Fall semester begins with four new deans supplanting the long-standing interims of their respective schools.
The new deans are for the College of Agriculture, the College of Music and Dramatic Arts, the Paul M. Hebert Law Center and the Manship School of Mass Communication. They were named starting at the end of the spring semester through the summer.
On the other side of things, two colleges are now under the administration of interim deans: the College of Engineering and the College of the Coast and Environment.
All but one of the new deans fill vacancies of at least two years. Senior Vice Provost Jane Cassidy said that’s because of transitions in LSU’s upper administration. Deans are hired by the provost, who they directly report to, with some input from the university president. The current provost, Roy Haggerty, was hired in August 2022.
“That’s the best way to do it is to have the very most senior leadership in place and then hire the leadership team underneath them,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy, who’s witnessed the hiring of all current deans, said it’s a little unusual for four deans to be hired concurrently, but that the university is generally in a search for one or two deans at any given time.
These dean searches are thorough, she added, generally lasting from six to nine months and even up to a year. The university employed multiple firms specifically tasked with finding, researching and contacting candidates.
Contenders meet with committees of faculty and students from their prospective college. These committees complete surveys that find preferred candidates. There’s public forums, and candidates undergo many interviews with a few interest groups and the university’s upper administration. It’s a stressful process to coordinate on the university’s side, Cassidy said.
Even once a dean is named, it can still take some time before they begin their post. If they’re coming from another state, they have to wrap up their work and relocate.
Cassidy said the number one reason the need for an interim dean emerges is because the more permanent dean of the college is nearing retirement, thus seeking to relinquish administrative duties.
The current wave of deans were all hired with LSU President William F. Tate IV’s “scholarship first” agenda in mind, Cassidy said. To be considered, Cassidy said, candidates needed to be “good scholars in their fields” with administrative experience.
“I wish students understood how important this was to them,” Cassidy said. “The dean is in charge of hiring the faculty that teach you. They are the architects for you and your college, they have to be great advocates for your college.”
Often, undergraduate students don’t recognize the amount of guidance a dean can have on their college’s direction, Cassidy said, both while students are enrolled and years past graduation.
Alumni are the biggest source of a college’s prestige, she said, but deans are responsible for creating many of the opportunities students leverage to succeed, like seizing grants or opening programs
“It’s the dean’s responsibility to make sure people know how good the education is so that people know how good the school is, how good the education is so that students can get jobs,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy and Kristine Sanders, interim vice president of communication and university relations, provided information regarding the university’s new deans and interim deans:
College of Agriculture
Matt Lee became dean of the College of Agriculture on April 4. Prior to becoming dean, he served as the interim dean of the college for seven months. Another interim dean, Luke Laborde, preceded him for a year. The AgCenter’s last long-term dean was Bill Richardson, who returned to the faculty shortly after Tate became president.
Prior to serving as interim dean, Lee was LSU’s interim vice president and provost and worked in the university’s administration and as a research administrator.
Lee has a background in social science; he earned both his doctorate and master’s from LSU.
College of Music and Dramatic Arts
Eric Lau started his term as dean of the College of Music and Dramatic Arts on July 1. There had been an interim dean since January 2021,Kristin Sosnowsky, who’s since returned to her job as an associate dean of the college.
The last permanent dean of the college, Todd Queen, left LSU to pursue a job at another university.
Lau was previously dean of the University of New Mexico’s Honors College and University College where he secured record funding for the university’s music department.
Lau earned his bachelor’s from LSU and is a Tiger Band alumnus. He’s an active saxophonist and performer who’s played across the United States, Europe and Latin America.
Paul M. Hebert Law Center
Alena Allen’s term as dean began on July 17. LSU Law had been under an interim dean, Lee Ann Lockridge, since January 2020 after then dean, Tom Galligan, was named the university president. Both Lockridge and Galligan have returned to the law faculty. She is LSU Law’s first Black dean.
Allen was previously a professor and interim dean at the University of Arkansas School of Law. She’s also worked as the deputy director of the Association of American Law Schools.
Allen earned her bachelor’s from Loyola and her law degree from Yale Law School.
Manship School of Mass Communication
Kim Bissell is the new dean of the Manship School as of July 24. She relieves Josh Grimm, who became interim dean in October 2020 after Dean Martin Johnson died of a heart attack. Grimm has since returned to the faculty. Bissell is the college’s first female dean.
Bissell was an associate dean of research and communications professor at the University of Alabama for over 20 years. She’s worked as a reporter and photojournalist in various cities.
Bissell earned her doctorate from Syracuse University and a master’s from Binghamton University.
College of Engineering (Interim Dean)
Judy Wornat returns to the faculty after a year as interim dean and over six years as dean for the College of Engineering.
Karsten Thompson began his term as interim dean on May 29. Thompson has a background in chemical engineering and previously chaired the petroleum engineering department.
College of the the Coast and Environment (Interim Dean)
Chris D’Elia, who was the dean of the College of College of the Coast and Environment for 14 years, has returned to the faculty.
The current interim dean is Clint Willson, who started on July 1. Willson has a background in environmental and civil engineering. He’s also the director of the Center for River Studies.
Matt Lee was named dean of the College of Agriculture on April 4. He'd previously served as interim dean at the college for about seven months.
