Jessica Nicklin has been named provost and vice president of academic affairs at Holyoke Community College in Holyoke, Massachusetts. Her last day at the University of Hartford will be June 30.
"The University of Hartford has been my professional home for more than 16 years, a place where I've truly grown up," Nicklin says. "Together, we've shared moments of joy and challenge and accomplished an extraordinary amount of meaningful work. While I will miss this community deeply, I will always remain a proud friend of the University of Hartford. I look forward to watching the continued momentum and seeing the strategic plan come to life."
Nicklin joined the University in 2009 as an assistant professor in the Department of Psychology after working with organizations such as IBM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, and ACT. She received tenure and was promoted to associate professor in 2015, serving as the undergraduate director in psychology from 2012 to 2014, and the inaugural director of the Online Graduate Program in Organizational Psychology from 2014 to 2018. Nicklin has excelled at teaching statistics and research methods to both undergraduate and graduate students while actively involving them in her ongoing research in organizational psychology. She was promoted to full professor in 2024.
Currently, she serves as associate provost for faculty affairs and research. In this role, Nicklin oversees faculty searches, onboarding, and ongoing faculty development, as well as the Office of Sponsored Programs, Center for Teaching Excellence and Innovation, Office of Academic Technology and Digital Innovation, and the Institutional Review Board. She has strengthened community engagement and institutional culture through innovative initiatives such as Professional Development Wednesdays and Bring Your Child to Work Day.
Prior to this, Nicklin served as the assistant provost for graduate studies and research where she focused on strategic planning, program review, and assessment of graduate programs; new graduate program and curricular development; retention and support of graduate students; and academic policies related to graduate education. Earlier in her career, she served as associate dean for student and academic services in the College of Arts and Sciences (2015–18) before moving into her subsequent role as associate vice president for student success (2018–22). In this position, Nicklin co-created a one-stop shop, built a first-year advising program, centralized tutoring, merged all student affairs activities under one unit in the Division of Student Success, oversaw progress in health and wellness programming, and improved various retention activities.
Nicklin served as UHart's COVID-19 coordinator throughout the pandemic and later as Title IX coordinator. She was an influential leader on numerous committees, including currently co-chairing the 2026 NECHE interim report and chairing the ENHP Dean Search.
Over the years, Nicklin has received numerous awards, including the prestigious Belle K. Ribicoff Junior Faculty Prize (2014) and Endowed Professorship (2016), and the University at Albany Outstanding Young Alumni Award (2018), along with various scholarly accolades.