Participation in the cross-enrollment program between Nicholls and L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Houma, which allows students from either institution to take up to six hours at the other establishment for a reduced price, has increased since last semester. Robin Andrews, Nicholls’ transfer admissions counselor, said 41 Nicholls students are taking classes at L.E. Fletcher this semester, and 45 L.E. Fletcher students are taking classes at Nicholls. Last semester 26 Nicholls students were cross-enrolled at L.E. Fletcher, and 18 L.E. Fletcher students were cross-enrolled at Nicholls.
Andrews considers the program to be a “win-win” situation for both groups of students.
“It’s definitely a good thing because it allows Fletcher students to take courses at Nicholls that aren’t offered at Fletcher, and it gives Nicholls students another option if classes are full at Nicholls,” Andrews said.
The most common courses Nicholls students take at L.E. Fletcher are biology classes, anatomy classes and math classes, Andrews said.
Lisa Hidalgo, registrar at L.E. Fletcher, which is a member of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, said for some L.E. Fletcher students, once they have taken all of their general education courses, they become interested in taking classes not offered at the technical community college, such as microbiology, and cross-enroll at Nicholls.
Many L.E. Fletcher students transfer to Nicholls to pursue further education, Laci Melancon, director of admissions at L.E. Fletcher, said.
“Some start here and think, ‘I want more than this,'” Melancon said. “Some start here because it’s closer and cheaper and more convenient for traveling. Then when we can’t offer them certain degrees or programs, they transfer.”
According to Assessment and Institutional Research, 257 current Nicholls students have transferred from L.E. Fletcher; however, 27 of those students had no transferable hours. Andrews said credits for L.E. Fletcher classes that are technical in nature, such as welding and pipe fitting, are unable to transfer to Nicholls.
An advantage for L.E. Fletcher students cross-enrolled at Nicholls, Hidalgo said, is that the program allows L.E. Fletcher students to pay L.E. Fletcher prices for Nicholls classes. The cost for an L.E. Fletcher student to cross-enroll at Nicholls is $30 per class plus lab fees (if applicable), and for Nicholls students cross-enrolled at L.E. Fletcher, the cost is $5 per class (not including fees), Andrews said.
“It’s a cost-saving feature for students who have tight money situations or don’t qualify for financial aid,” Hidalgo said.
Ashley Theriot, a sophomore at L.E. Fletcher from Bourg, takes Math 105 at Nicholls this semester. Theriot spent her first year of college at Nicholls but transferred to L.E. Fletcher and has been there for the last two years.
“It’s closer and cheaper,” Theriot said. “L.E. Fletcher’s smaller classes make it easier.”
However, Theriot wants to transfer back to Nicholls in order to finish with an Associate of Science degree in cardiopulmonary care science. She is taking Math 105 at Nicholls because it is not offered at L.E. Fletcher and is required for her degree.
Another positive aspect of the program, Andrews said, is for students cross-enrolled at another institution, credit hours earned at the other establishment count towards students’ status at students’ home institution and towards financial aid.
“The advantage to Nicholls students is that the hours add up,” Andrews said.
Andrews said she has not received any negative feedback about the program.
Students attend classes at both Nicholls and L.E. Fletcher Technical Community College in Houma as part of the cross-enrollment program between the two schools. Nicholls has a similar program with River Parishes Community College in Sorrento. (Ashley Falterman)
