UL SYSTEM ANNOUNCES MCNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTIAL SEARCH COMMITTEE AND INITIAL MEETING

Published on under McNeese Search 2024

University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors Chair Dr. Jimmy Clarke is announcing the formation of the McNeese State University Presidential Search Committee. This Committee is tasked with reviewing applications, interviewing candidates, and recommending finalists for the presidency. The ultimate selection of the president will be made by the full Board of Supervisors. 

“I eagerly look forward to collaborating with my fellow Board members and community representatives who bring extensive and varied connections to McNeese,” Dr. Clarke said. “I extend my gratitude to all Search Committee members for generously volunteering their time and effort to find McNeese’s eighth president.” 

UL System President and CEO Rick Gallot will chair the Committee as a non-voting member. The Committee includes select System Board members and the McNeese Faculty Senate president as voting members, along with non-voting community members who will serve in an advisory capacity. 

“This institution’s history and impact is woven into the fabric of Lake Charles and our state as a whole,” President Gallot said. “We look forward to hearing from the community about the qualities they feel are most important in the university’s next leader.” 

The Committee’s first meeting is a public forum taking place Feb. 1 at 1 p.m. in the Willis Noland Conference Center located on the second floor of the SEED Center and will be streamed live on the UL System YouTube Channel. During that meeting, the Committee will vote to accept their charge and approve the search timeline and position advertisement before hearing from the university’s constituencies. Information regarding the search will be housed on the System’s website at ulsystem.edu/mcneese-search. 

The McNeese Presidential Search Committee is made up of the following members: 

  • Rick Gallot, Search Committee Chair and UL System President, non-voting 
  • Dr. Jimmy Clarke, UL System Board Chair 
  • Brad Stevens, UL System Board Vice Chair 
  • Dana Peterson, UL System Board Parliamentarian 
  • Lola Dunahoe, UL System Board Member 
  • Mark Romero, UL System Board Member 
  • Bailey Willis, UL System Student Board Member 
  • Dr. Vipin Menon, McNeese Faculty Senate President  
  • Charlotte Bushnell, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • The Honorable Judge James Cain, Jr., non-voting 
  • Dr. John Condos, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Kay Fox, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Sam Gil, McNeese SGA President, non-voting 
  • Heather Griffith, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Kevin Guidry, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Nicole Moncrief, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Ryan Navarre, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Angela Queenan, McNeese Foundation President, non-voting 
  • Jason Rashall, McNeese Alumni Association President, non-voting 
  • Dennis Stine, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • Gray Stream, Community Representative, non-voting 
  • The Honorable Judge Gene Thibodeaux, Community Representative, non-voting 

In December, Dr. Daryl Burckel announced his intent to step down from the presidency on June 30, 2024. Assuming the role of the university’s seventh president on July 1, 2017, he has been a member of the McNeese faculty since 1992, ascending through the ranks to head the Department of Accounting, Finance, and Economics. President Burckel’s aim is to return to the classroom while maintaining his commitment to educating students.