Who would make such a claim? Harvard? MIT? Stanford? Perhaps some large land-grant school that offers good academics and other stuff? Nah! why, it's little ole NSU!

Yes, NSU, in Natchitoches, unveiled their new strategic plan, that includes the mantra to make NSU "the nation's premiere university." At the recent welcome back lunch the whole faculty/staff was asked to chant that ridiculous statement over and over. Well, they have made a good start of it, I can honestly say that NSU is the "premiere university" in Natchitoches Parish. Have to start somewhere, eh.

On a more serious note, Dr. Jim Henderson is proving to be a disappointment. I think he has exhausted whatever good ideas he brought with him from BPCC. The honeymoon period is over. Like a new head coach, who was successful in his previous job, Henderson brought a lot of hope and promise to NSU. But, the bloom is off that rose. Questionable personnel decisions is rocking his administration. Yeah, budget woes is making it harder to be successful, but that makes his decision-making more critical. Little room for error, and he is fumbling badly in that arena.

Oh well! not that anyone on this forum will care. But, NSU does spend OUR tax dollars, so it does affect all of us. And it is relevant as we, in Louisiana, look at the whole higher ed landscape.

On another, sadder, note, last week Jimmy Long was killed in an auto accident. If you are familiar with Louisiana politics you know about the Long family and its legacy. And, Mr. Jimmy, as he was affectionately called, was a member of the Board of Regents and VERY influential in the politics of higher ed. For the record, when I spoke to him years ago about the Tech-LSUS merger, he was strongly in favor of it. He told me, paraphrasing: as an NSU Demon supporter I hate Louisiana Tech! (he said with a smile), as someone charged with managing Louisiana's universities, I know what Tech has accomplished and it makes perfect sense, for the good of northwest Louisiana, for Tech to takeover LSUS. Unfortunately (he added), our LSU friends will never allow it.