Excerpts from the introduction by Rev. Paul Sink (’95)

Corinne Nicholson

So, to remind us just a bit about this amazing person who has and continues to impact the St Andrews community and educational landscape… Professor Corinne Nicholson taught in our Business Department for an impressive 32 years, while chairing 2 separate departments for a combined 20 years. She directed the internship program which was an integral part of our applied educational structure, merging classroom learning with real world experience. Corinne was well known for her use of case studies and assignments based in the global corporate marketplace. We, as her students, had tremendous exposure to business practices and philosophies from around the globe through her engaging classroom presence. She taught us to be well rounded, innovative thinkers who could adapt to an ever changing global business environment.

Beyond her instructional time with students, Corinne was a dedicated member of our St Andrews faculty. As much as she was well respected, she gave the same level of respect in return to her colleagues. She has long been and continues to be a role model and mentor for so many of our professors and staff. This was all the more evident upon her retirement in 2021, when she was awarded the distinction of Professor of Business Administration Emerita, sealing her place in the hearts and halls of St Andrews.

On a personal note, whenever someone asks me about my experience as a student at St Andrews, I always tell them about Corinne Nicholson. She was my academic advisor and had the most impact of any professor on campus in my educational adventure. She guided me in overall course selections as well as challenged me in her own classes. But the thing that makes me tell about Corinne so often is how she truly embodies the spirit of our St Andrews family. In short, we care deeply for each others’ well being and success in life.

My junior year of college, I had to have major back surgery in April. This caused me to be home in Lexington NC for three weeks until I could recover enough to be back on campus. In the middle of my recovery time, Corinne gathered course work from all of my professors and made a trip to Lexington. She caught me up on necessary work and made sure I was on track to not fall behind in my classes, but she also was just checking in on me. That is what makes St Andrews special… then and now… the love and care and dedication that we have for our students, faculty and staff… all of this is what makes Corinne Nicholson such a worthy recipient for our distinguished merit award tonight.

Please join me as we give a hearty round of applause for Corinne!