University of Wisconsin-Platteville President Dennis Shields has been tapped to serve as the new president of the Southern University System and its president-chancellor.
The board voted on Friday to appoint Shields to the top post, replacing Dr. Ray L. Belton, who announced last year that he would be retiring this fall.
Shields beat out several well-known finalists for the position, including Dr. Walter M. Kimbrough, who announced last year that he was planning to step down as president of Dillard University in New Orleans.
Dennis Shields
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards congratulated Shields on the appointment as system president and chancellor of the historically Black university headquartered in Baton Rouge.
“I look forward to working with you and have no doubt that our students and faculty will continue to succeed under your leadership,” Edwards said in a statement.
