The LSU System Board of Supervisors voted Friday afternoon to approve the creation of a College of Human Sciences and Education at the University. The new college will merge six units: the College of Education, School of Social Work, School of Library and Information Science, Department of Kinesiology, School of Human Resource Education and Workforce Development, and the University Lab School.
When the merger was initially announced, Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Jack Hamilton said the effort was not budget driven, and several department heads and deans, including Department of Kinesiology Chair Melinda Solmon, echoed that idea.
But when the merger proposal was presented to the board, two of the factors the board was asked to consider while voting were that the creation of this college would lead to partnerships and collaborations capable of gaining more state grants and contract supports, along with the idea that this creation could result in “institutional savings.”
The merged college will have a total budget of near $20 million, after several of the units involved, especially the School of Library and Information Science, have suffered deep budget slashes in the past few years.
The merger was approved after current College of Education Interim Dean Laura Lindsay expressed her excitement about the opportunities the merger brings and repeated that every unit involved fully supports the merger.
Lindsay claimed the college will “permeate” through all 64 parishes in the state, and called the process of creating the college the most exciting thing she’s been able to do in her 34 years at the University. She said the bubbling collaboration in the merger has shown how strong the college will be.
“This isn’t something that we’re thinking about doing; this is something that’s already happening,” Lindsay said.
Now that the college has been approved, administrators will push forward to search for a dean, though Board of Supervisors member Laura Leach told Lindsay that she hoped she would continue her appointment as dean, inciting applause from the group of people with whom Linsday worked on the merger.
“I cannot tell you how exciting this is, and whoever takes this job is going to have a tremendous opportunity to make a difference in Louisiana,” Lindsay said.
 
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Contact Andrea Gallo at [email protected]