Academic Catalog

Nicholls State University, located in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is a comprehensive, regional university serving south central Louisiana. Tax-supported and coeducational, it first opened its doors September 23, 1948, as Francis T. Nicholls Junior College of Louisiana State University. Francis Redding Tillou Nicholls was born on August 20, 1834, in Donaldsonville, Ascension Parish. After his graduation from West Point in 1855, he practiced law in South Louisiana. During the Civil War he rose to the rank of brigadier general. His battlefield wounds cost him his left arm and leg and he was a prisoner of war. After the war he returned to his law practice in Napoleonville. The Louisiana State Democratic Party nominated him for governor in 1876. His election generally is considered to mark the end to Louisiana's political Reconstruction and the reestablishment of "Home Rule."

His second tenure as governor (1888-1892) was climaxed by his successful opposition to the corrupt Louisiana Lottery Company. With his term completed, he was named chief justice to the Louisiana Supreme Court. He retired to his Thibodaux home in 1911 and died in 1912.

In 1956, the Louisiana Legislature separated Nicholls from LSU and authorized it to develop four-year curricula. Thus, in September 1956, the former junior college began operation as Francis T. Nicholls State College. It granted its first degrees in May 1958. Act 93 of the State Legislature in 1970 changed the name to Nicholls State University.

Nicholls is located in the heart of "Cajun Country," an area rich in tradition and culture. Its location in the heart of the Mississippi River delta, allows easy access to the river, its tributaries, Louisiana's wetlands, and the Gulf of Mexico. The 210-acre campus in Thibodaux, is approximately 50 miles west of New Orleans and 60 miles southeast of Baton Rouge.

For more than half a century, Nicholls State University has been the sole provider of higher education in a region with abundant cultural and natural resources. The university's strong general education program prepares students to exercise leadership in a global society and enhances their ability to create a vision for the future. By maintaining a major partnership with businesses, local school systems, community agencies, and other educational institutions, Nicholls actively participates in the development of the region.

Established along the banks of Bayou Lafourche, in the heart of one of the nation's major estuaries, Nicholls provides unique opportunities for instruction and research in the fields of marine and environmental science. The university has taken advantage of its strategic location to assume a leadership role in a region with ample resources in agricultural, fishing, petrochemical, and oilfield-related industries. As a leader, the university continues to contribute significantly to the growth of the region in regard to new technology, manufacturing, and international trade.

Nicholls maintains a strong commitment to the well-being of the people of the region. Through the expansion of health science programs, the university collaborates with a nationally recognized health care industry in the Houma-Thibodaux metropolitan area to meet the needs of its constituents. Nicholls State University serves a diverse population of traditional and non-traditional students, as well as professional, social, and cultural groups who contribute to the university and benefit from their relationship with it.

Nicholls State University, a quality institution of higher education, is dedicated to meeting the unique geographic and multi-cultural needs of south central Louisiana and beyond.

Vision
Within the initial decade of the new millennium, Nicholls State University will be recognized as a premiere, selective admissions institution of higher education dedicated to the needs of its diverse student body. The university will become the center for collaborative scientific, technological, cultural, educational, and economic leadership services in South Central Louisiana.

Mission
Nicholls State University provides a unique blend of excellent academic programs to meet the needs of Louisiana and beyond. The university cultivates productive, responsible, engaged citizens in a personalized, culturally rich and dynamic learning environment through quality teaching, research, and service.

Values
The Nicholls State University Community supports the Nicholls Creed, affirming "values that promote citizenship, concern for self and others, and the desire for a better world," and embraces as its core values:

Nicholls State University is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award degrees at the associate, baccalaureate, master and specialist levels.

Inquiries relating to the accreditation status of Nicholls State University can be mailed to the Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia, 30033-4097, or may be directed to (404) 6974501 via telephone.

Ellender Memorial Library
Centrally and conveniently located, the three-story Allen J. Ellender Memorial Library houses more than 443,600 books and bound periodicals, 2,000 journal titles, 350,000 catalogued federal and state documents, and provides access to 40,000 E-books and over 50 electronic reference sources. The Allen J. Ellender Archives, Interlibrary Loan, and the Multimedia Center are located on the first floor, Circulation and Reference on the second, and Government Documents and Serials on the third. In addition, The Ellender Computer Lab can be found on the first floor. Most collections are easily accessible through open shelving, convenient service stations and the computerized card catalogue known as iLink. Service is the first priority of the library's faculty and staff. Our Reference librarians offer one-on-one help and provide mass instruction in library skills, an integral part of University College classes in freshman studies, and they visit classes to explain topics of particular interest to students and instructors. Interlibrary Loan personnel offer personalized services to patrons who need materials from other libraries, using the latest online computer technology to locate and request materials. The Archives, part of the Special Collections Department, serves as a repository for primary and secondary materials relating to Louisiana. Its largest collection is the papers of Senator Allen J. Ellender, which document his thirty-five year career in the U. S. Senate. Other original materials available to patrons include antebellum plantation papers, local business records, diaries and journals, historical photographs, and papers of past university presidents, as well as university yearbooks and student newspaper files.

Alumni Federation
The Nicholls State University Alumni Federation, chartered in 1960, is composed of graduates and former students who have successfully completed at least one semester and a minimum of twelve semester hours. A board of directors elected by the general membership directs Federation activities. The Federation conducts an annual business meeting each spring on campus. Active members are those who have paid annual dues. The board bestows honorary membership on special friends of the university. Nicholls faculty members hold associate membership in the Federation. The organization maintains and promotes a mutually beneficial relationship between the university and its alumni. It publishes The Colonel; sponsors homecoming activities; and awards 11 scholarships each year. The director of Alumni Affairs supervises day-to-day activities from an office on campus in the Clarence James Jr. Alumni House at 203 Audubon Drive. The mailing address is P. O. Box 2158, Thibodaux, LA 70310; Telephone number 985-448-4111.

Louisiana Center for Women and Government
The mission of the Louisiana Center for Women and Government at Nicholls is to encourage the future leadership of women by preparing them for public service through non-partisan provision and support of education, research, training, and the development of creative programs. Among the programs offered by the Center are a unique internship program and faculty research grant. The Center also hosts seminars and conferences, and has instituted a Hall of Fame to honor outstanding Louisiana women for their contributions to the public sector. The Center is located in the Ellender Memorial Library Facility on Leighton Drive. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2062, Thibodaux, LA 70310; Telephone number 985-448-4770.

Louisiana Center for Dyslexia and Related Learning Disorders
The Center for the Study of Dyslexia is a state Center, housed in 133 Polk and Peltier Halls and administered through University College. The major functions of the Center are to prepare teachers to serve individuals with dyslexia through clinical and educational intervention, to provide direct service to Nicholls State University students and area residents, and to conduct psycho-educational assessments for children and adults. Additionally, the Center disseminates information about dyslexia, contributes to state policy regarding dyslexia, and conducts research that contributes to the study of dyslexia. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2050, Thibodaux, LA 70310; Telephone number 985-448-4897.

Small Business Development Center
The mission of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC Network) is to enhance the economic well being of the citizens of Louisiana by providing comprehensive, high-quality assistance to existing and potential small businesses. The center fosters the formation and growth of small businesses through individual counseling services, educational training programs, and business information resources to expand and diversify the Louisiana economy. It is committed to implementing initiatives of the U.S. Small Business Administration as well as Louisiana's master plan for economic development. The SBDC is housed in 104 White Hall. The mailing address is P.O. Box 2015, Thibodaux, LA 70310 and telephone number is 985-448-4242.

Honors Program
The Honors Program is designed with the highly-motivated students in mind. The mission of the Honors Program is to create enhanced educational experiences for a community of intellectually curious and academically talented students by providing challenging and creative opportunities that foster a life-long love of learning. Through innovative teaching, honors students receive a distinctly personal education that significantly involves them in the learning process. Because enrollment is limited, honors classes allow students to learn in small groups. See University College for further information.

Tulane University School of Medicine Early Acceptance Program
Through an agreement with Tulane University School of Medicine, Nicholls State University may nominate up to four students at the end of their sophomore year for early acceptance into medical school. By fulfilling specific academic requirements of the program, these students may enter Tulane University School of Medicine following graduation from Nicholls. Applications for the Program are due June 1 of each year to the Nicholls State University Early Acceptance Program committee chair. The Nicholls State Early Acceptance Program Committee submits four nominees to the Office of Admissions at Tulane University School of Medicine each June. Students interested in this program should seek further information from their Department Head.

Proposed Sequence of Courses for Tulane School of Medicine Early Acceptance Program.

International Study Programs
Nicholls State had a vision over a quarter of a century ago to expand its classrooms from a regional campus in Louisiana to a global environment. Today, the university has ten international study sites around the world. The university continues its commitment to this vision. As part of its mission, the university strives to prepare students to interpret and respond to changing regional, national, and global societies. One way of accomplishing this goal is to educate students in different parts of the world as well as in diversified cultures.

Art Program