He previously served as Louisiana’s Commissioner of Higher Education for 12 years. Under his leadership, higher education governance in Louisiana was restructured, a statewide community and technical college system was created, teacher education programs were redesigned and a master plan for public postsecondary education was implemented.

Dr. Savoie holds a doctorate in educational leadership from Columbia University’s Teacher’s College in New York. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from UL Lafayette, where he became the University’s first vice president for University Advancement in 1992.

UL Lafayette has a long history of promoting and preserving the Cajun and Creole cultures of south Louisiana. That role is reflected in its official stationery, which includes its designation as the “Universite de Acadiens.”

In 1994, the University initiated one of only three doctoral programs in Francophone studies in the world. It provides an international forum for the study of French culture.