The Louisiana State University System separated its president and flagship chancellor roles, appointing Wade Rousse as system president and James Dalton as chancellor of the Baton Rouge campus. The board framed the restructure as a move to focus systemwide oversight separately from flagship academic leadership and to advance research aspirations such as AAU membership. The change followed an abrupt departure of the previous dual‑role leader and signals growing gubernatorial influence over public university governance in the state. The split heightens expectations for coordination between system‑level strategy and campus operations. Governance experts urged boards to monitor role clarity and delegation, noting that poorly defined responsibilities between presidents and chancellors can create friction that affects fundraising, faculty recruitment and campus morale.