Dr. Marcus Jones, president of Northwestern State University since November 2021, announced his departure from the Natchitoches-based institution in an early-morning e-mail Friday to NSU faculty and staff.
Jones was announced by the University of Louisiana System as executive vice president and chief operating officer, reporting to new ULS president Rick Gallot, the former Grambling State president who took over in January.
The ULS announcement said the system’s board will consider appointing an interim president of NSU at its upcoming regularly-scheduled June 13 meeting. The announcement also said the system was “initiating a national search” to find Jones’ successor in Natchitoches.
Along with its main campus, Northwestern operates the state’s top-ranked nursing school based in Shreveport, along with instructional centers in Leesville and Alexandria.
Jones previously served in a very similar capacity at the UL System until taking over as NSU’s interim president in July 2021. In Baton Rouge, he will oversee all system operations and coordinate strategic activities among the UL System’s nine higher education institutions. He will also serve as a senior advisor to Gallot, helping to guide strategic planning for the UL System, foster enrollment growth, and enhance the overall educational experience for the students the UL System’s institutions serve.
Jones, a Winnfield native, had served on NSU’s faculty since 1995. He was a university vice president under Dr. Jim Henderson, and when Henderson left Northwestern to take over for Dan Reneau as the UL System president, Jones soon followed to Baton Rouge. He returned as interim president when Dr. Chris Maggio retired in spring 2021 and was awarded the post officially in November 2021.
During his tenure leading the university, NSU recorded academic achievements across critical fields such as healthcare, STEM, business, and education.
“It has been my pleasure to serve Northwestern State University for the past 25 years, and I am honored to rejoin the University of Louisiana System office,” said Jones. “I am deeply committed to advancing the mission and priorities of our universities, promoting student-centered policies, and collaborating with stakeholders to drive positive change in higher education. Together, we will continue to build on the system’s strengths and ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed.”
The UL System is one of the nation’s largest higher education systems, serving more than 82,000 students and awarding more than 16,500 degrees annually. Offering a broad spectrum of educational opportunities, the system and its nine institutions provide high-quality, cost-efficient education to thousands of Louisiana families. It includes four north Louisiana four-year institutions: Grambling. Louisiana Tech, Northwestern and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Jones will be working with university presidents, and stakeholders at the UL System’s nine institutions to address priorities, including campus safety, student access and success, fiscal stewardship, technology and innovation, and international study abroad opportunities for students and faculty. He has traveled internationally frequently while conducting his executive roles at Northwestern.
