Northwest College
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Northwest College is a public two-year residential college located in Powell, Wyoming, 70 miles (110 km) from Yellowstone National Park. It differs from most community colleges because the majority of NWC students are traditional age (under 23 years old) and attend full time; the majority of those full-time students live in campus housing. Because so many of its students live on campus, NWC has developed a student life program that offers a wide array of activities. Many of Northwest’s athletic events, concerts, cultural programming and guest lectures are webcast on the Trail (student-produced newspaper with print and online versions), vodcast on the college’s streaming server, and broadcast on NWC-TV.
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[edit] Academics
NWC offers over 70 associate degrees and nearly 30 certificate programs. It is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Full-time enrollment hovers around 1,200 students. The student-to-faculty ratio is typically 17:1. Most NWC students are from Wyoming and surrounding states, but some of the college’s flagship technical programs, like photography and equine studies, attract students from around the world. International student enrollment continues to grow across the disciplines at Northwest. In spring 2008, 24 countries and five continents were represented in the study body. One of NWC’s biggest regional draws, in numbers of students, is its music program[1], which is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.
[edit] Location
Nestled in the Bighorn Basin, in between the Big Horn Mountains and the Absaroka Mountain Range, Northwest uses its Rocky Mountain setting as a classroom in several studies:
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- select writing and drawing classes are based out of the college’s Mickelson Field Station, located near the Sunlight Basin in the Shoshone National Forest;
- photography classes take seasonal treks to Yellowstone National Park (as well as to international locations);
- biology and wildlife student interns have tracked and studied wolves, wild horses, bighorn sheep, mountain plovers and other wildlife in the region.
[edit] Travel opportunities
Northwest offers an assortment of short-term opportunities (usually two-six weeks) to study and travel abroad. In addition to students, alumni and community members frequently participate on these trips. A few of the most recent excursions have included:
- trips to language institutes in Mexico, Costa Rica, Ecuador and Peru;
- photography expeditions to China, the Maldives, Vietnam, Austria, Italy, Uruguay, Cambodia, Yucatan and others;
- cultural studies in France, Ireland, Hawaii and more.
- A 2008 spring semester art class followed the life of the Renaissance artist Caravaggio from Rome to Florence.
[edit] Athletics and other competitive activities
The Northwest athletic teams are known as the Trappers. They include men and women’s basketball and rodeo, plus women’s volleyball and men’s wrestling. Club soccer teams and a variety of intramural sports are also popular.
Northwest’s nonathletic competitive programs include equine judging and livestock judging teams that travel across the country to compete nationally. Among NWC’s competitive teams, Forensics has been a standout for more than 30 years.
Known as the NWC “Squirrel Squad,” it has consistently ranked in the top two in the nation among community colleges and top 15 among all colleges and universities by the National Parliamentary Debate Association since the association first started ranking teams. The Squirrel Squad earned enough individual gold, silver and bronze awards at the 2008 Phi Rho Pi National Tournament to break all previous NWC records at that culminating event.
[edit] Campus
The comprehensive campus in Powell sits on 124 acres (0.50 km2) and is home to 57 buildings, including five residence halls (offering traditional and suite-style living arrangements), two apartment complexes, 13 classroom buildings, plus an observatory, performing arts center, library, ag pavilion and equine center.
Off campus, Northwest has a mountain field station and two satellite facilities: the Cody Center and Worland Center (located in other Big Horn Basin communities).
Recent Title III grant money and a successful multimillion-dollar endowment campaign conducted by the NWC Foundation have provided increased technology-enhanced learning opportunities. All disciplines have access to vodcasting, podcasting and other technologies.
[edit] External links
- Northwest College
- Northwest College Campus Life
- Northwest College Photography
- Northwest College Music
- Northwest College Alumni Association
- Northwest College Athletics
- Northwest College Forensics
- Northwest College Foundation
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