CEHS Welcomes Nicholson to College Leadership Team

Wed, 10/02/2024 - 01:55pm | By: Karelia Pitts

The College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS) at The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) announces the appointment of Dr. Bonnie Nicholson as interim associate dean, effective October 1, 2024.

“Dr. Nicholson brings an array of accreditation, curriculum and governance expertise that will undoubtedly augment our administrative operations within the college,” said Dr. Trent Gould, CEHS dean. “Growing faculty and student engagement in the programs we have on the Gulf Park campus will be one of our main college priorities moving forward. Given her broad higher education and leadership experiences as a long-serving associate school director, Dr. Nicholson is uniquely suited to help the college re-envision its strategy for coastal operations.”

Dr. Nicholson earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and attended Marquette University for her master’s degree and doctorate in counseling psychology. She joined the faculty at USM in August 2002 as an assistant professor in the School of Psychology and has since served as program coordinator for the master’s program in counseling psychology (accredited by the Masters in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council - MPCAC) and the doctoral program in counseling psychology (accredited by the American Psychological Association - APA).

For the past 12 years, she has served as a professor and associate director in the school. She is also head of the Positive Parenting Research Team, which focuses on investigating parenting and positive psychology constructs associated with healthy outcomes for children and parents.

“Southern Miss is a special place, and I am fortunate to have been offered opportunities to further my career at this university. Program development has played a key role in my previous positions, and I am excited for the creative possibilities available as interim associate dean for CEHS,” said Dr. Nicholson. “It is an honor to have been selected to assist in this new capacity. I look forward to guiding our college into the next phase of growth and enhancing collaborations with Gulf Park colleagues to maximize our potential and ensure the long-term success of programming on both campuses."

Click here to learn more about the USM College of Education and Human Sciences.