Dr. David J. Lanoue is looking forward to his first academic year as provost and vice president for academic affairs at SAU.
“We’ve got some great programs and things that I am excited to be working on. I think it’s going be a great year,” said Lanoue.
He intends to make listening his top priority – to the students, the faculty and staff. “I’ll get a sense of the University, and a sense of what people’s priorities are, what they care about.”
Upon moving to Magnolia and starting his post on July 1, his impressions of the campus and community are the same as they were when he visited to interview. “I think it’s a wonderfully welcoming town. The people are friendly, and I think there is a real sense of family on campus.”
Lanoue comes to SAU from Hawai‘i Pacific University, where he has served as dean of the College of Liberal Arts since 2013. He said the move went fine in the end, despite there being a lot to take care of transporting possessions across an ocean and half a continent. Selling furniture and donating the family car helped. He and his wife, Suzanne, are still opening boxes though.
Lanoue is an experienced higher education administrator having held a number of leadership roles at various universities since 1990. Prior to his current deanship, he served as the dean of the College of Letters and Sciences at Columbus State University in Georgia. He has held the position of chair at Political Science departments at the University of Alabama, at Texas Tech University, and at the University of California, Riverside.
He enjoys long hikes and short walks, depending on the time available. He said he is looking forward to being outdoors and enjoying the beauty of Arkansas, as much as the job allows. Suzanne wants to become an active member of the local and University communities.
