BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Even though LSU's national search for a new system leader hasn't started, speculation of a possible contender centers right at home, on Gov. Bobby Jindal's economic development secretary.
Stephen Moret, who's headed the Department of Economic Development since 2008, is doing little to squelch the conversation, which has percolated for months.
Moret talks of being focused on his current position — but he won't directly answer questions about whether he's interested in the LSU System presidency.
Meanwhile, LSU governing board members, who were nearly all appointed by Jindal, regularly talk about the possibility of tapping a "nontraditional" candidate for the job.
Blake Chatelain, who heads the LSU search committee, says board members wouldn't be going through the effort and expense of a national search if there was a predetermined outcome.
