NEWS RELEASE

Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

12/09/2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -Dr. Thomas Hanson has been appointed Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Northwestern State University effective January 1, 2006. The appointment has been approved by the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System. Hanson has been Acting Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs since March.

A professor of mathematics and a member of the Northwestern faculty since 1990, Hanson served from 1996 to 2000 as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research. He was a member and former president and vice-president of the NSU Faculty Senate.

"Dr. Tom Hanson has excellent academic credentials and extensive experience, in the business world and in higher education, that prepare him well to serve Northwestern effectively as provost and vice president for academic affairs," said NSU President Dr. Randall J. Webb. "Since coming to Northwestern, he has been a respected faculty member and administrator, and has served capably as a member and officer of the Faculty Senate."

In addition to serving as a professor in mathematics and computer information systems and as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research, Hanson has also been Director of Information Systems at NSU. In that position, he provided leadership in strategic planning and budgeting for all aspects of academic and administrative computer operations. He was also at the forefront of developing campus computer networks, databases and the use of technology in classrooms.

"I look forward to continuing to work with the faculty and other members of the administration to advance Northwestern," said Hanson. "I have enjoyed my collaboration with the faculty and administration over the past several months and look forward to the future as we work to provide the best possible educational opportunities for students."

Hanson said he would be involved in Northwestern's work toward reaffirmation of accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools in 2007. He will also be part of Northwestern's continuing effort to work with the state's technical and community colleges to develop a seamless transition to the university.

Hanson, who holds bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from the University of Georgia, has been an assistant professor of mathematics at the University of Florida and was an adjunct lecturer in mathematics at the State University of New York in Binghamton.

In the private sector, he was with IBM for 11 years, advancing to the position of senior product representative, and was later vice president of management information systems for Lustrelon, Inc.

While completing work on his doctorate at the University of Georgia, he received a traineeship from NASA from 1965 until 1968.

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