Voilà ! Fall 2011 - Nicholls State University

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The Magazine of Nicholls State UniversityThe Magazine of Nicholls State UniversityFall 2011Fall 2011FEATURESThe Roots of Success …… page 25by Renee PiperLearn the secrets of the “Nicholls Numbers Tree.”Veterans Find Their Niche at Nicholls …… page 30by Graham HarveyThe Nicholls family proudly counts America’s defendersamong its members.Learning Through Service …… page 34by Dr. Morris CoatsFrom the church to the hospital, from the neighborhood to the beach,Nicholls students learn through service.DEPARTMENTSFrom the President …… page 2A treasured partnershipby Dr. Stephen HulbertRunning the Numbers …… page 3Survey says: student satisfaction deliveredby Renee PiperQuick Study …… page 425-foot research vessel christened; University Farm helping restore,preserve coast; Doucet certified as health geneticist; Studyreveals profitability of La. banks; Shanghai chefs study Louisianacuisine, cultureAround Campus …… page 6Prominent 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 recreationcenter on track; Nicholls at your fingertips; Campus goestobacco free; University Police rely on technology, patrollingThat’s Entertainment …… page 12Rodrigues paves the way; Acclaimed pianist performs; Nichollsstring ensemble debuts; Swamp Stomp – a cultural showcase; ‘ALesson Before Dying’ stagedFaces of Nicholls …… page 14From military brat to first lady; A grounded mountain climber;Principal decision-maker; The web he weavesPhoto Gallery …… page 22The Nicholls campus from A–Z through the eyes of thecampus photojournalist.by Misty Leigh McElroyIn My Opinion …… page 38Power to the peopleby Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.Colonel Pride …… page 41Program architect Thibodeaux becomes head baseball coachby Charlie GillinghamThe Piper principle: toughness winsby Mike WagenheimExpressions: a guest essay …… page 44Dean tips his hatby Dr. Al DavisHonor Roll …… page 46Generous donors of 2010-11COVERScan this mobile QR-codewith your smart phone camerato link to the Nicholls StateUniversity website. (A scanningapplication/QR-codereader is required. We suggestScanlife, a free application.)Veterans are well-represented and well-servedat military-friendly Nicholls.Voilà! is published annually, withfunding by the Nicholls State UniversityFoundation and the Nicholls StateUniversity Alumni Federation.Nicholls State University is a member of theUniversity of Louisiana System.PresidentDr. Stephen HulbertEditorRenee PiperPhotojournalistMisty Leigh McElroyContact Voilà! at:P.O. Box 2033Thibodaux, LA 70310phone: 985.448.4143e-mail: voila@nicholls.eduweb: nicholls.edu/voilaVice President,Institutional AdvancementDr. David BoudreauxGraphic DesignersJerad DavidBruno RuggieroWritersDr. Robert Allen Alexander Jr.Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.Dr. Morris CoatsDr. Al DavisDr. Al DelahayeCharlie GillinghamGraham HarveyJenna PortierMarly RobertsonDr. James StewartMike WagenheimVoilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 1

A treasured partnershipIf you know something about the world of higher education,you know the growing importance of partnerships. Youknow that universities cultivate partnerships with juniorand technical colleges, with businesses and industries,and with other universities. Certainly as a university president,I have promoted and encouraged the development of suchpartnerships. But the most rewarding and meaningful one that Ihave experienced in higher education is the 43-year partnershipthat I have enjoyed with my wife, Becky.From our earliest days as a couple on a college campus, we haveshared our thoughts and ideas as we sought to make universitylife better for the students, faculty and staf we have served. Beckyhas been my confidante, a source of inspiration and strength.With her great sense of humor and her true concern for others,she has helped to keep me focused on the greater good and ontrying to improve the quality of life for those I have been giventhe privilege of leading and serving. She has dutifully remindedme to keep my speeches short and to the point and to remaincommitted to fairness in all of my dealings with others. She hasalso done a terrific job in seeing to it that I do not leave the president’sresidence without being properly attired. Yes, she evenserves as my fashion supervisor!Voilà! has chosen to feature Becky in an article in this year’sissue. Although she does not seek the limelight, and may be justa little uncomfortable about being in it, I am delighted to join theVoilà! staf in recognizing just how important a role she plays asfirst lady of this university. I also know that she is deeply appreciativeof the Nicholls family and the citizens of the Bayou Regionwho made us feel so welcomed when we arrived here just overeight years ago. Like me, she treasures the deep friendships wehave developed and the bonds that we have forged with so manypeople. This has been a great experience and has strengthenedour partnership with each other.Survey says: studentsatisfaction deliveredby Renee PiperAh, autumn – cooler temperatures, shorterdays and a much-needed reprieve fromwatering and mowing the lawn. On a universitycampus, this welcome time of yearbrings to mind scheduling classes and buying schoolsupplies; 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 fromSurvey snapshot:98 97 96 95 94Running the Numbers89 87838198 percent of students said Nicholls has enhanced their ability to write e fectively. 96 percent said it has improved their ability to speak clearly.97 percent said they are acquiring a broad, general education, and enhancing their ability to think critically and analytically.96 percent said the university has improved their computing and informational technology skills.95 percent said it has enhanced their ability to work e fectively with others.96 percent stated Nicholls provides the support they need to succeed academically.understanding.or helpful available, as members faculty rated percentpeople.76of variety“Excellent.”wideasaadvisingfrom perspectivesacademic ofdiversequalityfertheoratedclassespercenttheir said78percent 89When it comes to work-force preparation, 94 percent of students said they are acquiring work-related knowledge and skills.87 percent rated their educational experience as “Excellent.” 83 percent said they wouldfirst-year students and seniors.Results of the questionnaire,administered by the University of Indiana,provide valuable information about what is actuallygoing on in the lives of students and the quality of theircollege experiences. Nicholls students took part in thesurvey along with 362,000 students at 564 colleges anduniversities across the United States.The results of the 2010 NSSE overwhelmingly indicatesatisfaction among first-year students and seniorsat Nicholls.Did you know?60 percent of Nicholls students work of-campus;57 percent provide care for one or more dependents; and40 percent spend six or more hours per week commuting to campus.80787683 percent said the university encourages contact among students from di ferent economic, social and racial or ethnic backgrounds.We thank you!defiinitely attend Nicholls again if they had a chance to start their educational experience over.81 percent rated their relationships with other students as friendly and supportive.80 percent said Nicholls provides the support they need to succeed socially.Dr. Stephen T. HulbertComplete survey results can be found at ulsystem.edu.2 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 3

Quick Study25-foot research vessel christenedDoucet certified as health geneticistDr. John Doucet, distinguished service professor,dean of the College of Arts and Sciencesand director of the University Honors Program,recently completed the Professional Certificate Program inPublic Health Genetics/Genomics at Sarah Lawrence Collegein Bronxville, N.Y., making him the first certified publichealth geneticist in the state.Certified public health geneticists study genetics froma population-wide standpoint to look for trends in suchdiseases as cancer, diabetes and asthma.“Normally a patient goes to the doctor to be treated, butthe doctor doesn’t look beyond the single patient, or beyondthe patient’s immediate family,” Doucet says. “Public healthgeneticists examine an entire population pool and ask questionslike, ‘Does a certain population have a higher rate of acertain disease or disability, and if so, why? Is it genetic?’”DoucetNicholls’ new research vessel – the R.V. Burt Wilson – was ceremonially christened on campus Wednesday, April 20. The vesselwas named for Samuel Burton Wilson, the late Nicholls faculty member who pioneered marine biology research in the Departmentof Biological Sciences. Wilson secured the department’s first marine biology research grant in 1966 from the Louisiana ScienceFoundation for a project titled “Ecological Survey of Penaeid Shrimp of the Central Louisiana Gulf Coast and Estuarine Waters.” Thevessel was funded via an education research grant from BP. Pictured is Anne Wilson, widow of the vessel’s namesake.University Farm helpingrestore, preserve coastThe 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 andlegumes from Louisiana’s ecosystems. In doing so, researchers hope to conserve a vanishingnatural resource and help jumpstart the development of a native seed industry that willsupply plant materials for restoration, revegetation, roadside plantings and the ornamentalplant industry.“Louisiana’s coastal wetlands have experienced significant habitat reductions,” Dr. QuentonFontenot, head of the Department of Biological Sciences and coordinator of the marine andenvironmental biology graduate program, says. “The purpose of this annual report is to detailthe restorative work that has been accomplished at the University Farm. I do hope that thepublic will continue to recognize the indispensability of the farm to the LNPI as our faculty andstudents 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 scientistat the Nicholls Farm, and Dr. Allyse Ferrara, associate professor of biological sciences.The complete report is available at nicholls.edu/news/?p=2186.Study reveals profitability of La. banksFaculty researchers from the College of BusinessAdministration have issued their secondtechnical report titled “Louisiana CommunityBanks: An Analysis of Recent Performance.”The report presents the results of an in-depth analysisof Louisiana community banks with combinedtotal assets of $1 billion or less – providing readerswith a clear picture of the recent trends in the banks’performance as well as their current condition relativeto the national average for banks of similar size. Allbanks were analyzed in terms of profitability, capitalrisk, credit risk, utilization and liquidity.The report’s authors include Dr. Ronnie Fanguy,associate professor of computer information systems;Shanghai chefs study Louisiana cuisine, cultureThe John Folse Culinary Institute hosted 12 visitingchefs from Shanghai, China, this spring – the firsthalf of a cultural immersion program to be completedlater this year when Chef George Kaslow, associateprofessor of culinary arts, is slated to visit eastern China.Sponsored jointly by the Southern United States TradeAssociation and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, theannual 15-day SUSTA Food Utilization Program kickedof in May with the arrival of the international guests.The training series features culinary demonstrations, lecturesand field trips designed to expose the visiting chefsto the rich traditions of Louisianan, Southern soul, LatinAmerican, Native American and Appalachian cuisines –as well as Cajun culture.Kaslow says the objective of the program is to encouragethe visiting chefs to introduce featured Americandishes to China’s culinary markets.The second half of the 2011 program will begin inSeptember, when Kaslow will travel to eastern China. For15 days he will conduct demonstrations at trade showsand universities, furthering the overseas exposure ofAmerican 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 tonicholls.edu/culinary/.Dr. John Lajaunie, professor of finance; Dr. ShariLawrence, assistant professor of finance; and Dr. NorbertMichel, assistant professor of business administration.“Although we observed a continued downwardtrend in profitability in 2009, Louisiana banks werestill more profitable than their national peers,” Michelsays. “This can be attributed to more conservative, lessrisky business practices.”Next year’s report is expected to reveal downwardtrends as a result of the oil spill and drilling moratorium,Michel added, but so far the economy remainslargely unchanged.To read the full report, go to nicholls.edu/business/technical-report-on-la-community-banks-2009/.Chef John Kozar of the JFCI, second from left, demonstrates how to makea crust for a pecan pie. Kozar taught baking techniques to visiting chefsfrom Shanghai, China, as part of the institute’s annual SUSTA event.Pictured is a black mangrove, one of the manyLouisiana 4 native FALL plants 2011 grown at the University Farm.Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 5

Around CampusProminent ex-officials donatecareer files to library archivesphoto by Sheila McCantHunt DownerAs a former speaker of the Louisiana House ofRepresentatives, retired major general, U.S. Army /Louisiana National Guard, former secretary of theLouisiana Department of Veterans Affairs and a 2010 candidatefor Congress, Downer has firsthand experience with recent statehistory that has resulted in an extensive historical collection for theNicholls library.“You have to know where you’ve been, to know where you are, toknow where you’re going,” Downer says. “Researchers will be ableto review these files and other materials for decades to come toDowner learn about this period in our state’s history. I am so proud to be aNicholls Colonel and to have served this region, and I am delightedto help Nicholls in any way I can. Nicholls is the center of gravity foreducation 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 willespecially 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 amonghis career materials.Clifton Theriot, archivist and director of Ellender Memorial Library, holds items donated to the library archives by Hunt Downerand Charlie Melancon. Pictured in hand are Melancon’s guestbook, signed by south Louisianans who visited his office inWashington, D.C., and from Downer’s collection, a piece of marble retrieved during renovations to the state capitol in BatonRouge. The inscription says “Original marble from House Chamber floor 1932-1997. Removed during renovations underSpeaker H. B. ‘Hunt’ Downer, Jr.”by Graham HarveyResearchers of politics and history will soon have a vast,new resource waiting for them at Nicholls. Two of theBayou Region’s most prominent political figures, HuntDowner and Charlie Melancon, have donated their professionalfiles and memorabilia to the Ellender Memorial LibraryArchives. The items are currently being catalogued.Charlie MelanconAformer three-term U.S. Representative from the ThirdCongressional District of Louisiana and a former member of theLouisiana House of Representatives, Melancon served the BayouRegion during some of its most difficult days.“The six years I served in Congress were an eventful period for southLouisiana,” Melancon says. “The records, letters and other papers Iam donating provide a firsthand account of our fight to recover fromhurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav and Ike, and the BP oil spill. They describeour work to save our coast, to grow our economy and to simply make life alittle better for the people of south Louisiana. I am proud to be partneringMelanconwith Nicholls and the Ellender Memorial Library Archives to preserve ourhistory 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 flawsin 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 thatMelancon led to the Gulf Coast following hurricanes Katrina and Rita to highlight the ongoing recovery needs of theregion. The three visits enabled members of Congress from around the country to meet directly with local electedofficials, community leaders and afected citizens to discuss how Congress could better partner with Louisiana toexpedite the rebuilding efort.photo from CharlieMelancon.com6 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 7

Around CampusEight-man grounds crew keeps287-acre campus looking prettyby Dr. Al DelahayeTo keep nearly 300university acresclean and inviting,an eight-membergrounds staf continually mows,plants, fertilizes, waters, weeds,sprays, mulches, trims andprunes. In addition, it spendsabout 30 work hours each weekpicking up litter. And it spendsyet more hours emptying about140 trash receptacles displayingthe “N” logo.Director of Grounds JohnHunt and horticulture foremanTroy Babin have been transformingthe appearance of thecampus since fall 2007, whenthey were hired.Upon the completion ofBeauregard Hall renovationsin 2010, Hunt reports, about6,700-square-feet of beds wereplanted. Hunt and Babin’s 30 orso landscaping projects sincetheir arrival have meant theaddition of more than 100,000plants to the campus. Many arein the six beds they establishedin Rienzi Circle.In the process, Hunt andBabin introduced to the campuslandscape firepower nandinasand bright red Knockout roses.In recent years, Indian hawthorneand Japanese boxwoodhave become abundant. Earlyon, they removed from thecampus all yucca plants andneedle-pointed hollys. “They’re dangerous,” Hunt says.Hurricanes so badly damaged decades-old glassgreenhouses that grounds personnel now relyupon an 800-square-foot plastic greenhouse inthe back of the campus where they produce a lotof plants, especially caladiums, coleuses, Mexicanheather and crotons.Nicholls grounds operations are also indirectlypart of the local judicial system. Some weeks, nonstudentsin trouble with the law collectively spendFlower beds in front of Elkins Hall showcase Knockout roses.as many as 50 hours performing community-servicework around the campus, generally picking up litterand pulling up weeds. Nicholls students who are issuedtickets for parking violations have the option ofpaying a fine or doing community service on campus– often with grounds.“Weather is our No. 1 headache,” Hunt declares. Asfor occasional poison ivy, sometimes a worker willpull it with his bare hands. “But the more you do that,”Hunt says, “the more sensitive you become to it.”40 agencies attend safety expoThe John L. Guidry Stadium parking area was the siteof the first-ever Bayou Region Public Safety Expo.The five-hour, family-friendly event featured more than 40agencies ofering hands-on education and interaction thatincluded mobile command posts, helicopters, SWAT equipment,K-9 units, motorcycles, patrol units, ambulances, fireengines, patrol boats and more. In addition, the expo had ablood drive, ofered health screenings, K-9 demonstrations,interactive training, safety demonstrations and child safetyseatinspections.Art attracts studentsThe annual HighSchool Art Dayat Nicholls attractedabout 190 studentsfrom 10 area highschools. The Departmentof Art’s largestrecruitment eventof the year gavestudents an opportunity to learn about the program as wellas participate in hands-on activities. Twelve Nicholls facultymembers and 15 high school teachers joined 73 art studentsfrom Nicholls to conduct 49 workshops in the various studioareas of Talbot Hall. Pictured above are high school studentstaking turns painting a room-length paper canvas. Studentsalso had the opportunity to attend hands-on workshops inceramics, printmaking and darkroom photography.Student recreation center on trackConstruction of the Harold J. Callais Memorial RecreationCenter is under way. The $15 million, 63,000-squarefootfacility is being constructed near Bowie Road andArdoyne Drive.The two-story facility will include two basketball/volleyballcourts, separate cardio and free-weight workout rooms,an indoor walking/running track, racquetball court, wellnesscenter, juice bar, three multi-purpose rooms for exerciseand meetings, locker room and laundry facilities, outdoorsoftball and flag football/soccer fields, and more.Self-assessed student fees will fund both the constructionand operation of the facility, set to open in August 2012.Nicholls at your fingertipsNicholls students developed the university’s first mobilesmart phone application. Designed as a resource forprospective and current students, as well as Nicholls faculty andstaf, the easy-to-navigate app displays a sleek visual design andcutting-edge functionality. Dr. Kent White, associate professorof computer science, oversaw the development of the appthat 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 freeNicholls joined a growinglist of U.S. colleges anduniversities when it becamea tobacco-free campus Jan. 1,2011. According to the AmericanNonsmokers’ Rights Foundation,smoke-free colleges and universitiesexist in virtually everystate, with Arkansas and Iowahaving instituted statewide bansat all their public colleges anduniversities. Nicholls is the onlysmoke-free public university inLouisiana. To date, more than 365 U.S. colleges and universitieshave tobacco-free policies.8 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 9

Around CampusUniversity Police relyon technology, patrollingCraig Jacuzzo, director of University Police and Parking Services, displays the officialbadge of the University Police Department.by Dr. Al DelahayeAn inconspicuous camera in a universitypolice car brought about the conviction ofsomeone duplicating and selling Nichollsparking decals, Craig Jaccuzzo, directorof University Police and Parking Services, will tell you.While alone in the police car, the accused called hismother by cell phone to say he had been making fakedecals, unaware that a video camera was documentinghis admission.Technology is a big help to university police.“Exterior cameras can put timelines on when peoplearrive and leave, and prove that something did or didnot happen,” Jaccuzzo explains.Monitored surveillance cameras on campus havejust been increased from 59 to 150, Jaccuzzo says. Attheir Calecas Hall station, police can see as many as 16live videos simultaneously – and store the images for28 days.University Police issue parking decals – 7,221 in thelast academic year that brought in more than $360,000in revenue; parking and traffic fines brought in anadditional $253,000. Police check and monitor 43emergency call boxes on campus and several emergencysystems. They receive training, direct traffic, makearrests and deliver subpoenas. They even change flattires, unlock cars and jump-start them.When Sgt. Gary Tullis begins a 12-hour shift, heand his patrol car are loaded with technology andequipment: a cube-shaped camera next to a smallscreen 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 itsForty-three emergency call boxes are located throughoutthe campus.remote control device for speed enforcement, a $7,500hand-held radio that is much more than a radio – it’salso a small audio recording device – a digital camera, adefibrillator and much more.To emphasize the importance of police patrollingparking lots with great care, Jaccuzzo says of-campuslaw-enforcement authorities a year or so ago arrestedthe perpetrators of 110 car break-ins in neighborhoodseast and west of the campus, “yet Nicholls with its hundredsof parked cars was never touched.”He says cameras and increased admission standardshelp explain the decline of vandalism on campus. Also,students tend to respect new buildings in contrast toold, outdated ones.Jaccuzzo’s 18-member, full-time staf consists of anadministrative assistant, 13 commissioned officers andfour who have no arrest powers. The chief says his forceis balanced and diverse, citing seven women and threeminority officers. On average, they have from 12- to 15-years of experience, mostly in non-academic settings.A newly hired officer must complete an 18-weektraining academy conducted by the Terrebonne ParishSherif ’s Office. All campus police officers must staycurrent on firearms training, self-defense tactics, CPRand first aid.The university has about 700 marked parking spaces,and Jaccuzzo is the hearing officer when someoneinitially protests a ticket. About 12 complainers showup each month to appeal a Jaccuzzo decision. Excusesticketed ofenders give him, he says, vary from “Mymother parked the car on campus while I was in class”to “I parked in a handicap space because I was suferingfrom severe diarrhea.”University police cars are outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment.Police-monitored surveillance cameras are positionedthroughout the campus.10 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 11

Faces of NichollsFirst Lady Becky Hulbert shares a laugh with her husband, university PresidentStephen Hulbert, at the fifth annual First Pitch Baseball Banquet in February.“You can’t find a warmer,more generous set offriends than we have here.”administrative assistant, who keeps the president’smaster calendar.While a number of events are annual, she likes tokeep things fresh. For example, while the couple hastraditionally held an afternoon reception for administrativeassistants, this year they held a luncheon.“Sometimes I just get bored, and I have tochange things up,” she says. The house lends itselfto variety, with its large sunroom and spaciousbackyard bordered by rose bushes (one of Mrs.Hulbert’s favorite features of the home).In addition to the official functions at theirhome, the Hulberts keep a full schedule of university-relatedevents. Mrs. Hulbert says she especiallylikes going to basketball and volleyball games.Nights with a clear calendar are a treat for thepair. Mrs. Hulbert says they celebrate the end ofeach semester by spending a quiet evening at homewith a Pepper’s pizza.Mrs. Hulbert is also active with civic organizationssuch as the Bayou Country Children’sMuseum, the Lafourche Education Foundationand Restore or Retreat. She explains that she verymuch enjoys her work with the organizations, andthat her involvement has helped her get to knowthe community.Bridge is another avenue Mrs. Hulbert hasused to develop friendships since her arrival inThibodaux eight years ago.“I have wonderful bridge friends here,” she says.She began playing bridge at the age of 10 withher 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. “Ithink I spent more time playing bridge my freshmanyear in college than I did going to class.”She says it’s the social nature of the game thatappeals to her.“I like to talk to people,” she says. “I like to visitwith people.”Through the years, as she and Dr. Hulbert havemoved to new communities, bridge has allowedher to meet a cross section of her new neighbors.When the couple lived in Colorado, she was amember of a bridge group that included a sheeprancher’s wife and a woman who owned three restaurants.She says these are friendships that havelasted through the years.The next planned move for the couple is Arizonaafter Dr. Hulbert’s retirement, a date that has notbeen announced. The couple already owns a home inPrescott. Their son Scott, daughter-in law, Kate, and4-year-old grandson, Rowan, live in nearby Phoenix.“I think it’s the most unique typography withinan eight- to nine-hour drive in the world,” she says,explaining how the land quickly transitions fromarid desert to cool mountains.And yes, retirement will mean the opportunityfor travel.She says that Australia is at the top of her mustvisitlist. She explains that her son spent his sophomoreyear in high school there as an exchangestudent and came back a very mature young man.She has long held a fondness for the Aussies, havinghoused a number of exchange students fromthere through the years.She says Australians have the same strong ties tofamily and community that she discovered uponher arrival in Thibodaux.And she has formed strong ties with the Nichollscommunity as well.“You can’t find a warmer, more generous set offriends than we have here,” she says.“We’ll be back,” she adds. “We keep our friends.”by Dr. Robert Allen Alexander Jr.Dr. Leslie Jones likes to climbmountains. In south Louisiana.“There are mountaintop and valleyexperiences,” she says metaphorically,reflecting upon the rewards and challengesof preparing future teachers and administrators.As associate dean and professor in the Collegeof Education, Jones plays a major role in therecruitment and preparation of candidates forprimary and secondary school teaching andadministrative positions in the Bayou Regionand beyond.As a teacher of teachers, Jones says she is consistentlydriven to research and to reflect on whatdraws someone to a career in education and whatare the characteristics of those who succeed.Never far from her thoughts are her own humblebeginnings as an undergraduate tutor in math atNicholls. That experience taught her that she hada passion not only for a subject but also for helpingothers learn. And it also helped her to realizehow important teaching experience is – even ifonly in a one-to-one tutoring session – for helpingsomeone determine aptitude and desire forbecoming a professional educator.Knowing from firsthand experience howchallenging teaching can be, Jones is commit-A groundedmountain climber“It is beneficial foradministrators to beaware of the challengesfaced by teachers in theclassroom.”ted to seeing that Nicholls teaching candidatesget as much field experience as possible. Whatcandidates need to be able to do, she says, “isunify theoretical frameworks and practices.” Onewithout the other is insufficient.Jones also emphasizes the importance of fieldexperience for potential administrators.“It is beneficial,” she says, “for administratorsto be aware of the challenges faced by teachers inthe classroom.”Such experience cannot come simply froma textbook or from observation. It should alsocome from practice. Having taught high schoolmath for five years and having served as anassistant principal and principal at an elementaryschool before embarking on her career as acollege professor, Jones knows what it means toexperience those challenges firsthand.Someone who aspires to climb mountains, afterall, must be able to look up to the summit whilekeeping both feet planted firmly on the ground.16 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 17

Faces of NichollsPrincipal decision-makerby Jenna PortierAs Nicholls alumnus Kevin Georgewalks into the Thibodaux HighSchool administration office, hecheerfully greets a student near thesecretary’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 hethinks that the students, faculty and staff “wantto see a positive person” running the show. Yet,he says he doesn’t need to force himself to be thisway because he truly loves his job, even if thehours are long and the job is sometimes difficult.George believes that he is a decision-makermore so than problem-solver or counselor. Hesays he makes informed decisions promptly becausepeople need answers and not delays.George earned a B.G.S. in general studies in1996, a B.S. in marketing in 1999, and an M.Ed.in administration and supervision in 2003, allat Nicholls. Despite trying his hand at math, engineeringand accounting majors because of hishigh aptitude for math, George says he learnedmore though his general studies degree since itoffered him “the best of all the colleges.” The degreehas allowed him to deal with the multitudeof subject areas taught at THS, he says.His two additional Nicholls degrees have onlybroadened his skill set. The marketing degree helpshim run the school like a business, and the master’sdegree has helped him put the “finishing touches”on his education philosophy, George says.He remembers his professors fondly. Dr. PatriciaGabilando, Dr. Leslie Jones, Dr. Norman Norris,Dr. Chris Cox and Dr. Cleveland Hill “taught melessons that I still implement today,” he says. “Professorswent out of their way to have conversationsand coffee with students in the student union. Itcreated a sense of a close-knit family, and that’swhat I work to create at Thibodaux High School.”While George attributes his professional successto his faith and family, he says Nicholls gavehim the tools to be effective as a high schoolprincipal. In turn, George says he wants to givehis students what he values most – “a rigorouseducation so that they can succeed at a postsecondaryfacility, like Nicholls.”Some students may balk at working so hard, but hetells them, “I’m sorry. You can relax when you die.”George says his students, Thibodaux HighSchool’s main product, are the biggest contributionthat he can give the local community. “Thesestudents may not remember the Pythagoreantheorem, but they will most certainly contributeto the overall economic growth of this area, andI’m proud of that.”“You can relax when you die.”In June 2011, George was named secondary-education curriculum supervisor for theLafourche Parish school system. His responsibilities include overseeing curriculum andinstruction, extra-curricular activities and athletics for the district’s three high schools.18 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 19

Faces of NichollsThe web he weavesby Marly RobertsonIf you don’t see yourself in these pictures, we’re missing you.Join the Nicholls Alumni Federationtoday.For more information, e-mail liz.iver@nicholls.eduor call 985.448.4111.“ I literallyfell intothe web. ”Tucked away in a small office in the StudentPublications Building, amid an array of printingequipment, is the office of James “Jess”Planck, the university’s web manager. Hisoffice is as humble and unassuming as the man himself.As one of the few remaining “old school” webmasters inthe Louisiana university setting, Planck provides an invaluableservice to Nicholls. He describes his job very simply asthe “management and production of the public website andsome of the applications associated with thewebsite” – but this description oversimplifiesthe many facets of his position.Planck is the system’s administrator,database administrator, designer, programmerand occasional content editorfor the entire Nicholls website.Planck grew up in rural Louisiana“hunting, fishing and playing with computers.” He discovereda passion and propensity for art at a relativelyyoung age and went into graphic design after servingin the U.S. Army. “I literally fell into the web aftergraduating from Louisiana Tech in 1995,” Planck says.“I was working for a small design studio where I builta website for the first time, and I discovered that I hadan aptitude for art and computers,” he says modestly.Planck worked for a couple of regional Internet serviceproviders before accepting a job at Nicholls in 2003.When he first came to Nicholls, the universitywas operating a simplistic “static” website, composedof individual files. He has since workedto create a website that allows for a tremendousamount of collaboration. Before this transition,Planck had piles of papers bearing copyeditingmarks 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 universitycommunity to help him is something for which heis extremely thankful.“I’ve got some people helping me out, and withoutthem I’d be lost,” Planck says. “If I didn’t havethe users that I’ve got doing as much as they canto change the content, I’d probably be completelyburied under work.”The creative part of the job is the most enjoyable forPlanck, and he is heartened to discover that his workhas made someone else’s life a little easier.“Making sure the interfaces I’ve put together havegotten people what they needed without a problem ora fuss” is what makes his job so rewarding, he says.From day-to-day web maintenance and web designto fending of hackers in the midst of HurricaneKatrina (yes, really), Planck literally does it all. Andwhile he says he just “fell into” his job here at Nicholls,it is fair to say that the university community would belost without him.Find us onFACEBOOKBecome a fan of theNicholls Alumni FederationVisit www.nichollsalumni.org/update-profile/ to let us know what’s new with you.20 FALL 2011 TODAY Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 21

Photo Galleryby Misty Leigh McElroyThese images, a collection of lettersfound throughout the Nichollscampus, were shot using theHipstamatic app for the iPhone. Seeif you can guess where each letter islocated.Location of letters:A: Emergency call box;B: Construction sign;C: Police car;D: 2009 Voilà! magazine;E: Didier Field;F: Concrete by Guidry Stadiumentrance;G: Student GovernmentAssociation sign at softballfield;H: Floor in Stopher Gym;I: Air conditioner at maintenancebuilding;J: Sign at Shaver Gym;K: Greek board in the BollingerMemorial Student Union;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 Stadiumentrance;U: Bleachers in Stopher Gym;V: Parking headstone;W: Sign at softball field;X: Talbot Hall;Y: Emergency call box; andZ: Chalkboard in Peltier Hall.22 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 23

4The Roots of SuccessNicholls by the Numbersby Renee PiperThe year was 1948. Harry S. Truman was president, the crossword game Scrabble wasintroduced, Candid Camera made its television debut, and the first McDonald’s restaurantopened in San Bernardino, Calif. And on September 23 of that year, classes began at FrancisT. Nicholls Junior College.Today, nearly 63 years later, Nicholls is deeply rooted in the south Louisiana communityand committed to providing higher education opportunities for the people of the BayouRegion and beyond.The numbers on these pages provide a glimpse into the diverse and sometimes unusualaccomplishments of Nicholls faculty, staff and students – and although the numbers don’ttell the complete story, it’s clear that Nicholls will continue to break new ground in academicachievement while reaching new heights in student satisfaction.5– number of articulationagreements Nicholls hassigned with regionalcommunity colleges.– number of Nicholls presidentsDr. Charles C. Elkins (1956-1963),Dr. Vernon F. Galliano (1963-1983),Dr. Donald J. Ayo (1983-2003) andDr. Stephen T. Hulbert (2003-present).25 FALL 201115– number of master’sdegree programs.4670– percentage of first-time,full-time, degree-seekingfreshmen retained for asecond year in 2009-10.– number of endowedprofessorships.– percentage of nurses inthe region who graduatedfrom Nicholls.81– percentage of freshmenreporting they chose Nichollsbecause of its academicreputation.10088– number ofcommencement exercises.The first commencementwas held Friday, June2, 1950; there were 75graduates.160– percentage of eligibleNicholls colleges and programsthat are fully accredited.– pounds of bananas thatwere used in April 1983 toconcoct a banana split in apirogue. Other ingredients– 70 gallons of ice cream,25 pounds of nuts and fourgallons of chocolate syrup.161 – number of studentsenrolled at Nicholls in 1948.30480 $320287162– total campus acreage.– number of internationalstudents enrolled at Nichollsin spring 2011. The majorityhailed from France (24),United Kingdom (20), Canada(11) and Jamaica (10).– highest number ofstrikeouts thrown by aNicholls pitcher – MattDinkle, 1970-73.– annual Nicholls tuitionin 1976.900– length in feet of a30-inch-wide yellow ribbonmounted on Elkins Hall in1991 to honor 93 Nichollsfamily members who hadbeen deployed during thePersian Gulf War.1,2401,350–gallons of gumbo servedto university employees at thePresident’s Christmas Gumbo,since the annual traditionbegan in the early 1990s.1948– largest number ofdegrees conferred in oneyear – 675 in fall 2009 and565 in spring 2010.– the year Francis T.Nicholls Junior Collegeopened its doors. Gas was 16cents a gallon, postage stampswere 3 cents each and a cup ofcoffee was a nickel.195619731,597– highest number of killsby a Nicholls volleyball player– Anita Greichgauer, 1994-97.– the year Francis T.Nicholls Junior Collegebecame Nicholls State College.In 1970, the name changed toNicholls State University.1980– the year the streakingcraze swept the campus.2,569– most points scored by aNicholls basketball player –Larry Wilson, 1975-79.– the year the U.S. PostalService gave Nicholls its ownzip code – 70310.3,5002,843– number of computers theuniversity currently owns.5337– street number of theNicholls Folk Art Center andthe Kenny Hill SculptureGarden, located on BayousideDrive in Chauvin.– the number of nonuniversityjobs created as aresult of Nicholls spending.$6,5008,281– Dr. Charles C. Elkins’salary when he was hired in1948 to be dean of NichollsJunior College.11,500– number of known fans,followers and subscribers ofthe university’s social network.16,450– average annualattendance at Nichollssummer youth camps.– average number ofannual attendees at Jubileeevents. The Festival of theArts and Humanities began in1998 as part of the university’s50th anniversary celebration.$17,28725,000– amount of additionalannual wages a person witha bachelor’s degree makescompared to a high schoolgraduate. That annual salarygrows by $27,856 for thoseearning a master’s degree.– number of visitors theManning Passing Academyhas attracted to campus since2004.63,00041,267– total number of degreesconferred between June 1950and May 2011.– square footage of theHarold J. Callais MemorialRecreation Center.67,933$89,732– amount of moneyNicholls employees havedonated to United Way since2004.100,000– pounds of crawfishserved at the Nicholls AlumniFederation annual crawfishboil from 1983 to 2011.– number of plants addedto the campus landscape from2009 to 2011.176,000$150,000188,000– amount of a federalgrant awarded to theNicholls geomatics programto purchase and installmicrowave radio equipment.310,000– average number of hoursNicholls faculty, staff andstudents volunteer annually.– approximate numberof people who attend eventson the Nicholls campus in acalendar year.$499,500 1,054,400– average number ofpost-views generated bythe Nicholls Facebook pagemonthly.– amount of grantawarded to the College ofBusiness Administrationby the U.S. Small BusinessAdministration to establish aSmall Business DevelopmentCenter in 2010.$1,424,610$1,000,000– amount of researchrevenue generated by Nichollsfaculty in 2010.– amount of grant fundsreceived by the Department ofBiological Sciences for cleanpower and energy research.– average number of hits permonth on the Nicholls website.$2,400,000$4,843,000– amount of revenuegenerated through strategicfundraising efforts in 2010-11.– amount of scholarshipdollars awarded to Nichollsstudents in 2010-11.$82,000,000– amount invested incampus improvements from2006-10.$274,000,000– Nicholls’ annualeconomic contribution tothe state.

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Learningthrough serviceStudents gain education through real-world experiencesby Dr. Morris CoatsGerard 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. Butthe Raceland petroleum services senior is actually sober while discovering how andwhy alcohol and driving don’t mix, thanks to special goggles that simulate drivingunder the influence. It’s all part of a Nicholls service-learning project.Service learning is a teaching method that marries traditional classroom instructionwith meaningful community service. This approach allows students to get involved inactivities that address local needs while increasing the student’s academic skills andfostering civic responsibility.“Adding a service-learning component to acourse curriculum offers students a moreeffective learning environment.”By assisting the community andhelping residents solve real-lifeproblems, they not only experiencepractical applications of theirstudies, they also learn to recognizetheir responsibility to their communityand, ideally, become life-long,active citizens in it.Combining traditional textbook- and lecture-based learning with service is not new; afterall, medical, nursing and dental schools have long used both methods when teaching futurehealthcare 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 nobetter way, however, for our nursing students to develop a compassionate bedside manner thanin a true, clinical setting with a patient.”Likewise, sociology students can learn about the efects of poverty from a lecture, but seeinghunger in a child’s eyes at a local community center or shelter provides for a deeper, moremeaningful level of education.At Nicholls, service learning has been utilized for years. In the late-1980s, Dr. ElizabethLafleur, faculty member in the College of Business Administration, was using service learningin her business research and advertising classes before service learning had a name. Shewould select a non-profit group or governmental unit that would become the class’s client. Herstudents 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 anddepartment 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 everywhereare discovering that adding a service-learning component to a course curriculum ofersstudents a more efective 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.34 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 35

Examples of service-learning projects undertaken in recent years are numerous.St. Luke’s ChurchAs part of a local cultural heritage project, Dr. James Butler’s sociology students document the historical significanceof St. Luke’s Baptist Church and cemetery in Chackbay.Le CirqueFamily and Consumer Science students, in a program known as “Le Cirque Living Skills,” promote familycohesion and overall wellness to impoverished, at-risk children and families living in Houma’s Senator Circlehousing development. The services provided by FACS students and faculty members also address the preventionof long-term mental illness, crisis intervention and the prevention of youth crime through diversion projects andcounseling. In addition, the children receive help with homework, tutoring and preparation for standardized tests.Degree of DebrisStudents 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 thebeach 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 classdocument the sweep with their cameras, and another biology colleague, Dr. Quenton Fontenot, led his scientificwriting 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, andTrisha Dubina’s graphic design class created signage and other documents that explained the sculpture and theecological problems caused by ocean trash.Mary Moore, professional contract service provider for the FamilyService Center, supervises the Recreational Module for LeCirque.While these projects illustrate service learning,they represent only a fraction of what is being doneas a matter of course at Nicholls. Through classeswith service-learning components, Nicholls studentsare conducting research, tutoring area children,designing advertising materials for area non-profits,conducting hearing and speech tests and providingtreatment for area residents.Books, the Internet and lectures will certainlyretain their importance in university-level education,but it is clear that service learning is gaining afoothold throughout America. According to researchcommissioned by the University of Louisiana System,student participation in service-learning projects hasFACS student Jadi Pellerin of Centerville, La., leads an outdoorbubble-blowing activity as part the Le Cirque Recreation Module.a positive impact on leadership ability, grades, retention,degree aspirations, critical-thinking skills andcommitment to helping others. An educational foundationset in service learning will continue to benefitcommunities for years to come.From President Hulbert on down, the administrationat Nicholls has long shown a commitment toservice learning and has supported faculty eforts inservice-learning initiatives.Administrative support combined with the commitmentof faculty and students to give back to the community,ensures that service learning will continue toplay an integral part in higher education throughoutsouth Louisiana.Service learning orcommunity service –what’s the difference?Service learning, likecommunity service, seeks tomake a contribution to a localcommunity, group or agency.Unlike community service,however, service learningis used as a component of aplanned curriculum – a toolto advance and deepen astudent’s subject knowledgeand capacity for critical thinkingthrough the application ofclassroom learning in a servicesetting.For example, if studentscollect trash from the banksof Bayou Lafourche, they areproviding a valuable service tothe community as volunteers.If students collect trash fromthe banks of Bayou Lafourche,analyze their findings todetermine the possible sourcesof pollution, and share theresults with residents of thesurrounding community, theyare engaging in service learning.In the service-learningexample, students are providinga valuable service to thecommunity, but they are alsolearning about water qualityand laboratory analysis, developingan understanding ofpollution issues and practicingcommunications skills.Debris collected from the Department of Biological Sciences’ Beach Sweep program hangs in the Ameen Art Gallery.Nicholls earns national recognition for service-learning initiativesNicholls ofers students more than 40 service-learning courses in which to enroll, earning theuniversity 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 EducationCommunity Service Honor Roll, the highest federal recognition a college or university can receivefor its commitment to volunteerism, service learning and civic engagement.36 FALL 2011 Voilà! 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In My OpinionOf course, the budget-cut story started longbefore 2008 when the state legislature approved –not through a deliberate approval process, but theresult is just as harmful – that the only two areas ofthe state budget not to be constitutionally protectedfrom cuts were higher education and health care.Fast forward to Dec. 13, 2008, when Gov. Jindalrevealed his plan to cut higher education in an attemptto balance the state budget. What followed was the ex-“These are peoplewho didn’t give up.”Hundreds of Nicholls supporters attended the Rally for Higher Education at the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. StandUp!, a grassroots student organization founded to raise awareness about state budget cuts to higher education, helped organizeand promote the Nov. 10, 2010, event.Power to the peopleby Dr. Lloyd Chiasson Jr.The year 2008 was certainly one ofthe worst in the history of Nicholls.That was the year Gov. Bobby Jindalinformed Nicholls, along with every other publicuniversity and college in the state, that severebudget cuts were coming and that they probablywould keep coming, and coming.pected: harsh cuts, lost jobs, programs eliminated, andstudents, faculty and administrators on high anxiety.These cuts came in spite of the fact that Nicholls isthe only four-year institution in what is called “TheBayou Region,” where eight of 10 nurses and four offive teachers are Nicholls graduates.But 2008, while extraordinarily difficult, will alsobe remembered as the beginning of something betterthan good, maybe even great. We are seeing thefruits of that year being harvested right now, andI suspect we’ll continue to see them well into thefuture. I am referring to the students, instructors,administrators, businesses, friends and neighbors ofNicholls who have all recognized the importance ofour university to the eight-parish area we call home.These are the people who stood up, and continueto stand up, for their university and what it represents.These are the folks who recognize that asolid education is the greatest insurance any person,Nicholls supporters displayed yard signs provided by thePro-NSU organization. The signs can be seen in front yardsand in front of businesses throughout the area.38 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 39

Colonel PrideProgram architect Thibodeauxbecomes head baseball coachby Charlie GillinghamTHE NICHOLLS FAMILY PORTRAIT – T-shirts with “Nicholls. I Care. You Should. Here’s How: www.nicholls.edu” were purchasedby the Nicholls Alumni Federation and the Nicholls Foundation and given to over 700 university employees. The employeeswore them for a “family portrait” taken in December.and any state, can have. These are the people whounited behind the simple idea that education ensuresgrowth in business, science, medicine, transportationand communication. In short, it is the only wayfor a state to prosper, which is really the only way toensure the future.These are the people who didn’t give up. Theyformed action groups and involved their friends,families and co-workers. They printed and distributedT-shirts, brochures, yard signs and stickers.They created videos and a Facebook page. Theywrote letters to legislators and newspaper editors.They attended town-hall meetings. They used theirorganizations’ newsletters and social media to spreadthe word. They rallied on the steps of the state capitoland in front of the governor’s home. They insistedon 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 peoplewho attend, who want to attend, and who should beafforded the right to go to a good university fundedin a reasonable manner.The years 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 – no one can saythey have been easy, but all of us can smile about theproblems that have been presented, because we havestood together, we have fought as one, and Nichollsis more than still standing. We are united. Today.Tomorrow. Always.Just look at the family picture. It says it all.After nearly a decade-long rebuilding process,the Nicholls baseball team was at acrossroads following the 2010 campaign.The Colonels had qualified for theirfirst Southland Conference tournament in 10 yearsand recorded an upset of regular-season championTexas State for the program’s first postseason victoryin 12 seasons. But the departure of head coach ChipDurham after six seasons left Nicholls looking forsomeone to maintain the momentum the Colonelshad built under Durham.So Nicholls turned to Seth Thibodeaux, Durham’stop assistant, to pick up where the Colonels had leftof. In September 2010, Thibodeaux got his first headcoaching job, having been the architect of the program’sturnaround.After wrapping up his playing career at WilliamCarey University and coaching at Pearl River CommunityCollege and Southeastern Louisiana, Thibodeauxarrived at Nicholls in 2008 as an assistant underDurham. In his first season, Thibodeaux put togetheran aggressive lineup in the Southland Conference,as Nicholls led the league in triples (27) and finishedsecond in stolen bases (81). In 2009, the Colonelsnearly doubled their overall and conference win totals,and outfielder Chris Murrill, recruited and coached byThibodeaux, became the first Colonel position playerin four years to be selected in the Major League BaseballFirst-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 first20-win season since 2005; its first 10-win conferenceseason since 2002; its first 25-win in a season since2003; and its first 15-win conference season since 2000.Meanwhile, Thibodeaux also helped the Colonelsrebuild their program of the field by overseeing theteam’s NCAA academic and compliance eforts. In2006, the Colonels’ Academic Progress Rate (a calculationused to assess a student-athlete’s academicsuccess) was 835 – a full 90 points below the NCAAmandated minimum. By 2010, the Colonels’ APRsurged, surpassing the NCAA’s APR threshold of 925for the first time in school history.“When I first got here, Chip and I sat down andput together a plan,” Thibodeaux says. “We weregoing to focus on improving our recruiting, ouracademics and our facilities. We really stuck tothose goals, and we’re finally at a point now wherewe have a really solid program. We had a reallygood recruiting class for the third season in a row,and I’m very excited about the product we’re goingto put on the field. With the improvements we’vemade academically, athletically and with our facilities,everything is coming together; it’s a good timefor this program.”In 2011, Thibodeaux has continued to build on hisreputation as a tireless worker and program architect.And if his past is any indication, the Colonels baseballteam’s best days remain ahead of them.“Everythingis comingtogether; it’s agood time forthis 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 PrideThe Piper principle:toughness winsI love being around young people.”Unhappy and looking for a better way to providefor his family, Piper applied to law schooljust as Nicholls was naming Ricky Blanton as itsnew head coach. Piper knew Blanton throughtheir basketball recruiting network – and in acongratulatory message, Piper offered his assistanceif Blanton ever needed it.A week later, Piper got the call.“Are you serious about helping?” Piper recallsby Mike WagenheimCall it the Piper Principle from Principal Piper:toughness and a sense of family permeateevery aspect of the Nicholls men’s basketballprogram.That’s been the way of life for the team for most of headcoach J.P. Piper’s seven-year tenure. It is a philosophy built out ofnecessity. The reality is clear: the Colonels aren’t well funded comparedto 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 programan immense challenge. Yet, the Colonels have reached the SouthlandConference tournament in each of the last three years, a feat accomplishedonly one other time in program history. The 2010-11 clubdefeated LSU and Tulane for the first time ever, with the historicvictory over the Tigers in Baton Rouge making waves throughoutcollege basketball. Meanwhile, of the players who have exhaustedtheir eligibility, all but one has graduated during Piper’s era.Piper believes he has found a key strategy to competing in the collegebasketball arms race without any of the heavy artillery.“Toughness wins,” Piper says bluntly. “It seems simple, but it’squite complex when you start thinking about what toughnessmeans. It means getting up for a 7:30 a.m. class, it’s diving for aloose ball, getting a rebound when you’re six-one and your opponentis six-eight. There’s not a drill or technique to do that. You justhave to be tougher. Going on the road for six days and still gettingyour assignments turned in; getting your butt chewed out by thecoach 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 directionof the man who now helms it. After a stint as an assistant coach atEast Ascension High School in Gonzales, Piper had an eight-yearrun at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, where he piloted theTigers to the Class A state title in 1998 and returned them to thefinals in 1999. His last three years at the private school were alsospent as the principal, an experience that hastened Piper’s exit fromschool administration.“The most discouraging part of being principal was the isolation,”Piper says. “When I was a teacher and coach, 10 or 15 kids wouldeat lunch with me every day in the school cafeteria. Once I becameprincipal, none of those students came near me. That’s what pushedme away. What feeds me are the interactions and the encounters.“What those players did – that was thebiggest 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 withchildren, and I jumped at the chance,” Piper nowrecalls. “My wife told me I needed to figure outwhat I wanted, because my plans were changingby the day.”After deep introspection, he decided coachingwas his life’s calling, and so he joined Blanton’sstaff as an assistant. Just two years later, thewisdom of Piper’s career choice was tested. Theprogram was struggling on the court, and anNCAA infractions case forced Blanton to resignjust before the 2004-05 season.Piper was fully prepared to leave, too, out ofloyalty to Blanton. But, as Blanton departed hetold Piper that this might be his only chance tobe a Division I head coach and that he needed togo for it. After some initial hesitation, Piper pursuedthe position, as did a more experienced candidate.When several of Piper’s players endorsedhim to university President Stephen Hulbert, thependulum swung in Piper’s favor.“What those players did – that was the biggestcompliment paid to me in my life,” Piper says. “Itshows that players and coaches are not merelyconnected by basketball. They are a family, andthey won’t let just anyone in.”The principles upon which Piper’s program isbuilt assures that quality men are consistentlyrecruited, a respectable program will continue toprogress and former players will go on to a successfullife after basketball, while always remainingpart of the family. It is that bond which keepsmany former Colonels in touch with Piper andthe program.“When we host a recruit on campus, the messageof the day is, ‘You’re about to make a lifechangingdecision,’” Piper says. “I will take theplace of your parents and your teammates willbecome your brothers. You need to ask yourself,‘Do you want these people to be your family?’ Ifyou don’t feel that way, don’t come here. Honestly,there’s nothing special about our gym orlocker room, but there is something very specialabout the people in our program. I tell therecruits, ‘When your girlfriend breaks up withyou or you fail a test, material things like fancylocker rooms and gyms aren’t going to make youfeel good, but your coaches and teammates will.Your family will.’”“Teachers and coaches work to serve thepeople in our charge,” Piper adds. “What you getin return are lifelong connections. Even 20 yearsdown the road, we reconnect like it’s yesterday. Icould call my high school coach today, and thereremains a deep, meaningful connection thereand that’s what I seek to have. Let your daily taskbe to make a difference in their lives. It’s beenrewarding. I tell the parents that my paycheck isthe relationships that form.”“If it were just about winning games, then whatsustains you when you lose?” Piper asks. “I canlose a game but still be proud, hold my head upand feel good about who those young men areand what they’re becoming.”42 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 43

ExpressionsDean tips his hatby Dr. Al DavisI’m in my 64thyear to heaven,to misquote aline from thepoet DylanThomas. My ageis also part of theBeatles’ lyric I drankto when I supposedmyself to be a longhairedsocial rebelin my 20s: “Will youstill need me, willyou still feed me,when I’m 64?”consider about us who teach them and hand them financialforms and smile at them when we call the next personup from the front of one of those endless lines that socialinstitutions around the world breed endlessly. Every day weNicholls employees get out of bed and drive or bicycle orwalk or bus ourselves to work.Employees have to hunt, just like the mothers and fathersand family members of all students at Nicholls, for a placeto park to get to their jobs. Not only that. We have to payfor a decal just to be able to start to look for a place to parkto get to our jobs.That’s one of the most important hats anyone gets towear in life. We all have to go to work.And if you don’t like going to work, you’ve got yourselfone miserable life, yes.Don’t get me wrong. I’dprobably prefer stayinghome most morningsafter I drag myself out ofbed. I’m dumb in a lot ofways, but not in that way.However, once I get to myoffice, I feel pretty goodabout where I am andabout the people who arearound me and about thestudents who visit me afterhaving had just as muchtrouble parking as I had.You could be working in a sausage factory or in the officeof 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 outon 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“If you don’t like workonce you get there,you’re missing out onsomething important.”put sausage on family plates. But it is also an enrichingcomplement to family, to community, and even to the latenight sky we’re smitten by as we roll our garbage cans to theside of the street in subdivisions built on land that used tobe under water.Most recently, I got to be chairman for our United Waycharity drive here on campus. As part of that drive I got tomeet my fellow workers all over again. I met with administrators,administrative staf, faculty, professional staf, youname it. Though I came asking for money, everywhere Iwent I was welcomed.Even in these difficult economic times, we at Nichollsexceeded our United Way contribution goal this year. Nicholls,my place of work, really does believe it has a responsibility tothe people of the region who maybe can’t put sausages on theirplate, fill their prescriptionsor buy their clothes.I’m sincere aboutwhat I just said. To makewhat I said strike homea little better, thinkagain about the Voilà!articles you just read.They really are aboutthe heart of the matter:the kind of special placewe Nicholls employeesmake, without even trying,by way of our dailycommitment to doing our chosen work.With each visit I made for United Way, I understood allover 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 maybejust as well be a rattlesnake.”But this is not about my age. Orthat in my youth I was sure that I’dlook like Mohandas KaramchandGandhi and be living in swaddledretirement when I reached old age,which I was sure back then had tobe around 64. This, as you’ll see, isabout one of my favorite topics.I was asked to write this backpiecefor Voilà! not because I am a writerbut because I am believed by some tobe a wearer of many hats at this university.I’ve been an English teacher,a novelist in residence, a keeper ofpolicy manuals, a department headand something called an interim assistantvice president. (Whatever thatlast one is, my mother, Belle, sure isproud of it.)Indeed, literally and figuratively, Ihave quite a collection of hats. Andperhaps my number of hats has givenme a slight advantage when it comesto closing this unique issue.It is a unique issue, isn’t it? I, in anyone of my many hats, am proud to bein the company of these writers andthe subject matter they have chosen.These writers are my colleagues andfriends: Lloyd Chiasson, Morris Coats,Al Delahaye, Allen Alexander, ReneePiper and James Stewart, among others.I take all of my hats of to them.Their subject is also my subject:this scrappy little university. This bigheartedsurvivor, which is not onlya place for bayou folks like me to getan excellent education, but is also adecent place to work.You see, I crossed a line aroundthe year 1985. Before that year, I wasa 1969 graduate who knew Nichollsas a student knows Nicholls. Then in1985, I signed a contract that made mean employee.That state of employee-hood issomething that students don’t oftenDavis, 1975Distinguished service professor of languages and literature, novelist in residenceand Nicholls alumnus, Dr. Al Davis is the dean of University College.Davis, 198844 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 45

Honor RollGiving mattersThrough the exceptional generosity of the donors listed here, NichollsState University is able to provide current and future students with the besteducational experiences possible. These gifts advance Nicholls to new levelsof excellence.Donations to Nicholls and the Nicholls Foundation during the 2010-2011 fiscal year totaled nearly $2.5 million.The following list of donors is grouped by giving level as of June 30,2011. Every efort has been made to publish an accurate, comprehensivelist. Please call (985) 448-4134 to report an error or omission.If you would like to support our programs, please return the enclosed envelopewith a gift that reflects your commitment to and appreciation of Nicholls.$10,000 and aboveACT TestingMr. James H. AlexanderAmerican Petroleum InstituteBaptist Collegiate MinistriesMr. Jefrey D. BeechCapital One BankCommunity BankConocoPhillipsCrescent Crown DistributingCrosby Tugs, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Allen J. Danos, Jr.Entergy CorporationEnvironmental Safety & Health ConsultingServices, Inc.ExxonMobil CorporationExxonMobil FoundationGalliano Marine Services, LLCGE Power SystemsGoldring Family FoundationJPMorgan ChaseLA Society of Professional SurveyorsMajor Equipment & RemediationMary Chauvin Wurzlow EstateMr. R. E. “Bob” MillerNicholls State University Alumni FederationNicholls State University FoundationOtto Candies, LLCPPC Mechanical SealsMs. Cathy RoseShell Ofshore, Inc.Shell Oil CompanySouth Louisiana BankState of Louisiana Treasury DepartmentStephanie Hebert Insurance Agency, Inc.Terrebonne General Medical CenterThe Bollinger FoundationThe Coca-Cola CompanyThe Lorio FoundationThe Peltier FoundationYvonne and Red Adams Foundation$5,000 to $9,999Abdon Callais Ofshore, LLCAllied Shipyard, Inc.American Association of Drilling Engineers/Lafayette ChapterBlood Systems, Inc.Ms. Andrea BollingerBourgeois Meat Market, Inc.Buquet Distributing Co., Inc.C. L. Jack Stelly & Associates, Inc.Center for Pediatric & Adolescent MedicineMr. and Mrs. Brian P. CheramieChevron Products CompanyChristopher H. Riviere, a Professional Law Corp.Colonel Athletic AssociationDepartment of Natural ResourcesDuke Energy Business ServicesEducational Testing ServiceEnbridgeFirst American BankFreeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold FoundationGreater Houston Community FoundationH. Lee Welch Separate PropertyHouma Regional Arts CouncilInternational Scholarship and Tuition Services, Inc.J. Ray McDermott, Inc.Jacobs Engineering FoundationKamehameha SchoolsLady of the Sea General HospitalLaw Offices of Michael J. SamanieLouisiana Pipeliners AssociationLouisiana Restaurant AssociationLouisiana Workers’ Compensation CorporationMr. and Mrs. Joseph S. MohanaMontco Ofshore, Inc.MorganStanley SmithBarney CitigroupGlobal Markets, Inc.National Restaurant AssociationEducational FoundationNorman Swanner Big Boy Fund, Inc.Nucor Public Afairs, Inc.Oneida Tribe of Indians of WisconsinPSEGScholarship AmericaShell Oil Company FoundationMr. and Mrs. William Cliford SmithSociety of Petroleum Engineers (SPE), Inc.,Delta SectionMr. Louis J. St. MartinT. Baker Smith & Son, Inc.Terrebonne Genealogical SocietyThe Giardina Family FoundationThe Jerry Ledet FoundationThibodaux Regional Medical Center AuxiliaryMr. and Mrs. H. Lee Welch$1,000 to $4,999A&G Refrigeration, Inc.Acadia Land Surveying, LLCAdeline Planting CompanyAdvanced Biofuels AssociationAFCEA Silicon Bayou ChapterAgriculture Alumni Association of NSUAmerican Association of Drilling Engineers/New Orleans ChapterAmerican Cancer Society Mid-SouthDivision, Inc.American Electric Power Service CorporationAngelette - Picciola, LLCAshland Services, LLCAssociated Terminals LLC Associated EfortsAtchafalaya API Scholarship FundAuto-Chlor Services, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Bobby BarberaBarnes & Noble College Bookstores, Inc.Barriere Construction Co., LLCDr. Allayne BarrilleauxMr. and Mrs. Ron BartelsBaton Rouge Area FoundationBayou Industrial Group, Inc.Bayou Society for Human Resource ManagementMs. Rubye BealMr. and Mrs. Lester BimahBirdsall Plaza, LLCMr. and Mrs. Harold M. BlockBlock Law FirmBob’s NurseryMs. Charlotte BollingerDr. and Mrs. David E. BoudreauxBourg Lions ClubBourgeois & Associates, Inc.Mrs. Clara C. BradyMr. and Mrs. Todd BradyMr. and Mrs. James BrandtBrenda and Gregory Hamer FamilyCharitable FundMr. and Mrs. Brandon S. BrooksMr. Thomas C. BroomeDr. and Mrs. James Vance BroussardBruce Foods CorporationMrs. Glenny Lee BuquetMr. Charles M. CallaisMrs. Gloria B. CallaisCamille & Braxton Hebert Memorial AccountCamille A. Morvant, II for LafourcheDistrict AttorneyCampaign to Elect Norby ChabertMr. Kelly A. CandiesCarmel, Inc. dba Ramada Inn ThibodauxMr. and Mrs. Donald T. CarmoucheCAT Enterprises dba McDonald’sMr. Arlen B. Cenac, Jr.Cenac Marine Services, LLCCH2M Hill, Inc.Mr. Norbert N. ChabertChaisson Senate Campaign FundCharter CommunicationsChemtech Chemical Services, LLCMr. Huey CheramieMr. and Mrs. M. J. CheramieChick-fil-aChildren’s Defense FundMr. and Mrs. Kirt ChouestChubb FoundationCoastal Commerce BankCoca-Cola Enterprises Bottling CompaniesDr. and Mrs. Todd D. CowenMs. Monique M. CrochetMr. and Mrs. Kurt J. CrosbyDrs. Ken and Maria CruseMr. and Mrs. Garrett “Hank” DanosMr. Todd DanosMs. Emily T. D’ArcangeloDr. and Mrs. Albert DavisDenet Towing Service, Inc.Dr. and Mrs. Eugene A. Dial, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Glenn J. DiedrichDixie Youth Baseball, Inc.Mr. Lloyd C. DresselMr. and Mrs. Daniels W. Duplantis, Sr.Duplantis Design Group, P.C.Mr. and Mrs. C. Berwick Duval, IIeHealthcare Solutions, LLCEl Paso CorporationElite Portable Restrooms & Showers dbaEvent RestroomMr. and Mrs. Timothy A. EmersonDr. and Mrs. Carroll J. FalconMr. and Mrs. Dean T. FalgoustDr. and Mrs. Quentin FalgoustFemmes NatalesMr. and Mrs. John C. FerraraDr. and Mrs. James C. FieldsMr. and Mrs. Robert M. FordMr. and Mrs. Edison J. ForetDr. and Mrs. Robert J. ForetMr. and Mrs. Miles ForrestFreedom ClassicDrs. Nick and Elaine FryMr. Kevin M. GardnerGolden Meadow-Fourchon InternationalTarpon Rodeo, Inc.Grand Isle Tarpon Rodeo Association, Inc.Greater Kansas City Community FoundationDr. and Mrs. Ridley Gros, Jr.Mr. James E. and Dr. Grace M. GueydanMr. and Mrs. Hugh E. HamiltonDr. and Mrs. Ernest C. Hansen, Jr.Drs. Leo and Carolyn HebertHill Alaska, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. C. Lindy HofmannMs. Dion HornMr. and Mrs. Lawrence C. HowellDr. and Mrs. Stephen T. HulbertHunting Retriever Club Foundation, Inc.International Gold & Silver Plate SocietyJ. B. Levert Land Co., Inc.Jeferson Dollars for ScholarsJohn Deere Thibodaux, Inc.Dr. and Mrs. John J. Jones, Jr.JR AuxiliaryJubilee Festival of the Arts & HumanitiesKappa Sigma Endowment FundMr. and Mrs. Robert E. KeltonKiwanis Club of HoumaKiwanis Club of ThibodauxDr. Betty A. KleenKnights of Peter Claver, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Peter S. Knoop, Jr.L & M Botruc Rental, Inc.L. Vernon Bourgeois, Jr. Campaign AccountMr. and Mrs. Henry J. Lafont, Jr.Lafourche Parish GovernmentLafourche Parish School BoardLafourche Volunteers for FamilyLagreca Services, Inc.Dr. and Mrs. Barry G. LandryMr. Christian D. LapeyreDr. Nolan P. LeCompte, Jr.Mr. Jerry P. Ledet, Jr.Liquid Container L.P.Logan Aldridge, CPALouis St. Martin, APLCLouisiana Bar FoundationLouisiana Thoroughbred BreedersLouisiana-Mississippi-West Tennessee KiwanisDistrict FundMain Iron Works, LLCMarine Corps Scholarship FoundationMr. Marvin V. Marmande, Jr.Martin Product Sales, LLCMasonic Educational Foundation, Inc.Massey Services, Inc.McDermott IncorporatedMcDonogh 35 Class of 52 ReunionMr. and Mrs. Joseph MerauxMr. Tommy MeyerMidSouth BankMs. Patty MinterDr. and Mrs. Charles Monier, Jr.Morgan StanleyMr. O.T. MurrayNace InternationalMr. Andrew L. NaquinNational Merit Scholarship CorporationNorthwestern Mutual Financial Network ofLouisiana, LLCNorthwestern Mutual FoundationOrthopaedic Sports Specialists of LouisianaMr. and Mrs. Chris PateMr. Glynn P. PellegrinMrs. Grace F. PeltierMr. and Mrs. Stephen G. PeltierPeterson Agency, Inc.PFLAG General FundMrs. Shirley D. PicouMr. and Mrs. Patrick PitrePitre Industries, LLCMr. and Mrs. Mark D. PlaisancePRO-NSUR.S.I. Group, Inc.Regions Morgan Keegan TrustRepublic Finance, LLCMr. and Mrs. Christopher H. RiviereMr. and Mrs. Robert G. RiviereMr. and Mrs. William J. RiviereRobichaux Farms, Inc.Ronald J. Boudreaux, P.E., Inc.Ronald McDonald HouseRotary Club of Golden MeadowRotary Club of ThibodauxRouses Enterprises, LLCRPC, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Ted SavoieShaver-Robichaux Agency, Inc.Mr. Ryne S. SimmonsSlidell Group LLCSt. Bernadette KC Council No. 7355St. Charles Parish School BoardSt. Mary CAA CSBG ARRA AccountSt. Mary Chamber of CommerceSt. Mary Industrial GroupSt. Mary Parish School Food Service AssociationSt. Tammany Parish School BoardState Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Co.Sureway Supermarkets, Walter H. Maples, Inc.Synergy BankMr. Byron E. TalbotTerrebonne Motor Co., Inc.The Cannata CorporationThe Felterman FoundationThe Greater New Orleans Barge FleetingAssociation, IncThe Kohler FoundationThe New York TimesMs. Laura P. TheriotThibodaux Lions ClubGeomatics program receives $100,000 for scholarship. The Nicholls geomatics programreceived $100,000 to establish the “Jules Oreste Chustz Memorial Student EndowedScholarship,” 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 LouisianaSociety of Professional Surveyors and $25,000 from the Contractors Educational TrustFund. The geomatics program, which prepares students for careers as land surveyors,construction surveyors, mappers and planners, is one of a kind in Louisiana. Picturedare Dr. David Boudreaux, vice president for institutional advancement; Dr. Terry Dantin,professor of geomatics; Chustz; and Dr. Stephen Hulbert, university president.46 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 47

Honor RollPresident’s reception honors donors. With nearly 165 scholarship donors, recipients andadditional guests in attendance, the annual President’s Scholarship Reception allowedscholarship recipients to meet their benefactors. Pictured is Stephanie Graebert, biologypre-med senior from Norco, La., speaking to attendees about how her scholarshipbenefitted her and her family. Nicholls students received nearly $4.9 million in scholarshipfunds in 2010–11.Thibodaux Regional Medical CenterThibodaux Service League Community FundThibodaux Women’s CenterMr. and Mrs. George ToupsMr. and Mrs. Louis Toups, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Michael TrotterUNCFValentine Chemicals, LLCVanguard Vacuum Trucks, Inc.Vergenal, Inc.VESL., LLCWal-Mart Thibodaux #1016Mr. James H. Ware, Jr.Warren Easton, Sr. High School Foundation, Inc.Weimer Gros Flores, LLCMs. Mary L. WernerWest Feliciana 4-H Foundation, Inc.Whitney National BankWillis & Mildred Pellerin FoundationMr. and Mrs. Michael C. WisecarverWong Lodging$500 to $999AHS Mulligan Booster ClubAmerican Legion Robert Burns Post #16American Legion-Ken Boudreaux Post #380Appoline & Simeon Patout FoundationDr. and Mrs. Donald J. AyoDr. Jennifer L. BakerBarataria-Terrebonne Estuary FoundationBarker HondaBayou Chapter Medical ManagersMr. and Mrs. Michael BednarzMr. Percy Bernard, Jr.Beta Gamma Sigma, Inc.Block & Bouterie, Attorneys at LawBluewater Rubber and Gasket Co.Breaux Petroleum Products, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Kirk R. BynumMr. Larry CalmesMr. and Mrs. Carleton A. CaseyCashio’s Mobile Catering, Inc.Dr. John J. CavanMr. and Mrs. Daniel A. CavellCengage LearningCenturytel, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Leslie J. Clement, Jr.Committee to Elect Caroline FayardCowen Clinic for Rehabilitation Medicine, APMCCTCO Marine Services, LLCDale A. Guidry Memorial Scholarship FundDelta Music Co., Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Milton P. DoneganMr. and Mrs. Donald E. DorandDr. and Mrs. Curtis DuplechainMr. and Mrs. David ElmoreMr. and Mrs. Michael C. FakierFather Joseph Van BaastMr. and Mrs. Marshall FaulkFederal Employee Education & Assistance FundFirst National Bank USAMr. Wiltz D. FuhrerGalliano Smoothies, Inc.Mr. Greg GaubertGeorgia Gulf CorporationGNO-ABO Charitable and EducationalFoundation, Inc.Mr. Michael GrosMs. Kim M. GuidryMs. Joelaine M. HanberryMs. Ann T. HebertDr. and Mrs. Mark F. HebertMr. and Mrs. Garett J. HohenseeHouma Orthopedic ClinicK-Dog Scholarship FoundationKenneth Thibodeaux Farms, Inc.Dr. Marilyn B. KilgenKona Publishing & Media Group, LLCLA Southern Baptist AssociationMr. and Mrs. Vic LafontLafourche Parish United States Bowling CongressMr. and Mrs. Donald LarpenterMs. Priscilla LarpenterLaw Office of Joel Hanberry, P.C.Dr. and Mrs. James LeonardMr. Timothy R. Lindsley, IIILittle People of America, Inc.LMF, LLCLouisiana Legislature Women’s CaucusLouisiana Ofshore Oil Port, LLCLouisiana Public Facilities AuthorityMr. Ross LundgrenM. Bergeron & Company CPAs, LLCDr. and Mrs. Wes Magee, IIIMs. Melissa R. MaloneMartin Luther King (Dr.) MemorialScholarship FundMC BankMorgan Keegan & Company, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth P. MorrisonMorvant and CavellNAACP NSU ChapterMr. and Mrs. Michael P. NaquinNational Association of University WomenNew Orleans Hispanic Heritage Fnd.New York Life InsuranceNewell Normand Campaign FundMr. and Mrs. Leslie OgdenMr. William and Dr. Alice PecoraroMr. and Mrs. Lynn PellegrinDr. Wayne J. PharoPhi Mu FoundationMr. Elmo Pitre IIIQuality Sitework Materials, Inc.Dr. and Mrs. Robert J. QuiniltyMr. Neal Raye, Jr.Right Away Maintenance Co., LLCMr. and Mrs. Howard J. RobichauxRock Ruiz Insurance and Retirement Services, LLCRotary Club of Grand IsleMs. Toni RothMr. and Mrs. Donald P. Schwab, Jr.Mr. Robert W. ShiversSimpson High School PTOSmart Scholarship Funding CorporationSociety of Louisiana Certified Public AccountantsSouth Central La. Chapter of the Society of La. CPA’sSouthland Steel & Supply, LLCSt. James FamilySt. Mary Parish School BoardStephen Leblanc Memorial Scholarship FundMr. and Mrs. Leo D. SternfelsMrs. Phyllis M. TaylorTerrebonne 4-H FoundationMr. and Mrs. Richard ThalheimThe Community Foundation for the NationalCapital RegionMr. and Mrs. John W. TheriotMr. Troy ThompsonMr. David TrahanUnifirst Holdings, Inc.United Steel Workers Local 3657Mr. and Mrs. Robert A. WebreDr. and Mrs. Thomas E. WeedMr. and Mrs. Richard G. WeimerWest Houma Lion’s Club, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Stevens C. WillettDr. and Mrs. Kenneth E. WongWoodmen of the World Lodge$250 to $499A.M.C. Liftboats, Inc.Mr. John G. AmatoMr. and Mrs. Jamie ArceneauxMs. Sue ArceneauxB & J 4 H ProjectBarbera ChevroletMs. Claire R. BarryMr. and Mrs. Thomas BauerMr. and Mrs. Daniel M. BlanchardMr. Matthew F. and Dr. Elizabeth BlockBob’s Tree Preservation Co., Inc.Ms. Doris S. BordelonMr. Matthew BordelonMr. and Mrs. Brophy J. BoudreauxMr. and Mrs. Leonard J. BreauxMr. and Mrs. James J. Brien, Jr.Mr. Mark BritzMr. and Mrs. Larry J. BuccolaMr. Brett M. CandiesMr. and Mrs. Edgar ChaseDr. and Mrs. Camile L. ChiassonMr. Tom S. ChiocchioMr. and Mrs. William H. ChristensenMr. and Mrs. Robert W. Clarke, Jr.Mr. Michel ClaudetMr. and Mrs. Johnny ConradMr. Bret S. CuneoMr. John DaigleDaigle, Himel, Daigle Physical Therapy CenterMr. and Mrs. Ched DantinMr. Travis A. DavidMr. and Mrs. Michael G. DavisMr. Jesse M. DelahoussayeDelta Inspection Company of Houma, Inc.Doctors Flynn-Manceaux-Arcement-Pizzolato-Thompson Therapy-HoumaDoctors Flynn-Manceaux-Arcement-Pizzolato-Porche of ThibodauxMr. and Mrs. John P. DominiqueDr. and Mrs. Thomas DonnerDr. Alton F. DoodyMr. and Mrs. Jules A. Dornier, IIIMs. Terri M. DucoteMr. and Mrs. Woody FalgoustFamily Doctor ClinicMs. Angela FaucheauxMr. and Mrs. L. J. FolseMr. and Mrs. John P. FordFoundation of Louisiana BowlingProprietors AssociationGeoSafe Chemicals, Inc.Goodwill Industries of Southeastern La., Inc.Mr. and Mrs. James E. GoodwinGossen-Holloway & AssociatesMs. Darline GregoryMr. and Mrs. Edmond W. GrosMs. Brenda G. HansenMr. and Mrs. Leo P. HebertDr. and Mrs. Obie Cleveland HillHTVDr. and Mrs. Jerry L. HudsonMr. and Mrs. Kirk KliebertLafourche Parish Retired TeachersMr. Jimmy LedetDr. Peter G. LiechtyMs. Tia LopezMr. Eddie P. LyonsMr. and Mrs. Burton B. MarmandeMs. Diane T. MartinMr. and Mrs. James MartinMs. Stephanie McCollumMs. Kate E. MerrillMorgan City BankMr. and Mrs. Craig J. NaquinMr. and Mrs. Lionel O. Naquin, Jr.Mrs. Michelle Z. ParroMr. and Mrs. David PlaterPointe-Aux-Chenes Elementary SchoolMs. Michelle C. PorthMrs. Jane E. RabalaisRaceland Raw Sugar Corp.Raising Canes USA, LLCRebstock Supply Co., Inc.Mr. and Mrs. James E. Richard, Jr.Rising Star Baptist ChurchMs. Elizabeth RiviereMr. Dean RobinsonSchriever Volunteer Fire DepartmentSJI, Inc.Spahr’s Seafood Co., LLCThibodaux Summer BaseballMr. and Mrs. Francis ThibodeauxThomassie Construction, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Johnny TorresMs. Teana TramelMs. Lizbeth A. Turner and Mr. Clarence WolbretteMr. John E. TurnipseedWendel C. Henry Family Foundation, Inc.Western Alamance NJROTC BoostersWilliam Paterson UniversityMr. Reuben C. WilliamsDr. Guy P. Zeringue, III$100 to $2494K Properties 1, LLC dba Just 4 Him MensHaircut LoungeMr. and Mrs. Jefery AddicksMr. Terry AlbertDr. and Mrs. Robert Allen Alexander, Jr.American Legion AuxiliaryAmerican Legion-Jules G. Borgstede Post 309Mr. E. A. AngellozMs. Janelle D. AustromMr. Benton T. AyoDr. Michele R. BaillietBarksdale Federal Credit UnionMs. Apryl BarnesDr. and Mrs. James BarrBarry Graham Oil Service, LLCMr. and Mrs. Jeremy BeckerMs. Elsie C. BehrhorstMrs. Debra S. BenoitBianca Consulting Services, LLCMr. and Mrs. Daniel M. BlanchardMr. and Mrs. Darrin J. BlanchardMs. Louise BoninMr. Brandon M. BoudreauxMr. and Mrs. Edward C. BourgeoisMs. Charlotte H. BraceyMr. and Mrs. J. BrandtMr. Roy F. Breerwood, IIIMs. Sheri BroussardMr. and Mrs. Cleve T. BrownMr. and Mrs. Johnny BuckleyMr. and Mrs. Lawrence BurtMs. Rebecca A. BushMr. and Mrs. Joseph T. ButlerMr. Gregory S. CableMr. Abel A. Caillouet, Jr.Mr. Ben CaillouetMr. and Mrs. Charles CaillouetMr. L. Boot CaldareraMr. Stephen CaldareraLibrary receives $25,000 posthumous donation. Daniel Walker, a Houma attorney representingthe estate of his late aunt, Mary Elizabeth “Bettie” Wurzlow, presents a checkfor $25,000 to the Nicholls Foundation. In accordance with Wurzlow’s wishes, the donationwill be used for improvements at Ellender Memorial Library. Pictured from left areCarol Mathias, former library director, and Walker.48 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 49

Honor RollMr. Brian J. ChampagneMr. and Mrs. Glenn E. Chance, Jr.Ms. Jamie L. CheramieMs. Lori W. ClayMr. and Mrs. Richard J. ClementMr. and Mrs. Ronald ClementMr. and Mrs. Daniel J. ConstantMr. James CookMs. Raquel CortinaD & M Home Medical, LLCMr. and Mrs. Jerry G. DaigleMr. and Mrs. Ronnie DaigleMr. and Mrs. Kevin B. DavisDr. and Mrs. Lionel de la Houssaye, Jr.Mr. Brad M. DelatteMr. Dylan M. DelauneMr. and Mrs. Murphy L. Delaune, Jr.Mr. L. Clifton DickersonMr. and Mrs. Gregory DobardMr. and Mrs. Walter M. DohertyMr. and Mrs. Daniel P. DolanDonnes Real EstateMr. and Mrs. E. I. Dreher, Jr.Mr. Daniel W. DuplantisMr. Merle J. DuplantisMs. Karen E. EberleEddie N. Pullaro, Attorney at LawMr. and Mrs. Robert B. EdwardsMr. and Mrs. Louis A. ErwinMr. and Mrs. Eddie J. Evans, Jr.Dr. and Mrs. Robert N. FalgoutDr. Joanne C. FerriotMr. Kent FewellMr. and Mrs. Wynn FremenMr. Barry FreminMr. Raleigh J. GalianoMr. Gregory GarciaMr. Wally GaudetMs. Heloise M. GilbertMr. and Mrs. G. M. GivensMr. and Mrs. Eugene G. Gouaux, Jr.Mr. Jude M. GravoisDr. and Mrs. John H. GreenMs. Dorothy GrosMr. Gary A. GrosMr. and Mrs. Alan GrossbergMr. and Mrs. T. Benton HarangMs. ArzuHatipoglu-GreerHaydel Dermatology, Inc.Mr. Jason P. HaynesMr. Brian P. HebertMr. and Mrs. Eddie J. HebertMs. Kellie S. HebertMs. Maria C. HebertMr. and Mrs. Randy C. HicksMs. Sarah L. HotardHouma Family Practice Clinic A ProfessionalMedical CorporationHouma-Thibodaux Spine & Rehab, LLCMr. Mark H. HovsepianHunter International Consulting, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Octave P. Hymel, Jr.J.B. Levert FoundationDrs. James W. and Ann L. JacksonJefery A. Addicks, Attorney At LawMrs. Frances JonesMr. and Mrs. Benjamin G. JonesMr. Melvin KappelMr. and Mrs. Peter H. KarstMr. Donald E. KastenElkins Hall features Ameen Watercolors. Art by Lula Ameen, the late namesake of theNicholls Ameen Art Gallery in Talbot Hall, now adorns the foyer of Elkins Hall, the university’soldest building. Donated to the Nicholls Foundation by Rubye Beal Fitzgerald – themother of the watercolors’ late owner, Joe Frank Beal Jr. – the display memorializesAmeen and Beal. The former received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Nichollsand subsequently taught watercolor at the university from 1972 to 1989.Ms. Kay Kellogg KatzMs. Paula KellyMr. and Mrs. Joseph P. KolweMs. Mary R. LabadotLanaux & Felger, CPAsMr. Wayne J. LandryMr. Sidney G. LarriviereDr. and Mrs. Alex LasseigneMr. and Mrs. Floyd Lavigne, Jr.Mr. David A. LeBoeuf, Jr.Ms. Aleta R. LeckeltMr. and Mrs. John M. LedetMr. Robert L. LedetMr. Mark H. LeeMr. and Mrs. Andrew W. LegrangeMr. and Mrs. Lance P. LejeuneMr. Gene LewisLori Mobley Groover FundLouisiana Amazons Sports OrganizationLouisiana Wings, LLCMs. Anh H. LuongDr. Glenn ManceauxMs. Carol A. MathiasMr. and Mrs. Steven M. McCabeMs. Sandy McClellandMr. David McDonaldMr. Jerome S. McKeeMrs. Monique McMillanMr. Duane MeeksMegi’s CollectiblesMr. and Mrs. Barry C. MelanconMike Bernard Consulting, LLCMr. and Mrs. David G. MillerMr. Ernie MillsMinor’s Beefmasters c/o Pat PitreMississippi High School Rodeo Assoc.Dr. Stephen Morgan, Jr.Mr. David C. MorvantMrs. Elaine T. MorvantMr. and Mrs. Kevin P. MorvantMrs. Martha L. MorvantDr. Richard A. Morvant, Jr., MDMr. Richard J. Naquin, IIMr. and Mrs. A.V. NguyenNicholls Federal Credit UnionMr. Ryan NortonMs. Sara C. OlivierMr. Patrick J. ParentonMs. Candace N. ParkMrs. Stacy L. PateMr. and Mrs. Stephen G. PeltierMs. Anne M. PerryMr. and Mrs. Raymond A. PetersMr. and Mrs. Clyde G. PetersonPetroleum Specialty Rental, LLCPhilip Matherne Memorial ScholarshipFoundation, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. J. P. PiperMrs. Charlotte F. PipesMs. Dobee PlaisanceMs. Mary R. PlaisanceMr. and Mrs. Jerry M. PocheMs. Donna PonsonMs. Katherine B. PorchePreferred Sandblasting, LLCPup Joint, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Michael S. RabalaisRed Stick SportsRenee Andolsek Apartments, LLCMr. and Mrs. A. Hunter ReynaudMr. and Mrs. Russell RichardMr. and Mrs. Michael D. RichardMr. and Mrs. Ray J. Riche’Ms. Mary K. RidenourMr. and Mrs. Kurt S. RisingerRiviere Insurance Agency, Inc.Ms. Alma RobichauxDr. and Mrs. Francis A. Robichaux, IIMr. and Mrs. Gibbens RobichauxMr. Tim P. and Dr. Susan Michele RobichauxDr. and Mrs. William H. RobichauxMr. Michael D. RobinsonMr. Larry P. RogersMs. Teresa RondinelliMr. and Mrs. Gwain E. RoundtreeMs. Kara RouseMrs. Mark J. Roy, Jr.RSVP Special Events & DesignMs. Donna M. SammarcoMr. Robert ScelfoMr. and Mrs. Garry M. ScheidSealevel Construction, IncMr. and Mrs. John ShaverMs. Marie D. SheleySimpson Bronco Booster ClubSinging River Federal Credit UnionMs. Carla A. SmithMs. Jo Anne T. SmithSouthland Drugs #2, Inc.Ms. Catherine A. StraatmannMrs. Laura C. StricklandMs. Claire E. TatumMs. Gayle C. TauzinMs. Sue D. TaylorT-Caillou Lions ClubDr. Victor E. Tedesco, IVTerrebonne Motor Co., Inc.Thibodaux Literary ClubThibodaux Online.ComMr. Joe E. ThompsonThompson Construction Co., Inc.Mr. Connor J. ThurmanMs. Anke TonnMr. and Mrs. Gregory J. TorresMr. Daniel ToupsMs. Gayle C. ToupsTrapp Cadillac, Chevrolet, Inc.United Supply, Inc.Ms. Kristyl VicknairMrs. Guy J. WaggenspackMr. Gerard A. WaguespackMr. and Mrs. Barry J. WaguespackWaguespack Oil Company, Inc.Mr. Mike WalkerMrs. Tamera S. WashburnMr. and Mrs. Kenneth WatkinsMr. J. Louis Watkins, IIISherif Craig WebreMr. and Mrs. Gerard A. WhiteMr. Kit L. WilliamsMr. Bruce WilsonMr. and Mrs. Sam B. Woford, Jr.XI Zeta Chapter Sigma Theta TauMr. and Mrs. William G. YatesYezak Construction Company dba TotalRoofing & ExteriorsMr. Gerald Zeller$99 and UnderMr. and Mrs. Deoma J. AdamsMr. and Mrs. Harold J. AdamsMs. Helene B. AllenMr. and Mrs. Kerry L. AlleyMr. and Mrs. P. AlvarezMr. and Mrs. Joachim AmedeeMr. and Mrs. Danny J. ArabieMr. and Mrs. Lee M. ArcementMr. Brian P. ArceneauxMr. and Mrs. Robert ArceneauxMs. Phoebe J. ArceneauxDr. Badiollah AsrabadiMrs. Rita T. AucoinMr. Kent J. AuthementMs. Susan B. AysenMr. and Mrs. Gerald J. BabinMr. and Mrs. J. A. Badeaux, Jr.Dr. and Mrs. Jim BakerMr. and Mrs. Brian K. BantaMr. Scott D. BanvilleMr. and Mrs. Stephen M. Barba, Jr.Ms. Edith E. BarkerMs. Ashley BarriosMr. and Mrs. J. L. BarronMrs. Blanche BaudouinMr. and Mrs. Mark C. BazileMs. Jacqueline BearyMr. and Mrs. Robert F. Beauchamp, DVMMr. and Mrs. John B. Becker, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Edmond A. Becnel, IIIMr. and Mrs. Ward D. BelangerMs. Denise BenoitMr. and Mrs. Jason J. BenoitMs. Marcelle R. BienvenuMr. and Mrs. Thomas J. BlanchardBlitchKnevel Architects, Inc.Mr. and Mrs. Craig BollingerMs. Barbara F. BordelonMr. Charles J. BorneMr. and Mrs. Jared T. BoudreauxMr. and Mrs. Michael BoudreauxMr. Phillip G. BourgeoisMr. and Mrs. Randy P. BourgeoisMs. Amy S. BreauxMs. Marion M. BreauxMs. Mary BreauxDr. and Mrs. Lane BrighamMr. and Mrs. Mark BrinkerMr. Bennett A. and Dr. Carol BrittMr. and Mrs. Peter W. BroussardMr. and Mrs. Rickey BroussardMs. Cheryl L. BrownMs. Mary Ann BullaMs. Amy BundyMrs. Leslie BundyMr. Timothy J. ButlerMs. Claudette C. CaldwellMr. and Mrs. Donald P. CallaisMs. Sally B. CampMs. Jo Alyce CarpenterCastagnos-Goodwin & AssociatesMs. Mary L. CavellMr. Richard P. ChampagneMr. and Mrs. Gregory M. ChaseMs. Patricia D. ChauvinMr. and Mrs. Leroy ChenierDr. Deborah H. Cibelli and Mr. Stephen C. RawlingsMr. Coral C. Clark, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Marc E. ClauseMr. and Mrs. Brian P. ClausenMr. and Mrs. Karl ClementMs. Page CollierMr. and Mrs. Anthony J. CollinsMs. Kathy ConnerMs. Celeste B. CottonMr. and Mrs. Keith CrochetMs. Judith E. CrochetMr. and Mrs. Leslie J. DaigleMs. Judy A. DanosMr. and Mrs. Richard L. DantinMr. Robert J. DavidsonDr. and Mrs. John H. DennisMr. and Mrs. William R. DennisDMC Consultors, LLCMr. and Mrs. Dave A. DomangueMr. and Mrs. Danny DufreneMr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Dufrene, Jr.Ms. Amy M. DuncanMr. Eric P. DuplantisMs. Mary B. DuplantisMr. and Mrs. Melvin B. Duplantis, Sr.Mrs. Jules S. DupontMs. Susan A. DupreMs. Beverly ElstonMayor and Mrs. Tommy G. EscheteMs. Amanda S. EymardMr. Jessie FabianoMr. and Mrs. Robert K. FaulMs. Kristen D. FillmoreMr. Stuart J. FolseDr. Quenton C. Fontenot and Dr. Allyse FerraraMr. and Mrs. Luke Ford, Jr.Mr. Brooks A. ForetMr. Robert D. FreyMr. and Mrs. Dan P. GaiennieMr. and Mrs. Dale GarberMr. and Mrs. Robert N. GarnerMr. and Mrs. Don G. GaudetMr. and Mrs. Wilbert P. GaudinMs. Brenda R. GautreauxMr. and Mrs. Walter GilbertMr. and Mrs. Timmy J. GisclairMs. Marla V. GomezMr. and Mrs. Stephen D. GossenMs. Shana M. GoulasDr. and Mrs. Ralph GremillionDr. John M. GriffinMs. Brooke A. GrosMs. Stephanie A. GrosMr. and Mrs. Ray GuidryMr. and Mrs. Michael J. GuidryMr. Michael J. Becnel and Ms. Gaynel A. GuillotMs. Laurie A. GuillotMr. and Mrs. Edwin HammerliMr. and Mrs. James HarrellMs. Julie B. HarrisMr. and Mrs. Sterlinn L. HarrisMr. Charles N. HartmanMr. and Mrs. William G. HarveyMr. and Mrs. Jason P. HaynesMr. and Mrs. Robert D. HaysMs. Helen A. HebertMr. and Mrs. Chad J. HebertMs. Lori HenryMs. Carol B. HessionMr. and Mrs. John C. Hildenbrand, IVMr. and Mrs. Dwayne HimelMr. Rodney R. HodgesMr. and Mrs. Raymond A. Hodson, Jr.Ms. Brenda HolemanMr. David G. HortonMr. Jonathan HowellMs. Tammy B. HuntMr. and Mrs. Jefrey J. JandegianMs. Karla M. JohanningJohn C. Hildenbrand, IV, LLCDr. Leslie JonesJones Insurance Services, LLCDr. and Mrs. Bill F. KalpakisMr. Jonathan R. KeifeMr. Todd M. KellerMr. and Mrs. Todd KennedyMs. Rachael B. KilgenMrs. Ethel N. KnoblochMr. and Mrs. Paul KockeMr. and Mrs. Matthew M. KohlerDr. Gary J. LaFleurMr. and Mrs. Julius LaicheMr. and Mrs. Barry J. LaicheMr. and Mrs. Stephen L. LambousyMs. Susan LandersMs. Georgia L. LandryMr. and Mrs. Greg LandryMr. Nathan Landry50 FALL 2011 Voilà! The Magazine of Nicholls State University FALL 2011 51

Honor RollWine and food extravaganza benefits students. The 15th annual Sponsor A+ ScholarWine and Food Extravaganza attracted a record number of guests – more than 830 – andgenerated more than $37,000. Proceeds from the event benefit Nicholls students withoutstanding grades and leadership ability. Nearly $400,000 has been raised since thefundraiser began in 1996, with more than 200 Nicholls students receiving scholarshipsas a result. Pictured is Renee Piper, director of university relations, displaying one of themany live-auction items – an NFL helmet autographed by quarterback Peyton Manning.Ms. Vickie LarkeMr. and Mrs. Leonard LasseigneMr. and Mrs. Michael C. LawrenceMr. and Mrs. Theo D. LawrenceMr. Armon J. LeblancMr. and Mrs. Kenny J. LeblancMr. Robert A. LeblancMr. and Mrs. James P. LedetMr. and Mrs. Jason P. LedetMr. and Mrs. Joseph Ledet, Sr.Lee’s AC & Electric, LLCMr. and Mrs. Casey M. LegendreMr. Walter E. LemoineMs. Ana LorenaLouisiana Plan Review Inspection & Consulting, LLCMr. and Mrs. J. Caro LouviereMs. Allison LyonsMr. Thomas L. LyonsMr. and Mrs. Brad S. MaderMr. and Mrs. Albert J. Mahler, Jr.Mr. James V. MarshallMrs. Phyliss L. MartinMs. Sarah M. MastersonDr. and Mrs. Shawn MauldinMs. Nicole McCoyFind us onFACEBOOKBecome a fan ofNicholls State UniversityTODAYMs. Cora Lee W. McMillanMr. and Mrs. Flavious J. MeadesMs. Christina E. MendozaMs. Debbie MeredithMr. and Mrs. Peter MireMs. Layne E. MistrettaMr. Ralph D. Mitchell, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Gary C. MorlasMs. Alexandra MorrisMs. Shawn K. MurphyMr. Mark NaccariMr. and Mrs. Randell M. Naquin, CPANational Student Speech, Language & HearingAssociationMr. and Mrs. Dennis J. NealMs. Patricia J. NealMr. and Mrs. Mitchel J. NealMr. and Mrs. Paul R. NelsestuenMrs. and Mr. Regina P. O’ConnellMr. and Mrs. Clayton Ostarly, Jr.Ms. Mandi OubreMs. Lois H. ParkerMs. Edna Marie S. PastorMr. and Mrs. Joe PeersonMr. and Mrs. Dale PellegrinMr. Myron J. Pellegrin, Sr.Mr. and Mrs. Verges J. PellegrinMr. and Mrs. James R. PeltierMr. and Mrs. Harvey A. Peltier, IIIMr. and Mrs. Michael G. PennisonMr. Levin B. PinhoMs. Elizabeth A. PlaisanceMr. and Mrs. David PlaterMr. and Mrs. Brad PooleMs. Jenna L. PortierDr. Sonya PremeauxMs. Angela M. RainsMr. Jacques F. RaymondMs. Debbie RazianoMr. and Mrs. Gregory S. ReynoldsMr. Keith RheaMs. Melissa C. RhodesMr. Paul B. RichardMr. and Mrs. Jerry J. RivetMs. Marly RobertsonMr. and Mrs. James E. RobeyMs. Debra S. RobichauxMrs. Janet N. RobichauxMr. and Mrs. Gregory P. RobichauxMs. Jennifer RodrigueMr. and Mrs. Douglas E. RolandMr. Willie J. Rollins, Sr.Ms. Constance O. RomeMr. and Mrs. Eric P. RomeroMr. R M. Ronquillo, Jr.Ms. Heather H. RookMr. Lanny R. RossMs. Katina M. SamanieMr. Shane SandersMr. and Mrs. Heath J. SantinyMr. and Mrs. Peter SavoieMr. Andrew J. SchiroMr. Craig F. SchreiberMr. Sterling H. SheffieDr. Celeste R. ShelbyMr. Harry Shields, IIMs. Judith SimmonsMr. Steven J. SissacMs. Mary Margaret SmithMs. Novella T. SmithMr. Rudy J. Soignet, IIIDr. and Mrs. Gregg P. StallMs. Susan M. SternfelsMr. Marc A. Stevens, Jr.Ms. Carolyn P. StiltsDr. and Mrs. J. B. StroudMrs. Sarah K. SullivanMrs. Leslie H. TalbotTech Support Computer Services, LLCMr. Paul and Dr. Alice B. TempletMrs. Leslie TenneyThe James Agency, LLCMs. Alyson T. TheriotMr. Clifton P. TheriotMs. Jennifer ThibodauxMs. Marie L. ThibodeauxThibodeaux’s Lawn CareMr. and Mrs. Troy W. Thompson, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Jimmie Toloudis, Jr.Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. ToupsMr. and Mrs. Michael P. ToupsMs. Shirleen L. TrabeauxMr. and Mrs. Thomas P. TrahanMr. and Mrs. William J. TreutingMs. Monica H. TrosclairMr. Van ViatorMr. Stephen ViguerieMr. and Mrs. Warren VillemaretteMr. and Mrs. Daniel G. VincentMr. and Mrs. Chris A. WaguespackMs. Jane T. WebertMs. Rosadel A. WebreMr. and Mrs. Steven L. WelchDr. Velma S. WestbrookMrs. Anne WilsonDr. and Mrs. Paul J. WilsonMs. Amy WisehartMr. and Mrs. Richard B. YoungMrs. Macey ZeringueMr. S. Zeringue52 FALL 2011

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