Northwest+College

toc =Statistics=
 * Northwest College **


 * Location:** Powell
 * Founding:** 1946

=History=

[|Northwest College] opened in 1946 with nearly 100 full- and part-time students and three instructors who met in classrooms borrowed from the public school district.

Initially called the University of Wyoming Northwest Center, it was established through an agreement with the University of Wyoming and Park County School District No. 1. University support was discontinued in 1950.

In 1953 the name was changed to Northwest Community College, and in 1968 the college's tax base was expanded to include all of Park County. The name changed once more to Northwest College in 1989. Over the years, the quality of instruction matured, and a residential campus developed.

1940s
The Junior College Act, after an early defeat in the 1945 Wyoming legislative session, was revised in the same session and made into law. Its passage allowed Wyoming school districts, with voter approval, to establish two-year adult education programs and the authority to levy up to two mills for operational support. In March 1946, Powell residents provided petition signatures to convince School District No. 1 to place the junior college issue before the electorate on June 17, 1946. This vote was preempted in April when the University of Wyoming announced its plans to establish a two-year, fully-accredited branch of the university the following fall in Powell.
 * February 1945:** Junior College Act passes

The UW Northwest Center, the first satellite branch of the University of Wyoming, opened Sept. 10, 1946, in the Powell High School building. Classes began Sept. 16. Clarence Moore was the center director and Paul Fawley, Powell's superintendent of schools, was named assistant director. The university funded the teaching staff, library and administrative costs while the school district provided the building and paid for janitorial and secretarial services and necessary equipment and supplies. Classes were taught by seven teachers, including the center director, in second-floor classrooms at the high school. Accounts of student enrollment vary from 58-90, with the Powell Tribune reporting a final fall enrollment count of 75.
 * September 1946:** University of Wyoming Northwest Center opens

Enrollment at the UW Northwest Center had risen considerably when the university announced that it was financially unable to continue operating the Powell branch. In a new agreement, the school district ensured the future of the college by taking responsibility for all expenses associated with the center. Students attending the Northwest Center continued to be enrolled in the University of Wyoming and received UW credits.
 * April 1949:** University of Wyoming rescinds financial support

When the university withdrew its funding, Clarence Moore's position was vacated. Julius E. Christensen, who had taught English and drama two years at the UW Northwest Center, was named center director, a position he held for 17 years.
 * June 1949:** Julius Christensen named center director

For the first time since its inception, the center could claim its own building when it moved into what was called the "grade school bungalow" (known as the white house in later years). Originally a barracks from the Heart Mountain Relocation Center, the building had been remodeled to temporarily handle an overflow of Powell elementary students awaiting the completion of a new school. In September 1949, Northwest Center students walked into classrooms with "blackboards at six-year-old eye level and toilets correspondingly sized." The center still conducted lab classes in high school laboratories, and in 1953, the Presbyterian Church basement was also utilized for classrooms.
 * September 1949:** UW Northwest Center gets its own building

1950s
In 1951, the Wyoming legislature approved the Community College Act allowing the establishment of community college districts with legal bonding privileges and the authority to levy up to two and a half mills for operational support. The NWC mill levy was raised in 1964 to 3.73 mills, and again in 1965 to 4 mills, the current assessment.
 * February 1951:** Community College Act passed by legislature

Northwest Community College was created, and its first board members elected, on May 12, 1953. The college referendum passed by a vote of 981-158. Northwest was now an autonomous institution, independent of both the university and the local school. The new college district's boundaries copied the Powell school district's.
 * May 1953:** Northwest Community College District established

The Powell community helped Northwest take its first step in establishing its current campus identity by approving on July 27, 1954, the college's first bond issue for construction of a building to house classrooms and administrative offices (now called the Orendorff Building) and a multi-purpose building (now known as the Johnson Fitness Center). An act of Congress was required to approve a complicated land swap between Northwest and the University of Wyoming. NWC is located on land originally granted to UW from the federal government.
 * July 1954:** Northwest wins approval for first bond issue

1960s
The college's second major building campaign was launched when voters approved a general obligation bond issue Feb. 16, 1960, to build a liberal arts building (now called the Nelson Performing Arts Center), a library (which later became the Frisby Social Science Building) and a men's and women's dormitory/cafeteria (Colter Hall).
 * February 1960:** Physical plant doubles in size

On April 9, 1964, Northwest Community College received full accreditation from the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges.
 * April 1964:** Northwest validated by NCA accreditation

The college culminated its first decade of growth with a $2.8 million building program. $850,000 came from a general obligation bond issue approved by voters on April 20, 1965. $1,750,000 was obtained through the sale of revenue bonds to the State of Wyoming, and a grant from the Higher Education Facilities Act provided another $175,000 (used for what is now the Fagerberg Building). In 1966 and 1967, the college opened the buildings that are known today as the DeWitt Student Center, Bridger Hall and Lewis and Clark Hall. With three dormitories and a student center, Northwest established its identity as a residential campus, a distinction among community colleges in Wyoming and across the country. In later decades, the college also took advantage of federal mineral royalty funds to add several other buildings.
 * April 1965:** College becomes a multi-dormitory institution

The Northwest College Foundation was launched in June 1966 with a $15,000 gift from R.A. Nelson, who has presided over the organization since its inception. The foundation now claims assets of nearly $4 million.
 * January 1966:** NWC Foundation formed

After a turbulent and controversial year, inner strife at the college boiled over into the public arena when faculty members contested a board ruling restricting political activity by faculty. During 1966 the college underwent investigations by the National Education Association, American Association of University Professors and the North Central Association. In August, the NCA placed the college on a two-year public probation pending the removal of certain deficiencies. NCA lifted the probation in 1968-1969 with accreditation extended to 1978-1979.
 * August 1966:** College placed on public probation

SinClair Orendorff, the college's longest-tenured chief administrator, took the job as president when the institution's soundness was marred by an accreditation probation, faculty morale problems, budget crisis and the need for an ambitious campaign to expand the district's tax base. Despite the odds, Orendorff led Northwest through a time many consider its darkest hours and continued at the helm of the institution for 22 years.
 * January 1967:** SinClair Orendorff takes over presidency

On Jan. 30, 1968, Park County voters outside the Powell school district approved, 808-572, the expansion of the college district to include all of Park County. This helped secure the college's fiscal future by doubling its tax base. An attempt in 1965 to annex the Cody school district failed in the voting booths, as did the Jan. 30, 1968, annexation vote in several Big Horn County communities encompassed by the Byron, Cowley, Deaver and Lovell school districts.
 * January 1968:** College district expanded

1970s
In November 1970, the college's board of trustees began negotiations with the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education on an interstate exchange agreement for community college students. This multi-state, reciprocal, reduced-tuition agreement was superseded later by the Closest Community College Program and after that by the Western Undergraduate Exchange Program.
 * November 1970:** NWCC enters interstate exchange agreement

Although Northwest's tax base was limited to Park County, in December 1976 the college's board officially recognized the "NWCC service area" as all of the Big Horn Basin. This designation came in recognition of the college's established tradition of commitment to the four-county area.
 * December 1976:** College defines service area

1980s
The Wyoming Legislature, which had previously granted state appropriations separately to each community college, voted to fund all seven colleges in block grants that would be distributed by the Wyoming Community College Commission. This legislation led to the WCCC adoption in August 1988 of a complicated funding formula driven primarily by enrollment and instructional square footage. Northwest operated under its first formula-based budget in 1990-91.
 * March 1988:** Legislation passes leading to new formula funding

The Northwest Community College Alumni Association held its first meeting March 26, 1988. George Ribble, a 1960 NWCC alum, was elected president of the 20-member board. The NWCAA currently claims more than 16,000 alumni (defined as anyone who attended the college full time, successfully completing at least one semester).
 * March 1988:** Alumni association formed

Phillip Kendall, previously of Mankato State University, assumed the presidency of Northwest Community College in January 1989. Under his two years as chief executive, the college entered into an era of increased competition among Wyoming community colleges trying to boost enrollments in order to secure their portion of the state appropriation through the new funding formula.
 * January 1989:** Phillip Kendall becomes president

After polling students and alumni, the board of trustees voted in May 1989 to drop the "community" from the college's name, a change prompted by image and marketing considerations. The purpose and nature of the institution was unchanged; the college remained a community-oriented entity. Northwest College is the working name; the legal name of the college is still Northwest Community College District, Park County, State of Wyoming.
 * June 1989:** College's name shortened

Northwest, for the first time, enrolled more than 1,000 full-time students in 1989. The institution's steady enrollment growth reached the milestone mark when 1,032 students signed up for fall semester classes. In fall 1995, full-time enrollment was 1,288, with nearly 600 students enrolled part time.
 * September 1989:** Full-time enrollment tops the 1,000 mark

1990s
The Northwest College Yellowstone Park Campus, believed to be the first of its kind in the country, opened in June 1990. The summer program in Yellowstone National Park offered classes from the end of June through the first of August. Most of the 135 students enrolled in 1990 were seasonal workers employed by TW-Services, the park's major concessionaire. The summer program was discontinued after four years.
 * June 1990:** Northwest offers summer classes in Yellowstone

After five years as director of the 19-community college system in Kansas, John Hanna became the college's fourth chief executive officer on Sept. 3, 1991. During his watch, the college passed an $8 million general obligation bond issue to build a Science and Mathematics Building and accommodate extensive campus remodeling. Hanna also guided the creation of a resource allocation process designed to help the college stay true to its mission during institutional changes brought about by declining revenues.
 * September 1991:** John Hanna is new president

The college enlarged its main campus by almost 23 percent with acquisition of the vacated U.S. Air Force housing site west of Powell. Trapper Village West, with more than 60 available apartment units, was opened to students in June 1996. Preference was given to married students, single parents, and students age 23 or over.
 * June 1996:** College takes over U.S. Air Force housing site

After John Hanna's resignation in January 1997, Northwest launched a nationwide search for a new CEO. Mark Kitchen, NWC's Dean of College Relations and Development, served as Interim President during the year-long search. In July 1998, Frances Feinerman, campus director of the University of Alaska Southeast's Ketchikan campus, arrived at Northwest to assume the presidency. Using the results of a comprehensive market research study conducted during the previous year and input from a series of community meetings, Feinerman committed the college to creating a strategic plan before the end of her first year. She also took aggressive budget reallocation measures to reposition Northwest for the future and to prepare it for anticipated enrollment declines. She oversaw almost 90 full-time faculty and a 124-acre campus with 57 buildings, including five residence halls and 80 apartments capable of housing a total of 825 students.
 * July 1998:** Frances Feinerman assumes NWC presidency

2000s
At the turn of the century, Northwest College was deep into the rigorous self examination associated with a comprehensive accreditation evaluation by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools scheduled in 2000-01. The NCA evaluation team visited campus in the spring of 2001. The following August, NCA notified the college it received continued accreditation for 10 years, the maximum period. While the next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2010-11, NCA asked Northwest to provide a progress report on the institutional strategic plan in June 2002, and a monitoring report on the institutional assessment plan and evidence of implementation in June 2003.
 * August 2002:** NCA awards continued accreditation

After President Frances Feinerman's resignation on July 26, 2002, NWC trustees chose Dr. Elise Schneider, retired president of Oxnard College in California, to serve in a one-year interim position during a nationwide presidential search. That search ended when Miles LaRowe, the president of Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls, accepted the presidency of Northwest. LaRowe oversaw more than $5 million in campus renovations in five years. Several buildings were updated, including Lewis and Clark Hall, which had been closed for two years. The NWC Cody and Worland centers were both expanded, and a facilities master plan was developed. Also under LaRowe’s watch, the college’s financial integrity and health were improved. The NWC Foundation’s “Toward New Vistas,” a successful $8 million endowment campaign was conducted. In addition, the institution became the first “Disaster Resistant University” in Wyoming, a designation granted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
 * July 2003:** Miles LaRowe steps into presidency

A fire broke out March 30, 2004, in a second-floor residential room of Bridger Hall, one of the college's oldest residence halls. Fire departments from Powell, Cody, Lovell and Deaver-Frannie responded. All students living in Bridger Hall were evacuated safely and as a safety precaution, residents of nearby Colter Hall were also evacuated for one night. All students displaced by the fire were assigned alternative residential housing on campus through the end of the semester. An unprecedented outpouring of community support raised over $66,000 in cash, chamber bucks, local coupons and more for the Bridger Hall residents. Cause of the fire was determined by a Wyoming Fire Marshal to be an accidental failure of an electric device in a student's room.
 * March 2004:** Bridger Hall lost to fire

The proceeds from a $4.1 million Bridger Hall insurance settlement were used to build Simpson Hall, located on the north end of campus and completed just in time for fall semester 2006 classes. The 80-bed hall introduced suite-style living arrangements to the list of residential options available at Northwest. The building was named in honor of former U.S. Sen. Alan Simpson and his wife, Ann. Both honorees were raised in Northwest College's service area and expanded their spheres of influence from the Big Horn Basin to Washington, D.C., and the nation. Sen. Simpson initiated a long career in public service serving as a Northwest College trustee from 1968-76, a pivotal time in the college's history. Simpson was instrumental in a successful campaign to expand NWC's tax district to include all of Park County. Ann focuses much of her energy on family, the arts and mental health issues. In Washington, she co-chaired the Congressional Wives Mental Health Committee and now serves on the Yellowstone Behavioral Health Center Board of Directors.
 * September 2006:** Simpson Hall introduces suite-style residence options

After Miles LaRowe’s announcement in summer 2007 that he would retire after the 2007-08 academic year, a national search resulted in the hiring of Paul B. Prestwich as NWC’s new president. Raised in Colorado, Prestwich had most recently been vice president of academic affairs at Sussex County Community College in New Jersey. Before moving to the East, he spent six years at North¬eastern Junior College in Sterling, Colo., where he held progressively responsible administrative positions. He took the Northwest College helm June 2, charged by the Board of Trustees to help ensure NWC’s continued accreditation with the Higher Learning Commission, implement a campus facilities master plan, contribute to the state’s funding formula revisions and track work of a Community College Task Force Planning Study impaneled by the Wyoming State Legislature earlier that same year.
 * June 2008:** Prestwich named NWC’s seventh president

2010s
In awarding continuing accreditation to Northwest College on Nov. 17, 2011, the Higher Learning Commission cited four areas of positive observations: NWC’s strong commitment to student learning, responsiveness and good working relationship with the community, dynamic residential life program, and well-resourced creativeness in making sure students continue their education. Areas for improvement, which the HLC visiting team said were no surprise because they all “came across in your honest self-study evaluation,” included shared governance, development of planning, integration and implementation in various planning processes, and better data utilization in decision making. The visit culminated four years of research, information gathering, analysis and writing of a lengthy [|self-study report]. The HLC followed up in 2013 with a focused campus visit on planning and budget. During that visit, NWC presented a monitoring report on progress in student learning assessment.
 * November 2011:** NCA awards continued accreditation

In awarding continuing accreditation to Northwest College on Nov. 17, 2012, the Higher Learning Commission cited four areas of positive observations: NWC’s strong commitment to student learning, responsiveness and good working relationship with the community, dynamic residential life program, and well-resourced creativeness in making sure students continue their education. Areas for improvement, which the HLC visiting team said were no surprise because they all “came across in your honest self-study evaluation,” included shared governance, development of planning, integration and implementation in various planning processes, and better data utilization in decision making. The visit culminated four years of research, information gathering, analysis and writing of a lengthy [|self-study report]. The HLC will follow up in 2013 with a focused campus visit on planning and budget. During that visit, NWC will present a monitoring report on progress in student learning assessment.
 * November 2012:** NCA awards continuing accreditation

Stefani Gray Hicswa assumed Northwest’s presidency in mid-July 2013, the results of a nationwide presidential search following Paul Prestwich’s resignation after five years at the helm. Hicswa had served seven years as president of Miles Community College in Miles City, Mont., where she helped increase graduation rates to first among all post-secondary institutions in Montana and among the top community colleges nationally. Her 20-years’ experience in higher education administration includes operating a Montana consulting firm that specialized in strategic planning and organizational development. Hicswa holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin. The focus of her dissertation research was the role of community college presidents in rural community development. She earned her master’s in adult, community and higher education from Montana State University in Bozeman and a bachelor’s in organizational communication from the University of Montana in Missoula.
 * July 2013:** Hicswa becomes NWC's eighth president


 * Timeline courtesy Northwest College website

=Presidents=


 * **President** ||  || **Service Began** ||   || **Service Ended** ||
 * Clarence Moore (Director) ||  || 1946 ||   || 1949 ||
 * J. E. Christensen ||  || 1949 ||   || 1966 ||
 * SinClaire Orendorff ||  || 1966 ||   || 1988 ||
 * Philip W. Kendall ||  || 1989 ||   || 1991 ||
 * John P. Hanna ||  || 1992 ||   || 1997 ||
 * Mark S. Kitchen (Interim) ||  || 1998 ||   ||   ||
 * Frances M. Feinerman ||  || 1999 ||   || 2002 ||
 * Miles La Rowe ||  || 2003 ||   || 2007 ||
 * Paul Prestwich ||  || 2008 ||   || 2013 ||
 * Stefani Gray Hicswa ||  || 2013 ||   ||   ||

=Additional Resources=

[|Northwest College] website