The Magazine of Nicholls State University
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Fall 2011
The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Fall 2011
The Roots of Success …… page 25
Learning Through Service …… page 34
by Renee Piper
Learn the secrets of the “Nicholls Numbers Tree.”
by Dr. Morris Coats
From the church to the hospital, from the neighborhood to the beach,
Nicholls students learn through service.
Veterans Find Their Niche at Nicholls …… page 30
by Graham Harvey
The Nicholls family proudly counts America’s defenders
among its members.
From the President …… page 2
Faces of Nicholls …… page 14
Running the Numbers …… page 3
Photo Gallery …… page 22
A treasured partnership
by Dr. Stephen Hulbert
From military brat to first lady; A grounded mountain climber;
Principal decision-maker; The web he weaves
Survey says: student satisfaction delivered
by Renee Piper
The Nicholls campus from A–Z through the eyes of the
campus photojournalist.
by Misty Leigh McElroy
Quick Study …… page 4
25-foot research vessel christened; University Farm helping restore, preserve coast; Doucet certified as health geneticist; Study
reveals profitability of La. banks; Shanghai chefs study Louisiana
cuisine, culture
Prominent ex-officials donate career files to library archives;
Eight-man grounds crew keeps 287-acre campus looking pretty;
40 agencies attend safety expo; Art attracts students; Student recreation center on track; Nicholls at your fingertips; Campus goes
tobacco free; University Police rely on technology, patrolling
That’s Entertainment …… page 12
Rodrigues paves the way; Acclaimed pianist performs; Nicholls
string ensemble debuts; Swamp Stomp – a cultural showcase; ‘A
Lesson Before Dying’ staged
COVER
Power to the people
by Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.
Colonel Pride …… page 41
Around Campus …… page 6
The Magazine of Nicholls State University
In My Opinion …… page 38
Program architect Thibodeaux becomes head baseball coach
by Charlie Gillingham
The Piper principle: toughness wins
by Mike Wagenheim
Expressions: a guest essay …… page 44
Dean tips his hat
by Dr. Al Davis
Honor Roll …… page 46
Generous donors of 2010-11
Veterans are well-represented and well-served
at military-friendly Nicholls.
Scan this mobile QR-code
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Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Voilà! is published annually, with
funding by the Nicholls State University
Foundation and the Nicholls State
University Alumni Federation.
Nicholls State University is a member of the
University of Louisiana System.
President
Dr. Stephen Hulbert
Vice President,
Institutional Advancement
Dr. David Boudreaux
Editor
Renee Piper
Graphic Designers
Jerad David
Bruno Ruggiero
Photojournalist
Misty Leigh McElroy
Writers
Dr. Robert Allen Alexander Jr.
Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.
Dr. Morris Coats
Dr. Al Davis
Dr. Al Delahaye
Charlie Gillingham
Graham Harvey
Jenna Portier
Marly Robertson
Dr. James Stewart
Mike Wagenheim
Contact Voilà! at:
P.O. Box 2033
Thibodaux, LA 70310
phone: 985.448.4143
e-mail: voila@nicholls.edu
web: nicholls.edu/voila
FALL 2011
1
A treasured partnership
I
f you know something about the world of higher education,
you know the growing importance of partnerships. You
know that universities cultivate partnerships with junior
and technical colleges, with businesses and industries,
and with other universities. Certainly as a university president,
I have promoted and encouraged the development of such
partnerships. But the most rewarding and meaningful one that I
have experienced in higher education is the 43-year partnership
that I have enjoyed with my wife, Becky.
From our earliest days as a couple on a college campus, we have
shared our thoughts and ideas as we sought to make university
life better for the students, faculty and staff we have served. Becky
has been my confidante, a source of inspiration and strength.
Running the Numbers
Survey says: student
satisfaction delivered
by Renee Piper
A
h, autumn – cooler temperatures, shorter
days and a much-needed reprieve from
watering and mowing the lawn. On a university campus, this welcome time of year
brings to mind scheduling classes and buying school
supplies; seeing old friends and meeting new ones;
tailgating and cheering the football team on to victory;
and, of course, NSSE.
Wait a minute – NSSE, what’s NSSE?
Every fall, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) collects information directly from
first-year students and seniors.
Results of the questionnaire,
administered by the University of Indiana,
provide valuable information about what is actually
going on in the lives of students and the quality of their
college experiences. Nicholls students took part in the
survey along with 362,000 students at 564 colleges and
universities across the United States.
The results of the 2010 NSSE overwhelmingly indicate satisfaction among first-year students and seniors
at Nicholls.
Did you know?
60 percent of Nicholls students work off-campus;
With her great sense of humor and her true concern for others,
she has helped to keep me focused on the greater good and on
trying to improve the quality of life for those I have been given
the privilege of leading and serving. She has dutifully reminded
me to keep my speeches short and to the point and to remain
committed to fairness in all of my dealings with others. She has
also done a terrific job in seeing to it that I do not leave the president’s residence without being properly attired. Yes, she even
serves as my fashion supervisor!
Voilà! has chosen to feature Becky in an article in this year’s
issue. Although she does not seek the limelight, and may be just
a little uncomfortable about being in it, I am delighted to join the
Voilà! staff in recognizing just how important a role she plays as
first lady of this university. I also know that she is deeply appreciative of the Nicholls family and the citizens of the Bayou Region
who made us feel so welcomed when we arrived here just over
eight years ago. Like me, she treasures the deep friendships we
have developed and the bonds that we have forged with so many
people. This has been a great experience and has strengthened
our partnership with each other.
We thank you!
Dr. Stephen T. Hulbert
2
FALL 2011
57 percent provide care for one or more dependents; and
40 percent spend six or more hours per week commuting to campus.
napshot:
Survey s
98 97 96 95 94 89
87
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Complete survey results can be found at ulsystem.edu.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
3
Quick Study
25-foot research vessel christened
Doucet certified as health geneticist
D
r. John Doucet, distinguished service professor, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
and director of the University Honors Program,
recently completed the Professional Certificate Program in
Public Health Genetics/Genomics at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., making him the first certified public
health geneticist in the state.
Certified public health geneticists study genetics from
a population-wide standpoint to look for trends in such
diseases as cancer, diabetes and asthma.
“Normally a patient goes to the doctor to be treated, but
the doctor doesn’t look beyond the single patient, or beyond
the patient’s immediate family,” Doucet says. “Public health
geneticists examine an entire population pool and ask questions like, ‘Does a certain population have a higher rate of a
certain disease or disability, and if so, why? Is it genetic?’”
Doucet
Study reveals profitability of La. banks
F
Nicholls’ new research vessel – the R.V. Burt Wilson – was ceremonially christened on campus Wednesday, April 20. The vessel
was named for Samuel Burton Wilson, the late Nicholls faculty member who pioneered marine biology research in the Department
of Biological Sciences. Wilson secured the department’s first marine biology research grant in 1966 from the Louisiana Science
Foundation for a project titled “Ecological Survey of Penaeid Shrimp of the Central Louisiana Gulf Coast and Estuarine Waters.” The
vessel was funded via an education research grant from BP. Pictured is Anne Wilson, widow of the vessel’s namesake.
University Farm helping
restore, preserve coast
T
he Louisiana Native Plant Initiative (LNPI) has issued its annual report for 2010,
detailing the progress and expansion of species cultivation at the University Farm.
The LNPI’s mission is to collect, preserve, increase and study native grasses, forbs and
legumes from Louisiana’s ecosystems. In doing so, researchers hope to conserve a vanishing natural resource and help jumpstart the development of a native seed industry that will
supply plant materials for restoration, revegetation, roadside plantings and the ornamental
plant industry.
“Louisiana’s coastal wetlands have experienced significant habitat reductions,” Dr. Quenton
Fontenot, head of the Department of Biological Sciences and coordinator of the marine and
environmental biology graduate program, says. “The purpose of this annual report is to detail
the restorative work that has been accomplished at the University Farm. I do hope that the
public will continue to recognize the indispensability of the farm to the LNPI as our faculty and
students work to preserve and multiply our native Louisiana plants on the Gulf Coast.”
Co-authors of the annual report – which details species type, geographical acquisition, yields and goals – include Gary Fine, vegetation specialist and research scientist
at the Nicholls Farm, and Dr. Allyse Ferrara, associate professor of biological sciences.
The complete report is available at nicholls.edu/news/?p=2186.
Pictured is a black mangrove, one of the many
4 nativeF plants
A L L 2grown
0 1 1 at the University Farm.
Louisiana
aculty researchers from the College of Business
Administration have issued their second
technical report titled “Louisiana Community
Banks: An Analysis of Recent Performance.”
The report presents the results of an in-depth analysis of Louisiana community banks with combined
total assets of $1 billion or less – providing readers
with a clear picture of the recent trends in the banks’
performance as well as their current condition relative
to the national average for banks of similar size. All
banks were analyzed in terms of profitability, capital
risk, credit risk, utilization and liquidity.
The report’s authors include Dr. Ronnie Fanguy,
associate professor of computer information systems;
Dr. John Lajaunie, professor of finance; Dr. Shari
Lawrence, assistant professor of finance; and Dr. Norbert
Michel, assistant professor of business administration.
“Although we observed a continued downward
trend in profitability in 2009, Louisiana banks were
still more profitable than their national peers,” Michel
says. “This can be attributed to more conservative, less
risky business practices.”
Next year’s report is expected to reveal downward
trends as a result of the oil spill and drilling moratorium, Michel added, but so far the economy remains
largely unchanged.
To read the full report, go to nicholls.edu/business/
technical-report-on-la-community-banks-2009/.
Shanghai chefs study Louisiana cuisine, culture
T
he John Folse Culinary Institute hosted 12 visiting
chefs from Shanghai, China, this spring – the first
half of a cultural immersion program to be completed later this year when Chef George Kaslow, associate
professor of culinary arts, is slated to visit eastern China.
Sponsored jointly by the Southern United States Trade
Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the
annual 15-day SUSTA Food Utilization Program kicked
off in May with the arrival of the international guests.
The training series features culinary demonstrations, lectures and field trips designed to expose the visiting chefs
to the rich traditions of Louisianan, Southern soul, Latin
American, Native American and Appalachian cuisines –
as well as Cajun culture.
Kaslow says the objective of the program is to encourage the visiting chefs to introduce featured American
dishes to China’s culinary markets.
The second half of the 2011 program will begin in
September, when Kaslow will travel to eastern China. For
15 days he will conduct demonstrations at trade shows
and universities, furthering the overseas exposure of
American culinary traditions.
For more information on Nicholls’ SUSTA program –
which in previous years has welcomed chefs from India,
Russia, Hungary, Mexico, Thailand, Canada, Croatia,
Taiwan and several Latin American countries – go to
nicholls.edu/culinary/.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Chef John Kozar of the JFCI, second from left, demonstrates how to make
a crust for a pecan pie. Kozar taught baking techniques to visiting chefs
from Shanghai, China, as part of the institute’s annual SUSTA event.
FALL 2011
5
Around Campus
Hunt Downer
A
photo by Sheila McCant
Prominent ex-officials donate
career files to library archives
Downer
s a former speaker of the Louisiana House of
Representatives, retired major general, U.S. Army /
Louisiana National Guard, former secretary of the
Louisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and a 2010 candidate
for Congress, Downer has firsthand experience with recent state
history that has resulted in an extensive historical collection for the
Nicholls library.
“You have to know where you’ve been, to know where you are, to
know where you’re going,” Downer says. “Researchers will be able
to review these files and other materials for decades to come to
learn about this period in our state’s history. I am so proud to be a
Nicholls Colonel and to have served this region, and I am delighted
to help Nicholls in any way I can. Nicholls is the center of gravity for
education in this area.”
Materials donated by Downer include legislative and military memorabilia – files, records of correspondence, artifacts, background papers and recordings on issues and policy. Downer says researchers will
especially be interested in learning about his role in the rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Katrina,
including the challenges with the federal bureaucracy. Correspondence with presidents George H. W.
Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, as well as with several Louisiana governors, are included among
his career materials.
Charlie Melancon
R
by Graham Harvey
esearchers of politics and history will soon have a vast,
new resource waiting for them at Nicholls. Two of the
Bayou Region’s most prominent political figures, Hunt
Downer and Charlie Melancon, have donated their professional
files and memorabilia to the Ellender Memorial Library
Archives. The items are currently being catalogued.
6
FALL 2011
A
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
photo from CharlieMelancon.com
Clifton Theriot, archivist and director of Ellender Memorial Library, holds items donated to the library archives by Hunt Downer
and Charlie Melancon. Pictured in hand are Melancon’s guestbook, signed by south Louisianans who visited his office in
Washington, D.C., and from Downer’s collection, a piece of marble retrieved during renovations to the state capitol in Baton
Rouge. The inscription says “Original marble from House Chamber floor 1932-1997. Removed during renovations under
Speaker H. B. ‘Hunt’ Downer, Jr.”
former three-term U.S. Representative from the Third
Congressional District of Louisiana and a former member of the
Louisiana House of Representatives, Melancon served the Bayou
Region during some of its most difficult days.
“The six years I served in Congress were an eventful period for south
Louisiana,” Melancon says. “The records, letters and other papers I
am donating provide a firsthand account of our fight to recover from
hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, and the BP oil spill. They describe
our work to save our coast, to grow our economy and to simply make life a
little better for the people of south Louisiana. I am proud to be partnering
Melancon
with Nicholls and the Ellender Memorial Library Archives to preserve our
history for future generations.”
Melancon’s donation includes correspondence with presidents George W.
Bush and Barack Obama on behalf of Louisiana, the final report of the bipartisan commission that studied the flaws
in the official Hurricane Katrina response – a commission on which he served – and numerous letters, press releases,
news clippings and recordings on DVD.
The donation also includes briefing materials prepared for the annual, multi-day Congressional working trips that
Melancon led to the Gulf Coast following hurricanes Katrina and Rita to highlight the ongoing recovery needs of the
region. The three visits enabled members of Congress from around the country to meet directly with local elected
officials, community leaders and affected citizens to discuss how Congress could better partner with Louisiana to
expedite the rebuilding effort.
FALL 2011
7
Around Campus
Eight-man grounds crew keeps
287-acre campus looking pretty
by Dr. Al Delahaye
T
o keep nearly 300
university acres
clean and inviting,
an eight-member
grounds staff continually mows,
plants, fertilizes, waters, weeds,
sprays, mulches, trims and
prunes. In addition, it spends
about 30 work hours each week
picking up litter. And it spends
yet more hours emptying about
140 trash receptacles displaying
the “N” logo.
Director of Grounds John
Hunt and horticulture foreman
Troy Babin have been transforming the appearance of the
campus since fall 2007, when
they were hired.
Upon the completion of
Beauregard Hall renovations
in 2010, Hunt reports, about
6,700-square-feet of beds were
planted. Hunt and Babin’s 30 or
so landscaping projects since
their arrival have meant the
addition of more than 100,000
plants to the campus. Many are
in the six beds they established
in Rienzi Circle.
In the process, Hunt and
Babin introduced to the campus
landscape firepower nandinas
and bright red Knockout roses.
In recent years, Indian hawthorne and Japanese boxwood
have become abundant. Early
on, they removed from the
campus all yucca plants and
needle-pointed hollys. “They’re dangerous,” Hunt says.
Hurricanes so badly damaged decades-old glass
greenhouses that grounds personnel now rely
upon an 800-square-foot plastic greenhouse in
the back of the campus where they produce a lot
of plants, especially caladiums, coleuses, Mexican
heather and crotons.
Nicholls grounds operations are also indirectly
part of the local judicial system. Some weeks, nonstudents in trouble with the law collectively spend
8
FALL 2011
40 agencies attend safety expo
T
he John L. Guidry Stadium parking area was the site
of the first-ever Bayou Region Public Safety Expo.
The five-hour, family-friendly event featured more than 40
agencies offering hands-on education and interaction that
included mobile command posts, helicopters, SWAT equipment, K-9 units, motorcycles, patrol units, ambulances, fire
engines, patrol boats and more. In addition, the expo had a
blood drive, offered health screenings, K-9 demonstrations,
interactive training, safety demonstrations and child safetyseat inspections.
Art attracts students
T
he annual High
School Art Day
at Nicholls attracted
about 190 students
from 10 area high
schools. The Department of Art’s largest
recruitment event
of the year gave
students an opportunity to learn about the program as well
as participate in hands-on activities. Twelve Nicholls faculty
members and 15 high school teachers joined 73 art students
from Nicholls to conduct 49 workshops in the various studio
areas of Talbot Hall. Pictured above are high school students
taking turns painting a room-length paper canvas. Students
also had the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops in
ceramics, printmaking and darkroom photography.
Student recreation center on track
C
Flower beds in front of Elkins Hall showcase Knockout roses.
as many as 50 hours performing community-service
work around the campus, generally picking up litter
and pulling up weeds. Nicholls students who are issued tickets for parking violations have the option of
paying a fine or doing community service on campus
– often with grounds.
“Weather is our No. 1 headache,” Hunt declares. As
for occasional poison ivy, sometimes a worker will
pull it with his bare hands. “But the more you do that,”
Hunt says, “the more sensitive you become to it.”
onstruction of the Harold J. Callais Memorial Recreation
Center is under way. The $15 million, 63,000-squarefoot facility is being constructed near Bowie Road and
Ardoyne Drive.
The two-story facility will include two basketball/volleyball courts, separate cardio and free-weight workout rooms,
an indoor walking/running track, racquetball court, wellness
center, juice bar, three multi-purpose rooms for exercise
and meetings, locker room and laundry facilities, outdoor
softball and flag football/soccer fields, and more.
Self-assessed student fees will fund both the construction
and operation of the facility, set to open in August 2012.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Nicholls at your fingertips
N
icholls students developed the university’s first mobile
smart phone application. Designed as a resource for
prospective and current students, as well as Nicholls faculty and
staff, the easy-to-navigate app displays a sleek visual design and
cutting-edge functionality. Dr. Kent White, associate professor of computer science, oversaw the development of the app
that includes an event calendar, campus map, faculty directory,
sports scores, news and more.
The iPhone app is available for free download at nicholls.edu.
Campus goes tobacco free
N
icholls joined a growing
list of U.S. colleges and
universities when it became
a tobacco-free campus Jan. 1,
2011. According to the American
Nonsmokers’ Rights Foundation,
smoke-free colleges and universities exist in virtually every
state, with Arkansas and Iowa
having instituted statewide bans
at all their public colleges and
universities. Nicholls is the only
smoke-free public university in
Louisiana. To date, more than 365 U.S. colleges and universities
have tobacco-free policies.
FALL 2011
9
Around Campus
University Police rely
on technology, patrolling
A
by Dr. Al Delahaye
n inconspicuous camera in a university
police car brought about the conviction of
someone duplicating and selling Nicholls
parking decals, Craig Jaccuzzo, director
of University Police and Parking Services, will tell you.
While alone in the police car, the accused called his
mother by cell phone to say he had been making fake
decals, unaware that a video camera was documenting
his admission.
Technology is a big help to university police.
“Exterior cameras can put timelines on when people
arrive and leave, and prove that something did or did
not happen,” Jaccuzzo explains.
Monitored surveillance cameras on campus have
just been increased from 59 to 150, Jaccuzzo says. At
their Calecas Hall station, police can see as many as 16
live videos simultaneously – and store the images for
28 days.
University Police issue parking decals – 7,221 in the
last academic year that brought in more than $360,000
in revenue; parking and traffic fines brought in an
additional $253,000. Police check and monitor 43
emergency call boxes on campus and several emergency systems. They receive training, direct traffic, make
arrests and deliver subpoenas. They even change flat
tires, unlock cars and jump-start them.
When Sgt. Gary Tullis begins a 12-hour shift, he
and his patrol car are loaded with technology and
equipment: a cube-shaped camera next to a small
screen displaying what the camera sees and can record,
a laptop (so sturdy “you can run over it with a car”)
for accessing information of all kinds, radar and its
Craig Jacuzzo, director of University Police and Parking Services, displays the official
badge of the University Police Department.
10
FALL 2011
Forty-three emergency call boxes are located throughout
the campus.
University police cars are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.
remote control device for speed enforcement, a $7,500
hand-held radio that is much more than a radio – it’s
also a small audio recording device – a digital camera, a
defibrillator and much more.
To emphasize the importance of police patrolling
parking lots with great care, Jaccuzzo says off-campus
law-enforcement authorities a year or so ago arrested
the perpetrators of 110 car break-ins in neighborhoods
east and west of the campus, “yet Nicholls with its hundreds of parked cars was never touched.”
He says cameras and increased admission standards
help explain the decline of vandalism on campus. Also,
students tend to respect new buildings in contrast to
old, outdated ones.
Jaccuzzo’s 18-member, full-time staff consists of an
administrative assistant, 13 commissioned officers and
four who have no arrest powers. The chief says his force
is balanced and diverse, citing seven women and three
minority officers. On average, they have from 12- to 15years of experience, mostly in non-academic settings.
A newly hired officer must complete an 18-week
training academy conducted by the Terrebonne Parish
Sheriff ’s Office. All campus police officers must stay
current on firearms training, self-defense tactics, CPR
and first aid.
The university has about 700 marked parking spaces,
and Jaccuzzo is the hearing officer when someone
initially protests a ticket. About 12 complainers show
up each month to appeal a Jaccuzzo decision. Excuses
ticketed offenders give him, he says, vary from “My
mother parked the car on campus while I was in class”
to “I parked in a handicap space because I was suffering
from severe diarrhea.”
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Police-monitored surveillance
throughout the campus.
cameras
are
positioned
FALL 2011
11
That’s Entertainment
Rodrigues paves the way
C
hristiano Rodrigues, the first graduate of the
four-year-old string program at Nicholls, began
playing violin at the age of four. At 15 he debuted as a
soloist with the Bahia Symphony Orchestra in South
America and has since been an active soloist and
chamber musician.
James Alexander, head of the string program at
Nicholls, recruited the João Pessoa, Brazil, native to
Nicholls during a master-class program in Brazil.
Rodrigues will continue his studies at the Cleveland
Institute of Music, in the class of Paul Kantor, a leading
pedagogue in his field.
The Nicholls
campus is
abuzz every
Acclaimed pianist performs
R
music and
theater drawing
Rodrigues
thousands of
photo by E. Appel
ussian-born Alexandre
Moutouzkine, a world-famous, award-winning pianist,
performed a solo concert at
Nicholls as part of the 13th
annual Jubilee: A Festival of
the Arts and Humanities.
year with
Nicholls string ensemble debuts
people from
The Lost Bayou Ramblers perform at Swamp Stomp.
Swamp Stomp – a cultural showcase
throughout
I
Louisiana and
n March, Nicholls hosted the third annual Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival, a three-day musical celebration
showcasing south Louisiana culture. Fast becoming a Thibodaux tradition, the festival promotes authentic
Cajun/Creole culture through education, music, arts, crafts and food.
Festival attendees danced to performances by Curley Taylor and Zydeco Trouble; the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun
beyond.
Band; Grammy-nominated Feufollet; Foret Tradition; Grammy-nominated Cedric Watson and Bijou Creole; Ryan
Brunet and the Malfecteurs; Lost Bayou Ramblers; Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys; Tab Benoit and Waylon
Thibodeaux; Grammy-nominated Chubby Carrier and the Bayou Swamp Band; T’Canaille; Amanda Shaw and the
Cute Guys; Grammy-nominated The Pine Leaf Boys; and Geno Delafose and the French Rockin’ Boogie.
‘A Lesson Before Dying’ staged
I
n spring 2011, Nicholls thespians brought 1940s Cajun country to life. Under the direction of faculty member
Daniel Ruiz, the Nicholls Players performed “A Lesson Before Dying” as part of the 13th annual Jubilee: A
Festival of the Arts and Humanities.
Written by Romulus Linney and the Southern Writers’ Project, and based on a novel by Ernest J. Gaines, the
The inaugural performance of the university’s newest student string ensemble, the Nicholls Camerata, took place before an eager audience in fall 2010. The small chamber orchestra is the Department of Music’s 13th ensemble and features students playing the violin, viola, cello, bass and harpsichord. The Camerata was formed under the direction of violinist James Alexander,
faculty head of the string program. Alexander and harpsichordist Dr. Luciana Soares, associate professor of music, perform
with the group. Pictured above is the Camerata performing for a packed house at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cut Off.
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play tells the story of a young black man condemned to the electric chair for the murder of a white shopkeeper.
Although the accused had not been armed and had not pulled the trigger, the verdict and penalty in 1940s
Louisiana would be certain.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
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13
Faces of Nicholls
F ro m mil i ta ry b ra t
to f i rs t l a d y
S
by Dr. James Stewart
t. Augustine said, “The
world is a book, and
those who do not travel
read only a page.”
Applying St. Augustine’s reckoning,
Becky Hulbert is extremely well read.
The wife of university President Stephen Hulbert first
learned the joy of travel growing up as a self-described
“military brat.”
Her father flew bombers over Europe for the U.S.
Army Air Corps during World War II. He was recalled
during the Korean War and made a career with the U.S.
Air Force.
As a result, travel was a constant for the family.
“I have done nothing but travel all of my life,” Mrs.
Hulbert says. “That was part of growing up and being
part of an Air Force family.
“We just had planes and took off, and we went
places,” she adds. “I don’t know anything else.”
The desire to explore remains with her.
“I like to meet new people,” she says. “I like to do
new things. I love to have a chance to see what our
world really looks like.”
It’s a passion she has shared with Dr. Hulbert
throughout their 43-years of marriage.
“We’ve gone all over the world,” she says,
mentioning trips to Alaska, the countries of the
Caribbean, Scandinavia, South America, Greece,
Turkey and St. Petersburg, Russia.
Career paths have also contributed to the pair’s
wanderings, with job stops in Greeley, Colo.; Slippery
Rock and Mansfield, Penn.; and elsewhere.
In addition to several years of service in elementary-school systems, Mrs. Hulbert spent 16
years working with Greek organizations – eight at
the University of Northern Colorado and eight at
Slippery Rock University.
Her math and financial skills got her involved in
Greek life. A product of a boarding school and an
all-women’s college, Mrs. Hulbert had never been a
part of the Greek system.
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Starting college as a math and finance major,
she earned an elementary education bachelor’s
degree with an emphasis in math and science from
Keuka College in New York. But she decided to
concentrate in counseling and student professional
services as she earned her master’s in education
from the University of Massachusetts, because
those fields were more people-oriented.
At Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, a
friend, knowing of her financial background, asked
her to help a sorority that was having trouble managing its budget.
She would go on to become a member of Zeta
Tau Alpha – an international women’s fraternity
– later becoming a chapter adviser at Slippery
Rock and eventually holding a national office as
province director (essentially a vice presidency
with the organization).
The organizational skills that she developed
along the way have also come in handy in her role
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
as the first lady of Nicholls State University.
The Hulberts host about 40 functions each year
in the president’s home, ranging from parties for
the coaching staff, to a large Christmas reception, to commencement luncheons. These events
require her to juggle concerns such as seating,
menus and budgets. She also has to be aware
of other functions that may create scheduling
conflicts. She plans the schedule about a semester
in advance with Audrey Dozar, the president’s
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15
Faces of Nicholls
with a Pepper’s pizza.
Mrs. Hulbert is also active with civic organizations such as the Bayou Country Children’s
Museum, the Lafourche Education Foundation
and Restore or Retreat. She explains that she very
much enjoys her work with the organizations, and
that her involvement has helped her get to know
the community.
Bridge is another avenue Mrs. Hulbert has
used to develop friendships since her arrival in
Thibodaux eight years ago.
“I have wonderful bridge friends here,” she says.
She began playing bridge at the age of 10 with
her younger brother and parents.
“My parents were excellent bridge players –
master’s points – the whole nine yards,” she says.
“I really got addicted in college,” she says. “I
think I spent more time playing bridge my freshman year in college than I did going to class.”
She says it’s the social nature of the game that
appeals to her.
“I like to talk to people,” she says. “I like to visit
First Lady Becky Hulbert shares a laugh with her husband, university President
Stephen Hulbert, at the fifth annual First Pitch Baseball Banquet in February.
with people.”
Through the years, as she and Dr. Hulbert have
moved to new communities, bridge has allowed
her to meet a cross section of her new neighbors.
When the couple lived in Colorado, she was a
member of a bridge group that included a sheep
rancher’s wife and a woman who owned three restaurants. She says these are friendships that have
lasted through the years.
The next planned move for the couple is Arizona
after Dr. Hulbert’s retirement, a date that has not
been announced. The couple already owns a home in
Prescott. Their son Scott, daughter-in law, Kate, and
4-year-old grandson, Rowan, live in nearby Phoenix.
“I think it’s the most unique typography within
an eight- to nine-hour drive in the world,” she says,
explaining how the land quickly transitions from
administrative assistant, who keeps the president’s arid desert to cool mountains.
master calendar.
And yes, retirement will mean the opportunity
While a number of events are annual, she likes to for travel.
keep things fresh. For example, while the couple has
She says that Australia is at the top of her musttraditionally held an afternoon reception for admin- visit list. She explains that her son spent his sophoistrative assistants, this year they held a luncheon.
more year in high school there as an exchange
“Sometimes I just get bored, and I have to
student and came back a very mature young man.
change things up,” she says. The house lends itself
She has long held a fondness for the Aussies, havto variety, with its large sunroom and spacious
ing housed a number of exchange students from
backyard bordered by rose bushes (one of Mrs.
there through the years.
Hulbert’s favorite features of the home).
She says Australians have the same strong ties to
In addition to the official functions at their
family and community that she discovered upon
home, the Hulberts keep a full schedule of univer- her arrival in Thibodaux.
sity-related events. Mrs. Hulbert says she especially
And she has formed strong ties with the Nicholls
likes going to basketball and volleyball games.
community as well.
Nights with a clear calendar are a treat for the
“You can’t find a warmer, more generous set of
pair. Mrs. Hulbert says they celebrate the end of
friends than we have here,” she says.
each semester by spending a quiet evening at home
“We’ll be back,” she adds. “We keep our friends.”
“You can’t find a warmer,
more generous set of
friends than we have here.”
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A grounded
mountain climber
by Dr. Robert Allen Alexander Jr.
D
r. Leslie Jones likes to climb
mountains. In south Louisiana.
“There are mountaintop and valley
experiences,” she says metaphorically, reflecting upon the rewards and challenges
of preparing future teachers and administrators.
As associate dean and professor in the College
of Education, Jones plays a major role in the
recruitment and preparation of candidates for
primary and secondary school teaching and
administrative positions in the Bayou Region
and beyond.
As a teacher of teachers, Jones says she is consistently driven to research and to reflect on what
draws someone to a career in education and what
are the characteristics of those who succeed.
Never far from her thoughts are her own humble
beginnings as an undergraduate tutor in math at
Nicholls. That experience taught her that she had
a passion not only for a subject but also for helping others learn. And it also helped her to realize
how important teaching experience is – even if
only in a one-to-one tutoring session – for helping someone determine aptitude and desire for
becoming a professional educator.
Knowing from firsthand experience how
challenging teaching can be, Jones is commitVoilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
“It is beneficial for
administrators to be
aware of the challenges
faced by teachers in the
classroom.”
ted to seeing that Nicholls teaching candidates
get as much field experience as possible. What
candidates need to be able to do, she says, “is
unify theoretical frameworks and practices.” One
without the other is insufficient.
Jones also emphasizes the importance of field
experience for potential administrators.
“It is beneficial,” she says, “for administrators
to be aware of the challenges faced by teachers in
the classroom.”
Such experience cannot come simply from
a textbook or from observation. It should also
come from practice. Having taught high school
math for five years and having served as an
assistant principal and principal at an elementary school before embarking on her career as a
college professor, Jones knows what it means to
experience those challenges firsthand.
Someone who aspires to climb mountains, after
all, must be able to look up to the summit while
keeping both feet planted firmly on the ground.
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17
Faces of Nicholls
Principal decision-maker
by Jenna Portier
A
s Nicholls alumnus Kevin George
walks into the Thibodaux High
School administration office, he
cheerfully greets a student near the
secretary’s desk, saying, “How’s it going?”
“Great!” the student responds.
Beginning his fifth year as the school’s principal, George says he is naturally jovial, and he
thinks that the students, faculty and staff “want
to see a positive person” running the show. Yet,
he says he doesn’t need to force himself to be this
way because he truly loves his job, even if the
hours are long and the job is sometimes difficult.
George believes that he is a decision-maker
more so than problem-solver or counselor. He
says he makes informed decisions promptly because people need answers and not delays.
George earned a B.G.S. in general studies in
1996, a B.S. in marketing in 1999, and an M.Ed.
in administration and supervision in 2003, all
at Nicholls. Despite trying his hand at math, engineering and accounting majors because of his
high aptitude for math, George says he learned
more though his general studies degree since it
offered him “the best of all the colleges.” The degree has allowed him to deal with the multitude
of subject areas taught at THS, he says.
His two additional Nicholls degrees have only
broadened his skill set. The marketing degree helps
him run the school like a business, and the master’s
degree has helped him put the “finishing touches”
on his education philosophy, George says.
He remembers his professors fondly. Dr. Patricia
Gabilando, Dr. Leslie Jones, Dr. Norman Norris,
Dr. Chris Cox and Dr. Cleveland Hill “taught me
lessons that I still implement today,” he says. “Professors went out of their way to have conversations
and coffee with students in the student union. It
created a sense of a close-knit family, and that’s
what I work to create at Thibodaux High School.”
While George attributes his professional success to his faith and family, he says Nicholls gave
him the tools to be effective as a high school
principal. In turn, George says he wants to give
his students what he values most – “a rigorous
education so that they can succeed at a postsecondary facility, like Nicholls.”
Some students may balk at working so hard, but he
tells them, “I’m sorry. You can relax when you die.”
George says his students, Thibodaux High
School’s main product, are the biggest contribution that he can give the local community. “These
students may not remember the Pythagorean
theorem, but they will most certainly contribute
to the overall economic growth of this area, and
I’m proud of that.”
“You can relax when you die.”
In June 2011, George was named secondary-education curriculum supervisor for the
Lafourche Parish school system. His responsibilities include overseeing curriculum and
instruction, extra-curricular activities and athletics for the district’s three high schools.
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Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
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19
Faces of Nicholls
If you don’t see yourself in these pictures, we’re missing you.
Join the Nicholls Alumni Federation
today.
The web he weaves
For more information, e-mail liz.iver@nicholls.edu
or call 985.448.4111.
by Marly Robertson
T
“fellI literally
into
the web.”
ucked away in a small office in the Student
Publications Building, amid an array of printing equipment, is the office of James “Jess”
Planck, the university’s web manager. His
office is as humble and unassuming as the man himself.
As one of the few remaining “old school” webmasters in
the Louisiana university setting, Planck provides an invaluable service to Nicholls. He describes his job very simply as
the “management and production of the public website and
some of the applications associated with the
website” – but this description oversimplifies the many facets of his position.
Planck is the system’s administrator,
database administrator, designer, programmer and occasional content editor
for the entire Nicholls website.
Planck grew up in rural Louisiana
“hunting, fishing and playing with computers.” He discovered a passion and propensity for art at a relatively
young age and went into graphic design after serving
in the U.S. Army. “I literally fell into the web after
graduating from Louisiana Tech in 1995,” Planck says.
“I was working for a small design studio where I built
a website for the first time, and I discovered that I had
an aptitude for art and computers,” he says modestly.
Planck worked for a couple of regional Internet service
providers before accepting a job at Nicholls in 2003.
When he first came to Nicholls, the university
was operating a simplistic “static” website, composed of individual files. He has since worked
to create a website that allows for a tremendous
amount of collaboration. Before this transition,
Planck had piles of papers bearing copyediting
marks that required page-by-page modification.
Updates allow for a more collaborative experience,
giving Planck more time to focus on major issues.
The willingness of other members of the university
community to help him is something for which he
is extremely thankful.
“I’ve got some people helping me out, and without them I’d be lost,” Planck says. “If I didn’t have
the users that I’ve got doing as much as they can
to change the content, I’d probably be completely
buried under work.”
The creative part of the job is the most enjoyable for
Planck, and he is heartened to discover that his work
has made someone else’s life a little easier.
“Making sure the interfaces I’ve put together have
gotten people what they needed without a problem or
a fuss” is what makes his job so rewarding, he says.
From day-to-day web maintenance and web design
to fending off hackers in the midst of Hurricane
Katrina (yes, really), Planck literally does it all. And
while he says he just “fell into” his job here at Nicholls,
it is fair to say that the university community would be
lost without him.
Find us on
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TODAY
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
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21
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Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
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23
Location of letters:
A: Emergency call box;
B: Construction sign;
C: Police car;
D: 2009 Voilà! magazine;
E: Didier Field;
F: Concrete by Guidry Stadium
entrance;
G: Student Government
Association sign at softball
field;
H: Floor in Stopher Gym;
I: Air conditioner at maintenance
building;
J: Sign at Shaver Gym;
K: Greek board in the Bollinger
Memorial Student Union;
22
L: Parking headstone;
M: Sign at Ellender Memorial Library;
N: Trash receptacle;
O: Volleyball in Stopher Gym;
P: Police trailer;
Q: Chalkboard in Peltier Hall;
R: Police trailer;
S: Floor of Stopher Gym;
T: Concrete by Guidry Stadium
entrance;
U: Bleachers in Stopher Gym;
V: Parking headstone;
W: Sign at softball field;
X: Talbot Hall;
Y: Emergency call box; and
Z: Chalkboard in Peltier Hall.
located.
if you can guess where each letter is
Hipstamatic app for the iPhone. See
campus, were shot using the
found throughout the Nicholls
These images, a collection of letters
by Misty Leigh McElroy
Photo Gallery
The Roots of Success
Nicholls by the Numbers
by Renee Piper
The year was 1948. Harry S. Truman was president, the crossword game Scrabble was
introduced, Candid Camera made its television debut, and the first McDonald’s restaurant
opened in San Bernardino, Calif. And on September 23 of that year, classes began at Francis
T. Nicholls Junior College.
Today, nearly 63 years later, Nicholls is deeply rooted in the south Louisiana community
and committed to providing higher education opportunities for the people of the Bayou
Region and beyond.
The numbers on these pages provide a glimpse into the diverse and sometimes unusual
accomplishments of Nicholls faculty, staff and students – and although the numbers don’t
tell the complete story, it’s clear that Nicholls will continue to break new ground in academic
achievement while reaching new heights in student satisfaction.
– number of computers the
3,500university
currently owns.
– highest number of
304strikeouts
thrown by a
– number of
88
commencement exercises.
of nurses in
80the– percentage
region who graduated
from Nicholls.
15– number of master’s
degree programs.
– number of articulation
5agreements
– percentage of first-time,
70full-time,
Nicholls has
degree-seeking
signed with regional
community colleges.
4 – number of Nicholls presidents
Dr. Charles C. Elkins (1956-1963),
Dr. Vernon F. Galliano (1963-1983),
Dr. Donald J. Ayo (1983-2003) and
Dr. Stephen T. Hulbert (2003-present).
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The first commencement
was held Friday, June
2, 1950; there were 75
graduates.
– percentage of freshmen
81reporting
they chose Nicholls
because of its academic
reputation.
160
– pounds of bananas that
were used in April 1983 to
concoct a banana split in a
pirogue. Other ingredients
– 70 gallons of ice cream,
25 pounds of nuts and four
gallons of chocolate syrup.
freshmen retained for a
second year in 2009-10.
100 – percentage of eligible
of endowed
46 – number
professorships.
– number of students
161
enrolled at Nicholls in 1948.
Nicholls colleges and programs
that are fully accredited.
tuition
320 – annualin Nicholls
1976.
$
– the year Francis T.
1948Nicholls
Junior College
287– total campus acreage.
– length in feet of a
900
30-inch-wide yellow ribbon
– number of international
162students
enrolled at Nicholls
in spring 2011. The majority
hailed from France (24),
United Kingdom (20), Canada
(11) and Jamaica (10).
1,597– highest number of kills
by a Nicholls volleyball player
– Anita Greichgauer, 1994-97.
opened its doors. Gas was 16
cents a gallon, postage stamps
were 3 cents each and a cup of
coffee was a nickel.
mounted on Elkins Hall in
1991 to honor 93 Nicholls
family members who had
been deployed during the
Persian Gulf War.
– largest number of
1,240
degrees conferred in one
year – 675 in fall 2009 and
565 in spring 2010.
Nicholls Folk Art Center and
the Kenny Hill Sculpture
Garden, located on Bayouside
Drive in Chauvin.
2,569
– most points scored by a
Nicholls basketball player –
Larry Wilson, 1975-79.
– the year Francis T.
1956Nicholls
Junior College
became Nicholls State College.
In 1970, the name changed to
Nicholls State University.
attendance at Nicholls
summer youth camps.
6,500
– Dr. Charles C. Elkins’
salary when he was hired in
1948 to be dean of Nicholls
Junior College.
– the year the U.S. Postal
1980Service
gave Nicholls its own
zip code – 70310.
university jobs created as a
result of Nicholls spending.
– square footage of the
63,000Harold
J. Callais Memorial
17,287
– amount of additional
$
2,843 – the number of non-
– average number of
11,500
annual attendees at Jubilee
events. The Festival of the
Arts and Humanities began in
1998 as part of the university’s
50th anniversary celebration.
Nicholls employees have
donated to United Way since
2004.
100,000
– number of plants added
16,450 – average annual
$
89,732
– amount of money
Manning Passing Academy
has attracted to campus since
2004.
the university’s social network.
5337– street number of the
President’s Christmas Gumbo,
since the annual tradition
began in the early 1990s.
Nicholls pitcher – Matt
Dinkle, 1970-73.
– number of known fans,
8,281followers
and subscribers of
– the year the streaking
1973craze
swept the campus.
–gallons of gumbo served
1,350to university
employees at the
25,000
– number of visitors the
$
annual wages a person with
a bachelor’s degree makes
compared to a high school
graduate. That annual salary
grows by $27,856 for those
earning a master’s degree.
Recreation Center.
to the campus landscape from
2009 to 2011.
188,000
– approximate number
of people who attend events
on the Nicholls campus in a
calendar year.
499,500
– amount of grant
$
150,000
– amount of a federal
$
grant awarded to the
Nicholls geomatics program
to purchase and install
microwave radio equipment.
– pounds of crawfish
67,933
served at the Nicholls Alumni
41,267
– total number of degrees
conferred between June 1950
and May 2011.
Federation annual crawfish
boil from 1983 to 2011.
awarded to the College of
Business Administration
by the U.S. Small Business
Administration to establish a
Small Business Development
Center in 2010.
$
1,424,610
– amount of research
post-views generated by
the Nicholls Facebook page
monthly.
students volunteer annually.
month on the Nicholls website.
$
310,000
– average number of
– average number of hours
176,000Nicholls
faculty, staff and
1,054,400
– average number of hits per
revenue generated by Nicholls
faculty in 2010.
dollars awarded to Nicholls
students in 2010-11.
$
82,000,000
– amount invested in
campus improvements from
2006-10.
2,400,000
– amount of revenue
$
1,000,000
– amount of grant funds
$
4,843,000
– amount of scholarship
received by the Department of
Biological Sciences for clean
power and energy research.
generated through strategic
fundraising efforts in 2010-11.
$
274,000,000
– Nicholls’ annual
economic contribution to
the state.
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31
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33
Learning
through service
Students gain education through real-world experiences
by Dr. Morris Coats
G
erard Zeringue puts aside his Crawfish Day food, places foggy goggles over his eyes,
steps into a golf cart and away he goes – with the impaired vision of a drunkard. But
the Raceland petroleum services senior is actually sober while discovering how and
why alcohol and driving don’t mix, thanks to special goggles that simulate driving
under the influence. It’s all part of a Nicholls service-learning project.
Service learning is a teaching method that marries traditional classroom instruction
with meaningful community service. This approach allows students to get involved in
activities that address local needs while increasing the student’s academic skills and
fostering civic responsibility.
By assisting the community and
helping residents solve real-life
problems, they not only experience practical applications of their
studies, they also learn to recognize
their responsibility to their community and, ideally, become life-long,
active citizens in it.
Combining traditional textbook- and lecture-based learning with service is not new; after
all, medical, nursing and dental schools have long used both methods when teaching future
healthcare providers.
“Learning the skeletal system requires students to spend quality time with an anatomy textbook,” Dr. Sue Westbrook, dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health, says. “There is no
better way, however, for our nursing students to develop a compassionate bedside manner than
in a true, clinical setting with a patient.”
Likewise, sociology students can learn about the effects of poverty from a lecture, but seeing hunger in a child’s eyes at a local community center or shelter provides for a deeper, more
meaningful level of education.
At Nicholls, service learning has been utilized for years. In the late-1980s, Dr. Elizabeth
Lafleur, faculty member in the College of Business Administration, was using service learning in her business research and advertising classes before service learning had a name. She
would select a non-profit group or governmental unit that would become the class’s client. Her
students would identify the client’s problems, develop research questions and propose solutions
– all by semester’s end.
A quarter of a century later, service-learning projects are a part of just about every college and
department on campus, and many projects continue to benefit non-profit or governmental clients.
“Nicholls is committed to providing service-learning opportunities for our students,” Dr.
Stephen Hulbert, university president, says. “Community leaders, students and educators everywhere are discovering that adding a service-learning component to a course curriculum offers
students a more effective learning environment.”
“Adding a service-learning component to a
course curriculum offers students a more
effective learning environment.”
Gerard Zeringue (right), president of Tau Kappa Epsilon and a senior petroleum services major, negotiates the “Think Before You Drink”
Driving Impairment Awareness Course with observer/instructor Alex Barnes of University Police.
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35
Service learning or
community service –
what’s the difference?
Examples of service-learning projects undertaken in recent years are numerous.
St. Luke’s Church
As part of a local cultural heritage project, Dr. James Butler’s sociology students document the historical significance of St. Luke’s Baptist Church and cemetery in Chackbay.
Le Cirque
Family and Consumer Science students, in a program known as “Le Cirque Living Skills,” promote family
cohesion and overall wellness to impoverished, at-risk children and families living in Houma’s Senator Circle
housing development. The services provided by FACS students and faculty members also address the prevention
of long-term mental illness, crisis intervention and the prevention of youth crime through diversion projects and
counseling. In addition, the children receive help with homework, tutoring and preparation for standardized tests.
Degree of Debris
Students in Dr. Allyse Ferrara’s biology classes participated in a Beach Sweep program that involved collecting,
categorizing and cataloging trash along a 500-meter section of Grand Isle. The students performed two sweeps –
one to provide a clean slate and a second, several months later, to measure the amount of debris deposited on the
beach at a daily rate. The data is added to the Ocean Conservancy’s international marine debris database.
Recently, Ferrara expanded the scope of the project to include other Nicholls faculty members and classes.
Dr. Gary Lafleur Jr., associate professor of biological sciences, had his coastal landscape photography class
document the sweep with their cameras, and another biology colleague, Dr. Quenton Fontenot, led his scientific
writing class in composing the technical documentation for the project.
Across campus in the art department, Michael Williams’ sculpture class crafted art from the collected trash, and
Trisha Dubina’s graphic design class created signage and other documents that explained the sculpture and the
ecological problems caused by ocean trash.
Mary Moore, professional contract service provider for the Family
Service Center, supervises the Recreational Module for LeCirque.
FACS student Jadi Pellerin of Centerville, La., leads an outdoor
bubble-blowing activity as part the Le Cirque Recreation Module.
While these projects illustrate service learning,
they represent only a fraction of what is being done
as a matter of course at Nicholls. Through classes
with service-learning components, Nicholls students
are conducting research, tutoring area children,
designing advertising materials for area non-profits,
conducting hearing and speech tests and providing
treatment for area residents.
Books, the Internet and lectures will certainly
retain their importance in university-level education, but it is clear that service learning is gaining a
foothold throughout America. According to research
commissioned by the University of Louisiana System,
student participation in service-learning projects has
a positive impact on leadership ability, grades, retention, degree aspirations, critical-thinking skills and
commitment to helping others. An educational foundation set in service learning will continue to benefit
communities for years to come.
From President Hulbert on down, the administration at Nicholls has long shown a commitment to
service learning and has supported faculty efforts in
service-learning initiatives.
Administrative support combined with the commitment of faculty and students to give back to the community, ensures that service learning will continue to
play an integral part in higher education throughout
south Louisiana.
Service learning, like
community service, seeks to
make a contribution to a local
community, group or agency.
Unlike community service,
however, service learning
is used as a component of a
planned curriculum – a tool
to advance and deepen a
student’s subject knowledge
and capacity for critical thinking through the application of
classroom learning in a service
setting.
For example, if students
collect trash from the banks
of Bayou Lafourche, they are
providing a valuable service to
the community as volunteers.
If students collect trash from
the banks of Bayou Lafourche,
analyze their findings to
determine the possible sources
of pollution, and share the
results with residents of the
surrounding community, they
are engaging in service learning. In the service-learning
example, students are providing a valuable service to the
community, but they are also
learning about water quality
and laboratory analysis, developing an understanding of
pollution issues and practicing
communications skills.
Nicholls earns national recognition for service-learning initiatives
Nicholls offers students more than 40 service-learning courses in which to enroll, earning the
university national recognition for its innovative community service and service-learning programs.
Four times in the past five years, Nicholls has been named to the President’s Higher Education
Community Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive
Debris collected from the Department of Biological Sciences’ Beach Sweep program hangs in the Ameen Art Gallery.
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FALL 2011
for its commitment to volunteerism, service learning and civic engagement.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
37
In My Opinion
Of course, the budget-cut story started long
before 2008 when the state legislature approved –
not through a deliberate approval process, but the
result is just as harmful – that the only two areas of
the state budget not to be constitutionally protected
from cuts were higher education and health care.
Fast forward to Dec. 13, 2008, when Gov. Jindal
revealed his plan to cut higher education in an attempt
to balance the state budget. What followed was the ex-
“These are people
who didn’t give up.”
Hundreds of Nicholls supporters attended the Rally for Higher Education at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. Stand
Up!, a grassroots student organization founded to raise awareness about state budget cuts to higher education, helped organize and promote the Nov. 10, 2010, event.
Power to the people
by Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.
T
he year 2008 was certainly one of
the worst in the history of Nicholls.
That was the year Gov. Bobby Jindal
informed Nicholls, along with every other public
university and college in the state, that severe
budget cuts were coming and that they probably
would keep coming, and coming.
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FALL 2011
pected: harsh cuts, lost jobs, programs eliminated, and
students, faculty and administrators on high anxiety.
These cuts came in spite of the fact that Nicholls is
the only four-year institution in what is called “The
Bayou Region,” where eight of 10 nurses and four of
five teachers are Nicholls graduates.
But 2008, while extraordinarily difficult, will also
be remembered as the beginning of something better than good, maybe even great. We are seeing the
fruits of that year being harvested right now, and
I suspect we’ll continue to see them well into the
future. I am referring to the students, instructors,
administrators, businesses, friends and neighbors of
Nicholls who have all recognized the importance of
our university to the eight-parish area we call home.
These are the people who stood up, and continue
to stand up, for their university and what it represents. These are the folks who recognize that a
solid education is the greatest insurance any person,
Nicholls supporters displayed yard signs provided by the
Pro-NSU organization. The signs can be seen in front yards
and in front of businesses throughout the area.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
39
Colonel Pride
Program architect Thibodeaux
becomes head baseball coach
A
by Charlie Gillingham
THE NICHOLLS FAMILY PORTRAIT – T-shirts with “Nicholls. I Care. You Should. Here’s How: www.nicholls.edu” were purchased by the Nicholls Alumni Federation and the Nicholls Foundation and given to over 700 university employees. The employees wore them for a “family portrait” taken in December.
and any state, can have. These are the people who
united behind the simple idea that education ensures
growth in business, science, medicine, transportation and communication. In short, it is the only way
for a state to prosper, which is really the only way to
ensure the future.
These are the people who didn’t give up. They
formed action groups and involved their friends,
families and co-workers. They printed and distributed T-shirts, brochures, yard signs and stickers.
They created videos and a Facebook page. They
wrote letters to legislators and newspaper editors.
They attended town-hall meetings. They used their
organizations’ newsletters and social media to spread
the word. They rallied on the steps of the state capi-
tol and in front of the governor’s home. They insisted
on being heard.
So many good neighbors rallied around Nicholls,
not for their gain but for what is best for the university, the region, the state, and the young people
who attend, who want to attend, and who should be
afforded the right to go to a good university funded
in a reasonable manner.
The years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 – no one can say
they have been easy, but all of us can smile about the
problems that have been presented, because we have
stood together, we have fought as one, and Nicholls
is more than still standing. We are united. Today.
Tomorrow. Always.
Just look at the family picture. It says it all.
fter nearly a decade-long rebuilding process, the Nicholls baseball team was at a
crossroads following the 2010 campaign.
The Colonels had qualified for their
first Southland Conference tournament in 10 years
and recorded an upset of regular-season champion
Texas State for the program’s first postseason victory
in 12 seasons. But the departure of head coach Chip
Durham after six seasons left Nicholls looking for
someone to maintain the momentum the Colonels
had built under Durham.
So Nicholls turned to Seth Thibodeaux, Durham’s
top assistant, to pick up where the Colonels had left
off. In September 2010, Thibodeaux got his first head
coaching job, having been the architect of the program’s turnaround.
After wrapping up his playing career at William
Carey University and coaching at Pearl River Community College and Southeastern Louisiana, Thibodeaux
arrived at Nicholls in 2008 as an assistant under
Durham. In his first season, Thibodeaux put together
an aggressive lineup in the Southland Conference,
as Nicholls led the league in triples (27) and finished
second in stolen bases (81). In 2009, the Colonels
nearly doubled their overall and conference win totals,
and outfielder Chris Murrill, recruited and coached by
Thibodeaux, became the first Colonel position player
in four years to be selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.
Thibodeaux helped lead Nicholls to several mile-
stones in 2010. The team compiled a record of 27-29,
including a 15-18 Southland record; clinched its first
20-win season since 2005; its first 10-win conference
season since 2002; its first 25-win in a season since
2003; and its first 15-win conference season since 2000.
Meanwhile, Thibodeaux also helped the Colonels
rebuild their program off the field by overseeing the
team’s NCAA academic and compliance efforts. In
2006, the Colonels’ Academic Progress Rate (a calculation used to assess a student-athlete’s academic
success) was 835 – a full 90 points below the NCAA
mandated minimum. By 2010, the Colonels’ APR
surged, surpassing the NCAA’s APR threshold of 925
for the first time in school history.
“When I first got here, Chip and I sat down and
put together a plan,” Thibodeaux says. “We were
going to focus on improving our recruiting, our
academics and our facilities. We really stuck to
those goals, and we’re finally at a point now where
we have a really solid program. We had a really
good recruiting class for the third season in a row,
and I’m very excited about the product we’re going
to put on the field. With the improvements we’ve
made academically, athletically and with our facilities, everything is coming together; it’s a good time
for this program.”
In 2011, Thibodeaux has continued to build on his
reputation as a tireless worker and program architect.
And if his past is any indication, the Colonels baseball
team’s best days remain ahead of them.
“Everything
is coming
together; it’s a
good time for
this program.”
Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr. is a two-time Fulbright Scholar and a Distinguished Service Professor of mass communication.
40
FALL 2011
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
41
Colonel Pride
The Piper principle:
toughness wins
C
I love being around young people.”
Unhappy and looking for a better way to provide for his family, Piper applied to law school
just as Nicholls was naming Ricky Blanton as its
new head coach. Piper knew Blanton through
their basketball recruiting network – and in a
congratulatory message, Piper offered his assistance if Blanton ever needed it.
A week later, Piper got the call.
“Are you serious about helping?” Piper recalls
The principles upon which Piper’s program is
built assures that quality men are consistently
recruited, a respectable program will continue to
progress and former players will go on to a successful life after basketball, while always remaining part of the family. It is that bond which keeps
many former Colonels in touch with Piper and
the program.
“When we host a recruit on campus, the message of the day is, ‘You’re about to make a life-
by Mike Wagenheim
all it the Piper Principle from Principal Piper:
toughness and a sense of family permeate
every aspect of the Nicholls men’s basketball
program.
That’s been the way of life for the team for most of head
coach J.P. Piper’s seven-year tenure. It is a philosophy built out of
necessity. The reality is clear: the Colonels aren’t well funded compared to their competition and their facilities aren’t nearly as modern. That makes it difficult to draw top-flight talent to the campus.
It is an existence that makes having a consistently strong program
an immense challenge. Yet, the Colonels have reached the Southland
Conference tournament in each of the last three years, a feat accomplished only one other time in program history. The 2010-11 club
defeated LSU and Tulane for the first time ever, with the historic
victory over the Tigers in Baton Rouge making waves throughout
college basketball. Meanwhile, of the players who have exhausted
their eligibility, all but one has graduated during Piper’s era.
Piper believes he has found a key strategy to competing in the college basketball arms race without any of the heavy artillery.
“Toughness wins,” Piper says bluntly. “It seems simple, but it’s
quite complex when you start thinking about what toughness
means. It means getting up for a 7:30 a.m. class, it’s diving for a
loose ball, getting a rebound when you’re six-one and your opponent is six-eight. There’s not a drill or technique to do that. You just
have to be tougher. Going on the road for six days and still getting
your assignments turned in; getting your butt chewed out by the
coach and still being able to look him in the eye and say ‘yes, sir.’”
The direction of the program was once as unclear as the direction
of the man who now helms it. After a stint as an assistant coach at
East Ascension High School in Gonzales, Piper had an eight-year
run at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, where he piloted the
Tigers to the Class A state title in 1998 and returned them to the
finals in 1999. His last three years at the private school were also
spent as the principal, an experience that hastened Piper’s exit from
school administration.
“The most discouraging part of being principal was the isolation,”
Piper says. “When I was a teacher and coach, 10 or 15 kids would
eat lunch with me every day in the school cafeteria. Once I became
principal, none of those students came near me. That’s what pushed
me away. What feeds me are the interactions and the encounters.
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FALL 2011
“What those players did – that was the
biggest compliment paid to me in my life.”
Blanton asking.
“No, but I can get serious real quick,” Piper replied.
“For a moment, I forgot I was married with
children, and I jumped at the chance,” Piper now
recalls. “My wife told me I needed to figure out
what I wanted, because my plans were changing
by the day.”
After deep introspection, he decided coaching
was his life’s calling, and so he joined Blanton’s
staff as an assistant. Just two years later, the
wisdom of Piper’s career choice was tested. The
program was struggling on the court, and an
NCAA infractions case forced Blanton to resign
just before the 2004-05 season.
Piper was fully prepared to leave, too, out of
loyalty to Blanton. But, as Blanton departed he
told Piper that this might be his only chance to
be a Division I head coach and that he needed to
go for it. After some initial hesitation, Piper pursued the position, as did a more experienced candidate. When several of Piper’s players endorsed
him to university President Stephen Hulbert, the
pendulum swung in Piper’s favor.
“What those players did – that was the biggest
compliment paid to me in my life,” Piper says. “It
shows that players and coaches are not merely
connected by basketball. They are a family, and
they won’t let just anyone in.”
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
changing decision,’” Piper says. “I will take the
place of your parents and your teammates will
become your brothers. You need to ask yourself,
‘Do you want these people to be your family?’ If
you don’t feel that way, don’t come here. Honestly, there’s nothing special about our gym or
locker room, but there is something very special about the people in our program. I tell the
recruits, ‘When your girlfriend breaks up with
you or you fail a test, material things like fancy
locker rooms and gyms aren’t going to make you
feel good, but your coaches and teammates will.
Your family will.’”
“Teachers and coaches work to serve the
people in our charge,” Piper adds. “What you get
in return are lifelong connections. Even 20 years
down the road, we reconnect like it’s yesterday. I
could call my high school coach today, and there
remains a deep, meaningful connection there
and that’s what I seek to have. Let your daily task
be to make a difference in their lives. It’s been
rewarding. I tell the parents that my paycheck is
the relationships that form.”
“If it were just about winning games, then what
sustains you when you lose?” Piper asks. “I can
lose a game but still be proud, hold my head up
and feel good about who those young men are
and what they’re becoming.”
FALL 2011
43
Expressions
I
Dean tips his hat
by Dr. Al Davis
’m in my 64th
year to heaven,
to misquote a
line from the
poet Dylan
Thomas. My age
is also part of the
Beatles’ lyric I drank
to when I supposed
myself to be a longhaired social rebel
in my 20s: “Will you
still need me, will
you still feed me,
when I’m 64?”
But this is not about my age. Or
that in my youth I was sure that I’d
look like Mohandas Karamchand
Gandhi and be living in swaddled
retirement when I reached old age,
which I was sure back then had to
be around 64. This, as you’ll see, is
about one of my favorite topics.
I was asked to write this backpiece
for Voilà! not because I am a writer
but because I am believed by some to
be a wearer of many hats at this university. I’ve been an English teacher,
a novelist in residence, a keeper of
policy manuals, a department head
and something called an interim assistant vice president. (Whatever that
last one is, my mother, Belle, sure is
proud of it.)
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FALL 2011
consider about us who teach them and hand them financial
forms and smile at them when we call the next person
up from the front of one of those endless lines that social
institutions around the world breed endlessly. Every day we
Nicholls employees get out of bed and drive or bicycle or
walk or bus ourselves to work.
Employees have to hunt, just like the mothers and fathers
and family members of all students at Nicholls, for a place
to park to get to their jobs. Not only that. We have to pay
for a decal just to be able to start to look for a place to park
to get to our jobs.
That’s one of the most important hats anyone gets to
wear in life. We all have to go to work.
And if you don’t like going to work, you’ve got yourself
one miserable life, yes.
Don’t get me wrong. I’d
probably prefer staying
home most mornings
after I drag myself out of
bed. I’m dumb in a lot of
ways, but not in that way.
However, once I get to my
office, I feel pretty good
about where I am and
about the people who are
around me and about the
students who visit me after
having had just as much
trouble parking as I had.
You could be working in a sausage factory or in the office
of a university dean, which by the way is the hat I wear now.
If you don’t like work once you get there, you’re missing out
on something important.
Work is sometimes a struggle, for sure. It’s a job, a livelihood, a practical way to get pennies to buy clothes and
put sausage on family plates. But it is also an enriching
complement to family, to community, and even to the late
night sky we’re smitten by as we roll our garbage cans to the
side of the street in subdivisions built on land that used to
be under water.
Most recently, I got to be chairman for our United Way
charity drive here on campus. As part of that drive I got to
meet my fellow workers all over again. I met with administrators, administrative staff, faculty, professional staff, you
name it. Though I came asking for money, everywhere I
went I was welcomed.
Even in these difficult economic times, we at Nicholls
exceeded our United Way contribution goal this year. Nicholls,
my place of work, really does believe it has a responsibility to
the people of the region who maybe can’t put sausages on their
plate, fill their prescriptions
or buy their clothes.
I’m sincere about
what I just said. To make
what I said strike home
a little better, think
again about the Voilà!
articles you just read.
They really are about
the heart of the matter:
the kind of special place
we Nicholls employees
make, without even trying, by way of our daily
commitment to doing our chosen work.
With each visit I made for United Way, I understood all
over again that there’s just something I like about this place.
If I didn’t, I probably wouldn’t get out of bed most mornings.
Or as another writer, Kurt Vonnegut, once said, “I’d maybe
just as well be a rattlesnake.”
“If you don’t like work
once you get there,
you’re missing out on
something important.”
Indeed, literally and figuratively, I
have quite a collection of hats. And
perhaps my number of hats has given
me a slight advantage when it comes
to closing this unique issue.
It is a unique issue, isn’t it? I, in any
one of my many hats, am proud to be
in the company of these writers and
the subject matter they have chosen.
These writers are my colleagues and
friends: Lloyd Chiasson, Morris Coats,
Al Delahaye, Allen Alexander, Renee
Piper and James Stewart, among others. I take all of my hats off to them.
Their subject is also my subject:
this scrappy little university. This bighearted survivor, which is not only
a place for bayou folks like me to get
an excellent education, but is also a
decent place to work.
You see, I crossed a line around
the year 1985. Before that year, I was
a 1969 graduate who knew Nicholls
as a student knows Nicholls. Then in
1985, I signed a contract that made me
an employee.
That state of employee-hood is
something that students don’t often
5
97
1
,
is
Dav
Davis
, 1988
Distinguished service professor of languages and literature, novelist in residence
and Nicholls alumnus, Dr. Al Davis is the dean of University College.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
45
Honor Roll
Giving matters
Through the exceptional generosity of the donors listed here, Nicholls
State University is able to provide current and future students with the best
educational experiences possible. These gifts advance Nicholls to new levels
of excellence.
Donations to Nicholls and the Nicholls Foundation during the 20102011 fiscal year totaled nearly $2.5 million.
The following list of donors is grouped by giving level as of June 30,
2011. Every effort has been made to publish an accurate, comprehensive
list. Please call (985) 448-4134 to report an error or omission.
If you would like to support our programs, please return the enclosed envelope with a gift that reflects your commitment to and appreciation of Nicholls.
$10,000 and above
ACT Testing
Mr. James H. Alexander
American Petroleum Institute
Baptist Collegiate Ministries
Mr. Jeffrey D. Beech
Capital One Bank
Community Bank
ConocoPhillips
Crescent Crown Distributing
Crosby Tugs, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Allen J. Danos, Jr.
Entergy Corporation
Environmental Safety & Health Consulting
Services, Inc.
ExxonMobil Corporation
ExxonMobil Foundation
Galliano Marine Services, LLC
GE Power Systems
Goldring Family Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
LA Society of Professional Surveyors
Major Equipment & Remediation
Mary Chauvin Wurzlow Estate
Mr. R. E. “Bob” Miller
Nicholls State University Alumni Federation
Nicholls State University Foundation
Otto Candies, LLC
PPC Mechanical Seals
Ms. Cathy Rose
Shell Offshore, Inc.
Shell Oil Company
South Louisiana Bank
State of Louisiana Treasury Department
Stephanie Hebert Insurance Agency, Inc.
Terrebonne General Medical Center
The Bollinger Foundation
The Coca-Cola Company
The Lorio Foundation
The Peltier Foundation
Yvonne and Red Adams Foundation
$5,000 to $9,999
Abdon Callais Offshore, LLC
Allied Shipyard, Inc.
American Association of Drilling Engineers/
Lafayette Chapter
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FALL 2011
Blood Systems, Inc.
Ms. Andrea Bollinger
Bourgeois Meat Market, Inc.
Buquet Distributing Co., Inc.
C. L. Jack Stelly & Associates, Inc.
Center for Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine
Mr. and Mrs. Brian P. Cheramie
Chevron Products Company
Christopher H. Riviere, a Professional Law Corp.
Colonel Athletic Association
Department of Natural Resources
Duke Energy Business Services
Educational Testing Service
Enbridge
First American Bank
Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation
Greater Houston Community Foundation
H. Lee Welch Separate Property
Houma Regional Arts Council
International Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc.
J. Ray McDermott, Inc.
Jacobs Engineering Foundation
Kamehameha Schools
Lady of the Sea General Hospital
Law Offices of Michael J. Samanie
Louisiana Pipeliners Association
Louisiana Restaurant Association
Louisiana Workers’ Compensation Corporation
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph S. Mohana
Montco Offshore, Inc.
MorganStanley SmithBarney Citigroup
Global Markets, Inc.
National Restaurant Association
Educational Foundation
Norman Swanner Big Boy Fund, Inc.
Nucor Public Affairs, Inc.
Oneida Tribe of Indians of Wisconsin
PSEG
Scholarship America
Shell Oil Company Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. William Clifford Smith
Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Inc.,
Delta Section
Mr. Louis J. St. Martin
T. Baker Smith & Son, Inc.
Terrebonne Genealogical Society
The Giardina Family Foundation
The Jerry Ledet Foundation
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center Auxiliary
Mr. and Mrs. H. Lee Welch
$1,000 to $4,999
A&G Refrigeration, Inc.
Acadia Land Surveying, LLC
Adeline Planting Company
Advanced Biofuels Association
AFCEA Silicon Bayou Chapter
Agriculture Alumni Association of NSU
American Association of Drilling Engineers/
New Orleans Chapter
American Cancer Society Mid-South
Division, Inc.
American Electric Power Service Corporation
Angelette - Picciola, LLC
Ashland Services, LLC
Associated Terminals LLC Associated Efforts
Atchafalaya API Scholarship Fund
Auto-Chlor Services, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Bobby Barbera
Barnes & Noble College Bookstores, Inc.
Barriere Construction Co., LLC
Dr. Allayne Barrilleaux
Mr. and Mrs. Ron Bartels
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
Bayou Industrial Group, Inc.
Bayou Society for Human Resource Management
Ms. Rubye Beal
Mr. and Mrs. Lester Bimah
Birdsall Plaza, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Harold M. Block
Block Law Firm
Bob’s Nursery
Ms. Charlotte Bollinger
Dr. and Mrs. David E. Boudreaux
Bourg Lions Club
Bourgeois & Associates, Inc.
Mrs. Clara C. Brady
Mr. and Mrs. Todd Brady
Mr. and Mrs. James Brandt
Brenda and Gregory Hamer Family
Charitable Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Brandon S. Brooks
Mr. Thomas C. Broome
Dr. and Mrs. James Vance Broussard
Bruce Foods Corporation
Mrs. Glenny Lee Buquet
Mr. Charles M. Callais
Mrs. Gloria B. Callais
Camille & Braxton Hebert Memorial Account
Camille A. Morvant, II for Lafourche
District Attorney
Campaign to Elect Norby Chabert
Mr. Kelly A. Candies
Carmel, Inc. dba Ramada Inn Thibodaux
Mr. and Mrs. Donald T. Carmouche
CAT Enterprises dba McDonald’s
Mr. Arlen B. Cenac, Jr.
Cenac Marine Services, LLC
CH2M Hill, Inc.
Mr. Norbert N. Chabert
Chaisson Senate Campaign Fund
Charter Communications
Chemtech Chemical Services, LLC
Mr. Huey Cheramie
Mr. and Mrs. M. J. Cheramie
Chick-fil-a
Children’s Defense Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Kirt Chouest
Chubb Foundation
Coastal Commerce Bank
Coca-Cola Enterprises Bottling Companies
Dr. and Mrs. Todd D. Cowen
Ms. Monique M. Crochet
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt J. Crosby
Drs. Ken and Maria Cruse
Mr. and Mrs. Garrett “Hank” Danos
Mr. Todd Danos
Ms. Emily T. D’Arcangelo
Dr. and Mrs. Albert Davis
Denet Towing Service, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Dial, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn J. Diedrich
Dixie Youth Baseball, Inc.
Mr. Lloyd C. Dressel
Mr. and Mrs. Daniels W. Duplantis, Sr.
Duplantis Design Group, P.C.
Mr. and Mrs. C. Berwick Duval, II
eHealthcare Solutions, LLC
El Paso Corporation
Elite Portable Restrooms & Showers dba
Event Restroom
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy A. Emerson
Dr. and Mrs. Carroll J. Falcon
Mr. and Mrs. Dean T. Falgoust
Dr. and Mrs. Quentin Falgoust
Femmes Natales
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Ferrara
Dr. and Mrs. James C. Fields
Mr. and Mrs. Robert M. Ford
Mr. and Mrs. Edison J. Foret
Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Foret
Mr. and Mrs. Miles Forrest
Freedom Classic
Drs. Nick and Elaine Fry
Mr. Kevin M. Gardner
Golden Meadow-Fourchon International
Tarpon Rodeo, Inc.
Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo Association, Inc.
Greater Kansas City Community Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Ridley Gros, Jr.
Mr. James E. and Dr. Grace M. Gueydan
Mr. and Mrs. Hugh E. Hamilton
Dr. and Mrs. Ernest C. Hansen, Jr.
Drs. Leo and Carolyn Hebert
Hill Alaska, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. C. Lindy Hoffmann
Ms. Dion Horn
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. Howell
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen T. Hulbert
Hunting Retriever Club Foundation, Inc.
International Gold & Silver Plate Society
J. B. Levert Land Co., Inc.
Jefferson Dollars for Scholars
John Deere Thibodaux, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. John J. Jones, Jr.
JR Auxiliary
Jubilee Festival of the Arts & Humanities
Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Robert E. Kelton
Kiwanis Club of Houma
Kiwanis Club of Thibodaux
Dr. Betty A. Kleen
Knights of Peter Claver, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Knoop, Jr.
L & M Botruc Rental, Inc.
L. Vernon Bourgeois, Jr. Campaign Account
Mr. and Mrs. Henry J. Lafont, Jr.
Lafourche Parish Government
Lafourche Parish School Board
Lafourche Volunteers for Family
Lagreca Services, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Barry G. Landry
Mr. Christian D. Lapeyre
Dr. Nolan P. LeCompte, Jr.
Mr. Jerry P. Ledet, Jr.
Liquid Container L.P.
Logan Aldridge, CPA
Louis St. Martin, APLC
Louisiana Bar Foundation
Louisiana Thoroughbred Breeders
Louisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee Kiwanis
District Fund
Main Iron Works, LLC
Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation
Mr. Marvin V. Marmande, Jr.
Martin Product Sales, LLC
Masonic Educational Foundation, Inc.
Massey Services, Inc.
McDermott Incorporated
McDonogh 35 Class of 52 Reunion
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Meraux
Mr. Tommy Meyer
MidSouth Bank
Ms. Patty Minter
Dr. and Mrs. Charles Monier, Jr.
Morgan Stanley
Mr. O.T. Murray
Nace International
Mr. Andrew L. Naquin
National Merit Scholarship Corporation
Northwestern Mutual Financial Network of
Louisiana, LLC
Northwestern Mutual Foundation
Orthopaedic Sports Specialists of Louisiana
Mr. and Mrs. Chris Pate
Mr. Glynn P. Pellegrin
Mrs. Grace F. Peltier
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Peltier
Peterson Agency, Inc.
PFLAG General Fund
Mrs. Shirley D. Picou
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Pitre
Pitre Industries, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Mark D. Plaisance
PRO-NSU
R.S.I. Group, Inc.
Regions Morgan Keegan Trust
Republic Finance, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher H. Riviere
Mr. and Mrs. Robert G. Riviere
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Riviere
Robichaux Farms, Inc.
Ronald J. Boudreaux, P.E., Inc.
Ronald McDonald House
Rotary Club of Golden Meadow
Rotary Club of Thibodaux
Rouses Enterprises, LLC
RPC, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Savoie
Shaver-Robichaux Agency, Inc.
Mr. Ryne S. Simmons
Slidell Group LLC
St. Bernadette KC Council No. 7355
St. Charles Parish School Board
St. Mary CAA CSBG ARRA Account
St. Mary Chamber of Commerce
St. Mary Industrial Group
St. Mary Parish School Food Service Association
St. Tammany Parish School Board
State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.
Sureway Supermarkets, Walter H. Maples, Inc.
Synergy Bank
Mr. Byron E. Talbot
Terrebonne Motor Co., Inc.
The Cannata Corporation
The Felterman Foundation
The Greater New Orleans Barge Fleeting
Association, Inc
The Kohler Foundation
The New York Times
Ms. Laura P. Theriot
Thibodaux Lions Club
Geomatics program receives $100,000 for scholarship. The Nicholls geomatics program
received $100,000 to establish the “Jules Oreste Chustz Memorial Student Endowed
Scholarship,” named in memory of the late child of Jimmy Chustz of Chustz Surveying Inc.
Contributions include $50,000 from Chustz Surveying Inc., $25,000 from the Louisiana
Society of Professional Surveyors and $25,000 from the Contractors Educational Trust
Fund. The geomatics program, which prepares students for careers as land surveyors,
construction surveyors, mappers and planners, is one of a kind in Louisiana. Pictured
are Dr. David Boudreaux, vice president for institutional advancement; Dr. Terry Dantin,
professor of geomatics; Chustz; and Dr. Stephen Hulbert, university president.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
47
Honor Roll
President’s reception honors donors. With nearly 165 scholarship donors, recipients and
additional guests in attendance, the annual President’s Scholarship Reception allowed
scholarship recipients to meet their benefactors. Pictured is Stephanie Graebert, biology pre-med senior from Norco, La., speaking to attendees about how her scholarship
benefitted her and her family. Nicholls students received nearly $4.9 million in scholarship
funds in 2010–11.
Thibodaux Regional Medical Center
Thibodaux Service League Community Fund
Thibodaux Women’s Center
Mr. and Mrs. George Toups
Mr. and Mrs. Louis Toups, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Trotter
UNCF
Valentine Chemicals, LLC
Vanguard Vacuum Trucks, Inc.
Vergenal, Inc.
VESL., LLC
Wal-Mart Thibodaux #1016
Mr. James H. Ware, Jr.
Warren Easton, Sr. High School Foundation, Inc.
Weimer Gros Flores, LLC
Ms. Mary L. Werner
West Feliciana 4-H Foundation, Inc.
Whitney National Bank
Willis & Mildred Pellerin Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Wisecarver
Wong Lodging
$500 to $999
AHS Mulligan Booster Club
American Legion Robert Burns Post #16
American Legion-Ken Boudreaux Post #380
Appoline & Simeon Patout Foundation
Dr. and Mrs. Donald J. Ayo
Dr. Jennifer L. Baker
Barataria-Terrebonne Estuary Foundation
Barker Honda
Bayou Chapter Medical Managers
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Bednarz
Mr. Percy Bernard, Jr.
Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc.
Block & Bouterie, Attorneys at Law
Bluewater Rubber and Gasket Co.
48
FALL 2011
Breaux Petroleum Products, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk R. Bynum
Mr. Larry Calmes
Mr. and Mrs. Carleton A. Casey
Cashio’s Mobile Catering, Inc.
Dr. John J. Cavan
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel A. Cavell
Cengage Learning
Centurytel, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Clement, Jr.
Committee to Elect Caroline Fayard
Cowen Clinic for Rehabilitation Medicine, APMC
CTCO Marine Services, LLC
Dale A. Guidry Memorial Scholarship Fund
Delta Music Co., Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Milton P. Donegan
Mr. and Mrs. Donald E. Dorand
Dr. and Mrs. Curtis Duplechain
Mr. and Mrs. David Elmore
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Fakier
Father Joseph Van Baast
Mr. and Mrs. Marshall Faulk
Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund
First National Bank USA
Mr. Wiltz D. Fuhrer
Galliano Smoothies, Inc.
Mr. Greg Gaubert
Georgia Gulf Corporation
GNO-ABO Charitable and Educational
Foundation, Inc.
Mr. Michael Gros
Ms. Kim M. Guidry
Ms. Joelaine M. Hanberry
Ms. Ann T. Hebert
Dr. and Mrs. Mark F. Hebert
Mr. and Mrs. Garett J. Hohensee
Houma Orthopedic Clinic
K-Dog Scholarship Foundation
Kenneth Thibodeaux Farms, Inc.
Dr. Marilyn B. Kilgen
Kona Publishing & Media Group, LLC
LA Southern Baptist Association
Mr. and Mrs. Vic Lafont
Lafourche Parish United States Bowling Congress
Mr. and Mrs. Donald Larpenter
Ms. Priscilla Larpenter
Law Office of Joel Hanberry, P.C.
Dr. and Mrs. James Leonard
Mr. Timothy R. Lindsley, III
Little People of America, Inc.
LMF, LLC
Louisiana Legislature Women’s Caucus
Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, LLC
Louisiana Public Facilities Authority
Mr. Ross Lundgren
M. Bergeron & Company CPAs, LLC
Dr. and Mrs. Wes Magee, III
Ms. Melissa R. Malone
Martin Luther King (Dr.) Memorial
Scholarship Fund
MC Bank
Morgan Keegan & Company, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth P. Morrison
Morvant and Cavell
NAACP NSU Chapter
Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Naquin
National Association of University Women
New Orleans Hispanic Heritage Fnd.
New York Life Insurance
Newell Normand Campaign Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie Ogden
Mr. William and Dr. Alice Pecoraro
Mr. and Mrs. Lynn Pellegrin
Dr. Wayne J. Pharo
Phi Mu Foundation
Mr. Elmo Pitre III
Quality Sitework Materials, Inc.
Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. Quinilty
Mr. Neal Raye, Jr.
Right Away Maintenance Co., LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Howard J. Robichaux
Rock Ruiz Insurance and Retirement Services, LLC
Rotary Club of Grand Isle
Ms. Toni Roth
Mr. and Mrs. Donald P. Schwab, Jr.
Mr. Robert W. Shivers
Simpson High School PTO
Smart Scholarship Funding Corporation
Society of Louisiana Certified Public Accountants
South Central La. Chapter of the Society of La. CPA’s
Southland Steel & Supply, LLC
St. James Family
St. Mary Parish School Board
Stephen Leblanc Memorial Scholarship Fund
Mr. and Mrs. Leo D. Sternfels
Mrs. Phyllis M. Taylor
Terrebonne 4-H Foundation
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Thalheim
The Community Foundation for the National
Capital Region
Mr. and Mrs. John W. Theriot
Mr. Troy Thompson
Mr. David Trahan
Unifirst Holdings, Inc.
United Steel Workers Local 3657
Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. Webre
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas E. Weed
Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Weimer
West Houma Lion’s Club, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Stevens C. Willett
Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. Wong
Woodmen of the World Lodge
$250 to $499
A.M.C. Liftboats, Inc.
Mr. John G. Amato
Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Arceneaux
Ms. Sue Arceneaux
B & J 4 H Project
Barbera Chevrolet
Ms. Claire R. Barry
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Bauer
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Blanchard
Mr. Matthew F. and Dr. Elizabeth Block
Bob’s Tree Preservation Co., Inc.
Ms. Doris S. Bordelon
Mr. Matthew Bordelon
Mr. and Mrs. Brophy J. Boudreaux
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard J. Breaux
Mr. and Mrs. James J. Brien, Jr.
Mr. Mark Britz
Mr. and Mrs. Larry J. Buccola
Mr. Brett M. Candies
Mr. and Mrs. Edgar Chase
Dr. and Mrs. Camile L. Chiasson
Mr. Tom S. Chiocchio
Mr. and Mrs. William H. Christensen
Mr. and Mrs. Robert W. Clarke, Jr.
Mr. Michel Claudet
Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Conrad
Mr. Bret S. Cuneo
Mr. John Daigle
Daigle, Himel, Daigle Physical Therapy Center
Mr. and Mrs. Ched Dantin
Mr. Travis A. David
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Davis
Mr. Jesse M. Delahoussaye
Delta Inspection Company of Houma, Inc.
Doctors Flynn-Manceaux-Arcement-PizzolatoThompson Therapy-Houma
Doctors Flynn-Manceaux-Arcement-PizzolatoPorche of Thibodaux
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Dominique
Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Donner
Dr. Alton F. Doody
Mr. and Mrs. Jules A. Dornier, III
Ms. Terri M. Ducote
Mr. and Mrs. Woody Falgoust
Family Doctor Clinic
Ms. Angela Faucheaux
Mr. and Mrs. L. J. Folse
Mr. and Mrs. John P. Ford
Foundation of Louisiana Bowling
Proprietors Association
GeoSafe Chemicals, Inc.
Goodwill Industries of Southeastern La., Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Goodwin
Gossen-Holloway & Associates
Ms. Darline Gregory
Mr. and Mrs. Edmond W. Gros
Ms. Brenda G. Hansen
Mr. and Mrs. Leo P. Hebert
Dr. and Mrs. Obie Cleveland Hill
HTV
Dr. and Mrs. Jerry L. Hudson
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Kliebert
Lafourche Parish Retired Teachers
Mr. Jimmy Ledet
Dr. Peter G. Liechty
Ms. Tia Lopez
Mr. Eddie P. Lyons
Mr. and Mrs. Burton B. Marmande
Ms. Diane T. Martin
Mr. and Mrs. James Martin
Ms. Stephanie McCollum
Ms. Kate E. Merrill
Morgan City Bank
Mr. and Mrs. Craig J. Naquin
Mr. and Mrs. Lionel O. Naquin, Jr.
Mrs. Michelle Z. Parro
Mr. and Mrs. David Plater
Pointe-Aux-Chenes Elementary School
Ms. Michelle C. Porth
Mrs. Jane E. Rabalais
Raceland Raw Sugar Corp.
Raising Canes USA, LLC
Rebstock Supply Co., Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Richard, Jr.
Rising Star Baptist Church
Ms. Elizabeth Riviere
Mr. Dean Robinson
Schriever Volunteer Fire Department
SJI, Inc.
Spahr’s Seafood Co., LLC
Thibodaux Summer Baseball
Mr. and Mrs. Francis Thibodeaux
Thomassie Construction, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Torres
Ms. Teana Tramel
Ms. Lizbeth A. Turner and Mr. Clarence Wolbrette
Mr. John E. Turnipseed
Wendel C. Henry Family Foundation, Inc.
Western Alamance NJROTC Boosters
William Paterson University
Mr. Reuben C. Williams
Dr. Guy P. Zeringue, III
$100 to $249
4K Properties 1, LLC dba Just 4 Him Mens
Haircut Lounge
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffery Addicks
Mr. Terry Albert
Dr. and Mrs. Robert Allen Alexander, Jr.
American Legion Auxiliary
American Legion-Jules G. Borgstede Post 309
Mr. E. A. Angelloz
Ms. Janelle D. Austrom
Mr. Benton T. Ayo
Dr. Michele R. Bailliet
Barksdale Federal Credit Union
Ms. Apryl Barnes
Dr. and Mrs. James Barr
Barry Graham Oil Service, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Jeremy Becker
Ms. Elsie C. Behrhorst
Mrs. Debra S. Benoit
Bianca Consulting Services, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel M. Blanchard
Mr. and Mrs. Darrin J. Blanchard
Ms. Louise Bonin
Mr. Brandon M. Boudreaux
Mr. and Mrs. Edward C. Bourgeois
Ms. Charlotte H. Bracey
Mr. and Mrs. J. Brandt
Mr. Roy F. Breerwood, III
Ms. Sheri Broussard
Mr. and Mrs. Cleve T. Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Johnny Buckley
Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Burt
Ms. Rebecca A. Bush
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph T. Butler
Mr. Gregory S. Cable
Mr. Abel A. Caillouet, Jr.
Mr. Ben Caillouet
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Caillouet
Mr. L. Boot Caldarera
Mr. Stephen Caldarera
Library receives $25,000 posthumous donation. Daniel Walker, a Houma attorney representing the estate of his late aunt, Mary Elizabeth “Bettie” Wurzlow, presents a check
for $25,000 to the Nicholls Foundation. In accordance with Wurzlow’s wishes, the donation will be used for improvements at Ellender Memorial Library. Pictured from left are
Carol Mathias, former library director, and Walker.
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
FALL 2011
49
Honor Roll
Mr. Brian J. Champagne
Mr. and Mrs. Glenn E. Chance, Jr.
Ms. Jamie L. Cheramie
Ms. Lori W. Clay
Mr. and Mrs. Richard J. Clement
Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Clement
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Constant
Mr. James Cook
Ms. Raquel Cortina
D & M Home Medical, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry G. Daigle
Mr. and Mrs. Ronnie Daigle
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin B. Davis
Dr. and Mrs. Lionel de la Houssaye, Jr.
Mr. Brad M. Delatte
Mr. Dylan M. Delaune
Mr. and Mrs. Murphy L. Delaune, Jr.
Mr. L. Clifton Dickerson
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Dobard
Mr. and Mrs. Walter M. Doherty
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel P. Dolan
Donnes Real Estate
Mr. and Mrs. E. I. Dreher, Jr.
Mr. Daniel W. Duplantis
Mr. Merle J. Duplantis
Ms. Karen E. Eberle
Eddie N. Pullaro, Attorney at Law
Mr. and Mrs. Robert B. Edwards
Mr. and Mrs. Louis A. Erwin
Mr. and Mrs. Eddie J. Evans, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Robert N. Falgout
Dr. Joanne C. Ferriot
Mr. Kent Fewell
Mr. and Mrs. Wynn Fremen
Mr. Barry Fremin
Mr. Raleigh J. Galiano
Mr. Gregory Garcia
Mr. Wally Gaudet
Ms. Heloise M. Gilbert
Mr. and Mrs. G. M. Givens
Mr. and Mrs. Eugene G. Gouaux, Jr.
Mr. Jude M. Gravois
Dr. and Mrs. John H. Green
Ms. Dorothy Gros
Mr. Gary A. Gros
Mr. and Mrs. Alan Grossberg
Mr. and Mrs. T. Benton Harang
Ms. ArzuHatipoglu-Greer
Haydel Dermatology, Inc.
Mr. Jason P. Haynes
Mr. Brian P. Hebert
Mr. and Mrs. Eddie J. Hebert
Ms. Kellie S. Hebert
Ms. Maria C. Hebert
Mr. and Mrs. Randy C. Hicks
Ms. Sarah L. Hotard
Houma Family Practice Clinic A Professional
Medical Corporation
Houma-Thibodaux Spine & Rehab, LLC
Mr. Mark H. Hovsepian
Hunter International Consulting, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Octave P. Hymel, Jr.
J.B. Levert Foundation
Drs. James W. and Ann L. Jackson
Jeffery A. Addicks, Attorney At Law
Mrs. Frances Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin G. Jones
Mr. Melvin Kappel
Mr. and Mrs. Peter H. Karst
Mr. Donald E. Kasten
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FALL 2011
Elkins Hall features Ameen Watercolors. Art by Lula Ameen, the late namesake of the
Nicholls Ameen Art Gallery in Talbot Hall, now adorns the foyer of Elkins Hall, the university’s oldest building. Donated to the Nicholls Foundation by Rubye Beal Fitzgerald – the
mother of the watercolors’ late owner, Joe Frank Beal Jr. – the display memorializes
Ameen and Beal. The former received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Nicholls
and subsequently taught watercolor at the university from 1972 to 1989.
Ms. Kay Kellogg Katz
Ms. Paula Kelly
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph P. Kolwe
Ms. Mary R. Labadot
Lanaux & Felger, CPAs
Mr. Wayne J. Landry
Mr. Sidney G. Larriviere
Dr. and Mrs. Alex Lasseigne
Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Lavigne, Jr.
Mr. David A. LeBoeuf, Jr.
Ms. Aleta R. Leckelt
Mr. and Mrs. John M. Ledet
Mr. Robert L. Ledet
Mr. Mark H. Lee
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew W. Legrange
Mr. and Mrs. Lance P. Lejeune
Mr. Gene Lewis
Lori Mobley Groover Fund
Louisiana Amazons Sports Organization
Louisiana Wings, LLC
Ms. Anh H. Luong
Dr. Glenn Manceaux
Ms. Carol A. Mathias
Mr. and Mrs. Steven M. McCabe
Ms. Sandy McClelland
Mr. David McDonald
Mr. Jerome S. McKee
Mrs. Monique McMillan
Mr. Duane Meeks
Megi’s Collectibles
Mr. and Mrs. Barry C. Melancon
Mike Bernard Consulting, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. David G. Miller
Mr. Ernie Mills
Minor’s Beefmasters c/o Pat Pitre
Mississippi High School Rodeo Assoc.
Dr. Stephen Morgan, Jr.
Mr. David C. Morvant
Mrs. Elaine T. Morvant
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin P. Morvant
Mrs. Martha L. Morvant
Dr. Richard A. Morvant, Jr., MD
Mr. Richard J. Naquin, II
Mr. and Mrs. A.V. Nguyen
Nicholls Federal Credit Union
Mr. Ryan Norton
Ms. Sara C. Olivier
Mr. Patrick J. Parenton
Ms. Candace N. Park
Mrs. Stacy L. Pate
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen G. Peltier
Ms. Anne M. Perry
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond A. Peters
Mr. and Mrs. Clyde G. Peterson
Petroleum Specialty Rental, LLC
Philip Matherne Memorial Scholarship
Foundation, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. J. P. Piper
Mrs. Charlotte F. Pipes
Ms. Dobee Plaisance
Ms. Mary R. Plaisance
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry M. Poche
Ms. Donna Ponson
Ms. Katherine B. Porche
Preferred Sandblasting, LLC
Pup Joint, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. Rabalais
Red Stick Sports
Renee Andolsek Apartments, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. A. Hunter Reynaud
Mr. and Mrs. Russell Richard
Mr. and Mrs. Michael D. Richard
Mr. and Mrs. Ray J. Riche’
Ms. Mary K. Ridenour
Mr. and Mrs. Kurt S. Risinger
Riviere Insurance Agency, Inc.
Ms. Alma Robichaux
Dr. and Mrs. Francis A. Robichaux, II
Mr. and Mrs. Gibbens Robichaux
Mr. Tim P. and Dr. Susan Michele Robichaux
Dr. and Mrs. William H. Robichaux
Mr. Michael D. Robinson
Mr. Larry P. Rogers
Ms. Teresa Rondinelli
Mr. and Mrs. Gwain E. Roundtree
Ms. Kara Rouse
Mrs. Mark J. Roy, Jr.
RSVP Special Events & Design
Ms. Donna M. Sammarco
Mr. Robert Scelfo
Mr. and Mrs. Garry M. Scheid
Sealevel Construction, Inc
Mr. and Mrs. John Shaver
Ms. Marie D. Sheley
Simpson Bronco Booster Club
Singing River Federal Credit Union
Ms. Carla A. Smith
Ms. Jo Anne T. Smith
Southland Drugs #2, Inc.
Ms. Catherine A. Straatmann
Mrs. Laura C. Strickland
Ms. Claire E. Tatum
Ms. Gayle C. Tauzin
Ms. Sue D. Taylor
T-Caillou Lions Club
Dr. Victor E. Tedesco, IV
Terrebonne Motor Co., Inc.
Thibodaux Literary Club
Thibodaux Online.Com
Mr. Joe E. Thompson
Thompson Construction Co., Inc.
Mr. Connor J. Thurman
Ms. Anke Tonn
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory J. Torres
Mr. Daniel Toups
Ms. Gayle C. Toups
Trapp Cadillac, Chevrolet, Inc.
United Supply, Inc.
Ms. Kristyl Vicknair
Mrs. Guy J. Waggenspack
Mr. Gerard A. Waguespack
Mr. and Mrs. Barry J. Waguespack
Waguespack Oil Company, Inc.
Mr. Mike Walker
Mrs. Tamera S. Washburn
Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Watkins
Mr. J. Louis Watkins, III
Sheriff Craig Webre
Mr. and Mrs. Gerard A. White
Mr. Kit L. Williams
Mr. Bruce Wilson
Mr. and Mrs. Sam B. Wofford, Jr.
XI Zeta Chapter Sigma Theta Tau
Mr. and Mrs. William G. Yates
Yezak Construction Company dba Total
Roofing & Exteriors
Mr. Gerald Zeller
$99 and Under
Mr. and Mrs. Deoma J. Adams
Mr. and Mrs. Harold J. Adams
Ms. Helene B. Allen
Mr. and Mrs. Kerry L. Alley
Mr. and Mrs. P. Alvarez
Mr. and Mrs. Joachim Amedee
Mr. and Mrs. Danny J. Arabie
Mr. and Mrs. Lee M. Arcement
Mr. Brian P. Arceneaux
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Arceneaux
Ms. Phoebe J. Arceneaux
Dr. Badiollah Asrabadi
Mrs. Rita T. Aucoin
Mr. Kent J. Authement
Ms. Susan B. Aysen
Mr. and Mrs. Gerald J. Babin
Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Badeaux, Jr.
Dr. and Mrs. Jim Baker
Mr. and Mrs. Brian K. Banta
Mr. Scott D. Banville
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Barba, Jr.
Ms. Edith E. Barker
Ms. Ashley Barrios
Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Barron
Mrs. Blanche Baudouin
Mr. and Mrs. Mark C. Bazile
Ms. Jacqueline Beary
Mr. and Mrs. Robert F. Beauchamp, DVM
Mr. and Mrs. John B. Becker, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Edmond A. Becnel, III
Mr. and Mrs. Ward D. Belanger
Ms. Denise Benoit
Mr. and Mrs. Jason J. Benoit
Ms. Marcelle R. Bienvenu
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Blanchard
BlitchKnevel Architects, Inc.
Mr. and Mrs. Craig Bollinger
Ms. Barbara F. Bordelon
Mr. Charles J. Borne
Mr. and Mrs. Jared T. Boudreaux
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Boudreaux
Mr. Phillip G. Bourgeois
Mr. and Mrs. Randy P. Bourgeois
Ms. Amy S. Breaux
Ms. Marion M. Breaux
Ms. Mary Breaux
Dr. and Mrs. Lane Brigham
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Brinker
Mr. Bennett A. and Dr. Carol Britt
Mr. and Mrs. Peter W. Broussard
Mr. and Mrs. Rickey Broussard
Ms. Cheryl L. Brown
Ms. Mary Ann Bulla
Ms. Amy Bundy
Mrs. Leslie Bundy
Mr. Timothy J. Butler
Ms. Claudette C. Caldwell
Mr. and Mrs. Donald P. Callais
Ms. Sally B. Camp
Ms. Jo Alyce Carpenter
Castagnos-Goodwin & Associates
Ms. Mary L. Cavell
Mr. Richard P. Champagne
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory M. Chase
Ms. Patricia D. Chauvin
Mr. and Mrs. Leroy Chenier
Dr. Deborah H. Cibelli and Mr. Stephen C. Rawlings
Mr. Coral C. Clark, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Marc E. Clause
Mr. and Mrs. Brian P. Clausen
Mr. and Mrs. Karl Clement
Ms. Page Collier
Mr. and Mrs. Anthony J. Collins
Ms. Kathy Conner
Ms. Celeste B. Cotton
Mr. and Mrs. Keith Crochet
Ms. Judith E. Crochet
Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Daigle
Ms. Judy A. Danos
Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Dantin
Mr. Robert J. Davidson
Dr. and Mrs. John H. Dennis
Mr. and Mrs. William R. Dennis
DMC Consultors, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Dave A. Domangue
Mr. and Mrs. Danny Dufrene
Mr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Dufrene, Jr.
Ms. Amy M. Duncan
Mr. Eric P. Duplantis
Ms. Mary B. Duplantis
Mr. and Mrs. Melvin B. Duplantis, Sr.
Mrs. Jules S. Dupont
Ms. Susan A. Dupre
Ms. Beverly Elston
Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University
Mayor and Mrs. Tommy G. Eschete
Ms. Amanda S. Eymard
Mr. Jessie Fabiano
Mr. and Mrs. Robert K. Faul
Ms. Kristen D. Fillmore
Mr. Stuart J. Folse
Dr. Quenton C. Fontenot and Dr. Allyse Ferrara
Mr. and Mrs. Luke Ford, Jr.
Mr. Brooks A. Foret
Mr. Robert D. Frey
Mr. and Mrs. Dan P. Gaiennie
Mr. and Mrs. Dale Garber
Mr. and Mrs. Robert N. Garner
Mr. and Mrs. Don G. Gaudet
Mr. and Mrs. Wilbert P. Gaudin
Ms. Brenda R. Gautreaux
Mr. and Mrs. Walter Gilbert
Mr. and Mrs. Timmy J. Gisclair
Ms. Marla V. Gomez
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen D. Gossen
Ms. Shana M. Goulas
Dr. and Mrs. Ralph Gremillion
Dr. John M. Griffin
Ms. Brooke A. Gros
Ms. Stephanie A. Gros
Mr. and Mrs. Ray Guidry
Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Guidry
Mr. Michael J. Becnel and Ms. Gaynel A. Guillot
Ms. Laurie A. Guillot
Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Hammerli
Mr. and Mrs. James Harrell
Ms. Julie B. Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Sterlinn L. Harris
Mr. Charles N. Hartman
Mr. and Mrs. William G. Harvey
Mr. and Mrs. Jason P. Haynes
Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Hays
Ms. Helen A. Hebert
Mr. and Mrs. Chad J. Hebert
Ms. Lori Henry
Ms. Carol B. Hession
Mr. and Mrs. John C. Hildenbrand, IV
Mr. and Mrs. Dwayne Himel
Mr. Rodney R. Hodges
Mr. and Mrs. Raymond A. Hodson, Jr.
Ms. Brenda Holeman
Mr. David G. Horton
Mr. Jonathan Howell
Ms. Tammy B. Hunt
Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey J. Jandegian
Ms. Karla M. Johanning
John C. Hildenbrand, IV, LLC
Dr. Leslie Jones
Jones Insurance Services, LLC
Dr. and Mrs. Bill F. Kalpakis
Mr. Jonathan R. Keife
Mr. Todd M. Keller
Mr. and Mrs. Todd Kennedy
Ms. Rachael B. Kilgen
Mrs. Ethel N. Knobloch
Mr. and Mrs. Paul Kocke
Mr. and Mrs. Matthew M. Kohler
Dr. Gary J. LaFleur
Mr. and Mrs. Julius Laiche
Mr. and Mrs. Barry J. Laiche
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen L. Lambousy
Ms. Susan Landers
Ms. Georgia L. Landry
Mr. and Mrs. Greg Landry
Mr. Nathan Landry
FALL 2011
51
Honor Roll
Wine and food extravaganza benefits students. The 15th annual Sponsor A+ Scholar
Wine and Food Extravaganza attracted a record number of guests – more than 830 – and
generated more than $37,000. Proceeds from the event benefit Nicholls students with
outstanding grades and leadership ability. Nearly $400,000 has been raised since the
fundraiser began in 1996, with more than 200 Nicholls students receiving scholarships
as a result. Pictured is Renee Piper, director of university relations, displaying one of the
many live-auction items – an NFL helmet autographed by quarterback Peyton Manning.
Ms. Vickie Larke
Mr. and Mrs. Leonard Lasseigne
Mr. and Mrs. Michael C. Lawrence
Mr. and Mrs. Theo D. Lawrence
Mr. Armon J. Leblanc
Mr. and Mrs. Kenny J. Leblanc
Mr. Robert A. Leblanc
Mr. and Mrs. James P. Ledet
Mr. and Mrs. Jason P. Ledet
Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Ledet, Sr.
Lee’s AC & Electric, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. Casey M. Legendre
Mr. Walter E. Lemoine
Ms. Ana Lorena
Louisiana Plan Review Inspection & Consulting, LLC
Mr. and Mrs. J. Caro Louviere
Ms. Allison Lyons
Mr. Thomas L. Lyons
Mr. and Mrs. Brad S. Mader
Mr. and Mrs. Albert J. Mahler, Jr.
Mr. James V. Marshall
Mrs. Phyliss L. Martin
Ms. Sarah M. Masterson
Dr. and Mrs. Shawn Mauldin
Ms. Nicole McCoy
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52
FALL 2011
Ms. Cora Lee W. McMillan
Mr. and Mrs. Flavious J. Meades
Ms. Christina E. Mendoza
Ms. Debbie Meredith
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Mire
Ms. Layne E. Mistretta
Mr. Ralph D. Mitchell, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Gary C. Morlas
Ms. Alexandra Morris
Ms. Shawn K. Murphy
Mr. Mark Naccari
Mr. and Mrs. Randell M. Naquin, CPA
National Student Speech, Language & Hearing
Association
Mr. and Mrs. Dennis J. Neal
Ms. Patricia J. Neal
Mr. and Mrs. Mitchel J. Neal
Mr. and Mrs. Paul R. Nelsestuen
Mrs. and Mr. Regina P. O’Connell
Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Ostarly, Jr.
Ms. Mandi Oubre
Ms. Lois H. Parker
Ms. Edna Marie S. Pastor
Mr. and Mrs. Joe Peerson
Mr. and Mrs. Dale Pellegrin
Mr. Myron J. Pellegrin, Sr.
Mr. and Mrs. Verges J. Pellegrin
Mr. and Mrs. James R. Peltier
Mr. and Mrs. Harvey A. Peltier, III
Mr. and Mrs. Michael G. Pennison
Mr. Levin B. Pinho
Ms. Elizabeth A. Plaisance
Mr. and Mrs. David Plater
Mr. and Mrs. Brad Poole
Ms. Jenna L. Portier
Dr. Sonya Premeaux
Ms. Angela M. Rains
Mr. Jacques F. Raymond
Ms. Debbie Raziano
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory S. Reynolds
Mr. Keith Rhea
Ms. Melissa C. Rhodes
Mr. Paul B. Richard
Mr. and Mrs. Jerry J. Rivet
Ms. Marly Robertson
Mr. and Mrs. James E. Robey
Ms. Debra S. Robichaux
Mrs. Janet N. Robichaux
Mr. and Mrs. Gregory P. Robichaux
Ms. Jennifer Rodrigue
Mr. and Mrs. Douglas E. Roland
Mr. Willie J. Rollins, Sr.
Ms. Constance O. Rome
Mr. and Mrs. Eric P. Romero
Mr. R M. Ronquillo, Jr.
Ms. Heather H. Rook
Mr. Lanny R. Ross
Ms. Katina M. Samanie
Mr. Shane Sanders
Mr. and Mrs. Heath J. Santiny
Mr. and Mrs. Peter Savoie
Mr. Andrew J. Schiro
Mr. Craig F. Schreiber
Mr. Sterling H. Sheffie
Dr. Celeste R. Shelby
Mr. Harry Shields, II
Ms. Judith Simmons
Mr. Steven J. Sissac
Ms. Mary Margaret Smith
Ms. Novella T. Smith
Mr. Rudy J. Soignet, III
Dr. and Mrs. Gregg P. Stall
Ms. Susan M. Sternfels
Mr. Marc A. Stevens, Jr.
Ms. Carolyn P. Stilts
Dr. and Mrs. J. B. Stroud
Mrs. Sarah K. Sullivan
Mrs. Leslie H. Talbot
Tech Support Computer Services, LLC
Mr. Paul and Dr. Alice B. Templet
Mrs. Leslie Tenney
The James Agency, LLC
Ms. Alyson T. Theriot
Mr. Clifton P. Theriot
Ms. Jennifer Thibodaux
Ms. Marie L. Thibodeaux
Thibodeaux’s Lawn Care
Mr. and Mrs. Troy W. Thompson, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Toloudis, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. Toups
Mr. and Mrs. Michael P. Toups
Ms. Shirleen L. Trabeaux
Mr. and Mrs. Thomas P. Trahan
Mr. and Mrs. William J. Treuting
Ms. Monica H. Trosclair
Mr. Van Viator
Mr. Stephen Viguerie
Mr. and Mrs. Warren Villemarette
Mr. and Mrs. Daniel G. Vincent
Mr. and Mrs. Chris A. Waguespack
Ms. Jane T. Webert
Ms. Rosadel A. Webre
Mr. and Mrs. Steven L. Welch
Dr. Velma S. Westbrook
Mrs. Anne Wilson
Dr. and Mrs. Paul J. Wilson
Ms. Amy Wisehart
Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Young
Mrs. Macey Zeringue
Mr. S. Zeringue
NICHOLLS
F O U N D AT I O N
helping Nicholls State University grow for over 40 years
For information about joining the Nicholls Foundation, call 985.448.4134.
P.O. Box 2074
Thibodaux, LA 70310
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