Southern University has announced the appointment of Dr. Orlando McMeans as Interim President, effective following the departure of President Dennis Shields, which was announced in late November.
Dr. McMeans currently serves as Chancellor of the Southern University Agricultural Research and Extension Center and Dean of the College of Agricultural, Human and Environmental Sciences, where he has provided executive leadership across research, academic, and land-grant operations.
He will assume the interim presidency as the institution prepares for a national search for a permanent president, which is expected to begin in 2026.