{"id":10247,"date":"2026-07-02T13:31:01","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:31:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/?p=10247"},"modified":"2026-07-02T13:31:01","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T18:31:01","slug":"better-support-better-results-nicholls-leaders-rebuild-graduate-program-for-working-adults","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/02\/better-support-better-results-nicholls-leaders-rebuild-graduate-program-for-working-adults\/","title":{"rendered":"Better Support, Better Results: Nicholls Leaders Rebuild Graduate Program for Working Adults"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">THIBODAUX, La. \u2013 Imagine trying to complete a college degree while working a full-time job. It\u2019s tough to commute to campus after a long shift, and finding time for classes can feel almost impossible. This is the exact challenge facing many students in graduate programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/education\/faculty\/dr-channing-parfait\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10249 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/0116-channing-parfait-2019-1-360x540-1-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"111\" height=\"167\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/0116-channing-parfait-2019-1-360x540-1-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/0116-channing-parfait-2019-1-360x540-1.jpg 360w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 111px) 100vw, 111px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 111px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 111\/167;\" \/><\/a>Recognizing this obstacle, two leaders at Nicholls State University decided to reshape the way their Master of Education <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/education\/graduate-programs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> operated. Dr. Leah Peterson, professor and coordinator for the Higher Education Administration program, and Dr. Channing Parfait, the assistant dean and head of Teacher Education, teamed up to move the entire degree online.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They knew that simply moving classroom lectures onto a computer screen wouldn&#8217;t be enough. If students were going to succeed completely on their own schedules, a setup called asynchronous learning, they needed an entirely new support system.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/education\/faculty\/dr-leah-peterson\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-10248 lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/L.-Peterson-Headshot-300x300.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"158\" height=\"158\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/L.-Peterson-Headshot-300x300.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/L.-Peterson-Headshot-150x150.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/L.-Peterson-Headshot-768x768.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/L.-Peterson-Headshot.jpeg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 158px) 100vw, 158px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 158px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 158\/158;\" \/><\/a>Dr. Peterson said, \u201cWe had to look past the technology and ask ourselves a harder question: how do we keep a student who is sitting alone at a computer from feeling completely isolated from the university?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drs. Peterson and Parfait spent months rebuilding the program from the ground up. They coordinated everything: how students were recruited, how they were paired with advisors and how the actual class assignments were designed. They introduced clearer communication channels so online students never felt ignored or lost, and they simplified onboarding so newcomers knew exactly what to expect before their first day.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In June 2026, the two educators shared their strategy with the rest of the academic world. They published a peer-reviewed <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scup.org\/resource\/planning-the-online-pivot-integrate-student-recruitment-advising-and-curriculum-to-sustain-graduate-enrollment\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">article<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> titled &#8220;Planning the Online Pivot: Integrate Student Recruitment, Advising, and Curriculum to Sustain Graduate Enrollment&#8221; in Planning for Higher Education, a journal run by the Society for College and University Planning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10251 alignright lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"236\" height=\"157\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/66\/2026\/07\/797A8259-scaled.jpg 1920w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 236px) 100vw, 236px\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 236px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 236\/157;\" \/>The results of their work were clear. After the fully online format was launched, student enrollment increased by 37.5%, and student retention improved. Because the classes were structured, consistent and fully flexible, working adults could balance their education with their jobs and family lives.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">By sharing their story in a national journal, Drs. Peterson and Parfait didn&#8217;t just help their own students; they provided a blueprint for other universities across the country looking to make online education more accessible and successful.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is the innovative work being conducted at Nicholls State University. It highlights the university&#8217;s leadership in graduate education, online learning and data-informed planning. The findings contribute to ongoing conversations about enrollment management, student persistence and expanding access to higher education through high-quality online programs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To learn more, visit <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/education\/graduate-programs\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">www.nicholls.edu\/education\/graduate-programs<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thursday, July 2, 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>MEDIA CONTACT: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Payton Suire<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Media Relations &amp; Publications Coordinator,\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">985.448.4141<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"mailto:payton.suire@nicholls.edu\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">payton.suire@nicholls.edu<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>THIBODAUX, La. \u2013 Imagine trying to complete a college degree while working a full-time job. It\u2019s tough to commute to campus after a long shift, and finding time for classes can feel almost impossible. This is the exact challenge facing many students in graduate programs. Recognizing this obstacle, two leaders at Nicholls State University decided [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":140,"featured_media":10250,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,8,11,12,37,483],"tags":[976,343],"class_list":["post-10247","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-college-of-education-and-behavioral-sciences","category-feature","category-news","category-nicholls","category-online-degree-program","category-university-graduate-studies","tag-dr-channing-parfait","tag-dr-leah-peterson"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Better Support, Better Results: Nicholls Leaders Rebuild Graduate Program for Working Adults - Nicholls News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nicholls.edu\/news\/2026\/07\/02\/better-support-better-results-nicholls-leaders-rebuild-graduate-program-for-working-adults\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Better Support, Better Results: Nicholls Leaders Rebuild Graduate Program for Working Adults - Nicholls News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"THIBODAUX, La. \u2013 Imagine trying to complete a college degree while working a full-time job. 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