Clune outlines plans for university at convocation

The University Convocation was held on Friday in Peltier Auditorium for all faculty and staff to attend.

Jay Clune, the sixth president of Nicholls State University, spoke about the state of the university and the changes he is committed to implementing during his presidency.

Clune said he plans to further discuss ways in which they can enhance Babington Hall and other buildings on campus, including Ellender Memorial Library.

He said, “I believe the library should be the center of the campus. Libraries are more than books today. They can be centers of technology for students.”

Clune also said he will have listening sessions where students, faculty and staff can meet with him to discuss concerns with the university.

“I want to listen to the aspirations you have, because we are in this together. It’s our shared vision,” said Clune. “I want to be open; I want to be transparent.”

Clune also said he has already started implementing changes to the structure of administration by combining and eliminating positions.

For starters, he combined the dean of student life and dean of student services into one position in which Michele Caruso will serve.

Caruso will deal with student complaints and make decisions regarding student life on campus. Under her leadership, coordinators and directors will assist with student life.

Clune said he would also be collapsing the vice president for advancement and the chief of staff into a single position, which will be tentatively called the executive vice president of enrollment and external affairs. “An executive vice president allows the president to be out on campus, be out in the community, to be in Baton Rouge, to be sitting with the governors, meet with faculty and staff and students and legislators and make the president more accessible, not less accessible. Someone needs to be the eyes and ears in the day to day operations of the campus, so things go smoothly.”

That position will be over all external affairs, government affairs, alumni affairs, marketing, communications, development and institutional research.

Clune said restructuring administrative roles will allow him to save $120,000 in which he plans to put toward developing a development staff to raise money for Nicholls.

Clune said, “I think you’ll see that with the dean of students model and executive vice president model, this campus will run much more smoothly, communications will be much better, we will bring in a lot more money and will bring in more appropriations.”

Lastly, Clune said he wants to have a more diverse campus where upper administration resembles the student body and other employees.

Sean Chadwell, Assistant Vice President for Student Success and Retention, also took the stage to talk about Nicholls Quality Enhancement Program (QEP), known as the Student
Advising and Mentoring Program (SAM).

Chadwell said one of the goals of SAM is to, “empower students to have more ownership of directing their academic careers through developing their skills and using the tools and resources on campus, teaching them to value their academic and co-curricular experiences.”

He also said the QEP will provide quality advising that will help transition sophomores into their major’s academic advising center.

He also said he hopes this program will allow students a more comprehensive view of their four-year college experience.

To achieve those objectives, the SAM team will host faculty workshops, advisers will distribute and explain degree pathways to students, advising records will be documented and shared via “Grades First” and each college department will create its own advising transition plan.

Chadwell said SAM’s progress will be measured by having freshmen and sophomore students write reflection pieces and respond to surveys regarding their career and personal goals.

Renee Hicks, Executive Director for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, also presented an update on the statistical data collected by the department.

Pro-vost and Vice President of Academic Affairs (interim) Sue Westbrook distributed endowment awards to five professors.

Travis “Pete” Lewis received the Mary M. Danos Endowed Professorship in Nursing.

En Mao received the Candies 500 Endowed Professorship in Business.

Melanie Boudreaux received the Harry Peltier, Sr. Endowed Professorship in Business
Administration.

Nicki L. Boudreaux received the John Brady, Jr. Endowed Professorship in Mass
Communication.

James Stewart received the Alfred N. Delahaye Endowed Professorship in Journalism.