Activities to Date

June of 2012 – LSU Board of Supervisors commissions Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB) to review the structure, function and potential of its System. 

AGB identifies a team of three consultants to conduct the review.  AGB interviews some 75 individuals, including:

Reviews are conducted of the structure and performance criteria of other systems around the country for comparisons, and the many statistics and reports on the system’s web site are analyzed. Some additional research is compiled as well.

August 18, 2012 – LSU Board of Supervisors Retreat

Board discusses the AGB Report: “Scenario Analysis – from the perspective of 2022”

AGB presents three scenarios for potential reorganization of the LSU System, presented as if they were being read in 2022.

Of the three scenarios offered and discussed with AGB representatives, board members resonate to a scenario that describes a newly conceptualized LSU, one in which the LSU System is transformed into a single flagship institution with multiple campuses.

September 7, 2012 – LSU Board of Supervisors meeting

Board receives the August 30, 2012 AGB Report:  “Assessment of the System’s Structure, Function, and Potential”

AGB presents a final report based on its interviews.

The report falls into five sections:

After reviewing the report and discussing the scenarios, the Board passes a resolution to engage the AGB to provide additional research and information addressing aspects of the August 30th option for an integrated university drawing upon the structures and practices of multi-campus flagship universities.

October 26, 2012 – LSU Board of Supervisors meeting

Board receives the October 25, 2012 AGB Report:  “A Newly Aligned Louisiana State University, Globally Competitive for the 21st Century.”

The report – a fleshed-out version of the third scenario presented in the August 18 report, and prepared for the consideration, review, and ultimate decisions of the Board of Supervisors – falls into eight sections:

The Board votes to consolidate the positions of President of the LSU System and Chancellor of LSU into one position, President of LSU.

NOVEMBER 2, 2012 – SPECIAL MEETING OF LSU BOARD OF SUPERVISORS

Board votes to adopt six guiding goals and principles on which it will base its decisions regarding the realignment and reorganization of the LSU System.

The Board also authorizes LSU Interim President William Jenkins to appoint a Transition Advisory Team to study all aspects of the reorganization and make recommendations to board members for how the process should move forward.  The team will appoint and lead sub-teams composed of campus representatives and subject matter experts to determine the best ways to accomplish the goal of reorganizing LSU while holding true to the guiding goals and principles.

November-December of 2012 -Town Hall meetings

Dr. William Jenkins, Interim President/Chancellor, hosts a series of Town Hall Meetings at each campus in the LSU System to discuss the purpose and beginnings of the System reorganization and to receive input from faculty, staff and students. 

November 19 – LSU-Alexandria
November 20 – LSU Law Center
November 26 – LSU-Eunice
November 29 – LSU
November 30 – LSU Health Science Center-New Orleans
December 3 – Pennington
December 3 – LSU AgCenter
December 4 – LSU AgCenter Research Station-Crowley
December 11 – LSU Health Science Center-Shreveport
December 11 – LSU-Shreveport

December 7, 2012 – LSU Board of Supervisors meeting

Board approves appointment of Transition Advisory Team, formed to serve as an information gathering group to advise and make recommendations to the Board on the reorganization process.

Board reaffirms consolidation of the positions of President of the LSU System and Chancellor of LSU into one position, President of LSU, effective with the hiring of the new president.

January 8, 2013 – First Transition Advisory Team Meeting

Transition Advisory Team holds its first meeting to receive information about its role, expectations, and timeline from LSU Board of Supervisors Chairman Hank Danos and Interim LSU System President and LSU Chancellor William Jenkins. The meeting serves to launch LSU2015, a process designed to investigate best practices and develop recommendations for a vision and roadmap, which will be shared with the LSU Board as they transform LSU to remain competitive and excel in the rapidly changing environment of higher education.

January 27, 2013 - Members of Sub-committees Announced

More than 60 individuals are invited to participate on five sub-committees designed to generate information in specific areas of focus. Each sub-committee will meet no less than three times in order to produce reports to LSU’s Transition Advisory Team which will assess the information and provide input to the LSU Board which holds all authority for the reorganization of the System. In some cases, expert testimony will be enlisted in the areas of focus to provide additional input to the sub-committees.

February 8, 2013 - Second Transition Advisory Team Meeting - Immersion Meeting

Transition Advisory Team holds day-long meeting to discuss elements of a vision and basic tenets for LSU, which will form the foundation of the team's first report to the Board of Supervisors in March. Discussion focuses on common themes that institutions across the country are facing, including unsustainable cost trends, growing and changing consumer demands, and rapidly emerging technologies. Stan Ikenberry, former president of the University of Illinois and of the American Council of Education, provides insight into other universities' efforts to prepare for the future with his discussion, "Best Practices in Higher Education Transformation."