A group of influential business leaders are fighting to “liberate” the University from state rules they say are hampering its success.
“We believe that a great tier-one flagship institution deserves more freedom to operate,” said Sean Reilly, a Lamar Advertising executive, former state legislator and co-chairman for the new Flagship Coalition.
Reilly said the coalition plans on “taking LSU more in the direction of successful flagships throughout the country.”
He said those institutions have been successful because they have “liberated themselves from the state bureaucracy.”
“Their flagships are not like standard state entities,” he said.
Reilly said the coalition’s first priority is removing “red tape” that costs the University money.
That includes exempting the University from the state civil service rules, streamlining how it procures resources, changing its retirement rules and giving it leeway to impose “whatever fees it needs to operate.”
“Our goal is to reduce our reliance on the state general fund,” Reilly said.
Reilly also said the group generally supports allowing the University greater freedom to raise tuition.
“As a broad principle, we support tuition flexibility,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll have a stand-alone bill, though. I think you’ll see a bill that works within the LA GRAD Act framework.”
That program, passed in the last legislative session, allowed universities to raise tuition by 10 percent independently after meeting certain performance criteria.
A “LA GRAD Act 2.0” tops the wish list for University administrators, who say the coalition will definitely be a boom for the campus.
“This University finally has the people with the passion for, the commitment for, the resources for and the respect of those who need to be influenced, and that is a comforting thing,” Chancellor Michael Martin said.
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Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor Jack Hamilton said such a coalition is overdue.
“We didn’t have a coalition six months ago. That is crazy,” he said. “We had to create something that should have been there all along.”
Hamilton said the coalition would not likely see its entire agenda passed in the coming session.
“The important thing about the coalition is that it needs to be here permanently to defend and champion the interest of the University,” he said.
Still, there are signs the group is already making some headway in pushing its agenda with state leaders. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced his support for the group and its platform when the coalition was unveiled last month.
“We are very happy with the response we’ve gotten with the [Jindal] administration,” Reilly said.
Reilly also said conversations with legislators have been “very productive.”
The group represents some of the largest and most influential companies in Baton Rouge and around the state.
Reilly’s co-chair is Cajun Industries founder Lane Grigsby.
Other members include EATEL President Robert Burgess, Postlethwaite and Netterville’s Jake Netterville and Acadian Ambulance CEO Richard Zuschlag.
Reilly said the group is modeled off the “Blueprint Louisiana,” a statewide lobbying organization founded by wealthy businessmen in 2007.
Although Jindal didn’t expressly sign off on that campaign, many of their proposals passed the Legislature.
Reilly said the Flagship Coalition would operate similarly, except for the fact it would focus entirely on the University.
“While we don’t act as a traditional PAC where we give money to candidates, we will support research and education so people know what’s at stake here,” he said.
Reilly described the coalition as “a group of people with deep ties to LSU who were not satisfied with the way the policy debate was going.”
Reilly’s personal ties are a result of his tenure in the state Legislature.
“LSU was in my district,” Reilly said. “I worked hand in glove with LSU, so I understand why it’s so important.”
 
 
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Contact Matthew Albright at [email protected]