Dr. Jaime Taylor Biography
Dr. Jaime R. Taylor is the 16thpresident of Lamar University, which serves more than 17,000 students in both undergraduate and graduate programs. Before his appointment in July 2021, Taylor served as Marshall University's provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. Signature achievements during his time at Marshall include strategic planning and programming to support dramatic increases in first-year retention and six-year graduation rates, the development of new academic programs including a fixed-wing aviation program and a doctorate of business administration, and the doubling of university-wide research expenditures, the latter leading to a new Carnegie classification for Marshall as an R2 research institution.
Prior to his work at Marshall, Taylor spent a significant portion of his career at Austin Peay State University, where he served two years as interim provost and vice president for academic affairs, eight years as dean of the College of Science and Mathematics and eight years as chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Taylor is an award-winning teacher of physics and was honored as an Austin Peay State University Outstanding Alumni.
Taylor has had significant success in growing student enrollment and improving student success metrics at two different institutions across all levels of administration. Under his leadership, Marshall University achieved record freshman retention rates and six-year graduation rates, with year-over-year increases of 6% and 5% respectively. Likewise, Taylor oversaw a 26% increase in the Austin Peay State University freshman class while serving as interim provost after just one year of implementing a new plan that intentionally put faculty and academics at the center of recruitment efforts. He also oversaw an increase in the freshman retention rate at Austin Peay State University of 6%, and an increased retention rate of 9% for Black freshman.
Taylor is a natural collaborator and recognizes when people love what they do, they develop fierce internal motivation and are creatively invested in the mission of the institution. By fostering a campus culture that relies on shared governance and values the expertise everyone brings to the table, Taylor invites every stakeholder to own both the problems and the successes of the university. His collaborative leadership style resulted in Austin Peay State University being named to the Honor Roll of the Chronicle of Higher Education's Great Colleges to Work For, with particular recognition for Confidence in Senior Leadership and Collaborative Governance both years he served as interim provost.
Taylor received his Ph.D. and M.S. in engineering from the University of Tennessee Space Institute, his B.S. in physics and mathematics from Austin Peay State University and an A.A.S. in industrial engineering technology from Nashville State Technical Institute. He also spent four years as a NASA Faculty Fellow working on applications of soft computing.