The Southern University System’s Board of Supervisors announced today it has tapped Ray Belton to take over as the system’s president and chancellor, effective July 1.
Belton, who has been chancellor at Southern University Shreveport since 2000, was among two finalists for the job. After interviewing him and Ivory Toldson—who is deputy director of the White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities—the board voted 13-1 to select the Shreveport native to lead the SU system and its Baton Rouge campus.
“It is an absolute honor to be afforded this occasion to serve this board and to serve this institution to whom I remain indebted,” Belton says in a prepared statement. “As president and chancellor of the Southern University System, I will give my all.”
Belton replaces Ronald Mason Jr., who is leaving the position on June 30 to become president of the University of the District of Columbia. In March, the SU board voted to consolidate the positions of system president and Baton Rouge chancellor.
Belton is a graduate of Southern University Shreveport and Southern University Baton Rouge. He has a master’s in counseling from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.
“We will build a leadership team that will advance the evolution of this enterprise [Southern University System],” Belton says. “This enterprise will be known for its contributions to this state and to this nation.”
