Nicholls has been named to the 2008 President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll, marking the third time the University has made the list.The President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll is a list that recognizes colleges and universities across the country for effective and innovative community service programs. The Honor Roll began in 2006, and Nicholls has been named to the list each year so far. Out of 635 institutions, only six received the Presidential Award.
Schools are recognized in one of three groups: Honor Roll, Honor Roll with Distinction and Presidential Awardees. According to the Corporation of National and Community Service, “the Honor Roll’s Presidential Award, given each year to only a handful of institutions, is the highest federal recognition a college or university can receive for its commitment to volunteering, service-learning, and civic engagement.”
The University estimated that 533 students were engaged in community service from June 30, 2007 to June 30, 2008. It was also estimated that those students contributed a total of 6,292 service hours during that time period.
Seven of Nicholls’ community service programs were submitted in the University’s application: Take a Walk in My Shoes, Saving Coastal Louisiana: A Communication Audit, Impact of Redesigning Food Bank Client Basket Composition, Human Resource Management Assistance at Nicholls State University, History Internship at Laurel Valley, Men’s Basketball Service Project and Project Le Cirque Living Skills Program. Both the Men’s Basketball Service Project and Project Le Cirque Living Skills Program were submitted as exemplary projects.
The Men’s Basketball Service Project involved members of the men’s basketball team speaking to students at Elysian Fields Elementary in Houma. The team spoke about the importance of living a drug free life, getting an education and respecting one another. According to the application, “the message was well received and as the morning progressed we were asked to spend some extra time with ‘special’ students who were in need of some positive male mentoring.”
Students were invited to attend one of the team’s basketball games. The team was invited to return to the school for an end of year pep rally under the condition that students reached an academic goal set by the faculty, which they met. The team has attended other schools since then.
Project Le Cirque Living Skills Program offers a number of services including crisis intervention, juvenile diversion and prevention of long-term mental illness.
The program also provides school-based services such as assisting with homework, preparing students for LEAP and IOWA exams and providing after school tutoring and remediation.
Participants in the program worked exclusively with students living in Senator Circle, a federal housing development in Houma supporting 198 families, most of which are in single-parent situations. More than 180 Nicholls students participated in the program, contributing 3,720 service hours.
