Columbus State University has selected the current provost and vice president for academic affairs at Governors State University in Illinois to lead CSU’s academic activities.

Deborah Bordelon has been tapped as CSU’s next provost and executive vice president, which is the second in command to the president. She will start in February.

Dr. Bordelon has been at Governors State University since 2008, first serving as dean of their College of Education before being appointed provost in 2013. Before moving to Illinois, she held teaching and administrative posts at Nicholls State University and Xavier University in Louisiana. She holds a doctorate in special education, a master’s in education and a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, all from the University of New Orleans.

She will take over from Tina Butcher, who has been serving as interim provost for about 18 months. She will return to her previous position as associate provost for undergraduate education.

“We have been in good hands with Dr. Butcher leading our academic affairs enterprise while we searched for a permanent provost who was just the right fit for us going forward,” said CSU President Chris Markwood. “I am very excited about Dr. Bordelon joining this team and am delighted she shares a passion for high-impact educational practices, inclusiveness, creativity, and servant leadership.”

Bordelon has more than 30 publications or grants to her credit. She is a member of the Hall of Fame in the College of Education and Human Development at University of New Orleans, received Top Ten Researchers and Grant Recipients Recognition at Nicholls State University and was named “Excellence in Praxis” Service Learning Faculty Award at Xavier University of Louisiana. She has been through the Executive Leadership Academy at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, the Harvard Graduate School of Education Institute for Management and Leadership in Education, and the American Council on Education, Office of Women in Higher Education 77th National Leadership Forum on Women Administrators.

“It is a great honor to be selected as Provost and Executive Vice President at Columbus State University,” Bordelon said. “I look forward to joining President Markwood and the excellent administrative team at CSU. It was evident during my campus visit how consistent and strong the commitment to student success and academic excellence is across the university. I am excited to have the opportunity to work closely with the faculty, staff, students, and community to promote the high quality educational opportunities at CSU.”