Contact: David West (west@nsula.edu )
News Bureau
Northwestern State University
Natchitoches, LA 71497
(318) 357-6466

7/09/2003

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NATCHITOCHES- Dr. Larry E. Monk has been named executive director of Northwestern State University's Leesville/Fort Polk campus. Monk has been interim executive director since December.

"Dr. Monk has served Northwestern effectively for several years as a faculty member and advisor to students. His service as interim executive director was commendable," said NSU president Dr. Randall J. Webb. "Faculty, staff, and students as well as people in the Leesville and Fort Polk communities strongly supported his candidacy to assume the position on a regular basis. He succeeds a legendary leader in educational and civic activities in Vernon Parish, Creighton Owen. I know Dr. Monk will be an exemplary leader in his own right."

Monk has been a faculty member on the Leesville/Fort Polk campus for almost 20 years. Monk has been an instructor of education since 1999, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in education and educational leadership. From 1981 until 1996, he was an adjunct instructor, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in computer science, education, educational leadership and educational psychology.

"This appointment will give me the opportunity to pursue some of my long-range goals for the campus," said Monk. "I plan to offer as many courses as possible on this campus and work to increase enrollment in the future. I want more people to know about the Leesville/Fort Polk campus. We have a highly qualified, caring faculty and staff.

"I also have a good working relationship with the other Northwestern campuses and feel I am well supported by them."

Monk pointed out that the Leesville-Fort Polk campus has teaching faculty with doctorates in areas including biology, history, education, business, criminal justice and English. He is currently seeking a faculty member in physical sciences who can teach courses in chemistry, physics and astronomy.

This summer, the Leesville-Fort Polk campus has offered PREP, the Preparing Responsible Educators Program, which is a fast track alternate certification program for teachers. Monk said he hopes the program benefits area school systems and he hopes it can be a permanent offering.

In the future, Monk also hopes to develop an "outdoor classroom" on the 160-acre campus. The classroom could be used by students in science and health and physical education classes. He also would like to put a walking path to one of the ponds on campus and set up some exercise stations. The path would include markers identifying plants and trees and could host area school children for field trips.

Monk was a teacher at West Leesville Elementary and Leesville High School before being named Vernon Parish's curriculum director in 1981. In 1988, he was selected as assistant superintendent for curriculum, instruction, in-service and professional personnel. Monk held that position until 1999.

An alumnus of Northwestern, Monk received a bachelor's degree, a master's in business education and distributive education and a doctorate in secondary teaching, supervision and administration from NSU. He has done additional post-doctoral study at UCLA, Peabody Teacher's College of Vanderbilt University and Northeast Louisiana University.

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