For more than 100 years, Northwest Missouri State University has been ahead of the curve on many of the major developments and trends that have swept higher education. The university today remains a trendsetter in part through developing strong partnerships with other learning institutions as well as the community.
Thanks to these partnerships, Northwest Missouri State can offer students an online MBA, a cooperative doctorate in educational leadership, a Master of Science degree in biological sciences, as well as a major in economics and courses in Chinese. These are possible through agreements with Missouri Southern State University, the University of Missouri, a regional veterinary pharmaceutical company and other state universities, respectively.
Northwest Missouri State also leads the way in energy conservation and the use of alternative fuels – “greener” energy options have been in place since the 1970s. For example, Northwest Missouri's alternative fuels initiative has saved more than $13 million compared to purchasing natural gas and oil, according to the university.
Such forward thinking is by no means finished at the university, which was established in 1905 as a teachers’ college and today offers an array of undergraduate, graduate and online programs to more than 7,200 students.
“In this day and age, you have a choice – you can try to manage day-to-day or ask how you can get ahead and provide leadership on the local and national landscape, and we’re choosing the latter,” President John Jasinski says.
Since joining Northwest Missouri State as president in July 2009, Jasinski says he has challenged staff and administrators to think beyond traditional convention when it comes to strategic planning. “I believe in thinking big and bold and not letting limited finances and time bring me down,” he adds.
Executing the plan
With Jasinski’s presidency at the school now entering its third year, the university’s strategic planning process is entering its third phase. The first phase, which started shortly after his arrival, focused on repositioning and preparing, while the second phase, which began in 2010, concentrated on responding to issues identified within the university and transforming its culture. The current phase – from 2011 and beyond – is characterized as the “executing and succeeding” phase of planning.
The planning process concentrates on three areas – academic programming, the learning environment and the university’s impact on the community. “We’re also undertaking a very substantial and cross-cutting study identifying the factors that drive student success from the first year,” he adds. “This allows us to take stock in what we’re doing now and what we will do in the future.”
In addition to strengthening the institution’s financial position and preparing for a capital campaign, another major current goal is refining Northwest Missouri’s campus master plan. Jasinski and other administrators are examining the university’s current and projected enrollment patterns to determine future facility needs, he says.
A variety of experiences
Northwest Missouri has long offered its students the tools they need to succeed, starting in 1908, when it became one of the first colleges to adopt a textbook rental program. Technology has played a major role on the Northwest Missouri campus since it became an “electronic campus” in the mid-1980s, the first public institution to do so. Computers have been present in every office and residence hall room since 1987. Today, each student receives a fully loaded laptop computer as part of his or her tuition. In addition to being a pioneer in the use of personal computers and electronic communication on campus, the university has offered online learning opportunities for students and staff since the 1990s.
“Being an early adapter, we’ve had a platform and strong base for online learning,” Jasinski says. “We want students to have a variety of experiences both online and on the ground, and online education has been successful for us.”
While online learning is offered year-round in a variety of courses, Jasinski says it has been particularly sought-after by students as a summer educational option.
The university’s focus on technology can be seen in action in its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a 46,600-square-foot business incubator connecting students with industry and business. With its state-of-the-art research facilities and commercial analytical lab, the center allows business tenants to work closely and share resources and information with students and faculty in the nanoscience, marketing, computer science and other departments.
The center is but one of a number of partnerships between the university, corporations and other entities that offer experiential learning opportunities for students. Another notable recent project paired computer science and information systems students with the Mission Command Battle Lab of Fort Leavenworth, Kan. The U.S. Army awarded a $100,000 grant to the university to develop a “war gaming” simulation, Jasinski says.
Another recent partnership includes an integrated media marketing course that gave students an opportunity to brainstorm a comprehensive marketing campaign for Cincinnati-based LasikPlus Vision.
‘The Bearcat Family’
The real-world experiences gained by students in these and similar programs play a role in the university’s high job placement and student retention and graduation rates.
The university has more than 180 student organizations and goes beyond intercollegiate athletics to offer club sports and organizations. Jasinski also takes great pride in the university’s internationally benchmarked student employment program that helps students stay in school. “We employ more than 900 students as part of our work force,” he says.
Engaging students through these programs and in other ways was one of Jasinski’s main goals when he became president in 2009. “I think by listening and learning and getting out to talk to staff, alumni and students that we’re all looking for ways to take the university to the next level,” he adds.
Jasinski carries out his personal mission of transparency in ways both traditional – greeting alumni at football games and meeting prospective students at orientation, among other things – and new, such as using social media and campus chats. Facebook, Twitter and other social media channels play as much of a role in the university’s communication and marketing strategies as billboards and word-of-mouth.
Interactions with students, staff and alumni are extremely important to Jasinski. “We focus on a people-first culture,” he says. “A lot of organizations talk about family, but the `Bearcat Family’ [after the university’s mascot] is not just a motto we use, but something we focus on every day.
“In an institution like ours, those one-to-one, caring relationships are huge and allow us to focus on our mission, which is to focus on student success – every student, every day”
