É«ÃÃAV

Dear friends,

This morning, I was honored to be selected as interim president of our University, and I want to thank Chairman Mark Romero, President Dr. Rick Gallot and members of the UL System Board of Supervisors for their trust and support. As a two-time alumnus who first arrived on this campus in 1992, it is a profound privilege to lead the institution that shaped my life and career.

I am grateful as well to Dr. Jaimie Hebert for his steady leadership over these past months. I look forward to continuing our work as he returns to his role as provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.

I also want to recognize our broader University family. Our faculty are the heart of this institution — you make our mission possible. You teach, you create, you discover and you drive the research enterprise that has elevated UL É«ÃÃAV nationally. To our students, alumni and the many supporters and partners who stand with this University — you are an essential part of this proud community of Ragin’ Cajuns. Thank you for the pride, generosity and encouragement you bring to our campus. And to our staff — your work keeps this University moving forward every day, ensuring that our faculty and students have the support they need to succeed.

As I shared with the board this morning, we have important work ahead. Strengthening our systems, supporting our people and renewing our focus on Service, Accountability and Innovation — SAI — will guide every decision we make. That includes being accountable in how we communicate and transparent about the challenges we face.

As the system board meeting was happening this morning, some of you received a Civil Service Rule 17.12(a) notice, and I want to address that directly. The timing was unfortunate, and I learned about it in real time with the rest of you. Since then, I have learned that state law requires the University to notify all classified employees at the very beginning of any process in which organizational or budgetary changes might affect classified positions. This was an early, legally mandated step — not a layoff notice and not a decision about your job.

To support you and ensure clarity, we are planning a meeting for all Civil Service employees at 11 a.m. on Friday in the Student Union’s Bayou Bijou Theater to explain what the notice means, outline next steps and answer questions.

As I noted in my comments this morning, we will address our challenges together. We are a great University and I believe in us. While students are our mission, it is our faculty and staff who make that mission possible.

I look forward to meeting each of you soon. that addresses my vision and priorities for our university.

Now, let’s get to work. And Geaux Cajuns!

Dr. Ramesh Kolluru

Interim President