Professor Howell becomes NSU’s first official executive VP

Nicholls State University President Stephen Hulbert announced last week his intention to remove the interim tag from the man who serves as the university’s executive vice president.

Larry Howell, also an associate professor of computer science, has held the role on an unofficial basis since January after former vice president of financial administration Lionel Naquin retired.

Howell will manage the university’s financial and technology sectors after two vice presidents’ roles were consolidated this year. He will also manage governmental relations, institutional-sponsored research and planning.

“We have to have everyone be aware that our mission is the education of our students and the people of this region,” the soon-to-be executive vice president said. “I think the focus is now stronger. More and more people know it, and the areas that report to me are the areas that need to support the academics.”

Howell is now second in command after Hulbert, who said Thursday he would submit his recommendation to the Board of Supervisors of the University of Louisiana System at its Dec. 8 meeting.

The search culminated with “two very talented candidates,” Hulbert said.

“However, from direct experience, I found that Larry Howell carries the broad range of administrative experience necessary to take on this highly challenging new position within the university’s administration,” the university president said in a news release.

Howell, a Paris, Ill., native, graduated from Nicholls in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in computer science and minors in mathematics and business. He earned his master’s in applied mathematics from Clemson.

Nicholls, at the time, was the only institution in the state to offer a computer science program. After a technological background with the Air Force allowed him to acquire a taste for the bayou region, Howell said he was left with one choice.

After graduating from Clemson, Howell began his teaching career at McNeese State University, where he stayed for one year before returning to Nicholls to teach computer science. He has since served as the university’s director of institutional research, assistant vice president for academic affairs, interim vice president for academic affairs and associate provost.

“I think I was able to combine people skills with technical skills,” Howell said. “That was probably my biggest asset, knowing how to work with people and also how to analyze data so that decisions are made based on the facts as well as feelings for people.”

A resident of Napoleonville, Howell has been an elected member of the Assumption Parish School Board since 1981 and was a member of the governor’s task force for technology in K-12 schools for about nine years under Gov. Mike Foster.

Howell has also consulted for private businesses, municipalities, hospitals and school systems in computer services. “I think I can offer those traits that would have been hard for someone else to have brought in to help move Nicholls,” he said. “Obviously, Nicholls is changing, but I want to help move forward even in these tight, tight times.”

Howell has worked under three of Nicholls’ four university presidents, also serving Donald Ayo and Vernon Galliano.

“Larry’s love for Nicholls, its people and programs is so very clear in all that he does,” Hulbert said.