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.

It requires $25,000 of other peoples' money...

To figure out that a pay system that's not based on performance isn't generating results?

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/58797212.html

I'd like to rant and rave that it's "only in Louisiana," but I know it isn't. The disconnect between teacher pay and performance has always galled me...it's just that, in Louisiana, you've had below par pay for really below par performance--and you've had it for a long time.

So now, an outside expert has been brought in to tell us that paying teachers, independent of the product they are turning out, doesn't make any sense.

Go figure.

Some sense from Southern U....

As reported in The Advocate:

http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/47970706.html?showAll=y&c=y

With the state facing some serious money issues, and our constitution being what is, higher education and health care are about the only two places to make budget cuts. Of course, the educators are howling and the rich hospital administrator lobby is lying on the airwaves. EVERYONE hates having the tit pulled out from their mouth.

That being said, some of the powers that be at Southern University are speaking a truth that's been lost on the rest of the state--get rid of the administrators and keep the people who get the work done. In higher ed, this means faculty.

Granted, there will be some faculty cuts at Southern, but there is a recognition that it is administration that needs to be pruned.

This is a lesson that this state needs to take to heart....