Two years ago, F. King Alexander made quite a first impression as the new president of LSU. He had been on the job less than a week when he drove 80 miles to the little town of Crowley to visit the LSU AgCenter Rice Research Station for its annual field day. He secured a pay raise for faculty—the first in four years. He took part in the LSU student volunteer program Community Bound, painting schools and playgrounds. And he carried boxes, furniture and television sets into dormitories for students moving in. Alexander continues to make a splash: Washington Monthly carries a flattering profile of him in its September issue entitled “Can this man save the public university?” Writer Alexander Holt says Democratic candidates in the presidential race are starting to give more credence to the ideas espoused by Alexander, namely that the federal government should stop pumping so much money into student aid programs—which benefit private universities while burdening students with unsustainable levels of debt—and instead force states to fund their own public education systems.
“In many ways, Fieldon King Alexander possesses a skill set that makes him particularly well-suited to the challenges ahead. He has boundless energy and a friendly, soft-spoken demeanor that, if not as gregarious as that of Mark Emmert—the university’s rock-star chancellor of the 2000s—is more appropriate and polished than that of caustic John Lombardi, more approachable than that of the reserved Sean O’Keefe, more engaging than that of the staid Mike Martin. All of that is important. King Alexander is the face of LSU for the next several years, presumably, and the way he projects and sells the flagship is the way the rest of Louisiana—even the nation—will perceive it.”
—From the Sept. 3, 2013, issue of Business Report
+ ALSO FROM THAT ISSUE
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ON THE PRODUCTION LINE: There hasn’t been a new automotive plant by a major manufacturer announced in the U.S. in more than five years. But economic development officials expect that situation to change over the next three years, and Louisiana is in a position to potentially land one of them, if and when they come to fruition. “The belief is that there will be a few [new plants] announced for somewhere in North America over the next three years,” says LED Secretary Stephen Moret. “We are in the position to be one of the states that could be selected.”
VITTER’S NEXT RACE: Sen. David Vitter is the “special guest” at Louisiana Bayou Weekend, hosted by the Fund for Louisiana’s Future, a super PAC formed this year to support the senator in a future state or federal election, still to be determined. While the hybrid fundraiser further fuels speculation that he plans to run for governor in 2015, Vitter professes the thought has barely crossed his mind. “I’m not thinking about it,” he said.
