Northwest College Hosts Transformative Meeting on Oct. 13

Northwest College is hosting a hybrid meeting this week to discuss the college’s future – which could mean presenting a new face and name to the world.

Northwest College invites residents to attend a Learning & Discovery Panel hosted by the N.W.C. Board of Trustees as part of an ongoing institutional transformation process. The meeting will be held in the Yellowstone Room on the N.W.C. Campus at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 13. A Zoom meeting will also be available at the same time.

The purpose of this meeting? The pros and cons of renaming and rebranding Northwest College.

“Whether you like the idea of rebranding or renaming, have reservations, or lie somewhere in between, this event is for you,” N.W.C. Interim President Lisa Watson said. “Your thoughts are critical to N.W.C.’s progress, and this panel discussion is a great opportunity to learn more and have all your questions answered by experts.”

The Wednesday meeting will be held as a discussion, led by expert panelists, for campus and community members to learn about the various aspects of rebranding and/or renaming an institution like Northwest College.

The panel of experts includes Interim president Watson and the following non-N.W.C. participants:

• Jim Owston, assistant provost for extended learning and professor of mass communication at Alderson Broaddus University.
  • Joining Alderson Broaddus’s faculty in 2014, Owston was assigned as Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2016 to 2019, tenured as a full professor in 2017, and promoted to Assistant Provost for Extended Learning in 2018. His 2007 dissertation on higher educational rebranding won AAUA’s 2008 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Award and CASE’s 2009 Alice L. Beeman Award. While a broadcaster, he earned 14 gold and platinum record awards and won five Active Industry Research pick-the-hits competitions. Since 2016, Owston and his students have won 51 P.R. awards.
• Dana Pulis, owner and principal of Kinetic Marketing & Creative in Billings.
  • Pulis is a nationally-known marketing expert, award-winning writer, accomplished public speaker, and respected business leader. Since launching Kinetic in 2007, she has focused on moving businesses forward through creative marketing communications. Her focus has produced results for local, regional, and national clients alike. As a result, her company has doubled in size since 2016.

Courtesy Northwest College

The Learning & Discovery Panel is part of N.W.C.’s third phase of transformation work.

Thus far, the three phases have included gathering ideas and receiving feedback from the northwest Wyoming community.

Phase 1: Collective Visioning | July – October 2020
Gathering ideas and hear feedback about ways the college can reposition itself.

Phase 2: External and Internal Scanning | December 2020 – April 2021
Scan the external & internal environment to test core idea options and ways to position N.W.C.

Phase 3: Transformation Plan | Fall 2021
Assemble collective learning into an actionable and implementable roadmap

During Wednesday’s event, all the participating panelists will take questions from those who attend in-person and online. The public will have the opportunity to comment at the event after questions conclude and in an online forum.

After the session, N.W.C.’s transformation webpage will be updated to allow anyone to watch the panel recording, answer a short survey, and submit additional comments until Friday, Oct. 22.

“While we continue to explore the pros and cons of a college-wide rebrand/rename, no decisions have been made yet,” Watson said. “I encourage you to come with an open mind and share your questions, listen with the intent to learn, and then provide your thoughts on the value of rebranding or renaming for Northwest College.”

There will be limited seating in the Yellowstone Building due to social distancing for the ongoing pandemic, so those who plan to attend in person are encouraged to arrive early. Those who wish to participate in the meeting via Zoom can find the link at https://nwc.edu/events.