Tag: Nicholls

Washing Away, Nicholls State University’s Hurricane Ida Documentary is Coming Soon

On the one year after Nicholls State University and the bayou region of Southeast Louisiana saw detrimental damages from Hurricane Ida, the school released a film trailer for their documentary film that will cover the storm, damages, and Nicholls’ response to it, according to this news report.  The documentary is titled Washing Away, and while it’s set to release sometime in Fall 2022, there is a limited amount of information on the project outside of the eye-opening footage and scope on display in the trailer, which can be viewed here. Posted alongside the trailer on Nicholls State University’s social media feeds, the school said, “on the one-year anniversary of this devastating storm, we remember the events and take a look forward at how Nicholls State University is working to mitigate coastal land loss. This trailer gives a glimpse at the full documentary to be released in Fall 2022.”

The two-minute and thirty-second trailer was able to give a glimpse at the soon-to-come documentary that will be released later this year. The documentary was made possible by a grant from the Bayou Community Foundation, the charitable foundation that’s been “solely focused on building and sustaining the communities of Lafourche Parish, Terrebonne Parish, and Grand Isle” for the past ten years.

The documentary trailer, which has generated a lot of comments from Nicholls alumni on the ground-shaking impact of Hurricane Ida, the fifth-largest storm to ever hit the United States, made on the region, called for submissions of footage of all types to be included in the film on the Coastal Center’s documentary web page. The post asked for those who “have extraordinary videos, drone footage or photographs of the damage Hurricane Ida brought, [to] please consider submitting them to be included in the project.”

After Ida, the second-most damaging hurricane to hit Louisiana hit the region hard, approximately two-thirds of the Nicholls State University community had reported that their homes were damaged, and one-fifth reported that their homes were destroyed or made to be uninhabitable. Furthermore, according to Nicholls, “more than half of our students reported their families lost access to reliable income.”

Nicholls, which has a student body that’s 90% consisting of Louisiana students, has over half of its total student body residing in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parishes, making most of the University’s students’ family homes affected by the storm in one way or another. With an over-arching impact of such magnitude, Nicholls and the surrounding community saw it upon themselves to take action to assist those who were heavily impacted.

One of the major avenues to recovery was the assistance from the Nicholls Campus Emergency and Hurricane Relief Fund, which was able to “invite students who lost their homes to the storm to move into campus residence halls and access meal plans at no cost. About 180 moved on campus.” This was of vital importance because it was learned through several surveys sent out by the university that over 1,400 students reported that their major struggles during the aftermath of Hurricane Ida were food insecurity, seeking shelter, gasoline, and money. Many students were even forced to drop out of school in order to rebuild their homes and care for family members.

Outside of showcasing the conditions of Hurricane Ida’s impact and recovery efforts, the Wasting Away documentarywill aim to show what’s in store for just how Nicholls will be working through their Coastal Center to mitigate land loss. This will be especially important as the Terrebonne Basin currently has the highest rate of coastal land loss in the state of Louisiana with a total of over 30,000 acres of wetlands being lost since 1932.

Nicholls’ Coastal Center’s groundbreaking is currently slated for early 2023, and the $21 million project will be used as a collaborative space for “scientists from all over the state and beyond, including those from CPRA, the Water Institute of the Gulf, and Nicholls Biological Sciences and Geomatics departments, to collaborate and advance research to repair and rebuild the state’s receding coastline” as well as preserve and protect the Louisiana coast from future storms.

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Board of Certified Safety Professionals Recognizes Safety Management Program at Nicholls

It was recently announced via this news release from Nicholls State University that their Bachelor of Science in Safety Management has been recognized by the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) as a Qualified Academic Program (QAP).

Because the Bachelor of Science in Safety Management has met the qualified credential requirement for the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) certification, Nicholls students who successfully complete the University’s Safety Management program will now be eligible to apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner (GSP) designation with BCSP, thus engaging in an academic pathway that could lead to their becoming a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).

Nicholls’s Bachelor of Science in Safety Management is a program that is specifically designed to teach its students to be able to facilitate the delivery of effective safety education and training using analytical methods to determine and manage risk and also to evaluate and control hazards that exist in the workplace. The program prides itself on developing, evaluating, and implementing safety and health programs to all of its students; it accomplishes this by focusing on a curriculum that is centered around technical, people-oriented, and industrial application courses that will prepare students for middle-to-upper level management positions in safety.

Any student holding a Certified Safety Professional licensure that is accredited by the American National Standards Institute is considered to be in possession of the “gold standard” of safety certification. This is due to the fact that students who apply for the Graduate Safety Practitioner demonstrate a graduates’ level of commitment and preparation to the safety profession to any observing potential employers or established practitioners. The GSP distinguishes programs by satisfying a certain requirement for the CSP exam, with that requirement being that one must hold a BCSP-qualified credential to even sit for the exam.

Michael Gautreaux, the Nicholls Executive Director of Petroleum Engineering Technology & Safety Management, commented on the University’s Safety Management Program being recognized as a Qualified Academic Program by saying, “we are excited to offer the Graduate Safety Professional designation to Safety Management Bachelor of Science graduates. The GSP is an entry-level credential for educated graduates to move closer to the Certified Safety Professional (CSP) professional licensure.  The GSP designation will accelerate a career and open the door to many job opportunities.”

The BCSP’s website lists a variety of benefits to becoming a GSP, including but not limited to: by becoming a Graduate Safety Practitioner you’re automatically meeting the CSP eligibility requirement for holding a BSCP-qualified credential and waiving the need to sit for and pass the Associate Safety Professional (ASP) examination, which is the pre-requisite exam to CSP. Being a GSP is also in and of itself a recognition of your sheer level of preparedness for professional safety practice that allows you the opportunity to use the BCSP Career Center to post your resume and view potential career opportunities and gives you an advantage when being compared against another graduate in Safety from a non-QAP program. Overall, becoming a GSP does much more than give graduates a GSP digital certificate, it sets them up for success in their future field.

Dr. John P. Doucet, the Nicholls College of Sciences and Technology Dean, spoke highly of his Nicholls colleagues by saying, “due to the hard work of Nicholls faculty in designing and teaching the safety curriculum, our graduates are now designated Graduate Safety Professionals, and they earn automatic opportunities to test for higher industry certifications.”

The news is of course beneficial for students currently working toward earning their Bachelor of Science in Safety Management at Nicholls, but those graduates who have graduated within the program’s applicable dates will be able to apply for the GSP for one year, just as all other graduates will have to apply for the GSP within a year of graduating going forward. The start date for the program’s QAP will begin once the program is officially published on the BCSP’s website, and as of the writing of this post, the next website post is scheduled to be published in October 2022.

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Nicholls is Preparing Teachers for Hybrid and Digital Learning

It was recently announced via this news release from the school, that Nicholls State University has signed a pledge that commits the University to prepare its educators with skills to successfully utilize digital learning technology for face-to-face, hybrid, and online classrooms.

This pledge, which is a commitment to the skillful use of technology in order to continue higher learning no matter if the class is taught in person, virtually, or a combination of both is called the EPPs for Digital Equity and Transformation Pledge. This pledge was created that resulted from a partnership between the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and the U.S. Department of Education.

The International Society for Technology in Education is a nonprofit organization that strives to work alongside the global education community in order “to accelerate the use of technology to solve tough problems and inspire innovation.” The ISTE’s worldwide network “believes in the potential technology holds to transform teaching and learning.”

In the statement released by Nicholls State University, the school reported that they were “proud to be a leader in the field of educational technology.” This pride is not simply due to the University’s signing of the ISTE pledge for digital equity and transformation, but it’s also due to the fact that Nicholls’ Master of Educational Technology Leadership degree is currently only one of 3 Universities to also provide an ISTE Certification for Educators.

In 2021, Nicholls began this provision of the ISTE Certification for Educators with the help and support of two members of Nicholls faculty: Dr. Cynthia Vavasseur, professor of education, and Dr. Sara Dempster, assistant professor of education. Both Dr. Vavasseur and Dr. Dempster are two of only 1000 ISTE-certified educatorsworldwide.

Dr. Vavasseur, who is the program chair and lead professor in the program, spoke about Nicholls providing the ISTE Certified Educator Status by saying, “this will provide teachers in the Bayou Region the opportunity to gain this prestigious, internationally recognized certification. Moreover, it will provide the area with teachers who are highly qualified to implement technology into K-12 learning. Graduates will be experts at utilizing innovative technology for teaching and learning. Especially during a pandemic, graduates become key resources for their peers in best practices using technology for teaching and learning.”

Since Nicholls is an ISTE Recognize Program and now also an integral part of this innovative pledge that ensures future Nicholls teachers will be well-versed in the digital skills and tools that can potentially transform learning with the use of technology, Nicholls State University is a leader in the field of preparing innovative educators for K-12 students and beyond.

The CEO of the International Society for Technology in Education Richard Culatta spoke of Nicholls’s signing of the EPPs for Digital Equity and Transformation Pledge by saying, “knowing how to use technology to support student learning is an essential skill for any teacher to thrive in a post-COVID world. I’m thrilled that Nicholls State University is committed to embedding tech skills into their program so all Nicholls State University teacher candidates will be prepared to hit the ground running!”

After signing the pledge, Nicholls State University joined 33 other institutions that are committed to supplying and preparing teachers to successfully thrive in various types of digital learning environments. Additionally, this pledge aims to equip faculty members to continuously improve expertise in technology for learning, prepare teachers to use technology to pursue ongoing professional learning opportunities, apply various frameworks in order to accelerate transformative digital learning, and collaborate with school leaders to identify shared digital teaching competencies.

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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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Small Business Development Center at Nicholls Awarded Top Honor

Recently, the Nicholls State University Small Business Development Center was awarded the “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Center Award” by the United States Small Business Association Louisiana District Office, according to a news release from the school.

The Louisiana Small Business Development Center at Nicholls State University (LSBDC at Nicholls) is an organization that strives to offer business consulting and entrepreneurial workshops to small businesses in Lafourche and Terrebonne parishes. In winning the “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Award,” the LSBDC at Nicholls has received one of the top awards in the state of Louisiana.

The award was accepted by Jimmy Nguyen, the Associate Director for LSBDC at Nicholls, and Suzanne Carlos, a Business Consultant for LSBD at Nicholls. These two accepted the award during the 2022 Louisiana Small Business Awards Ceremony, which was held at the Capitol Park Museum in Baton Rouge during National Small Business Week.

The ceremony, which is held annually, serves as an opportunity for the Louisiana Economic Development (LED) and the U.S. Small Business Association (SBA)  to publicly recognize both business owners and supporters who exemplify the entrepreneurial resilience and diversity of the state of Louisiana.

The “2022 Small Business Development Center Service and Innovation Center Award” was awarded to Nicholls’ Jimmy Nguyen and Suzanne Carlos. Nguyen commented on his receiving the honor by saying, “receiving this award is one of my greatest accomplishments. It’s been a goal of mine since taking on a leadership role in 2018.  couldn’t have been able to achieve this without the support of Nicholls State University, our Bayou Region partners, and my clients. My clients have persevered through the pandemic and Ida which gives me the strength to continue to do my best each day.”

In announcing their awarding this prestigious honor, the Small Business Association (SBA) Louisiana District had highlighted the Nicholls Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for their clearly present and exemplary hard work, innovative ideas, and dedication to the Bayou Region Community. 

Over the past three years alone, the Nicholls SBDC has made a significant impact on the economy in the Bayou Region, especially since 2019 when they began a partnership with Chevron. Since 2019, both Chevron and the Nicholls SBDC have hosted pitch competitions that award funding capital to innovative entrepreneurs and start-up businesses in the Bayou Region for their ideas that best strengthen the local economy.

In 2020, the Nicholls SBDC hosted a Virtual Pitch Competition in a partnership with Chevron and the Nicholls College of Business Administration to assist Bayou Region businesses in recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally and more recently, both Chevron and the Nicholls SBDC had partnered together following Hurricane Ida in 2021 to award disaster relief grants to Bayou Region businesses affected by the detrimental storm. Furthermore, the Nicholls SBDC also worked closely with the new Bayou Region Incubator so that they may provide assistance for business owners working with organizations to target coastal erosion.

At the ceremony, LED Secretary Don Pierson announced that in 2021, LED and the LSBDC Network had served 18,408 small businesses and individuals, which resulted in the creation of 1,126 new jobs, the retention of 2,874 jobs, and the launch of 164 new businesses. This represented more than $83 million in capital formation.

Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards addresses attendees of the ceremony in a virtual address saying, ”sustaining business stability and growth has never been more challenging than in these last few years. On behalf of the state which you so lovingly support, it gives me great pleasure to honor the Small Business Award recipients whose skill, determination, resourcefulness and optimism embody the heart, and soul of our state.”

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Nicholls Farm has New Bridge Allowing Access for More Research

Thanks to a partnership with ConocoPhillips and the Lafourche Parish Government, Nicholls State University recently celebrated the rebuilding of the Nicholls Farm Bridge, a project that will have massive implications for the research conducted on Nicholls Farm. According to this statement from the school, the newly rebuilt bridge will be used to grant Nicholls Biology faculty members access to the land on the opposite side of Bayou Folse for research, ecological, and educational purposes.

The rebuilding of Nichols Farm bridge was a $300,000 project that was deemed “critical” by the University for its impact. Funding for the project was gathered over the past two years with the Lafourche Parish Government donating $200,000 towards the project and ConocoPhillips donating an additional $100,000 to see the project come to fruition.

It was in 1969 that Nicholls first purchased from Harvey Peltier the land that would eventually become Nicholls Farm, an integral part of the school’s plans to become the center for total restoration research in Louisiana. In just the past decade alone, Nicholls Biology has produced over 30,000 black mangroves at Nicholls Farm. These mangroves were eventually planted along coastal areas for the purpose of maintaining our coastal wetlands. A complete master plan for Nicholls Farm outlines plans for a classroom space, additional land, and areas to test coastal restoration projects, so the completion of this bridge is only one component of a much larger vision for the University.

Because of the bridge’s placement, Nicholls Biology faculty will now have access to the other end of Bayou Folse, allowing them to plant and grow several species of trees and coastal plants. These plants and trees will then be transferred to the Louisiana coastline to help defend coastal erosion.

Nicholls Biology department head Dr. Quenton Fontenot commented on his vision for the bridge at Nicholls Farm by saying, “our dream for the Farm is a place that brings people together for coastal restoration initiatives, and so to have the support of partners such as ConocoPhillips and the Lafourche Parish Government means we are going to be able to do that. Without that help the project is likely not finished today.”

As of the time of the university celebrating the completion of the bridge, the Biology Department already had several Louisiana irises ready to plant in the ponds on the other side of the bridge through a collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry. One of the objectives for planting the irises is for seed harvest production. This is due to the versatility and essentialness of the plant, as it is native to the Bayou Region and sustainable in coastal habitats. These features make plants such as these native Louisiana irises absolutely vital to maintaining coastal wetlands and barrier islands.

John Harrington, the Coastal Wetlands director for ConocoPhillips, said of the essential need to protect the Louisiana coastlands, “the vast wetlands in southeast Louisiana are ideal for coastal restoration research. We are proud to support key partners like Nicholls State University to drive habitat-enhancement research and promote coastal resiliency and sustainability.”

A vital partner in this project coming to fruition is ConocoPhillips, which is one of the world’s leasing exploration and production companies when concerning production and reserves. They also have a globally diversified asset portfolio, and through their subsidiary The Louisiana Land and Exploration Company, they are the largest private wetlands owner in Louisiana. ConocoPhillips has long been a supporter of Nicholls State University and helps to steward their support of the coastal wetlands through their Houma office.

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