From historic winter weather in Louisiana, to celebrating Mardi Gras in our nation’s capital, this week has been filled with activity and opportunities. Here are some highlights:

Winter Storm
Louisiana experienced severe winter weather last week with record snowfall across the southern part of our state, and wintry road conditions all over, resulting in campus closures on Tuesday and Wednesday. Despite the challenges, our faculty and staff worked diligently to ensure that student services and essential operations remained uninterrupted. Thank you for your resilience and commitment during this unprecedented event.

Washington D.C. Trip
On Tuesday morning, Martha and I were able to get ahead of the storm and traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Committee of 100 Washington Briefing and Washington Mardi Gras festivities. These annual events bring together local, state, and federal officials, business advocates, civic leaders, and other Louisianians for networking, strategizing, and discussions on resources and policies.

We had the opportunity to meet with members of our congressional delegation, including U.S. Senator John Kennedy, U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, and U.S. Representative Cleo Fields, to provide them with an update on progress at Northwestern and outline our federal funding priorities.

Previous engagements with members and staff over the past few years have resulted in over $4.1 million in federal funding for high-impact projects. With over $4.5 million in pending requests, and an additional $5.7 million in progress, Northwestern is poised to benefit from federal grants and congressionally directed spending for programs and initiatives including TRIO, Health Workforce, Nursing, STEM, and additional support for Innovation Park. The willingness of members and staff to support our projects and invest in our programs is indicative of the critical role Northwestern plays in economic and workforce development in Louisiana.

Baseball Auction
On Saturday morning, Martha and I flew back to Louisiana to attend the annual baseball auction. This year’s event featured the retirement of David Fry’s No. 1 jersey, a proud moment for all of us at Northwestern. David’s success on the national stage as a Major League Baseball All-Star and playoff hero for the Cleveland Guardians continues to shine a spotlight on our university, and illustrates the impact of our athletic programs and the dedication of our student-athletes. David and his wife Rebecca, also a Northwestern graduate and a former recruiter on our staff, are wonderful ambassadors for our university.

The evening was a tremendous success, thanks to the hard work of Coach Bertrand and his team. The energy and support from our alumni and other fans was inspiring and reinforces the spirit of our university community. I’m looking forward to what the Demon baseball team has in store for us this season and encourage you all to come out and show your support. Click here to view the 2025 schedule.

Athletics Update
While we were attending the baseball festivities, I was happy to hear that our Demon men’s basketball team pulled out a hard-fought overtime victory at Stephen F. Austin Saturday evening. It’s always great to beat our neighbors to the west, and it’s never easy in basketball to win in Nacogdoches. Our women’s team took it down to the wire behind a remarkable 37-point performance by Mya Blake, but was edged in the final minute of play. Her total was the most points scored by an NSU woman in nearly 30 years. Both teams play Monday at Lamar, and our women are home in Prather Coliseum on Thursday night.

Looking Ahead
As we look to the coming weeks, I encourage all faculty and staff to participate in N-Side View Day on February 15 and to support our upcoming recruiting receptions throughout the state. Recruiting is truly a team effort, and we are calling on faculty, staff, and alumni to play an active role in showcasing the exceptional opportunities available at Northwestern State University. Your engagement makes a tremendous impact in attracting the next generation of Demons. For more information on upcoming recruiting events, click here.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to our students and university mission. Together, we are building a brighter future for Northwestern and the communities we serve.

Fork ‘Em Demons,

President James T. “Jimmy” Genovese
Northwestern State University