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ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Convocation Program

The Office of Academic Affairs directly supports the vision of the University, to be the intellectual, economic, and cultural heart of the Bayou Region. Our mission is to deliver accredited degree programs and comprehensive learning experiences to prepare students for regional and global professions within a spirited campus environment immersed in Bayou Region culture. The immediate goals of Academic Affairs are student opportunity and success, innovation, internationalization, and serving the needs of the region. Ongoing initiatives include growing a financially viable university, providing a quality workforce and citizens for the Bayou Region, and maintaining high student/alumni satisfaction with the ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ experience. Our efforts surround cultivating a climate for innovative teaching and research, sustaining optimal enrollment, enhancing external relationships, optimizing program offerings, and maintaining regional and specialized accreditations.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Dr. Todd M. Keller

A native of Morgan City, Louisiana, Keller earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ and his Master of Science in Nursing from University of Phoenix, New Orleans campus. His Doctorate of Nursing Science was earned from Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.

Todd Keller quickly learned one thing after enrolling in college — he wasn’t all that interested in money. Not sure what step to take next since finance was his major, Keller joined the military.

While serving in the U.S. Navy, Keller became a hospital corpsman and realized his love for interacting with people and patients. When he returned home, Keller began working on his bachelor’s degree in nursing at ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝.

Keller joined the ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ faculty in 1999 as an assistant professor of nursing and has held many different positions within the College of Nursing & Allied Health and Department of Nursing including Director of Continuing Nursing Education, Assistant to the Department Head, Coordinator of Recruitment, Retention, Admissions, and Progression, and BSN Program Director. Having worked on two accreditation cycles for the BSN program and renewing accreditation of the continuing nursing education program, he also holds the credential of certified nurse educator.

In his spare time, Keller has worked in live theater — acting, directing and performing other technical roles in the staging of a show; a hobby to which he would love to return. He also loves to read. “Reading allows your brain to build the scenery, the characters, the colors of the sky, the smell of the wind,” he says. “It allows you to create along with the author.”

Upon entering his office people are often struck by the presence of many frogs in many different forms. When asked about the obsession with frogs he replies, “It’s about the metamorphosis. An ugly tadpole can become the most beautiful creature; whether it be an Amazonian Rain Forest frog, or a common green tree frog. But you don’t know that unless it is nurtured by its environment and allowed to become what it was meant to be…much like the mind of a student. You have to provide the opportunity and nurturance to develop their potential. After all, you can’t judge how far a frog will jump just by looking at it!”

Keller has resided in Thibodaux since 1990, and considers this the town where he truly grew up. Like so many others, his working career began at McDonalds then traveled through Kroger’s supermarket and Domino’s Pizza. His professional career included emergency nursing at Lakewood Hospital in Morgan City (now Teche Regional Medical Center) and Thibodaux Regional Medical Center in intensive care nursing. Now, his heart belongs to ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝.

Dr. Kaisa Young

Originally from Missouri, Dr. Kaisa Young earned a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the
University of Missouri – Columbia. She then moved to Texas to earn a Master of Arts and
Doctor of Philosophy in Astronomy from the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Young met her husband, Chad, while working in the same research group during graduate school. She studied how stars form using radio and infrared telescopes and was part of the scientific team that analyzed some of the first observations from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope. It was during this time that Dr. Young discovered her passion for education, realizing that sharing the wonders of the universe with students was as rewarding as the research itself.

Dr. Young first visited ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ when her husband interviewed for a faculty position. Impressed with the warm welcome and beautiful campus, the Youngs moved to Thibodaux with their
newborn son a few weeks before Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The storm and its aftermath were an eye-opening introduction to life in South Louisiana, not just living with powerful weather, but the region’s resilience, community spirit, and unique culture. The Youngs have called Thibodaux
and ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ home ever since.

Dr. Young first served ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝ as an adjunct instructor, while dedicating the majority of her time to being a stay-at-home mom. In 2012, as her youngest child entered Pre-K, she became a full-time faculty member. Dr. Young reintroduced astronomy courses to ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝, sharing her
passion for the beauty and grandeur of the universe as well as the power of scientific inquiry with non-science majors. Her dedication to her students was recognized in 2020 when she was
honored with the Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence.

In 2018, Dr. Young led a campus-wide effort to revitalize ĐÓ°É´«Ă˝â€™ general education program.
As General Education Coordinator, she helped ensure core courses not only provide a breadth
of knowledge but also vital career competencies such as critical and innovative thinking, ethical
reasoning, and communication. Having also served as the Department Head for Chemistry and
Physical Sciences and on numerous strategic planning committees, Dr. Young brings a deep
commitment to academic innovation and institutional excellence to her role as Assistant Vice
President for Academic Affairs.

STAFF

Melanie Benoit
Administrative Office Manager and
Coordinator of Public Records
985-448-4012
melanie.benoit@nicholls.edu

FORMS

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