Ramesh Kolluru Officially Named 7th President of UL Lafayette

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — It’s official. Ramesh Kolluru is the next president of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

The UL System Board of Supervisors voted Friday to name Kolluru the 7th President of UL Lafayette following a final interview held at the Claiborne Building in Baton Rouge. The vote came three days after the presidential search committee unanimously named him the sole finalist.

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From Graduate Student to University President

Kolluru’s path to the president’s office is one of those stories that feels almost too clean to be true — but it checks out.

He came to Lafayette in 1992 from India as a graduate student, earned his master’s degree and Ph.D. in computer science from the very university he’ll now lead, and never left. He and his wife Padma, a systems analyst with Lafayette Consolidated Government and a UL Lafayette alumna herself, have spent their entire adult lives in Acadiana. Their twins, Roma and Paresh, grew up here, graduated from Lafayette High School, and are now pre-med students at Tulane University.

Before taking over as interim president in November 2025, Kolluru spent more than a decade as UL’s vice president for research, innovation and economic development. In that role, he helped push the university to Carnegie R1 status — placing UL among the top 5% of research institutions in the country — quadrupled research expenditures, and secured nearly $25 million in federal appropriations in the most recent spending cycle.

Board Chair Mark Romero didn’t mince words about why the board chose him.

“Dr. Kolluru’s story reflects the very best of what higher education in America can make possible,” Romero said in the official announcement. “He came to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette as a graduate student, earned both his master’s and doctoral degrees here, and over more than three decades has grown alongside this institution. He understands this university not only as a leader, but as someone whose life and family are deeply rooted in this campus and the Acadiana community.”

How a Bumpy Search Led Here

The road to Friday’s vote wasn’t exactly smooth. When longtime President Joseph Savoie stepped down last July, there were immediate whispers that the UL System board planned to hand Kolluru the job without any search at all. Faculty, staff, and community members pushed back hard, and the board ultimately agreed to a formal process.

Twelve candidates applied. The search committee narrowed the field to three semifinalists who all came to campus earlier this week for public forums: Kolluru, Hitesh Rai Kathuria, a former provost at Empire State University in New York, and Richard Ludwick, president emeritus of the University of St. Thomas in Houston. The committee voted unanimously Tuesday to advance Kolluru as the sole finalist.

The full board conducted its own interview Friday before making the vote official.

The Job He’s Walking Into

Kolluru takes the permanent role at one of the more challenging moments in the university’s recent history. UL Lafayette has been working to close what administrators have described as a roughly $50 million budget gap — a crisis that came into public view last spring and contributed to more than 70 position cuts since last fall.

Kolluru told attendees at this week’s public forums that the university has made significant progress. He said UL is now approximately $12 million away from finishing the current fiscal year in the black.

“And that’s our commitment: that we’re going to go through this the next few months and end the fiscal year in black,” Kolluru said.

UL System President Rick Gallot expressed confidence in where things are headed.

“Dr. Kolluru’s leadership comes at an important moment for UL Lafayette and for our state,” Gallot said. “His deep understanding of the institution, paired with a disciplined focus on growth and performance, positions the university to move confidently into its next chapter.”

What Happens Next

The board’s action Friday follows a state-mandated 21-day waiting period that began Tuesday when Kolluru was publicly announced as the sole finalist. That window — designed to allow public input before the appointment takes effect — means his permanent contract could take effect as early as mid-March. Board Chair Romero and Gallot are authorized to negotiate Kolluru’s contract and start date in the meantime.