NSU President Delivers Remarks To Faculty At Fall 2016 Opening Conference

NSU Newsroom
Norfolk State University President and CEO Eddie N. Moore Jr. delivered his State of the University address to the campus community on Monday August 15 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center in advance of the 2016-17 academic year, which will begin Aug. 20. The theme for the academic year is “Forging Onward to Excellence.” Moore provided details and set the tone for how NSU will operate during the upcoming year and beyond. The president, who has been at NSU for nearly three years, said the university is poised for great things and his administration will focus on three key priorities for the upcoming academic year: improving retention and graduation rates; increasing student enrollment; and creating and sustaining a culture of accountability at the university.

Moore said the overall student enrollment projection for the upcoming year is 5,400 students. This is 300 more students than initially projected. Freshman student enrollment alone is between 1,100 to 1,200 students, compared to 475 last fall. The university will also see an increase in undergraduate transfers from 352 students to more than 500 students. In addition, graduate student enrollment is up nearly 60 percent, and housing capacity is at 93 percent as new and returning students return to campus on Tuesday, Aug. 16.

The president said NSU will continue its nearly 81-year-old tradition of providing students with a quality education by ensuring that institutional resources are aligned with their needs. Moore said providing students with adequate course offerings, flexible class scheduling, effective advising and developing a more student-centric approach will be vital in ensuring their success.

“The state of the university has improved,” Moore said to the campus community. “But, we can always make it better. For Norfolk State to move to a higher level of success, we must reject the status quo and embrace continuous improvement.” Moore’s address was followed by several faculty workshops and academic presentations. Other Norfolk State Opening Week activities included the annual Freshman Convocation on Aug. 16 at the L. Douglas Wilder Performing Arts Center. More than 1,000 freshman were formally introduced to the campus community.