NEW ORLEANS – Chancellor Sean O’Keefe dodged questions about the future of his job when asked by WAFB Channel 9 and The Daily Reveille during a Friday night interview in downtown New Orleans.
“I serve at the pleasure of the board, and I will serve as long as they like,” O’Keefe said when asked if LSU System President John Lombardi had spoken with him about the future of his job as chancellor.
O’Keefe said one of the challenges of running a flagship university is facing the rumors and speculation that come with the job. He declined to further explain the recent rumors started in an e-mail circulated among statewide business leaders by Jonathan Martin, chairman of Roy O. Martin Lumber and large donor to LSU.
“I had a reliable source tell me that there was a move afoot to get rid of the chancellor and that was disturbing to me because we’ve been strong supporters [of O’Keefe],” Martin told The Daily Reveille.
Martin said he could not disclose who informed him of the possible resignation request. The e-mail, posted to The Advocate’s Web site, alleges Lombardi told O’Keefe he “should be looking for another job.”
“I can’t get over, every day when I wake up, how honored and privileged I am to be here,” O’Keefe said from the Sheraton New Orleans lobby. “I serve at the pleasure of the Board of Supervisors, and I will continue to give 120 percent every single day for as long as they’re willing to let me. And I will be delighted to be there.”
O’Keefe said he is focusing on his job duties right now and is looking forward to the BCS National Championship against the Ohio State University on Monday.
“I think we’ve really got a shot,” O’Keefe said. “The team is out there real fired up. It’s an opportunity to really showcase Louisiana’s flagship university and why it’s important to us. Winning on and off the field is really what we’re about.”
O’Keefe said LSU and the Ohio State University are jointly conducting coastal erosion research to examine the causes, consequences and restoration efforts of coastal areas particularly around the Mississippi River.
“We’re working together collaboratively until Monday night at 7 o’clock,” O’Keefe said. “Then we’re going to demonstrate who is the better team. We’re going to see a lot of contrasting colors of red and silver and purple and gold, and I’ll bet you the purple and gold out number them and get the best of it in the end.”
O’Keefe had much to say about the universities’ collaboration and about Monday’s game, but remained tight-lipped about his job security.
Charles Zewe, System vice president of communication, also said he could not comment on matters regarding O’Keefe’s job security or the e-mail sent by Martin.
Former Vice Chancellor for Public Communication and External Affairs Michael Ruffner said he did not have any comments to make regarding his experiences working with O’Keefe and did not comment about O’Keefe’s future.
Jerry Shea Jr., Board chairman, said Lombardi has been evaluating upper-level administrators at all of the System’s facilities and assessing their accomplishments and potential to achieve specific goals of the system entity they lead. He said he does not have any expectations about what Lombardi’s assessment of O’Keefe may include.
“We consider it a personnel issue, and we consider it something that [Lombardi] is going to make a decision about and let us know what that decision is,” Shea told The Daily Reveille.
Shea said he considers O’Keefe a friend and has been most impressed with O’Keefe’s response to Hurricane Katrina and his ability to quickly form productive administrative structures after the storm.
“It’s not the first time we’ve received correspondence not only about Chancellor O’Keefe, but other people within the system, both positive and negative,” Shea said. “It happens all the time.”
The Board unanimously hired O’Keefe in January 2005. He is currently serving in the fourth year of a five-year contract. He is a former NASA administrator and a New Orleans native.
Martin donated $3 million to Forever LSU in August. The Martin family has a history of providing financial support to multiple facets of the System, including the Tiger Athletic Foundation, LSU-Alexandria and LSU-Eunice.
—–Contact Nicholas Persac at [email protected]