The LSU Presidential Search Committee invited six potential candidates to be the university system’s next president, including interim President Matt Lee and McNeese State University President Wade Rousse.
Search firm SSA Consultants presented the committee with a list of 30 interested people, and arranged them into different levels of qualification. At the end of Thursday’s meeting, the committee voted 11-4 to invite a half-dozen to apply, including Lee; Rousse; Julius Fridriksson, vice president of research at the University of South Carolina; Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president of research at Tulane, and Dr. Robert Robbins, former president of the University of Arizona.
A sixth person on the list whose name and background information remained confidential was invited to apply, should they publicly identify themselves by Oct. 29, when interviews are scheduled.
Opening the meeting, Chair Scott Ballard said the meeting marked “a pivotal moment in our process.”
“Our discussion today will move us closer to the interview phase, where we’ll have the opportunity to engage directly with those whose leadership qualities and experiences align most closely with our priorities as a system,” he said.
Christel Slaughter, president and CEO of search firm SSA Consultants, said the firm reached out to more than 30 individuals, with 17 of them at SEC schools.
Strong academic background stressed
The meeting began at 1:30 p.m. and the final vote occurred around 5 p.m. after a lengthy executive session in which the committee discussed candidates.
When the committee returned, it ultimately voted for two motions. The first, an amended motion introduced by LSU Board of Supervisors member James Williams, narrowed the field to require all potential candidates to identify themselves by Oct. 29. It narrowly passed, 8-7.
The second motion specified the list of people the committee invited. Committee members Clarence Cazalot, Kenneth Schafer, Olivia Phelps and Daniel Tirone voted against it.
Earlier at the meeting, two university professors urged the committee to prioritize candidates with strong educational backgrounds.
LSU Boyd Professor R. Eugene Turner, who studies Oceanography & Coastal Sciences, urged the committee to select a candidate with a strong background in higher education.
“The new president must have a record of significant, on-the-ground academic experience teaching and conducting research,” he said.
LSU Boyd Professor Suzanne Marchand, who teaches history, spoke in her individual capacity but said her thoughts were indicative of her fellow Boyd professors. She asked the committee to prioritize a president with experience in research scholarship.
“In seeking out coaches for our sporting teams, we always look for persons of the highest caliber and winning experience, no matter what part of the country they come from,” she said. “LSU’s research mission deserves that same commitment to expert experience and excellence.”
Heightened security
Thursday’s meeting saw significantly heightened security, with members of the Baton Rouge Police Department and East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office stationed outside, a checkpoint at the doors and wristbands required for attendees. At the previous meeting, multiple students were arrested in a confrontation that began when one refused to stop speaking when her time had finished.
Many of the same students and alumnae spoke at Thursday’s meeting, criticizing the arrests from the previous meeting and urging the committee to include the student body more in the process.
Scott Sonnier, a U.S. Navy veteran and current LSU student, said he protested and was arrested at the previous meeting because he felt it was vital to upholding American and university values.
“I didn’t do it for attention or out of anger,” he said. “I did it because staying silent when the least among us lose their voice, would be a betrayal of everything I once swore to defend.”
