Student Government Association President John Pearce represented the NSU student body at the Dedication Ceremony for the Jimmy D. Long Sr. Student Services Center March 9 at the heart of the campus.

“Look at the building, but look past the brick and the glass and the concrete that make it up and recognize what it took to make that building a possibility,” said Pearce.

Jimmy Long lived the motto of the old Normal School: The education of the youth is the salvation of the state. He had the foresight and wisdom to understand that the future of Louisiana lay with its students. He saw education as a necessity and an investment with a long-term return and a key to breathing new life and purpose into a state with untapped potential.

“This building stands as a monument to all students at NSU to see what it looks like when someone takes the time to fight for student interests down at the legislature,” said Pearce. “He was a great champion for education and this building is physical proof of what can be accomplished when we value something as priceless as education.”

University of Louisiana System President Dr. Jim Henderson presented Dot Long with a framed resolution that the Board of Supervisors for the ULS voted unanimously to pass at its Dec. 8, 2016 meeting to name the Student Services Center after Jimmy Long. Words cannot adequately express the impact that he had on NSU and universities throughout the state.

The East and West Caspari buildings had used up their functionality over the years. Senator Gerald Long, with the assistance of the legislature, was able to secure $13 million to remodel them.

Dean of Students Frances Conine said the Center was designed as one-stop shop for students and their families. It houses Recruiting, Admissions, New Student and Leadership Programs, Financial Aid and Scholarships, Registrars Office and Veterans Affairs, One Card Services and Cashiering. In past years students were sent to multiple buildings on campus to become a Demon and Long and others fought to centralize those services.

“We have invested into the future of higher education in a tangible way you can see,” said Gerald Long.