 70/30 split in EOServe's favor of the online course revenue. "LSU basically gets 50 percent of the revenue coming in from online student enrollment," says Southern faculty senate President Thomas Miller. "Our system gets 30 percent." Mason stresses that all of the startup expenses come out of EOServe's end, and...
LSU is among 320 U.S. colleges and two Canadian schools included in The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition, LSU announced today. The LSU flagship campus is "committed to the issues of sustainability on campus, and its Campus Committee for Sustainability is leading the charge," says the guide. The sustainability committee was established in 2008 to create an inventory of the campus's existing carbon footprint, document LSU's existing efforts toward achieving sustainability, develop an action plan to improve sustainability efforts, and promote public awareness of those efforts. Green action taken at LSU and highlighted in the Princeton Review guidebook are: employing a sustainability officer and providing guidance on green jobs; developing programs that reduce the number of vehicles on campus, including a bus service study, restricted parking, a guaranteed ride home program, and a bike share/rent program; and having 44% of food expenditures...
The LSU Transition Advisory Team is trying to get a handle on what it will take to unify the system's various units into “one LSU.” As they're learning, there's a lot of work to be done.
The lead judge of the panel looking at business plans for the LSU Student Incubator Challenge says winning plans should translate into success in the marketplace.
So far, Senate Bill 31 by Republican Sen. Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge has encountered surprisingly little opposition, sailing through a Senate committee and the full Senate with little notice or fanfare. Surprisingly, because the bill takes on one of the longtime sacred cows of higher education in Louisiana: It requires members of the LSU and Southern University boards of supervisors to disclose the names of recipients of scholarships they award each year, information they can presently keep private. But the bill's smooth sailing may end as it makes its way toward the House. An editorial about the legislation by Sam Hanna Jr. that appeared last week in three north Louisiana newspapers is generating quite a buzz in that part of the state among those who would prefer to keep the names of scholarship recipients out of the public domain. "People are telling me, 'Boy, you touched a nerve up here,' " says Hanna.
LSU is "disappointed" in a district court judge's decision that the names of the candidates for the system's presidency must be released, but "confident the decision will be reversed on appeal," Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Danos says in a prepared statement released this afternoon. Danos says the secretive presidential search was conducted in accordance with a 2006 law that requires public disclosure when a candidate becomes an "applicant." LSU argues that F. King Alexander, whom the search committee selected as the lone finalist, was the only actual applicant for the job. Danos further claims the records Judge Janice Clark ordered LSU to produce are "not in LSU's custody or control." The LSU Foundation hired a private consultant, R. William Funk & Associates, to assist in the search. Media outlets that sued for access to the names contend just because the records were handled by a private firm, that doesn't make them any less public, noting Alexander will head a public...
Lawmakers are raising questions about whether the LSU privatization agreements devised by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration permit enough public scrutiny of the hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. The Associated Press reports the concerns were voiced today as the Legislature's joint budget committee reviewed agreements to turn over management of LSU's Lafayette and New Orleans hospitals to nonprofits that run private hospitals. Committee members also say information is murky on the cost of the deals and how they will affect the state budget annually. LSU and Jindal administration leaders told lawmakers that the privatization efforts will lower state costs while also improving patient access to care and maintaining medical training programs. Lease arrangements have been approved for two of LSU's nine public hospitals. Jindal intends to negotiate deals for six others.
LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Danos says this morning that board members and attorneys have not yet discussed possibly appealing a ruling by a state district judge Thursday that the names of the candidates for the position of LSU president should be released in accordance with the Louisiana Public Records Act. "We've always done what we feel is in the best interest of LSU and the state of Louisiana," Danos says. "We're going to talk to our attorney and talk about our options." He says the ruling, if allowed to stand, could have a negative impact on LSU and other state universities conducting searches in the future. While LSU recently has held public interviews for other administrative positions, Danos says university president is such a high-profile job that secrecy is needed to protect the integrity of the candidate pool. The Advocate, The Times-Picayune, and Andrea Gallo, editor of The Daily Reveille, all sued for access to the names. Gallo's suit...
LSU must "immediately produce" the names of the people its board of supervisors considered for the university presidency, The Times-Picayune reports an East Baton Rouge Parish judge has ruled. Judge Janice Clark issued the ruling less than three hours after the conclusion of oral arguments in the case today , which was brought by The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com and The Advocate against the university. Jimmy Faircloth, who represents LSU in the case, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The arguments in the case largely revolved around a simple question: What does the word "applicant" mean? Faircloth maintained that there was but a single applicant for the post: F. King Alexander, whom the board of supervisors voted to appoint March 27. Lori Mince, who represents the two news organizations, argued that LSU's position, if allowed to stand, would make a mockery of public-records laws. The full story can be found
The LSU College of Engineering has received the largest donation in its history in the form of a $15 million pledge from Phyllis Taylor to "accelerate the momentum" of the $100 million renovation of Patrick F. Taylor Hall on campus, according to a news release. Phyllis Taylor is co-chair of the LSU College of Engineering Breaking New Ground campaign, which was launched earlier this month with the aim of providing "the next generation of engineering education at LSU." In 2007 LSU formally named the Center for Engineering and Business Administration building in honor of her late husband, Patrick F. Taylor, who graduated from LSU with a petroleum engineering degree in 1959 and founded Taylor Energy Company. Gov. Bobby Jindal has included $50 million in capital outlay funding for the renovation in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-14. The remaining funds are to be privately raised. The renovation will add about 80,000 square feet to the already 300,000-square-foot building, and...
Speaking out carried a high price for Ivor van Heerden. And, as it turns out, fighting him unsuccessfully carried a high price for LSU. Despite his doctorate in marine science and his years of experience in disaster research, the fired deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center has been unable to find steady work since May 2010, save for a yearlong stint working for a private firm involved in the oil spill cleanup and the occasional consulting or expert trial witness gig. For a year now, he and his wife have been living in a trailer on a half-acre in rural Livingston Parish, hoping to sell their adjacent home to cover mounting living expenses. His two daughters fled the state in disgust over the way van Heerden was treated: One is attending college in California; the other lives in Alabama. Circumstances changed somewhat in February, when the Louisiana Office of Risk Management cut van Heerden a check for $435,000. The act averted a potentially embarrassing federal trial exploring...
Noting that enrollment in the state's community and technical colleges has more than tripled over the past decade, Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Joe May says campuses across the state must continue to expand to meet future demand. With that in mind, May announced today a planned $3.7 million expansion at the Capital Area Technical College to establish a state-of-the-art welding center. "Welding remains one of the most important curriculum components in technical education nationwide. It's the backbone of many of the industries in Louisiana which are currently expanding," says CATC Chancellor Kay McDaniel. "This new 15,000-square-foot facility will feature the kind of leading-edge equipment that will ensure our graduates are job ready on day one." May says the project is just one of 24 that Louisiana's community and technical colleges will be working with the state legislature to get under way at 14 institutions across the state. If funded, the "Facilities...
As LSU works to unite a loose confederacy of campuses into a single institution, officials should stop thinking about how things have been done in the past and focus on where they want to go, representatives of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting body told the LSU Transition Advisory Team today. LSU should dream big about what the new institution can do for students, says Belle Wheelan, president of the SACS Commission on Colleges. Back-office changes don't create issues for SACS accreditation, but changes to academic programs and governance do. If there's only "one LSU," according to SACS, then the standards to get into a specific academic program should be the same, regardless of the campus. Tenure policies also should be consistent across campuses. Enabling legislation could be needed; it wouldn't make sense for lawmakers to allocate money to say, LSU-Eunice, because the school would no longer exist as a separate entity. SACS will want to know how incoming...
The LSU Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a contract for new LSU President F. King Alexander that will pay him approximately $600,000 annually. That's roughly the same salary that former President John Lombardi received before being fired by the supervisors in May 2012. Alexander, who is currently the president of California State University at Long Beach, is set to begin at LSU on July 1. At the Wednesday meeting, the supervisors also OK'd agreements for the management of LSU System hospitals in New Orleans and Lafayette, as well as a new Boyd Professorship, honorary degrees and the naming of the baseball field at Alex Box Stadium after former LSU coach Skip Bertman. Among those voted to receive an honorary degree are bluesman Buddy Guy and U.S. Air Force Major Gen. Jasper Welch.
The college classroom of the future will more often feature a "master teacher" rather than a high-salaried, tenured lecturer, says Walter Isaacson, biographer, Louisiana native and CEO of the Aspen Institute think tank. As LSU restructures, he says, officials should look to increase efficiency by taking advantage of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, provided by elite universities. Classes would hear a lecture online—for example, a statistics presentation by a star professor at MIT—but still meet in person to discuss the material and participate in labs and projects. LSU might also contribute MOOCs in areas where it excels, such as civil engineering or petrochemicals. As funding becomes scarce for universities nationwide, it doesn't make sense for every university to try to replicate top-level expertise in every academic area, Isaacson says. He made his remarks by phone at today's meeting of the LSU Transition Advisory Team. The LSU Board of Supervisors will hear a...
Rick Koubek, dean of the LSU College of Engineering, is a little embarrassed to call IBM's decision to put a regional software development center in Baton Rouge a “game changer.” The phrase has become a Capital Region cliché since the deal was announced March 27, even showing up on the cover of this magazine.
Two LSU juniors have been selected as 2013 Truman Scholars, making the school one of only eight in the nation to have multiple winners this year. Catherine Fontenot and Matthew Landrieu, the son of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, will receive up to $30,000 for graduate study. Truman Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a foundation-funded graduate degree program as a condition for receiving Truman funds. "It speaks volumes for the quality and hard work of our students, faculty and staff that two LSU students were honored this year," says William Jenkins, interim LSU System president and chancellor. Fontenot, an LSU Honors College student and biological sciences major in the College of Science, plans to pursue Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees, with concentrations in internal medicine and infectious disease/global health, through Harvard Medical School after she graduates in May 2014. Landrieu, an...
A pair of LSU professors have received grant funding to establish a first-of-its-kind lab at the university that simulates hydraulic fracturing—a technique for oil and gas drilling better known as "fracking." Juan Lorenzo, associate professor of geology and geophysics, and Arash Dahi Taleghani, assistant professor of petroleum engineering, received the nationally competitive grant from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America. The new fracking lab on campus will allow the duo to control all of the variables in the process and test hypotheses to understand how and why rocks break in a particular way during the fracking process. Over the next two years, the Gas Technology Institute in Chicago will head a team of experts from LSU, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, and the private sector to develop advanced methods and techniques for the design and execution of environmentally safe and economically efficient fracking. The...
Merging Baton Rouge Community College with four campuses of Capital Area Technical College would allow the system to better react to economic development and workforce needs, says Andrea Lewis Miller, chancellor at BRCC. "A unified system allows for the allocation of resources to accommodate for the changes and needs identified by businesses and industry," she says, in a statement released by BRAC, which pledges to support the move. Senate Bill 45 by Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, a Baton Rouge Democrat, would unify BRCC with the Baton Rouge, Folkes, Jumonville, and Westside campuses of CATC. BRAC says the unification will create a funding stream for higher-cost career and technical education programs by enabling BRCC to move revenue over from lower-cost programs, and adds the merger will be a step in furthering the efforts of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to respond to the state's continuing need for industrial construction and skilled craft labor. "The Baton Rouge...
Louisiana's higher education commissioner says the governor's budget would leave colleges uncertain of their funding levels next year and create cash flow problems at schools. Commissioner Jim Purcell told the House Appropriations Committee today that he's troubled by Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget recommendation. Jindal's spending plan would plug $490 million in patchwork funding into colleges—dollars that are tied to leases, property sales, legal settlements and legislation that has not passed. If the dollars don't show up, higher education would take a 19% cut. Purcell says he'd like to see the risk spread out among state agencies, rather than concentrated in higher education. Barry Dusse, director of the governor's Office of Planning and Budget, says the Jindal administration is confident the dollars will show up for spending.
A day after announcing its support for the re-enactment of teacher tenure reform, BRAC this morning announced that it will also back a legislative push this session to give more autonomy to higher education management boards when it comes to controlling tuition and fees. "It takes talent to breed talent, and it is critical for our higher education institutions to have the funding and latitude necessary to attract and retain talent among their ranks,” says BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp in a prepared statement. “The research BRAC has done shows that LSU and higher education overall remains underfunded with respect to self-generated revenues from tuition and fees, which exacerbates state funding reductions." According to BRAC, Louisiana is still the only state in which the state legislature has final authority over tuition and fees,...
LSU and the state of Louisiana spent just less than $1 million defending its decision to fire former Hurricane Center deputy director Ivor van Heerden. Documents obtained today by Levees.org indicate the university paid the Baton Rouge law firm of Kantrow Spaht Weaver & Blitzer more than $457,000 over two and a half years to handle the case. That's on top of the $435,000 settlement the Louisiana Office of Risk Management paid to van Heerden last month. Levees.org notes the $892,000 total doesn't include any amounts LSU paid its own staff to comply with court orders, respond to subpoenas and appear for depositions. Van Heerden alleges he was fired for statements in his post-Katrina levee failure investigation funded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation, namely that the Army Corps of Engineers' faulty levees caused the flooding during Katrina. The Association of American University Professors censured the university in 2011 for firing van Heerden. "LSU has chosen to hound a...
Justin Mannino, a third-year law student, is satisfied with his career choice. The student bar association president at LSU Law Center says, “Lawyers, more than a lot of professionals, are afforded the opportunity to think freely, which is a very important [career] aspect for me.”
When F. King Alexander arrived to lead California State University Long Beach in 2005, his outreach to the business community was extensive and enthusiastic, says Randy Gordon, president/CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Andrea Gallo, editor-in-chief of The Daily Reveille, filed suit today against the LSU Board of Supervisors. At issue is the board's refusal to release information about the candidates who applied to be LSU's next system president/flagship chancellor, other than eventual selection F. King Alexander. The suit says "LSU's duty to search for a president was effectively delegated to a private company to avoid the public scrutiny at the heart of the Louisiana Public Records Law," and argues "the fact that otherwise public records are in the hands of a private entity does not make the records less public or less covered by the Public Records Law." The board has argued that a public search might have kept well-qualified candidates from applying.
LSU System President-elect F. King Alexander says he's prepared to work with university and community leaders to usher LSU through "a very difficult and challenging time in American higher education." Alexander, who was selected today by a unanimous vote of the LSU Board of Supervisors, is expected to take office on or before July 1. Alexander says he intends to work with faculty, staff, students, alumni and government officials to "make sure that we've got the strongest LSU possible in the decades to come." Alexander also will be the chancellor of the flagship Baton Rouge campus, holding the title of President of LSU, pending compliance with accreditation standards. Alexander has said higher education leaders have a "moral obligation" to improve graduation rates, and that this goal can be accomplished without watering down standards. Kevin Cope, president of LSU's faculty senate, has criticized the selection of Alexander, claiming he does not have adequate experience to lead a major...
The LSU Board of Supervisors made it official today, voting unanimously to hire F. King Alexander as the next system president. Alexander also will be the chancellor of the flagship Baton Rouge campus, holding the title of President of LSU, pending compliance with accreditation standards. During his brief remarks today, he acknowledged that higher education is facing difficult times, but said he's optimistic about tackling the challenges. "This is an opportunity to redefine and renew what a true comprehensive land grant, sea grant, space grant university can mean to this state and to the region and to the nation," he said in a press briefing last week. Alexander has said higher education leaders have a "moral obligation" to improve graduation rates, and that this goal can be accomplished without watering down standards. He has been president of California State University Long Beach since 2005; prior to that, he led Murray State University in Kentucky. He was born in Louisville, Ky.,...
Public universities nationwide are dealing with state funding cuts, meaning that schools are more dependent on tuition and other self-generated revenue. Louisiana is no exception, and higher education officials want more control over their tuition rates. Into this environment comes F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach and likely the next LSU president. Access to public education for low- and moderate-income students is a priority for Alexander, but he says he doesn't know enough yet about the finances of LSU's campuses to say whether tuition hikes are needed. "I've always said: Not unless we have to," he says. CSULB recently raised tuition and fees $1,800, he says. He notes the federal government is spending more on higher education as states are spending less. Under President Barack Obama, a tax credit program for tuition and related expenses has been increased from $1,000 to $2,500, and it's being made available to families making as much as...
Louisiana's practice of requiring a two-thirds vote by the Legislature before raising tuition is "quite interesting," says F. King Alexander, the California State University Long Beach president who hopes to lead LSU. In California, the Legislature needs the same margin to pass any budget, which Alexander says basically guaranteed that his university wouldn't have a working budget at the beginning of each of the last four fiscal years. Alexander says Louisiana higher ed leaders are dealing with the uncertainty of having much of their state funding based on contingencies that may not materialize. "We've always had that in California," says Alexander, after visiting LSU today and meeting with officials for the first time since being named the lone finalist to be president of the LSU System and Baton Rouge campus on Friday. "We've had as many as seven budgetary scenarios going into one year." He says CSULB went from 44% of its budget being funded by the state to 23%, adding that he...
LSU's faculty leaders say they have no faith in the university system's governing board to make wise decisions, and they question the credentials of the contender to be system president. LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope says that the group approved a "vote of no confidence" in the LSU Board of Supervisors today. The vote comes as the board brings its contender for the president and chancellor's job to Baton Rouge this week: F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach. Among faculty complaints is the closed-door handling of the presidential search. The faculty senate also questions the recommendation that Alexander should be president, noting he's never been a tenured full professor at a major research university and that graduation rates at his university are lower than those at LSU. However, LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee,
Louisiana's top higher education official says the state's investment in public colleges has sunk to its lowest level in more than 50 years, when compared to income levels, and he's pushing for new tuition increases to offset some of the loss. Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell says more money is needed on campuses to train workers to fill in-demand jobs across the state. "Even though we are making progress, we're not meeting the human capital needs," Purcell said on Tuesday, in advance of a presentation he'll be making to the Board of Regents about higher education funding and a push to ask lawmakers to change state tuition policy. Purcell is asking lawmakers for more tuition-setting autonomy for college management boards, saying schools need the ability to charge higher tuition and fee rates for specialized and higher-cost programs, like engineering, advanced technology fields and nursing. He notes the number of high-profile job announcements made by Gov. Bobby Jindal's...
F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach—and potentially the next president of LSU—respects the traditions of higher education while understanding the need to evolve, says LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the search committee. "King believes, and I think we believe, the next five years in higher education are going to impact the next 50 years," he says. Alexander—who was named as the lone finalist to lead LSU by the university's board of supervisors on Monday—has a successful fundraising track record, supporters say, and helped nearly double his school's endowment. If hired, he's expected to demonstrate a collaborative leadership style, Chatelain says. Said Hilal, CEO of Applied Medical Resources, about 40 minutes south of the Long Beach campus, says Alexander is responsive to the business community and has a passion for graduating students who are well-rounded and able to adapt to their work...
LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee, on Monday defended the secretive search for LSU's next leader, saying the process helped them identify the best candidate: California State University Long Beach President F. King Alexander. The argument in favor of secretive searches tends to be that the best candidates often don't even apply in an open search, fearing that not being picked will hurt their careers and their relationships with current employers. "That is a fiction created by the search consultants," says LSU Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope. "Every candidate who has applied at LSU has, if exposed, gotten a raise. Every LSU administrator who has sought employment elsewhere has not been impaired and has also gotten either incentives or...
LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee, today defended the secretive search for LSU's next leader, saying it allowed the committee to identify a top-flight candidate in F. King Alexander. "If the goal is to find a qualified candidate," he says, "we have to maintain a closed process." Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach, was recommended by the committee as the lone finalist to be LSU's next president. The board expects to consider his candidacy at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27. If hired, Alexander will lead both the LSU system and the main campus in Baton Rouge. Alexander was not necessarily the top candidate at the beginning of the process to find LSU's next leader, but eventually rose to the top, one presidential search committee member said during today's hearing, adding the search process allowed the committee to reach a clear consensus. Chatelain says the committee conducted an extensive...
F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach, is the lone finalist to be LSU's next president. His identity was revealed this afternoon at the LSU Board of Supervisors meeting following a meeting of the presidential search committee this morning. The board expects to consider the candidate at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27. CSULB, which Alexander has led since 2005, has about 36,000 students, and is the third-largest university in California. Alexander was president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001 until 2005. The presidential search committee reviewed 35 candidates, committee chairman Blake Chatelain says. The committee was looking for someone with a “proven track record” of collaboration, who “understands how important it is to understand the culture of our organization,” Chatelain says. The LSU Board of Supervisors fired the previous system president, John Lombardi, in April, citing his inability to work...
An updated database detailing the salaries of all LSU faculty members, searchable by name, job title, university building and department, is being launched today by the university's student newspaper, The Daily Reveille. The database also includes interactive maps displaying the highest and lowest salaries by building, department and job title. A quick search of the database reveals the average salary for an LSU faculty member is $68,389, while the finance department is the most profitable department and the Football Operations Building houses the highest-paid employees. Bryan Stewart, managing editor of external media for the student newspaper, says completion of the updated database is a "huge step in our continuing effort in shifting toward digital journalism and satisfying the increasing demand for online content." It will be continuously updated, he says. You can check it out here.
The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center has climbed back to its second-highest ranking on the U.S. News & World Report's latest listing of the best law schools in the country. In the 2014 edition of the rankings, LSU is at No. 76, up three spots from last year. The best ranking LSU has gotten on the list is No. 75 in 2010. The annual ranking of top law schools is closely watched among the nation's public and private law schools. To compile the rankings, 194 accredited law schools in the nation are reviewed by the magazine. The LSU Law Center is one of just three law schools in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, public or private, ranked in the top 100. LSU entered the top 100 for the first time in 2004. In 2007, it was ranked No. 91. "As I've said in previous years, the U.S. News rankings are notoriously unpredictable and are, in part, very subjective. Every law school dean holds his breath until the rankings are announced," acknowledges LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss.
At No. 61 overall and No. 31 among public schools, the LSU Flores MBA Program improved by 20 spots on U.S. News & World Report's 2014 ranking of the best graduate schools in the country, compared to the 2013 rankings released last year. Nine SEC schools ranked in the top 70 on the list, with Vanderbilt being the highest ranked at No. 30 overall. LSU placed seventh overall among the SEC schools, ahead of Arkansas (No. 66 overall) and Tennessee (No. 67). Tulane University, the only other Louisiana institution to make the list, was ranked No. 67 overall. To calculate its rankings, U.S. News & World Report surveyed all 448 master's programs in business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International in fall 2012 and early 2013. Of those 448,380 responded, and of those, 140 provided necessary data to calculate full-time rankings based on a weighted average of the following indicators: peer assessment, recruiter assessment, mean starting...
The committee searching for LSU's next vice chancellor for research and economic development has invited five candidates to be interviewed for the job. As part of the process, each candidate will speak at a public forum on campus beginning next week, and have a formal interview. Boyd Professor Thomas Klei currently holds the position on an interim basis. The new hire will replace Brooks Keel, who left in 2009 to become president at Georgia Southern University. The candidates are: K.T. Valsaraj, associate vice chancellor for research and economic development at LSU; Jerry Miller, assistant director for ocean sciences at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy; Kevin Smith, distinguished professor of chemistry at LSU; David Conover, director for the Division of Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation; and Chitra Rajan, associate vice president for research at Iowa State University. You can see the complete forum and interview schedule, as well as read more about...
While higher education funding is shrinking nationwide, a new report shows the rate of decrease in Louisiana is the third highest in the country despite a sharp increase in tuition revenue. The State Higher Education Executive Officers, a nonprofit association of chief executive officers for postsecondary education, detailed the figures in its annual "State Higher Education Finance Report." Louisiana Commissioner for Higher Education Jim Purcell hopes the report will boost his argument for overhauling the state's higher education funding system. "At a time when we need to be investing in higher education, higher education funding is at risk," he says. "What we should be doing is giving additional investment in that sector so that we can prepare for the additional skilled workforce we're going to need." According to the report, total revenue for higher education in Louisiana was down 10.2% in 2012. The decline is attributed to a 25.4% decrease in state and local...
The Ohio State University (emphasis on "the") is a single university with 65,000 students spread over six campuses. The LSU System, as currently arranged, is more of a confederation of separate but interconnected institutions. LSU is working toward a system that looks a bit more like Ohio State's, which is one reason why Ohio State President Gordon Gee will address LSU's Transition Advisory Team today. William Jenkins, interim leader of the LSU System and the flagship campus, says Gee's experience as head of multiple universities, including Vanderbilt, Brown, Colorado and West Virginia, also is of interest to the transition team. LSU won't try to exactly replicate anyone's model, Jenkins says, but lessons can be learned from how Ohio State managed its transition to a more cohesive university. Other universities that may be of interest include Penn State, Maryland and Indiana, he says. The Transition Advisory Team is scheduled to meet today from 4 to 9:30 p.m. in the Abell Board Room...
LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center is seeking to open a four-year medical school in Baton Rouge focused on research, The Times-Picayune reports, and the idea has drawn tentative support from the LSU System Board of Supervisors. The LSU medical education expansion, still in proposal stages, would be a branch of LSU Health New Orleans. Each of the four years of study would enroll about 25 students, said Pennington Executive Director Steve Heymsfield. There would be a total of 100 students. Initially, the school would add students a year at time. Steve Nelson, dean of LSU Health New Orleans, says the medical school already has regional programs, but expanding to Pennington is one way to offer students more opportunities. He says the possibility of expanding the branch at UL Lafayette, which is directed toward primary care, is another option. There is nothing concrete as yet, says Nelson. "It is all dependent upon securing additional funding." It will probably be a year...
Ivor van Heerden is about to have his day in court. A jury trial is set to begin Feb. 19 before U.S. District Judge James Brady to consider the coastal researcher's allegations that the university fired him for speaking out against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The former deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center blamed the corps' work on the New Orleans levees for flooding in 80% of the city after Hurricane Katrina. His non-tenure-track position was cut in 2009; Van Heerden has contended he was let go because administrators feared he was hurting LSU's chances of landing federal contracts and grants. The American Association of University Professors took up his cause in 2011, issuing a finding that LSU had violated Van Heerden's academic freedom. Although the judge has dismissed several of Van Heerden's claims, First Amendment allegations remain against former College of Engineering Interim Dean David Constant, as does the issue of whether Van Heerden's 14th Amendment rights...
Very well. We just opened a parking garage to accommodate about 750 cars. That's going to be a great asset, helping to support what we're doing with the restaurant, the bookstore, and the events that we have going on in the Union. We're also doing some additional work in creating plaza areas to increase the green space on campus.
LSU has more than 30 candidates interested in being the university's next president, one of whom could take the new position as early as June, The Times-Picayune reports. The search for a new LSU president is progressing extremely well, says Bill Funk, a search consultant for the university. In addition to individuals with previous administration experience there are a sprinkle of nontraditional candidates, he says, adding that the applicant pool thus far is diverse with respect to race and gender. LSU has been looking for a new president since firing John Lombardi in April 2012. Mike Martin, the former chancellor of LSU, stepped down in May to take a new position with Colorado State University. William Jenkins has been serving as the interim president and chancellor. The LSU Board of Supervisors decided at the end of 2012 to combine the system president and chancellor positions with a view to promoting a "One LSU" autonomy with all the campuses around the state, saving money,...
LSU today invited 60 people to be a part of five subcommittees it's creating to get information in specific areas of focus to help the LSU System become more efficient and competitive. Each of the subcommittees—Academic, Finance and Revenue, Technology and Operations, Research and Discovery, and Student Experience—will meet no fewer than three times and report to the Transition Advisory Team. The team, in turn, will provide reports to the LSU Board of Supervisors, which has all authority for the reorganization of the university system. The 10-member Transition Advisory Team and five subcommittees announced today are initiatives of LSU2015, a plan launched earlier this month to align the university over the next two years. The Board of Supervisors is merging the jobs of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge as part of a planned revamp of the multicampus university system.
Louisiana's higher education chief, Jim Purcell, says colleges and universities will again ask lawmakers to relinquish their tuition-setting authority so that schools can move closer to the tuition rates charged by their peers in the South. Speaking to the joint House and Senate education committee today, Purcell announced he will ask the Legislature to let the higher education management boards set their own tuition. The change would require support from two-thirds of lawmakers. Previous attempts by college leaders to take charge of the rates charged to students have failed in the Legislature. Lawmakers gave the schools limited ability to raise tuition, but with caps. Purcell says annual state general fund spending on higher education has been cut $625 million since 2008. He says tuition has increased $331 million during that time.
LSU, which long has had a reputation for not working well with the private sector, recently has made a concerted effort to improve its commercialization efforts, says LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope. "I think we've made considerable headway, with the cooperation of the former chancellor, Mike Martin, in clearing away some of the obstacles," Cope says. "However, there is still a long, long way to go." Inconsistencies remain, he says, in the intellectual property policies at the various universities across the state, making it difficult for faculty members to collaborate across systems. Cope says improving economic development through technology transfer and commercialization is an admirable goal, as long as it doesn't take away from the broader mission of the university. For example, he says, having EA Sports at LSU is great, but it doesn't do much for the humanities. "Last time I looked, there weren't many video games in which Shakespeare went up against Tiger Woods," he...
LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope says the state's various university management boards would benefit from more diversity. During remarks to the Baton Rouge Press Club today, Cope called for not just greater ethnic and gender diversity, but also appointees of varying ages, vocations and economic backgrounds. "What we have now is about as far from diversity of any kind as you can get," he says. He also accused the LSU Board of Supervisors of forging ahead with consolidation of the offices of LSU chancellor and system president—and searching for the university's next leader—through a secretive process without faculty input, while downplaying the concerns of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting body and the American Association of University Professors. Cope says LSU's next president should hold a doctorate or equivalent terminal degree. Appointing a university system leader without the proper academic credentials would be like LSU board...
While the Louisiana Course Choice online education program has some out-of-state providers set to offer numerous courses, the nonprofit Alliance Safety Council in Baton Rouge plans to start with one course. Though funding has yet to be secured, the state Department of Education is moving forward with the program. The ASC has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the state, and ASC Senior Vice President Bill Dufrene says government officials "would like to get the final contract executed by February." ASC received a proposed draft of the contract earlier this week, he says. ASC will start by offering "Career Success Skills" to students at the four high schools in Ascension Parish. The course will combine online and on-site instruction. ASC normally focuses on worker training with its industry partners, with a focus on...
Though the Louisiana Department of Education has posted its Louisiana Course Choice program catalog online, the document is clearly marked "tentative," as the department does not plan on releasing its final, official offerings until the registration system goes online in March. However, the word "tentative" might also refer to the program's lack of secure funding in light of District Judge Tim Kelley's ruling last year that struck down the use of MFP funding to pay for the program. As Daily Report has previously reported, the department released a statement expressing its optimism that Kelley's ruling would be overturned on appeal. However, the state government might now seek another way to keep the program funded if it...
An advisory panel that will offer guidance to the LSU System board about ways to reorganize the system and its campuses has begun its work, The Associated Press reports. The 10-person group, which held its first meeting today, is working on a tight timeline, given that it's expected to provide its first recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in March. The Board of Supervisors is merging the jobs of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge as part of a planned revamp of the multicampus university system. Though the redesign hasn't yet been fleshed out, a search is ongoing for a new president. The study panel, formally called the Transition Advisory Team, is expected to complete a final list of recommendations in July, about the same time a new president could be hired.
Bob Mann, an LSU communications professor and one of the most outspoken critics of Gov. Bobby Jindal, tells The Lens that he gets questioned about his tenure status at the university just about every day—even once recently by former Gov. Kathleen Blanco. They “assume that if I didn't, Jindal would find a way to get rid of me,” says Mann in the article, which focuses on Jindal's “reputation in Baton Rouge for punishing state employees and state legislators who get in his way or might sully his image.” Mann does indeed have tenure, meaning LSU officials cannot terminate him without just cause. The Lens says several legislators and top state officials told the publication they could not be quoted criticizing the governor for fear of reprisal. Mann's “Something Like the Truth,” routinely rips Jindal for a wide variety of issues; most recently about budget cuts at LSU. Mann, who has a $117,000 annual salary to hold the Manship Chair...
Katrice Albert, LSU's vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach, has taken a similar position—vice president for equity and diversity—with the University of Minnesota System, says Stuart Bell, LSU's executive vice chancellor and provost. Bell credits Albert with helping LSU attract "its most diverse population in school history." Albert is the latest in a string of administrators to leave LSU in recent months. Most recently, Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, announced his move to the University of Kentucky last week. System President John Lombardi was fired by the LSU Board of Supervisors in April, while Chancellor Mike Martin left for the Colorado State University System in May.
Louisiana Tech University has a new president, chosen today by the governing board of the University of Louisiana System, who will officially take the leadership position in mid-2013. Leslie Guice, executive vice president of the university, will move up to the top job at the start of July, when longtime president Dan Reneau has retired. Guice has been at Louisiana Tech for 34 years, starting as an assistant professor of civil engineering. In addition to being executive vice president, he works as vice president for research and development at the Ruston school. He's also an alumnus of the university. "We're 100 percent sure we selected the right person, based on input from all the university stakeholders," Wayne Parker, chairman of the UL System Board of Supervisors, says in a prepared statement. Guice was the sole finalist recommended by a presidential search committee. The panel based its decision on interviews with Guice and a second semifinalist, as well as on feedback from...
Southeastern Louisiana University and Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday (Nov. 29) that formalized and enhanced the two institutions' ongoing partnership.
Citing statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Business Insider magazine says the flagship LSU campus in Baton Rouge is the ninth-most dangerous college campus in the United States. According to the FBI statistics, there's an average of 26 violent crime incidents on the LSU campus each year and about 474 property crimes. "There were an alarming 22 robberies in 2011, among other violent crimes," notes Business Insider, adding that it averaged FBI crime data per capita from 2008 to 2011 for campuses with 10,000 students or more to create the rankings. (The LSU campus is listed as having 29,451 students in the report.) While LSU Police Department Public Information Officer Capt. Cory Lalonde says the statistics cited in the report are accurate, but adds they can also be misleading. "Yes, we did have 22 robberies last year, but over half of those incidents were cell phone thefts" that were not armed robberies, he says. "We also do have a lot of vehicle burglaries, but...
Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, is headed to the University of Kentucky. Monday’s move to Kentucky—the likelihood of which was initially reported by Daily Report last week—was announced today in an email from University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto to the campus’ faculty and students. Monday will take over as executive vice president for finance and administration at the university in late December or early January. "This is a tremendous career opportunity that was best for me and my family," Monday says in a prepared statement. "I have developed professional and personal relationships at LSU that will last a lifetime, and I will always maintain a deep passion for LSU and for the people that make it great. Forever LSU." Monday is just the latest university administrator to leave LSU in recent months; Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Science, recently announced he will begin a new job as...
It is amazing to me how some people are blinded by the past and “the way we've always done it before.” They see the future in a rearview mirror. That's a dangerous way to drive—whether it's your business, government or education, including our flagship university, LSU. (Hopefully, that is in the process of changing for LSU.)
Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, is expected to announce his resignation in the coming days, sources tell Daily Report. He is the top candidate for a similar position—vice president for finance and administration—at the University of Kentucky. LSU says no decision has been made, and that Monday plans to make a decision next week. Monday would be the latest university administrator to leave in recent months; Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Science, recently announced he will begin a new job as vice provost at the University of Nevada, Reno, on Feb. 1. Katrice Albert, LSU's vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach, is up for a similar position with the University of Minnesota.
William Jenkins, who is filling in as both president of the LSU System and flagship chancellor, today announced a 10-person "transition advisory team" to address the pending restructuring of the LSU System. Jenkins will present the team for approval at the next meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors on Friday, Dec. 7. At that time, the board will provide official instructions to the Transition Advisory Team as the realignment of the LSU System moves forward. At that same meeting, the board also is expected to vote to combine the positions of system president and A&M chancellor. The board already voted to do so in October but decided to vote again next month after questions were raised about whether the public had been properly notified of the vote. "This team will be assigned the task of establishing factual information that can be used by the Board of Supervisors in making the ultimate decisions about the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System," says Jenkins, who will lead...
William Jenkins, who is filling in as both president of the LSU System and flagship chancellor, today announced a 10-person "transition advisory team" to address the pending restructuring of the LSU System. Jenkins will present the team for approval at the next meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors on Friday, Dec. 7. At that time, the board will provide official instructions to the Transition Advisory Team as the realignment of the LSU System moves forward. At that same meeting, the board also is expected to vote to combine the positions of system president and A&M chancellor. The board already voted to do so in October but decided to vote again next month after questions were raised about whether the public had been properly notified of the vote. "This team will be assigned the task of establishing factual information that can be used by the Board of Supervisors in making the ultimate decisions about the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System," says Jenkins, who will lead...
In what will be the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader's first trip to New Orleans, the Dalai Lama will deliver Tulane University's commencement address and speak at two public events next year. Accompanied by 11 monks, the Dalai Lama will give the address at Tulane at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Tulane will control tickets for commencement, with graduates getting free tickets for themselves and six guest tickets apiece, according to the university's website. The Dalai Lama's other public appearances will include a May 17 speech at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, beginning at 9:15 a.m. A second address will take place at 1 p.m. on May 18 at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena. Tickets to the May 17 event are $25 for students, $55 for everyone else. The May 18 event will cost $15 for students, $25 for the public. No schedule on when tickets will go on sale has been announced yet, but Tulane says details will be coming soon. The Dalai...
It'll be a few more months at least before we learn the identity of LSU's next top leader. But we do know that person will not be the flagship chancellor or the system president but the “President of LSU.”
Separate committees set up to find respective presidents for the University of Louisiana System and Louisiana Tech University are scheduled to meet Friday in Baton Rouge. The system search committee will interview Sandra Woodley, its only finalist, at 9 a.m. The Tech search committee will meet at noon to choose finalists; nine people have applied so far. Both meetings are open and will be webcast live on the entities' websites. The one in-state applicant for president of Tech is the university's executive vice president and vice president for research and development, Leslie Guice. Those from out of state include Marshall Goodman, a political science professor and former regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Polytechnic; Gary Olson, an English professor and former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Idaho State University; John Beehler, founding vice president for research, economic development and public engagement at University of North Texas at...
The LSU System governing board is beginning its search for a new leader, after deciding to merge the positions of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus. Members of the Board of Supervisors' presidential search committee today gave its search consultant, William Funk, guidance on what qualities they'd like to see in a new leader. Funk says he'll immediately start work on developing an advertisement for the job, targeting individuals and reaching out to possible candidates and seeking nominations for LSU's next president. But it's still unclear how the university system will be structured, as the Board of Supervisors weighs advice from a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that proposed a significant revamp of organization for the campuses. The board hasn't decided how extensive the reorganization will be.
The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System announced today it's extending an invitation to Sandra Woodley to interview for the system presidency on Friday, Nov. 9, in Baton Rouge. Woodley, who is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives for the University of Texas System, was selected from a pool of 16 candidates who applied to lead the nine-university system. "We have a strong group of applicants but feel Dr. Woodley's finance background and experience at multiple higher education systems most closely aligns with the current needs of the University of Louisiana System," says board Chair Wayne Parker in a prepared statement. The UL System Presidential Search Application Review Committee unanimously voted for Woodley after a review of public applicants and three applicants brought forward by search consultant Toni Murdock of R. H. Perry and Associates.
During the 1930s, the LSU marching band was nicknamed “The Show Band of the South” thanks to its rousing halftime performances, and the name is even more fitting today. That is just one part of a colorful history that has made the university’s marching band a staple of the LSU football experience. A rigorous practice schedule readies these talented musicians who serenade and amplify Tiger Stadium for LSU’s famous cheers. Senior Garrett Ellison talks with 225 about what it’s like to play his part in such a regal group.
Patrick F. Taylor Hall, the largest freestanding building on the LSU campus, is getting even bigger to make more room for the College of Engineering. Taylor Hall will undergo a $100 million renovation and expansion that will add about 80,000 square feet to the already 300,000- square-foot building.
Southern University faculty senate President Thomas Miller says a restructuring of the system to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness is in order; one such effort is ongoing on the main campus now. But a consolidation proposal backed by system President Ronald Mason was created without faculty input and lacks checks and balances that would protect the interests of individual campuses, he says. "The day-to-day operations of campuses should happen at the campus level," Miller says. He says the report created by the system office laying out the proposal claims significant savings will be created but doesn't provide numbers to support the claims. As one example of what happens when the system office acts unilaterally, he mentions a contract with EOServe to provide online learning that is "unacceptable to all campuses throughout the system." The system's Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider and possibly approve the proposal Friday; you can read the board's agenda
A proposal supported by Southern University System President Ronald Mason would create "a new business model" by consolidating many back-office operations at the system office. The report's authors reject the idea of merging the flagship campus and system office—the model being discussed by LSU—and what they describe as the University of Louisiana System model, where the system office "is basically a pass through between the units and the Board of Regents." Instead, they propose a middle path where information technology, accounting and reporting, and enrollment management are handled at the system office level. Chancellors would retain control over the budgeting and staffing at each unit. The changes, along with new revenue from online degree programs, could be worth more than $22 million in annual revenue by fiscal year 2016, says Kevin Appleton, the system's vice president for finance and business affairs. "Of course, it's not an exact science," he says, noting that...
The six-year graduation rate at LSU has reached an all-time high of 66.7%, university officials announced this morning. Graduates who enrolled as new freshmen in 2006 account for the record rate, which is up from 61.9% last year. LSU says its graduation rate has exceeded 60% for five straight years now, and that the new record will mark the first time LSU's rate is higher than the average of its peers, evaluated in an annual report by the Southern Regional Education Board. LSU's graduation rate has nearly doubled over the past 20 years. In 1993 the university reported a graduation rate of 39.4% for freshmen who entered six years earlier. "While seeing increased graduation rates is a positive, there is still work to be done," says LSU Interim System President and Interim Chancellor William Jenkins in a prepared statement. "We will continue to work hard to make sure our students are successful in their academic endeavors."
Kevin Carman, who has led the LSU College of Science as dean since 2004, will leave the Baton Rouge campus and take over as provost and executive vice president of the University of Nevada, Reno, beginning Feb. 1. LSU announced Carman's departure earlier today. As dean, he has played an instrumental role in establishing the Science Residential College, a living-learning environment for entering freshmen who plan to pursue a degree in one of the college's academic majors, LSU says. He also procured funding for the recently completed Chemistry and Materials Building, a 75,000-square-foot research facility. Since 2004, Carman has secured approximately $8 million in funding for research and educational programs from a variety of national, state and private sources, the university says, and published 59 articles in peer-reviewed journals and books. "Kevin has been a tremendous asset to the university as both a faculty member and an administrator. He has always been a very strong proponent...
William Jenkins was promoted from LSU A&M chancellor to system president in 1999, serving briefly in both positions until Mark Emmert was hired to lead the flagship. In 2004, Jenkins stepped into the breach between Emmert's departure and the hiring of Sean O'Keefe.
Gov. Bobby Jindal cut the ribbon today on LSU's new 85,000-square-foot, $34 million Chemistry and Materials Science Building, saying it "will provide a world-class learning and teaching environment that will draw students, faculty and researchers from Louisiana and around the world." The building has 140 work areas for faculty, and expands LSU's chemistry department space by 50% and the total research space by 63%. The state provided funding for the building, enough to erect the structure and complete the first four floors. The fifth floor will be completed in 2013, LSU officials say. "With the pipeline of major petrochemical projects in play for Louisiana, we expect to need even more high-quality chemists, researchers, and engineers to sustain and grow this industry," says Jindal, noting the chemical industry already employs about 30,000 in Louisiana. "Major investments by global companies, including Methanex, Dyno Nobel, Dow, ExxonMobil, and BASF, have selected Louisiana for major...
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is visiting Southern University today for the 20-year anniversary celebration of its urban forestry program, and on Friday he'll be at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new outdoor "educational forest" classroom. Southern's Baton Rouge campus on a Mississippi River bluff has suffered so much erosion that stormwater drainage is becoming a problem, officials say. Forest projects will reduce erosion while giving students at all levels a chance to teach people in the area about the importance of natural resources, they say. The Forest Service has given Southern $120,000 for the educational forest classroom, including $60,000 to develop the landscape plan and $40,000 for student training. The outdoor work will also include hands-on projects for the Youth Summer Institute—an enrichment program that introduces high-school seniors and recent high-school graduates to urban forestry and other agricultural professions, the Forest Service says.
The Southern University Law Center has the most ethnically diverse faculty of any law school in the country, according to education services company The Princeton Review, which features SULC in its new 2013 edition of The Best 168 Law Schools. The Princeton Review does not rank the law schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 168, nor does it name one law school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 law schools in various categories, such as "Most Diverse Faculty," in which SULC gets top ranking. SULC also ranked No. 2 on the "Most Chosen By Older Students" list, and third in "Best Environment for Minority Students." The top 10 lists are based on The Princeton Review's online survey of 18,000 students attending the 168 law schools profiled in the book. SULC is one of 59 schools, or about 35%, on the overall list that appear on one or more of the book's ranking lists. You can check out the lists
Community college isn't just a place for remedial classes or an introduction to private school, many now offer better degrees and more flexible classes.
There's more work to be done before deciding to merge the positions of LSU System president and flagship campus chancellor, says Board of Supervisors Chairman Garret "Hank" Danos. But board members have moved past the "why" stage and are asking how the change might be implemented. "The board has expressed strong interest and desire," Danos says, referring to one of three scenarios presented by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges: "seizing the opportunity" created by vacancies in both positions, the presence of a widely respected interim leader, William Jenkins, and fiscal pressures that make structural change more "sellable" to the public, "to create a single institution out of all member institutions." A follow-up report by AGB, detailing best practices and possible models at other universities, is expected to be ready in time for the board's Oct. 26 regular meeting. "Without saying we're absolutely going to do this," Danos says, "we're very committed to...
Don't panic if your family doesn't have all of the financial resources you need to pay for college; there's a wealth of financial assistance out there to help you. Start by learning as much as you can about the many financial aid programs that are available, then talk to the financial aid offices at the colleges you're considering. They are there to help! Louisiana has one of the nation's best tuition assistance programs, TOPS, but there are also hundreds of nonprofits, organizations and businesses that have scholarship programs to help you.
LSU says it has more black and Latino students enrolled this semester than ever before. The LSU Office of Budget & Planning reports 3,054 of the 29,549 students on campus are black, or 10.3%, up from 2,835 last year. That narrowly eclipses a high mark for black student enrollment of 3,035 set in 2002. Latino students, meanwhile, account for 4.4% of total enrollment on campus, at 1,305. That's an increase from the 1,149 Latino students enrolled at LSU last year, which was an all-time high. Part of LSU's Flagship 2020 strategic goals is to strengthen the intellectual environment by increasing diversity among faculty, staff and students. "I am thrilled that ethnic minority students are now choosing LSU because of who we are as a university community," says Katrice Albert, vice provost in the LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach. "While I am very pleased with the quality and diversity of the Class of 2016, there is still work to be done. We must redouble our retention...
LSU says it already has raised $8 million in private and corporate donations toward renovating and expanding Patrick F. Taylor Hall to create a "state-of-the-art engineering education complex." But to reach LSU's planned match toward the $100 million project, they've got another $42 million to go. "We're actually quite optimistic," says College of Engineering Dean Rick Koubek. "The commitment the state has made, driven by the need that our constituents see for this program to grow, puts the wind at our back." Gov. Bobby Jindal today announced his support for a state match of $50 million in capital outlay dollars for the public-private partnership. LSU would match the state's investments each year of the project. The Legislature would have to approve spending the money. The governor says investments in the flagship campus need to be a priority for the entire state. "It's not a zero-sum game," Jindal says. "That shouldn't be viewed as detrimental to other schools." —David...
A $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health has been awarded to LSU and Baton Rouge Community College to establish a new biomedical and behavioral sciences education initiative called the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program. The program will encourage underrepresented students in the biomedical and behavioral science fields to complete their associate degrees at BRCC, and then move on to complete bachelor's degrees at LSU. The program will provide the necessary academic preparation and mentoring needed to complete a baccalaureate degree, as well as more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program will facilitate a seamless transition from BRCC to LSU, the schools say, by supporting individual mentoring, peer tutoring, professional development for faculty, pre-college preparation programs, and summer research opportunities. "A more diverse scientific workforce is in the best interest of society and has been demonstrated to enhance creativity...
'Business Report': University leaders aim to embrace the digital age
In the business world, "adapt or die" is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism. Higher education is no different. University leaders are realizing that, to remain relevant, they must embrace the digital age. It's a theme Bill Jenkins has hammered home repeatedly since he returned to LSU as interim president and chancellor last year. "We recognize that higher education has become a global market," Jenkins says. "LSU wants to actively participate as our domestic students are coming to see their future as tied to their global citizenship." Distance learning isn't new. But LSU and Southern University, along with private and public universities across the country, are putting new emphasis on online education, as evidenced by the fact that both local institutions recently signed deals with outside firms to bring complete degree programs to...
LSU software upgrade could cost $40 million
As part of a major reorganization, the LSU Board of Supervisors already has approved changing the university's structure by combining the positions of system president and Baton Rouge campus chancellor. But there's a lot more work to do behind the scenes. A technology task force working with the Transition Advisory Team recommends moving to a "unified enterprise solution" for software used in human resource, financial and student processes. An external consultant estimates the preliminary costs of the new system would be about $8 million for acquisition and $32 million for implementation, with a recurring cost of up to $2 million per year. The investment, says Brian Nichols, LSU's chief information officer, would bring the system out of the "dark ages," but does not include LSU Shreveport and the LSU Health Sciences Center. "We should continue to transform LSU from a University simply tolerating technology to one that truly embraces it to enable research, teaching and learning, the...
BRAC recommends raising bar on TOPS
As part of its push to give higher education management boards authority over setting tuition and fees—instead of the Legislature—BRAC is taking on one of the state's most sacred cows: TOPS. In a report released this morning, BRAC recommends a series of reforms to TOPS that would decouple TOPS awards from tuition costs and raise the academic standards for the popular tuition program. "We are supporting bills during the session to vest the power over tuition-setting to higher education governing boards," says BRAC spokeswoman Lauren Hatcher. "As a result, our organization feels it is necessary to have an official position on the TOPS program, because the issues are so closely related." Among the recommendations in the report: raising both the minimum GPA and ACT score requirements for TOPS Opportunity, Performance and Honors awards, three of the five scholarships in the program. The report also suggests decoupling tuition costs from the TOPS program—in other words,...
Shifting tobacco funds to TOPS incites debate
The Jindal administration and Treasurer John Kennedy are again at odds, this time on the topic of whether to refinance outstanding tobacco settlement bonds to benefit the TOPS program. Commissioner of Administration Kristy Nichols sent out a press release lauding the passage of a motion today by the Tobacco Settlement Finance Corp. to restructure the settlement bonds to provide nearly $143 million to the TOPS program over the next three years. The move is a part of Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget proposal. "Because of out-year risk associated with declining tobacco consumption trends, the upfront savings approach is a smart financial plan that's also in the best long-term interest of the state," Nichols says. "By law, tobacco bond proceeds are directed to support the TOPS program, and I'm happy that today's action will take advantage of historically low interest rates to help fund TOPS scholarships for Louisiana young people." Not long after, Kennedy sent out his own
Committee recommends 6 focus areas for LSU System research
A committee that's helping create recommendations for LSU's future has identified six core areas of concentration for the system's research efforts: environmental science, including coastal issues; biomedical sciences; energy; arts and humanities; computation and digital media; and natural and renewable resources. The group will refine that list and come up with emphasis areas for each campus, says research and development subcommittee Chairman Jim Firnberg. LSU needs to greatly increase its federal research expenditures and produce more doctorates to be considered "globally competitive," officials say. "We are underfunded," says Christel Slaughter of SSA Consultants, who is leading the LSU Transition Advisory Team meetings. "We are not in the big leagues." She says part of the team's job will be telling the board about how much it will cost to get where the board wants to go. LSU has combined the positions of system president and flagship chancellor, and is working toward making the...
The old two-year college try
In the past five hard years of higher education's declining state support, rising tuition, defecting faculty and deteriorating facilities, college leaders have stuck together and let the Board of Regents coordinate their requests for funding from the Legislature. A lot of good that did them.
Maginnis: The old two-year college try
In the past five hard years of higher education's declining state support, rising tuition, defecting faculty and deteriorating facilities, college leaders have stuck together and let the Board of Regents coordinate their requests for funding from the Legislature. A lot of good that did them. Now the community college system, the only one growing in enrollment, has had enough of standing in line. In the most audacious power play of the legislative session, one that is shaking the foundations of higher education, the two-year colleges are close to pulling off a $250 million end run on established procedure in order to build 28 training and technology centers all around the state. Supporters hail the plan as essential to training a skilled workforce to fill technical jobs in high demand areas. Opponents call it a debt-ceiling buster that violates the spirit if not the letter of the constitution and robs four-year colleges of badly needed resources. Instead of following the usual process...
Senators chide LSU board
Senators told members of the LSU Board of Supervisors that they want an explanation for why the university system's former hospitals chief, Fred Cerise, was directed not to attend a legislative hearing to discuss plans to privatize the LSU hospitals. Sen. Ed Murray, D-New Orleans, says he asked Cerise, who is still an employee of LSU, to come to a recent budget hearing. He says he was told that Cerise was denied his request to take a personal leave day to attend the meeting. "That's really disturbing," says Murray, who made the remarks during LSU board members' confirmation hearings before the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee today. "I think that sends a really bad message." The Associated Press reports Cerise was pushed out of his hospital leadership job after clashing with Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is seeking to privatize the hospitals. LSU board members John George and Ann Duplessis told lawmakers they didn't know anything about Cerise not being able to attend the meeting.
Southern culture
In 2011, the Southern University System signed a deal with EOServe, a for-profit company that specializes in delivering online courses for historically black colleges and universities. System President Ronald Mason worked with the same company when he led Jackson State University.
Brave new world
In the business world, “adapt or die” is a truism. The ubiquity of the Internet is altering—in some cases, radically upending—the models for all sorts of industries. Exhibit A: the current turmoil in print journalism.
By design
The buildings of LSU not only reveal a legacy that goes back to the Renaissance but also serve as a primer of architectural principles that guided the creation of one of the most unique academic environments in the United States. In The Architecture of LSU, author, professor and architect J. Michael Desmond traces the university's development, including photographs, plans, drawings and maps that underscore the contributions of historical figures and the genealogies of the campus's architecture and planning. By detailing the origins and evolution of LSU's architectural core and exploring the fundamentals of American college campus design, Desmond shows the rewards of public environments that integrate natural and constructed elements to meet both practical and aesthetic goals. The Architecture of LSU is available from LSU Press.
LSU committee looks to research collaboration
If LSU is going to increase its ability to compete for large research grants, it will need to find ways to collaborate more effectively across campuses and disciplines. At least, that was one of the primary discussion points at an LSU Transition Advisory Team subcommittee meeting this afternoon. In particular, meeting attendees say the administrative burden perhaps could be shared among university units so that faculty are freed up to focus on what they do best. Members say researchers should receive better incentives for their work, but acknowledge that's easier said than done in an era of tight budgets when LSU has been losing faculty. Christel Slaughter of SSA consultants, who is facilitating the Transition Advisory Team meetings, says there's a strong correlation between the loss of professors and researchers in recent years and a decline in research dollars obtained by LSU. —David Jacobs
Audit: TOPS canceled for 44% of recipients in 7-year period
A state audit shows that more than 44% of Louisiana students who received scholarships from the state's TOPS program over a seven-year period had their awards canceled. The audit says the state spent $165 million in TOPS awards to offset tuition for more than 42,000 students whose awards were eventually canceled. In response, TOPS administrators say more than 80% of money paid for TOPS awards went to students who completed the program, and that most of the canceled awards were lost by students who failed to maintain enough credit hours but still had good grades. The audit itself notes that 25% of TOPS recipients who graduated from Louisiana public colleges during the period measured graduated even after losing their awards. You can see the complete audit report here.
Southern plans to tweak controversial contract
Southern University System President Ronald Mason plans to amend a controversial contract with online course provider EOServe. As written, it stipulates that if a student first enrolled in an online program then later enrolls in traditional classroom-based coursework, EOServe would get 40% of the revenue from that student's campus courses. Mason says he would rather see EOServe receive a one-time payment of about $2,500 per student to cover marketing costs, and the rest of the revenue would stay with Southern. The Board of Supervisors would have to approve the change, which would not affect other contract provisions that have been criticized by faculty leaders, such as the 70/30 split in EOServe's favor of the online course revenue. "LSU basically gets 50 percent of the revenue coming in from online student enrollment," says Southern faculty senate President Thomas Miller. "Our system gets 30 percent." Mason stresses that all of the startup expenses come out of EOServe's end, and...
'Green Colleges' guide features LSU
LSU is among 320 U.S. colleges and two Canadian schools included in The Princeton Review's Guide to 322 Green Colleges: 2013 Edition, LSU announced today. The LSU flagship campus is "committed to the issues of sustainability on campus, and its Campus Committee for Sustainability is leading the charge," says the guide. The sustainability committee was established in 2008 to create an inventory of the campus's existing carbon footprint, document LSU's existing efforts toward achieving sustainability, develop an action plan to improve sustainability efforts, and promote public awareness of those efforts. Green action taken at LSU and highlighted in the Princeton Review guidebook are: employing a sustainability officer and providing guidance on green jobs; developing programs that reduce the number of vehicles on campus, including a bus service study, restricted parking, a guaranteed ride home program, and a bike share/rent program; and having 44% of food expenditures...
One LSU
The LSU Transition Advisory Team is trying to get a handle on what it will take to unify the system's various units into “one LSU.” As they're learning, there's a lot of work to be done.
Keeping it real
The lead judge of the panel looking at business plans for the LSU Student Incubator Challenge says winning plans should translate into success in the marketplace.
Bill would require LSU, Southern to name scholarship recipients
So far, Senate Bill 31 by Republican Sen. Dan Claitor of Baton Rouge has encountered surprisingly little opposition, sailing through a Senate committee and the full Senate with little notice or fanfare. Surprisingly, because the bill takes on one of the longtime sacred cows of higher education in Louisiana: It requires members of the LSU and Southern University boards of supervisors to disclose the names of recipients of scholarships they award each year, information they can presently keep private. But the bill's smooth sailing may end as it makes its way toward the House. An editorial about the legislation by Sam Hanna Jr. that appeared last week in three north Louisiana newspapers is generating quite a buzz in that part of the state among those who would prefer to keep the names of scholarship recipients out of the public domain. "People are telling me, 'Boy, you touched a nerve up here,' " says Hanna.
News alert: LSU to appeal public records ruling
LSU is "disappointed" in a district court judge's decision that the names of the candidates for the system's presidency must be released, but "confident the decision will be reversed on appeal," Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Danos says in a prepared statement released this afternoon. Danos says the secretive presidential search was conducted in accordance with a 2006 law that requires public disclosure when a candidate becomes an "applicant." LSU argues that F. King Alexander, whom the search committee selected as the lone finalist, was the only actual applicant for the job. Danos further claims the records Judge Janice Clark ordered LSU to produce are "not in LSU's custody or control." The LSU Foundation hired a private consultant, R. William Funk & Associates, to assist in the search. Media outlets that sued for access to the names contend just because the records were handled by a private firm, that doesn't make them any less public, noting Alexander will head a public...
Lawmakers say LSU deals keep information from the public
Lawmakers are raising questions about whether the LSU privatization agreements devised by Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration permit enough public scrutiny of the hundreds of millions of dollars at stake. The Associated Press reports the concerns were voiced today as the Legislature's joint budget committee reviewed agreements to turn over management of LSU's Lafayette and New Orleans hospitals to nonprofits that run private hospitals. Committee members also say information is murky on the cost of the deals and how they will affect the state budget annually. LSU and Jindal administration leaders told lawmakers that the privatization efforts will lower state costs while also improving patient access to care and maintaining medical training programs. Lease arrangements have been approved for two of LSU's nine public hospitals. Jindal intends to negotiate deals for six others.
LSU board chairman not sure if public records ruling will be appealed
LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Danos says this morning that board members and attorneys have not yet discussed possibly appealing a ruling by a state district judge Thursday that the names of the candidates for the position of LSU president should be released in accordance with the Louisiana Public Records Act. "We've always done what we feel is in the best interest of LSU and the state of Louisiana," Danos says. "We're going to talk to our attorney and talk about our options." He says the ruling, if allowed to stand, could have a negative impact on LSU and other state universities conducting searches in the future. While LSU recently has held public interviews for other administrative positions, Danos says university president is such a high-profile job that secrecy is needed to protect the integrity of the candidate pool. The Advocate, The Times-Picayune, and Andrea Gallo, editor of The Daily Reveille, all sued for access to the names. Gallo's suit...
Judge rules LSU must make names of candidates for president public
LSU must "immediately produce" the names of the people its board of supervisors considered for the university presidency, The Times-Picayune reports an East Baton Rouge Parish judge has ruled. Judge Janice Clark issued the ruling less than three hours after the conclusion of oral arguments in the case today , which was brought by The Times-Picayune/NOLA.com and The Advocate against the university. Jimmy Faircloth, who represents LSU in the case, did not immediately return a call seeking comment. The arguments in the case largely revolved around a simple question: What does the word "applicant" mean? Faircloth maintained that there was but a single applicant for the post: F. King Alexander, whom the board of supervisors voted to appoint March 27. Lori Mince, who represents the two news organizations, argued that LSU's position, if allowed to stand, would make a mockery of public-records laws. The full story can be found
Phyllis Taylor pledges $15M toward renovation of LSU hall honoring her late husband
The LSU College of Engineering has received the largest donation in its history in the form of a $15 million pledge from Phyllis Taylor to "accelerate the momentum" of the $100 million renovation of Patrick F. Taylor Hall on campus, according to a news release. Phyllis Taylor is co-chair of the LSU College of Engineering Breaking New Ground campaign, which was launched earlier this month with the aim of providing "the next generation of engineering education at LSU." In 2007 LSU formally named the Center for Engineering and Business Administration building in honor of her late husband, Patrick F. Taylor, who graduated from LSU with a petroleum engineering degree in 1959 and founded Taylor Energy Company. Gov. Bobby Jindal has included $50 million in capital outlay funding for the renovation in his proposed budget for fiscal year 2013-14. The remaining funds are to be privately raised. The renovation will add about 80,000 square feet to the already 300,000-square-foot building, and...
Van Heerden moves on after lengthy court battle with LSU
Speaking out carried a high price for Ivor van Heerden. And, as it turns out, fighting him unsuccessfully carried a high price for LSU. Despite his doctorate in marine science and his years of experience in disaster research, the fired deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center has been unable to find steady work since May 2010, save for a yearlong stint working for a private firm involved in the oil spill cleanup and the occasional consulting or expert trial witness gig. For a year now, he and his wife have been living in a trailer on a half-acre in rural Livingston Parish, hoping to sell their adjacent home to cover mounting living expenses. His two daughters fled the state in disgust over the way van Heerden was treated: One is attending college in California; the other lives in Alabama. Circumstances changed somewhat in February, when the Louisiana Office of Risk Management cut van Heerden a check for $435,000. The act averted a potentially embarrassing federal trial exploring...
La. officials aim to expand community, technical schools
Noting that enrollment in the state's community and technical colleges has more than tripled over the past decade, Louisiana Community and Technical College System President Joe May says campuses across the state must continue to expand to meet future demand. With that in mind, May announced today a planned $3.7 million expansion at the Capital Area Technical College to establish a state-of-the-art welding center. "Welding remains one of the most important curriculum components in technical education nationwide. It's the backbone of many of the industries in Louisiana which are currently expanding," says CATC Chancellor Kay McDaniel. "This new 15,000-square-foot facility will feature the kind of leading-edge equipment that will ensure our graduates are job ready on day one." May says the project is just one of 24 that Louisiana's community and technical colleges will be working with the state legislature to get under way at 14 institutions across the state. If funded, the "Facilities...
LSU told to take its time, dream big with reorganization
As LSU works to unite a loose confederacy of campuses into a single institution, officials should stop thinking about how things have been done in the past and focus on where they want to go, representatives of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting body told the LSU Transition Advisory Team today. LSU should dream big about what the new institution can do for students, says Belle Wheelan, president of the SACS Commission on Colleges. Back-office changes don't create issues for SACS accreditation, but changes to academic programs and governance do. If there's only "one LSU," according to SACS, then the standards to get into a specific academic program should be the same, regardless of the campus. Tenure policies also should be consistent across campuses. Enabling legislation could be needed; it wouldn't make sense for lawmakers to allocate money to say, LSU-Eunice, because the school would no longer exist as a separate entity. SACS will want to know how incoming...
Alexander to receive $600K a year as LSU president
The LSU Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved a contract for new LSU President F. King Alexander that will pay him approximately $600,000 annually. That's roughly the same salary that former President John Lombardi received before being fired by the supervisors in May 2012. Alexander, who is currently the president of California State University at Long Beach, is set to begin at LSU on July 1. At the Wednesday meeting, the supervisors also OK'd agreements for the management of LSU System hospitals in New Orleans and Lafayette, as well as a new Boyd Professorship, honorary degrees and the naming of the baseball field at Alex Box Stadium after former LSU coach Skip Bertman. Among those voted to receive an honorary degree are bluesman Buddy Guy and U.S. Air Force Major Gen. Jasper Welch.
Isaacson suggests blending online, classroom learning at LSU
The college classroom of the future will more often feature a "master teacher" rather than a high-salaried, tenured lecturer, says Walter Isaacson, biographer, Louisiana native and CEO of the Aspen Institute think tank. As LSU restructures, he says, officials should look to increase efficiency by taking advantage of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, provided by elite universities. Classes would hear a lecture online—for example, a statistics presentation by a star professor at MIT—but still meet in person to discuss the material and participate in labs and projects. LSU might also contribute MOOCs in areas where it excels, such as civil engineering or petrochemicals. As funding becomes scarce for universities nationwide, it doesn't make sense for every university to try to replicate top-level expertise in every academic area, Isaacson says. He made his remarks by phone at today's meeting of the LSU Transition Advisory Team. The LSU Board of Supervisors will hear a...
Moving on
Speaking out carried a high price for Ivor van Heerden. And, as it turns out, fighting him unsuccessfully carried a high price for LSU.
A big deal
Rick Koubek, dean of the LSU College of Engineering, is a little embarrassed to call IBM's decision to put a regional software development center in Baton Rouge a “game changer.” The phrase has become a Capital Region cliché since the deal was announced March 27, even showing up on the cover of this magazine.
Truman Scholarships going to two LSU students
Two LSU juniors have been selected as 2013 Truman Scholars, making the school one of only eight in the nation to have multiple winners this year. Catherine Fontenot and Matthew Landrieu, the son of New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu, will receive up to $30,000 for graduate study. Truman Scholars are required to work in public service for three of the seven years following completion of a foundation-funded graduate degree program as a condition for receiving Truman funds. "It speaks volumes for the quality and hard work of our students, faculty and staff that two LSU students were honored this year," says William Jenkins, interim LSU System president and chancellor. Fontenot, an LSU Honors College student and biological sciences major in the College of Science, plans to pursue Doctor of Medicine and Master of Public Health degrees, with concentrations in internal medicine and infectious disease/global health, through Harvard Medical School after she graduates in May 2014. Landrieu, an...
LSU professors get grant for 'fracking' lab
A pair of LSU professors have received grant funding to establish a first-of-its-kind lab at the university that simulates hydraulic fracturing—a technique for oil and gas drilling better known as "fracking." Juan Lorenzo, associate professor of geology and geophysics, and Arash Dahi Taleghani, assistant professor of petroleum engineering, received the nationally competitive grant from the Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America. The new fracking lab on campus will allow the duo to control all of the variables in the process and test hypotheses to understand how and why rocks break in a particular way during the fracking process. Over the next two years, the Gas Technology Institute in Chicago will head a team of experts from LSU, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of California at Berkeley, and the private sector to develop advanced methods and techniques for the design and execution of environmentally safe and economically efficient fracking. The...
BRCC chancellor calls for merger with CATC
Merging Baton Rouge Community College with four campuses of Capital Area Technical College would allow the system to better react to economic development and workforce needs, says Andrea Lewis Miller, chancellor at BRCC. "A unified system allows for the allocation of resources to accommodate for the changes and needs identified by businesses and industry," she says, in a statement released by BRAC, which pledges to support the move. Senate Bill 45 by Yvonne Dorsey-Colomb, a Baton Rouge Democrat, would unify BRCC with the Baton Rouge, Folkes, Jumonville, and Westside campuses of CATC. BRAC says the unification will create a funding stream for higher-cost career and technical education programs by enabling BRCC to move revenue over from lower-cost programs, and adds the merger will be a step in furthering the efforts of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System to respond to the state's continuing need for industrial construction and skilled craft labor. "The Baton Rouge...
Higher education chief troubled by Jindal budget
Louisiana's higher education commissioner says the governor's budget would leave colleges uncertain of their funding levels next year and create cash flow problems at schools. Commissioner Jim Purcell told the House Appropriations Committee today that he's troubled by Gov. Bobby Jindal's budget recommendation. Jindal's spending plan would plug $490 million in patchwork funding into colleges—dollars that are tied to leases, property sales, legal settlements and legislation that has not passed. If the dollars don't show up, higher education would take a 19% cut. Purcell says he'd like to see the risk spread out among state agencies, rather than concentrated in higher education. Barry Dusse, director of the governor's Office of Planning and Budget, says the Jindal administration is confident the dollars will show up for spending.
BRAC backs more autonomy for higher education on tuition, fees
A day after announcing its support for the re-enactment of teacher tenure reform, BRAC this morning announced that it will also back a legislative push this session to give more autonomy to higher education management boards when it comes to controlling tuition and fees. "It takes talent to breed talent, and it is critical for our higher education institutions to have the funding and latitude necessary to attract and retain talent among their ranks,” says BRAC President/CEO Adam Knapp in a prepared statement. “The research BRAC has done shows that LSU and higher education overall remains underfunded with respect to self-generated revenues from tuition and fees, which exacerbates state funding reductions." According to BRAC, Louisiana is still the only state in which the state legislature has final authority over tuition and fees,...
LSU, state spent nearly $1M defending van Heerden case
LSU and the state of Louisiana spent just less than $1 million defending its decision to fire former Hurricane Center deputy director Ivor van Heerden. Documents obtained today by Levees.org indicate the university paid the Baton Rouge law firm of Kantrow Spaht Weaver & Blitzer more than $457,000 over two and a half years to handle the case. That's on top of the $435,000 settlement the Louisiana Office of Risk Management paid to van Heerden last month. Levees.org notes the $892,000 total doesn't include any amounts LSU paid its own staff to comply with court orders, respond to subpoenas and appear for depositions. Van Heerden alleges he was fired for statements in his post-Katrina levee failure investigation funded by the Louisiana Department of Transportation, namely that the Army Corps of Engineers' faulty levees caused the flooding during Katrina. The Association of American University Professors censured the university in 2011 for firing van Heerden. "LSU has chosen to hound a...
A burst bubble
Justin Mannino, a third-year law student, is satisfied with his career choice. The student bar association president at LSU Law Center says, “Lawyers, more than a lot of professionals, are afforded the opportunity to think freely, which is a very important [career] aspect for me.”
The new face of the flagship
When F. King Alexander arrived to lead California State University Long Beach in 2005, his outreach to the business community was extensive and enthusiastic, says Randy Gordon, president/CEO of the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.
Student newspaper editor sues LSU board
Andrea Gallo, editor-in-chief of The Daily Reveille, filed suit today against the LSU Board of Supervisors. At issue is the board's refusal to release information about the candidates who applied to be LSU's next system president/flagship chancellor, other than eventual selection F. King Alexander. The suit says "LSU's duty to search for a president was effectively delegated to a private company to avoid the public scrutiny at the heart of the Louisiana Public Records Law," and argues "the fact that otherwise public records are in the hands of a private entity does not make the records less public or less covered by the Public Records Law." The board has argued that a public search might have kept well-qualified candidates from applying.
New LSU president says he's ready for challenges
LSU System President-elect F. King Alexander says he's prepared to work with university and community leaders to usher LSU through "a very difficult and challenging time in American higher education." Alexander, who was selected today by a unanimous vote of the LSU Board of Supervisors, is expected to take office on or before July 1. Alexander says he intends to work with faculty, staff, students, alumni and government officials to "make sure that we've got the strongest LSU possible in the decades to come." Alexander also will be the chancellor of the flagship Baton Rouge campus, holding the title of President of LSU, pending compliance with accreditation standards. Alexander has said higher education leaders have a "moral obligation" to improve graduation rates, and that this goal can be accomplished without watering down standards. Kevin Cope, president of LSU's faculty senate, has criticized the selection of Alexander, claiming he does not have adequate experience to lead a major...
LSU picks next leader
The LSU Board of Supervisors made it official today, voting unanimously to hire F. King Alexander as the next system president. Alexander also will be the chancellor of the flagship Baton Rouge campus, holding the title of President of LSU, pending compliance with accreditation standards. During his brief remarks today, he acknowledged that higher education is facing difficult times, but said he's optimistic about tackling the challenges. "This is an opportunity to redefine and renew what a true comprehensive land grant, sea grant, space grant university can mean to this state and to the region and to the nation," he said in a press briefing last week. Alexander has said higher education leaders have a "moral obligation" to improve graduation rates, and that this goal can be accomplished without watering down standards. He has been president of California State University Long Beach since 2005; prior to that, he led Murray State University in Kentucky. He was born in Louisville, Ky.,...
LSU presidential finalist on tuition hikes: 'Not unless we have to'
Public universities nationwide are dealing with state funding cuts, meaning that schools are more dependent on tuition and other self-generated revenue. Louisiana is no exception, and higher education officials want more control over their tuition rates. Into this environment comes F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach and likely the next LSU president. Access to public education for low- and moderate-income students is a priority for Alexander, but he says he doesn't know enough yet about the finances of LSU's campuses to say whether tuition hikes are needed. "I've always said: Not unless we have to," he says. CSULB recently raised tuition and fees $1,800, he says. He notes the federal government is spending more on higher education as states are spending less. Under President Barack Obama, a tax credit program for tuition and related expenses has been increased from $1,000 to $2,500, and it's being made available to families making as much as...
LSU presidential choice used to dealing with politics
Louisiana's practice of requiring a two-thirds vote by the Legislature before raising tuition is "quite interesting," says F. King Alexander, the California State University Long Beach president who hopes to lead LSU. In California, the Legislature needs the same margin to pass any budget, which Alexander says basically guaranteed that his university wouldn't have a working budget at the beginning of each of the last four fiscal years. Alexander says Louisiana higher ed leaders are dealing with the uncertainty of having much of their state funding based on contingencies that may not materialize. "We've always had that in California," says Alexander, after visiting LSU today and meeting with officials for the first time since being named the lone finalist to be president of the LSU System and Baton Rouge campus on Friday. "We've had as many as seven budgetary scenarios going into one year." He says CSULB went from 44% of its budget being funded by the state to 23%, adding that he...
LSU faculty senate votes 'no confidence' in board
LSU's faculty leaders say they have no faith in the university system's governing board to make wise decisions, and they question the credentials of the contender to be system president. LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope says that the group approved a "vote of no confidence" in the LSU Board of Supervisors today. The vote comes as the board brings its contender for the president and chancellor's job to Baton Rouge this week: F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach. Among faculty complaints is the closed-door handling of the presidential search. The faculty senate also questions the recommendation that Alexander should be president, noting he's never been a tenured full professor at a major research university and that graduation rates at his university are lower than those at LSU. However, LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee,
La. higher education leader seeking new tuition increases
Louisiana's top higher education official says the state's investment in public colleges has sunk to its lowest level in more than 50 years, when compared to income levels, and he's pushing for new tuition increases to offset some of the loss. Commissioner of Higher Education Jim Purcell says more money is needed on campuses to train workers to fill in-demand jobs across the state. "Even though we are making progress, we're not meeting the human capital needs," Purcell said on Tuesday, in advance of a presentation he'll be making to the Board of Regents about higher education funding and a push to ask lawmakers to change state tuition policy. Purcell is asking lawmakers for more tuition-setting autonomy for college management boards, saying schools need the ability to charge higher tuition and fee rates for specialized and higher-cost programs, like engineering, advanced technology fields and nursing. He notes the number of high-profile job announcements made by Gov. Bobby Jindal's...
LSU hopes it has found a leader for the future in Alexander
F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach—and potentially the next president of LSU—respects the traditions of higher education while understanding the need to evolve, says LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the search committee. "King believes, and I think we believe, the next five years in higher education are going to impact the next 50 years," he says. Alexander—who was named as the lone finalist to lead LSU by the university's board of supervisors on Monday—has a successful fundraising track record, supporters say, and helped nearly double his school's endowment. If hired, he's expected to demonstrate a collaborative leadership style, Chatelain says. Said Hilal, CEO of Applied Medical Resources, about 40 minutes south of the Long Beach campus, says Alexander is responsive to the business community and has a passion for graduating students who are well-rounded and able to adapt to their work...
Are secret searches truly necessary?
LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee, on Monday defended the secretive search for LSU's next leader, saying the process helped them identify the best candidate: California State University Long Beach President F. King Alexander. The argument in favor of secretive searches tends to be that the best candidates often don't even apply in an open search, fearing that not being picked will hurt their careers and their relationships with current employers. "That is a fiction created by the search consultants," says LSU Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope. "Every candidate who has applied at LSU has, if exposed, gotten a raise. Every LSU administrator who has sought employment elsewhere has not been impaired and has also gotten either incentives or...
Chatelain: secretive search needed to name Alexander as lone LSU president candidate
LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee, today defended the secretive search for LSU's next leader, saying it allowed the committee to identify a top-flight candidate in F. King Alexander. "If the goal is to find a qualified candidate," he says, "we have to maintain a closed process." Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach, was recommended by the committee as the lone finalist to be LSU's next president. The board expects to consider his candidacy at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27. If hired, Alexander will lead both the LSU system and the main campus in Baton Rouge. Alexander was not necessarily the top candidate at the beginning of the process to find LSU's next leader, but eventually rose to the top, one presidential search committee member said during today's hearing, adding the search process allowed the committee to reach a clear consensus. Chatelain says the committee conducted an extensive...
News alert: California State Long Beach president sole finalist at LSU
F. King Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach, is the lone finalist to be LSU's next president. His identity was revealed this afternoon at the LSU Board of Supervisors meeting following a meeting of the presidential search committee this morning. The board expects to consider the candidate at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27. CSULB, which Alexander has led since 2005, has about 36,000 students, and is the third-largest university in California. Alexander was president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001 until 2005. The presidential search committee reviewed 35 candidates, committee chairman Blake Chatelain says. The committee was looking for someone with a “proven track record” of collaboration, who “understands how important it is to understand the culture of our organization,” Chatelain says. The LSU Board of Supervisors fired the previous system president, John Lombardi, in April, citing his inability to work...
LSU salary database launched by student newspaper
An updated database detailing the salaries of all LSU faculty members, searchable by name, job title, university building and department, is being launched today by the university's student newspaper, The Daily Reveille. The database also includes interactive maps displaying the highest and lowest salaries by building, department and job title. A quick search of the database reveals the average salary for an LSU faculty member is $68,389, while the finance department is the most profitable department and the Football Operations Building houses the highest-paid employees. Bryan Stewart, managing editor of external media for the student newspaper, says completion of the updated database is a "huge step in our continuing effort in shifting toward digital journalism and satisfying the increasing demand for online content." It will be continuously updated, he says. You can check it out here.
LSU law school ranked No. 76 in nation
The LSU Paul M. Hebert Law Center has climbed back to its second-highest ranking on the U.S. News & World Report's latest listing of the best law schools in the country. In the 2014 edition of the rankings, LSU is at No. 76, up three spots from last year. The best ranking LSU has gotten on the list is No. 75 in 2010. The annual ranking of top law schools is closely watched among the nation's public and private law schools. To compile the rankings, 194 accredited law schools in the nation are reviewed by the magazine. The LSU Law Center is one of just three law schools in Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi, public or private, ranked in the top 100. LSU entered the top 100 for the first time in 2004. In 2007, it was ranked No. 91. "As I've said in previous years, the U.S. News rankings are notoriously unpredictable and are, in part, very subjective. Every law school dean holds his breath until the rankings are announced," acknowledges LSU Law Center Chancellor Jack Weiss.
LSU's MBA program jumps 20 spots in 'U.S. News' ranking
At No. 61 overall and No. 31 among public schools, the LSU Flores MBA Program improved by 20 spots on U.S. News & World Report's 2014 ranking of the best graduate schools in the country, compared to the 2013 rankings released last year. Nine SEC schools ranked in the top 70 on the list, with Vanderbilt being the highest ranked at No. 30 overall. LSU placed seventh overall among the SEC schools, ahead of Arkansas (No. 66 overall) and Tennessee (No. 67). Tulane University, the only other Louisiana institution to make the list, was ranked No. 67 overall. To calculate its rankings, U.S. News & World Report surveyed all 448 master's programs in business accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business International in fall 2012 and early 2013. Of those 448,380 responded, and of those, 140 provided necessary data to calculate full-time rankings based on a weighted average of the following indicators: peer assessment, recruiter assessment, mean starting...
LSU narrows search for vice chancellor
The committee searching for LSU's next vice chancellor for research and economic development has invited five candidates to be interviewed for the job. As part of the process, each candidate will speak at a public forum on campus beginning next week, and have a formal interview. Boyd Professor Thomas Klei currently holds the position on an interim basis. The new hire will replace Brooks Keel, who left in 2009 to become president at Georgia Southern University. The candidates are: K.T. Valsaraj, associate vice chancellor for research and economic development at LSU; Jerry Miller, assistant director for ocean sciences at the White House Office of Science & Technology Policy; Kevin Smith, distinguished professor of chemistry at LSU; David Conover, director for the Division of Ocean Sciences at the National Science Foundation; and Chitra Rajan, associate vice president for research at Iowa State University. You can see the complete forum and interview schedule, as well as read more about...
Louisiana No. 3 in nation for higher education cuts, report says
While higher education funding is shrinking nationwide, a new report shows the rate of decrease in Louisiana is the third highest in the country despite a sharp increase in tuition revenue. The State Higher Education Executive Officers, a nonprofit association of chief executive officers for postsecondary education, detailed the figures in its annual "State Higher Education Finance Report." Louisiana Commissioner for Higher Education Jim Purcell hopes the report will boost his argument for overhauling the state's higher education funding system. "At a time when we need to be investing in higher education, higher education funding is at risk," he says. "What we should be doing is giving additional investment in that sector so that we can prepare for the additional skilled workforce we're going to need." According to the report, total revenue for higher education in Louisiana was down 10.2% in 2012. The decline is attributed to a 25.4% decrease in state and local...
Ohio State president to address LSU transition team
The Ohio State University (emphasis on "the") is a single university with 65,000 students spread over six campuses. The LSU System, as currently arranged, is more of a confederation of separate but interconnected institutions. LSU is working toward a system that looks a bit more like Ohio State's, which is one reason why Ohio State President Gordon Gee will address LSU's Transition Advisory Team today. William Jenkins, interim leader of the LSU System and the flagship campus, says Gee's experience as head of multiple universities, including Vanderbilt, Brown, Colorado and West Virginia, also is of interest to the transition team. LSU won't try to exactly replicate anyone's model, Jenkins says, but lessons can be learned from how Ohio State managed its transition to a more cohesive university. Other universities that may be of interest include Penn State, Maryland and Indiana, he says. The Transition Advisory Team is scheduled to meet today from 4 to 9:30 p.m. in the Abell Board Room...
LSU considers research-focused medical school for B.R.
LSU's Pennington Biomedical Research Center is seeking to open a four-year medical school in Baton Rouge focused on research, The Times-Picayune reports, and the idea has drawn tentative support from the LSU System Board of Supervisors. The LSU medical education expansion, still in proposal stages, would be a branch of LSU Health New Orleans. Each of the four years of study would enroll about 25 students, said Pennington Executive Director Steve Heymsfield. There would be a total of 100 students. Initially, the school would add students a year at time. Steve Nelson, dean of LSU Health New Orleans, says the medical school already has regional programs, but expanding to Pennington is one way to offer students more opportunities. He says the possibility of expanding the branch at UL Lafayette, which is directed toward primary care, is another option. There is nothing concrete as yet, says Nelson. "It is all dependent upon securing additional funding." It will probably be a year...
Trial set for former LSU director claiming wrongful termination
Ivor van Heerden is about to have his day in court. A jury trial is set to begin Feb. 19 before U.S. District Judge James Brady to consider the coastal researcher's allegations that the university fired him for speaking out against the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The former deputy director of the LSU Hurricane Center blamed the corps' work on the New Orleans levees for flooding in 80% of the city after Hurricane Katrina. His non-tenure-track position was cut in 2009; Van Heerden has contended he was let go because administrators feared he was hurting LSU's chances of landing federal contracts and grants. The American Association of University Professors took up his cause in 2011, issuing a finding that LSU had violated Van Heerden's academic freedom. Although the judge has dismissed several of Van Heerden's claims, First Amendment allegations remain against former College of Engineering Interim Dean David Constant, as does the issue of whether Van Heerden's 14th Amendment rights...
Union Square taking shape at LSU
Very well. We just opened a parking garage to accommodate about 750 cars. That's going to be a great asset, helping to support what we're doing with the restaurant, the bookstore, and the events that we have going on in the Union. We're also doing some additional work in creating plaza areas to increase the green space on campus.
At least 30 vying to be LSU president
LSU has more than 30 candidates interested in being the university's next president, one of whom could take the new position as early as June, The Times-Picayune reports. The search for a new LSU president is progressing extremely well, says Bill Funk, a search consultant for the university. In addition to individuals with previous administration experience there are a sprinkle of nontraditional candidates, he says, adding that the applicant pool thus far is diverse with respect to race and gender. LSU has been looking for a new president since firing John Lombardi in April 2012. Mike Martin, the former chancellor of LSU, stepped down in May to take a new position with Colorado State University. William Jenkins has been serving as the interim president and chancellor. The LSU Board of Supervisors decided at the end of 2012 to combine the system president and chancellor positions with a view to promoting a "One LSU" autonomy with all the campuses around the state, saving money,...
LSU Transition Advisory Team subcommittee members announced
LSU today invited 60 people to be a part of five subcommittees it's creating to get information in specific areas of focus to help the LSU System become more efficient and competitive. Each of the subcommittees—Academic, Finance and Revenue, Technology and Operations, Research and Discovery, and Student Experience—will meet no fewer than three times and report to the Transition Advisory Team. The team, in turn, will provide reports to the LSU Board of Supervisors, which has all authority for the reorganization of the university system. The 10-member Transition Advisory Team and five subcommittees announced today are initiatives of LSU2015, a plan launched earlier this month to align the university over the next two years. The Board of Supervisors is merging the jobs of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge as part of a planned revamp of the multicampus university system.
Maegan Becnel for Delgados Student Success campaign
Lawmakers asked to give up tuition-setting power
Louisiana's higher education chief, Jim Purcell, says colleges and universities will again ask lawmakers to relinquish their tuition-setting authority so that schools can move closer to the tuition rates charged by their peers in the South. Speaking to the joint House and Senate education committee today, Purcell announced he will ask the Legislature to let the higher education management boards set their own tuition. The change would require support from two-thirds of lawmakers. Previous attempts by college leaders to take charge of the rates charged to students have failed in the Legislature. Lawmakers gave the schools limited ability to raise tuition, but with caps. Purcell says annual state general fund spending on higher education has been cut $625 million since 2008. He says tuition has increased $331 million during that time.
Faculty head says LSU has fewer commercialization obstacles
LSU, which long has had a reputation for not working well with the private sector, recently has made a concerted effort to improve its commercialization efforts, says LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope. "I think we've made considerable headway, with the cooperation of the former chancellor, Mike Martin, in clearing away some of the obstacles," Cope says. "However, there is still a long, long way to go." Inconsistencies remain, he says, in the intellectual property policies at the various universities across the state, making it difficult for faculty members to collaborate across systems. Cope says improving economic development through technology transfer and commercialization is an admirable goal, as long as it doesn't take away from the broader mission of the university. For example, he says, having EA Sports at LSU is great, but it doesn't do much for the humanities. "Last time I looked, there weren't many video games in which Shakespeare went up against Tiger Woods," he...
Faculty head says university boards need more diversity
LSU faculty senate President Kevin Cope says the state's various university management boards would benefit from more diversity. During remarks to the Baton Rouge Press Club today, Cope called for not just greater ethnic and gender diversity, but also appointees of varying ages, vocations and economic backgrounds. "What we have now is about as far from diversity of any kind as you can get," he says. He also accused the LSU Board of Supervisors of forging ahead with consolidation of the offices of LSU chancellor and system president—and searching for the university's next leader—through a secretive process without faculty input, while downplaying the concerns of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accrediting body and the American Association of University Professors. Cope says LSU's next president should hold a doctorate or equivalent terminal degree. Appointing a university system leader without the proper academic credentials would be like LSU board...
Alliance Safety Council seeks niche with Course Choice
While the Louisiana Course Choice online education program has some out-of-state providers set to offer numerous courses, the nonprofit Alliance Safety Council in Baton Rouge plans to start with one course. Though funding has yet to be secured, the state Department of Education is moving forward with the program. The ASC has signed a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the state, and ASC Senior Vice President Bill Dufrene says government officials "would like to get the final contract executed by February." ASC received a proposed draft of the contract earlier this week, he says. ASC will start by offering "Career Success Skills" to students at the four high schools in Ascension Parish. The course will combine online and on-site instruction. ASC normally focuses on worker training with its industry partners, with a focus on...
Funding in limbo, but Course Choice catalog goes online
Though the Louisiana Department of Education has posted its Louisiana Course Choice program catalog online, the document is clearly marked "tentative," as the department does not plan on releasing its final, official offerings until the registration system goes online in March. However, the word "tentative" might also refer to the program's lack of secure funding in light of District Judge Tim Kelley's ruling last year that struck down the use of MFP funding to pay for the program. As Daily Report has previously reported, the department released a statement expressing its optimism that Kelley's ruling would be overturned on appeal. However, the state government might now seek another way to keep the program funded if it...
LSU reorganization advisory panel begins its work
An advisory panel that will offer guidance to the LSU System board about ways to reorganize the system and its campuses has begun its work, The Associated Press reports. The 10-person group, which held its first meeting today, is working on a tight timeline, given that it's expected to provide its first recommendations to the Board of Supervisors in March. The Board of Supervisors is merging the jobs of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus in Baton Rouge as part of a planned revamp of the multicampus university system. Though the redesign hasn't yet been fleshed out, a search is ongoing for a new president. The study panel, formally called the Transition Advisory Team, is expected to complete a final list of recommendations in July, about the same time a new president could be hired.
LSU professor, outspoken Jindal critic says tenure law protects him from gubernatorial retaliation
Bob Mann, an LSU communications professor and one of the most outspoken critics of Gov. Bobby Jindal, tells The Lens that he gets questioned about his tenure status at the university just about every day—even once recently by former Gov. Kathleen Blanco. They “assume that if I didn't, Jindal would find a way to get rid of me,” says Mann in the article, which focuses on Jindal's “reputation in Baton Rouge for punishing state employees and state legislators who get in his way or might sully his image.” Mann does indeed have tenure, meaning LSU officials cannot terminate him without just cause. The Lens says several legislators and top state officials told the publication they could not be quoted criticizing the governor for fear of reprisal. Mann's “Something Like the Truth,” routinely rips Jindal for a wide variety of issues; most recently about budget cuts at LSU. Mann, who has a $117,000 annual salary to hold the Manship Chair...
Another LSU official leaving
Katrice Albert, LSU's vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach, has taken a similar position—vice president for equity and diversity—with the University of Minnesota System, says Stuart Bell, LSU's executive vice chancellor and provost. Bell credits Albert with helping LSU attract "its most diverse population in school history." Albert is the latest in a string of administrators to leave LSU in recent months. Most recently, Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, announced his move to the University of Kentucky last week. System President John Lombardi was fired by the LSU Board of Supervisors in April, while Chancellor Mike Martin left for the Colorado State University System in May.
Guice named new president of Louisiana Tech
Louisiana Tech University has a new president, chosen today by the governing board of the University of Louisiana System, who will officially take the leadership position in mid-2013. Leslie Guice, executive vice president of the university, will move up to the top job at the start of July, when longtime president Dan Reneau has retired. Guice has been at Louisiana Tech for 34 years, starting as an assistant professor of civil engineering. In addition to being executive vice president, he works as vice president for research and development at the Ruston school. He's also an alumnus of the university. "We're 100 percent sure we selected the right person, based on input from all the university stakeholders," Wayne Parker, chairman of the UL System Board of Supervisors, says in a prepared statement. Guice was the sole finalist recommended by a presidential search committee. The panel based its decision on interviews with Guice and a second semifinalist, as well as on feedback from...
'Connect to Success'
Southeastern Louisiana University and Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) signed a memorandum of understanding on Thursday (Nov. 29) that formalized and enhanced the two institutions' ongoing partnership.
LSU ranked No. 9 among most dangerous U.S. campuses
Citing statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Business Insider magazine says the flagship LSU campus in Baton Rouge is the ninth-most dangerous college campus in the United States. According to the FBI statistics, there's an average of 26 violent crime incidents on the LSU campus each year and about 474 property crimes. "There were an alarming 22 robberies in 2011, among other violent crimes," notes Business Insider, adding that it averaged FBI crime data per capita from 2008 to 2011 for campuses with 10,000 students or more to create the rankings. (The LSU campus is listed as having 29,451 students in the report.) While LSU Police Department Public Information Officer Capt. Cory Lalonde says the statistics cited in the report are accurate, but adds they can also be misleading. "Yes, we did have 22 robberies last year, but over half of those incidents were cell phone thefts" that were not armed robberies, he says. "We also do have a lot of vehicle burglaries, but...
LSU CFO leaving for University of Kentucky
Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, is headed to the University of Kentucky. Monday’s move to Kentucky—the likelihood of which was initially reported by Daily Report last week—was announced today in an email from University of Kentucky President Eli Capilouto to the campus’ faculty and students. Monday will take over as executive vice president for finance and administration at the university in late December or early January. "This is a tremendous career opportunity that was best for me and my family," Monday says in a prepared statement. "I have developed professional and personal relationships at LSU that will last a lifetime, and I will always maintain a deep passion for LSU and for the people that make it great. Forever LSU." Monday is just the latest university administrator to leave LSU in recent months; Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Science, recently announced he will begin a new job as...
The times they are a-changin'
It is amazing to me how some people are blinded by the past and “the way we've always done it before.” They see the future in a rearview mirror. That's a dangerous way to drive—whether it's your business, government or education, including our flagship university, LSU. (Hopefully, that is in the process of changing for LSU.)
LSU CFO may be on the way out
Eric Monday, LSU's vice chancellor for finance and administrative services and CFO, is expected to announce his resignation in the coming days, sources tell Daily Report. He is the top candidate for a similar position—vice president for finance and administration—at the University of Kentucky. LSU says no decision has been made, and that Monday plans to make a decision next week. Monday would be the latest university administrator to leave in recent months; Kevin Carman, dean of the College of Science, recently announced he will begin a new job as vice provost at the University of Nevada, Reno, on Feb. 1. Katrice Albert, LSU's vice provost for equity, diversity and community outreach, is up for a similar position with the University of Minnesota.
Jenkins names LSU restructuring advisory committee
William Jenkins, who is filling in as both president of the LSU System and flagship chancellor, today announced a 10-person "transition advisory team" to address the pending restructuring of the LSU System. Jenkins will present the team for approval at the next meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors on Friday, Dec. 7. At that time, the board will provide official instructions to the Transition Advisory Team as the realignment of the LSU System moves forward. At that same meeting, the board also is expected to vote to combine the positions of system president and A&M chancellor. The board already voted to do so in October but decided to vote again next month after questions were raised about whether the public had been properly notified of the vote. "This team will be assigned the task of establishing factual information that can be used by the Board of Supervisors in making the ultimate decisions about the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System," says Jenkins, who will lead...
Jenkins names LSU restructuring advisory committee
William Jenkins, who is filling in as both president of the LSU System and flagship chancellor, today announced a 10-person "transition advisory team" to address the pending restructuring of the LSU System. Jenkins will present the team for approval at the next meeting of the LSU Board of Supervisors on Friday, Dec. 7. At that time, the board will provide official instructions to the Transition Advisory Team as the realignment of the LSU System moves forward. At that same meeting, the board also is expected to vote to combine the positions of system president and A&M chancellor. The board already voted to do so in October but decided to vote again next month after questions were raised about whether the public had been properly notified of the vote. "This team will be assigned the task of establishing factual information that can be used by the Board of Supervisors in making the ultimate decisions about the realignment and restructuring of the LSU System," says Jenkins, who will lead...
Dalai Lama's first visit to N.O. to include commencement speech, two public appearances
In what will be the Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader's first trip to New Orleans, the Dalai Lama will deliver Tulane University's commencement address and speak at two public events next year. Accompanied by 11 monks, the Dalai Lama will give the address at Tulane at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 18, in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Tulane will control tickets for commencement, with graduates getting free tickets for themselves and six guest tickets apiece, according to the university's website. The Dalai Lama's other public appearances will include a May 17 speech at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, beginning at 9:15 a.m. A second address will take place at 1 p.m. on May 18 at the University of New Orleans Lakefront Arena. Tickets to the May 17 event are $25 for students, $55 for everyone else. The May 18 event will cost $15 for students, $25 for the public. No schedule on when tickets will go on sale has been announced yet, but Tulane says details will be coming soon. The Dalai...
Musical chairs
It'll be a few more months at least before we learn the identity of LSU's next top leader. But we do know that person will not be the flagship chancellor or the system president but the “President of LSU.”
Two La. university presidential search groups meet Friday
Separate committees set up to find respective presidents for the University of Louisiana System and Louisiana Tech University are scheduled to meet Friday in Baton Rouge. The system search committee will interview Sandra Woodley, its only finalist, at 9 a.m. The Tech search committee will meet at noon to choose finalists; nine people have applied so far. Both meetings are open and will be webcast live on the entities' websites. The one in-state applicant for president of Tech is the university's executive vice president and vice president for research and development, Leslie Guice. Those from out of state include Marshall Goodman, a political science professor and former regional chancellor of the University of South Florida Polytechnic; Gary Olson, an English professor and former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Idaho State University; John Beehler, founding vice president for research, economic development and public engagement at University of North Texas at...
LSU board launches search for system, university leader
The LSU System governing board is beginning its search for a new leader, after deciding to merge the positions of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus. Members of the Board of Supervisors' presidential search committee today gave its search consultant, William Funk, guidance on what qualities they'd like to see in a new leader. Funk says he'll immediately start work on developing an advertisement for the job, targeting individuals and reaching out to possible candidates and seeking nominations for LSU's next president. But it's still unclear how the university system will be structured, as the Board of Supervisors weighs advice from a Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm that proposed a significant revamp of organization for the campuses. The board hasn't decided how extensive the reorganization will be.
Texas University official invited to interview for top job in UL System
The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System announced today it's extending an invitation to Sandra Woodley to interview for the system presidency on Friday, Nov. 9, in Baton Rouge. Woodley, who is vice chancellor for strategic initiatives for the University of Texas System, was selected from a pool of 16 candidates who applied to lead the nine-university system. "We have a strong group of applicants but feel Dr. Woodley's finance background and experience at multiple higher education systems most closely aligns with the current needs of the University of Louisiana System," says board Chair Wayne Parker in a prepared statement. The UL System Presidential Search Application Review Committee unanimously voted for Woodley after a review of public applicants and three applicants brought forward by search consultant Toni Murdock of R. H. Perry and Associates.
Q&A with Garrett Ellison
During the 1930s, the LSU marching band was nicknamed “The Show Band of the South” thanks to its rousing halftime performances, and the name is even more fitting today. That is just one part of a colorful history that has made the university’s marching band a staple of the LSU football experience. A rigorous practice schedule readies these talented musicians who serenade and amplify Tiger Stadium for LSU’s famous cheers. Senior Garrett Ellison talks with 225 about what it’s like to play his part in such a regal group.
Engineering success
Patrick F. Taylor Hall, the largest freestanding building on the LSU campus, is getting even bigger to make more room for the College of Engineering. Taylor Hall will undergo a $100 million renovation and expansion that will add about 80,000 square feet to the already 300,000- square-foot building.
Faculty senate leader raises concerns about Southern restructuring
Southern University faculty senate President Thomas Miller says a restructuring of the system to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness is in order; one such effort is ongoing on the main campus now. But a consolidation proposal backed by system President Ronald Mason was created without faculty input and lacks checks and balances that would protect the interests of individual campuses, he says. "The day-to-day operations of campuses should happen at the campus level," Miller says. He says the report created by the system office laying out the proposal claims significant savings will be created but doesn't provide numbers to support the claims. As one example of what happens when the system office acts unilaterally, he mentions a contract with EOServe to provide online learning that is "unacceptable to all campuses throughout the system." The system's Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider and possibly approve the proposal Friday; you can read the board's agenda
Southern system seeks to streamline, reduce costs
A proposal supported by Southern University System President Ronald Mason would create "a new business model" by consolidating many back-office operations at the system office. The report's authors reject the idea of merging the flagship campus and system office—the model being discussed by LSU—and what they describe as the University of Louisiana System model, where the system office "is basically a pass through between the units and the Board of Regents." Instead, they propose a middle path where information technology, accounting and reporting, and enrollment management are handled at the system office level. Chancellors would retain control over the budgeting and staffing at each unit. The changes, along with new revenue from online degree programs, could be worth more than $22 million in annual revenue by fiscal year 2016, says Kevin Appleton, the system's vice president for finance and business affairs. "Of course, it's not an exact science," he says, noting that...
LSU six-year graduation rate hits record high, 66.7%
The six-year graduation rate at LSU has reached an all-time high of 66.7%, university officials announced this morning. Graduates who enrolled as new freshmen in 2006 account for the record rate, which is up from 61.9% last year. LSU says its graduation rate has exceeded 60% for five straight years now, and that the new record will mark the first time LSU's rate is higher than the average of its peers, evaluated in an annual report by the Southern Regional Education Board. LSU's graduation rate has nearly doubled over the past 20 years. In 1993 the university reported a graduation rate of 39.4% for freshmen who entered six years earlier. "While seeing increased graduation rates is a positive, there is still work to be done," says LSU Interim System President and Interim Chancellor William Jenkins in a prepared statement. "We will continue to work hard to make sure our students are successful in their academic endeavors."
LSU loses College of Science dean to Nevada
Kevin Carman, who has led the LSU College of Science as dean since 2004, will leave the Baton Rouge campus and take over as provost and executive vice president of the University of Nevada, Reno, beginning Feb. 1. LSU announced Carman's departure earlier today. As dean, he has played an instrumental role in establishing the Science Residential College, a living-learning environment for entering freshmen who plan to pursue a degree in one of the college's academic majors, LSU says. He also procured funding for the recently completed Chemistry and Materials Building, a 75,000-square-foot research facility. Since 2004, Carman has secured approximately $8 million in funding for research and educational programs from a variety of national, state and private sources, the university says, and published 59 articles in peer-reviewed journals and books. "Kevin has been a tremendous asset to the university as both a faculty member and an administrator. He has always been a very strong proponent...
Two for one
William Jenkins was promoted from LSU A&M chancellor to system president in 1999, serving briefly in both positions until Mark Emmert was hired to lead the flagship. In 2004, Jenkins stepped into the breach between Emmert's departure and the hiring of Sean O'Keefe.
LSU opens $34M Chemistry and Materials Science Building
Gov. Bobby Jindal cut the ribbon today on LSU's new 85,000-square-foot, $34 million Chemistry and Materials Science Building, saying it "will provide a world-class learning and teaching environment that will draw students, faculty and researchers from Louisiana and around the world." The building has 140 work areas for faculty, and expands LSU's chemistry department space by 50% and the total research space by 63%. The state provided funding for the building, enough to erect the structure and complete the first four floors. The fifth floor will be completed in 2013, LSU officials say. "With the pipeline of major petrochemical projects in play for Louisiana, we expect to need even more high-quality chemists, researchers, and engineers to sustain and grow this industry," says Jindal, noting the chemical industry already employs about 30,000 in Louisiana. "Major investments by global companies, including Methanex, Dyno Nobel, Dow, ExxonMobil, and BASF, have selected Louisiana for major...
Southern gets $120K grants for outdoor forest classroom
U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is visiting Southern University today for the 20-year anniversary celebration of its urban forestry program, and on Friday he'll be at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new outdoor "educational forest" classroom. Southern's Baton Rouge campus on a Mississippi River bluff has suffered so much erosion that stormwater drainage is becoming a problem, officials say. Forest projects will reduce erosion while giving students at all levels a chance to teach people in the area about the importance of natural resources, they say. The Forest Service has given Southern $120,000 for the educational forest classroom, including $60,000 to develop the landscape plan and $40,000 for student training. The outdoor work will also include hands-on projects for the Youth Summer Institute—an enrichment program that introduces high-school seniors and recent high-school graduates to urban forestry and other agricultural professions, the Forest Service says.
Southern University Law Center faculty named most diverse in U.S.
The Southern University Law Center has the most ethnically diverse faculty of any law school in the country, according to education services company The Princeton Review, which features SULC in its new 2013 edition of The Best 168 Law Schools. The Princeton Review does not rank the law schools in the book on a single hierarchical list from 1 to 168, nor does it name one law school best overall. Instead, the book has 11 ranking lists of the top 10 law schools in various categories, such as "Most Diverse Faculty," in which SULC gets top ranking. SULC also ranked No. 2 on the "Most Chosen By Older Students" list, and third in "Best Environment for Minority Students." The top 10 lists are based on The Princeton Review's online survey of 18,000 students attending the 168 law schools profiled in the book. SULC is one of 59 schools, or about 35%, on the overall list that appear on one or more of the book's ranking lists. You can check out the lists
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LSU board chairman: 'We're very committed' to the idea of merging top positions
There's more work to be done before deciding to merge the positions of LSU System president and flagship campus chancellor, says Board of Supervisors Chairman Garret "Hank" Danos. But board members have moved past the "why" stage and are asking how the change might be implemented. "The board has expressed strong interest and desire," Danos says, referring to one of three scenarios presented by the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges: "seizing the opportunity" created by vacancies in both positions, the presence of a widely respected interim leader, William Jenkins, and fiscal pressures that make structural change more "sellable" to the public, "to create a single institution out of all member institutions." A follow-up report by AGB, detailing best practices and possible models at other universities, is expected to be ready in time for the board's Oct. 26 regular meeting. "Without saying we're absolutely going to do this," Danos says, "we're very committed to...
Ease your mind!!
Don't panic if your family doesn't have all of the financial resources you need to pay for college; there's a wealth of financial assistance out there to help you. Start by learning as much as you can about the many financial aid programs that are available, then talk to the financial aid offices at the colleges you're considering. They are there to help!
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Black, Latino enrollment at LSU hits all-time high
LSU says it has more black and Latino students enrolled this semester than ever before. The LSU Office of Budget & Planning reports 3,054 of the 29,549 students on campus are black, or 10.3%, up from 2,835 last year. That narrowly eclipses a high mark for black student enrollment of 3,035 set in 2002. Latino students, meanwhile, account for 4.4% of total enrollment on campus, at 1,305. That's an increase from the 1,149 Latino students enrolled at LSU last year, which was an all-time high. Part of LSU's Flagship 2020 strategic goals is to strengthen the intellectual environment by increasing diversity among faculty, staff and students. "I am thrilled that ethnic minority students are now choosing LSU because of who we are as a university community," says Katrice Albert, vice provost in the LSU Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach. "While I am very pleased with the quality and diversity of the Class of 2016, there is still work to be done. We must redouble our retention...
LSU engineering dean 'optimistic' about raising $50 million
LSU says it already has raised $8 million in private and corporate donations toward renovating and expanding Patrick F. Taylor Hall to create a "state-of-the-art engineering education complex." But to reach LSU's planned match toward the $100 million project, they've got another $42 million to go. "We're actually quite optimistic," says College of Engineering Dean Rick Koubek. "The commitment the state has made, driven by the need that our constituents see for this program to grow, puts the wind at our back." Gov. Bobby Jindal today announced his support for a state match of $50 million in capital outlay dollars for the public-private partnership. LSU would match the state's investments each year of the project. The Legislature would have to approve spending the money. The governor says investments in the flagship campus need to be a priority for the entire state. "It's not a zero-sum game," Jindal says. "That shouldn't be viewed as detrimental to other schools." —David...
LSU, BRCC granted $1.3M to establish new biomedical program
A $1.3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health has been awarded to LSU and Baton Rouge Community College to establish a new biomedical and behavioral sciences education initiative called the Bridges to the Baccalaureate Program. The program will encourage underrepresented students in the biomedical and behavioral science fields to complete their associate degrees at BRCC, and then move on to complete bachelor's degrees at LSU. The program will provide the necessary academic preparation and mentoring needed to complete a baccalaureate degree, as well as more advanced degrees in biomedical and behavioral sciences. The program will facilitate a seamless transition from BRCC to LSU, the schools say, by supporting individual mentoring, peer tutoring, professional development for faculty, pre-college preparation programs, and summer research opportunities. "A more diverse scientific workforce is in the best interest of society and has been demonstrated to enhance creativity...