Northwestern State University

"Northwestern State" redirects here. For the former administrative division of Nigeria, see North-Western State.
For universities with a similar name, see Northwestern University (disambiguation).

Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Former names
Louisiana State Normal School (1884–1944)
Northwestern State College of Louisiana (1944–1970)
MottoDedicated to one goal. Yours.
TypePublic university
Established1884; 140 years ago (1884)
Parent institution
UL System
Academic affiliations
Space-grant
Endowment$20.8 million (2021)[1]
PresidentJames T. Genovese[2]
Students9,389 (2022)
Location
Natchitoches
,
Louisiana
,
United States

31°45′00″N 93°05′50″W / 31.750°N 93.0972°W / 31.750; -93.0972
CampusRural, 916 acres (371 ha)
ColorsPurple and White
Orange accent[3]
     
NicknameDemons / Lady Demons
Sporting affiliations
NCAA Division I FCS – Southland
MascotVic the Demon
Websitewww.nsula.edu

Northwestern State University of Louisiana (NSULA)[4] is a public university primarily situated in Natchitoches, Louisiana, with a nursing campus in Shreveport and general campuses in Leesville/Fort Johnson and Alexandria. It is a part of the University of Louisiana System.

The Friedman Student Union Building is named for the late Louisiana State Senator Sylvan Friedman of Natchitoches.
The NSU Business Building
Williamson Hall houses the NSU engineering program.
NSU Wellness Recreation and Activity Center
The three columns of Northwestern State University

NSU was founded in 1884 as the Louisiana State Normal School. It was the first school in Louisiana to offer degree programs in nursing and business education. NSU, along with numerous other state colleges, gained university status in 1970 during the administration of President Arnold R. Kilpatrick, a Northwestern State alumnus who served from 1966 to 1978. Kilpatrick succeeded the 12-year president, John S. Kyser, a native of El Paso, Illinois.[5]

NSU was one of the first six colleges to enter into NASA's Joint Venture Program. Students worked with NASA scientists to help analyze data and do research for the 1996 Space Shuttle Columbia shuttle mission. NSU also hosts the Louisiana Scholars' College, Louisiana's designated honors college in the liberal arts and sciences. The Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts, a state-supported residential high school for sophomores, juniors, and seniors, is also located on the campus. It was a brainchild of former State Representative Jimmy D. Long of Natchitoches, who also attended NSU.

NSU offers more than 50 degree programs. Fall 2018 total enrollment was 11,081, the largest in the university's 133-year history, although the school saw enrollments decline during the COVID-19 pandemic, which hampered recruitment efforts.[6] NSU also claims more than 70,000 alumni.

  1. ^ "Data USA: Northwestern State University of Louisiana". Data USA. October 21, 2023.
  2. ^ James, Tyrenisha (November 17, 2021). "Marcus Jones chosen as 20th president of NSU". Purple Media Network. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  3. ^ Northwestern State University Visual Branding Guidelines (PDF). May 13, 2015. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  4. ^ "Northwestern State of Louisiana". Northwestern State University of Louisiana. February 9, 1997. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
  5. ^ Kyser, John S. "A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography". lahistory.org. Louisiana Historical Association. Archived from the original on December 1, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2010.
  6. ^ James, Tyrenisha (November 8, 2021). "NSU records nine percent decrease in enrollment". The Current Sauce. Retrieved September 7, 2022.