Response to JR Ball's Column in Baton Rouge Business Report

In yesterday's edition of the Baton Rouge Business Report, J.R. Ball outlined his suggestions to improve higher education in the state of Louisiana beyond budget cuts.

Ball argues that "it's time for officials at LSU, our flagship university, to start answering some tough questions." In the article, found online here, Ball recognizes the "masterful PR job" that LSU has conducted to inform and persuade Louisianians about the "current fiscal nightmare" by submitting "worst-case scenario budget projections." Indeed, Ball captured the sentiments of so many who refuse to lash out against Governor Jindal for his state budget that could cut funding for LSU.

"What LSU officials haven’t done, however, is embrace the concept that the university’s impact must reach beyond the Quad and Tiger Stadium. To be blunt, LSU has been woeful in its efforts to build a knowledge-based economy outside the gates of the campus," he said.

That being said, Ball is not certainly abandoning an understanding of the importance of higher education in Louisiana. "Yes, higher ed [including community and technical colleges] has been woefully underfunded for decades, and, yes, the flagship institution must be considered a bedrock of this state’s future, but it’s also true that LSU must change its thinking," he continued.

When will other leaders and citizen activists also hold the university systems accountable for the current financial state of higher education? It sounds like a failed company, really. Say, for instance, an investor decides to fund an emerging business venture. Then, when the company fails to produce results they promised to said investor, they come back with their hands out and without promises of reform, eager for more dollars. What incentive is there for the investor to continue financing the venture without proof that this company is holding up its end of the bargain? Simply, none.

While LSU has made important strides in educating the people of Louisiana, it is important to remember that taxpayers act as investors in the institution of education. We, as taxpayers, invest money into public higher education in hopes of seeing long-term economic stability in our state and consistent improvement in our way of life. And just as an investor would be hesitant to throw more money at a company whose management and leadership refuses to take responsibility for its past failures, it is understandable that taxpayers in Louisiana have their own reservations about throwing money at an institution that has made no promises of thrift, accountability or reform.