Veteran Higher Education Leader Brings Nearly 30 years of Experience to CALNS

Alabama A&M University has appointed Douglas LaVergne, Ph.D., as interim dean of the College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences (CALNS).

LaVergne currently serves as associate vice president for Academic Affairs and Undergraduate Studies. In his interim role, he will provide academic and administrative leadership for one of the University’s cornerstone colleges, which supports instruction, research, and outreach central to AAMU’s land-grant mission.

Before joining Alabama A&M, LaVergne held senior leadership positions at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, where he served as professor, dean, and vice president for land-grant engagement. As dean of the College of Agriculture, Environmental and Human Sciences, he was the college’s chief academic officer and also served as the 1890 research director and extension administrator.

LaVergne’s previous experience also includes service as associate dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at East Texas A&M University in Commerce, Texas. His nearly three-decade career in higher education spans appointments at 1862 land-grant institutions, including West Virginia University, as well as non–land-grant institutions.

His professional background includes agricultural education, extension, teaching, personnel management, academic programming, policymaking, and financial management and supervision. Throughout his career, LaVergne has demonstrated a commitment to student success, faculty development, and strengthening land-grant institutions.

LaVergne earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a concentration in agricultural education from Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He holds a master’s degree in agricultural and extension education from the University of Arkansas and earned a doctorate in agricultural education from Texas A&M University in College Station in 2008.

He has received numerous teaching and research awards and was named a George Washington Carver Fellow at the University of Arkansas in 2003.

In accordance with University practice, a national search will be conducted to appoint the next dean of the College of Agricultural, Life and Natural Sciences.