THIBODAUX – The 25th Annual Raw Cane Sugar Manufacturers’ Institute kicks off this week at Nicholls State University – and its companion course, the 32nd Annual Cane Sugar Refiners’ Institute, is slated for Monday, July 20, through Friday, July 31.
Administered by the Office of Continuing Education and directed by Dr. Robert Falgout, retired professor in the Nicholls Department of Agriculture, the two institutes have attracted approximately 1,500 participants since their inception – representing 16 states, 30 countries, 48 refineries, 35 mills and 30 additional companies.
“Nicholls has become the world leader in sugar-industry education,” Falgout said. “These institutes have attracted professionals from all over the globe, and we’re happy to have contributed to the growth and success of the industry.”
Both two-week courses – the first focusing on raw sugar processing, the second on refined sugar processing – offer advanced instruction designed to increase professionals’ knowledge and appreciation of the total operation of a manufacturing plant. Students receive classroom instruction as well as field training at locations including the Enterprise Sugar Factory and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Sugarcane Field Lab. Upon completion, participants receive a certificate as well as four undergraduate college credits – or eight credits for both courses.
Supported by Sugar Industry Technologists, the American Society of Sugarcane Technologists, the American Sugarcane League and additional sugar companies, mills and refineries around the world, the two institutes are designed so that participants can attend one or both in any given summer.
Fifteen students are registered for the Annual Raw Cane Sugar Manufacturers’ Institute, which began Monday, June 22.
For additional information, call Falgout at (985) 448-4444.
