#0 William Jenkins Season 2020-21
Updated 7/20/05
On April 1, 1999, Dr. William L. Jenkins, formerly Chancellor of Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College, became president of the LSU System, which includes nine institutions on 10 campuses in five cities, as well as 10 public hospitals in 10 cities. With the departure of Chancellor Mark Emmert in mid-June, the LSU Board of Supervisors asked President Jenkins to again assume the role of Interim Chancellor until a successor for Dr. Emmert can be selected.
A native of South Africa, Dr. Jenkins studied at the University of Pretoria, where he received his professional veterinary medicine degree in 1958 and specialist credentials in 1968. He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Missouri , Columbia, in 1970. After practicing veterinary medicine for four years, he joined the faculty at the University of Pretoria, advancing through the ranks to become professor and head of the Department of Veterinary Physiology, Pharmacology, & Toxicology in 1971.
He moved to the United States in 1978 and joined the faculty in the Department of Veterinary Physiology & Pharmacology at Texas A&M University. He was appointed dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine in 1988, and was named LSU’s provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs in September 1993.
When he was appointed LSU’s fifth chancellor in November 1996, Dr. Jenkins reorganized the campus administration to be more effective and more responsive, and oversaw the development of a strategic plan to guide the University in its preparation for the challenges of the next century.
Over the years, Dr. Jenkins has received numerous teaching and service awards and recognitions, having been named the 1997 Communicator of the Year by the Public Relations Association of Louisiana and a Distinguished Alumnus by the University of Missouri in 1999. The regional chapter of Toastmasters International also presented him with its 1999 Communication and Leadership Award, and he was awarded the Vision of Excellence Award 2000 by the New Orleans Regional Chamber of Commerce and the New Orleans Chapter of MetroVision. In addition, the University of Pretoria awarded an honorary doctoral degree to Dr. Jenkins in September 2000.
Dr. Jenkins has been active in continuing education and has delivered more than 150 lectures and addresses to diverse groups in both the United States and abroad. He has taught extensively at both the professional and graduate levels. He has published more than 60 scientific articles and has contributed 15 chapters to various textbooks. He is co-author of a textbook on veterinary pharmacology.
Dr. Jenkins has been and continues to be a member of many professional organizations and select committees. Most recently he served on the National Institute of Health’s Alcohol Abuse and Misuse on College Campuses Committee and on a special Steering Committee of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to review accreditation criteria for colleges and universities. Dr. Jenkins also is a member of the National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges’ Committee on Food and Society and currently serves on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Coastal Restoration and Conservation.
His current community engagement includes serving on the boards of the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities, Greater Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce, Academic Distinction Fund, Council for a Better Louisiana, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, The Nature Conservancy of Louisiana, and the Baton Rouge board of the National Conference for Community and Justice.
Dr. Jenkins and his wife, Peggy, have four children -Sharon, Gwynn, Anthea, and Warren- and nine grandchildren.