Dr. Ray Belton tapped to lead Southern

After interviewing two finalists recommended by the Southern University System (SUS) President/Chancellor Search Commit-tee, the SUS Board of Supervisors on June 12 named Dr. Ray L. Belton President and Chancellor of the SU System.

Belton and the other finalist, Dr. Ivory Toldson, participated in several listening sessions with faculty, staff, students, alumni and stakeholders, June 11, 2015, on the Southern Baton Rouge campus.

After interviewing Belton and Toldson, the SUS Board voted 13-1 to select the Shreveport native to lead the SU System and Baton Rouge campus.

BELTON

In March 2015, the SUS Board made history when it voted to consolidate the posts of System President and SU Baton Rouge Chancellor into one position.

Dr. Belton replaces SUS System President Dr. Ronald Mason Jr. who leaves June 30 to become president of the University of the District of Columbia.

Belton, who will take over the reins July 1, has served as the chancellor of Southern University-Shreveport since 2000.

“It is an absolute honor to be afforded this occasion to serve this Board and to serve this institution to whom I remain indebted. As president and chancellor of the Southern University System, I will give my all,” Belton said..

“We will build a leadership team that will advance the evolution of this enterprise [Southern University System],” he added. “This enterprise will be known for its contributions to this state and to this nation.”

Dr. Belton is a graduate of SUSLA and Southern University Baton Rouge. He has a master of arts in counseling from the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a doctor of philosophy in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin.

“We are pleased with the outcome of the search for the SU System president/chancellor,” SU Board Chairman Leon Tarver said. “The search committee’s work was expedient and exemplary. Today we welcome Dr. Ray Belton whose tenure will signal the beginning of the next era for the only HBCU system in America.”

This article originally published in the June 22, 2015 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.