Brigtsen

The event will honor Chef Frank Brigtsen, who trained under internationally renowned Chef Paul Prudhomme and is now the co-owner of New Orleans’ Brigtsen’s Restaurant and Charlie’s Seafood with his wife, Marna.

Shaya

The evening’s dinner will feature dishes created by distinguished visiting chef and Philadelphia native Alon Shaya. Attendees will enjoy Shaya’s wild mushroom vellutata, with truffle bruschetta; beet and blood orange salad with fresh herbs, hazelnut vinaigrette and arugula; slow roasted pork coppa, whole grain polenta and artichokes “stracotto”; and banana zuppa inglese with peanut brittle.

An associate of 2011 Lafcadio Hearn honoree Chef John Besh, Shaya forged a partnership with Besh in 2008 to open Domenica, a family-oriented Italian restaurant in New Orleans’ Historic Roosevelt Hotel.

The Nicholls award dinner will begin with a cocktail reception at 6 p.m., followed by the distinguished visiting chef’s presentation and dinner at 7 p.m., in the Cotillion Ballroom of the Bollinger Memorial Student Union at Nicholls.

Tickets are $150 per plate and must be purchased by Monday, Feb. 27. For reservations, call 985-449-7114.

“The group’s goal is not to teach French so much as to use, practice, hear and communicate in French,” Dr. Robin White, group coordinator and visiting assistant professor of English and French, said. “We wish to create community in French. With that said, beginners are welcome, but they may simply play the role of listeners, since participation involves speaking in French.”

White said the group is the brainchild of Mohamed Belaiche, a Thibodaux elementary school teacher and member of the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana.

“He saw the importance of having a community-based French group to help preserve French in the Bayou Region,” White said.

Meetings are scheduled each Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Wetlands Acadian Culture Center at 314 St. Mary Street – with the exception of the second Tuesday of each month, when the group meets in 206 Peltier Hall on the Nicholls State University campus.

A special early meeting at Nicholls, scheduled at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 14, will offer details on a planned 2013 pilgrimage to Loudon, France, an ancestral village of the Acadians. The remaining meetings in February and March will feature presentations on various Francophone countries and regions.

The group’s coordinators include Belaiche; White; Kelly Blanchard, a retired teacher from Labadieville; and Ray Malbrough, a Houma resident and member of La Table Francaise.

For additional information, call White at 985-448-4854

Jubilee began in 1998 as part of the university’s 50th anniversary celebration and has become an annual tradition that draws thousands of locals, tourists and academics to share in the arts and humanities. Highlights of this year’s schedule include the Fourth Annual Louisiana Swamp Stomp Festival, a modern take on “Romeo and Juliet,” a performance by jazz pianist Ronnie Cole, Research Week, the Ninth Annual Jambalaya Writers’ Conference featuring Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Bragg, a lecture by author Wes Moore and various other musical, artistic and literary events.

“Every year we have parents, children and grandparents who attend multiple events, and every year I am impressed with the creative variety of our artistic and educational offerings,” Angela Hammerli, festival coordinator, said. “I encourage everyone in the region to make plans to attend this year’s festival!”

For a complete schedule, go to nicholls.edu/jubilee. Many events are free and open to the public, but some require paid admission or advance reservations. Such instances are noted in the schedule.

Jubilee sponsors this year include the Terrebonne Parish Public Library System; Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program; Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development; Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council and the Houma Regional Arts Council; Friends of Terrebonne Parish Public Library; Capitol One Bank; First American Bank; Thibodaux Music Club; Nicholls Artists and Lectures Committee; and Student Programming Association

For additional information, call (985) 448-4273 or go to nicholls.edu/jubilee.

Saturday, Feb. 11

Merker-Adamik Duo Guest Artist Recital

The international artists Martin Merker, cellist, and Anna Adamik, pianist, will perform a concert of Hungarian music, including several compositions by the composer Liszt. The duo performed in Budapest last year in commemoration of Liszt’s 200th birthday.

Talbot Theater, Nicholls, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16

The Nicholls Camerata with Martin Merker

A student string ensemble, the Camerata will appear with cellist Martin Merker, a member of Camerata Bern in Switzerland. He will perform the Filtz Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String Orchestra and the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Violins, with students Gilson J. Cornelio Filho, freshman from Recife, Brazil, and Benita Dzhurkova, freshman from Burgas, Bulgaria. The Nicholls Camerata, a small chamber orchestra featuring students on violin, viola, cello, bass and harpsichord, was formed in 2010 under the direction of violinist James Alexander, faculty head of the string program, who performs with the group.

St. Francis de Sales Cathedral, 500 Goode Street, Houma, 7 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16

Jack Gibbons Guest Artist Recital

Steinway pianist Jack Gibbons has established a reputation as one of the world’s best interpreters of the music of George Gershwin. Hailed by the BBC as “the Gershwin pianist of our time,” Gibbons regularly receives standing ovations during his concerts at New York’s Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall.

Talbot Theater, Nicholls, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 17

The Nicholls Camerata with Martin Merker

The ensemble will repeat its performance in Thibodaux.

St. Joseph Co-Cathedral, 721 Canal Blvd., Thibodaux, 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, Feb. 23

Michael Bartnik Faculty Recital

An assistant professor of woodwinds at Nicholls, Dr. Michael Bartnik has performed extensively in concert halls throughout much of the United States and Europe. Some of his notable performance venues include Cadogan Hall in London, the Meyerson Symphony Center in Dallas and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles.

Talbot Theater, Nicholls, 7:30 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 24

The Second Annual Negro Spiritual Concert

Celebrate Black History Month with distinguished guest artists, faculty and students from Nicholls, Louisiana State University, the University of New Orleans, Xavier University, Dillard University and Loyola University. This event is co-sponsored by the Student Programming Association.

St. John’s Episcopal Church, 718 Jackson Street, Thibodaux, 7:30 p.m.

To learn more about the Nicholls Department of Music, including a full performance calendar, go to nicholls.edu/perform.

Free and open to the public, the performance will showcase cellist Martin Merker, a member of Camerata Bern in Switzerland, as guest soloist. He will perform the Filtz Cello Concerto, Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for String Orchestra and the Vivaldi Concerto for Two Violins, with students Gilson J. Cornelio Filho, freshman from Recife, Brazil, and Benita Dzhurkova, freshman from Burgas, Bulgaria.

The Nicholls Camerata, a small chamber orchestra featuring students on violin, viola, cello, bass and harpsichord, was formed in 2010 under the direction of violinist James Alexander, faculty head of the string program, who performs with the group.

For additional information, call (985) 448-4600 or go to nicholls.edu/perform/. A full schedule of performances by students and faculty of the Department of Music is available at nicholls.edu/perform/calendar/.

Pictured from left, in the Michele D. Guidry Executive MBA Classroom at Nicholls State University, are Brett Cazenave, MBA student from Vacherie; Michelle Connell, chartered financial advisor and partner with Innovator VC Due Diligence; Aaron Ayme, MBA graduate from Destrehan; Nolan Dumas, MBA graduate from Thibodaux; Kevin Gibson, senior finance major from Houma; and Brad LeBoeuf, MBA student from Larose.

The contest requires team members to analyze a public company, write a comprehensive report and present stock recommendations to a panel of experts. The Nicholls team, under the mentorship of Michelle P. Connell, a chartered financial advisor from Houston, Texas, analyzed the performance of GameStop, the world’s largest multichannel video game retailer.

“These guys on the Nicholls team are our rock stars, in terms of their analytical skills,” Dr. John Lajaunie, professor of finance and faculty advisor, said. “Competing institutions include Tulane, LSU, Rice University, Texas A&M and other top schools, so this contest puts our students in the class of competition where they belong.”

Lajaunie handpicked the members of the Nicholls team with Dr. Shari Lawrence, associate professor of finance. Team members, who have been researching GameStop since November 2011, include Aaron Ayme, Brett Cazenave, Nolan Dumas, Kevin Gibson and Brad LeBeouf.

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for some of our best students to compete with students from top business schools on a real-world project,” Dr. Shawn Mauldin, dean of the College of Business Administration, said. “It also provides great exposure for Nicholls and our college.”

The participants took advantage of recently acquired Nicholls technology, via the Michele D. Guidry Executive MBA Classroom, to prepare their entry. Dedicated in May 2011, the classroom accommodates 20 students in a boardroom environment and includes a viewing monitor that allows interactive writing and recording on the screen, ceiling-mounted surround speakers and a high resolution projector.

To learn more about the competition, as well as the CFA Institute, go to cfainstitute.org/partners/challenge/Pages/index.aspx.

Distance learning allows students and teachers to take advantage of Internet technology to remove the burdens of time and location that might otherwise hinder some students’ progress toward graduation.

Dr. Andrew Simoncelli, coordinator of distance learning at Nicholls, said the boost in distance-learning offerings at Nicholls is the result of increased student demand and increased comfort among faculty with the required technology.

“In 2010, the university increased its support of faculty training for online teaching,” Simoncelli said. “In addition to internal training with the Center for Advancing Faculty Engagement (CAFÉ), the university provided funding for faculty members to take a two-week, online training course via the Quality Matters Program. So far, 139 faculty members have completed the training, with more scheduled to take the course this semester.”

Simoncelli said the validity of such courses was questioned in the early years of online learning because it took place outside the classroom, but the passage of time has eased distance learning into the academic mainstream, especially at Nicholls. In fall 2011, the Faculty Senate approved the Distance Education Policies and Procedures manual, available at nicholls.edu/distance.

“This document was the first of its kind on campus to provide some guidelines in offering distance learning courses,” Simoncelli said.

Current online courses at Nicholls are listed at nicholls.edu/distance/spring-2012-online-courses. Every academic college is represented.

Attendees had the opportunity to network with Nicholls personnel at an invitational dinner in the Bollinger Memorial Student Union, after which they received official scholarship letters and toured the campus. Pictured is David Gravois, admissions counselor, speaking with Erin Ockman (far right), a Central Lafourche High School senior from Raceland, and her parents Yvonne and Ron Ockman. Admissions counselors were on hand each night to assist attendees with admissions forms and answer questions. For additional information about Nicholls admissions procedures and standards, go to nicholls.edu/admission/admissions-requirements/.

Pictured from left are Robert Naquin, Tri-Parish Market President of Capital One Bank, and Dr. David Boudreaux, Vice President For Institutional Advancement at Nicholls.

“Nicholls is very appreciative of the continued support that Capital One Bank provides to our students,” Dr. David Boudreaux, vice president for institutional advancement, said. “Capital One’s focus on providing assistance to students who are academically qualified but whose families are economically challenged is most significant. Working with Robert Naquin, Tri-Parish Market President of Capital One Bank, the Nicholls Foundation and the university are able to assist those whose financial needs might otherwise prevent them from achieving their goals of graduating from college.”

Paul Terrebonne

Paul Terrebonne, senior culinary major from Larose, won top honors at the regional competition in San Antonio, Texas, this week. Terrebonne’s winning dish included pan roasted red snapper with corn maque choux puree; Jazzmen Rice prepared with Abita Beer; and a confetti of pickled vegetables.

“I couldn’t be prouder of a JFCI student,” Chef Randy Cheramie, executive director of the institute, said. “Paul exhibits so many of the traits we want all our graduates to possess. His technique was flawless, and his work was clean, lean and smart.”

Terrebonne will take his winning recipes to Napa Valley, Calif., in March – joined by Cheramie, his advisor and mentor – to compete against nine additional regional winners from the United States and Canada. For further information, go to almostfamouschef.com.