Interviews for Nicholls President to be Held Feb. 27

Interviews for Nicholls President to be Held Feb. 27, 28 – Feb 21, 2003

Committee Encourages Public to Attend

THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University community will get their first look at candidates for the Nicholls presidency next week.

Nine candidates for the top Nicholls post will interview for the position in public sessions Thursday and Friday. They also will meet with community leaders, faculty and students.

Interviews will take place in the Talbot Hall Auditorium on the Nicholls campus. The interview schedule is as follows:

Thursday, Feb. 27, 2003
9 a.m. Allen C. Meadors, Ph.D.
10 a.m. Carroll J. Falcon, Ph.D.
11 a.m. Stephen Thompson Hulbert, D.Ed.
Noon BREAK
1:30 p.m. Martha Wingard Tack, Ph.D.
2:30 p.m. Clifford M. Brock, Ed.D.
3:30 p.m. Brig. Gen. Thomas V. Draude, M.M.A.S.

Friday, Feb. 28, 2003
8:30 a.m. David L. Eisler, D.M.A.
9:30 a.m. Diane Vines, Ph.D.,
10:30 a.m. Mark L. Perkins, Ph.D.

Each interview will last 50 minutes. After the search committee asks its questions, members of the public will have an opportunity to ask questions of their own.

The nine candidates were part of a pool of 49 leaders of higher education and business who applied for the Nicholls presidency in response to a national search. In addition to interviews, the candidates will use their time in Thibodaux to become more familiar with the campus and the community.

Thibodaux Mayor Charles Caillouet said he looks forward to the arrival of the candidates on Thursday and is glad the committee is holding open forums so the public can have an opportunity for input.

“Nicholls is a very important aspect of Thibodaux and the surrounding communities,” Caillouet said.

Caillouet, along with campus leaders, representatives of local Chambers of Commerce, school superintendents, and other business and community leaders will welcome the candidates and introduce them to the local culture. A highlight of their visit will be a guided tour of the campus including academic buildings, student recreation areas, student housing, athletic facilities, and the president’s home. The Nicholls State University Alumni Federation is coordinating the local arrangements.

“We’ve had a tremendous response from community members who want to help host the candidates,” Nicholls Alumni President and search committee member William Riviere said. “Choosing a new Nicholls president is a tremendously important decision for the university and community, and it’s vital that the candidates know the Nicholls environment.”

Al Badeaux, Chairman Elect of the Houma-Terrebonne Chamber of Commerce said, “We feel privileged to be part of the process. It’s a great idea to get the communities involved.”

Thibodaux Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Kathy Terracina said she is eager to meet the candidates and to welcome them to the Thibodaux area.

“The university is such an integral part of the community, and a lot of economic development revolves around it. The person who is selected has to love our community and be committed to it, as past presidents have been,” Terracina said.

The search committee expects to conduct final interviews March 28 in Baton Rouge, and the Board of Supervisors for the UL System could name a new president that day at its regular meeting.

Nicholls President Donald Ayo announced his retirement from the university in October. The UL System promptly began a national search process to replace him.

For more information about candidates, visit the UL System website at www.ulsystem.net . Click on the NSU search “more info” icon and then on “presidential candidates.”

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