The Nicholls community welcomes Kim Montague to the position of housing director. Montague comes to Nicholls from Myrtle Beach, S.C., where he worked in housing at Coastal Carolina University.
Montague holds three bachelor degrees: one in international studies, another in sociology and a third in education, all of which he received from the University of Southern Florida. He then got his masters degree in higher education from Kent State University.
“I saw it as a new challenge. I saw a tremendous potential for growth,” Montague said when asked what made him interested in the job. “I wanted to be in a small community. I liked the people.”
He said he feels the people at Nicholls are good people and that the culture in the area is great. “I love crawfish,” he said heartily. “I am butchering names, but it’s fun to experience.”
Montague said that in residential and housing operations on a university campus, the key is to apply the golden rule. He said the students, faculty, staff and administration involved should pose the question “How would I like to be treated.”
He also said a lot of problems involved with housing are due to a lack of listening and communication. “There are a few things that the residential students should expect,” he said. “Number one, we will listen to them. Number two, we will be fair.”
Montague is coming to Nicholls at a changing time for housing operations.
The new residence halls will be an asset to the University, but will also pose many challenges, Montague said. The handling of the new halls is accompanied by the maintenance of the pre-existing ones and the La Maison du Bayou apartment complex.
Montague said that the opportunity to work with new residence halls attracted him to the job and he is ready to welcome the challenges that will arise.
He said the biggest challenge in the first semester of using the new halls will be things invariably going wrong and things not getting done on time, both of which will potentially disappoint the students.
He points out that the students have much to look forward to in the new residence halls. He said the halls will have nice décor and furniture. The rooms will also feature amenities such as a microwave oven and mini refrigerator. The halls will also have a game room, lounge space on each floor, and a computer lab for the residents to use.
Following the recent complaints of unacceptable conditions at La Maison and the renovations that have to be done, Montague will make the students his first priority. He wants to make sure that complaints are heard and responded to quickly. He wants to improve the work of the maintenance staff. He also plans to install more directional leadership. Montague said the students deserve better than what they have received; they should not settle for the services that have been rendered.
To ensure the maintenance of all the residence halls, Montague said he will establish regular room inspections, and he will hold the students to a high standard. He said he thinks the residence halls have the potential to promote Nicholls and the quality that it can provide to its students.
