University President Dr. Joseph Savoie has named some key senior administrators. A new provost and vice president for Academic Affairs was appointed earlier this year, along with two veteran leaders who were named vice president for Research and vice president for Student Affairs.
Dr. Jim Henderson is now the University’s senior academic administrator and senior vice president.
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru is vice president for Research, while Patricia Cottonham is vice president for Student Affairs. Both served as interim vice presidents for over a year.
“These are key administrators who I’m confident will keep the University growing and moving forward. They will help it achieve its goals of increasing enrollment and graduation rates, providing students with a great college experience and strengthening the University’s reputation as a competitive research university,” Savoie said.
Nationwide searches were conducted for all three positions.University search committees reviewed applications, interviewed top applicants and made recommendations to Savoie. The board of supervisors of the University of Louisiana System unanimously approved his appointments.
The three vice presidents join two other members of Savoie’s cabinet: Jerry Luke LeBlanc, vice president for Administration and Finance, and Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for Enrollment Management. Liz Landry is interim vice president for University Advancement.
Dr. Jim Henderson
Prior to joining the UL Lafayette community, Dr. Jim Henderson had been dean of the College of Natural and Social Sciences at California State University, Los Angeles, since 2008.
“He’s a proven leader who has held academic administration positions, including department head, dean and vice chancellor. We are grateful to have a visionary leader and scholar with a deep commitment to teaching, innovation, and strengthening relationships on campus and in our community,” said Savoie.
“Plus, he’s a really nice guy,” he added.
Henderson is responsible for the general direction of UL Lafayette’s instruction, research and outreach activities. He coordinates Academic Affairs, Student Affairs, Research, and Enrollment Management. One of his duties is recruiting faculty members.
Born in Bunkie, La., he grew up in rural New Mexico, where he completed high school. His father worked for Amerada Hess, an oil company.
In 1975, Henderson’s dad was considering retirement. “The company said, ‘We’ll move you anywhere you like, if you’ll stay on for a while.’ My parents chose Lafayette,” he said. So, Henderson was familiar with Lafayette and Acadiana long before applying for the University’s provost position.
Henderson said he is impressed with the University’s connections to the community and local cultures, its diverse student population, and the breadth of academic programs it offers.
Two areas of special interest are academic diversity and interdisciplinary study. At California State University, Los Angeles, he was dean of a college that included far-ranging programs, including mathematics, physics, chemistry and astronomy, as well as history, ethnic studies, political science and sociology.
He was vice chancellor for Student Success and Enrollment Management at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs from 2003 to 2007 and taught there from 2007 to 2008. He was also dean of the Summer Session at Colorado College from 2001 to 2003 and twice served as chair of the Department of Mathematics in the 1990s.
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru
Dr. Ramesh Kolluru has experience at almost every level at UL Lafayette: graduate student, research scientist, associate professor, director of three centers, and interim vice president.
“Dr. Kolluru has excelled in all of his roles,” said Savoie. “He has experience working with leaders in the state and national research arena and has developed valuable alliances with businesses and other universities.
“Bottom line: he’s a strategic thinker and a persuasive advocate for the University.”
Kolluru has led:
- the Center for Business and Information Technologies, which won the Governor’s Lantern Award for its impact on economic development;
- the National Incident Management Systems and Advance Technologies Institute, whose public-private partnership models are considered best practices by FEMA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; and
- the Center for Visual and Decision Informatics, which was created through a partnership with Drexel University and is Louisiana’s first National Science Foundation Center and the nation’s only NSF Center of its kind.
Through collaborations with University faculty and staff, Kolluru has generated over $42 millon in external research and development funding.
While interim vice president of Research, Kolluru worked with Louisiana Economic Development, the Louisiana Board of Regents and UL Lafayette leaders to develop a master plan for research. It focuses on five disciplines aligned with the University’s strengths and the state’s economic development and higher education goals:
- life sciences, health care and wellness;
- computing, digital media and software;
- energy and sustainability;
- coastal ecology and water management; and
- advanced materials and manufacturing.
Kolluru is also working with Savoie and the vice president for Administration and Finance to make the University’s research enterprise self-sufficient by 2016.
Patricia Cottonham
UL Lafayette has been a part of Patricia Frilot Cottonham’s life for almost 40 years.
She joined the University staff in the 1980s, concentrating on areas with direct student impact. In 2009, she became interim dean of students; three years later, she was also named interim vice president of Student Affairs.
“Pat Cottonham has earned a reputation for her concern for students. Commitment to students’ academic success and providing a meaningful college experience are hallmarks of our University, thanks to leaders like her,” said Savoie.
She worked as a speech therapist for five years after graduating with a bachelor’s degree from UL Lafayette in speech pathology and audiology. In 1984, she joined the University as a financial aid counselor. “It was in that position that I realized that I truly enjoyed working with students,” she said.
When Cottonham was promoted to director of the Financial Aid Office, she implemented a Counselor on Duty program that enabled counselors to respond quickly to callers about their financial aid accounts.
In 1998, she became associate dean of students and director of Greek Life. She revamped and enhanced the University’s parent orientation program and helped attract national speakers to campus to talk to students about issues such as alcohol awareness and acquaintance rape.
“I worked to ensure that the Dean of Students Office was seen as a place of support and service for students and faculty,” she said.
After Cottonham was named interim dean of students, she supervised several departments and assumed the duties of a Title IX investigator. As interim vice president for Student Affairs, she supervised over a dozen departments, including Housing, Counseling and Testing, and Career Services.
Cottonham has had a leadership role in the recent addition and renovation of residence halls and the expansion and renovation of the Student Union.
She holds a master’s degree in rehabilitation counseling education and expects to earn a doctorate in higher education leadership in December 2015.