To meet the increased needs of graduate students, Northwestern State University of Louisiana has named Natchitoches native Mary Edith Stacy the full-time dean of the school.
Greg Handel, executive vice president and provost of academic affairs, addressed the long-overdue appointment of a full-time Graduate School dean.
“Over a decade ago, NSU collapsed some colleges together due to budgeting and the graduate school dean was absorbed by the Provost office,” Handel said.
Handel discussed that interest in the graduate school has increased post-pandemic and that having a full-time dean has become a necessity.
He added that Stacy has a long history with NSU and is well-suited for this position. “She has a wealth of experience in higher education and she has served in many different roles at the university,” Handel said.
A dedicated alumna, Stacy received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from NSU before completing her doctorate in philosophy from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge.
Stacy has held multiple roles at NSU, including working in financial aid, auxiliary services, director of enrollment and management, a psychology and business instructor and most recently the dean of the College of Business and Technology.
As the business school dean, she not only led the department but also continued to teach classes while actively helping students secure jobs and internships.
Curtis Penrod, director of the school of business, said, “Dr. Stacy wanted the school of business to be student-centric and serve its students.”
Stacy aims to enhance communication with prospective students by providing more information on the graduate programs that NSU has to offer and their alignment with career opportunities.
“My top priority in the role of the dean of the graduate school is to gain a better understanding of our communication strategy to our potential new graduate students,” Stacy said. “The communication process is key in making us the choice for the prospective students.”
Stacy will oversee the 25 graduate programs offered by NSU.
The university’s Graduate School offers 21 masters programs including master of art, music, clinical psychology, adult education, education in curriculum and instruction, early childhood education, educational leadership, counseling, English, student affairs in higher education, educational technology leadership, special education, teaching, computer information systems, homeland security, health and human performance, nursing, social work, radiologic sciences and allied health.
NSU also offers educational specialist programs with concentrations in educational leadership, educational technology leadership and special education.
Doctor of nursing practice and doctor of education in adult learning and development are the only two doctoral programs NSU offers.
Stacy emphasised the significance of assisting graduate students as they take the next step in their formal education. These students are making a big commitment and require support to navigate the process successfully.
As Stacy takes on her new role as the Graduate School dean, the university is actively seeking to appoint a new dean for the College of Business Technology with hopes of filling the position by the end of next fall.
