A number of University administration positions remain vacant, despite efforts to name candidates to fill them.
In the past year, deans of six colleges at the University and the dean of libraries have stepped down or have announced they plan to step down during the academic year. Some have chosen to retire, others have taken positions at other schools and some have taken up different positions within the University, according to University Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Stuart Bell.
Of these seven positions, three interim replacements have been appointed.
Additionally, four other positions in the University’s administration remain empty or will be within the next two semesters.
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent was the most recent administrator to announce he is leaving the University. Vincent announced in May that he would take the role of associate commissioner for Communications with the Southeastern Conference.
An SEC spokesman said Vincent will begin work with the conference in September.
Bell said a committee to search for and nominate a successor to Vincent’s position has been formed, and the search process is already under way.
The search process is complicated, Bell said, and it normally takes about a year to go through the steps of forming a committee, identifying candidates and approving them.
As a result, search
committees have been formed for most of the positions that will become vacant by the end of the year.
Bell said search committees have not been made for some positions because the University is considering restructuring them as part of the reorganization process and is waiting for recommendations from the Transition Advisory Team before trying to fill them. This is the case for the position of dean of libraries, held in the interim by Elaine Smyth after Jennifer Cargill’s retirement in February.
“We wanted to see what TAT recommended with regard to libraries,” Bell said. “We want to do a better job to integrate our position in order to be more LSU- and state-serving.”
A number of positions in University administration remain vacant, despite efforts to name candidates to fill them.
In the past year, deans of six colleges at the University and the dean of libraries have stepped down or have announced they plan to step down during the academic year. Some have chosen to retire, others have taken positions at other schools and some have taken up different positions within the University, according to University Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Stuart Bell.
Of these seven positions, three interim replacements have been appointed.
Additionally, four other positions in the University’s administration remain empty or will be within the next two semesters.
Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations and Senior Associate Athletic Director Herb Vincent was the most recent administrator to announce he is leaving the University. Vincent announced in May that he would take the role of Associate Commissioner for Communications with the Southeastern Conference.
An SEC spokesman said Vincent will begin work with the conference in September.
Bell said a committee to search for and nominate a successor to Vincent’s position has been formed, and that the search process is already underway.
The search process is complicated, Bell said, and it normally takes about a year to go through the steps of forming a committee, identifying candidates and getting them approved.
As a result, search committees have been formed for most of the positions that will become vacant by the end of the year.
Bell said search committees have not been made for some positions because the University is considering restructuring them as part of the reorganization process and is waiting for recommendations from the Transition Advisory Team before trying to fill them. This is the case for the position of dean of libraries, held in the interim by Elaine Smyth after Jennifer Cargill’s retirement in February.
“We wanted to see what TAT recommended with regard to libraries,” Bell said. “We want to do a better job to integrate our position in order to be more LSU- and state-serving.”
Gaines Foster, dean for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, and Kenneth Koonce, dean for the College of Agriculture, both announced they would step down from their deanships April 9. Koonce will retire, while Foster will return to his history professorship and while also conducting research. A search for Foster’s replacement is underway, while the administration is deliberating on TAT recommendations regarding Koonce’s position.
Peter Haynes, dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine, will step down in December. The search process for his replacement is underway.
Eli Jones, former dean for the College of Business, accepted a deanship at the University of Arkansas in February. Dick White is serving as interim dean, but a permanent replacement is expected to be named by May.
Kevin Carman, former dean for the College of Science, accepted the position of provost and executive vice president at the University of Nevada in October 2012. Guillermo Ferreyra is serving as interim dean. Though the search committee was reported to be narrowing down a list of candidates last April, Bell said the search is still ongoing.
Jennifer Cargill, former dean of Libraries, retired in February, and was replaced by interim dean Elaine Smyth. Administration is waiting for recommendations from TAT before proceeding with the search for a replacement.
Laurence Kaptain, former dean for the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, has taken a new role with the University as Director for Creative Initiatives. He has been replaced by interim dean Kristin Sosnowsky.
Robert Kuhn, vice provost and associate vice chancellor and interim CFO, announced that he would retire in March. Bell said administration is currently unsure if they will replace his positions or if they will be restructured.
Thomas Klei, interim vice chancellor for research and economic development, has been replaced permanently by K. T. Valsaraj. Klei will return to his former position as a professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine.
Herb Vincent, associate vice chancellor for University Relations and senior associate athletic director, will take the position of associate commissioner for communications for the SEC in September. The search process is currently underway. No interim replacement has yet been announced.
Robert Doolos, University registrar, announced his retirement in May. The search for a replacement is underway, with administrators looking to name a replacement in time for his retirement.