Northwestern’s new president, James Genovese, has quickly become a ubiquitous presence on campus and locally. President Genovese spoke to community leaders at a combined meeting of the Natchitoches Lions, Kiwanis and Rotary clubs Monday, September 16 at a breakfast meeting hosted at a local medical facility.

Genovese introduced himself and spoke about what led him to seek the NSU presidency. He mentioned the four challenges facing the university: recruiting, marketing, finances and exposure. By addressing these four issues, he said, Northwestern can be restored to statewide prominence.

Genovese was clear that there is already much that NSU is doing very well, but much is not as well known as it should be. The university’s Nursing program is simply superb, he said, with passing rates on the new nurse’s boards at or near 100 percent. Graduates of the CAPA’s Theater Department are writing or performing on Broadway, a phenomenal achievement for a rural university with modest enrollment. The university’s under-construction Alost Hall will open next year and feature state of the art educational facilities for student nurses and other majors.

The future of Northwestern is tied to the future of the city and parish, he noted, stressing the local university is an integral part of our area’s economic and cultural life. As President Genovese stated “We can fix Northwestern.” Let’s get to it!