University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors Chair Liz Pierre is announcing the Southeastern Louisiana University Presidential Search Committee. The group is responsible for reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and recommending finalists for the presidency. The finalists will ultimately be interviewed and a president selected by the full UL System Board of Supervisors.

“I look forward to working with my fellow Board members and these community members with deep and varied ties to Southeastern,” Chair Pierre said. “The university is a pillar for the area, and the non-voting committee members’ unique perspectives will inform us throughout the selection process.”

UL System President and CEO Jim Henderson will chair the committee as a non-voting member. The committee includes select System Board members and the Southeastern Faculty Senate president as voting members as well as non-voting community members to serve in an advisory capacity.

“During the past six years we have developed an open and transparent search process that engages the university community and results in the selection of a mission-focused leader not only qualified to lead a university, but well-suited to lead this university,” Dr. Henderson said. “Our goal: to choose the leader whose impact on the university and community will be felt for generations.”

The committee’s first meeting is public and will take place Feb. 15 at 1 p.m. in the Cate Teacher Education Center Lecture Hall, Room 1021-22 on Southeastern’s campus and will be streamed live on the UL System YouTube Channel. During that meeting the committee will vote to accept their charge and the search timeline after hearing from the university’s constituencies. Information regarding the search will be housed on the System’s website at ulsystem.edu/southeastern-search.

The Presidential Search Committee is made up of the following members:

• Dr. Jim Henderson, Search Committee Chair and UL System President, non-voting
• Liz Pierre, UL System Board Chair
• Dr. Jimmy Clarke, UL System Board Vice Chair
• Brad Stevens, UL System Board Parliamentarian
• Ethan Estis, UL System Student Board Member
• Jo Lethermon, UL System Board Member
• Al Perkins, UL System Board Member
• Julie Stokes, UL System Board Member
• Dr. Erin Horzelski, Southeastern Faculty Senate President
• Toby Cortez, Southeastern Foundation President, non-voting
• Louis Nick Joseph, Community Representative, non-voting
• Stephanie Stafford Kropog, Southeastern Alumni Association President, non-voting
• Wallace Lewis, Southeastern Foundation Board Member, non-voting
• Baileigh Picou, Southeastern SGA President, non-voting
• Carla Tate, Community Representative, non-voting
• Allen Waddell, Southeastern Athletic Foundation Chairman, non-voting

President John Crain announced his intent to retire at the end of this academic year. He became the university’s 14th president in Februrary 2009 after having served as Interim President from July 2008. Prior to being named President, Crain served seven years as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Southeastern and before that as a faculty member in the Department of Accounting, including two years as President of the Faculty Senate and two years as Department Head.

ABOUT THE UL SYSTEM: The University of Louisiana System is the largest higher education system in Louisiana enrolling more than 92,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe and the University of New Orleans.