Nicholls received $840,000 from the Louisiana Board of Regents for higher education to complete the funding for two perpetual $1 million endowed chairs and a $100,000 endowed professorship at the University’s recent faculty institute. University President Dr. Donald J. Ayo accepted the matching funds from Louisiana Commissioner of Higher Education, Dr. E. Joseph Savoie, to establish the John A. Brady Sr. Endowed Chair in Computer Science donated by Larose businessmen Pat and John Brady Jr., the Otto Candies Endowed Chair in Information Systems donated by the Candies family of Des Allemands and the Theodore J. Shepard Endowed Professorship in Marine Biology donated by the Louisiana Shrimp Association.
This will bring the University’s total endowments since 1997 to five chairs and 11 professorships, as well as a commitment for a sixth endowed chair.
Nicholls has the highest number of endowed chairs at any public, master’s-level institution in Louisiana and was recently lauded for growing its endowments fastest in the University of Louisiana System.
“Through Dr. Ayo’s leadership and the dedication of the university’s faculty and staff, post-secondary education in Louisiana is making a difference in the lives of the people of this region,” Savoie said.
“There is a growing understanding of the value of and worth of a post-secondary education that is accountable and relevant. Your dedication is creating educational opportunities for the people of Louisiana,” he said.
Ayo said, “We are grateful to the donors of these endowments. These professorships will help us attract and retain the most qualified faculty possible.”
To create an endowed chair or a professorship, colleges and universities must raise 60 percent of the cost from private sources, which makes them eligible to receive the 40 percent match from the Board of Regents Support Fund.
“The endowed chairs and professorships program is an invaluable recruiting tool in attracting new scholars and researchers to Louisiana,” Savoie said. Endowed chairs help campuses retain eminent scholars who attract bright young professors and graduate students.
Chair holders also interact with business and community leaders to further academic enrichment and economic development and diversification. Endowed professorships allow promising educators to conduct scholarly research and help offset the costs associated with research, faculty publications and library acquisitions.
