Dickie Crawford named acting president of Louisiana Tech as Jim Henderson goes on leave

Update, Thu., Oct. 22: The UL System board named Dickie Crawford acting president of Louisiana Tech at its meeting Thursday in Baton Rouge. Details are below.

Louisiana Tech President Jim Henderson's last day leading the university comes sooner than planned. In an email to faculty and staff Tuesday, Henderson said he would go on leave starting Thursday, Oct. 22, for the rest of the year, the Lincoln Parish Journal reported. He announced in September that he would retire at the end of 2026, citing his health.

"I've decided that I need to address some things with my physical health in the near term," Henderson wrote. "Louisiana Tech is well-positioned to continue our recent momentum."

Who runs Tech for now

The University of Louisiana System board named Dr. Richard "Dickie" Crawford acting president at its meeting Thursday, KNOE reported. Crawford has worked at Tech for more than 32 years and is senior vice president for student advancement and chief operating officer. He took over immediately and will serve until the next president starts Jan. 1. The Shreveport Times reported that Crawford is a Ruston native, a Tech graduate and a former Tech basketball player.

UL System President Rick Gallot said, "We support President Henderson's decision to prioritize his health," according to the Lincoln Parish Journal, citing the Shreveport Times. Louisiana Radio Network reported that Henderson's early exit comes amid public friction between him and the system board over faculty pay raises the board did not approve.

The raises came up again at Thursday’s meeting, the Shreveport Times reported. Tech Faculty Senate President Michael Swanbom said faculty were “discouraged” and “disappointed” over the raise dispute. Board member Steve Davison, a Tech graduate, said he will ask the board to restore the raises. They were 4% and capped at $2,400, the paper said.

The search for the next president

Here is the timeline, according to KNOE:

• Nov. 6: applications close.
• Nov. 10: the search committee gets the list of candidates. KNOE said the list should be posted on the Louisiana Tech presidential search website before the Nov. 13 meeting.
• Nov. 13: the search committee meets to pick semifinalists.
• Nov. 16 and 17: on-campus interviews.
• Nov. 19: interviews before the full board.

The system wants the new president to start Jan. 1, 2027. KNOE noted that Tech's win over ULM last weekend was the last game Henderson watched as president.