Nicholls Names New Provost

Lynn GilletteTHIBODAUX — Nicholls State University has named Dr. Lynn Gillette as its next provost and vice president for academic affairs, pending approval from the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. Gillette will join the Nicholls administrative team on July 1, filling a vacant position that has been held on an interim basis since August 2014.

Gillette is the former president of Sierra Nevada College, a private liberal arts college of 1,000 students in Incline Village, Nevada. Prior to his tenure as president, Gillette also served three years as the college’s provost and executive vice president.

“The Nicholls provost search attracted a deep and diverse pool of more than 30 applicants,” said Dr. Bruce Murphy, Nicholls president. “The three finalists interviewed on campus were all fully qualified for the leadership role, with each candidate bringing his or her own set of strengths and expertise areas. Dr. Gillette’s experience most closely aligned with Nicholls’ strategic intent to grow enrollment, increase internationalism and expand online learning. He brings to Nicholls a proven track record of establishing and growing new academic programs, navigating the SACSCOC accreditation process and improving campus finances. With his background, I’m confident that Dr. Gillette will help further the university’s growth and bring a spirit of innovation to Nicholls academics.”

While at Sierra Nevada, Gillette led a progressive-minded administration that successfully established financial stability, developed strategic partnerships, introduced over a dozen new programs and gained reaffirmation of accreditation for the college. He also annually increased undergraduate enrollment.

“What attracted me to Nicholls State University is the incredible focus on student success and learning,” Gillette said. “That’s who I am at my core — I am in higher education for the purpose of seeing students succeed. I was impressed by the level of accreditation that Nicholls has attained, including the regional accreditation with SACSCOC and the specialized accreditations that signal to the marketplace that quality is a main focus of the university. I look forward to working with Nicholls faculty and staff and bringing an entrepreneurial spirit to the campus.”

Gillette has served 23 years in both public and private higher education administration, including tenures as vice president for business, administration and compliance at Spalding University; visiting professor of economics at the University of Kentucky; area chair in economics and statistics at the University of Phoenix; dean of the College of Business and Economics at Houston Baptist University; and dean of the School of Business at Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene, Texas. Locally, Gillette served from 2004-13 as an adjunct professor of business at Tulane University’s Freeman School of Business, where he taught graduate-level management courses and received nine Outstanding Teacher of the Year awards.

A graduate of Harvard University’s Management Development Program, Gillette holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Richmond and a doctorate in economics from Texas A&M University.

Gillette, a native of Virginia, is married to Shannon Morse. He has two daughters: Jacquelyn, a doctoral student in accounting at the University of Rochester; and Danielle, an undergraduate student in chemical engineering at the University of Missouri.

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