State Treasurer John Kennedy called for the restructuring of Louisiana’s higher education and proposed a single board govern the state’s three systems in an opinion column published Thursday.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 college systems in the state are the LSU System, Southern System and University of Louisiana System. They each have a board of supervisors and had to deal with funding cuts because of the recession and slumping state revenues this summer. Kennedy said only one board should govern all of 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.” The Advisory Group on Efficiency and Benchmarking for the Commission on Streamlining Government recommended a similar plan in August. Kennedy is part of the group, which suggested each current system be placed under the complete jurisdiction of the Board of Regents. “The Board of Regents is responsible for coordinating the higher education systems, but the job is almost impossible under this top-heavy, dueling board structure,” Kennedy said. Kennedy said a single board would be open to the ambitions of all schools, with the understanding the state can only afford one flagship university — LSU. ”Joint long-term planning will help to develop the unique assets of each campus, helping to make higher education a linchpin in our state’s economic development efforts,” Kennedy said.LSU System President John Lombardi and Chancellor Michael Martin both could not be reached for comment Thursday afternoon.————Contact Kyle Bove at [email protected]