The remaining candidates prepared speeches on why they would be the best fit for LSU’s next president.

Today we heard from Matt Lee, current interim president at LSU, McNeese president Wade Rousse, Giovanni Piedimente from Tulane, former Arizona president Robert Robbins, and University of Alabama provost James Dalton. Dalton was added as an additional applicant just this morning, making him a contender in the run for president.

The search committee is looking for a determined individual who wants to help LSU rise in the ranks. As of right now, LSU is ranked No. 92 among public schools in the country. The search committee has made it clear that the next president should strive to put LSU in the top 50 for public schools in the nation.

“It’s important to be careful about enrollment management, making sure that we’re bringing students in who are suited to be successful here and I look at it from the standpoint that if we are going to admit a student to LSU, we’ve got to do everything that we can to make sure they’ve got a path out of here with a degree in their hand and a line on a job,” one of three finalists James Dalton said.

The top three candidates were finalized at the end of the evening, leaving Wade Rousse, Robert Robbins, and James Dalton as the top contenders. On Oct. 30, 31, and Nov. 3, there will be campus visits where students and faculty will have the opportunity to ask additional questions to the finalists.

The final president of LSU will be chosen on Nov. 4.