ALEXANDRIA, La. (UrbanCast: 7/1/2026) – Today, I am honored to begin my service as Chancellor of Louisiana State University of Alexandria.
For more than two decades, I have called LSUA home. I have served this university as a faculty member, dean, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, Provost, and as someone deeply rooted in central Louisiana who believes wholeheartedly in this institution, our students, and the transformative power of higher education. LSUA is more than where I work. It is at the heart of who I am.
As I step into this new role, I do so with deep gratitude for the people who have built this university through vision, passion, and hard work. Our faculty and staff have poured themselves into the lives of students. Our alumni have carried the value of an LSUA education into their workplaces and communities. Our partners and supporters across central Louisiana and throughout the LSU System have helped strengthen LSUA’s role as a catalyst for opportunity, workforce development, and regional progress.
Together, We Have Built Something Extraordinary
Together, we have built something extraordinary. Over the last decade, LSUA has grown from just over 2,000 students to right at 8,000 students today, making us one of the fastest-growing regional undergraduate institutions in the nation. But growth alone is not the goal. LSUA’s success is measured by the lives we change, the opportunities we create, and the way this university opens doors for students and families across Louisiana.
That work reflects one of the great strengths of the LSU System: the commitment to access and excellence. For many students, regional campuses like LSUA are the access point to an LSU education. We serve students who want an affordable, high-quality degree close to home, students who are balancing work and family, students who are the first in their families to attend college, and students who are ready to prepare for meaningful lives and careers. At LSUA, access and excellence are not competing ideas; they belong together.
We believe students deserve an education that is rigorous, relevant, and connected to where they want to go. That is why we build curriculum-to-career pathways, strengthen educational partnerships across our region and the LSU System, and develop degrees that matter to the workforce needs, economic development, and future of our state.
Pushing The Boundaries
We are pushing the boundaries of a traditional college education. Today, LSUA offers more than 80 degrees designed for the world of tomorrow, including Louisiana’s first 90-credit-hour accelerated bachelor’s degrees. These new pathways are not shortcuts. They are intentionally designed and academically rigorous, preparing students for jobs that will evolve before they even graduate. Through our nationally recognized Command Your Career initiative, along with Job Shadow Day, Scholar Day, and a growing internship program, we are helping students turn their education into opportunities for a strong first step into a career.
That is innovation with integrity, and it is the standard to which LSUA will hold itself as we continue to grow.
My Commitment
My commitment is simple: LSUA will not grow at the expense of quality. Every program we build, every student we welcome, and every partnership we form will be focused on teaching with excellence, learning with purpose, and preparing graduates who are ready to strengthen the communities they serve.
This university has always been shaped by people who believe in what is possible: students willing to work hard for a better future, faculty and staff who give their best to help them get there, and a community that understands the role LSUA plays in the future of central Louisiana.
I am grateful for the trust placed in me to lead this university, proud of what we have built together, and energized by the opportunities before us.
LSUA’s best days are still ahead, and together, we are ready to meet them.
Written by Elizabeth Beard, Ph.D., LSUA Chancellor
Photo credit – Nathan Parish
Previous Article: LSUA Names Mary Anne Hilton Director of AI Innovation and Technology Compliance
