NEWS RELEASE

Contact: Leah Jackson (jacksonl@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

8/17/2005

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES -The 2005-06 academic year "holds the promise if being one of the best years in the history of Northwestern State University," said NSU President Dr. Randall J. Webb Tuesday during an address at the university's annual Fall Faculty Institute.

"This year, we will be addressing a variety of needs to serve a diverse student body," Webb said.

Webb discussed the results of last year's institutional review and outlined plans drawn to address issues identified in response to the review. University advisory councils were organized in several areas with subcommittees to deal with recruiting, retention and faculty involvement. Three priorities of the committees are supporting student services, evaluating students' learning environment and providing support for cultural development. The university has made great progress in strategic efforts to prepare for an upcoming review by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Webb said the university braced for an expected loss in revenue, due to a drop in enrollment because of more stringent admissions criteria put in place this fall. But, he said, the new criteria results are that NSU's faculty will be instructing smaller classes of students with higher aptitude. In addition, the presence of Bossier Parish Community College on NSU's Natchitoches campus, BPCC@NSU, provides an alternative for students who did not qualify for enrollment at the university.

Webb said the summer produced a better-than-anticipated legislative session in which Northwestern was commended by both the Louisiana Senate and House of Representatives for its award-winning Computer Information Systems program, which recently garnered its fifth national championship, and for success in increasing post-baccalaureate honors, as illustrated by Anna M. Westergard, an undergraduate researcher who was named a Barry M. Goldwater Scholar.

"This is a seminal year for the College of Education as they ready for the NCATE visit in October," Webb said. The National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit programs preparing teachers for the preschool through 12th grade classroom. Northwestern was the first university to be accredited by NCATE in 1954 and is expected to remain a state leader in teacher education.

Upcoming reviews will also be conducted within the theatre department and the Department of Language and Communications.

Webb said his vision is to continue to enroll high-achieving students, retain 75 percent of each freshman class and graduate at least 45 percent of each freshman class.

"The school has enrolled a larger number of better-prepared students," Webb said. "These students bring with them higher expectations from us. The better job we do, the more students will return."

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