University of Louisiana System President Richard “Rick” Gallot, Jr. will address Southeastern Louisiana University graduating students at commencement ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 14.
He will speak at the events scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. at the University Center, where the university will confer over 1,000 degrees on students who are graduating with bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees.
“Rick Gallot’s experience as a lawyer, a legislator, and a public official, as well as his experience in and love of higher education are unparalleled,” said Southeastern President William S. Wainwright. “We strive to expose our new graduates to exemplary role models through our commencement speakers. His words of wisdom will be invaluable to the class of 2024.”
Gallot was named president of the UL System on Oct. 25, 2023. From 2016 until his appointment as UL President, he served as the 10th president of Grambling State University. Prior to that, he served one term as a member of the Louisiana State Senate, three terms in the Louisiana House of Representatives and one term on the Grambling City Council.
Gallot graduated from Grambling State University with a bachelor’s degree in history and earned his juris doctorate degree from the Southern University School of Law in Baton Rouge. He attended the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Program at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Grambling State University Alumni Hall of Fame and the Southern Law School Hall of Fame have both inducted Gallot. He is the recipient of the 2017 HBCU Grow “Best Leadership Award,” which he received during his first year as president of Grambling State University. He is an active member of New Living Word Ministries in Ruston, La.; Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc.; and the Committee of 100 for Economic Development, an influential, independent, non-government, business roundtable of Louisiana senior corporate executives and university leaders.
Gallot has been a licensed attorney for 32 years and serves on the Board of Directors of Cleco Corporation, an electric utility company headquartered in Pineville, La., and on the Board of Directors of Origin Bank, located in Ruston, La.
