BATON ROUGE (AP) — The nation's top organization of college professors asked LSU this week to end what it calls a "seeming
disregard" for faculty participation in a university reorganization effort.
The American Association of University Professors, based in Washington, D.C., said efforts including faculty in the discussion
have been largely symbolic.
The Advocate reported that a seven-page letter sent to LSU leaders is a politely worded warning that
the university could end up on the organization's censure list for the second time in less than 12 months.
The LSU Board of Supervisors is working to consolidate the LSU System and Baton Rouge campus under a single leader. University
faculty members have criticized the board as shutting them out of the process.
"We hope that the administration and board will address the faculty's concerns and do so in a manner that is respectful of
widely accepted professional norms within the academic community," AAUP Associate Secretary Robert Kreiser wrote.
He noted the LSU presidential search
committee has only one faculty member; the Transition Advisory Team
leading the reorganization
process has no faculty members; and the official job description
for a new president doesn't mention the need for credentials.
LSU Board Chairman Hank Danos did not return calls seeking comment about the letter, but he previously has denied disregarding
faculty input in the reorganization.
Danos has said faculty opinions were used to
help draft the 25-page report from a consulting firm that kicked off
the reorganization
and noted that the board has held breakfast meetings and other
informal discussions with faculty members.
The AAUP voted in June to censure LSU for
mistreatment of faculty, a move that gave the Baton Rouge campus the
distinction
of being the only public flagship university on the list. Censure
is seen as a blemish on a school's reputation that can hamper
faculty recruitment and retention.