Column: LSU Athletic Department Stands Alone
by Scooter Hobbs
4/29/2012
BATON ROUGE — So LSU has fired the president of its far-reaching academic system and, of course, one of the greatest things about this really great state — and also one of the worst and most embarrassing things — is that the first and overriding question on many minds will be: What effect will this have on LSU football recruiting? Just joshing, of course, although there probably are more than a few who think the main mission of higher education in this state is to provide uplifting, chest-beating entertainment for the legions of half-crocked football fans. That would be short-sighted, of course. This unpleasantness within the LSU academic hierarchy is not about winning silly, frivolous football games. This is a serious matter, with the future of all our children — not just the ones who run sub-4.5 40s — at stake as we seek to improve higher education, which leads to better jobs and higher wages and a brighter tomorrow just as Louisiana embarks on its third century with a fairly mild climate as banana republics go.
