Jim Henderson named Louisiana Tech president
Jim Henderson will be the 15th president of Louisiana Tech University.
The University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Wednesday evening to appoint Henderson, the current UL System president, to succeed the retiring Les Guice as Louisiana Tech president.
“I am more excited than I can possibly explain to go back to the work I love at a university, especially a university with the history, the legacy, and more importantly the potential of Louisiana Tech,” Henderson said after the vote came in.
A Shreveport native, Henderson has helmed the UL System, which comprises and governs nine public universities across the state, for nearly seven years. He was president of Northwestern State University for two years and chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College for more than five years.
Guice announced in August he would be retiring from the Tech presidency he’s held for 10 years.
“I’ve worked with Dr. Henderson for over 15 years,” Guice said earlier Wednesday before the appointment. “I’ve grown to really appreciate his vision and his hard work ethic and the way he treats people with respect. I’d feel really good if the board selects him to be president.”
Henderson was the only candidate considered for the job. On Oct. 9, the system board voted to suspend its usual search procedure -- which includes naming a search committee and gathering input from stakeholders at the university -- and instead invite Henderson to interview for the position Wednesday.
“Our board rules and bylaws never contemplated a system president being a candidate for presidency of one of our universities,” board Chair Elizabeth Pierre said. “Those bylaws and rules therefore do not provide for a procedure or a practical path forward that includes Dr. Henderson in our typical search process.”
The move drew criticism from Tech’s faculty leadership, who would normally have more direct input in the selection process and hoped to convince the board to open up the seach to other candidates.
The board held a forum for public feedback Wednesday before interviewing Henderson, but only one person gave comment: Nicholls State University President Jay Clune, who works under Henderson.
After asking two brief questions during the public forum portion, the board had no further public interview questions for Henderson before recessing to a closed-doors executive session.
It emerged some 40 minutes later and voted to appoint Henderson to the Tech post.
Henderson has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern State, a master’s degree in administration and human performance from the University of West Florida and a Doctor of Management from the University of Maryland Global Campus.
He will become just the fourth Tech president since 1962, following the long tenures of F. Jay Taylor, Dan Reneau and Guice.
“My love and my passion is really about working with faculty and students on a daily basis,” Henderson said. “It’s always been my intention to return to a university and finish my career there."
