BATON ROUGE - Southern University President Dennis Shields will be leaving the university, and a search for his replacement will start at the new year. 

The agenda for the upcoming SU Board of Supervisors meeting for Friday lists an item to select an "Interim President for Southern University System commencing on January 1, 2026, until a permanent President is selected."

WBRZ reached out to the university, which said a formal announcement will be made at the board meeting. 

Shields, an Iowa native, served as the chancellor of University of Wisconsin Platteville for nearly 12 years before coming to Baton Rouge in 2022.