Grambling University names interim president

The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System’s Executive Committee appointed Dr. Connie Walton has been named as the interim president of Grambling State University by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System (ULS).

Dr. Walton’s appointment is a result of the finalization of Grambling’s previous president, Rick Gallot officially becoming UL System President and CEO.

Prior to her appointment, Dr. Walton served as Grambling’s provost and vice president for academic affairs. Walton has been at Grambling for nearly eight years. She earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Southern Mississippi.

“My life is a testimony to the impact that this university can have on a student’s life. I knew as an undergraduate student at Grambling State University that I wanted to come back and be a part of the faculty,” Dr. Walton said. “This appointment provides an additional way to serve this great institution and help shape the lives of students. When the next president of Grambling State University is identified, I look forward to supporting that person’s strategic goals.”

UL System President and CEO Rick Gallot served as president of Grambling for seven years before the Board named him System president at its October 2023 meeting. He chairs the search committee charged with finding the institution’s next leader.

“I am supremely confident that Grambling will be well cared for under Dr. Walton’s interim leadership,” Gallot, who now chairs the search committee charged with finding Grambling’s next president, said. “She has proven her dedication to the institution and its success through her commitment to advancing cybersecurity and nursing programs, both of which are now soaring, and I know she will bring that same determination to the interim presidency.”

Dr. Walton’s appointment is subject to ratification by the full Board of Supervisors at its February meeting.

This article originally published in the January 15, 2024 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.