Nicholls State will confer degrees Saturday

Nicholls State University will host its 115th Commencement Ceremonies on Saturday 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.
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 & Co., 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. 
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 adviser 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.