Search committee to consider 12 applicants for UL Lafayette’s next president
BY ASHLEY WHITE | Staff writer
Committee members listen as Dr. Gabriela Wilson, director of the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation and a professor in the College of Nursing and Health Sciences at UL Lafayette, makes a statement during a public meeting of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Presidential Search Committee Wednesday, January 14, 2026, at the Picard Center in Lafayette, La. STAFF PHOTO BY LESLIE WESTBROOK
The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Presidential Search Committee will consider 12 applicants before selecting its semifinalists at a meeting this week.
The university has been without a permanent president since July when then-President Joseph Savoie abruptly stepped down. It has had two interim presidents, Jaimie Hebert, who has since returned to his position as provost, and Ramesh Kolluru, former vice president of research, innovation and economic development.
The 21-member committee will meet Thursday morning in Baton Rouge to discuss the candidates and select semifinalists.
The candidates are:
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Wenbin Deng, dean and Sun Yat-sen University (Guangdong, China) distinguished professor of pharmacology
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Robert Dodd, support team specialist of research compliance with the Biomedical Research Alliance of New York
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Pernell Goodwin, vice president of Copiah-Lincoln Community College’s Natchez Campus
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Chavonda Jacobs-Young, former under secretary and chief scientist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture
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Hitesh Rai Kathuria, tenured professor and former provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at Empire State University in Saratoga Springs, New York
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Ramesh Kolluru, interim president of UL and former vice president of research, innovation and economic development
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Richard Ludwick, former president and current president emeritus of the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas
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Kristian Magar, vice president of health, safety and environment of Cactus Wellhead in Houston, Texas
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Robert Nobles III, vice president for research administration for Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia
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Evan Ortlieb, dean of the college of education and human sciences at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota
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Connie Veazey, clinical psychology program director and core faculty for the clinical psychology program at Fiedling Graduate University in Santa Barbara, California
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Cortlan Wickliff, associate vice provost of academic affairs and strategic initiatives at Rice University in Houston, Texas
Notably absent from the list of applicants is Hebert, who said in November he was interested in participating in the search as an applicant. It is unclear why he didn’t apply.
After semifinalists are selected, the committee is expected to conduct on-campus interviews and select finalists on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24. The finalists should be presented to the full University of Louisiana System, which oversees UL, at a special meeting on Feb. 27.
The decision to form a search committee came last year during a Nov. 13 that addressed speculation that the UL system board would forgo a search and install a president at the university without any input from faculty, staff or students. Professors and the public pushed back against initial plans to install Kolluru into the job without a search.
The search committee last month heard from faculty, staff, alumni and community members who asked them to prioritize transparency in their search and to choose a leader who will focus on student success and address the university’s financial woes.
The next president of UL will be tasked with tackling the school’s financial struggles. Financial concerns came to light last year after UL’s Vice President of Finance and Administration Jerry Luke LeBlanc resigned abruptly in May, and Savoie stepped down in July before his contract was up. After being named interim president, Hebert announced job eliminations and other cost-cutting measures to try to make up for a $25 million deficit.
The search committee will meet to select semifinalists at 10 a.m. Thursday in the Louisiana Purchase Room of the Claiborne Conference Center, 1201 N. Third St., Baton Rouge.