Nicholls State University is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in state ownership, owned by the state or receives significant government spending, public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private unive ...

in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Founded in 1948, Nicholls is part of the

University of Louisiana System The University of Louisiana System (UL System) is a public university system in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It enrolls more students than the other three public university systems in the state. Its headquarters are in the Claiborne Building in ...

. Originally named Francis T. Nicholls Junior College, the university is named for Francis T. Nicholls, a former

governor of Louisiana A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

, member of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

, and general in the Confederate army during the civil war. The campus, once part of Acadia Plantation, fronts on

Bayou Lafourche Bayou Lafourche ( ), originally called Chetimachas River or La Fourche des Chetimaches, (the fork of the Chitimacha), is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed June 20, 2011 ba ...

, about southwest of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

and southeast of

Baton Rouge Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties ...

. Its oldest structure, Elkins Hall, was completed in 1948 and is on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. Nicholls is located in the

Acadiana Acadiana ( French and Louisiana French: ''L'Acadiane''), also known as the Cajun Country ( Louisiana French: ''Le Pays Cadjin'', es, País Cajún), is the official name given to the French Louisiana region that has historically contained ...

region. It is also within the geographical bounds of the Mississippi River Delta, and close to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, ...

, its distributaries, Louisiana's wetlands, and the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United St ...

History

Nicholls State opened on Sept. 23, 1948, as Francis T. Nicholls Junior College of Louisiana State University. In 1956, the Louisiana Legislature separated Nicholls State from LSU and authorized it to develop four-year curricula. In September 1956, the former junior college became Francis T. Nicholls State College and granted its first degrees in May 1958. In 1970, Act 93 of the State Legislature changed the name of the institution to Nicholls State University. University leadership *Charles C. Elkins (1948–1962) *Vernon F. Galliano (1963–1982) *Donald J. Ayo (1983–2003) *Stephen T. Hulbert (2003–2013) *Dr. Bruce Murphy (2014–2017) *Dr. Jay Clune (2018–present)

Academics

''Princeton Review'' statistics from 2010 list the student-to-faculty ratio at Nicholls as 20:1. Admission has become selective. The average GPA upon entry is 3.2 with an ACT score of 21. The average GPA of undergraduate students admitted to the university's honors program is 3.6 with an ACT score of 26. Almost 62 percent of the student body are women; and nearly 3 percent are international students. As with nearly all academic institutions in Louisiana, Hurricane Katrina affected Nicholls' completion rate and overall ranking. During the aftermath of Katrina, Nicholls suspended its admissions selectivity in order to accommodate students from hurricane affected institutions. The university also had many matriculating students who were affected by the hurricane and did not return.

Colleges

* College of Sciences and Technology * College of Business Administration * College of Education and Behavioral Sciences * College of Nursing * College of Liberal Arts * University College * University Graduate Studies The Department of Art is built upon a broad liberal arts foundation and preparation in studio disciplines required for careers in the visual arts and design. The Department of Art is accredited by the National Association of Schools of Art and Design. The Department of Mass Communication is one of five mass communication programs in Louisiana accredited by the Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (ACEJMC). The department offers two concentrations: journalism and public relations. Nicholls mass communication students and faculty employ three computer labs and a broadcast studio for learning and instruction in communication principles. Students within the department are also encouraged to apply for jobs with the KNSU radio station and student publications, helping to produce the yearbook or publishing the weekly newspaper, the ''Nicholls Worth''. The University of Louisiana System has identified the following areas as Unique Areas of Excellence at Nicholls State University. These are areas of study that, because of either their unique classes or their leadership in Louisiana education, have been selected for this special honor. These include the John Folse Culinary Institute, Biological Sciences (Marine and environmental sciences emphasis), Nursing, Allied Health Sciences, Teacher Education, Accounting and Information Systems, and Child, Family and Social Services. Other notable degree programs include: Bachelor of Arts in art, English, mass communication, and music; Bachelor of Science in applied sciences

geomatics Geomatics is defined in the ISO/TC 211 series of standards as the "discipline concerned with the collection, distribution, storage, analysis, processing, presentation of geographic data or geographic information". Under another definition, i ...

; and master's degrees in marine and environmental biology, education, and business administration (in addition to an Executive MBA program). Nicholls is one of the first institutions in the United States to offer bachelor's degrees in Culinary Arts. Students gain expertise in both Cajun and French cuisine. The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute is the only American member of the prestigious Institut Paul Bocuse. Students also have the opportunity to earn a bachelor's degree in Culinary Arts and then work towards earning the MBA. Nicholls' faculty have been recognized nationally and internationally by the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society, the

National Science Foundation The National Science Foundation (NSF) is an independent agency of the United States government that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National ...

, the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

, the

National Endowment for the Humanities The National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) is an independent federal agency of the U.S. government, established by thNational Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965(), dedicated to supporting research, education, preserv ...

, Phi Kappa Lambda, the

Renaissance Society of America The Renaissance Society of America (RSA) is an academic association founded in 1954 supporting the study of the Renaissance period, 1300–1650. The RSA brings together scholars from many backgrounds in a wide variety of disciplines from North A ...

, and other organizations and associations. In the past three years, several faculty members have been awarded grants from the Louisiana Board of Regents. The university has the only certified public health geneticist in the South. Nicholls is also the home of the Louisiana Center for Women and Government, as well as the Dyslexia Center of Louisiana. Nicholls Online provides complete degrees online in a variety of disciplines. It offers over 100 online courses through its Division of Distance Education. Nicholls Online is different from regular online courses at Nicholls in that the courses are offered through 8-week sessions and have a unique fee structure.

Ellender Memorial Library

The Allen J. Ellender Memorial Library offers research assistance to the Nicholls State University community via 125+ databases and traditional reference books. The Library provides access to over 61,000 e-books as part of a collection of more than 245,000 books. Librarians provide library research instruction classes in all disciplines as well as individual consultation sessions. A leisure book collection with recent popular writers and 50 popular magazine titles is also available. The Library has both single and group study rooms for patron use. There is also an interlibrary loan service which acquires materials from other libraries, and a courtesy card service that allows patrons to check out materials from other Louisiana universities. Ellender Library, through its Government Information Department, has been a selective depository for Louisiana state government publications since 1960 and a selective depository of the U.S. Federal Depository Library Program since 1962. The Library is a congressionally designated depository for United States government documents. Public access to the government documents collection is guaranteed by public law (Title 44 USC). In its role as a depository, Government Information houses an extensive collection of books, periodicals, microfiche, maps, CDs, and kits published by Louisiana state and federal agencies on a wide array of topics such as health, geology, military history, law and legislation, education, statistics and more. The Archives and Special Collections Department of Ellender Memorial Library is the archival repository for the historical records of the university and serves as a repository for primary and secondary material relating to the geographical, historical and cultural uniqueness of the region. The collections include personal papers, business and organizational records, historical photographs, literary manuscripts, maps, diaries and scrapbooks. Newspapers, oral histories, and numerous other formats are also represented. Many collections document the plantation era and the sugar cane industry. The Archives and Special Collections Department is also home to the library's Regional, Rare Book, and Genealogy Collections.

Athletics

Nicholls sports teams participate in NCAA Division I (Football Championship Subdivision or FCS for

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, Kick (football), kicking a Football (ball), ball to score a Goal (sport), goal. Unqualified, Football (word), the word ''football'' normally means the form of football tha ...

) in the

Southland Conference The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it p ...

. Nicholls' colors are red and

gray Grey (more common in British English) or gray (more common in American English) is an intermediate color between black and white. It is a neutral or achromatic color, meaning literally that it is "without color", because it can be composed ...

and the athletics teams are nicknamed the Colonels. The Nicholls State University Department of Athletics currently sponsors men's intercollegiate baseball, basketball, cross-country, football, golf and tennis along with women's intercollegiate basketball, cross-country, softball, soccer, tennis, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and volleyball. Nicholls' official athletics mascot is Colonel Tillou. The modern version wears a bright red uniform topped off with a contemporary-style military officer's cap. The Pride of Nicholls is the marching band which represents the university. The band performs pregame and during halftime at all Nicholls Colonels home football games, selected away games and in exhibitions at selected marching festivals during the fall semester. Nicholls' primary athletic rivals are

Southeastern Louisiana University Southeastern Louisiana University (Southeastern) is a public university in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims as Hammond Junior College. Sims succeeded in getting the campus moved to north Hammond in 1928, when it becam ...

and

Northwestern State University Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSU) is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Polk and Alexandria. It is a part of the Unive ...

Notable alumni

Politics and judiciary

* Robert Billiot, member of the

Louisiana House of Representatives The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...

for Jefferson Parish since 2008 * Marty J. Chabert, state senator for Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes from 1992 to 1996 * Norby Chabert, state senator for Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes since 2009 * Gordon Dove,

state representative A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United S ...

since 2004 for Terrebonne Parish * Hunt Downer, former speaker of the

; assistant

adjutant general An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer. France In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...

of the Louisiana National Guard * Anthony Guarisco Jr., lawyer and state senator from Morgan City from 1976 to 1988 * Joe Harrison, state representative since 2008 from Assumption,

St. Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother o ...

and Terrebonne parishes * Francis C. Heitmeier (born 1950), Democratic member of the Louisiana House from 1984 to 1992 and the Louisiana Senate from 1992 to 2008; businessman and lobbyist from New Orleans * Sam S. Jones, Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for St. Mary Parish since 2008 * Morris Lottinger Jr., former state legislator and judge from Terrebonne Parish * Jerome "Dee" Richard, current member of the

from Lafourche Parish, one of only two Independents in the chamber *

Billy Tauzin Wilbert Joseph Tauzin II (; born June 14, 1943) is an American lobbyist and politician. He was President and CEO of PhRMA, a pharmaceutical company lobby group. Tauzin was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1980 to ...

, member of the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the Lower house, lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the United States Senate, Senate being ...

from 1980 to 2005 * Jerome Zeringue, Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 52 in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes

Athletics

* Bobby April,

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

(NFL) coach * Gary Barbaro, NFL safety *

Gerald Butler His Honour Gerald Norman Butler, QC (15 September 1930 – 28 February 2010) was an English judge, who was the senior judge at Southwark Crown Court. He was born in Hackney, London. Family Butler was the son of Joshua Butler and Esther, ...

, NFL wide receiver * Anatoly Bose, international basketball guard and forward * Bobby Felder, NFL cornerback * Darryl Hamilton,

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL ...

(MLB) outfielder * Hilton Koch, former owner of the WNBA's

Houston Comets The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...

* Kareem Moore, NFL safety * Darryl Pounds, former NFL defensive back * Antonio Robinson, NFL wide receiver * Dwight Walker, former NFL running back and wide receiver *

Lardarius Webb Lardarius Webb (born October 12, 1985) is a former American football cornerback. He played collegiately at Nicholls State University and the University of Southern Mississippi. Webb was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the ...

, NFL cornerback and return specialist

Other

* Donald J. Boudreaux, economist and professor * Punkie Johnson, actress and stand-up comedian, current featured player on

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock (streaming service), Peacock. ...

* Cyril and Libbye Hellier, operatic sopranos * Andrew Simoncelli, WWL-TV producer, professor

Notable faculty

* Robert A. Calvert (1933–2000), Texas historian * Monnie T. Cheves (1902–1988), education professor; served in the

from

Natchitoches Parish Natchitoches Parish (french: Paroisse des Natchitoches or ) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 census, the population was 39,566. The parish seat is Natchitoches. The parish was formed in 1805. The Natchito ...

from 1952 to 1960 * Thomas G. Clausen (1939–2002), the last elected Louisiana state superintendent of education, on Nicholls faculty from 1967 to 1972 * Marilyn Kilgen (1944), microbiologist and seafood safety scientist * Walter M. Lowrey (1921–1980), Louisiana historian * Joe Gray Taylor (1920–1987), historian

References

External links

* {{Authority control Thibodaux, Louisiana Acadiana Educational institutions established in 1948 Universities and colleges accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Education in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana Buildings and structures in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana 1948 establishments in Louisiana Public universities and colleges in Louisiana

History

Academics

Colleges

Ellender Memorial Library

Athletics

Notable alumni

Politics and judiciary

Athletics

Other

Notable faculty

See also

References

External links