Please join us in congratulating Lindsay Couzens, Associate Vice Provost for Academic Effectiveness, on her appointment as Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs for the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).
In this role, Couzens will provide executive leadership for NSHE's Academic and Student Affairs division while a national search is conducted for a permanent Vice Chancellor. Reporting directly to the Chancellor and serving as a member of the Chancellor's Cabinet, she will oversee Academic and Student Affairs, Sponsored Programs and EPSCoR, and Institutional Research, while providing leadership for systemwide academic, student affairs, research, policy, accreditation, and institutional effectiveness initiatives.
Couzens brings more than two decades of higher education experience and has served in a variety of leadership roles at UNLV. In her current position as Associate Vice Provost for Academic Effectiveness, she provides strategic leadership for institutional accreditation, academic program development, assessment, and continuous improvement efforts that advance student success and academic excellence.
A respected leader in accreditation and assessment, Couzens serves as UNLV's Accreditation Liaison Officer to the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) and has chaired and participated in accreditation reviews at colleges and universities throughout the Northwest. She was also selected to participate in the NWCCU Mission Fulfillment Fellows Program, an 18-month professional development initiative for faculty, staff, and administrators at NWCCU member institutions.
Throughout her tenure at UNLV, Couzens has demonstrated a deep commitment to academic quality, institutional effectiveness, and student success. Her extensive experience, collaborative leadership style, and dedication to higher education make her exceptionally well-suited for this important systemwide role.
Couzens will begin her interim appointment on June 22, 2026, at the NSHE System Office. During this transition, Laurel Pritchard, Assistant Vice Provost for Academic Initiatives and Data, will provide leadership for the Office of Academic Effectiveness.
We thank Couzens for her many contributions to UNLV and congratulate her on this well-deserved appointment. We wish her continued success as she joins the NSHE System Administration team in this important leadership role.
