THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University recognized Laynie Barrilleaux’s broad impact by awarding her emeritus status during Fall Convocation.  Barrilleaux (MBA, ‘80) served as vice president of Academic Affairs from 2011 to 2015, when she retired.  “This is a wonderful university. To feel like I made a contribution after all these years, it warms my heart,” Barrilleaux said. “What more can I say, I’m thrilled.” During her 32 years, Barrilleaux played various roles across campus.  She served as assistant vice president of Academic Affairs from 2005 to 2010.  Barrilleaux led Nicholls through reaccreditation and recertification with the National Collegiate Athletic…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University invites you to explore Louisiana’s coastal land loss this fall through the work of an artist and alum.  Prints and mixed media works by Ernest Milsted (BA ‘02) combine to create “White Boots and Black Ink: Recent Work by Ernest Milsted.”  The exhibit opens Monday, Aug. 19 and will run until Friday, Sept. 6. Open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, at the Ameen Art Gallery in Talbot Hall, the event is free and open to the public. Louisiana is losing 25 to 35 square miles of wetlands per year, according to…...

Dr. Raj Boopathy (Misty Leigh McElroy/Nicholls State University) THIBODAUX, La. — A Nicholls biology professor has been selected to visit Indonesia in August as part of the World Class Professor program. Dr. Raj Boopathy, Alcee Fortier Distinguished Professor of Biological Sciences, will visit the Institute of Technology, Bandung, for two weeks. The Indonesian government only awards 10 World Class Professorships every year, and it is based on research output and publication record. Dr. Boopathy’s work has been cited more than 7,000 times worldwide. “It is a big honor to be selected as a World Class Professor,” he said. “This says…...

Photo: From left Nicholls Foundation Executive Director Jeremy Becker, Alumni Federation Board President Archie Chaisson, Nicholls Director of Alumni Affairs Katherine Mabile, Peltier Foundation Board Member Stephen Peltier, Nicholls First Lady Allison Clune and Nicholls President Dr. Jay Clune. THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University and the Peltier Foundation are proud to announce another donation to the Peltier Foundation Nicholls Alumni Legacy Scholarship.  Since 2016, the Peltier Foundation has given $75,000 to the scholarship, which has benefitted six students since being created.  “We wanted to create legacy scholarships designed for students who are children of Nicholls alumni,” said Peltier Foundation…...

THIBODAUX – The Nicholls State University Emergency Preparedness Committee has initiated a Phase 1 alert as Tropical Cyclone 2 approaches South Louisiana, bringing the potential of heavy rainfall and winds to the Bayou Region.  At this time, all classes and campus activities are currently continuing as scheduled. The Committee initiated the alert in accordance with the university’s Hurricane Emergency Plan, posted at emergency.nicholls.edu. It is possible that several inches of rain will fall in our area between today and Sunday. Please stay weather aware by monitoring local media and nicholls.edu for updates. The Nicholls community is encouraged to prioritize their…...

Nicholls culinary department head Chef John Kozar and assistant professor Chef Don Kasten answer a question from LSU Health New Orleans student Kelsey Lacourrege about a tabbouleh salad aimed to prevent and control hypertension, which the med students were learning to prepare. (Cain Madden/Nicholls State University) THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University is proud to announce a partnership with the LSU Health New Orleans to offer a two-week course in culinary medicine beginning this summer.  Nine third-year LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine students are studying the effects that nutrition can have on preventing and treating chronic diseases, as…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University’s health sciences degree program has been ranked as one of the best in the country by HealthcareAdministrationDegrees.net.  Twenty-five schools were included in the ranking with Nicholls at No. 14 as the only school in Louisiana to make the list.  Using National Center for Education Statistics data, the website reviewed mid-career graduate pay, student retention rates, average SAT scores of accepted students, student reviews and affordability to assign scores from 0-100.  Citing Nicholls Allied Health Sciences comprehensive curriculum, which is designed for both entry-level students and credentialed healthcare professionals, as well as student reviews and…...

Members of the Nicholls Education Association of Teachers pose for a photo during the 2018 Welcome Back Day.(Misty Leigh McElroy/Nicholls State University) THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University has been ranked one of the Top 50 schools for education majors by online educational resource, Study.com. Nicholls came in at No. 45 and was the only school from Louisiana in the Top 50. The website considered accredited, non-profit public and private schools and ranked them using data from the U.S. Department of Education, as well as university specific details, to determine each schools affordability, accessibility and quality. The organization looked at…...

Dr. Scot Rademaker THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University is excited to welcome Dr. Scot Rademaker as the dean of the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Rademaker, the chair of the Division of Education and assistant professor at The College of New Rochelle in New York, will fill the position, which has been vacant since August 2018. Dr. Steven Welsh served as interim dean during the search process. “I’m excited to join the Nicholls State University family,” Dr. Rademaker said. “The combination of teacher education and psychology in the college first attracted me to Nicholls. As I went…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls performing arts campers invite you to Whoville next weekend as they host a production of “Seussical, Jr.” The play features 53 campers, ages 7 to 17, performing the musical at the Mary and Al Danos Theater. “Seussical” debuted on Broadway in 2000, having been written by Tony-award winners Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty as an adaptation from children’s stories by Dr. Seuss. The story largely revolves around “Horton Hears a Who,” which is a book about an elephant tasked with protecting the tiny planet on a speck of dust containing the Whos and Whoville. The journey…...

THIBODAUX, La. — The Nicholls Foundation and Alumni Federation invite you to join them and Nicholls President Dr. Jay and Allison Clune for a trip to Spain in early 2020. The group will depart from New Orleans on Jan. 29th and return Feb. 7, after spending three nights in Madrid, two nights in Seville and three nights in Barcelona. Highlights of the trip include the Prado Museum and Royal Palace in Madrid; the Giralda Tower, the bell tower of a cathedral, and Plaza de España in Seville; and the Sagrada Familia, a Roman Catholic church, and the Gothic Quarter with…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University has been named a “Top University Sales Program” by the Sales Education Foundation for 2019. The list includes more than 150 schools, both in the U.S. and internationally, and only five from Louisiana. The honor was published in the Sales Education Annual magazine. Of Nicholls, the magazine points out the program boasts a 95 percent job placement rate, a sales lab and the annual Bayou Sales Challenge, a regional intercollegiate sales role-play competition hosted by the College of Business Administration each spring. The Annual mentions, “Nicholls also has a cross-disciplinary degree program with finance…...

THIBODAUX, La. — The Nicholls Art Department raised the bar yet again with the annual spring art exhibit and fundraiser, Art Works, which set a profit record for the second consecutive year. Held on April 2, the event raised more than $39,000, topping last year’s record-setting $30,000. Art Works benefits students through scholarships, grants and equipment and technology upgrades. Since its inception in 2014, Art Works has funded more than $45,000 in scholarships and even more for grants that have helped more than 25 students host exhibits and attend conferences across the country. Known for its tours, demonstrations, hands-on activities…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University was once again well-represented at the Louisiana Chapter of American Fisheries Society annual meeting on May 23-24 in Thibodaux. Three Nicholls marine and environmental biology graduate students received research awards, and for the third consecutive year, a Nicholls student earned the top abstract award. That student is Rissa Inselman, a native of Morrison, Oklahoma, who was awarded for her presentation on community development, oyster density and population growth on bedded, crushed concrete as a function of cultch density. “We are proud of our students for the work they put in on these presentations,” said…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University has been ranked one of the top 25 Most Affordable Online Business Bachelor’s Degrees by College Choice. Nicholls ranks 25 of 30 and is one of four to make the list from Louisiana. For affordability, College Choice analyzes the cost of the degree and assigns an affordability value. College Choice notes that no out-of-state fees are charged to Nicholls distance learners and  “there are no set log in times for online classes; it’s important for students to be independent and self-motivated.” In their justification, College Choice noted that Nicholls has been ranked among the…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Nicholls State University awarded 759 degrees during its spring commencement ceremony on May 18, the most ever in a single ceremony. Fourteen graduates completed their undergraduate coursework with a perfect 4.0 GPA. Those students are: Celia Andresen, an interdisciplinary studies major from Baton Rouge; Anna Babin, a secondary education major from Houma; Jonathan Bergeron, a chemistry major from Chauvin; Madalyn Beyer, a biology major from Houma; Kylie Dufrene, a nursing major from Houma; Claire Ferguson, a birth-5 early intervention major from Houma; Jamie Gravois, a nursing major from Vacherie; Tanner Lafont, a biology major from Cut Off;…...

THIBODAUX, La. — New Orleans nutritionist and Nicholls State University alum Ulrika Midner has been named the Louisiana Academy and Dietetics Outstanding Dietitian of the Year. Midner (B.S. ‘14) is a clinical dietitian at the Touro Infirmary, a nonprofit hospital in the Children’s Hospital system. Midner, who moved to the U.S. from Sweden in 2006, is also president of the New Orleans Dietetic Association. She has previously worked as a clinical dietitian at Tulane Medical Center, Ochsner Baptist Medical Center and Ochsner Skilled Nursing & Inpatient Rehab – Elmwood. Ashley Dufresne (B.S. ‘19) received the Irene Tolliver Pyburn Scholarship, which goes…...

Dr. Uttam Pokharel THIBODAUX, La. — A Nicholls State University professor of chemistry has been awarded a patent for a process that converts an industrial waste product into a useful organic molecule. During his postdoctoral research at Louisiana State University in 2014, Nicholls assistant chemistry professor Dr. Uttam Pokharel was part of a team that developed a process that captures carbon dioxide and converts it into oxalic acid, a value-added compound. The patent was issued from the office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization at LSU. Having faculty on staff like Dr. Pokharel helps further Nicholls chemistry’s mission of educating and…...

THIBODAUX, La. — Twelve Nicholls State University current and future students were awarded scholarships from the Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation. Nicholls student Dustin Rockwell also received the top prize, the Jim Funk Scholarship. The Louisiana Restaurant Association Education Foundation Scholarship Fund in 2019 awarded $52,400 more than 24 ProStart and LRA Board scholarships. Current and future Nicholls students earned 12 of those scholarships. Rockwell, who graduated from Slidell High School in 1998, enrolled at the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute with the hopes of learning how to operate a café. His goal at Nicholls is to attend Institut Paul…...

Boysie Bollinger, center, poses with a check honoring the $1 million he has contributed to Nicholls State University and the Nicholls Foundation in 2019. From left: Nicholls President, Dr. Jay Clune; first lady, Allison Clune; Bollinger; Nicholls Foundation President, Chris Riviere; and Nicholls Foundation Executive Director, Jeremy Becker. (Misty McElroy/Nicholls State University). THIBODAUX, La. — Boysie Bollinger and Nicholls State University are proud to announce a new $700,000 endowment to the Nicholls Foundation. Bollinger, the former president and CEO of Bollinger Shipyards and current chairman of the Nicholls Foundation Board, has now contributed $1 million to the university in 2019.…...