The associate degree in chemical technology program (CTAS) has been discontinued effective August 2004. No new students can be accepted into the program after this date. This fall, Chemistry 250, Chemistry 251 and Chemistry 260 will be offered for the last time to chemical laboratory technology students only.
The program was established in 1999-2000 and was set up as a joint program with River Parishes Community College. The Board of Regents mandated that Nicholls was to only have the program for five years. At the end of the five years, River Parishes Community College was to take over the program.
Judy Chauvin, interim head of physical sciences and professor of chemistry, said that it is not in Nicholls’ mission to offer associate degrees in this particular field. Toward the end of the five years of the program at Nicholls, River Parishes Community College was contacted.
River Parishes was unable to take over the program due to the lack of instrumentation needed. Nicholls tried to keep the program, but since the program had such a low enrollment rate, Nicholls was forced to drop the program. There are only two students majoring in chemical laboratory technology.
Since the program was started, the average enrollment per course was between five and six students.
“We did not drop the program because we wanted to, we just could not keep it. There was no other choice, and we are sad to see it go,” Chauvin said.
Tammy LeClaire, chemical laboratory technology senior from Raceland, considered changing her major because of the low enrollment in the program, but she decided to stick it out.
During the five years that the chemical technology program was running, some students in other science majors were taking the chemistry courses in the program for their minors. Students in the program were most commonly interested in going on to work in industry and chemical technology. These job fields will not suffer. Other students with biology and chemistry majors will be able to fill job positions in these fields.
No staff positions will be affected by the discontinuation of the program. All staff had taken these positions as an overload and had held other positions or taught other classes as well.
