ENDOWED CHAIRS FOR EMINENT SCHOLARS
The programmatic review of the Endowed Chairs for Eminent Scholars component was approved by the Board in June 2008. A total of 126 chairs at 20 institutions were included in the evaluation. Data collection and assessment activities took place immediately following Board action and culminated in the final report of the review panel, submitted in January 2009.
The panel expressed strong support for the program and presented a suite of recommendations designed to solidify and build on its successes. In general, the panel was impressed by the substantial success demonstrated over the 22 years of program operation, and acknowledged the foresight and commitment of political leaders and university administrators in establishing and maintaining this critical investment. In addition, the panel noted that chairholders have embraced their role as pacesetters in Louisiana’s higher education community, maintaining academic and research productivity while undertaking significant community and professional leadership roles. Based on these observations, the panel provided a single programmatic recommendation – to retain and strengthen as much as possible this successful program – and a group of recommendations related to implementation, performance, monitoring and program awareness.
The Board approved the recommendations of the panel at its April 2009 meeting.