Office of the Executive Vice President & Chancellor
Leading LSU toward a bold, unified future in research, education, and service.
Chancellor Jim Dalton leads the realigned LSU to include efforts at all 14 colleges located in Baton Rouge, the LSU AgCenter, the six schools in the LSU Health Science Center in New Orleans, the three schools in the LSU Health Science Center in Shreveport, and Pennington Biomedical Research Center. In close collaboration with the leadership across LSU, he oversees LSU’s academic excellence, research enterprise, and operational effectiveness while advancing the university’s commitment to the success of faculty, staff, and students and the State of Louisiana, with the ambitious goal to increase LSU’s research productivity and earn a place among the Top 50 universities in America. Dr. Dalton also serves as Executive Vice President of the LSU system, working alongside President Rousse to promote academic and scholarly excellence.
Welcome Message
LSU exists to serve the people of Louisiana—to educate the next generation, fuel the industries that keep our state strong, and advance research that improves the lives of people in every parish and beyond our state.
As LSU Chancellor and Executive Vice President of the LSU System, I am excited to be part of this winning team and honored to have a leadership role at a that means so much to so many. Together, we will continue building a world-class research and teaching university that remains rooted in service, innovation, and opportunity
LSU’s strength lies not just in our academic and athletic achievements but in our collective passion for Louisiana. As one team, we will elevate student success, accelerate discovery, and position the state as a leader in critical fields that shape the nation and the world.
Geaux Tigers!
Dr. Jim Dalton
Executive Vice President & Chancellor
About the Executive Vice President & Chancellor
Dr. James Dalton is a distinguished academic leader, researcher, and innovator whose career spans higher education, biotechnology, and pharmaceutical discovery. He joins LSU after serving as Executive Vice President and Provost at the University of Alabama since 2020, where he oversaw the academic, research, and service missions of 13 colleges and academic divisions, supporting more than 2,000 faculty, 4,500 staff, and 40,000 students with an annual academic budget exceeding $1.2 billion.
At Alabama, Dr. Dalton led major initiatives that strengthened student success, modernized academic programs, and significantly expanded research productivity. His leadership resulted in significant increases in sponsored research awards, the creation of the UA Teaching Academy, a redesigned general education core curriculum, and new structures to support teaching innovation and digital education. He also guided the university through successful reaffirmation of accreditation by SACSCOC.
Prior to Alabama, Dr. Dalton served as Dean of the College of Pharmacy at University of Michigan, where he elevated the college to a No. 3 national ranking, doubled research expenditures, launched new academic programs, and exceeded capital campaign goals with nearly $25 million raised for scholarships, endowments, and facilities.
Dr. Dalton’s career also includes significant leadership in the private sector. As Chief Scientific Officer and Vice President for Preclinical Research and Development at GTx, Inc., he directed teams developing selective androgen receptor modulators (SARMs) and other therapeutics in oncology and endocrinology. His pioneering work has resulted in more than 100 issued U.S. patents, over 500 international patents, and more than 21,000 research citations.
A fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS), Dr. Dalton was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2019 and the National Academy of Inventors in 2025 in recognition of his contributions to biomedical research and academic leadership. His additional honors include the Nicholas Bodor Distinguished Lectureship, the Rho Chi Lecture Award, and distinguished alumni awards from Ohio State University and University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Dalton earned his BS in pharmacy (Magna Cum Laude) from University of Cincinnati and his PhD in pharmaceutics and pharmaceutical chemistry from Ohio State University, where he also completed a postdoctoral fellowship.
One Team. One Mission. One Louisiana.
Under Dr. Dalton’s leadership, LSU will unite its research campuses to fulfill a bold vision that lifts the entire state through education, innovation, and service. Louisiana deserves a university that rises to meet our greatest challenges and leads with purpose.
Here’s how we’ll do it:
- Strive to become a top 50 research university
- Expand statewide pathways for student success
- Improve student retention rates and graduation rates
- Drive interdisciplinary research that solves real-world problems
- Promote industry and government partnerships to fuel Louisiana’s economy
- Unify our research enterprises and lead the nation in health, agriculture, energy, cybersecurity, and coastal research