CSULB's F. King Alexander Appointed LSU President

California State University Long Beach announced Wednesday that university president F. King Alexander will resign in June to become the president of Louisiana State University and the chancellor of Louisiana State University A&M in Baton Rouge.

Alexander, who has served as CSULB's president for more than seven years, was unanimously appointed to his new positions by the LSU Board of Supervisors Wednesday morning.

"My tenure as president of Cal State Long Beach has prepared me to assume the role as the head of the Louisiana State University system... The challenges facing LSU are similar to those in California and elsewhere," Alexander said in a release. "Universities throughout the nation are struggling to serve more students while managing declining state revenues.  At the same time, leaders in the field of higher education know the burden is on us to demonstrate that the public’s money is well spent."

Alexander will remain as president CSULB until June. After his departure, an interim president will be appointed and a national search for Alexander's replacement will begin.

During his tenure at CSULB, school officials said that Alexander helped increase college-going rates among area students by strengthening ties between the Long Beach Unified School District and Long Beach City College.

The school also highlighted Alexander's success in raising funds for three large building projects including the $110 million Hall of Science, a $70 million recreation center and a new school of nursing building.

"LSU is getting an outstanding leader in F. King Alexander," Cal State University Board of Trustees chair Bob Linscheid said. "President Alexander has always worked to further the CSU mission of an affordable and accessible, high-quality education and his efforts were critical in offsetting the effects of years of devastating budget cuts to ensure that CSULB is one of the best educational values in the country."

Alexander said that he will still participate in this year's CSULB graduation ceremonies and is looking forward to shaking the hands of graduates one last time.

Check back with Patch as more information becomes available.