Black Hills State University President Laurie Nichols says she’s retiring after 4 decades in education and 4 years of helming the Spearfish school, but will remain on until her successor is named – a process that will begin this.
Nichols is a native of South Dakota and began her teaching career in the Black Hills. She came to Black Hills State as interim president, but so impressed the search committee that it halted its work and offered her the permanent job.
Nichols was president of the University of Wyoming from 2016 until 2019, when her contract was unexpectedly not renewed. The UW trustees never gave a reason for the move, drawing the wrath of the governor of Wyoming.
Nichols says she feels privileged to have worked on “great campus” with people that are “just awesome (and) understanding,” and that she’s “so grateful” for that opportunity.
Under her presidency, Black Hills State helped create the West River Health Science Center and offered so many course in Rapid City that it now has a campus there.
Nichols also brought degree programs to active military and their families at the Ellsworth Air Force base and strengthened academic relationships with Crazy Horse and the American Indian University of North America.
She also achieved many of her own personal goals for the school including prioritizing strong leadership while creating strategic and ambitious goals for the university.
Those included plans for enrollment growth, 10-year national accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission, record fundraising, and nationally-competitive athletics. The Black Hills State men reached the NCAA Division II Final Four the past 2 years.