Here’s who will serve as LSU system’s new president, executive vice president

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The LSU system has a new president and an executive vice president after board members emerged from an hours-long executive session Tuesday.

McNeese State University President Wade Rousse was named as LSU’s new president, and University of Alabama Executive Vice President and Provost James Dalton was named executive vice president and chancellor.

“I am so excited to serve in this role. Search committee and board members, thank you for thinking creatively. As we started this process, we started thinking about structure,” Rousse said, adding that he believed a chancellor position was needed for the flagship campus.

Gov. Jeff Landry reacted to the leadership announcement, writing on X, “Big day for @LSU! Excited to welcome President Wade Rousse and Baton Rouge Campus Provost and Chancellor Jim Dalton to our flagship university. Thank you to the LSU Board of Supervisors for your leadership throughout this process. This new structure allows LSU to meet the demands of today, and ensures our system continues to serve Louisiana.”

Attorney General Liz Murrill shared a statement, saying, “Congratulations to new @LSU President Wade Rousse and Baton Rouge Campus Provost and Chancellor Jim Dalton. As a two-time LSU alum, I know the future is bright for LSU, and I look forward to working with them both. #ForeverLSU”

The search for LSU’s next leader was narrowed down to three finalists last week. Candidates included Dalton, Rousse and former University of Arizona president Robert Robbins.

The search for a new president was launched after former president William F. Tate IV stepped down from the role to take a job to lead Rutgers University. Search committee members sought candidates who could lead the charge in positioning LSU, which has eight campuses statewide, as one of the nation’s top public research universities.

A press conference with university leaders is scheduled for 3 p.m. Watch university leaders’ remarks live in this article.

What we know about LSU’s new leaders

Facts about Wade Rousse:

• He serves as the eighth president of McNeese State University in Lake Charles.
• McNeese increased enrollment for the first time in 14 years in Rousse’s first year as president.
• McNeese’s Foundation assets grew from $95 million to $120 million under his leadership.
• He secured an $8 million public-private partnership for the Liquefied Natural Gas Center of Excellence.
• Before his career in education, he was a partner and co-founder of a marine logistics firm in Louisiana and later founded an alternative investment company.
• Earned his Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his MBA from the University of New Orleans and graduated with a bachelor’s in business at Nicholls State University.

Facts about James Dalton:

• Dalton has served as executive vice president and provost at the University of Alabama since 2020.
• He established the UA Teaching Academy and restructured the College of Continuing Studies into the Office of Teaching Innovation and Digital Education.
• The university achieved a 60% increase in sponsored research awards under his leadership.
• He previously served as the dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Michigan.
• Dalton earned his Ph.D and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Ohio State University after graduating with a bachelor’s in pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.

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