With F. King Alexander leaving the University and Thomas Galligan serving as interim president, the LSU community is left wondering who will take over as the University’s net leader. But one thing is certain: the next president cannot be chosen in the secrecy and controversy that Alexander was surrounded in.
In 2012, then-LSU president John V. Lombardi was fired, allegedly for his rocky political relationships, most notably with Gov. Bobby Jindal. The Board of Supervisors then caught heat in 2013 when it was revealed that Alexander was the sole finalist for the president of LSU after a classified search process to find Lombardi’s replacement.
The less-than-reasonable circumstances were met with a unanimous negative vote of confidence from the University’s Faculty Senate. While the Board of Supervisor’s chair Hank Danos asserted that Alexander was the best choice for the University, the Faculty Senate argued that Alexander had never been a tenured professor at a major university and that Alexander’s former university, CSULB, had lower graduation rates than LSU.
Additionally, a former editor-in-chief of the Reveille, Andrea Gallo, along with The Advocate, sued the University for its failure to release public records for the presidential candidates.
Despite the controversy, this lack of transparency is still an issue today. Obscure selection processes are not just LSU’s problem. It’s a growing trend across the U.S.
Judith Wilde, chief operating officer and professor in the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University, conducted research on how executive offices are filled in universities across the nation. In 51% of the university searches, confidentiality was the top priority.
This secrecy and lack of broad democratic input led to outrage by the affected university communities.
For example, the University of South Carolina recently selected retired Army Gen. Robert Caslen as its new university president.
Caslen was one of only four finalists revealed by the Board of Trustees, and was selected despite overwhelming protests by students, faculty and politicians. Over 125 students gathered and chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” minutes after the board approved of Caslen being the next president.
Such protests were the result of controversial comments made by Caslen linking sexual assault and drinking, along with Caslen’s lack of a doctorate. The factors made students feel Caslen was unqualified for the executive position and did not represent the student body accurately.
LSU should learn from the South Carolina protests. The University has exceptionally low standards to improve its selection process, and a critical choice to make. The University can value its students’ input on who the incoming president will be and heed student voices during the selection process, or the University can have another secret election.
As a fair warning, the University should not expect anything less than total opposition and protest from the students if the Board of Supervisors does not choose wisely.
The University needs a new leader. May the University remember who pays money to attend this institution and whose anger should be avoided.
Brett Landry is a 21-year-old political communication major from Bayou Petit Caillou.