2024 Woman of Achievement Awards
Dr. Melinda Jefferson will be the guest speaker at the Nicholls Women’s History Month Luncheon on February 29, 2024 at 12:00PM in the Student Union Ballroom.
Dr. Melinda Jefferson is an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences at Nicholls State University. She has been teaching upper and lower-level courses in both the Criminal Justice and Sociology Program since 2017. Her areas of teaching include Sociological Theory, Crime and the Media, Corrections, Criminology, Deviant Behavior, Juvenile Justice, Racial and Cultural Minorities, Cultural Diversity, Sociology of Sports, and Sociology of Hip Hop. She was awarded the Academic Affairs Award for Teaching Excellence in 2023. At present, she has published research on inequality, diversity and equity, race and racism within institutions, social justice, critical race theory, mental health, intersectionality, and crime related to underrepresented populations.
The Women of Achievement Awards are presented at the luncheon to a Nicholls faculty or staff member, a student and a community member who serves as a healthy role model, has contributed to the advancement of her field and to the historical legacy of women, and demonstrates this year’s national theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion.”
The Bonnie Bourg lecture and luncheon is held every spring to raise the level of awareness in the arts and humanities for the Nicholls community and the southeast region of Louisiana.
About Dr. Bonnie Bourg
Dr. Bourg was a native of Houma. She was a 1943 graduate of Terrebonne High School and attended H. Sophie Newcomb Memorial College of Tulane University, graduating in 1947. She graduated from Louisiana State University in 1948 with a Master’s degree in Health and Physical Education and in 1979 with a doctoral degree in education.
Dr. Bourg was a charter member of the faculty when Francis T. Nicholls College opened its doors in September of 1948. She began her career at Nicholls as an instructor of health and physical education. She held various positions through her forty-two years at Nicholls. She was named the first Dean of Women. Later she became Dean of the Freshman Division and retired on January 5, 1991 as the Vice President emeriti of Student Affairs. She organized many groups and traditions that are still a part of Nicholls today. She wrote the Nicholls Alma Mater.
She was a parishioner of the St. Thomas Aquinas where she was a lector and Eucharistic minister. She was a past member of the St. Thomas Aquinas parish council and led the New Life program for many years.
In 1994, Dr. Bourg founded Thibodaux chapter of Marian Servants of the Word associated with the Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg, FL. She was Director-emeritus of the group and remained active in the group to her death. Prior to Marian Servants of the Word, Dr. Bourg was active with the Bayou River chapter of Magnificat.
Dr. Bourg was a member of many professional and religious organizations on local, state and national levels.
