Since its first chancellor took office in 1965, LSU has seen nine different men lead the University through the Civil Rights Movement, wars, rapidly evolving technology and budget cuts. Four former chancellors recounted their past achievements and biggest struggles to The Daily Reveille.
THE 1970s
Paul Murrill became the University’s chancellor in 1974 after a stint as provost.
Murrill, the oldest-living LSU chancellor, said developments made during his 12 years of leadership are still important parts of the University today.
More than a million square feet of academic space was added during the late ’60s and ’70s, including the Vet School, Choppin Hall and Patrick F. Taylor Hall, then known as CEBA, he said. The University also became the 13th sea grant institution during that time.
The expansion was in response to a growing student population, which reached as high as 27,500, Murrill said.
But the time of academic prosperity was not unaffected by budget cuts.
“The University always has a budget struggle,” he said.
Murrill’s time at the University was an “era of low tuition,” he said, noting skyrocketing tuition in the decades since.
“More and more of the burden shifted from the state to students,” he said.
Much of the conflict during that era was on a social level, he said, citing civil rights struggles and the Vietnam War as only a few.
Murrill recalled an active student population, fresh with drive from a lowered voting age from 21 to 18. But the change also brought something new for students to worry about: the draft.
The University was still adjusting to integration as a result of the Civil Rights Movement, and women were also gaining ground as the University saw the first women’s sports teams.
“We called it the 21 Plan – 10 sports for men, 10 for women and football to pay for it all,” Murrill said.
He said the budget for athletics was $5 million in 1980, compared to $85 million today.
Murrill said relationships across campus changed throughout his era. Both the Faculty and Staff senates were formed during that time, and students started seeing themselves as adults more than before.
“When you look back at LSU, it’s tempting to look at it as an institution, but at the core, the things you will remember most are the people.” Murrill said. “When you build up the community, you build up the University.”
THE 1980s
When Murrill stepped down in 1981, James Wharton took the reins as chancellor.
While the ’70s proved a time of prosperity and good relations with the state, the ’80s were a rockier road.
Wharton cited the budget crisis that lasted from 1983 to 1988 as the biggest challenge during his time as chancellor. The cuts were the result of a drop in oil prices that created a $4.9 billion budget shortfall for the state, Wharton said.
The weight of filling that deficit fell partially on the University’s shoulders, Wharton said.
Like the current budget crisis, the University suffered fiscal and midyear cuts every year of the ’80s crisis, he said. By 1988, the state owed the University $800 million in unpaid, state-appropriated cash flow.
After resigning in 1988, Wharton stayed at the University, where he currently works in the chemistry department. He said he spends time working with students through tutoring and counseling, noting different challenges for today’s scholars than in the past.
Students in the ’70s had to worry about staying in school to avoid the draft during a time when two-thirds of the University didn’t graduate and dropouts moved to the top of the draft list, Wharton said.
But current students are now preoccupied with different distractions, like cell phones and computers, he said.
THE 1990s
After rough times, the University saw prosperity through a stronger relationship with the state during William “Bud” Davis’ tenure from 1989 to 1996.
Davis listed a number of accomplishments during his time as chancellor, but he said his proudest moments involved interaction with students.
Improved cooperation from the state saw a tripling in financial aid for students, Davis said. Academic excellence also improved, with increased GPAs, ACT scores and retention rates during his time as chancellor.
Increased funding from the state also paved the way for campus development, including the Honors College, Manship School of Mass Communication and improved Ph.D. programs.
“It was a lot of fun,” Davis said. “LSU was and is one of the greatest universities in the country and the world.”
Davis currently lives in New Mexico, where he is working on a book detailing his time as the University’s chancellor.
THE 2000s
Current Chancellor Michael Martin’s predecessor was Sean O’Keefe, who held the position from 2005 to 2008.
Though his time was short, O’Keefe said he is proud of his accomplishments during the “absolutely delightful experience.”
Two of the University’s major programs, the Flagship Agenda and Forever LSU, were conceived during O’Keefe’s tenure.
Faced with the daunting task of meeting a $750 million goal, he recalled the controversy that surrounded the plans.
“The $750 million was met and exceeded,” O’Keefe said. “No one thought that was possible.”
While O’Keefe guided essential strides for the University, he said his proudest moment was something entirely different.
He said the months following Hurricane Katrina’s devastating effects on New Orleans and the South secured LSU’s status as the leading institution in Louisiana. O’Keefe called campus the “eye of the storm,” recounting University-wide efforts to assist in any way possible.
One of his most vivid memories included the PMAC serving as a place of healing for thousands of refugees while students were on hand to help in any way they could.
“It was an unbelievable moment,” O’Keefe said.
Now the CEO of European aerospace corporation EADS, O’Keefe returned to campus last month for the opening of the Business Education Complex, a plan that found funding during his time as chancellor.
O’Keefe said his return saw the results of a myriad of construction that covered campus during his time.
“The University looks just beautiful,” he said.
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Contact Brian Sibille at [email protected]