In its first major four-year fund-raising campaign, Nicholls State concluded with $32,782,448 of gifts committed to the University, 331 percent more than the campaign’s $9.9 million base goal.More than 1,600 supporters contributed to this joint effort of the Nicholls Foundation and the University. Commitments of $18.5 million from foundations and corporations, $3.5 million from alumni and $378,387 from faculty and staff were pledged. The Nicholls Foundation commitments and advance gifts accounted for $3.5 million. Regional campaigns in Thibodaux, Houma, Morgan City, South Lafourche and the River Parishes acquired another $6.7 million in pledges.
“When you have a capital campaign, you learn a lot about yourself as a university and how well loved you are as many groups come forward,” University President Stephen Hulbert said.
As a result of the campaign, four $1 million endowed chairs, 23 endowed professorships and 32 endowed scholarships were established. The campaign total also includes special gifts, such as the Chauvin Sculpture Garden, Rienzi Plantation home and property and Ruth U. Fertel Culinary Arts Building, together totaling more than $5 million.
In January 2000, “Investing in Education for the Bayou Region: The Campaign for Nicholls State University” was initiated to help organize fundraising efforts for campus priorities. The Nicholls Foundation contracted with Cargill Associates, a professional fundraising firm of Fort Worth, Texas, to conduct surveys determining how successful a campaign could be and what campus priorities donors were willing to support, setting fundraising base and challenge goals and providing a timeline and structure for the endeavor.
Fundraising chairs and goals were established for each division of donors. Donors were also given the option to designate how their committed dollars will be spent.
“Since the time I began this chore, my greatest asset has been the quality of the volunteers who have agreed to serve in leadership roles in the campaign and support Nicholls State University financially,” Clifford Smith, campaign chairman and Board of Regents member, said “The results are beyond my expectations, and we couldn’t have achieved that without a number of people being very supportive volunteers and contributors.”
Rebecca Tucker-Pennington, capital campaign director and director of development, said: “This effort just helped us connect with people we hadn’t known before. Whether they gave or not, we feel we were successful if they found out more about what’s happening at Nicholls.”
Tucker-Pennington said she is sure the University will conduct another campaign but no timeline has been set. Generally universities initiate campaigns every three to five years, she said.
Smith said: “Although we’re going to conclude and announce success in this program, I don’t think this really is a conclusion, because we all have to go in our communities and continue to support Nicholls. We want the people to be more supportive of Nicholls, whether it be financially or socially, because it’s part of the community.
