The Board of Supervisors established the Transition Advisory Team  in January— a group of 10 businessmen and women in charge of finding problems and recommending changes to the Board for the reorganization of the LSU System.    

The Board of Supervisors hoped to have a final concept in July, but the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools President Belle Wheelan said at a meeting last month that the entire process should take more than a year if done correctly. 

SACS is the agency that grants accreditation to the University. 

The Board and the Transition Advisory Team’s ultimate agenda has been to use resources from one campus to another, to have a common course numbering system, to use technology to bring change and to consolidate back-office operations, among others. 

Some people at the University, including those in Student Government, were upset when the Transition Team was formed because no students, faculty or staff sit on the team. The team formed five subcommittees that include students, faculty and staff to specifically evaluate areas of the University.

The Academic subcommittee focuses on campus innovation and collaboration, academic standards and academic programs and using technology to enhance education.  

Student members on the Academic subcommittee voiced concerns about losing the value of their degrees and keeping resources at the flagship university.  

Members of the Finance and Revenue subcommittee and the Operations & Technology subcommittee split into six task forces — commercialization and technology transfer, streamlining, external affairs, administrative services, revenue generation and technology. 

The task forces have discu ssed consolidating email services among campuses, privatizing areas of the University like housing, collaboration in research and scientists throughout the System, among other things. 

The Research and Discovery subcommittee is evaluating research projects and looking for collaboration opportunities. It is also looking to improve productivity.