T. Baker Smith Donated $131K to Support Nicholls Geomatics Program

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From left to right: Dr. John Dennis, Assistant Professor of Geomatics; David Martinez, Survey Discipline Leader; James Pellegrin, Lead Professional; Rene Hebert, Lead Professional; Dr. Esra Tekdal Yilmaz, Department Head of Applied Sciences & Associate Professor of Geomatics; Allison Clune, Nicholls First Lady; Jay Clune PhD; Nicholls President; Kenneth Smith, T. Baker Smith CEO; Sheri Smith; Jennifer Chaisson, Public Relations Coordinator; Casey Liner, Chief Administrative Officer; Jeremy Becker, Executive Director of Nicholls Foundation; Dr. Balaji Ramachandran, Program Coordinator for Geomatics; Raymond Peters, Assistant Vice President for Advancement.

Nicholls received $131,000 from T. Baker Smith, LLC to support its Geomatics program. With this donation, the College of Sciences and Technology hopes to hire a full-time assistant or associate professor for spring 2023 and two adjunct professors for fall 2023.

“T. Baker Smith has been a great supporter of the geomatics program and students since the program started with their scholarship and endowed professorship. This donation will help us to hire a full-time faculty that will contribute to the high-quality geomatics education offered here at Nicholls State University,” said Department Head of Applied Sciences and Associate Professor of Geomatics Dr. Esra Tekdal Yilmaz.


“Donating to Nicholls is a no-brainer due to the return on investment we receive. So many of our associates are alums from all disciplines at Nicholls. Investing in Nicholls means investing in our community. As Nicholls improves, our company improves and so does the region we thrive in,” said T. Baker Smith CEO Kenneth Smith.

About Nicholls Department of Applied Sciences

The mission of the Geomatics program is to provide its graduates with a high-quality surveying and mapping education, to enhance their professional competency and to advance the field of Geomatics through research and outreach.


The mission includes the development of Geomatics professionals as land surveyors, construction surveyors, mappers and planners, the core of what is needed to rebuild coastal Louisiana. The program is accredited by the Applied and Natural Science Accreditation Commision.

As the only four-year, ABET accredited geomatics program in Louisiana, program graduates are typically hired at 100% employment rates after graduation. To learn more about Nicholls Geomatics program, visit https://www.nicholls.edu/applied-sciences/.