THIBODAUX – After more than three decades of service in higher education, Dr. Allayne “Laynie” Barrilleaux, vice president of academic affairs at Nicholls State University, will retire from her post Friday, Aug. 22.
Dr. Al Davis, dean of University College, will serve as interim vice president of academic affairs while a search for Barrilleaux’s replacement is conducted.
“Nicholls has been my home for more than 30 years, and I’m so blessed to have been a part of this family and to have contributed to its quality education and service to the region,” Barrilleaux said. “I look forward to continuing my support of Nicholls as a member of the community and encourage all to do the same as Nicholls needs regional support now more than ever.”
Barrilleaux, who was appointed to her position as vice president of academic affairs in September 2011, served as assistant vice president for academic affairs at Nicholls from 2005 to 2010 and as interim vice president of academic affairs from 2010 to 2011. She previously served as distinguished service professor of management and as a liaison to the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).
“Dr. Allayne Barrilleaux has been a fixture at Nicholls State University. She has contributed in so many ways as a professor and as an administrator to the mission of this institution,” said Nicholls President Bruce Murphy. “Laynie was the first person I ever knew from Nichols through our association in a professional academic organization. I will miss her as a colleague and a friend. Jeanne and I wish her continued success as she begins this new chapter of her life.”
Barrilleaux’s accomplishments at Nicholls include leading the university through a successful reaffirmation of its SACSCOC accreditation and recertification with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). She led the formation and implementation of Nicholls’ recently created online degree program, Nicholls Online, and restructured the Department of Petroleum Engineering Technology and Safety Management to better meet workforce needs in the region.
Barrilleaux was a recipient of Nicholls’ Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence and the James Lynn Powell Outstanding Alumni Award, the Nicholls Alumni Federation’s highest honor. She served as a member of the board of the regional Council for a Better Louisiana, Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce and United Way for South Louisiana. She is also a past president of the Thibodaux Rotary Club.
Barrilleaux received her bachelor’s and doctoral degrees from LSU, and her master’s degree from Nicholls.
