Dear Editor,

Recently higher education, and Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge position as our Flagship, has received much attention. 

To my knowledge, the state has never defined “Flagship.”

As a taxpayer and educational activist, I would like to know what the terms means. 

Does a Flagship have rights or programs that other schools cannot have? 

If so, what are they?

And what is their rationale?

LSU's Web site describes an exciting, ambitious Flagship agenda with many attractive features.

 Not surprisingly, it requires much greater funding, and I am always enthusiastic about increased funding for education.

But LSU's Flagship agenda omits critical topics.

“Flagship” strongly suggests leadership, but other state universities aren't included. 

Higher education is horribly underfunded across the board in Louisiana. 

If 30,000 LSU students receive superior educations, and 115,000 students elsewhere receive inferior educations, is that strong leadership? 

Is it sound public policy?

Does it suggest that some students are less valuable than others?

Accountability should be included.

The Regents have long forbidden “duplication and waste.”

To my mind, that's a contradiction; it must be “duplication or waste.”

Without duplication, there is no competition, and competition is essential to everything American:  candidates in elections, businesses within a free market, ideas under the First Amendment; and yes, taxpayer funding in a government accountable to its citizens. Considered separately, each might seem wasteful.

But actually, they are tremendously efficient, and America leads the world because of them.

It is the very absence of duplication that is ruinous. 

Everything essential to democracy — self-governance, entrepreneurship, innovation, accountability — is lost in monopolies.

So, if another university with fewer resources is more productive in some area, will the Flagship's superior funding continue in that area? 

Will the other continue with diminished funding? 

If so, what motivates our universities — LSU or anyone — to put forth effort?

If a Flagship agenda concentrates our limited resources into one school, clearly only the term “Flagship” is new: LSU has received superior resources for years, and her students have enjoyed many more programs and services.

We fund higher education because it improves many things, including, but not limited to, accountability, income, poverty levels, health, business, creativity, and many others. 

But after decades of focusing on one institution and neglecting students elsewhere, Louisiana trails the nation in all of these.

In considering a Flagship agenda, we should also consider states supporting multiple excellent universities, all of which thrive in political cooperation and academic competition.

Joseph N. Abraham, M.D.

President and founder of booksxyz.com and The American Public School Endowments