Twenty-Seven Candidates Apply for the Position of Chancellor of Southern University

There are 27 individuals who have applied for the position of chancellor at Southern University, the historically black educational institution in Baton Rouge. Among the applicants are:

• Ray Belton, chancellor of Southern University at Shreveport;
• James Llorens, dean of graduate studies at Southern University;
• Lester Newman, former president of Mississippi Valley State University;
• Christopher Jeffries, provost at Talladega College;
• James Wingate, former president of LeMoyne-Owen College; and
• Rita Teal, vice president for academic affairs at South Carolina State University.

Also included among the applicants is current interim chancellor of Southern University Margaret Ambrose. She has led the university since last May, and several board members at Southern University have announced that they prefer she be given the job permanently.

One drawback to Ambrose’s chance for selection is the fact that among the 27 applicants, she is the only one without a doctorate.

The university’s board hopes to name the new chancellor later this spring.

Copyright © 2008. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.