Though Nicholls’ student population has become increasingly diverse over past years, its faculty has not diversified in proportion despite attempts by the administration. While Nicholls’ students and faculty are still predominantly Caucasian, the percentage of minority students, which are Black, Asian, Hispanic, Native American and others, has increased from about 20 percent in fall 1997 to 25.8 percent in 2006, according to Assessment and Institutional Research.

However, the percentage of minority faculty members has only increased from 9.4 percent in fall 1997 to 10.3 percent in fall 2006.

“To the extent that it is possible, the faculty should reflect the diversity of the students in terms of the minority groups,” University President Stephen Hulbert said.

Though the percent of black faculty members increased to 4.6 percent from 3 percent in 1997, the jump of 1.6 percent is not proportionate to the rise in black students from 15 percent in 1997 to 18.5 percent in 2006, an increase of 3.5 percent.

Hulbert said the diversity of the faculty is not where Nicholls wants it to be, but it will be a challenging task to reach the point at which he thinks it should be.

“While this institution has made considerable efforts over a period of years, we haven’t been particularly successful in bringing minority faculty and staff to the campus,” Hulbert said.

Carroll Falcon, provost and vice president of Academic Affairs, said when the University advertises available positions, it does so on a national level, including on the Internet.

“We encourage interested applicants to apply from a broad area throughout the United States and abroad,” Falcon said. “We attempt to cast our net as widely as possible to attract a wide and diverse audience of applicants.”

When Nicholls receives applications for a position, a committee looks for the highest qualified applicant.

“We are looking for the most qualified. If we would get down to two people where there were comparable abilities and one was a minority, I would surely encourage us to look at the minority seriously,” Falcon said.

Hulbert said among the challenges facing Nicholls is the size and location of the University.

“If in the University you are trying to recruit minorities, you find yourself in competition with much larger institutions with greater resources, or you are in competition with the location of those institutions,” Hulbert said.

Falcon said there are many benefits to having a more diverse faculty. One benefit, he said, is having more role models for minority students, which may help improve retention rates.

Though Nicholls has made steps to have a more diverse student body, the University is still working to recruit more minority students.

Courtney Cassard, director of Enrollment Services, said along with having an admissions councilor assigned specifically for minority recruitment, the University also holds Multicultural Day in the spring, where high school students are invited and scholarships are awarded to minority students.

Scholarships that were once dedicated to valedictorians were reallocated to minority students, Cassard said. As a result, the number of minority students has tripled in the last two years, Cassard said.

Eugene Dial, vice president of Student Affairs and Enrollment Services, said recruiting is only the first step.

“It’s not just what you do to get students enrolled. It’s what you are doing for them after they get here,” Dial said. “I’m a firm believer that students vote with their feet. If students come here and they don’t find a campus community that is welcoming, they are going to leave.