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Northland College (Wisconsin)

Coordinates: 46°34′46″N 90°52′32″W / 46.57944°N 90.87556°W / 46.57944; -90.87556
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For the Baptist college in Dunbar, Wisconsin, see Northland Baptist Bible College.
Northland College
MottoThink differently. Live differently.
TypePrivate Liberal Arts
Established1892
Endowment$23.7 million (2013)[1]
PresidentMichael A. Miller
Undergraduates600 full-time
Location
Ashland
,
Wisconsin
,
USA
CampusRural, A total of
220 acres (89 ha)
ColorsOrange and Blue            
Nickname"LumberJacks" or "LumberJills"
AffiliationsEco League, United Church of Christ
Websitewww.northland.edu

Northland College is a liberal arts college with a focus on the environment and sustainability. It is located in Ashland, Wisconsin, USA. Founded as the North Wisconsin Academy in 1892, the college was established in 1906. Originally affiliated with the Congregational Church, the college remains loosely tied to the Congregational Church's descendant, the United Church of Christ (UCC). The college currently enrolls 600 full-time undergraduate students and employs 60 faculty members and 99 staff members. Northland College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities.

History

Northland College is the successor to the North Wisconsin Academy, and was founded on the same tract of land. Wheeler Hall, built in 1892, was the sole building of the North Wisconsin Academy, providing classroom space, board and cafeteria services. The building was renovated in 1993 and 1994 and remains the centerpiece of campus. Today, Wheeler houses classrooms and faculty offices for the social sciences and humanities and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Location

Entrance

The college is located in Ashland, Wisconsin, a small city on the shore of Lake Superior. The school is ten blocks from the lakefront. The school's location on the lakefront makes internship opportunities available with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ashland Fisheries Resource Office, the Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the United States Geological Survey.

Finances

As a result of concerns about the college's financial position, the Higher Learning Commission required Northland to file a financial recovery plan.[2] The college's endowment, which incurred losses caused by the stock market crash of 2008-09, has since recovered and the college reported 2010-11 fund raising at the highest level in several years.[3]

Academics

Northland College is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Universities.

On August 1, 2012, the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association, established two requirements for the institution, resulting from its site visit in spring. One involves producing a monitoring report by December, outlining faculty credentials, to include official transcripts and appropriate certifications where applicable. The second requirement involves a focused visit during the 2014-2015 school year that will involve an assessment of student learning and institutional strategic planning, with a focus on student enrollment and college finances.[citation needed]

Native American focus

The college has a relationship with the nearby Native American communities, being close to the Lac Courte Oreilles, Bad River and Red Cliff Ojibwa (Chippewa) reservations. The college offers courses focusing on Native American history, language and culture, and offers a degree in Native American studies. In August 2011, Northland College received a $163,383 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation to establish a Native American and Indigenous Culture Center and a Council on Indigenous Relations.

Environmental focus

Each program at Northland College incorporates an emphasis on the environment and sustainability. Many classes focus on or include environmental issues.

In 1971, shortly after the first Earth Day, Northland College hosted its first environmental conference. One keynote speaker was Sigurd Olson. The environmental outreach arm of Northland College, the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, opened its doors in 1972. The institute works to educate the North country, students and community members about Great Lakes environmental issues.

Northland College is a sponsoring partner of the Chequamegon Bay Area Partnership, a coalition of 14 regional municipalities and tribal governments, state and federal agencies, and non-profit organizations working toward the restoration of Lake Superior. Since September 2010, the partnership has won more than $1 million in competitive grants from the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative to fund habitat restoration, outreach, and education and environmental survey initiatives. This amount includes two grants totaling nearly $500,000 awarded in August 2011.

The college is also part of the Eco League, a five-college consortium that enables students to spend semesters at Alaska Pacific University, Green Mountain College, Prescott College and College of the Atlantic.

Sustainability

Northland College has been recognized by Sierra magazine, the Princeton Review, Forbes magazine, the National Arbor Day Foundation, the Sustainable Endowments Institute, and onlineuniversities.com for its commitment to sustainability and developing environmentally conscious campus initiatives.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The campus has two wind turbines, five photovoltaic arrays, four hot water arrays and a geothermal heating and cooling system. Several of the buildings on campus have been recognized for their environmentally friendly designs, including the McLean Environmental Living and Learning Center and the Dexter Library, which in 2010 received Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification.

Other campus initiatives include the student-managed Renewable Energy Fund, which provides over $40,000 annually to fund campus sustainability initiatives, the Northland Bike Shoppe, which provides free-to-use bicycles for the campus community, and a robust campus-wide composting program, which diverts nearly two tons of food waste from landfills each year.

Northland is an active member of several organizations focused on sustainability in higher education, including the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education, the Midwest Regional Collaborative for Sustainability Education, the Campus Consortium for Environmental Excellence, and the Leadership Circle of the American Colleges and Universities Presidents' Climate Commitment, which commits participating colleges to constructing buildings that meet or exceed LEED Silver certification.

Campus life

Northland's campus has 19 major buildings, and is dominated by the new student union, completed in 2003, and Wheeler Hall, built in 1892 and renovated in 1993-94. The buildings are predominantly brick with sharply peaked roofs, in an effort to emulate the region's historical brownstone architecture. The campus is centered on an open mall, a grassy area where students gather to sunbathe and play.

Two buildings on campus are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Wheeler Hall and Wakefield Hall.

Athletics

Sports field

The schools athletic teams are called the LumberJacks and LumberJills. The school competes in the NCAA Division III in all sports. The school is a member of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference and the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association. There are ten varsity sports, five each for men and women. The LumberJills compete in volleyball, soccer, cross country, basketball and softball. The LumberJacks compete in soccer, cross country, basketball, hockey and baseball. Nordic Skiing is offered as a club sport for both men and women.

Presidents

Notable Alumni

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northland College.
  1. ^ "U.S. and Canadian Institutions Listed by Fiscal Year 2013 Endowment Market Value and Percentage Change in Endowment Market Value from FY 2012 to FY 2013" (PDF). National Association of College and University Business Officers. January 23, 2014. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  2. ^ Higher Learning Commission. Actions: Academic Year 2011-2012
  3. ^ Ashland Daily Press. "NC starts new fiscal year with strong fundraising success", July 10, 2011, accessed April 23, 2012.
  4. ^ Sierra Magazine. "Complete Rankings: America's Coolest Schools", sept/oct 2011, accessed November 29, 2012.
  5. ^ Princeton Review. "Green Guide by State", 2012 edition, accessed November 29, 2012.
  6. ^ Forbes Magazine. "America's Greenest College and Universities ", November 2010, accessed November 29, 2012.
  7. ^ National Arbor Day Foundation. "Inaugural Tree Campus USA", Class of 2008, accessed November 29, 2012.
  8. ^ Sustainable Endowments Institute. "Sustainability Innovator Awards", Report Card 2009, accessed November 29, 2012.
  9. ^ onlineuniversities.com. "10 Most Bike-Friendly Campuses", accessed November 29, 2012.

46°34′46″N 90°52′32″W / 46.57944°N 90.87556°W / 46.57944; -90.87556

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