Education
Head of the University of La. System retiring
Posted: Jul 9, 2012 4:57 PM by AP
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - The president of the University of Louisiana System, Randy Moffett, announced Monday that he is retiring from the job he's held for four years.
"While I will miss working with a tremendous board, tenacious university presidents and talented staff, I am looking forward to spending more time with my family," Moffett said in a statement.
Moffett's retirement this fall comes after a tenure marked by repeated budget cuts that have stripped more than $426 million in annual state financing from higher education in Louisiana. The UL System has lost nearly 46 percent of its state funding since 2008 and has repeatedly raised tuition on its students to fill some of the gap.
The chairman of the UL System governing board, Wayne Parker, said the board will move quickly to start the process for choosing Moffett's successor. Moffett will help with the search before he leaves.
"While I am certainly happy for him and wish him the best in retirement, his absence will be felt," Parker said.
Before being tapped for his current role in July 2008, Moffett had been president of Southeastern Louisiana University for seven years. The Louisiana native has worked in education for four decades, starting his career as a high school teacher in Jackson Parish.
The UL System is the largest of Louisiana's college systems, with 94,000 students and nine schools across the state.
During his time as system president, Moffett oversaw the selection of five university presidents and the movement of the University of New Orleans campus into the UL System.
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