Reader: O’Keefe an asset to LSU

Dear Editor:

When Sean O’Keefe was unanimously selected as chancellor at LSU, our family was ecstatic.

Having known him and watched his stellar career, we knew he was a world-class leader and would do amazing good for LSU.

Sean started his career at Penn State where he was a faculty member and quickly moved into administration. He served in the highest administrative positions at the Office of Management and Budget. Sean O’Keefe made Louisiana proud when he was selected as secretary of the Navy and then as administrator of NASA. He has been asked to serve on the boards of some of the most prestigious companies in America.

Less than six months after he took over as chancellor, Katrina hit.

Under his leadership, LSU was recognized around the country for the way they met so many challenges to help displaced and injured people. In the midst of it all, the university kept going with some sense of normalcy in a very abnormal situation. Sean called in some of his international connections for help. Millions of dollars came to LSU because he asked for help.

Many major universities asked if LSU could write a book to give them guidelines to handle disasters should they be called upon. The book was published in August 2006.

Raising standards, raising money for bricks and mortar as well as programs, creating a vision that LSU could not only be this state’s flagship university but one of the nation’s flagship universities, Sean O’Keefe has worked tirelessly for LSU.

When Dean Taylor of Tidewater Marine recently announced that he was moving the company back to New Orleans from Houston, he said he was doing it because he approved of the leadership direction that the city and state were taking.

I have always believed that people are amazingly generous to causes if they understand the plan for spending and trust the people doing the spending. There are many people poised to give huge amounts of money to LSU because they are so impressed with the plans for the university and the man leading the charge, Chancellor Sean O’Keefe.

It is time to stand up for this man, our chancellor.

If the new president of the university system thinks that he or the board would like to change this chancellor for a new one, I think it is grave mistake. I am standing up to say “No, we like the chancellor we have, very well, indeed!” Please join me in voicing your opinion to the LSU Board of Supervisors.

Kindest regards,

Charlotte Bollinger

Bollinger Shipyards Inc.

Lockport