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News Release
Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director
tadp@sdbor.edu
Janelle Toman, Director of Information & Institutional Research
janellet@sdbor.edu
T: 605.773.3455
F: 605.773.5320
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Monday, June 30, 2008
Nichols Named Interim President at Northern State University
ABERDEEN, S.D. – Laurie Stenberg Nichols, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at South Dakota State University, will become interim president of Northern State University, the South Dakota Board of Regents announced today.
Nichols assumes duties from NSU President Pat Schloss, who is leaving the Aberdeen campus to become president of Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Ga., on Aug. 1.
“We are pleased to bring Dr. Nichols’ leadership skills to Northern State University during an interim period as we commence the search for a permanent president,” said Regents President Harvey C. Jewett. “We believe her considerable experience in teaching, administration, and research will be an excellent fit at Northern, and we very much appreciate Dr. Nichols’ interest in this appointment.”
A native of South Dakota, Nichols has been a dean at SDSU since 1994. She has taught at the secondary and post-secondary levels in South Dakota, Colorado, Nebraska, Ohio, Idaho, and Iowa. She has received numerous teaching and research awards, and has provided campus leadership on several initiatives, including strategic planning and diversity. Nichols also secured grants to collaborate with South Dakota tribal colleges in the areas of curriculum development, articulation, service learning, and collaborative research.
“I am honored to be selected by the Board of Regents to provide leadership to Northern State University in this interim period, and as they search for a permanent president,” Nichols said. “I look forward to a positive and productive year as we continue the important work of providing a quality education and contributing to the growth and vitality of the state.”
Nichols is a trustee on the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Foundation, chair of the Higher Education Unit of the American Association for Family & Consumer Sciences, chair of the Great Plain’s Interactive Distance Education Alliance board of directors, and chair of the South Dakota Voices for Children board of directors. In 2006, she was an American Council on Education (ACE) Fellow, spending a semester on the campus of California State University at Fresno under the mentorship of President John Welty and Provost Jeri Echeverria.
Nichols holds a Ph.D. degree in family and consumer sciences education/family studies from Ohio State University, a master’s of education in vocational and adult education from Colorado
State University, and a B.S. degree in home economics education from SDSU. She is married to Dr. Timothy Nichols, assistant director of academic programs in the College of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at SDSU, and has two daughters, Jordan and Hannah.
The Board of Regents will begin a national search for a permanent president in September. The board hopes to conclude its search by January, with a new president taking office no later than July 2009. Dr. Nichols has agreed not to be a candidate for the permanent presidency. Regent Kathryn Johnson will chair the search committee.
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