BATON ROUGE — Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University students return to the classroom next week. 

FranU, which was recently named the best nursing school in the state, starts class on Monday, Aug. 17. The night before, there will be a school-wide convocation to mark the start of the new school year and to welcome new students.

Earlier this year, FranU announced it would launch a new program to improve graduation rates. Project FRANCIS aims to "improve student retention and help students transition into college."

WBRZ's Abigail Whitam spent Wednesday morning with FranU staff as they prepare for the school year.