The University provides numerous facilities, services, and learning/information resources which support its teaching, research, and service mission. Click here for a list of Nicholls' facilities, services, and information/learning resources with links to staff credentials [1].

Brief descriptions of some of these and other resources follow. The University's Bulletin and Nicholls' response to Comprehensive Standards 3.4.9 (Academic Support Services) [2], 3.4.14 (Technology) [3], 3.8.2 (Library) [4], 3.9.3 (Student Services) [5], and 3.10.7 (Physical Facilities) [6] provide additional documentation of the availability of these resources.

Library

Ellender Memorial Library is located in a spacious, modern building centrally located on Nicholls' Thibodaux campus [7]. Built in 1980, the impressive, three-story structure contains 155,000 square feet and has a seating capacity of approximately 1,500. Public-access computer workstations and large study areas are located on all floors of the library. In addition, on the second floor, two group-study rooms, a large quiet-study zone, and ten enclosed study carrels are available. Although not under the jurisdiction of the Library's administration, two computer classrooms, one for PC and one for Macintosh users, are available on the first floor. All computers were upgraded in the fall 2004. Self-service copy machines are located on all floors.

The Library is generally open 83 hours per week. A professional librarian staffs the reference desk on the second floor for 73 of those hours. Reference librarians help students not only in house but also by email and telephone. Reference librarians post office hours and are available for individualized consultations.

The Library's Web site is available on a continual basis (http://www.nicholls.edu/library). The Library's catalog, online journals, eBooks, subject guides, on-line tutorials, and other helpful resources are accessible from this site. Computer labs with Internet access, located in key campus locations, facilitate access to this site.

For both students and faculty, the Interlibrary Loan Department [8] obtains items that are not available in the Library's collection or accessible from the Library's online databases. The ILLiad and Ariel systems support this service.

Physically-challenged students have access to special computers with enlarged keyboards, text scanning and enlarging capabilities, a Kurzweil Personal Reader, and other types of magnifying equipment available in the Multimedia Department on the first floor of the library and in the Office of Disability Services. The Multimedia Department also houses the audiovisual collection. Six viewing and listening rooms are available, many equipped with TV, VCR, DVD, and CD equipment. Audiovisual equipment is available for checkout to students and faculty [9].

The Library recorded 59,259 circulation transactions during the 2003-2004 school year. The Library's acquisitions budget from 2000 to 2004 is indicated in the following table:

Table 1: Ellender Memorial Library Acquisitions

Academic Year	Total Amount Per Academic Year
2000-2001	$399,702.61
2001-2002	$422,303.54
2002-2003	$423,753.59
2003-2004	$429,982.52

The Government Documents Department provides students, faculty, and the general public with access to federal and state documents. In addition, two specially-designated computers provide online access to legal information through West Law.

The Archives and Special Collections Department provides students and faculty access to original documents [10]. This Department specializes in collecting research material relating to the social, political, and economic histories of south Louisiana. The Rare Book Collection, Louisiana Book Collection, and University Archives are also located in this department. Extended descriptions about the Library's collections appear in Core Requirement 2.9 [11].

In an effort to better evaluate our existing holdings, the Library undertook an OCLC ACAS analysis of the collections in the fall of 2003. This analysis shows the age and content of the collections. The data helps collection-development liaisons select materials that build on existing strengths and amend weaknesses of each collection. Librarians also review and select titles from prominent reviewing sources such as CHOICE.

A representative from the Library serves as a member of the University-wide Courses and Curricula Committee. This committee meets regularly to evaluate all curricular additions, deletions, and changes. The information gained from service on this committee helps collection-development liaisons add new material where appropriate.

The Library Advisory Committee is made up of faculty and students. The Committee meets at least once each semester to discuss Library-related issues.

The Library presents a variety of displays and informational programs throughout the year. For example, this will be the ninth year that the library has hosted the Cajun/Zydeco Music and Dance Festival [12]. This event, which celebrates the cultural heritage of the region, attracts hundreds of community members to the campus.

In addition to the Library, there are numerous other facilities, services, and learning/information resources that are available to support our teaching, research, and service mission.

Student Union

The Donald G. Bollinger Memorial Student Union [13] offers a commons seating area for study and recreation purposes, a variety of meeting spaces and facilities for out-of-classroom instruction, a copy machine, postal services, food service cash outlets, a game room, a theater, and the NSU Bookstore. The Student Union offers 10 wireless computer stations that are scattered through the main lobby and commons area for easy Internet access. One station is designed for handicap accessibility. A variety of campus life services are housed in this facility which makes it a convenient, popular student and community destination.

Testing Center/Office of Disability Services

The Office of Disability Services provides facilities and equipment to accommodate special-needs students through such services as extended testing times and quiet testing space [14].

Other Unique Learning Facilities and Resources

Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium
The Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium (LUMCON) provides coastal laboratory facilities to Louisiana's universities and provides a resource to steer "research and educational programs in marine sciences" [15]. Nicholls State University's Biology Department conducts teaching and research experiments at the LUMCON site.

Sculpture Garden
The Chauvin Sculpture Garden offers students and faculty a unique learning and research venue. Art students use the sculpture garden as an educational resource tool [16].

University Farm
The Nicholls State University Farm provides opportunities for learning and research to agriculture students and faculty.

Collaborative Learning and Resource Center
The College of Business Administration's Marilyn Gaubert Ponder Collaborative Learning and Resource Center provides students with a comfortable, informal gathering space complemented by state-of-the-art information technology resources. The Center contains computer work stations for individuals and groups, and a coffee and sandwich shop. The Center will feature wall-mounted, flat-panel monitors that convey business news as well as information on campus and area events and a 16-foot long graphical stock market ticker to monitor performances of local and national companies. Students can relax in the Center's comfortable sofas and chairs while reading popular, available business publications.

Behavioral Classroom
The College of Business Administration's Behavioral Classroom provides a flexible learning environment that encourages interactions among students and their professors, facilitates teamwork, enhances development of qualitative research and reasoning skills, and enables students to use state-of-the-art technology for course work presentations. Some of the features of the room are wall-to-wall carpeting for improved acoustics, moveable tables and chairs for various meeting arrangements (traditional classroom, seminars, boardrooms, etc.), video-audio equipment, computer equipment, a video camera, and other multi-media equipment. The room also contains several two-way mirrors and an observation room to allow for experimental research and focus group settings and to provide immediate visual feedback to students making presentations.

Sales and Interactive Training Laboratory
The Sales and Interactive Training Laboratory is a six-room suite that includes a flexible-seating main classroom, three fully-enclosed role-play rooms (with one-way mirrors), a professional conference room, and a control room which houses video and audio recording equipment [17]. It is designed to help students improve selling and other behavioral skills through role playing which can be recorded, allowing students to later assess strengths and areas for improvement. The SITL supports the Business College's new concentrations-Professional Selling and Financial Services Marketing.

Survey and Experimental Research Lab
In spring 2006, the College of Business Administration will open the Survey and Experimental Research Lab (SERL), which includes a 48-seat classroom with appropriate, flexible furnishings to facilitate group work and survey/experimental research projects; an 8-station CATI-capable survey and experimental research lab; interviewing software; economic modeling software; and syndicated data to support research studies. With its state-of-the-art technology and software, the SERL will enable students to apply research techniques, gaining practical experience in conducting telephone or computer-administered surveys. The facility will also be used as a research laboratory where students and faculty can conduct experiments, including such classroom exercises as "prisoner's dilemma" experiments, double auctions, and other simulations of market behavior drawn from experimental economics. The SERL project complements and extends the opportunities for innovative, "learn-by-doing" instruction.

Academic Advising Center
University College offers several services for students to enhance scholastic success at Nicholls State University. The Academic Advising Center, located on the second floor of Elkins Hall, coordinates academic advising for all freshmen. The Center provides information about all programs and majors on campus. Advisors stand ready to direct all students, even exploratory students, to career services specialists. Each student is advised by a Certified Master Advisor who is part of a first-year advising team which includes departmental liaisons, College Student Inventory (CSI) assessment specialists, and University Studies faculty. The Academic Advising Center also provides assistance to students wishing to modify their course schedules, set up advising appointments using AdvisiorTrac, and use the ICAN and Blackboard systems. Computer workstations as well as trained assistants are available. A computer lab is also located in 214 Elkins Hall for group advising, advisor training, and placement testing.

Tutorial and Academic Enhancement Center
The Tutorial and Academic Enhancement Center (TAEC) provides peer tutoring to students enrolled in several freshman-level courses [18]. Supplemental instruction assistance is provided in the Human Anatomy Lab, and computer science tutors are available during evening hours in Peltier Hall via a non-structured, walk-in service. The Writing Across the Curriculum Lab (WAC) is staffed with writing consultants and is located in room 153 of Beauregard Hall. Students enrolled in developmental math and English can find specialized help in the Tutorial Opportunities for Enrichment lab (TOE) located in 239 Peltier Hall.

Louisiana Center for Dyslexia and Related Learning Disorders
The Louisiana Center for Dyslexia and Related Learning Disorders provides direct service to Nicholls students through clinical and educational intervention [19]. The Dyslexia Center is located in Polk Hall.

Education Learning Resource Center
The College of Education has a Learning Resource Center. This mini-library provides for education majors many of the same services provided for the larger University community. The college also provides teacher education majors with remedial training for those candidates who have failed or who will take the Praxis examinations, the licensure tests needed for certification in Louisiana. The College of Education is participating in a federal Transition to Teaching Grant. With these funds, the college has hired a part-time recruiter and advisor for its alternative certification program and a full-time induction coordinator to mentor pre-service and first-year teachers. The grant also provides tuition scholarships for candidates pursuing certification in critical-needs areas. Finally, the College of Education provides technological support to help its candidates develop electronic portfolios, which are required of first-year teachers.

Computer Assisted Tutorial Software Programs
Students majoring in a number of allied health curricula have multiple learning resources available to augment traditional classroom, laboratory, and clinical education. A number of programs utilize computer-assisted tutorial software programs such as the following:

    •  MedEd Cardiopulmonary Clinical Simulations
    •  Heartsim 4000 Advanced Cardiac Life Support Simulation
    •  EMT Basic Computerized Student Review
    •  Basic Arrhythmias Simulation
    •  Primal Pictures 3D Interactive Anatomy Series
    •  Upper and Lower Extremity Injury Evaluation Interactive Series
    •  Interactive Manual Muscle Testing
    •  Computer Learning Modules in Dietetics
    •  Computer Assisted Cytopathlogic Screens
    •  Simulations in Cytopathlogy Fine Needle Aspirations
    •  Computerized Ventilator Graphics
    •  Hemodynamic Simulation Patterns

An extensive library of DVD and VCR learning resources is also available specific to cardiopulmonary disease, athletic training injuries, respiratory therapeutics, speech and audiological disorders, cardiopulmonary diagnostics, healthcare systems, and clinical dietetics. Additional learning resources include computerized credentialing self-assessment examinations for respiratory therapy, EMS Paramedic, athletic training science, cytotechnology, and dietetics to help prepare students for various licensing and certification examinations.

Nursing Resources
At Nicholls State University, the Department of Nursing's facilities, services, and learning information resources are appropriate to support its teaching, research, and service mission. Every semester, both faculty and students, through their respective evaluation tools, validate this fact. Likewise, the Department of Nursing's Systematic Plan for Program Evaluation validates this fact each academic year.

Nursing is housed in Betsy Cheramie Ayo Hall (BCAH), which has more than 73,000 square feet. Of that, 24,400 square feet are dedicated to the Department to accommodate over 250 clinical nursing students and over 20 faculty and administrators. BCAH houses an auditorium, a lecture hall, 5 assigned classrooms, 5 practice laboratories, 2 computer labs, 24 private faculty offices, and 4 administrative offices for the Department's exclusive use. In addition to BCAH, additional physical resources—meeting rooms, media production, printing, and others—are available on campus for faculty and students.

Nursing is dedicated to promoting academic achievement, progression, and graduation. Since 1999, Nursing has utilized Educational Resources' Total Testing Program (TTP) not only for program evaluation but also for identification of students' respective learning needs and styles. After being admitted into the B.S.N. program, a TTP test is given to all students to help ascertain their learning styles and needs, particularly concerning verbal, quantitative, critical thinking, and test taking skills, so as to adjust instructional methods and/or direct available resources to meet the needs of specific students. Other TTP tests are given at the end of each semester to identify students' academic strengths and weaknesses. At the beginning of the subsequent semester, test scores and analysis results are shared with students, and each student is given the opportunity for one-on-one remedial instruction and guidance in any content area of concern. In addition, on line testing and remediation are available to all students 24 hours a day via the TTP Web site. Yet another part of this TTP is that graduating seniors have the opportunity to enroll in a comprehensive nursing review course designed to assist in preparing for and passing the NCLEX RN exam.

Across Nicholls' campuses, computer laboratories are available to students and faculty. BCAH has four computer laboratories; two of these labs are available to any Nicholls student, while the other two are available only to nursing students. Nicholls can connect to other sites through any of three compressed video conferencing (CVC) suites, the main one being located in 410 Gouaux Hall, the other two in BCAH.

Nursing's computer labs contain a host of software for both remediation and instruction in foundational (e.g., human anatomy and physiology) and/or nursing content (e.g., adult health nursing) courses. There is no content in its nursing curricula for which Nicholls does not have at least one software package in CD or diskette format that is available to students. Also, various computerized simulations and models (SIM-MAN, etc.) are available to facilitate instruction in nursing skills.

Residence Halls
Each residence hall is equipped with computer labs which are available to commuter and residence-hall students on a 24 hour basis.

Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building
The Center for Traditional Louisiana Boat Building is located on Nicholls State University's Thibodaux campus [20]. The Center researches wooden boat building throughout South Louisiana. "Classes are offered with a resident boat builder specializing in marine plywood pirogues, bateaus, mud boats, and lake skiffs. These are individualized, hands-on, build-your-own boat classes," according to the Center's Web site.

Small Business Development Center
The Small Business Development Center [21] "serves Assumption, Lafourche, St. Mary and Terrebonne parishes by providing specialized managerial and technical assistance to small businesses."

Jubilee Festival of the Arts and Humanities
The Jubilee Festival of the Arts and Humanities [12] is hosted by the University each year "to educate the student body, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding communities on matters of interest to the arts and humanities; to furnish role models through presenting locally and nationally distinguished lecturers and performers both on campus and in the surrounding community; and to raise consciousness and appreciation of the arts and humanities," according to its Web site.