"Dr. Ukpolo has worked hard and well and his credentials are impeccable to serve as chancellor of the New Orleans campus," said Lea Polk, a member of the SU Board of Supervisors, as she made the motion to appoint Ukpolo.

Before his latest appointment, Ukpolo served as Southern University System vice president for academic and student affairs, and has previously served as associate vice president for academic affairs at California State University, Los Angeles.

He has also held positions as interim associate vice chancellor for academic affairs/special assistant to the chancellor for academic research for the Tennessee Board of Regents and administrative and academic posts at Austin Peay State University.

A graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, he also received a master of arts and doctor of philosophy from American University in economics specializing in monetary economics and econometrics.

"I want to thank God for this moment. I have travelled many roads and hills and I know that it was not by my own doing that I have had the many experiences in my life.

"As a native Nigerian, I came to this country with $200 and a dream to get an education and do something with myself and I was not willing to take or accept any excuses," the release quoted the academician as saying.

The university reopened for the first time following the hurricane on 17 January 2006. Classes will be held at a new temporary school site constructed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Southern University at New Orleans (SUNO), founded in 1956, is a comprehensive, four-year state-supported educational institution.