Name
|
Title
|
Position
|
Notes
|
Bobby Jindal |
Governor |
Unknown |
|
Cedric Glover
|
Mayor of Shreveport |
Support
|
He's "all in" with the merger.
|
Lo Walker
|
Mayor of Bossier City |
Support
|
Stated that the hardest thing about getting new businesses to come to Shreveport-Bossier is the lack of a research university; feels the merger would be an economic boom for the area.
|
Jerry Jones
|
Vice-chair of Louisiana Board of Commerce & Industry, former City Attorney for Shreveport, former Shreveport mayoral candidate
|
Support
|
|
Arlena Acree
|
Director of Film, Media, and Entertainment for Shreveport; Former Director of Economic Development for Shreveport; Former Chairman of Shreveport Chamber of Commerce; Owner/CEO/President of Career Adventures; Former Shreveport mayoral candidate
|
Support
|
|
Hazel Beard
|
Former Mayor of Shreveport
|
Support
|
|
Jim McCrery
|
Former US Congressman for Northwest Louisiana
|
Support
|
|
Eva Klein & Associates
|
Consultants
|
Support
|
National higher education experts; Presentation video
|
Phillip Rozeman
|
Chairman of the Shreveport Bossier Imperative for Higher Education; Vice-Chair of the Education Committee of the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce |
Support |
KSLA editorial; Letter to The Times: College merger will take north La. from good to great; Taking north La. from good to great
|
Dick Bremer
|
President of Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce |
Support
|
Wrote this letter to the legislators asking for their support
|
Hazel Dudley
|
President of Shreveport-Bossier African-American Chamber of Commerce
|
Support
|
Spoke at House Education committee meeting
|
Scott Terry
|
President of Ruston-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce |
Support
|
The News-Star: Chamber likes LSUS/Tech merger
|
Vernon Chance
|
Executive Director of Committee of 100 Louisiana |
Support
|
|
Paula Hickman
|
Executive Director of Community Foundation of North Louisiana |
Support
|
|
Jimmy Maurin
|
Blueprint Louisiana Chairman |
Support
|
The News-Star: "The proposed merger of these two campuses is consistent with our previous recommendation to re-organize institutions from a statewide and regional perspective. Several North Louisiana leaders and community groups took the initiative to study this idea, and many agree a merger will better serve students, the northern region and the state as a whole."
|
Barry Erwin
|
President of Council for a Better Louisiana
|
Support
|
The Times: CABL supports merger of LSUS and La. Tech
|
Rich DesCoteaux
|
Head of Manufacturing Managers Council for Northwest Louisiana
|
Support
|
The Times: Managers Council supports university merger legislation
|
Scott Hughes
|
Executive Director of Alliance for Education
|
Support
|
Spoke at House Education Committee meeting
|
Tem McElroy
|
President & CEO of McElroy Metal
|
Support
|
|
Phyllis Taylor
|
Founder of Taylor Foundation, Chairman & CEO of Taylor Energy Company
|
Support
|
Founded the TOPS program
|
James Collier
|
Former UL System President and Excecutive Director of the Taylor Foundation (TOPS)
|
Support
|
He supported the merger in 1994 and supports it again. This merger will save costs. The state can't afford to make LSUS a research university.
|
Craig Spohn
|
Executive Director of the Cyber Innovation Center in Bossier
|
Support
|
|
Kyle McDonald
|
President/CEO of Argent Financial;Chair of the NW Louisiana Economic Development Foundation; Chair of the North Louisiana Medical Center |
Support
|
|
Billy Montgomery
|
Former La. State Representative from Bossier City
|
Support
|
|
Jack Sharp
|
President of Biomedical Research Foundation of Northwest Louisiana
|
Support
|
|
Art Walker
|
President of Communications One
|
Support
|
|
Woody Schick
|
Chairman of Shreveport Chamber of Commerce; President and CEO of Citizens National Bank
|
Support
|
Q&A with The Times
|
Tommy Williams
|
President of Williams Financial Advisors; presided over numerous boards throughout Shreveport
|
Support
|
|
Drake Mills
|
President and CEO of Community Trust Bank
|
Support
|
|
Gard Wayt
|
President of Rotary Club of Shreveport; President of Gard Wayt & Associates
|
Support
|
|
India Carroll
|
CEP of the Green Clinic
|
Support
|
|
Grady Golden
|
Top Executive at Builder's Supply Co. of Shreveport
|
Support
|
|
Malcolm Murchison
|
Former Chairman of Shreveport Chamber of Commerce; Former Chairman of Shreveport-Bossier Tourist and Convention Bureau
|
Support
|
|
Jack T. Taylor
|
Executive Vice Chair of Operations at KPMG
|
Support
|
|
Linda Biernacki
|
President of Fire Tech Systems (Shreveport): LSUS Foundation Board of Directors |
Support
|
The Times: Legislature should vote for Tech-LSUS merger
|
Paige Carlisle
|
Director of Finance for the Community Foundation of North Louisiana
|
Support
|
|
Jim Purcell
|
Commissioner of Higher Education
|
Support |
BR Advocate: "merger would allow for the more rapid growth of offerings in the Shreveport area by giving Louisiana Tech a second campus and expanding the Tech programs onto the campus that is now LSU-S."; The Times: Destiny of city at stake with LSUS-Tech deal |
Bob Levy
|
Board of Regents Chairman
|
Support
|
"Today’s action has the ability to impact the Shreveport-Bossier region in an incredibly positive manner especially since it was a home-grown solution brought forth by members of the education, business and civic community." Press release |
Chris Gorman
|
Executive VP of Tango Transport
|
Support
|
"These communities are desperate to hook their wagon to a different pony. There is great consensus building for this kind of change and I appreciate the work that has been done in advance of today’s report and recommendations." |
Randy Moffett
|
UL System President
|
Support
|
|
Dan Reneau
|
La Tech President
|
Support |
Letter to Tech Family
|
|
Flagship Coalition
|
No public opinion
|
The Louisiana Weekly: Willing to give up extension campuses in exchange for more freedom for the flagship in Baton Rouge; Believe merger is acceptable |
Frank Pogue
|
Grambling St President
|
Support
|
The News-Star: "I support that initiative. I think what this region needs is to have the strongest institutions it can have. As I see it, it's going to be a very useful, very good merger." He said the merger would benefit students from GSU who also take courses at Louisiana Tech and vice versa. "The goal would be if you strengthen Tech, you strengthen higher education."
|
Ed Morrison
|
Purdue University
|
Support
|
Presented a study 18 years ago in which he suggested a merger of the campuses to increase economic development opportunities |
Mike Woods
|
Former President of LSUS Alumni Board
|
Support
|
The Times/News-Star: He said he and members of his family are proud graduates of LSUS, but the writing is on the wall that LSUS cannot sustain itself on its current path for much longer. "It feels like Groundhog Day," he said. "We've been having the same discussion for two decades and haven't gotten anywhere. We can blame the Board of Regents. We can say its because we haven't gotten our change of role, scope and mission, but the reality is that things haven't changed at all." Woods said the urgency is placed on doing something to help LSUS now before it's too late. "If you look at next year's budget, LSUS is receiving yet another cut on top of the $8 million in cuts during the past three years," he said. "Folks, we're broke. He said he supports the merger because of the opportunities available to both universities. "A merger can help all of us," he said. "Dan Reneau gets more money per student at Tech than Vince Marsala does at LSUS. The merger allows us to get more money for the students at LSUS and resolves the role, scope and mission issue all at once."
|
Brian Bond
|
Vice President of the LSUS Foundation Board of Directors, LSUS Alumnus of the Year |
Support
|
Spoke in support at House committee meeting
|
Bob Fitzgerald
|
Immediate Past President of the LSUS Foundation Board of Directors
|
Support
|
|
Bob Hamm
|
LSUS Foundation Board of Directors
|
Support
|
The Times: Time for bold action for our community
|
Wayne Hogue
|
LSUS Professor, LEAD Director
|
Support |
The Times: NW La.'s economic future rests with merger
|
Joe Averett
|
LSUS Foundation Board of Directors |
Support |
|
Joe Callaway
|
LSUS Foundation Board of Directors |
Support |
The Times: Region underserved when it comes to higher education |
Ray Branton
|
|
Support
|
The Times: Proposed merger complements region's identity |
|
The Shreveport Times Editorial Board
|
Support
|
The Shreveport Times: Tech-LSUS merger the right thing; Debate surrounding LSUS's future must not default to status quo; Don't let turf wars rule day in debate over future of LSUS |
|
The Monroe New-Star Editorial Board |
Support
|
The Monroe News-Star: Tech, LSU-S merger wins
|
|
The New Orleans Times-Picayune Editorial Board
|
Support
|
The Times Picayune: LSU-Shreveport and Louisiana Tech merger is sensible |
|
The Lake Charles American Press Editorial Board
|
Support
|
The Lake Charles American Press: Folding LSU-S under flag of La. Tech could be win for state
|
Bill Jenkins
|
Interim LSU System President
|
Oppose
|
Doesn't know how to pay for the LSU Shreveport Commitment Plan
|
John Lombardi |
Former LSU System President |
Oppose |
Instructed LSUS and LSUHSCS to not cooperate with the study; Vowed to kill the bill; Countered with the Northwest Louisiana Initiative; Lombardi talks to The Times: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6; Announced new programs to be added at LSUS (mostly online); The Times: Lombardi's Last Words; The Times: Lombardi Fired 1, Lombardi Fired 2 |
Vince Marsala |
LSUS Chancellor |
Oppose |
Letter to The Times; Wants to see a detailed merger plan; Suggests growing LSUS and moving Tech to the LSU System or a 3-way merger with LSUHSCS; Blames Board of Regents for LSUS's lack of growth, says LSU System is best for LSUS |
Brian Wooten
|
LSUS Alumni Association President
|
Oppose
|
Letter to The Times; YouTube interview; Refused to let Dr. Rozeman LSUS Alumni of the year in to their meeting; Ran untrue ad in The Times; "I love LSU, and I'm a Tiger, bleed purple and gold, and would love to go there." "Being tagged in with the Baton Rouge flagship, a close relationship would help a lot because you guys are doing a lot of what we need, but we can't go to Baton Rouge, but we want to be part of that, you know." |
David Gustavson |
LSUS Dean of College of Business, Education, & Human Development |
Oppose |
Submitted editorials to The Shreveport Times and The Baton Rouge Advocate
|
Doug Robinson
|
LSUS Athletics Director
|
Oppose
|
The Times: Whither LSUS sports?
|