KEY TAKEAWAYS: Louisiana Sen. Mike Reese was unanimously approved as McNeese State University‘s next president. Reese has no professional higher education leadership experience beyond student government service at UL Monroe. Critics raised concerns about political influence in university pre sidential hires tied to Gov. Jeff Landry. Faculty, students and staff surveys showed mixed reactions to Reese compared with other finalists.   A Republican state senator from Leesville has been named the next president of McNeese State University despite having no prior professional experience in higher education. The hiring of Sen. Mike Reese was made official Tuesday at a special University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors meeting, with all board members present voting in favor. He is slated to begin the job July 1. Reese, a logistics and real estate business owner, has served in the Louisiana Senate since 2020. His only experience in higher education leadership came during his time as student body president at the University of Louisiana at Monroe for the 1997-98 school year, when was also a student member on the Louisiana Board of Regents. In his interview with the board Tuesday, Reese touted his business and political experience and advocated for the need to align McNeese with industry needs. Reese is the second state senator in less than a year to leave the legislature and become a university leader. Former Sen. Joe Bouie, D-New Orleans, resigned to become the chancellor of Southern University at New Orleans last fall. He is also the latest in a string of politically influenced presidential hires. LSU President Wade Rousse was hired away from McNeese last year with the support of Gov. Jeff Landry. UL Lafayette President Ramesh Kolluru and UL Monroe President Carrie Castille were also hired with Landry’s backing, The Times-Picayune reported. Also at Landry’s direction, Northwestern State University hired former state Supreme Court Justice Jimmy Genovese in 2024. Cade Cole was elected to replace Genovese on the high court with financial support from the governor’s political action committee. Landry’s increasing involvement in higher education has led to intense concern over the appearance of politicization of the state’s university systems. “These presidencies should not be treated like lollipops for the governor’s office,” said Public Service Commissioner and McNeese alumnus Davante Lewis, D-Baton Rouge, “and I think that’s what we’re seeing in higher ed now, where Gov. Landry is calling these boards and giving out positions to unqualified people.” Reese, who holds a bachelor’s degree from UL Monroe, was given the McNeese job over Dee Dee Anderson, vice chancellor for student life at the University of Nebraska, who has worked in higher education for more than 30 years, and Wayne Brumfield, interim vice president for student affairs at the State University of New York in Buffalo, a semifinalist who did not advance to the final round of interviews. Following public interviews on the Lake Charles campus last week, students, faculty, staff and community members praised Anderson and Brumfield in anonymous surveys but gave Reese mixed reviews. The Illuminator obtained the survey responses through a public records request to the University of Louisiana System. The respondents said they felt Reese was campaigning and only saying what he needed to get the job. “I believe he’s under qualified for the position, seeing as he only has a bachelor’s degree and has no prior experience in higher education,” one student wrote. “Additionally, it seems as though his main concerns revolve around the monetary/business/governmental aspects of the university, and I feel like he should be more focused on student and faculty/staff welfare.” “Senator Reese would be the best for the future of McNeese,” one staff supporter wrote. In an interview after his hiring, Reese said he understood those concerns. Reese said he will prove to McNeese faculty that he respects their role and will take their input into consideration. “I’m not there to tell them how to teach in the classroom,” Reese said. “I’m there to get them the resources they need to be successful. I’ll spend my time to hear them out, make sure that they’re a vocal part of the decision making process on campus, and we’ll make a perfect team at the end of the day.” ...read more read less