Since 2000, the Honors Program at Nicholls has enticed qualified students to join by offering numerous benefits, including early registration, Honors certified grades, independent studies, reserved dorms and excursions, in which they would not have access to with any other student organization. Defined by the director, Dr. John Doucet, as a “curriculum enrichment program” which rewards students for good grades, the Honors program allows access to any students who meet their criteria and the benefits it offers.
In order to get into the program, incoming freshman must have a 25 composite ACT score with no sub score below 20. They must also have a 3.2 overall cumulative GPA at the completion of high school. Current students and transfer students are allowed in the program at anytime as long as their GPA is 3.2 or above and at least 12 credit hours of Nicholls courses have been completed.
Failure to meet the grade requirements result in a one-year probationary period that can lead to a student being dismissed from the program and its benefits.
According to Doucet, some students are scared off because of the perception the Honors Program is more difficult than regular courses. “A lot of people think the honors program is harder and they are afraid of it, but the idea is to make it challenging, not necessarily harder,” Doucet said. “Those are two different things.” A student’s hard work however, does not go unnoticed as the unique benefits within the Honors Program a number of advantages to the 160 students enrolled.
One of the most the unique advantages of being a part of the Honors Program is the Honors Abroad Program available to sophomores with good standing in the program.
With the Honors Abroad Program, students take four-week summer intercession courses (mid-May to mid-June) at the University of Plymouth, located in southwest England. The program also offers excursions to London, Oxford, Wales and western England. Every other year, a trip to Costa Rica is also offered.
Geoffrey Stoute, mass communication senior from Morgan City, said he is unable to take any of the trips, but he says it offers a cheap way for students to be able to travel.
“I would like to travel because the offer is probably the cheapest I could have to fly overseas and visit these places; however, I have a job and would rather make the money than go on the trip,” Stoute said.
“I’m really focused on finishing school and starting my career as a journalist, and if things work out like they could, I will have plenty of time to take trips when I retire. So for me, it’s more of an opportunity to look forward to in the future than now.”
The trips and other events are determined by the Honors Student Council. The council consists of delegates from different classrooms, who then select a president and vice president.
As a member of the Honors Student Council, the members attend the state convention of honors councils, which Nicholls will host next year. The job of the Honors Student Council is not to compete with other student run organizations on campus, just manage activities within the program.
Another advantage of the Honors Program is campus living. Instead of random dorm placement, Honors boys have sections reserved for them in Calecas Hall, while the women have spots in Babington.
This enables them to connect with other Honor’s students. Once the new dorms are built on campus, the honor’s students are expected to have their own dorm.
“Supposedly when they build all the new dormitories, there is presumably going to be a new Honor’s dormitory,” Doucet said. “It will allow the students to be around students they are familiar with.”
In addition to the reserved dorm spaces, the Honors students are also allowed to schedule before others. Stoute prefers this benefit over some of the others.
“The program has benefited me mostly in scheduling classes that I might not have been able to take otherwise, such as Music 320 (History of Rock and Roll). If it were not for the Honors Program, I probably would have had to find another alternative to complete my arts requirements, because more than likely, it would have been filled when I would have tried to schedule it.”
Independent studies and Honors certified transcripts are also advantages offered by the Honors Program.
As students in the program complete a thesis, which is independent research with a professor, along with 20 hours of honors credit, they receive an Honors Award medal and Honor’s certified grades and transcripts.
Doucet said the thesis is a major part of the program but considers it more a privilege than work.
Stoute said he is grateful for the opportunities the Honors Program has given him. He believes the program can benefit him when he graduates.
“I like the numerous opportunities the program offers its members such as the student center in Beauregard Hall, which can be used for studying or relaxing. The opportunity to schedule early and live in Calecas Hall – the male honors dorm – are also great advantages. And, to be able to list this organization on your resume after finishing school is an accomplishment in itself because it shows you were contentious about your school work and maintained good grades while also enjoying the college life.”
The current Honors Program is the third one at Nicholls. It was formed in 2000 and is on the verge of being the longest running. The longest running Honors Program was from 1984-1994.
With only a select number of students qualified for the program, Doucet said it is important to draw students to the Honors Program by offering the exclusive benefits for their hard work, which he says will pay of in the future.
“While success is hard to measure we have had lawyers, a pharmacists and a registered dietician come through the program along with four people who are currently working on their Ph.D.s in medical school,” Doucet said. “I would say that compared to the general population, we would expect Honors students to have the tendency to be more successful.
