Ronyelle Ricard named special assistant to the chancellor

Dr. Ronyelle Bertrand Ricard has been named Special Assistant to the Chancellor on Southern University's Baton Rouge campus.

Ricard, a native of Opelousas, replaces longtime university administrator Margaret Ambrose who retired from the university in July. Ricard comes to Southern from Howard University in Washington, D.C.

While at Howard, she served as Coordinator for the Presidential Commission on Academic Renewal and was Coordinator for the University-wide Reaffirmation of Accreditation Initiative.

She also served as Coordinator for Research and Professional Development at The American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. And, she was a research intern at The United Negro College Fund.

Llorens said losing Ambrose to retirement was not only a loss for him but also for the university. "She was a star among stars for Southern University," he said.

Of Ricard, he said, "Her experience and direct association with the core interworkings in the field of higher education will be a boon for our university. It is also special that, while she is not a graduate of Southern, she has family ties to the university."

Ricard's husband, Craig, received his undergraduate degree in mathematics from Southern.

"My husband is a proud alum who bleeds blue and gold," she said. "When we relocated from Washington, D.C., I was determined to work at a historically black institution so I am honored to be at a university with such a rich legacy."

"In my role as Special Assistant to the Chancellor, I will support the Chancellor and his vision and strategic plan for the university," Ricard said. "My responsibility is to ensure that the chancellor and his administration remain abreast of all pertinent issues and concerns so that they can be handled judiciously and in a timely manner."

Ricard has a doctorate from The Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a B.S. degree in Psychology from Xavier University in New Orleans.