November 20, 2024
NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University President James Genovese toured the university’s Leesville-Fort Johnson campus Wednesday, where he visited with students and faculty to learn more about the role the campus plays in serving traditional and non-traditional students, including many active duty military, veterans and their families.
“Our mission is to make this a top-notch service center,” said Martha Koury, campus director. “Our students don’t fit in a mold. We have non-traditional students who take a mix of on-line and face-to-face classes, and we have traditional students who come to us for their core classes before attending the main campus in Natchitoches. Our niche is in going the extra mile.”
Koury said that although a large percentage of the Leesville campus students are affiliated with Fort Johnson, many students from Vernon and surrounding parishes choose NSU-Leesville because of its affordability. Staff and administrators place priority in working one on one with students navigating the admissions process, registration, financial aid and scholarships.
“Nursing is huge here and makes up a large percentage of the enrollment,” Koury said. “Many students are military spouses who are here for three years. While they are here, they can earn an Associate of Science in Nursing in two years, then complete a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in one year. It’s a huge selling point.”
With a presence at both Fort Johnson and Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, NSU has for years consistently earned the Military Friendly School designation. The university was recognized as a Silver designee for the 2024-2025 Governor’s Military and Veteran Friendly (GMVF) Campus designation.
Northwestern State provides services for veterans that include specialized financial aid and advising services, counseling designed specifically for veteran students, training and flexible course formats tailored to veteran and service member obligations and degree pathways recognizing military experience. Last year, administrators formalized two agreements to benefit military personnel seeking degrees. In one agreement, the training that soldiers receive can be applied as college course credits towards a bachelor’s degree. A second agreement allows soldiers to use job-embedded training as credits towards a master’s degree.
Following the visit to the Leesville campus, Genovese visited Fort Johnson for a command brief with Brigadier General Jason A. Curl, commanding general at the Joint Readiness Training Center and Fort Johnson, and installation leadership who discussed the history of Fort Johnson and its role as the most advanced tactical training center in the United States.
NSU’s Leesville campus is located on Hwy. 467 between Leesville and Fort Johnson. Information on NSU’s Leesville-Fort Johnson campus is available at https://www.nsula.edu/leesville/.
