The University College’s academic departments, Interdisciplinary Studies (IDST), Petroleum Engineering Technology and Safety Management (PETSM) and Culinary Arts, have been transferred into more traditional colleges in order to help focusing more heavily on freshmen advising and mentoring.

IDST and PETSM were placed in the College of Arts and Sciences, while the Culinary Arts Academic Department was moved into the College of Nursing and Allied Heath. Dr. Lynn Gillette, provost of academic affairs, said that after he spoke with the deans and faculty within the colleges for a few months, they decided these colleges were the best fit for the three degree-granting academic departments.

“IDST and PETSM made academic sense being in Arts and Sciences. Culinary could have fit into a few different colleges, but we decided to put it in Allied health because we thought dietetics and culinary being in the same college would create positive interactions,” Gillette said.

Gillette said that academic services in the University College would operate the same, if not better, considering all of the anticipated changes.

Amy Hebert, coordinator of the academic advising center, said, “We’re an academic service division so these changes haven’t affected anything that we do in advising and our classes are still administered in the same way. So in essence, just a different reporting structure.”

Gillette said that they pondered the idea of converting the University College into an academic service but decided to keep the college’s structure in order to incorporate ways to enhance all students’ success.

“We think that this plan will allow us to completely focus on student development, student success, improving advising, and improving the interactions of career services throughout a students entire time at Nicholls,” Gillette said. Another change in the University College was the creation of a new Quality Enhancement Plan called Student Advising and Mentoring (SAM). The department also has Liz Fredrick as its new director.

“These changes are going to give us the opportunity to concentrate more on the freshmen experience and advising, ” David Zerangue, director of academic services, said.