Eight Professionals Form Initial Pool of Applicants for Southeastern Presidency
BATON ROUGE, La. – Eight individuals are in the initial pool of applicants vying to become president of Southeastern Louisiana University in Hammond.
The applicants are:
- David Bejou, Dean of the School of Business, Virginia State University. Bejou earned his Ph.D. in Business Administration from the University of Memphis.
- John L. Crain, Interim President of Southeastern Louisiana University. Crain earned his Ph.D. in Accountancy from University of Mississippi.
- Harley d’Entremont, Former Director of Academic Staff Relations and Academic Vice President (Francophone Affairs), Laurentian University, Ontario. D’Entremont earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at The University of Western Ontario.
- Jimmy H. Ishee, Dean of the School of Health Sciences at Texas Woman’s University. Ishee earned a Ph.D. in Movement Science and Physical Education at Florida State University.
- Stephen L. Jones, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs with the U.S. Department of Defense, Health Affairs. Jones earned a Doctor of Health Administration at the Medical University of South Carolina.
- Michael D. Parsons, Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of South Carolina Beaufort. Parsons earned a Ph.D. in Higher Education at Indiana University.
- F. Lamar Pritchard, Dean of the College of Pharmacy at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. Pritchard received his Ph.D. in Pharmacy at University of Georgia.
- Gregory S. Sojka, Special Projects Consultant to the Board of Trustees, University of Rio Grande. Sojka earned a Ph.D. in English at Indiana University.
The full resumes and cover letters for each applicant are available at www.ulsystem.edu.
“I’m pleased with the quality and variety of applicants that our national search has produced so far. This bodes well for our success in securing the best possible leader for Southeastern,” said UL System President Randy Moffett, non-voting chair of the search committee.
Voting members of the 10-member committee include UL System Board Members Andre Coudrain of Hammond, Elsie Burkhalter of Slidell, Russell Mosely of Baton Rouge, Wayne Parker of Ruston, Winfred Sibille of Sunset, and Student Board Member Morgan Verrette of Lake Charles.
Also serving as a voting member is Southeastern Faculty Senate Representative Joseph Burns. Serving in a non-voting, advisory capacity are Southeastern Student Government Association President Zealon Solomon and community representative Daryl Ferrara who was selected by the Hammond Chamber of Commerce.
The committee is expected to meet in January to consider applicants. “Although we set a December 15 preferred deadline to apply, we are likely to continue to receive applications until well into the new year,” Moffett said.
After naming a final cadre of candidates, the committee will hold public interviews on the Southeastern campus. The UL System’s goal is to name a new president by mid-spring.
With more than 15,000 students, Southeastern is Louisiana’s third largest public university. The university was recently named “a great college to work for” by the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Since 1990, Southeastern has been one of the fastest growing universities in the state, with an enrollment growth that has exceeded the state average. At the same time, the university increased admission requirements and its regional and statewide profile. This fall, the percentage of incoming freshmen with an ACT of 24 or above increased 19 percent.
The university is a catalyst for economic development along I-12, playing a central role in workforce development, strategic partnerships, the generation and transfer of ideas and technology and enhancing the quality of life in communities throughout the region.
For more information about the Southeastern search, including the advertisement placed in local and national publications and an independent review of the Southeastern campus, visit the UL System’s website at www.ulsystem.edu and click on the Southeastern search icon.
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The largest university system in Louisiana, the UL System enrolls approximately 80,000 students at the following eight universities: Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and University of Louisiana at Monroe.
