In an email to faculty Monday, LSU Faculty Senate President Daniel Tirone expressed confidence in the interim leadership that’s taken over at the university in the face of several high-profile departures, including former President William Tate IV.

Tirone said he’d met with Interim President Matt Lee for over an hour on Friday discussing priorities.

“We are in good hands with Interim President Lee and I look forward to working with him,” Tirone said. “He will be an important source of stability during a chaotic time… He also has a vision for improving LSU grounded in his experience as both a faculty member and administrator.”

Lee was formerly the vice president of agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture before being appointed to the position with Tate taking a job at Rutgers as its president.

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Provost Roy Haggerty has also left LSU to take the same position at Oregon State, and Troy Blanchard has taken the position in the interim. Blanchard was previously the dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

“I know Dr. Blanchard personally and have had an opportunity to observe his leadership as a member of HSS and believe he is an excellent choice for the role,” Tirone said. “His success in promoting student success in the college is particularly noteworthy.”

In the email, Tirone also recapped the recently-concluded state legislative session, saying a bill was passed that would improve optional retirement plans for faculty, and made mention of the Legislature’s decision to transfer the University of New Orleans back into the LSU system. He also noted that no funds were offered for faculty raises in the Legislature’s budget.

Tirone is an associate professor of political science at LSU.