BATON ROUGE, La. — The University of Louisiana at Lafayette Presidential Search Committee met Thursday morning to review the 12 candidates vying to become the university’s next leader, narrowing the field to three semifinalists.
Faculty Senate President Leah Orr announced the names of the selected semifinalists: Hitesh Rai Kathuria, Ramesh Kolluru, and Richard Ludwick.
UL Student Government President Onyeka Nwaezeapu, who serves on the committee, say campus community voices have played an active role in the selection process. “The fact that a student was there, a member of faculty was there, a member of the staff was there, and then a lot of community leaders around too who may or may not have heard from the candidates before or heard of them, they got to put their perspective in as well,” Nwaezeapu said.
During the meeting, mechanical engineering professor Terrence Chambers voiced his public support for interim president Ramesh Kolluru, citing Kolluru’s leadership in maintaining the university’s R1 research designation. “Obviously, we need someone who can bring us through this fiscal crisis, but then we're looking for someone who has strong leadership qualities and can bring the university to the next level,” Chambers said.
The next stage in the process moves from Baton Rouge to Lafayette, where on-campus interviews will be held for all three semifinalists. “The other two we don't know as well yet, so it'll be interesting to see what their vision for UL Lafayette is once they're here and can tell us more about it,” Orr said.
Committee members expressed confidence in the finalists and the direction they will provide for the university. “I think whoever they choose will actually change a lot of things — make new traditions, break old ones, and definitely create their own successful path,” Nwaezeapu said.
The final selection will be presented at a special board meeting scheduled for February 27.
This story was reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
