The South Dakota Board of Regents has named Laurie Stenberg Nichols as president of Black Hills State University in Spearfish, South Dakota. She has been serving as interim president since July.
Black Hills State University enrolls about 3,700 undergraduate students and nearly 300 graduate students. Women make up 63 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Before being named interim president, Dr. Nichols had served for three years as the first woman president of the University of Wyoming. From 2009 to 2016 she served as provost and vice president for academic affairs at South Dakota State University. She was promoted to this leadership role after serving as dean of family and consumer sciences from 1994 to 2009. In 2008, she was named interim president at Northern State University in Aberdeen, South Dakota.
“I was delighted to return to my home state of South Dakota last July and have enjoyed these six months as interim president of Black Hills State University,” Dr. Nichols said. “During this time, I have come to appreciate the vital role that BHSU plays in western South Dakota in providing access to higher education and serving as an economic engine for the region.”
Dr. Nichols is a graduate of South Dakota State University where she majored in home economics education. She holds a master’s degree in vocational and adult education from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in family and consumer sciences education/family studies from Ohio State University.