Dedication Sweetens East ElkinsBy Shannon Hauler

Reporter

The Nicholls community will commemorate the late Otto B. Candies, a supporter of Nicholls, in the renaming of East Elkins Hall in a ceremony that will take place after additions and renovations are complete.

The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System agreed to honor Candies due to his interest and support for the University. The Candies family’s most recent contribution to Nicholls, announced at a Facilities Planning Committee of the Board of Supervisors, is a $600,000 donation toward the establishment of The Otto B. Candies Endowed Chair in Business Information Systems.

“Certainly, (Dr. Ayo) cultivated a great friend of the University as well as himself in Mr. Candies. Benefactors like Mr. Candies are few and far between,” Mike Delaune, director of University Relations, said.

Candies was the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from Nicholls in 1983 and received the Nicholls Alumni Federation Corporate Mark of Honor in 1988. He was the first lifetime member of Partners in Responsible Opportunity at Nicholls State University, and received the first Champion Award by PRO-NSU.

The Candies family is “very honored,” Otto B. Candies III said. As a child, the elder Candies was responsible for helping support his family. He was unable to attend school past the seventh grade. Because of this, “he valued education. He wanted to help others get the opportunities he didn’t have,” Candies said.

The East Elkins Hall addition that is currently underway will be finished by the end of this semester. The entire project, including renovations to the present building, is expected to be complete by the end of Fall 2002.

“Currently, the building houses the offices of admissions, enrollment services, and financial aid. It will continue to house those offices but after this renovation they will have adequate space to do the job,” Delaune said. Presently, these offices are cramped and the addition will benefit not only those who work there but also students who visit these ares.

After the renovations are complete, a dedication ceremony will take place including family members, higher education and local legislative officials as well as student and faculty leaders. The building marquee will be unveiled and a portrait of the elder Candies will be placed at the main entrance of the building, Delaune said.

The continued generosity of the Candies family is “encouraging for the future of Nicholls State University,” Delaune said. “It is important to remind students that Dr. Ayo has gone to great lengths to build up Nicholls to what it is today.”