re: Is F King next on the chopping block?

I agree completely. Just a couple of clarifications:

1. Exclusivity: providing access to high-quality undergraduate education for the state's residents should absolutely be core to the LSU mission; however, we lose far too many of our most accomplished students to out-of-state institutions because of questions about academic quality. Admittedly, that assumption is based more in anecdote than evidence, but those anecdotes are plentiful enough that I am confident the evidence would support.

2. The Jindal years were disastrous, but some institutions fared better by more successfully adapting their business models to the new reality. In addition, the doomsday rhetoric and hyperbole from some in higher ed amplified the effects of the budget reductions.

I greatly appreciate your comments and constructive probing of mine.