State Treasurer John Kennedy released an opinion column today calling for the restructuring of higher education in Louisiana.
 
In the piece, Kennedy compared the state’s higher education system to conflicts in Iraq.
“Just as the Sunnis fight the Shiites who fight the Kurds for political power and natural resources, the three systems of higher education in Louisiana scrap over turf and scarce taxpayer dollars in a political free-for-all that plays out every year in the Louisiana Legislature,” Kennedy said.
The three colleges’ systems in the state are the LSU System, the Southern System and the University of Louisiana System.
Kennedy argued there should be only one board to govern higher education — it would be more efficient and effective, he said.
“A single board would be able to make strategic decisions based on data and resources, not politics,” Kennedy said. “This will help Louisiana be better prepared to meet the higher education demands of the future, while enhancing the quality of undergraduate and graduate education programs, facilitating valuable research endeavors and expanding educational partnerships.”
Many officials have made this argument since public colleges and universities took steep budget cuts this past summer.
 
—-Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]