BATON ROUGE (AP) — The LSU System governing board began its search Friday for a new leader, a week after deciding to merge
the positions of system president and chancellor of the flagship campus.
Members of the Board of Supervisors' presidential search committee gave its search consultant, William Funk, guidance on what
qualities they'd like to see in a new leader.
Funk said he'll immediately start work on developing an advertisement for the job, targeting individuals and reaching out
to possible candidates and seeking nominations for LSU's next president.
LSU's search comes as a slew of major universities are seeking new presidents, but Funk said the consolidation of the president
and chancellor's jobs would help draw qualified people.
"I think this will now be an even more attractive position to prospective candidates," he said.
Search committee members said they wanted a
leader who was a good salesman, who could work well with lawmakers, who
had a
strong vision of the future and who could collaborate with others.
They talked of a need for the next president to understand
agricultural and health care issues in a university system that is
involved in both industries.
Of the seven members, only one — search committee chairman Blake Chatelain — talked of the university system's students, saying
the next leader should be a "student-focused individual."
Funk stressed confidentiality, saying if names of contenders are leaked to the public, they likely would pull themselves from
consideration rather than risk the attention in their current positions.
LSU lawyer Shelby McKenzie also urged secrecy and told search committee members to avoid any written communication that could
identify an individual candidate because it would be subject to public records laws.
Funk's timetable for the search and interviews was estimated to be five months or more.
A new university leader will be in charge of a multibillion-dollar system of four university campuses, a law school, medical
schools in New Orleans and Shreveport and a network of public hospitals and clinics across Louisiana.
But it's still unclear how the university
system will be structured, as the Board of Supervisors weighs advice
from a Washington,
D.C.-based consulting firm that proposed a significant revamp of
organization for the campuses.
The board hasn't decided how extensive the
reorganization will be, though board chairman Hank Danos has said he
supports the
concept presented by the consultant, The Association of Governing
Boards, which calls for a more consolidated leadership structure
overseeing the campuses.
A task force was being created to study the potential reorganization and make recommendations to the board.
John Lombardi was fired as LSU System president in April, after he clashed with Gov. Bobby Jindal's administration over higher
education policy and criticism about his leadership style. Then, LSU Chancellor Mike Martin left the Baton Rouge campus to
lead the Colorado State University System.
Last week, the board voted to merge those two jobs.