UL presidential search committee hears from the public: ‘We need to rebuild trust’
A committee that will recommend candidates for the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette heard Wednesday 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 21-member committee is chaired by UL System President Rick Gallot and includes eight members of the UL System board, the president of the UL Faculty Senate, the president of the UL Staff Senate, state lawmakers, local business leaders, UL alumni and UL Foundation representatives. Only the system board members and Faculty Senate president can vote.
“The process itself is straightforward,” Gallot said. “And we’re committed to maintaining transparency at every step.”
The committee voted to approve its charge — to define a procedure and timeline for the search. In doing so, they plan to visit the UL campus and obtain public input from faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members; to screen applicants, to conduct reference checks and interview qualified candidates; to conduct open interviews of semifinalists; and to recommend at least two presidential candidates to the UL System board.
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 Ramesh Kolluru, UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development, into the job without a search.
UL has been without a permanent leader since longtime president Joseph Savoie stepped down last summer and Provost Jaimie Hebert took over as interim. Hebert asked during the November meeting to return to his role as provost and recommended that Kolluru be named as interim president, which the board approved.
Both have applied for the permanent position.
During Wednesday’s public forum, the committee heard from 13 people.
They emphasized the need for a leader with strong research and economic development skills who would prioritize student success, maintain the university’s research designation and find creative ways to improve the financial deficit that came to public light last year.
“It’s hard to look at the amount of debt that we were surprised to find out about this last year without thinking there’s something systemic,” said Keith Credo, an associate professor of management. “So we’re hoping, as faculty, that fundamentally we can have in the next president someone willing to look for creative solutions to perhaps some of the systemic issues that we’re facing.”
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.
Gabriela Wilson, a UL professor and director of the Louisiana Center for Health Innovation, said she wants the next president to focus on fiscal stability along with strategy and vision.
“We need to rebuild trust,” Wilson said. “This is a challenging time. Some of us might feel like ‘I need to go elsewhere,’ and I am telling all of my colleagues, ‘This is a place where we can all come together and really rebuild the trust that’s so needed.’”
Although asked not to endorse specific candidates, those who did voiced their support for Kolluru.
“Dr. Kolluru brings genuine enthusiasm, solution-based advice, especially around workforce development, and that has helped move and attract businesses to the Acadiana area,” said Jerry Prejean, president of First Horizon Bank. “Dr. Kolluru is a collaborative bridge builder across public and private sectors and a careful steward of resources. He listens, he convenes, he acts.”
Advertisements for the position have been posted to websites for the UL System, Inside Higher Education, Diverse Issues in Higher Ed, Women in Higher Ed and the Chronicle of Higher Education.
The committee is expected to review applicant materials and select semifinalists during a Feb. 19 meeting in Baton Rouge, conduct on-campus interviews with semifinalists Feb. 23 and 24, and present finalists and conduct interviews to the full UL System board Feb. 27.