The governing board is free from undue influence from political,
religious, or other external bodies, and protects the institution from
such influence.
As public servants for the State of Louisiana, members of the LSU Board
of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of Regents are subject to the
laws of the state, which govern their conduct and responsibilities. The
Code of Governmental Ethics [1]  and the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 (Article X: Public Officials and Employees, Section 9) [2]
address ethical standards for public servants. Additionally, the Bylaws
& Regulations of the Board of Supervisors of the LSU System
(Chapter VII, Section 7-3f) [3]  addresses conflicts of interest relative to stock and other equities for LSU Board of Supervisors members.
Members of both the LSU Board of Supervisors and the Louisiana Board of
Regents are appointed by the governor, with approval by the Senate, as
provided in the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 (Article VIII, Section 5
[4] and Section 7 [5]
). Board members on both boards serve six-year overlapping terms, are
appointed from each congressional district, and are (in the case of the
Louisiana Board of Regents) representative of the state’s population by
race and gender to insure diversity (Article VIII, Section 5 [4] and Section 7 [5]
). These appointment procedures make it very unlikely that a board will
be unduly influenced by external bodies. Furthermore, once appointed,
board members may be removed only for malfeasance or gross misconduct
(see Comprehensive Standard 3.2.5), thereby reducing the likelihood of external political influence.
The normal process of decision making by either board is by majority vote [6] [7] and each board has a required quorum [7] [8] . This makes control of the board by some small group or by some external body extremely unlikely.
Documentation
[1] Code of Governmental Ethics (External Link)
[2] Louisiana State Constitution (1974) - Article X, Section 9 (External Link)
[3] Bylaws & Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors, Chapter VII - Section 7-3f (3256kb)
[4] Louisiana State Constitution (1974) - Article VIII, Section 5 (External Link)
[5] Louisiana State Constitution (1974) - Article VIII, Section 7 (External Link)
[6] Bylaws & Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors, Article IV - Section 4 (3256kb)
[7] Rules for the Internal Operation and the Transaction of Business for the Board of Regents of the State of Louisiana, Article II - Section 2.5 (21kb)
[8] Bylaws & Regulations of the LSU Board of Supervisors, Article II - Section 4 (3256kb)
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