The consulting firm that has been studying the leadership structure of LSU will present its report to the Board of Supervisors at a special virtual meeting next week.
In late February, the board retained the consulting arm of the Association of Governing Boards to conduct a study on the current leadership structure of LSU to determine whether the university system is best served by a joint chancellor-president.
The positions were merged in 2013, following an earlier study by AGB, in an effort to create more unity and greater efficiencies across the statewide system of campuses and institutions. Former President F. King Alexander, who was hired in 2013, was the first to hold the joint position.
But following his resignation earlier this year to accept a position at Oregon State University, some board members, prominent boosters and even Gov. John Bel Edwards suggested the university system might be better served by once again deconsolidating the top position.
There’s no word on what AGB might present to the board at the special board meeting and Board Chair Mary Werner did not respond to a request for comment this morning.
But other sources familiar with the situation say they do not expect the board to take any action or move forward with a search for Alexander’s replacement at this time, given the disruption caused by the coronavirus crisis.
Several university sources also say Interim President Thomas Galligan, who is also chancellor of the LSU Law Center, is getting high marks for his performance amid the crisis and that there isn’t a leadership vacuum that needs to be filled immediately.
In the two months since AGB began working on the LSU report, its consulting team has interviewed board members, administrators, faculty members, students and officials with affiliated organizations on both the Baton Rouge and Shreveport campuses.
It also conducted phone interviews with administrators and faculty on LSU’s other campuses.
The board is scheduled to hear the report on AGB’s findings at 1:30 p.m. on May 6.
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