LSU Names Matt Lee Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture

BATON ROUGE – Today, LSU named Matt Lee as Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. Lee has been serving as the Interim Vice President and Dean since August 2022.

“Matt’s leadership has already yielded positive results for the AgCenter and the College of Agriculture, and his guidance in terms of research and infrastructure will continue us on the path to top-ranked standing in America,” LSU President William F. Tate IV said. “Agriculture is a key part of our Scholarship First Agenda, serves as the state’s second-largest industry and is critical to our national security. Growth in agricultural research and technology will not only improve our reputational standing — it will also secure our future.”

Lee is a social scientist and community development scholar with extensive expertise in both rural and urban community dynamics. He earned both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees from LSU and is a graduate of the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University. He is widely published in both academic and popular press outlets and has been elected to several scholarly honor societies. Under his administrative leadership, multiple units have achieved national accolades; various university enrollment, research and retention records have been set; and transformational innovations have been implemented in both curriculum and academic policy.

“LSU agriculture is among the most highly recognized University-based agricultural organizations in the country,” Lee said. “Working with our colleagues and students in the AgCenter and the college, as well as our broad stakeholder constituency throughout the state, we have a singular goal going forward: To be ranked No. 1. This is what our citizens and industry deserve from their flagship university.”  

At LSU, Lee previously served in a variety of critical scholarly and research-focused roles, including Interim Executive Vice President & Provost, Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Support Services and Senior Associate Vice President for Research. Prior to LSU, he was a tenure-track faculty member at Mississippi State University, where he was affiliated with the Rural Health, Safety and Security Institute.