SUBMITTED NEWS RELEASE
Gillette assumes a new role and plans to lead the 42 year old private 4-year liberal arts college to a great future
(INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev.) – Sierra Nevada College is pleased to introduce Dr. Lynn Gillette as the new president of Sierra Nevada College. Gillette assumed his position November 1, 2011 and will oversee a new era in the college’s growth and dynamic future. Gillette is well versed in the growth and changes at the college having served as the Executive Vice President and Provost at the college for the past four years overseeing all academic departments as well as the registrar’s office, financial aid, information technology, admissions, student affairs, food services, library, and academic support services. The students at Sierra Nevada College selected him twice as Faculty Member of the Year and twice as Executive of the Year during the past four years. He has also been selected by the former president for a special award for outstanding leadership and entrepreneurial thinking in 2011.
Gillette brings a unique focus to his position having worked closely with the faculty to refine the curriculum and student programs that engages and demands high student interaction. “I am determined to transform the life of every student that attends Sierra Nevada College. We will do that by continuing to raise academic expectations, and by engaging students’ hearts and minds so that they are passionate about their education.” Students see those changes in curricular and co-curricular programs that offer high energy, demanding classes, internships, case studies, undergraduate research, and business plan competitions. “We are going to have the courage to be great. We have a unique opportunity to become a jewel in higher education and we have the right people to make that happen.” announced Gillette to the staff and faculty recently.
Gillette also serves as a faculty member in the Tulane University Executive MBA programs in New Orleans and Houston where he teaches Change Management. He has received nine outstanding teaching awards from Tulane. Prior to joining Sierra Nevada College, Gillette served as a Vice President at Spalding University. His areas of responsibility included institutional research and effectiveness, information technology, retention, academic support services, and compliance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). He served as the university’s SACS accreditation liaison and led the institution’s highly successful reaffirmation of accreditation process. In addition, Dr. Gillette taught economics courses to traditional and adult students. In 2006, he received the Spalding University Outstanding Teaching Award for Educating Adult Learners.
He has also served in administrative positions at three other universities, holding faculty positions at Southern Methodist University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Texas at Austin, and Texas A & M University. At Southern Methodist University, he received a university-wide outstanding teaching award, and at the University of Texas, he ranked in the 98th percentile of all faculty members on a graduating senior exit survey regarding the professor who had the most influence on students’ intellectual development.
Gillette has given over fifty presentations at professional conferences and to business executives on topics such as institutional effectiveness, accreditation, retention, leadership, change management, teaching excellence, and active learning. He has also served on over ten SACS accreditation on-site visiting teams, and he also serves as an accreditation evaluator for NWCCU.
He received a B.A. in Economics from the University of Richmond and a Ph.D. in Economics from Texas A & M University. He is also a graduate of the Management Development Program at Harvard University. He also serves as a consultant to businesses on team building, leadership, and change management.
Sierra Nevada College is a non-profit liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees with locations in Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, Reno and online. The interdisciplinary curriculum emphasizes entrepreneurial thinking, professional preparedness and sustainability. To learn more about Sierra Nevada College, call 775.831.1314 or visit www.sierranevada.edu
