After 17 years at the helm, UL President Joe Savoie is stepping down ahead of his scheduled June 2026 retirement. With his current appointment not set to expire until June 30, 2026, UL Lafayette President Dr. Joe Savoie is stepping down, effective July 31. Savoie has been serving as UL president since 2008; he will stay on as president emeritus at his current salary of $510,500, which will be reduced at some point. Under Savoie, UL earned the prestigious Carnegie R1 classification, placing it among the top 5% of the nation’s research institutions. Before he was president, Savoie was Louisiana’s commissioner of higher education for 12 years.