BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana State University’s governing board announced Friday it’s hiring a consulting firm to make recommendations about the college system’s administrative structure, including whether to keep one position in charge of both the system and the Baton Rouge main campus.
The LSU Board of Supervisors in 2012 decided to merge the positions of system president and chancellor of the flagship university campus, when then-Gov. Bobby Jindal’s appointees led the board. F. King Alexander was the first administrator hired to fill both roles.
With Alexander’s departure for another university and a search planned for a new leader, some board members have suggested splitting up the system president and chancellor jobs again into two separate positions. Gov. John Bel Edwards, whose appointees comprise a majority of the current board, has said he supports splitting the positions.
“The board wants to evaluate the success of the unified leadership structure over the past six years and consider if the structure is congruent with the university’s goals for the future,” LSU Board of Supervisors Chair Mary Werner said in a statement.
The Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, known as AGB, will consider that idea in its review. AGB did the 2012 study that led to the merger of the two top positions.
The latest study will begin within weeks and wrap up quickly. The consulting firm will present its findings at the April 23 Board of Supervisors meeting.
LSU said the firm will meet with board members, Interim President Tom Galligan, campus chancellors, senior administrators and others. The consultants also will look at the administrative structures of other public university systems.
