Interim Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture Named

Dear faculty and staff,

As we approach the fall semester, I wanted to update you on the changes at the LSU AgCenter and the College of Agriculture. We have named Lucien “Luke” Laborde, Jr., interim vice president for agriculture and dean of the College of Agriculture, replacing Bill Richardson, who stepped down from his administrative position to return to faculty as the Chalkley Family Endowed Chair and Professor in the College of Agriculture, Department of Agricultural and Extension Education and Evaluation.

With lifelong ties to Louisiana agriculture, including teaching, researching and holding leadership positions within the LSU College of Agriculture, along with a 30-year track record in the private sector, Luke Laborde, Jr., is the right person to lead both the LSU AgCenter and College of Agriculture at this time. Having a presence in every parish in Louisiana is vitally important for LSU, and we look forward to working with Luke to enhance the relationships we have throughout the state related to agriculture.

To read more about Luke Laborde and his background, see the full announcement online, and please help us to welcome Luke Laborde, Jr., to our leadership team.

Thank you,

William F. Tate IV

LSU President