University President

TO: NSU Administrators, Faculty, Staff
FROM: Stephen T. Hulbert, President

In an effort to collect and organize documentation that will be submitted as evidence of compliance with the SACS principles of accreditation, please adhere to the following procedure:

Forward to Laynie Pizzolatto, via email or disk, the following documents originating from your office or from any committee(s) which you have chaired. The documents should be in electronic format word document, pdf file or hyperlink. If only hardcopies are available, please assist Laynie in converting them to electronic format by retyping them in Word, or by scanning them. As a last resort, if you do not have the resources to convert hardcopies to electronic format, then send the hardcopy to Laynie 101 White Hall.

1. Electronic copies of all future forms, policies and procedures, handbooks, manuals.

2. Electronic copies of all future official minutes of meetings. On minutes indicate where hard copies of distributed handouts or attachments may be found.

3. Electronic copies of all current policies and procedures.

4. Electronic copies of all current forms.

5. Electronic copies of your most recent five year program reviews.

6. Electronic copies of any minutes of meetings for past three years, if available.

7. Electronic copies of any documents that show evidence of continuous improvement of University programs and services.

8. Electronic copies of currently used manuals, handbooks, or guides developed by your office.

9. Electronic copies of any other documents you believe should be archived for future reference and accreditation purposes.

These documents will be organized and placed on the M drive in the new admins folder as read only files. All University personnel will have access to these files.

The intent is to have an electronic system for categorizing and archiving all important communications and documents that impact our University activities and operations.

Your cooperation in this massive endeavor is greatly appreciated.

TO: The University Community
FROM: Stephen T. Hulbert, President

Through this communication, I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Carroll J. Falcon to the position of Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, effective July 1, 2004. Dr. Falcon was selected from a strong pool of 69 applicants including three other very talented finalists.

With Nicholls facing a transition to more selective admissions standards and preparing for its COC/SACS accreditation visit in 2006, the breadth of senior academic administrative experience that Dr. Falcon brings to the provostship is most attractive. Dr. Falcon’s genuine desire to return to the campus level and to Nicholls in particular makes his 11 years of system level experience all the more valuable as the University seeks to meet the challenges ahead.

I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Betty Kleen as Chair of the Search Committee and to each of her Committee members for an extraordinarily professional and thorough recruitment effort. Comments by both applicants and individuals providing reference support acknowledged just how thorough the search effort was from beginning to end.

I know the campus community will join me in welcoming Dr. Falcom on his return to Nicholls. Together this summer we will move to introduce the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs function as the second officer of the University. Your support in that effort will be most appreciated.

I cannot close this correspondence without acknowledging the work of Mr. Larry Howell in the interim vice presidency. His leadership, hard work and willingness to take on challenging tasks has made him invaluable to my transition into this Nicholls presidency.

TO: Faculty and Staff
FROM: Stephen T. Hulbert, President

Nicholls State University has been notified of its preliminary operating budget for fiscal year 04-05 by the Office of Planning and Budget for the State of Louisiana. Mandated, unfunded cost increases for group insurance (active and retired employees), employer retirement contributions as well as cost increases for civil service merits/annualization presently total $1,689,094. Other additional state funded adjustments reduce that figure slightly, and as of this writing, the net impact on our proposed fiscal year 04-05 operating budget from these state level actions is a negative impact of $1,565,310.

A 3% tuition increase has already been approved and this will help offset slightly less than 38-40% of the impact, however we are facing additional increases in scholarships, accreditation related cost, inflationary cost and utility cost.

Because of all these things, and after careful consideration, the President’s Cabinet has agreed that a contingency plan needs to be formulated whereby the University can reduce its budget while retaining its focus on the maintenance of FTEs with no reduction of services. At this time, I am requesting that the vice presidents reduce their area budgets by 4% for fiscal year 04-05. The 4% reduction will be based on 4% of each area’s total budget for fiscal year 03-04.

The potential for budget reductions has been there in the past and, often, the necessary resources have been found. Obviously, this leaves the University community wondering why affect cuts this time. The answer is that with absolutely no assurances that resources will be appropriated this year, I must protect the financial and operating integrity of the University. To do otherwise would put Nicholls and its academic programs at risk.

I very much appreciate that this action will create significant hardship campus-wide. That is why I have agreed to an approach that leaves the decisions to the deans and their respective vice presidents. Please keep in mind that this is strictly a contingency plan at this point in time. Thank you for your cooperation and patience in this difficult matter.

To: Faculty, Staff and Students
From: Stephen T. Hulbert, President

When I arrived on campus last July to assume the role of president of Nicholls State University, I came believing that I knew a great deal about this fine young regional institution. And, comparatively speaking, I did. What I did not know was that I would soon be involved with an issue that was emotionally charged for so many and yet such a “back burner” subject when compared to the great and exciting challenges that we face as an academic community.

At a meeting with campus student leaders late in November, the president of a student organization asked if it were not time to change the costume of our mascot. Because this was an issue raised by a student leader, the Student Government Association agreed to explore student opinion on the matter. Since that time, I have let the process take its course within the student body.

The mascot question received varying degrees of attention in the national and state media. Nicholls students handled the issue with general calm and dignity, and I commend them for that. SGA sought student input through the use of questionnaires, and the Department of Mass Communication conducted an open forum on the issue. Finally, the SGA President submitted the recommendation that the mascot not be changed but that perhaps it be updated to reflect current history.

During the time that the students were involved in the process to bring a recommendation forward, I sought further information about the history and background of our mascot. Several facts have emerged. First, the colonel mascot can be traced to the early days of this institution, when ROTC was a real presence on this campus and when the rank of cadet colonel was the highest cadet rank attainable. Second, over a period of years the uniform of the mascot has taken on similarities reminiscent of Civil War history.

Additionally, I learned that several years ago the University began to eliminate the use of the colonel caricature starting first with merchandise being sold through the Bookstore. No formal action was taken, however, to fully eliminate use of the caricature and the costumed mascot continued to be seen at athletic events. These are the facts as I have learned them.

It is my intention to move beyond the mascot issue in order that Nicholls State University may focus on the real challenges it faces: securing the resources to enhance our university’s future; making certain that we become an even more student-friendly campus when it comes to providing support services efficiently and effectively, helping to recruit an even greater number of highly-qualified students to this campus by fall of 2005, and modernizing our campus facilities so that our students enjoy a more appealing learning environment.

To that end and with the advice and consent of the President’s Cabinet, I have decided to retire the colonel caricature and the current mascot costume. The University will maintain the registration on the caricature mark.

The Colonel is and will remain the mascot designation for Nicholls State University and its intercollegiate athletics program. At some point in the near future, the University will employ the services of a branding consultant to help identify just how best to portray Nicholls State University to the broader community. I am confident that out of that process campus brands, marks and other imagery will evolve that are both more contemporary and more representative of the University in the twenty-first century.