Nicholls State University to host 115th Commencement Ceremonies

Nicholls State University will host its 115th Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, in Stopher Gymnasium. Each session features a guest speaker and the presentation of all degree program candidates across the university’s colleges and institute.

Session I begins at 9 a.m. and features the College of Education and Behavioral Sciences and the College of Sciences and Technology. The guest speaker will be Lafourche Parish President Archie Chaisson. Chaisson was elected the Lafourche Parish president, taking office in 2020 and beginning his second term in office this year. Prior to his election Chaisson served in various executive government roles, including his role as the public works director for the City of Thibodaux and as the parish administrator for Lafourche Parish Government where he led the parish’s restoration efforts in the aftermath of the BP Oil Spill.

In addition to serving as the parish president, Chaisson also serves as the president of Parishes Advocating for Coastal Endurance, a coalition of 20 Louisiana coastal parishes that have united to advocate for increased funding and action to address coastal land loss and erosion issues in the region. Archie also serves on the national level as chairman of both the National Association of Counties’ Environment, Energy and Land Use Committee and the Gulf States Counties and Parishes Caucus. Archie is a 2008 graduate of Nicholls and has served as the president of Nicholls Alumni Federation in 2015 and 2019.

Session II begins at noon and features the College of Liberal Arts and the Chef John Folse Culinary Institute. The guest speaker will be the President of E.D. White Catholic High School Tim Robichaux. Robichaux earned his degree in accounting from Nicholls and went on to work as a public accountant for A.A. Harmon & Company, a regional CPA firm in New Orleans, for two years upon returning to Thibodaux to work as a private accountant for J. Ray McDermott. Robichaux then entered the insurance field and worked as a claims adjuster and manager for Allstate Insurance Company for 14 years.

Robichaux began his work in education after he returned to Nicholls to earn another degree in music, leading him to work as a music teacher and band director at E.D. White Catholic High School. In 2007, he received the Brother Linus Teacher of the Year Award and in 2011, he received Inspirational Teacher of the Year from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. In 2012, he was named the District VII Band Director of the Year.

After 14 years as a band director, Robichaux was named president of E.D. White and has served in this position for 11 years. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Thibodaux and serves on the Finance Council for the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux. He is also a member of the professional advisory council for the Catholic Foundation of South Louisiana and sings in the choir at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Thibodaux.

Session III begins at 3 p.m. and features the Al Danos College of Business Administration and the Thibodaux Regional Health System School of Nursing. The guest speaker will be St. Charles Parish President Matthew Jewell. Prior to being elected, Jewell worked as a congressional staffer in U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise’s office, working in Washington D.C. and Louisiana, where he most recently served as his district director. He also served as a congressional and legislative affairs advisor for the U.S. Department of Energy under the Trump Administration where he handled a portfolio containing science, renewable energy and national laboratories.

Jewell serves as Gov. Landry’s appointee to the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Board representing the Barataria Basin and serves as the chairman of the Regional Planning Commission, a governing board of elected officials focused on matters of regional importance, including transportation, economic development and the environment. From 2020 to 2022, he served as the Parishes Advocating for Coastal Endurance president. Jewell is an alumnus of Nicholls where he earned his degree in business administration and government.

This is a ticketed event. To learn more, visit www.nicholls.edu/commencement.