NEW ORLEANS (February 21, 2022) – An “aggressive timeline” is in place to replace Dr. Walter Kimbrough as Dillard’s president by the end of the spring semester, according to the board liaison, but new details appear to be in short supply.

Andrian Guy Anderson, assistant vice president of development and alumni affairs and board liaison, said the presidential search committee and the executive search firm Isaacfon Miller are on track with the schedule of events posted on the website’s calendar (https://www.dillard.edu/president/search.php) .

“An aggressive timeline is in place, and there is hope that a president will be in office by the end of the semester,” she said.

Committee meetings to discuss potential candidates and narrow the list were set for February and March, followed by interviews in April and a selection by the Board of Trustees in May.

Four faculty listening sessions were held last November to get feedback from alumni, students, faculty and staff. Alumnus Michael Jones, chair of the Board of Trustees and the search committee, described “great participation” from the campus and community during the sessions.

Mattie Harris, president of the Student Government Association and a search committee member, said, “Everything has been going well so far. There have been numerous candidates with robust backgrounds who have applied.”

One unexpected change since last semester was the addition of a new faculty member to the committee after one stepped down. Mark Raymond, director of the academic technology, replaced Dr. Gary Clark, chair of the School of Social Sciences. No information has been shared about the change.

Anderson said the university’s eighth president likely would not assume the position before sometime in the summer. 

Southern University in Baton Rouge announced its new president-chancellor last week after public appearances from its three finalists, including Kimbrough. He announced in August that his 10th year at DU would be his last.

(Imahni Carrington contributed to this report.)