About
Office of the President
Welcome to Louisiana Tech University
Since 1894, Louisiana Tech has prepared graduates to thrive in an ever-changing world. As the rapid advance of technology transforms the way we live, work, and play, our faculty remain committed to developing learners, ensuring our graduates possess the competencies that lead to lifelong success in work and life. As an alum, you will not only be prepared to adapt to the future, you will create that future.
The Tenets of Tech, a moral and an ethical compass with which to navigate through life, guide us in our pursuits as individuals and as an organization. They undergird our work, providing the foundation for an audacious vision. I encourage you to learn more about this treasured institution, its traditions, and its promise. You will find a home in these piney woods and join a community of global impact.
Ever Loyal Be.
Dr. Jim Henderson
Connect with President Henderson:
- Email: President@LATech.edu
- X – @DrJBHenderson
For more information, contact:
President’s Office
Louisiana Tech University
Wyly Tower 1620
PO Box 3168
Ruston, LA 71272
Phone: 318.257.3785
Fax: 318.257.2928
Biography
Dr. Jim Henderson became the 15th president of Louisiana Tech University on Jan. 1, 2024. His ties to the institution go back more than 80 years when his father, Clem Henderson, was recruited to play for famed Louisiana Tech football coach, Joe Aillet. His mom, Martha, was a two-time Tech grad.
Henderson previously served as the president and CEO of the University of Louisiana System, one of the nation’s largest University systems. As the longest-serving UL System president, he led the Universities of Louisiana in the creation of a strategic framework that charged its member institutions to produce the most educated generation in Louisiana’s history. Through various Systemic initiatives such as Compete LA, the Reginald F. Lewis Scholars, and the challenges associated with a global pandemic and fiscal uncertainty, he developed a notion of System that will continue to benefit each of the nine institutions for decades to come.
Henderson also served as president of his alma mater, Northwestern State University, where he reinvigorated student life and campus culture leading to the highest enrollment in the school’s 135-year history. Before taking the helm of NSU, Henderson served as chancellor of Bossier Parish Community College. During his tenure, the institution ranked among the five fastest-growing colleges in the nation for five consecutive years.
In 2012, Henderson was named a Northwest Louisiana Business Hall of Fame Laureate and in 2017 he was inducted into Northwestern State University’s hall of honor, the Long Purple Line. Henderson holds a master of science in administration from University of West Florida and a doctor of management from University of Maryland—University College. In 2010, he completed the Institute of Educational Management at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of Visitors of the Marine Corps University.
The smartest decision Henderson has made is marrying his college sweetheart, Tonia who founded her own media company after a successful career in advertising. The Hendersons have three children, Reagan, Nicholas, and Alexander who is majoring in chemical engineering at Louisiana Tech; and four grandchildren, Zachary, Miguel, Maria, and Lucille.