Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, has named Marcus Jones as interim president. He will take office on July 1 and serve while a search for a permanent president is conducted.
“I am honored to have been selected to serve Northwestern during this transitional period,” Dr. Jones said. “I look forward to returning to the university I have called home for so many years and working with university leaders to continue executing our mission.”
Northwestern State University enrolls nearly 10,000 undergraduate students and more than 1,000 graduate students, according to the latest statistics available from the U.S. Department of Education. African Americans make up 28 percent of the student body.
Professor Jones served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for the University of Louisiana System for the past year. He was executive vice president for university and business affairs at Northwestern State University from 2017-2020. From 2007 to 2017, he was vice president for university affairs. Professor Jones joined the faculty at the university in 1994.
Professor Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from Northwestern State University. He earned a master’s degree in international trade and finance from Grambling State University in Louisiana, and a law degree from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, where he was managing editor of the Southern Law Review. He also studied international business and finance at the University of Plymouth in England.
