Matthew Lee (sociologist)

Matthew Raleigh Lee is an American social scientist and university administrator at Louisiana State University (LSU). He is currently the Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture. In July 2025, Lee will starting serving as interim President of LSU, while a nationwide search is underway for a new president to replace William Tate.^[2] As a servant leader in higher education, his personal and administrative motto is 'Excellence through Innovation'. ^[1]

Matt Lee
Born	Matthew Raleigh Lee
Alma mater	Dutchess Community College State University of New York at New Paltz Louisiana State University
Awards	Member of Sigma Xi since 2009[1]
Scientific career
Fields	Sociology, Criminology
Institutions	Louisiana State University Mississippi State University
Thesis	Hyperdeprivation and race-specific homicide, 1980-1990 (1999)
Doctoral advisor	Edward Shihadeh

Education and career

Lee received his A.A. degree from Dutchess Community College in 1992, his B.A. from the State University of New York at New Paltz in 1994, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from Louisiana State University in 1996 and 1999, respectively. He attended the Institute for Management and Leadership in Education at Harvard University in 2012.

Professor

In 1999, he joined the faculty of Mississippi State University as an assistant professor of sociology, and was promoted to associate professor in 2003. In 2004, he left Mississippi State to become an associate professor of sociology at LSU with tenure. In 2008, he became a full professor at LSU.^[3]

University administrator

Lee served as the Associate Vice President for Research at LSU from 2010 to 2015.

From July 2015 to June 2021 he served as the Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Support Services at LSU.

He served as the Interim Executive Vice President & Provost, the chief academic and chief operating officer for the institution, from July 2021 to August 2022.

In August of 2022, he began his post as the interim Vice President for Agriculture and Dean of the College of Agriculture, supporting the agricultural enterprise which encompasses a statewide extension network.