The search for LSU’s next president has come to an end, WAFB is reporting.
On Tuesday, Nov. 4, Wade Rousse was selected as the 29th President of Louisiana State University during an LSU Board of Supervisors meeting.
Wade Rousse, Ph.D.(LSU)Rousse, who currently serves as the President at McNeese State University at the time of selection, said the following about the opportunity during his final comments at the meeting, the station reports.
To read the whole story, click here.
There was a press conference Tuesday afternoon to introduce Rousse and the new Chancellor, James Dalton. Here's the video of that presser:
Here's the release from LSU:
BATON ROUGE–The LSU Board of Supervisors has appointed Wade Rousse, Ph.D., as the President of the Louisiana State University System, and James Dalton, Ph.D., as Executive Vice President of the LSU System and Chancellor of the Flagship A&M campus in Baton Rouge.
“It is rare during a national search to find not one but two candidates who align on the same vision and whose different backgrounds complement and benefit the entire university system,” said Scott Ballard, Chair of the LSU Board of Supervisors.
With that in mind, the LSU Board of Supervisors has approved a return to an organizational structure that both separates and integrates these roles, positioning LSU for continued growth and success.
This change allows the President to focus on systemwide oversight and strategic initiatives, while the Chancellor will concentrate on academic excellence, research advancement, and LSU’s goal of becoming a top 50 Research University and achieving AAU eligibility.
“The decision to split these two roles had been under consideration since I became board chair,” said Ballard. “During the search for a new President, it became clear to the Board that these candidates’ unique strengths and shared vision presented an opportunity to strengthen LSU’s leadership structure.”
The Board’s action follows a nationwide search guided by the Presidential Search Committee, which included faculty, staff, students, alumni, and business leaders from across Louisiana. The committee prioritized identifying a transformational leader to build on LSU’s momentum in research, education, and statewide service.
About President Wade Rousse, Ph.D.
Dr. Rousse currently serves as the president of McNeese State University, where leadership efforts in shared governance, strategic planning, enrollment growth, and student success produced measurable gains—including the university’s first overall enrollment increase in 14 years, a 13% rise in first-time freshmen, and full housing occupancy for the first time in more than two decades.
Previously, Dr. Rousse served as executive vice president, vice president for university advancement, and dean of the College of Business at McNeese. Under his direction, the McNeese Foundation’s assets grew from approximately $95 million to $120 million, with more than $40 million in new funding secured, an $8 million public-private partnership for the LNG Center of Excellence established, and annual corporate sponsorships quadrupled.
“Dr. Rousse is a results-oriented leader who understands the connection between academic excellence, research innovation, and the long-term success of our state,” said Ballard. “His track record at McNeese demonstrates his ability to lead with vision, discipline, and care for the people he serves.”
Earlier in his career, Dr. Rousse held leadership and faculty roles at Northern Arizona University, including associate dean for accreditation and operations and interim director of the Alliance Bank Economic Policy Institute, and served as a policy research specialist in the Financial Markets group at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago.
A first-generation college graduate and Louisiana native, Dr. Rousse earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in economics from the University of Illinois at Chicago, an MBA from the University of New Orleans, and a B.S. in business from Nicholls State University. His research includes publications in the Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions & Moneyand Sustainability.
“LSU is more than a university—it’s a promise to the people of Louisiana,” Rousse said. “It’s where education, research, and innovation come together to strengthen our communities and our economy. I’m honored to serve and eager to build on LSU’s strong foundation to make an even greater impact on our state and beyond.”
About Chancellor James Dalton, Ph.D.
Dr. Dalton will serve as executive vice president of the LSU System and chancellor of the Flagship A&M campus, providing strategic leadership for academic excellence and student success in alignment with system-wide priorities.
“This new structure puts leadership closer to the classroom and the lab where our mission truly lives,” said LSU President Wade Rousse, Ph.D. “With Dr. Dalton leading the Flagship in Baton Rouge and overseeing the AgCenter, the LSU Health Centers in New Orleans and Shreveport as well as Pennington Biomedical Research Center, we’re ensuring the Flagship stays focused on students and faculty while driving innovation that benefits all of Louisiana and places LSU in the top 50 Research Universities.”
In addition, LSU’s research enterprise will now report as a unified system, reflecting the collaborative strengths of our institutions.
Dalton currently serves as executive vice president and provost at the University of Alabama, where, since 2020, he has overseen 13 colleges and academic divisions with more than 2,000 faculty, 4,500 staff, and 40,000 students and an academic budget exceeding $1.2 billion. Under his leadership, Alabama implemented a new general education core, launched the UA Teaching Academy, reduced class sizes, and achieved a 60% increase in sponsored research awards.
Previously, he served as dean of the University of Michigan College of Pharmacy, where the college’s national ranking rose from No. 7 to No. 3, research expenditures doubled, and the college launched new undergraduate and master’s programs while exceeding its capital campaign goal with nearly $25 million secured. Dalton’s career also includes industry leadership as chief scientific officer and vice president for preclinical R&D at GTx, Inc., where his drug-discovery work yielded over 100 U.S. and 500 international patents and 21,000+ citations.
A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) and member of the National Academy of Medicine, Dr. Dalton earned his Ph.D. in pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at The Ohio State University after earning his B.S. in pharmacy (magna cum laude) from the University of Cincinnati.
Change During Unprecedented Success
“I was drawn to LSU by its clear academic mission and the pride this community takes in scholarship that impacts Louisiana and the world,” Dalton said. “Together, we will expand research, enhance student success, and modernize academic programs, building on unprecedented success to prepare our graduates to lead the future of this state.”
These changes come at an unprecedented time of success for the LSU system, where we saw record-breaking enrollments across nearly every campus, welcomed our largest freshman class in history at the flagship, and reached a new high in research activity, with more than half a billion dollars invested in solving some of the most urgent challenges facing our state and nation. These appointments come at a momentous time as LSU advances its statewide commitment to lead in agriculture, biomedicine, coast, defense, and energy, while continuing to expand research excellence and elevate student success across all campuses. The Board, interim leadership, and campus community thank Matt Lee for his service and leadership during the transition.
Organizational Change
The Board has granted General Counsel Trey Jones authority to begin developing changes to the system’s bylaws and regulations to provide additional organizational flexibility. While the full scope of structural changes is still being developed, the move is intended to strengthen LSU’s agility and ensure clear focus at both the system and flagship campus levels.
The Board’s decision marks a strategic step in ensuring LSU’s continued growth as a nationally recognized leader in research, education, and service. Additional details regarding organizational changes will be shared as they are finalized.
