LSU President Advocates for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Education Committee Meeting

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Dr. William Tate IV, the President of LSU, recently spoke to the House Education Committee about improving student recruitment and retention at the university. He also discussed updates to Title IX.

Tate introduced what he calls the “Pentagon approach” to strengthen LSU’s academic programs. This plan focuses on five key areas:

• Agriculture
• Biomedical Science
• Coastal Research
• Engineering
• Defense

According to Tate, this strategy aims to elevate LSU into the top 50 research universities in the U.S. A major goal is to recruit students and encourage them to stay in Louisiana. Currently, only 36% of LSU graduates remain in the state after completing their studies.

Representative Kim Carver from St. Tammany Parish emphasized the importance of attracting top talent and creating job opportunities to keep graduates in Louisiana. “We haven’t done everything we need to do to create the job opportunities for them to stay,” Carver noted.

Discussions also touched on the growing push to eliminate Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives from university practices. Representative Josh Carlson questioned Tate about what he considers insufficient reporting on DEI efforts, which he described as efforts based on race, sex, ethnicity, political views, or national origin.

Last year, the LSU Board of Supervisors decided to review and potentially remove DEI programs and hiring practices. Instead, Tate mentioned a shift toward broader engagement that doesn’t focus strictly on race and gender. The university is rebranding its DEI department to the Division of Engagement, Civil Rights, and Title IX.

Tate likened this change to the rebranding of Twitter to X, noting that people still refer to it as Twitter. “Changing a name doesn’t completely erase the brand,” he remarked.

This topic sparked some debate, with Representative Sylvia Taylor highlighting that DEI was not on the agenda for that meeting. Tate is expected to provide an update on LSU’s remaining DEI practices and measures taken to the board at their next meeting.