Kendall Caple   

Reporter   

After the announcement of Northwestern State University President Dr. Chris Maggio’s retirement, in a unanimous decision by the University of Louisiana System, Marcus Jones, former vice president for university affairs and associate professor of business, has been named interim president.  

“It has been an honor to serve as president of this great institution since 2017 and as a member of the faculty, staff and administration at NSU for 33 years,” Maggio said. “My love for Northwestern has grown continually since enrolling as a freshman at the school four decades ago.” 

The UL board met on Thursday, April 22 in a meeting headed by former NSU president and current UL president, Jim Henderson, where they made their unanimous vote regarding Jones.  

Preceding the vote, the recommendation of Jones to interim presidency was made by Henderson. 

“I am honored to make a recommendation to you that Marcus Jones be named the interim President at Northwestern effective July 1st, 2021, upon Chris’ departure,” Henderson said. “He would begin working to ensure that we do a deep review of the status of the institution.” 

Jones has been a part of the NSU faculty for 23 years. According to Henderson, while the financial and academic institutions of the university are strong, Jones will not only keep the ship moving steadily forward he will even pick up the speed. 

Jones has experience in higher education administration, college instruction in business law, international recruiting, facility management and oversight and campus safety and security.  

In a statement, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Jones says that he is honored to have been selected to serve Northwestern during this transitional period.  

“I look forward to returning to the university I have called home for so many years and working with Dr. Maggio and university leaders to continue executing our mission,” Jones said.