The law enforcement vehicles and personnel that have become a fixture in and around Pleasant Hall will no longer be around, beginning this month.
In an e-mail sent to “undisclosed recipients,” Brookie Alphinn, director of the University’s Office of Government Programs, said the University’s Division of Continuing Education would “no longer provide local government training and assistance through the LSU Office of Government Programs.”
Alphinn said although she is unsure why the decision was made, she believes budgetary concerns are part of the issue.
Because the program generated its own revenue, Alphinn said she suspects it was no longer producing enough to make it financially feasible.
Alphinn said the Office of Government Programs has worked with several agencies for many years to provide training. These include mayors, city councils, parish presidents, parish councils, the Police Jury Association of Louisiana, the Sheriff’s Association, the Police Chief Association and various local police and fire departments.
Pauline Rankin, dean of Continuing Education, also said she is uncertain as to why the department decided to discontinue the program.
Rankin also suspects financial concerns may have played a part in the decision, but pointed out that the decision was made before she was appointed dean in October 2003.
Alphinn said she was notified in September 2003 that Continuing Education would be stopping the program.
Doug Weimer, Continuing Education associate dean, said the decision was part of “a normal course of business” and the department simply decided to put its resources to other uses.
“We just reached a point where it was time to move on,” Weimer said.
Alphinn also said the University’s Academy of Politics, which allowed citizens to examine Louisiana’s political history and voting process, would be discontinued as well.