Nicholls State University

MASS
COMMUNICATION

DEPARTMENT MENU

Welcome to the Department of Mass Communication

The department's mission, reflected in its focus on a broad-based education, is to prepare students for careers in industries requiring mass communication skills and to be successful contributing members of society.

The faculty strives to help students develop professional skills and values needed for successful careers in mass-media-related fields, while acquiring a base of general knowledge and developing critical thinking skills.

Faculty members work to insure that skills courses reflect current industry standards. Students are strongly encouraged to set up internships and acquire professional experience in traditional course work through service-learning projects, practicums and projects involving media or public relations organizations.

Dr. Al Delahaye

1929-2021

Founder of the Department of Mass Communication

DEPARTMENTS & DEGREE PROGRAMS

FACILITIES

The Mass Communication Department’s convergence media center in Talbot Hall brings all student media into one space allowing students to work more collaboratively, produce content across platforms (KNSU-TV, KNSU-FM, The Nicholls Worth and La Pirogue), and in a professional environment.

STUDENT PUBLICATIONS

NEWS & EVENTS

MACO News

Two MACO seniors inducted into Nicholls Hall of Fame

Mass Communication Seniors Trevor Tabor and Bryce Whittington were inducted into the Nicholls State University Hall of Fame Wednesday night. Congratulations Trevor and Bryce.

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MACO Events

Grammy-winning blues artist Chris Thomas King Performing Feb. 15

Grammy-winning blues artist Chris Thomas King is scheduled to present “Rhythm of Resistance” at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 in the Mary and Al Danos Theater …

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MACO News

MACO Student Team Ranks in National Journalism Competition for 2nd Time

Nicholls State University’s Department of Mass Communication placed 12th in the Hearst Journalism Awards Program’s Team Digital News/Enterprise Competition, according to a May 11 announcement …

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MACO News

The DeSalvo-Callais Convergence Center ribbon cutting

The DeSalvo-Callais Convergence Center ribbon cutting took place yesterday. A huge thanks to Tina DeSalvo-Callais, her husband Cory Callais, their families, and all who attended. …

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MACO News

MACO Students Present Research

Nicholls Mass Communication students Gabrielle Chaisson and Hannah Robert are at #lsudiscover day presenting their project “Saving the Ghosts Within”. This project, which they completed …

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MACO News

MACO Students to lead SPA

MACO-PR majors Trevor Tabor and Jeanne Marie Young have been elected as president and vice president for Student Programming Association 2022-2023.

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MACO News

Four Inducted into Kappa Tau Alpha

Nicholls State University’s Department of Mass Communication inducted four members into its chapter of Kappa Tau Alpha, a journalism and mass communication honor society founded …

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MACO News

MACO hosts Dr. Jinx Broussard for Black History Month

MACO hosted a powerful Black History Month Program featuring Dr. Jinx Broussard. Dr. Broussard is an award-winning media historian who has accomplished many “firsts” in …

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Speech Forum April 26

Date: Tuesday, April 26Time: 7 pmTopic: Should the federal government forgive student debt? This term’s forum will be on Tuesday, April 26 at 7 pm …

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MACO News

MACO Student Team Ranks in National Journalism Competition

The Hearst Journalism Awards program Tuesday morning, June 2, announced that Nicholls State University placed 20th in the national Team Multimedia Competition – Digital News/Enterprise …

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Fall 2019 Speech Forum Debater Try-Outs

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MACO Events

Speech Forum Spring 2019 Results

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CAREERS

  • Writer and producer of documentaries for the History Channel, A & E, and the Discovery Channel
  • Senior producer with the promotions department of Fox 59 WXIN and WTTZ in Indianapolis
  • International broadcaster for the Voice of America in Washington, D.C.
  • Founder of Defining Image, which creates custom training programs, communication pieces, videotapes, writes training manuals, and produces commercials
  • Director of student media University of North Carolina at Charlotte
  • Producer, TV commercials for Cox Media in New Orleans Online and visual effects editor for the Storyville Post in New Orleans for such clients as the New Orleans Saints, Zatarain’s, Red Lobster, Louisiana Office of Tourism, and many other regional and national clients
  • Reporter/Photographer/Producer for Newstalk 10 for HTV
  • Senior reporter for WGNO Television in New Orleans
  • Talk show host for WGNO Television in New Orleans
  • News anchor for WGNO Television in New Orleans
  • Northshore Bureau Coordinator for WWL-TV in New Orleans, LA
  • Broadcast, PR and makeup for AMS Production Company in Dallas, TX
  • Director of Student Media and Publications at Tulane University
  • News anchor at HTV in Houma
  • Copy editor at the News & Record in Greensboro, N.C.
  • Copy editor for the Louisville Courier-Journal in Louisville, KY
  • Reporter for the Miami Herald
  • Page one editor of the Wall Street Journal
  • Communications Director for a Hispanic newspaper called Mundo Hispano
  • Creator and director of the www.dallasnews.com/punch button website (Dallas Morning News)
  • News editor in the Business and Features sections at The Times-Picayune and copy editor for the paper’s weekly edition of InsideOut
  • Reporter for the Houma Daily Courier
  • Design and layout for Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries in Baton Rouge as a Publications Officer
  • Editing and layout of the Louisiana Conservationist magazine
  • Graphic designer for the Louisiana Department of Education
  • Public Information Officer for the Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office
  • Public Relations Coordinator for the Ritz-Carlton in Little Rock, AR
  • Executive director of the Louisiana Bar Association(LBA)
  • Communications Coordinator for Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) in Baton Rouge
  • Public relations associate for Rafael Bermudez & Associates in Baton Rouge
  • Public relations manager for Willis-Knighton Health System in Shreveport
  • Director of Communications for the Houma Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Assistant vice president for Institutional Advancement and director of development at Nicholls State University
  • Executive Director of Restore or Retreat at Nicholls State University
  • Public Information Specialist in the Office of University Relations at Nicholls State
  • Director of Promotions for Warner Bros Television
  • Marketing and Advertising Coordinator for the Army Community Service Center in Schweinfurt, Germany
  • Creative Supervisor for Creative Marketing Sales, Inc.
  • National Casino Marketing Coordinator for Harrah’s Casino in New Orleans, LA
  • Marketing Director at BOSS Industries
  • Director of Marketing for the Houma Area Convention and Visitors Bureau
  • Founder of KSM Advertising, L.L.C., a full service advertising agency that offers Television and Radio Production, Design, Media Placement, Marketing and Public Relations
  • Executive Director for Louisiana Oil Marketers and Convenience Store Association in Baton Rouge, LA
  • Marketing Coordinator for the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center.
  • Director of Marketing for auxiliary services at Nicholls State
  • Novelist
  • Senior producer at Towers Production in Chicago
  • Human Resource Analyst for the Department of Corrections headquarters in Baton Rouge, LA
  • Financial planner for McMakin Financial, a subsidiary of Sanders, Morris, Harris Group (SMHG) in Houston, TX
  • Working with Averett College in admissions
  • Photographer’s assistant
  • Surplus lines insurance broker selling commercial property and casualty insurance to independent Louisiana & Mississippi agents
  • Executive Editor of HOUMA.COM
  • Grants Administrator for Houma Regional Arts
  • Dean of Students at LaSalle University in Kansas City
  • Motor Vehicle Compliance Analyst 4 for the OMV Mobile Customer Service Center
  • Instructor in the Department of Languages and Literature and Director of the Writing Across the Curriculum Center at Nicholls State University
  • Full-service eBay Trading Assistant and doing retail sales via the Web sites Amazon.com, half.com and his own dudestuff.com http://www.dudestuff
  • Regional manager of contracting and network development for Tenet Healthcare
  • Trainer and course writer for the Army’s tactical Internet system
  • Assistant professor of English at East Carolina University

ACCREDITATION

The Accrediting Council on Education in Journalism and Mass Communications (ACEJMC) is the agency responsible for the evaluation of professional journalism and mass communications programs in colleges and universities.

ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

Keitha Nelson-Williams, Spring 2004 Nicholls graduate, has earned an Edward R. Murrow award and a Peabody award for hurricane coverage as a part of the WLOX news team, an Emmy with ABC 57 News and received an Award of Excellence in Broadcast Journalism from Women in Media. A New York native, the Anchor / Reporter for First Coast News in Jacksonville, Florida, attended Nicholls on a track scholarship. As an undergraduate, she was a member of the Xi Theta chapter of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and served as president of the Radio and Television Digital News Association.

Keitha Nelson-Williams, ’04
DEGREE: Bachelor of Arts, Mass 
CAREER: Anchor / Reporter First Coast News

STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS

Public Relations Society of America

Radio Television Digital News Association

Society of Professional Journalists

Kappa Tau Alpha (Honorary)

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT

You’ll be in a department where everybody knows your name and doesn’t forget it.

The MACO department is truly a family, and we want you to be a part of it. The students look out for each other. The faculty have the students’ best interests at heart. And these relationships will last past graduation. We keep up with our graduates, and our faculty often serve as career mentors many years down the road. 

You’ll have fun both in and out of the classroom.

MACO students say that our department has some of the most fun faculty and best experiences you can get at Nicholls. Our classes encourage lively discussion and debate, our students have a blast with group projects, and our faculty have a camaraderie that can be matched by no other. You’ll often find MACO majors having fun in the hallways or the faculty playing a competitive game of Trivial Pursuit at lunchtime! 

You can travel with our student organizations.

Want to see the country? Well pack your bags because this department is on the move! Travel with our student organizations and student media to conferences in places like New York City, Miami, Dallas, Kansas City, Atlanta, Las Vegas and more. Not only do you get to visit new places, you get to meet new people and make unforgettable memories! 

Department advising will keep you on track both academically and professionally.

In the MACO department, faculty advisers are with you every step of the way. Not only do they help you manage your degree plan, they also help you find internships, academic assistance, scholarships and even that first job! 

You can get real-world experience with internships and student media.

We all know that employers want to hire people with a college degree AND experience. So start working on that resume! With two New York Times, Inc. affiliated newspapers within 15 miles of campus and the New Orleans market only an hour’s drive, you can get that experience you need! We can help you find internships with public relations agencies, local hospitals, print and broadcast outlets and more! And with a campus newspaper, yearbook, and radio station within the department, the opportunities are endless! 

You can express yourself creatively.

Want an opportunity to let that creative side grow? Then we’ve got lots of opportunities for you! From feature writing to advertising design. From public relations campaigns to television packages. From having your own show at KNSU (campus radio) to having an opinion column in The Nicholls Worth (campus newspaper), you can let those creative juices flow! 

It’s not just what you know, it’s who you know.

We know how important it is to network, network, network! You’ll have regular opportunities to meet and converse with professionals in broadcasting, print journalism and public relations. Through events featuring guest speakers, the annual media ethics panel, field trips and various alumni gatherings, you’ll have a long list of contacts when you graduate and look for that first job. 

You’ll work in state-of-the-art facilities.

As a MACO student, you’ll learn and work in our state-of-the-art computer lab where you’ll use Mac computers with all of the latest programs. The lab is also equipped with SMART technology for interactive learning. And the technology doesn’t stop there. The TV studio and the Student Publications program both have excellent technology for you to experience! 

You’ll have a variety of career options when you graduate.

The skills you’ll learn in any concentration can be cross-applied in fields such as editing, graphic design, political science, marketing, sales and technical writing. MACO students excel in writing and communication skills which are frequently cited by employers as critical skills for any job applicant. And if you are thinking about continuing your education, you’ll be happy to hear that many of our students have gone on to successfully complete graduate and law programs at universities across the country. 

You’ll be in the know about what’s happening on campus, locally and nationally.

Not only will you be learning about mass communication, you’ll have numerous opportunities to be a practicing journalist. Through your classes, student media and internship opportunities, and guest speaker programs, you’ll make connections with campus leaders, local business and community leaders, and numerous MACO alumni who have made a name for themselves on national and international levels.

1. Whom do I see for more information about Journalism or Public Relations?

You can see any of our faculty members who teach in the area of interest. Their contact information can be found on the faculty page. The faculty member’s area of teaching is listed along with phone numbers, email addresses and office locations. If a faculty member is unavailable, please contact our department’s administrative assistant Mrs. Marnya Forbes and she will be able to help you. She can be reached at 985-448-4586 or 102 Talbot Hall. 

2. What are the two areas of concentration in the Mass Communication degree?

Students majoring in Mass Communication can choose one of 2 specialties: Journalism or Public Relations.

3. What courses do I have to take to major in  Journalism or Public Relations?

Check out our degree programs for curriculum and course requirements.

4. Who is my advisor?

If you do not have an advisor yet, our department adminstrative assistant Mrs. Marnya Forbes will assign you one of our faculty members. She can be reached at 985-448-4586 or 102 Talbot Hall.

5. Are there scholarships available to students majoring in Mass Communication?

Yes. There are currrently 10 scholarships dedicated to Mass Communication majors. About $17,000 was awarded last year to Mass Communication majors from these scholarships. You can find out more about available scholarships at the scholarships page or our website. 

6. When are available scholarships posted?

Scholarship openings are announced after mid-term of every semester. You will hear it in your MACO classes, see flyers on bulletin boards, our social media accounts and a posting on our website.

7. Can I major in two areas of Mass Communication?

Yes. But see your advisor first for the pros and cons. 

8. Are Internships available?

Yes. Many of our juniors and seniors find internships that offer experience in their field before graduation. Some internships are already established and others are found by the students themselves.

You should be a junior or senior most of your concentration coursework completed before applying for an internship so you to have skills to impress the employer offering the internship.

You can get more details from your advisor and in the MACO Internship Handbook.

Public Relations

http://www.prssa.org/ – Public Relations Student Society of America
http://www.prsa.org/ – Public Relations Society of America
http://aboutpublicrelations.net/ – About Public Relations with Steven R. Van Hook

Broadcast Journalism

http://www.khake.com/page43.html – Broadcast Media and Journalism Career Guide
http://www.thebroadcaster.com/ – Broadcast Journalism Links
http://www.rtnda.org/ – The Radio-Television News Directors Association is the world’s largest professional organization devoted exclusively to electronic journalism. RTNDA represents local and network news executives in broadcasting, cable and other electronic media in more than 30 countries.
http://www.nab.org/ – National Association of Broadcasters

Print Journalism

http://www.spj.org/ – The Society of Professional Journalists is dedicated to the perpetuation of a free press as the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.
http://www.journalism.org/ – Research, Resources and Ideas to Improve Journalism
http://www.poynter.org/ – Poynter Institute online

Mass Communication

http://www.aejmc.org/ – The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication is a non-profit, educational association of journalism and mass communication faculty, administrators, students and media professionals
http://www.kappataualpha.org/ – Kappa Tau Alpha is a college honor society that recognizes academic excellence and promotes scholarship in journalism and mass communication.​

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CONTACT INFORMATION

Department of Mass Communication (MACO)

Office Location

102 Talbot Hall

Mailing Address

PO Box 2031, Thibodaux, LA 70310

Phone

985.448.4586
fax: 985.448.4577

Email

Dr. James Stewart, Head

CAMPUS LOCATION

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