Toll lane to close Thursday
January 28, 2015
HEART OVER HYPE
January 29, 2015
Dr. Bruce T. Murphy is officially in the second year of his tenure as the president of Nicholls State University He hopes that this second go-round is as fruitful and productive as his first – even as challenges loom around the university
Murphy said Nicholls made a lot of progresses in the past year and that there are a number of improvements planned that can make the future even better. Of course, the president’s statements are all based on the assumption that the Thibodaux-based college can fight off the budget cuts that have hamstrung Louisiana’s higher education system – Nicholls included – in years past.
“2014 was a good year for Nicholls -1 think that we made a lot of progress in a great number of areas,” Murphy said. “I started in January, so we’ve had a transition in leadership, which is always a time of shuffling as people are trying to figure everyone out and also figure out the institution. But over time, we were able to get under way and were able to enjoy what I think was a pretty successful year.”
Murphy said the thing he’s most proud of from the past year was the university’s perseverance and ability to change and evolve.
Murphy took over as Nicholls’ president in January. But a number of high-ranking officials within the university also retired in 2014, which kept
the leadership structure of the school in constant limbo.
In the past 12 months, Vice President Larry Howell, CFO Mike Naquin and Vice President of Academic Affairs Laynie Barrilleaux have all retired, leaving behind several decades of combined experience in Nicholls leadership.
“We lost a lot of key leadership, but we were able to do national searches to fill those positions,” Murphy said. “Being able to get that all into place is maybe the thing that I’m most pleased about from this past year.”
Murphy said he also takes pride in giving the community a voice, as well. Over the past 12 months, Nicholls has created a ‘University Council’ with which to seek input from when making decisions.
Made up of about 30 people (including students, faculty and other university workers), the council gives more people a voice, which results in better ideas, according to Murphy.
“They meet every couple of weeks, and it exists to share information and also make some decisions to help give us some direction and guidance,” he said. “That’s been really important. I’m proud if that. It’s been so well received, and it helps people understand our direction. As a leader, that’s all you can ask for – if people can better understand your direction, that’s definitely a positive.”
Away from personnel shifts, Murphy said Nicholls’ 2014 was also marked by a slew of infrastructure projects.
Murphy said work is still ongoing on Nicholls’ new John Folse Culinary Institute, which is set to be completed later this semester.
Once complete, the institute will feature state-of-the-art equipment across several kitchens – enhancing a Nicholls Culinary program that is already among the elite.
“That building is a little bit behind schedule, but once it’s done, it’s going to double the size of student enrollment in that program,” Murphy said. “We’re already the state’s only four-year culinary program, so we’re excited about that. It’s going to be a great building when it opens. It’s going to be a destination place that the whole region will be able to enjoy and participate in.”
In addition to the culinary building, Nicholls is also renovating Gouaux Hall to expand capacity for some of its oilfield-related curriculum.
“That program is really busting at the seams – industry is clamoring for those guys,” the university president said. “So as culinary moves out of that building, we’re looking to expand on those classrooms and make them bigger.”
Athletically, Murphy said renovations are almost complete to remodel the locker rooms in Stopher Gymnasium to create a better gameday experience for both the Colonels and their opponents. The president also said work is under way to revamp the press box on Nicholls’ baseball field.
“These are two things that are long, long overdue,” he said.
Work is also being done in the coming weeks at the Mary M. Danos Theater in Talbot Hall – a place where the university often hosts plays or other dignitaries.
But with Louisiana’s budget still in flux, the biggest progress in 2015 may be a statewide political change in attitude, according to Murphy.
In the past several years, Nicholls and other Louisiana-based universities have been bludgeoned by budget cuts that have taken countless dollars out of budgets and redirected them to other places.
Those decisions have hammered Nicholls and other institutions hard – causing the elimination of programs, layoffs of faculty and an overall shrinkage of Nicholls’ academic umbrella.
With another huge budget deficit this year, many have speculated that higher education is about to bite another bullet full of cuts – even as they claim to have already been scarred to the bone.
Murphy said that no matter what hand Louisiana deals Nicholls, the university will fight and push forward – their motto for years as their pile of money has shrunk.
But he said that true victory in the battle is bigger than just Nicholls or any other individual university, for that matter.
He said true progress for 2015 would mark a shift in attitude and mindset and an understanding for how valuable education is among those making political decisions about the future.
“We have 6,000 students and we provide valuable service to our region and beyond that – we will use the resources that we are given to accomplish our mission in the best possible fashion that we can,” Murphy said. “But I think the alarm call needs to be sounded. I think it’s time people stand up for education in Louisiana. I think it’s time to have the very open and public discussion about how we value education.”
Murphy rattled off a slew of statistics showing how earning a degree enhances a person’s earning income, medical history and even makes that person less likely to commit a crime.
But he added the stats fall on deaf ears if citizens don’t buy in and let politicians know that they want education to be taken care of.
“College graduates earn more in their lifetimes than non-college graduates. That means more taxes in the future – a benefit of education,” Murphy said. “We know college graduates are healthier than non-college graduates. That means they are less of a drain on our health services – a benefit of education.
“However you slice it, it’s time that the discussion takes place. We need to reprioritize and fight to protect education in our state. It’s not just a Nicholls problem. It’s a Louisiana problem.”
Nicholls State University President Dr. Bruce T. Murphy speaks at his inauguration in January 2014. The new president said he’s happy with how his first year went, touting that he thinks 2015 can be just as successful.
Flowers bloom over a sunset on Nicholls State University’s campus. The colorful picture could serve symbolism for a successful 2014 year within the university – a 12-month stretch filled with renovations. But with more cuts to higher education expected at a statewide level, Nicholls officials tout that now is the time that we focus our energies toward valuing education.
