F. King Alexander leaving LSU for Oregon State job

BATON ROUGE - Just a week after rumors swirled about LSU President F. King Alexander's possible departure from the university, he is officially on his way out.

Alexander was announced as the new head of Oregon State University during the school's Board of Trustees meeting Friday. Alexander's last day as LSU's president will be Dec. 31. He has been running the university since summer 2013.

LSU released a statement shortly after the announcement saying Thomas Galligan, dean of LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center and former president of Colby-Sawyer College, has been appointed interim president while the LSU Board of Supervisors conducts a national search for Alexander’s replacement.

It has been an honor to lead such an important and iconic institution. I’m proud of what we accomplished at @LSU and I don’t think that any other university, with any other group of people, could have achieved what we did together. Thank you for making these years so memorable. pic.twitter.com/OMVSaqR0Xm — F. King Alexander (@lsuprez) December 13, 2019

When asked last week about reports that he was being considered for a job in California last week, Alexander downplayed the rumors, saying those types of calls "are nothing new."

“No, no, everything is great here. I mean look, Joe Burrow’s gonna win the Heisman. We’re on a good roll right now!" Alexander told WBRZ.