Public administration head optimistic on reorganization

LSU faculty and staff are sweating imminent budget cuts and a pending organizational realignment, but the head of LSU’s Public Administration Institute is staying cool—even though his academic department is slated to be transferred from the E.J. Ourso College of Business to the as-yet-uncreated College of Humanities and Social Science. Jim Richardson, PAI director, says the institute—founded in 1984 under the business college—will remain the same academically, as will the research focus and connection to the college of business. Depending on the university, public administration programs are located inside business colleges or colleges of social science, or may be independent of any college or school. As such, it makes as much sense for LSU’s public administration program to be in business as it does social science and humanities. The program has six faculty members, including Richardson, and about 120 graduate students. Public administration isn’t moving physically, at least for the time being. “Were going to make it a positive thing,” he says. “We’re going to see it as an opportunity for us. The important thing is we’re not going to totally ignore or give up or forget about our ties with professional programs in the college of business.”—Steve Clark