Board Picks Insider as New Head of the Southern University System

Ralph Slaughter was selected as the new president of the Southern University system in Louisiana. The system, which encompasses campuses in Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and New Orleans, and a law school, enrolls about 15,000 students, the vast majority of whom are African Americans.

Slaughter was the vice president for administration and management for the Southern University system, and many board members were comfortable with someone who knew the university well as it struggles with rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina, particularly at the New Orleans campus.

Slaughter was chosen from a field of 23 candidates that was narrowed to three finalists. Other candidates given serious consideration were A. Toy Caldwell Colbert, professor and consultant to the president at Howard University, and Lester Newman, president of Mississippi Valley State University.

A native of Port Allen, Louisiana, Slaughter is a graduate of Southern University. He holds a master’s degree in public administration from Louisiana State University and a doctorate in public policy from Southern University.

Copyright © 2006. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.