NATCHITOCHES – Mary Anna Scruggs, a graduating communications major from Natchitoches, spoke to area high school guidance counselors, graduate coaches and principals at Northwestern State University’s deNSU Early College Access Summit March 30.  Scruggs discussed her experience as a high schooler taking dual enrollment courses at NSU, which she said better prepared her for college by enhancing her time management and communication skills.  deNSU Early College Access allows 10-12 grade students to earn college credit while enrolled in college academic courses. NSU’s Office of Electronic Learning & Global Engagement hosted the summit to provide tools and information to make the deNSU program easier to navigate, according to Gwen Fontenot, NSU’s director of Electronic Learning.  The summit covered academic services and new dual enrollment resources with a panel discussion on student success and retention. “The event was well attended with 53 secondary partners representing 37 different high school campuses,” Fontenot said. “The exchange of information and networking that took place is a great first step as we work to enhance the deNSU program.” NSU currently partners with over 80 high schools statewide for dual enrollment with over 2,000 students enrolled in over 4,000 academic courses. Information on dual enrollment at NSU, requirement, criteria and more is available at https://www.nsula.edu/ece/dual-enrollment/