From a former Chancellor

As published in today's Advocate:

2theadvocate.com | Opinion | Letter: La. universities’ value analyzed — Baton Rouge, LA

I believe that the statistics presented in Chancellor Wharton's letter are demonstrative of the fact that LSU is concerned about LSU--the students be damned.  As evidenced by the fact that they are A) more interested in maintaining their "Research I" designation, B) recent budget-cutting focused on elimination of instructional delivery staff and C) their go-forward plan with construction of new facilities focuses more on research, rather than classroom space--it's pretty evident that the "powers-that-be" at LSU WANT undergraduate enrollment for the sake of boosting numbers for the purposes of funding, rather than delivering a product that the State of Louisiana needs.

We complain, in Louisiana about "brain drain" and our inability to attract business and industry which require an educated workforce.  Simultaneously, LSU alums are more interested in how the football season is going to shape up, than the graduation rates for entering freshmen classes.  Quite obviously, our priorities are NOT aligned with our wants.

LSU OBVIOUSLY has their priorities aligned with their wants--if you're job is to educate and your budget is cut, common sense dictates that you do away with functions not directly related to instructional delivery.  But not if your priority is to maintain the status quo.  LSU went about chopping positions related to turning out an educated commodity--NOT cutting the countless numbers of useless administrative assistants, program directors and other civil service functionaries who do nothing but take up parking spaces.  Why--because they want to have a basis for keeping their funding levels up...

My thinking on LSU is not popular from an alumni standard, but admitting that you have a problem is the first step toward solving it.  If those of us who have chosen to remain in Louisiana, post-graduation, don't start raising hell about this, it's not going to get fixed.

Like spoiled kids, who don't know their place....

Front and center tonight on 2theadvocate.com: LSU unveils realignment plan. The actually could have called this article "LSU faculty pouts and whines like a bunch of bitches."

Which is pretty much what LSU's faculty does anytime anyone in a position of authority makes a decision. It doesn't even have to be about money--ANY decision from on high knots their panties. It's truly amazing. I don't know how bad it is at other state universities, as LSU is really the only college which gets any coverage here (which makes sense), but good Lord, they whine...

And NOTHING illustrates my point better than this little gem:

LSU library and information science graduate student Jon Frosch accused Martin and Merget of operating in a “shadowy and secretive manner.”

“It has not been well thought through. You have not included us in the process,” Frosch yelled before stomping loudly out of the lecture hall.

Hey, Mr. Frosch, why don't you go home and cry to mommy. (I really wanted to put Mr. Frosch's email address in here, so people could drop him a note, telling him what a bitch he is but, in typical bitch fashion, he doesn't have it listed on the LSU public directory.)

A grown man, employed by an institute of higher learning, working on an advanced degree, cries like a child and "stomps" out of a meeting. Surely, you jest.

Just a note to the LSU faculty and staff--you all are employees, not constituents. You work FOR the university, you don't run it. And, if you feel you're not being treated fairly, not feeling the love, not happy and all that jazz, you can do as employees do every day, all over this country, when they don't like the way things are going at their place of business--pack your things and leave. Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.