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Searches move ahead for campus chiefs at LSU Shreveport and Alexandria

Kate Archer Kent

After delays, LSU Shreveport and Alexandria are moving forward with their searches to find new campus chancellors. Both universities are retaining the same consultant at Washington, D.C.-based AGB Search. Retired LSU Shreveport dean David Gustavson is chairing the search committee in Shreveport. Interim chancellor Paul Sisson took over last summer. Gustavson said he thinks it’s a good thing that the same consultant is working on behalf of both campuses.

“It may be to our advantage to have both of those searches going on at the same time. It could call some attention to the system, and hopefully we’ll get qualified people and good folks in both of those spots," Gustavson said.

Gustavson is currently reviewing a draft of the position description. Advertising for the chancellor job will begin next month, he said, with a closing date of Oct. 18. At the beginning of the process, there will be some off-site meetings with potential applicants. Gustavson said that will preserve anonymity and attract a larger pool of talent.

“If we don’t guarantee some confidentiality in the process -- at least in the early stages -- we probably eliminate lots of qualified applicants," Gustavson said.

Gustavson is concerned that the chancellor’s salary is set too low and it will be a hurdle in the search. He said the new chancellor will be most challenged by recruitment goals and the financial position of the university. LSU President and Chancellor F. King Alexander will interview the three to five candidates recommended by the search committee. If all goes as planned, he’ll name the new chancellor of LSUS during the second quarter of next year.