“I’m just here to confirm a rumor,” Lamar University President James M. “Jimmy” Simmons told LU faculty, staff and members of the media in a meeting held at the Gray Library on Friday, Aug. 3, at 10 a.m.
The “rumor” in question was his retirement. Simmons announced that, after a 14-year tenure as president of the university, he will officially step down on Jan. 31, 2013.