Gov. Kathleen Blanco spoke at the Louisiana’s Women Leaders’ Bayou Regional Conference Oct. 6 in the Cotillion Ballroom about her experiences with Nicholls and the state’s condition post-Katrina and shared with the Nicholls Worth her views on Nicholls’ role in higher education in Louisiana. “Of course I love this ‘Bayou Country,'” Blanco said. “I come every chance I get and will continue to do so. I always feel at home when I come to Thibodaux and Nicholls.”

Blanco addressed the difficulties the state has faced since Hurricane Katrina.

“We can’t look back; we must look forward,” Blanco said. “This is a state of opportunity. We are definitely open for business.”

Regarding higher education, Blanco said Nicholls plays a “very important role” in the state’s overall efforts to have more residents with higher education degrees.

“Facts prove that the more education people have, the more earning capacity they have,” Blanco said. “It is very important that they can do well to bring Louisiana’s education levels up. And Nicholls is playing a critical role in that.