On Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2021, Interim President Marcus Jones put out a statement announcing a three percent raise for faculty and staff.

“There will be an increase in state funding that gives the university its best state budget in 13 years,” said Jones in a statement released by Northwestern State University.

Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards signed legislation passed by the state legislature that gave university faculty in the state an overall three percent raise in their salary.

“The legislature allocated for faculty members only, but within the funds given to NSU, administrators were able to award a three percent raise to the staff using the operating budget of the university,” Jones said.

“This was a long overdue raise for faculty, and it is definitely not as much as they deserve for their hard work and determination,” Jones said.

D.M.A. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Greg Handel feels the funding sends a message that Louisiana is supporting higher education.

“It’s encouraging that the state of Louisiana continues to make investments in Higher Education, and we hope that the state continues to do so in the coming years,” Handel said.

Handel noted the raise has brought faculty closer to the Southern Regional Education Board’s salary average.

“This helps retain the quality of faculty and staff which then helps retain the quality of life in NSU,” said Handel.