BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The search for LSU’s next president has been narrowed to three finalists. The university’s current interim president did not make the cut.

The finalists are McNeese University president Wade Rousse, James Dalton, provost at the University of Alabama, and Robert Robbins, former president of the University of Arizona.

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Interim LSU President Matt Lee and Giovanni Piedimonte, vice president of research at Tulane, were among the other candidates interviewed.

William Tate, the last LSU president, departed in May 2025 to become president of Rutgers University in New Jersey.

Before interviews began Wednesday morning, the search committee opened a period for public comment. During this time, several

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