Northwestern State University of Louisiana will welcome a new dean to the College of Business and Technology in the spring 2026 semester. Scott Wysong has been appointed as the next dean, pending approval of the University of Louisiana System Board of Supervisors. If confirmed, he will begin his role on Jan. 5.
Greg Handel, executive vice president and provost, explained that he recruited faculty, staff, alumni and business and industry leaders to serve on a search committee of about 16 people.
Laurie Morrow, executive director for economic development and university advancement, chaired the search committee at Handel’s request. She coordinated the search process and facilitated communication with the candidates.
“One of the first things I did was meet with the committee to establish guidelines and explain what our responsibility was,” Morrow said. “It was important to me that the committee understood that our role is not to select the new candidate. Our role was simply to vet the candidates, to interview them and to make recommendations to the president and provost.”
The search formally began in May when the committee finalized the job description and advertisement. The position was posted in higher education publications to promote applications.
The job description on the State of Louisiana Job Bulletin stated, “The next Dean of the College of Business and Technology at Northwestern State University will lead a first-class faculty, dedicated staff, and mission-driven student body. This leadership transition comes at a time of exciting transformation for the University, with a renewed strategic vision that will shape the College’s future. The Dean will navigate emerging challenges in business and technology, particularly those facing underserved communities, while aligning academic programs with workforce demands.”
After the application window closed on Aug. 1, NSU’s Human Resources office thoroughly evaluated all of the applicants to ensure they met the required qualifications. Applicants were required to hold a terminal degree一the highest level of education one can achieve in a specific field of study一and have extensive academic and administrative experience.
The list of applicants narrowed down to about 30 qualified candidates. The committee then scored all of the candidates and held virtual interviews with the top eight. From there, the committee narrowed it down to the top three candidates and invited them to campus.
On Oct. 23, the finalists—Collins, Battaglio and Wysong—visited NSU’s campus for a full day of in-person interviews. They met with the president and provost, the search committee, students, faculty and staff and local business industry professionals in individual sessions. Each group was able to give feedback that was considered in the decision-making progress.
Wysong has 25 years of experience at the University of Dallas, where he served as an associate professor of marketing and led the development and implementation of a Master of Business Administration program in the Satish & Yasmin Gupta College of Business.
He received a bachelor’s degree in economics at Vanderbilt University and completed both his MBA and Ph.D. in marketing at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also has a certificate in Business Strategy from Harvard Business School online.
In addition to his academic background, Wysong is the president of Wysong Brand Solutions, a company that conducts economic impact studies for concerts, festivals, parades and sporting events.
Currently living in Stonewall, Louisiana, Wysong has connections to the business industry in the area.
“The committee felt strongly that Wysong’s connections in the area, especially in the Shreveport-Bossier area, would be very important to help forward the mission of the college and Northwestern,” Handel said.
Wysong said that his first semester as dean will be a learning experience. He wants to observe how things are run before he makes any changes and listen to students, faculty and staff on their opinions.
“I plan on sitting in classes and having an open forum where students can come and provide feedback,” Wysong said. “Once I have gathered feedback, in the summer I will plan to make changes that will be implemented in the fall.”
NSU leaders hope that under his leadership, an MBA program can be added to NSU’s academic programs.
“I am excited about Dr. Wysong joining the university because I feel like he is going to be such an asset to help us not only obtain additional degree programs but also partnerships that we believe he will bring to the college,” Morrow said.
Wysong’s appointment marks a new chapter for the College of Business and Technology and an opportunity to strengthen its impact across the region.
“I hope my legacy as the dean of the College of Business and Technology is that the college is a great place for students to come and learn and leave with great jobs,” Wysong said.
