ENHANCING CAMPUS FACILITIES AND OPERATIONS
GOAL 3
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Peltier Auditorium now features D E\ IRRW SURMHFWLRQ VFUHHQ for enhanced presentations and a modernized, larger lobby more conducive to hosting special events.
Peltier Auditorium is often a student’s first look at Nicholls. While still in high school, they likely take the ACT or attend a community event there and likewise form an impression of the campus. From 2009 to 2011, work crews renovated the auditorium into a campus gem. The project included new seating, ceiling, lights, paint, flooring and ADA-compliant features. A wooden acoustical shell was added to the stage along with a rear-projection screen. A new entrance was built, and the lobby now features warm-colored artwork and furniture. Powell Auditorium was also renovated in 2012 with new flooring, new lighting, wireless Internet and table seating arrangements with laptop hookups. Despite the challenge of budget constraints, Nicholls continues to investigate alternative ways to fund such construction projects that help recruit and retain students.
Construct a culinary arts building The Chef John Folse Culinary Institute has quickly outgrown its space in Gouaux Hall, which it currently shares with biology and petroleum services programs. To increase student enrollment in this niche program — the first in nation to offer Fundraisers such as Bite of the Arts help raise funds for a four-year culinary degree the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute’s new facility. — Nicholls is planning the construction of a culinary arts building on the corner of Bowie Road and Louisiana Highway 1. The state has already committed $8.1 million toward the project, with Nicholls responsible for securing $4.5 million in donated cash and equipment. The new 33,000-square-foot facility is estimated to increase enrollment from about 300 current culinary students to more than 500. Building plans call for a student-run restaurant area, four teaching kitchens and a demonstration kitchen-classroom.
Streamline university operations
The College of Business Administration unveiled its newly renovated Powell Auditorium during the Estate and Business Planning Institute, which it hosted in May 2012. 14
In an effort to save resources and better serve students, Nicholls has been assessing how it does business and implementing more efficient processes. Long lines at Fee Collections have decreased tremendously now that students can accept their financial aid electronically and receive refund checks via direct deposit. Nearly all admission applications are completed online, and course materials and assignments can be accessed electronically via Moodle software. Academic and administrative information technology duties were consolidated into one centralized office, and online recordkeeping is now done through Banner, considered one of the most efficient software of its kind. Additionally, faculty, staff and student employees now complete their time sheets online, cutting down on paper and processing time. Nicholls will continue conducting focus groups to help discover areas of greater efficiency within each administrative unit.