After more than 35 years of service to UL, and nearly 50 years of service to Louisiana higher education, Joseph Savoie is stepping down from the President's office.
He’s been president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette since 2008. Prior to that, he served as Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education for 12 years. He came to that job from UL, where he served in several roles over 18 years, culminating in Vice President of University Advancement.
Here's a release from the University:
Dr. Joseph Savoie is stepping down as president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette following a transformational 17-year tenure. Savoie, a two-time UL Lafayette graduate and its sixth president, has been named president emeritus by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. His last day as president is Thursday.
Dr. Jaimie Hebert, the University’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs for the past seven years, will serve as interim president during the search for a permanent successor.
The UL System Board of Supervisors approved Savoie’s new role as president emeritus and Hebert’s service as interim president during a special meeting on Wednesday. As president emeritus, Savoie will work to strengthen external collaborations with alumni, supporters, community partners and other stakeholders.
Dr. Rick Gallot, president and CEO of the University of Louisiana System, called Savoie “a once-in-a-generation leader who has served his alma mater faithfully and well during a period of extraordinary change and challenge.”
“As president and in the various roles he’s held throughout his career, Dr. Savoie has always put the needs of students first. I have no doubt he will continue to do so in his new role as president emeritus. UL Lafayette and the state of Louisiana owe him a great deal of thanks for his lifetime commitment to higher education,” Gallot said.
In a letter Wednesday to the campus community, Savoie called serving as UL Lafayette’s president since 2008 “the honor of my life, the culmination of a long and happy relationship with a special place that we all share.” He expressed appreciation to the University’s faculty, staff, students, alumni, supporters and community partners as he reflected on the past 17 years. “I am so proud of what we have achieved together,” Savoie wrote.
He continued: “I reached the decision to transition to this new position after months of careful consideration. Higher education has changed immensely in the past two decades. The expectations on colleges and universities are as great as they have ever been and meeting those responsibilities to our community today – and to generations that follow – requires new ideas and fresh approaches. I owe it to this institution that has given me so much, personally and professionally, to make way for the future.”
Significant advancements in academic excellence, campus infrastructure, research capabilities and community engagement marked Savoie’s presidency.
UL Lafayette earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 classification, placing it among the top 5% of the nation’s research institutions. It surpassed $250 million in externally funded research for the first time, launched the largest comprehensive fundraising campaign in its history, implemented a master plan for campus growth, introduced new undergraduate and graduate degree programs, and opened its Health Sciences Campus.
Savoie also oversaw major enhancements to campus, including the expansion and renovation of academic buildings, research centers, student housing, athletic facilities, and the construction of Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium and the Student Union.
Before he was president, Savoie was Louisiana’s commissioner of higher education for 12 years. In that role, he served in the cabinets of three Louisiana governors and championed student accessibility and affordability.
He previously served his alma mater as its first vice president for University Advancement, executive director of the Alumni Association, program director for the Union Program Council, student government adviser and adjunct assistant professor.
Savoie earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UL Lafayette. He also holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College in New York.
Like Savoie, Dr. Jaimie Hebert has deep ties to the campus community. An Abbeville, La., native, Hebert holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees – all in statistics – from the University. He has been provost and vice president for Academic Affairs since 2018. Before returning to his alma mater, Hebert held leadership roles at several institutions, including serving as president of Georgia Southern University and as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs at Sam Houston State University.
As UL Lafayette’s provost, Hebert oversaw the development and implementation of the University’s strategic plan, guided academic program growth and accreditation, and championed student success and faculty achievement. “Empowering the continued success of his alma mater and its students, and faculty and staff members is at the heart of all that he does,” Savoie said of Hebert in his letter to campus. “With all of you working alongside him, the momentum of achievement that we have built together will continue. I am sure of it.”
Hebert lauded Savoie for his “transformational and selfless service.”
“For 17 years, he led with vision, humor, determination and a deep affection for this place and the people and state it serves. We are all beneficiaries of Dr. Savoie’s leadership, and all that we do moving forward builds on the strong foundation he helped create,” Hebert said.
Savoie is a graduate of UL, where he earned his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. He earned his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership and Administration from Columbia University Teacher’s College in New York.
He also served as an adjunct assistant professor, program director and student government adviser, as well as executive director of the Alumni Association.
In a video made when he was first appointed, Savoie talked about the importance of education in a community.
“Education is the great emancipator. It changes lives. It makes a difference, particularly for first generation students. We see it all the time, families who have struggled for years and for generations and then all of a sudden a kid gets a college degree, gets a good job and it just changes the whole nature of their life and the quality of their life. They’re able to provide for their children, contribute to their community,” he said.
He also talked about what he believed his job, as president, was.
“I think the president’s responsibility is not only about dealing with the issues of today, but thinking about tomorrow and what the university may need 10, 20, 30 years from now when you may not be around but you’re putting in place those things that are necessary for it to continue to grow and progress. So hopefully, many years from now, people will look back and say “the place is better.” And if that occurs, I will have done my job.”
Just this year, he appeared on the La Louisiane podcast to talk about his goals for 2025. He talked about plans for the Health Sciences Campus, new buildings and renovations of existing ones, and even about planting more of the beautiful oaks that grace the university’s campus.
“Well, we've got a lot of momentum going. And one of the interesting things about momentum, and I've heard about it and read about it, but I'm now witnessing it, it kind of feeds on itself, and people get excited, and they start accomplishing things, and so they want to keep that going, and others see it, and they want to be a part of it,” Savoie said. “So, my biggest job is not to mess that up. It’s to make sure that we keep the environment that encourages people to reach and stretch and try to do better and more. So, I just don't want to mess that up. But we have it now. This is a very exciting time for the University. Enrollment continues to grow, facilities continue to improve, new academic programs continue to come online. We're more and more engaged with the community. I just see good things happening.”
Here's the video the university made when he was first appointed:
And here's a video from earlier this year:
