Editor’s note: Due to technical difficulty, Daily Report was published late today, Monday, January 27. Daily Report regrets the delay.
It’s nothing new for LSU President F. King Alexander to visit the White House and talk higher education policy with some of the nation’s leading experts. For years he has been active in national higher ed circles, focusing on ways to improve access to higher education for low-income students. But Alexander’s visit to the nation’s capital earlier this month for an education summit was particularly fruitful, he says, not because of any quantitative goals that were established but because of the discussions that took place with the top education and economic policy advisers. “It was less quantitative than qualitative,” says Alexander, who was one of just 100 business leaders, philanthropists and higher education officials who attended the summit on Jan. 15-16. “We really talked about what we can do to really improve access for low-income students and to improve the outcomes of those within our colleges and universities.” The summit began with a Wednesday night reception, at which Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other administration officials mingled with guests. “That was really the best part of the whole summit,” says Alexander. “We had some really good discussions.” The following day, First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the group, as did President Obama. One of Alexander’s goals since coming to LSU last summer has been to better utilize the system’s ag extension centers, which are located around the state. “We discussed ways to use our ag centers and take advantage of the outreach they provide to help drive more low-income students to the university,” he says. —Stephanie Riegel
