Globally recognized scholar chosen to lead Moody College of Business

Dr. Linda Nichols is the new dean of the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette.

Nichols comes to UL Lafayette from the University of Tulsa in Oklahoma. There, she served as dean of the Collins College of Business. She joined the Tulsa faculty in 2011 as associate dean, director of Graduate Business Programs and a professor of accounting.

She later became director of the School of Energy Economics, Policy and Commerce.

She joined Tulsa’s faculty after 21 years at Texas Tech University, where she was professor and director of accounting programs. During her tenure at the Collins College of Business, she revamped its MBA program and was an advocate for online education across Tulsa’s campus.

Nichols described herself as “very student focused. I always consider what is in the best interests of students when making decisions that will impact their experiences and preparation for successful careers in their chosen fields.”

She continued: “I am excited to join the Moody College of Business because its faculty and staff are motivated by the same goal – to provide today’s undergraduate and graduate students with the tools they will need for the jobs of tomorrow.”

Nichols said she plans to strengthen the college’s partnerships with South Louisiana’s business community. “The Moody College of Business is known for its research and scholarly contributions to the health of the regional economy. It’s an excellent foundation and reputation we plan to build upon.”

Nichols knows quite a bit about fostering relationships with business and industry, noted Dr. Jaimie Hebert, UL Lafayette’s provost and vice president for Academic Affairs. “She is recognized globally as an expert in the field of financial accounting and reporting for the oil and gas industry.”

Her association with the oil industry began in 1980 when she worked for an international accounting firm in Houston as part of its oil and gas industry audit division.  She later joined Columbia Gas Development, an exploration and production company, where she held the position of supervisor of budgeting and economics.

“Over the past decade alone, Dr. Nichols has provided industry training and expertise in 20 countries on five continents,” Hebert said. “She has extensive experience in both the private sector and higher education, so she understands the relationships that can exist between these two spheres and the mutual benefits that can result from such partnerships.

“We are excited that she’s agreed to join our University family, and we anticipate that great things lie ahead for the Moody College of Business, and its students and faculty, under her leadership,” he concluded.

Nichols earned a Ph.D. in accounting from Louisiana State University. She is a certified public accountant.

She is author of a Bloomberg Portfolio in Oil and Gas Accounting, which covers all aspects of upstream accounting in the United States and globally, and she has published numerous scholarly articles. She also serves as associate editor of the Oil, Gas and Energy Quarterly, a peer-reviewed journal.

Nichols has earned national and international recognition.  In 2007, she received the Texas Society of CPAs’ Outstanding Accounting Educator Award. In 1999, she was chosen as Outstanding Educator of the Year by the American Woman’s Society of CPAs.

In 2003, the U.S. Fulbright Commission and Austrian government chose her as the Johannes-Kepler Distinguished Chair in International Business.  She also chaired the Financial Accounting and Reporting Committee of the AICPA, the world’s largest association for accounting professionals.

Nichols begins her new role as Moody College of Business dean on Aug. 15. She replaces Dr. Geralyn McClure Franklin, the college’s interim dean since July 2019.

Nichols’ appointment is awaiting approval by the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors.

Photo caption: Dr. Linda Nichols is the new dean of UL Lafayette’s B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration. (Photo courtesy of the University of Tulsa)