Tag: Louisiana education

Nicholls Student Remembered with New Scholarship

To honor the memory of Kennedi Foret, a former Nicholls State University student who was the victim of a fatal car crash in December 2021, the Nicholls State University Foundation is establishing a new endowed scholarship, according to a press release issued by the university.

The Kennedi Foret Marine Biology Undergraduate Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to female graduates of Lafourche Parish high schools majoring in Biology with a concentration in Marine Biology. Recipients can be sophomores, juniors or seniors with a 3.0 GPA and will receive a $500 scholarship broken down into two $250 per semester awards.

Foret’s mother Amber Pitre said, “This scholarship is just one way that we can let Kennedi’s light continue to shine and her love for Nicholls continue to show. To give young ladies a similar opportunity to learn about marine biology like Kennedi had at Nicholls means the world to us.”

Foret passed away on in December of 2021 following a fatal car accident. Foret’s accident followed shortly after three Nicholls State University students were killed on the way to a birthday dinner in late November of 2021. Police reported that a driver hit a car with three Nicholls State students inside, all of whom had graduated from the same high school in the spring of 2021.

Louisiana set a new record in 2021 with 914 highway crashes and 997 deaths. According to the Louisiana Highway Safety Commission’s recent Louisiana Highway Safety Plan there was a 10% increase in car crashes within the last five years and 40.6% of all fatal car crashes that occurred in 2019 were related to alcohol impairment. Governor John Bel Edwards said that these statistics were “alarming” and lamented, “The fact that there are an average of three deaths per day on Louisiana highways is unacceptable.” Impaired and distracted driving are other notable causes of highway deaths.

Across the United States, car accidents are the number one leading cause of death among 13- to 19-year-old females, and one of the leading causes of deaths for both male and female college students. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites several reasons for these startling statistics including distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving, driving with peers, and general inexperience. No matter the reason, when a teen is involved in a serious automobile accident, the outcome can be devastating for the families of everyone involved, particularly if injuries in teen car accidents are fatal.

Foret’s family and friends wish to make a difference for others, raise awareness and preserve Kennedi’s memory by starting the endowed scholarship. Nicholls State University also honored Kennedi’s legacy by inscribing her name into a brick near the eternal flame in the quadrangle of campus.

Nicholls Foundation Executive Director Jeremy Becker said the university has started strong in raising money for the endowment scholarship in honor of the Nicholls student, however, they have not yet met their goal. Becker hopes that the scholarship will encourage women in Louisiana to pursue a career in marine biology to help with preservation and restoration efforts along the state’s coast line.

“To have Kennedi’s name associated with recruiting future students to come to Nicholls and possibly do marine biology research in the Coastal Center that will live on our campus is something special,” Becker said. “I’d love to see solutions to some of our coastal restoration problems come from a recipient of this scholarship in her name.”

Contributions are welcome and encouraged to help meet and surpass the scholarship’s goals, to enrich the lives of women in Louisiana, and to honor the legacy of Nicholls student, Kennedi Foret. To support this scholarship, visit nichollsfoundation.org/memorial-scholarships/ or contact Jeremy Becker at 985-448-4006.

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Louisiana Students Rank Highest on FAFSA Completion

Once again, the National College Attainment Network (NCAN) has determined that Louisiana holds the top spot in the nation for the amount of high school seniors who have completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), according to the Louisiana Department of Education.

FAFSA is a free application that provides the federal government with the financial information needed to determine what loans and grants a student qualifies for. It’s the only way a student can receive federal funding. Included in the FAFSA are all forms of financial aid provided by the federal government, like Pell grants, federal student loans, and work-study programs. Louisiana graduates wishing to receive priority consideration for the Taylor Opportunity Program for Students (TOPS) scholarships must also complete the FAFSA. Aside from this, many colleges and states, and even private financial aid providers, use the information from FAFSA to determine eligibility for aid.

Despite how important the FAFSA is, an analysis of federal student aid data conducted by the National College Access Network (NCAN) estimates that over $3.75 billion of federal aid was left unclaimed by the high school class of 2021 across the nation, which is a direct result of not completing the FAFSA. NCAN estimates that 813,000 of the 1.7 million students who didn’t submit the FAFSA would have been eligible for financial aid, in particular Pell grants, if they had only completed the application.

According to Bill DeBaun, NCAN’s director of data and evaluation, many students think college is out of reach because they can’t afford it. However, they may not realize how much federal aid they qualify for and they won’t unless they complete the FAFSA. “Requiring the FAFSA for high school graduation puts it more prominently on the radars of district and school practitioners, and also students and families; it’s a clear signal states are sending that FAFSA completion is important, and also that considering a postsecondary pathway is also important,” said DeBaun.

 In light of how important the FAFSA is, Louisiana was the first state to make completing the application a graduation requirement. Since making this change in the 2017-2018 academic year, several other states have done the same. In order to graduate, seniors must complete one of four forms: the FAFSA, an opt-out form, a waiver, or a state merit scholarship form that requires no information about family finances.

 A completed FAFSA application isn’t just important to students; the information gathered from them is used to determine a significant amount of postsecondary funding. Because of this, Louisiana’s Office of Student Financial Assistance (LOSFA) runs monthly error reports on submitted applications. The reports can identify missing information so that the office can notify students of the errors and can then help them to fix them.

To make filling out a tedious and boring form more “fun,” some Louisiana state officials have turned the completion of the FAFSA into a friendly competition among high schools.  The state has taken to providing FAFSA workshops and seminars and have even set up tables to fill out the forms at various social events, like sports tournaments. Every month, the school with the most FAFSA gains is announced and those students have bragging rights until the next month’s winner is determined.

Getting students excited about paperwork isn’t enough though, so Louisiana provided trained staffers to guide and support school counselors. Louisiana also sent state workers from the Department of Education and the Office of Student Financial Assistance to all corners of the state to help with any events that might increase the amount of applications completed. They also held virtual workshops via Zoom during the pandemic.

All of this hard work paid off when it was determined that 66.5 of Louisiana’s Class of 2022 had submitted the form, the highest percentage in the country. This was determined by NCAN, who uses a tracker to count applications that are fully completed and processed. More completed applications mean more financial aid reaching the students who need it most.

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AHEAD Program Gives Louisiana High Schoolers Inside Look at Health Careers

For two years now, Louisiana high school students have been able to participate in a week of educational activities pertaining to the healthcare field thanks to the School of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health Shreveport, and according to this feature article from The Shreveport Times, this second year of the AHEAD program was twice as successful as last year’s program when it premiered.

AHEAD, also known as the Allied Health Education and Discovery program, is an annual five-day opportunity for Louisiana high school students to engage in the various types of health, health science, and medical programs available at the School of Allied Health Professions at LSU Health Shreveport. According to the Director of admissions for the school Madeline Barclay, “this is a program for Louisiana high school students to learn about all the different academic health programs we have at the School of Allied Health Professions.”

Despite this annual tradition having only completed its second year, enrollment numbers have doubled from when the program premiered in 2021. According to Barclay, “we had one session with 20 students in 2021, and it was so popular that we expanded it this summer to two sessions, 25 per session.”

The AHEAD program is a 5-day experience that is free to Louisiana high school participants in which the students engage in full-day sessions that include hands-on, interactive activities within each medical or health-aligned discipline. According to LSU Health Shreveport, “students will receive tips for success in college and guidance on how to pursue a professional career in healthcare. Our emphasis will be on recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds with the primary goal of contributing to a diverse educational environment.”

Students participating in the AHEAD program are able to choose from several medical and health-aligned disciplines to study and observe during the week-long sessions. The high school student participants are able to participate in field trips and career-focused activities that give participants specific insight into the following health professions: Medical Laboratory Scientist,

Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, Physician Assistant, Public Health Professional, Respiratory Therapist, and Speech-Language Pathologist.

While last year’s camp of 20 students was large enough to populate a single session in June for the nearly two dozen participants, this year’s doubling of the program’s capacity warranted two summer sessions, which is certainly encouraging for the AHEAD program, as it’s projected to be an annual tradition. This summer, 50 total students from 13 separate Louisiana high schools attended the summer program, which was hosted by the School of Allied Health Professionals as two separate week-long camps.

Makenzie Boucher from The Shreveport Times spoke to local high school students participating in the AHEAD program this summer. One local high schooler who was interviewed about her experience participating in AHEAD was Elizabeth Gaspard, a Haughton High School graduate of the Class of 2022. Gaspard commented on her experience engaging in the medical programs available at AHEAD by saying, “it’s just so cool to go around and learn about the different occupations and how important they are. It just inspires all of us in the class to consider it and be open-minded.”

Madison Evans, an AHEAD program participant from the inaugural summer session in 2021 reflected on her experience by saying, “participating in the AHEAD program was truly a life-changing experience. Throughout the program, we had daily hands-on-learning experiences. We were given the opportunities to visit the cadaver lab, tour parts of the hospital, and learned about many Allied Health Professions that I never knew existed. This program taught me so much about the different health professions. Before the AHEAD program, I did not know about Respiratory Therapy, however, I now know how important respiratory therapists are to helping people recover from illnesses.  The program provided us with a visual map and outlined the steps to take in college to achieve these careers. Attending the AHEAD program gave me more confidence in pursuing a career in the healthcare field. I am truly thankful to have had this experience.”

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Political Science Online Program Named Best in South at Nicholls

It was recently announced via a press release from the school that the Best Online Political Science Degree in the American South is Nicholls State University’s Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, as determined by Intelligent.com, a highly-valued online educational resource that assesses collegiate programs across the country.

The reputable online educational resource Intelligent.com assessed over 325 programs from approximately 200 colleges and universities across the United States. Intelligent.com assessors sought out programs at these institutions of higher learning that taught strong analytical and decision-making skills and evaluated each program on several factors. Programs were evaluated on their flexibility in the delivery of their courses, their return on investment, the cost of attendance, their national rankings, overall student engagement, and the quantity and quality of resources available to students. Ultimately, each collegiate program was scored on a 100-point scale.

The Bachelor of Arts in Political Science at Nicholls State University received an impressive score of 86.73, and thus it was named as being the “Best in the South.” This program was also the 28th best political science program out of all post-secondary institutions assessed by Intelligent.com.

Dr. David Whitney, associate professor and Department Head of Political Science at Nicholls reflected on this honor by saying, “we use our full-time faculty to teach all of the core classes, which is fairly upcoming for online programs. Another thing that sets us apart is the approach we take toward students in the online program. We do not distinguish between online and traditional students in terms of the investment and time we make towards their success.  Nicholls Online isn’t a side job or an afterthought but is an integral part of our degree program.”

In order to better justify their classification of the “Best Online Degrees of 2022,”  the editors of Intelligent.com accompanied their award listing by saying the following: “Online learning has become quite popular — 37.2% of college students have taken at least one online course, and 17.6% take online courses exclusively. The flexibility of distance learning has made it an especially attractive option for students who have other responsibilities in addition to their education, such as children or a full-time job. To help you find the best option for your specific situation, we’ve reviewed the top colleges for dozens of different online degree programs.”

As defined by Intelligent for their assessment purposes, political science is the study of the history of political systems, the analysis of how these political systems operate, and how political scientists can provide suggestions on how to shape public policy. In addition to this, political scientists develop strong analytical decision-making skills that can be applied to an array of occupations, including careers in public administration, market analysis, and many more.

Research that was conducted by Intelligent through the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics revealed that the median salary for political scientists is $122,220 per year, making it three times as high as the median salary for all other United Stated occupations, which stands at $39,810. Additionally, they determined an estimated increase of 6%for this field in terms of job outlook, specifically indicating an increase in demand for market research analysts which was cited at a growth rate of 18%. The data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics indicated that the economy is expected to need 400 more political scientists by 2029 in order to manage regulatory issues, research political theory, and analyze public policy.

As per Nicholls State University, their Bachelor of Arts in Political Science Program is designed in such a way that it prepares students and gives them a complete, “comprehensive understanding of the essential aspects of politics” and “the analytical and critical tools necessary to evaluate political events and more importantly, to become actively engaged citizens.”

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Shell Awards LSU Gift for Energy Institute and New Campus District

Recently, Louisiana State University received a $27.5 million gift from long-time partner Shell USA, Inc., and according to this news release from the school, the investment will be utilized to not only establish a new Institute for Energy Innovation but to also begin construction on a new district of LSU’s campus devoted to interdisciplinary scientific discovery.

The $27.5 million gift from the Shell Corporation is reportedly being recognized as the university’s largest gift ever received from a for-profit corporation. Additionally, it’s simultaneously the largest gift ever received by the school in focused support of energy-related initiatives.

In speaking on LSU deserving the gift, Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said, “as a legacy energy state on the front lines of climate change, Louisiana is uniquely positioned to forge meaningful solutions for a clean energy future. This partnership between Shell and Louisiana’s flagship university supports the continued vitality of our state’s energy industry as well as Louisiana’s emerging role as a national leader in carbon management. I look forward to the contributions LSU and Shell will continue to make here in Louisiana to global energy innovation.”

Of their total donation gift, Shell will be dedicating $25 million to launch and establish the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, an institution that will aim to advance affordable, reliable, and environmentally responsible energy for all. The creation of the Institute for Energy Innovation will set the stage to allow for leaders in energy-thought, talent, and industrial impact to have the opportunity to invest in a collaborative pursuit of a shared vision for the future of energy.

Shell’s gift will provide funding for a five-year vision for the LSU Institute for Energy Innovation, which will be rooted in five work streams: talent, research and development, policy and economics, social and environmental justice, and technology transfer and commercialization. Furthermore, about $6.4 million of Shell’s total gift will be directed toward initiatives centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion. These initiatives will be focused on both faculty and student support as well as workforce development within the energy industry.

The remaining $2.5 million will be used to construct the LSU Our Lady of the Lake Interdisciplinary Science Building, and upon the completion of this new building, LSU will be able to close reportedly more than 50% of the LSU College of Science’s current gap in lab space and educational needs within its five disciplines: Biological Sciences, Chemistry,Geology and Geophysics, Mathematics, and Physics and Astronomy.

Over the past four years, there has been an increase in demand for educational and lab space for LSU’s College of Science. For the past four consecutive years, the college has reported years of enrollment growth while also teaching one-quarter of all student credit hours at LSU and roughly one-third of the total instruction for freshmen and sophomore students. Therefore, this continual growing reliance on LSU’s College of Science will be greatly benefited by the construction of the LSU Our Lady of the Lake Interdisciplinary Science Building.

LSU President William F. Tate IV also commented on the monumental gift, saying: “energy represents a central driver of Louisiana’s economy, and Louisiana buttresses the nation’s energy supply, putting LSU in the unique position to partner with industry to discover innovative methods to fuel our nation. Together with Shell, we invite fellow industry leaders to join us in pioneering the research and development pathways forward to protect and preserve Louisiana’s energy economy, while meeting the nation’s future energy needs.”

Shell’s announcement of their $27.5 million gift is the latest transformative investment in LSU’s Scholarship First Agenda, a dedicated effort to focus on creating solutions considered to be essential to the future of agriculture, biotechnology, the coast, defense, and energy within Louisiana and throughout the nation. With the Scholarship First Agenda, LSU seeks to “ascend to its potential to lead the nation in these five key areas through a combination of private, state and federal support.” Additionally, Shell’s gift is only a part of LSU’s $1.5 billion Fierce for the Future Campaign, which is the largest campaign for higher education in the history of the state of Louisiana.

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Inaugural STEM Fest Allows Acadiana Students to Explore Big Concepts

Approximately 600 elementary and middle school students from Acadiana got to learn about complex science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) concepts in a fun, interactive, and fully immersive way at the inaugural Acadiana STEM Fest, according to The Acadiana Advocate.

The event, Acadiana STEM Fest, was held in the University of Louisiana Student Union and was the result of a partnership between Peter Sheppard, the executive director for UL Lafayette’s Center for Excellence in Education,and STEM NOLA, a nonprofit focused on exposing communities to STEM learning opportunities.

In total, 40 activities, which were provided by STEM NOLA, were installed inside and around UL Lafayette’s student union and manned by UL Lafayette STEM and education students as well as volunteers from industry partners such as CGI and Fenstermaker. These 40 activities allowed 600 students from Acadia, Lafayette, St. Landry, St. Martin, and Vermilion parishes to explore STEM concepts in ways that were much more inviting than traditional lecture and research-based methods.

The event allowed students to learn in nontraditional ways that were enhanced by technology. For instance, they could learn about how radio waves controlled drones by actually operating drones in a controlled environment or even learn about structural engineering by crafting sturdy, resilient structures made out of uncooked spaghetti and marshmallows. The director of the event, Peter Sheppard, was reported as saying that he wanted the students to realize that opportunities to learn and apply their knowledge exist far beyond traditional classrooms.

Sheppard spoke on the value of Acadiana STEM Fest’s approach to nontraditional learning by saying, “I think curriculums are restricted. Schools are restricted in what they can do. Those restrictions aren’t there in the real world. Exposure to STEM activities gives them the space to think and to do it and to be curious without having to be evaluated or judged. It can be fun. It can be useful. It can be practical. It can be intellectual.”

Other than having the methods by which the students learn be different from their traditional classrooms, Sheppard also strived to remove any barriers to access for students who otherwise wouldn’t have frequent and free exposure to STEM programing, activities, and learning opportunities such as girls, minority students, and those students from underserved or under-resourced communities.

Speaking on the benefits of the set of skills that one can gain through STEM-based learning, David Hawkins, the director of operations for STEM NOLA, emphasized that the world is becoming more and more STEM-focused by the day, citing the “growing ubiquity of artificial intelligence and computer-controlled equipment and machinery.”

Hawkins stressed the importance of students developing themselves from a root center by challenging their minds; he said, “When we expose our kids to the possibility of being a tennis star or golf star, they put in the time, work, and effort for it. If we expose our kids to the possibilities of being teachers, engineers, doctors, scientists – we train them to move in that direction. Early exposure gives them encouragement and the motivation to move in the direction of STEM. The skillset you learn in the STEM fields transcends throughout your life. Regardless of what you do, you’re going to have to be analytical, solve problems and you’re going to be faced with challenges.”

According to Sheppard, Acadiana STEM Fest is the first of seven planned camp-style events that the Center for Excellence and Education and its Region 4 STEM Network Center are hosting at UL Lafayette in the next few months, which is branded as “STEMulating Summer 2.0.” These upcoming events as well as the inaugural Acadiana STEM Fest were made possible by grant funds from the Louisiana Board of Regents and its LaSTEM Initiative.

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