MONROE, La. – Interim Louisiana State University President Tom Galligan dropped out of consideration for the permanent job Tuesday as the search committee gets its first look at a list of candidates compiled by a search firm.
A search committee member who requested anonymity because he doesn’t have the authority to speak to media told USA Today Network the search committee will meet at 1 p.m. Tuesday to receive a list of candidates and again Wednesday to begin vetting them.
Galligan, who took over in 2020 when former President F. King Alexander left for the same job at Oregon State University, said last fall he wanted to seek the permanent job.
But since then LSU has been embroiled in a scandal over the university’s mishandling of sexual harassment and sexual violence complaints.
Though Galligan wasn’t president during the period of the university’s mishandling of the complaints, he was criticized by some legislators for his handling of the aftermath in which no employees involved in the scandal were fired.
Alexander lost his job at Oregon State because of his role in the scandal. Former LSU football coach Les Miles also lost his job as the Kansas coach because of his role in the scandal.
Galligan remains dean of the Paul M. Hebert Law Center
He said his decision was based on wanting to spend more time with his family, which is still recovering from the death of his daughter from cancer in 2019.
“As the search for a permanent president moves to the critical stages, I have given much thought to the future, what is best for LSU, and what is best for me and my family,” he said in a statement.
“So, given both personal and professional considerations, I have decided it is time for me to return to the Law Center and spend more time with my family and my students. Consequently, I have made the difficult decision to withdraw from the presidential search, though I will remain onboard as interim president while the university completes its selection process.”
