NATCHITOCHES – Northwestern State University’s faculty returned to campus Monday, Aug. 12 for the university’s annual Faculty Institute and on-call week that includes professional development workshops, departmental meetings, faculty award presentations and final preparations for the fall semester. NSU President James Genovese, beginning his second week on the job, opened the day, introducing himself to faculty as “the new kid in town” and talked about how faculty can help sell the institution to prospective students.
“I came here because I want to make Northwestern better. I’m tired of people asking me ‘What’s the matter with Northwestern? What’s going on there?’” he said. “You, the faculty, are my breath of fresh air. We’ve got a good faculty, we’ve got good curriculum, we’ve got good leaders, good deans.”
Genovese aims to bring more students to the campus and believes improved athletic prominence is a good way to positively impact enrollment. He praised NSU’s academic programs in nursing, education, business, technology and the arts and urged faculty to become actively involved in recruiting.
“We put out the best of everything. What I need your help with is go out and sell it. Don’t sit in your office behind your desk. Go out and sell the product that you have,” Genovese said. “You want a good, inexpensive education where you have access to I-49. Look at the programs we have. We shore up athletics, we’re going straight to the top because you guys have done your job. You guys are there already.”
Genovese discussed an upcoming partnership with the School of Business and IBM to study artificial intelligence and looked foward to the opening of Alost Hall, NSU’s new academic building, currently under construction and scheduled to open in less than a year. The building will feature state-of-the-art lab spaces, multi-purpose rooms, classrooms and offices.
“I’m excited. I want you to be excited. I want to go out and sell this bill of goods. We want to build up recruiting, we want to build up marketing, we want to build up the athletic program and we want to take our faculty, the academic aspect, and make it even better. I’m on your side.”
The new president closed by quoting former coach and LSU athletic director Skip Bertman “whose words carry over to education, to every aspect of life: ‘If you can vividly imagine it, ardently desire, sincerely believe and enthusiastically act upon a goal, it will come to you.’ That is the goal that we have.”
New and returning NSU students will be moving into residence halls through Saturday this week. The university’s 140thacademic year will begin Monday, Aug. 19. Registration for the fall semester continues through Aug. 27. Information about registration is available at www.nsula.edu.
