The search for the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette is well underway. The current interim president, Dr. Ramesh Kolluru, seems to be the preferred candidate for the job based on public opinion displayed at the inaugural search committee meeting held by UL Lafayette’s Board of Supervisors.
The meeting, held on Jan. 14, was live streamed on Youtube for public viewing. Though this meeting for finding the University’s next president was not intended to promote any specific candidate, several speakers backed Kolluru during the public hearing portion.
During this segment, speakers emphasized a desire for a president who would continue to lead us as a research institution and has the drive to see the University through challenging times. Dr. Lisa Broussard, dean of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences, named Kolluru as someone she believes is up for the job. She explained the University needs someone with “a true understanding of what the needs of our state and our region are.” She added, “I feel like Dr. Kolluru does have that really strong background.”
Kolluru was appointed as the interim president in November 2025. Before being named as interim president, he was the University’s vice president for Research, Innovation and Economic Development. Under his leadership, the University established three national research centers and obtained the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education’s R1 status.
According to the University of Louisiana System’s website, the committee will meet again in Baton Rouge on Feb. 19 to review applicant materials and to select semifinalists. On Feb. 23 and 24, interviews will be held on campus for semifinalists and finalists will be selected after. On Feb. 27, finalists will be presented to the UL System Board of Supervisors and interviewed.
There are nine search committee members that will be able to vote during this process, most of which are UL System board supervisors. There are 11 nonvoting search committee members, composed of university leaders, alumni and community members.
The UL System announced it would be forming a presidential search committee for the University in December 2025. This announcement came after speculation that the UL System board would name a president without allowing wider input, which would have deviated from the traditional procedure for presidential selection used by other schools in the system and the system’s own rules.
According to the UL System rules for selecting a president after an incumbent president decides to retire or resign, the chair of the Board of Supervisors must appoint a search committee of at least six members of the board and a faculty member of the University. Rick Gallot, the system president, serves as the nonvoting chair of the search committee. As its first order of business, the search committee must then create a timeline for the search process mentioned earlier.
The search committee must also obtain input from the Student Government Association, Faculty Senate and Alumni Association regarding the desired qualifications for candidates, as well as any input from other groups or individuals as deemed appropriate.
In July 2025, Dr. Joseph Savoie stepped down as president after 17 years. Dr. Jaimie Hebert served as UL Lafayette’s interim president from Aug. 1, before he returned to his previous role as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs after stepping down so Kolluru could be named in November 2025.
These administrative changes came in the midst of UL Lafayette’s recurring structural deficit. The new university president is expected to be named by the end of February.