Provost Emeritus from Ohio is the UL System’s Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic and Student Affairs

BATON ROUGE – Richard S. Hansen, Provost Emeritus of Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio, started this week as the University of Louisiana System’s Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic and Students Affairs.  Hansen will oversee the direction of academic programs at all nine universities in the system.

“Dr. Hansen will be able to draw on over 40 years of higher education leadership in the areas of academic affairs, administration, public affairs, institutional research, and student services in this role at the UL System.  His work in online and adult education programs will especially benefit our efforts to expand into new markets,” said UL System President Sandra Woodley.

The UL System launched the state’s first collaborative online degree program targeted to adults.  The Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Leadership is offered jointly by all nine universities with nine distinct concentrations.  Applications are currently being accepted for the first classes starting in June.

After retiring in January, Hansen was named Provost Emeritus of Union Institute & University (UI&U), a non-profit national university focusing on low residency, distance, and online degree programs for adults.  He served as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs from 2005-2013 and Executive Vice President for Administration from 2001-2005 at UI&U. 

Previous experience included Senior Vice President and Secretary of the Board of Trustees at Norwich University in Vermont, Vice President for Public Affairs at Thomas A. Edison State College in New Jersey, Dean of the Eric Metropolitan College at Gannon University in Pennsylvania, Assistant Dean and Director of Continuing Education at the University of Evansville in Indiana, and Coordinator of Institutional Research at the University of Denver in Colorado.

“It is exciting to be in Louisiana working with a dynamic group of regional and statewide universities.  I look forward to assisting our campuses with nurturing existing programs and forging new academic pathways,” said Hansen.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Higher Education Administration from the University of Denver, a Master of Science in Education in College Personnel Administration from Indiana University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of Denver.

The largest higher education system in Louisiana, the UL system enrolls over 92,000 students at Grambling State University, Louisiana Tech University, McNeese State University, Nicholls State University, Northwestern State University, Southeastern Louisiana University, the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, and the University of New Orleans.

For more information about the UL System visit www.ulsystem.edu.

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