In LSU’s 161-year history, the University’s presidential position has never been held by a woman. As the search for a new president is ongoing, the University’s female students seem to unilaterally agree that qualified female candidates should be strongly considered for the role by the Presidential Search Committee.
Psychology and English junior Angelina Cantelli is running for Student Government vice president this spring alongside presidential candidate Mia Lejeune. The two students are campaigning under the slogan “It’s Time,” calling for the student body to elect the University’s first all-female ticket. Cantelli believes that, similarly, a woman should be strongly considered for LSU’s administrative presidential role.
“I think that would be huge for women on this campus,” Cantelli said. “To know and see that a woman is strong enough to lead a university and that this University believes that by hiring one. Obviously, the best candidate for the job should be hired. But considering women shows that they can be just as good candidates as men.”
Cantelli said she is confident there are many qualified women who could hold the position, and she wants to see them equally considered by the committee and have a seat at the table.
“If they’re left out of the conversation when it comes to choosing who will be the next person to fulfill that job, it would be a grave injustice to women everywhere,” Cantelli said.
In terms of problems the University is facing, Cantelli said she believes a female president could be pivotal in advancing LSU’s agenda toward protecting students and putting their best interest at the forefront of the conversation.
“I think having a female president would restore confidence to a lot of women on this campus,” Cantelli said. “Having a female president would show that as a woman she understands what it’s like to be in college and to fear for your safety just because of your gender. Having someone in that position who knows those things would be comforting to students.”
Mass communication freshman Emma Trigg said she agrees LSU should strongly consider hiring a woman during this critical time where students highly distrust administration, and it could help push the University in the right direction.
“Women should be in just as many positions as men,” Trigg said. “I think it’s important to have that representation. More than half of LSU’s population is female, so why can’t a female lead us?”
Trigg said that a female president would be able to relate to the unsolved issues that many women face at LSU. Over the course of LSU’s entire history, male students have had a leader able to stand up for any unique problems they may have faced, she said, but women have never experienced that same type of leadership in the presidential role.
“I would want someone who is not afraid to speak out, because I think it would be a very hard job, not only to be the president but to be the first woman president,” Trigg said. “Someone who’s not afraid to go against men who might be bringing her down and really focus on what’s right for the whole university.”
Political science, Spanish and international studies junior Abbie Grace Milligan, who is running for Student Government vice president, said she believes there should be plenty of female candidates in the pool the Presidential Search Committee chooses from, but that ultimately the most qualified person should receive the job.
“I think LSU should always have a wide range of candidates for administrative positions, whether that be a diversity of genders or a diversity of races,” Milligan said. “We see too often candidate lists that are overwhelmingly white, male, and older. [Provost] Stacia Haynie is a great example of what happens when females are placed in top administrative positions. She has always shown immense passion for students and a genuine interest in making their LSU experience better.”
Haynie has served as executive vice president and provost since May 2018 after serving as dean for the College of Humanities & Social Sciences for several years. She has been a member of the LSU community since 1990. Her role as vice president will not change based on the presidential search.
Biochemistry junior Labia Iqbal said that “female” shouldn’t even be a category when considering presidential candidates, as gender shouldn’t play a role in determining if someone is more or less qualified to hold a certain position. She does believe, however, that a woman could offer unique insights into the daily problems LSU female students face.
“That would be extremely monumental and I would love to see that happen during my time here,” Iqbal said.
Search Committee Chair James Williams said that the committee is in a unique position to consider candidates from all backgrounds, including women, because the committee itself is made up of a diverse group of individuals.
According to a Division of Strategic Communications email sent on Oct. 14, 2020, the 20 members of the committee represent the “different ethnicities, genders, academic disciplines, occupations, geographical regions and constituencies whose input is vital to selecting the next leader of LSU.”
Parker Executive Search was commissioned by the board shortly after the committee was formed to conduct the majority of candidate interviews and determine who should be in the final pool presented to the Presidential Search Committee. Williams said this firm was chosen in part because of its commitment to choosing diverse candidates. He noted that the two individuals leading up the search at the firm are both women.
“This committee gave explicit instructions to the search firm that we want to see a diverse pool of candidates, we want to see female candidates,” Williams said. “We don’t want to see the same old candidates.”
On the note of changing the culture at LSU after Title IX issues were revealed in the Husch Blackwell report, Williams noted that “just because you are a woman, it doesn’t mean you are committed to irradicating these issues [of sexual assault]. Just because you are a man doesn’t mean you are not.”
Several of the employees implicated in Husch Blackwell’s findings were women, including Senior Associate Athletic Director Miriam Segar, who has been temporarily suspended, and Co-head Tennis Coach Julia Sell.
“What’s most important is that we select an individual who is committed to the culture change we are insisting on,” Williams said. “Certainly a female president would have a unique perspective to contribute as we make this monumental change.”
Dr. Gabriel Gonzales, who serves as the vice chair of the committee, said they are focused now more than ever on selecting a diverse individual to fulfill the University’s presidential position.
“It’s the right next step,” Cantelli said. “People should be ready to accept that.”