CC&E Announces Interim Dean

BATON ROUGE - Dr. Clint Willson of LSU’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering has been selected to serve as Interim Dean of the College of the Coast & Environment. Willson will be stepping in to replace Dr. Chris D’Elia, until a permanent replacement can be found.

“Clint Willson is an excellent choice to succeed me as Dean of CC&E. He is highly respected in the College, throughout LSU, in the state and nationally. He knows Louisiana well, and he will get off to a fast start when he takes over on July 1st. I could not be more pleased,” said D’Elia, who served for thirteen years in the position.

D’Elia was one of the longest serving deans at LSU and CC&E has changed dramatically during his tenure. Enrollment in the Coastal Environmental Sciences major—CC&E’s Bachelor’s degree—has grown from 25 students to more than 200 today. He has also overseen the development of new academic programs, including four traditional graduate student degrees and one online master’s degree. The college has received more than $100 million in extramural research funding, and he has participated in hiring over 70 percent of the college’s faculty.

Willson is the Mike M. Dooley Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He also currently serves as the Director of the Center for River Studies and was recently named the 2022-23 Erich and Lea Sternberg Honors Professor at LSU’s Ogden Honors College.  

Willson’s areas of research include water resources engineering, water quality and sustainable infrastructure, and he has been heavily involved in coastal sustainability and water resource issues throughout his time at LSU. He serves on the executive committee for the LSU Coastal Ecosystem Design Studio and the Center for Collaborative Knowledge, and is the faculty advisor for the LSU Global Water Brigades, and the LSU American Society of Civil Engineers Coast, Oceans, Ports and Rivers Institute.