Nicholls kicked off its capital campaign titled “Investing in Education for the Bayou Region” by announcing that $15.29 million has already been pledged among the nine different divisions of the program. The campaign, a fundraising effort that has been designed to finance important aspects of the University, has established a base goal of $9.9 million and a challenge goal of $15.75 million. Since May, the University has exceeded the base goal and is working toward the challenge goal with December 2003 as the target month for the end of the campaign.

Donald T. “Boysie” Bollinger, honorary co-chairman for the campaign and Foundation chairman, said the success the capital campaign has provided Nicholls was not an accident or a fluke.

“The success is the result of years of hard work on the part of a lot of good people,” he said.

“This capital campaign is a history-making campaign.”

The Nicholls Foundation Board of Directors authorized the campaign, and funds will be allocated to the respective divisions that donators specify.

These divisions were specified in University’s strategic plan, and also come from a comprehensive study of the educational needs of the region.

Funding objectives for the campaign include endowed chairs, scholarships for TOPS, endowed professorships, faculty/staff development, Chef John Folse Culinary Arts Building, honors program, grant opportunities, the center for the study of dyslexia, ethical leaders and continued support for the Foundation.

Because of the work that volunteers are doing to promote the campaign, the University received Reinzi plantation as a donation. Plans for the property include a new building to house the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute, Rebecca Tucker, assistant vice president for institutional advancement and director of development, said.

Monetary amounts will be met through donations to the University, specifically through divisional campaigns that will target specific donor groups one at a time.

Dr. David Boudreaux, vice president for institutional advancement, said that this campaign can be described as “dynamite.”

“Dynamite is something that is composed of TNT and I thought, ‘well, that is the rationale for the campaign.’ ‘T’ for time, ‘N’ for need and ‘T’ for teamwork,” he said.

Boudreaux explained the time is right, the need for extra funding is there and teamwork will help to ensure the academic quality of the University.

To ensure smooth operation of the campaign, there is a 37 member executive leadership council which advises campaign chairman William Clifford Smith during the campaign and also gives credibility to the effort.

“It has been a pleasure for me to serve as the campaign chairman. In fact I was the first volunteer enlisted to assist with this effort. Dr. Ayo asked me to serve as chairman last May during the early planning stages,” Smith said.

Since last June, the campaign has been in a quiet phase, but the faculty/staff divisions were in full swing, he said.

The faulty and staff division is the largest division of the campaign, and puts 750 people in the position to volunteer and participate in the campaign, he said.

University President Donald Ayo commented on the work and dedication the volunteers have put in to promote this capital campaign.

Ayo said all those who have worked hard to get things accomplished have shaped the Nicholls of today.

He said it is necessary for the University to seek private funds if Nicholls is to increase and maintain its quality of services to meet the needs of the community.

“This University has enriched our lives in many ways. The campaign will allow each of us to give something back to Nicholls so we may ensure the same opportunities for future generations,” Ayo said.