The fall semester began with a dearth of permanent University leaders, and the spring semester will begin with even fewer.
Both the system president and chancellor positions are still open, though they may be combined into one position Dec. 7 when the Board of Supervisors votes again on the initiative.
The LSU System has been without a president since April when the Board removed former System President John Lombardi from his position in April. Shortly after, former Chancellor Michael Martin announced he was leaving the University for the chancellorship at the Colorado State University System.
William “Bill” Jenkins has been filling the position of interim system president since May and chancellor since August.
Come next semester, the University will also be lacking a vice chancellor and chief financial officer for Finance and Administrative Services.
Eric Monday, the current vice chancellor and CFO for Finance and Administrative Services, accepted a position last week as executive vice president for Finance and Administration at the University of Kentucky.
The University has not announced a replacement.
In September, Board member Blake Chatelain, who is chairman of the Board’s Presidential Search Committee, said that the University may see a new leader by May.
At the time, the Board was waiting on a follow-up report from Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, a firm hired to help the LSU System realize its strengths and fix it weaknesses.
“We are waiting to start the formal search process until the Board has finished the organization study that is being conducted…by AGB,” Chatelain said.
AGB presented its follow-up report in October, and the Board voted to consolidate the chancellor and system president position. But the vote came unexpectedly and Faculty Senate President Kevin Cope reported it to the attorney general, citing an open meetings law infraction.
The Board subsequently sent out an email saying it would reconsider the vote at its regular Dec. 7 meeting.
“Timing is a tough one to answer — our goal will continue to be April/May, but certainly we may find it takes a bit longer,” Chatelain said in an email Nov. 28.
He said the Board is accepting applicants until Jan. 31, 2013.
In recent months, media outlets have speculated the Board will appoint Gov. Bobby Jindal’s adviser, Secretary of Louisiana Economic Development Stephen Moret, to the position. Jindal appointed 15 out of 16 of the supervisors, which could allow the governor to have greater sway in future leadership decisions.
Moret avoided questions about his interest in the position in a September email saying, “I’m totally focused on doing the best job that I can for the people of Louisiana in my current role.”
