LSU Board of Supervisors member Blake Chatelain, who chaired the presidential search committee, today defended the secretive search for LSU’s next leader, saying it allowed the committee to identify a top-flight candidate in F. King Alexander.
“If the goal is to find a qualified candidate,” he says, “we have to maintain a closed process.”
Alexander, president of California State University Long Beach, was recommended by the committee as the lone finalist to be LSU’s next president. His identity was revealed at the LSU Board of Supervisors meeting that followed a meeting of the presidential search committee this morning. The board expects to consider his candidacy at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 27. If hired, Alexander will lead both the LSU system and the main campus in Baton Rouge.
Alexander was not necessarily the top candidate at the beginning of the process to find LSU’s next leader, but eventually rose to the top, one presidential search committee member said during today’s hearing, adding the search process allowed the committee to reach a clear consensus.
Chatelain says the committee conducted an extensive nationwide search without political interference. Alexander will be made available for campus visits with faculty, students and constituents over the next week or so, Chatelain adds.
Alexander was described as a candidate who understands the tradition of higher education, but also understands the changing marketplace. He was described by the committee today as a great listener, data-driven, as well as a collaborative leader who’s optimistic about the future of LSU.
“Dr. King Alexander is a young and dynamic leader with valuable experience,” says Charles Reed, chancellor emeritus with California State University. “He is a winner for LSU and the people of Louisiana.” Added Constantine W. “Danos” Curris, former president of Clemson and president emeritus of American Association of State Colleges and Universities: “King Alexander is one of the brightest, most capable young university presidents in the country.”
CSULB, which Alexander has led since 2005, has about 36,000 students, and is the third-largest university in California. Alexander was president of Murray State University in Kentucky from 2001 until 2005, and also has held positions at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana; University of Wisconsin, Madison; and University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
Alexander was born in Louisville, Ky., and was raised in Gainesville, Fla. He received his B.A. from St. Lawrence University in New York, a master’s of science from the University of Oxford in England, and a doctorate of philosophy, majoring in educational leadership and policy analysis, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. You can see his complete résumé here.
The presidential search committee reviewed 35 candidates, Chatelain says. The committee was looking for someone with a “proven track record” of collaboration, who “understands how important it is to understand the culture of our organization,” he adds.
The LSU Board of Supervisors fired the previous system president, John Lombardi, in April, citing his inability to work with lawmakers and stakeholders.
Officials say Alexander increased CSULB’s research and external funding capacity and support, helped to almost double the university’s endowment, and dealt with $85 million in reductions to state spending. Alexander was twice voted “President of the Year” by the California State University Student Association.
LSU has more on today’s board action here.
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication. An earlier version incorrectly attributed a comment to a LSU Board of Supervisors member that should have been attributed to Bill Cooper, a presidential search committee member. Daily Report regrets the error.
