The Southern University System Board of Supervisors has announced that Dennis Shields will no longer serve as president of the Southern University System or as chancellor of Southern University and A&M College. The board did not provide a reason for the transition.
Shields joined Southern in 2022 after a 12-year tenure as chancellor of the University of Wisconsin–Platteville. His prior experience includes leadership roles in admissions at the University of Iowa College of Law, the University of Michigan Law School, and Duke University School of Law. He has also served as dean and faculty member at the Phoenix School of Law and as vice president for student affairs at The City College of New York. Shields holds a bachelor’s degree in business from Graceland College and a law degree from the University of Iowa.
Board chair Tony Clayton shared that Shields will return to Southern as a faculty member in the law school after taking a sabbatical. The board will appoint an interim president and launch a national search in early 2026 to identify the next permanent leader of the Southern University System.