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Northland details progress on admissions, finances and community partnerships

March 27, 2012

Northland College today detailed its progress in three important areas of focus that enhance its financial, social, cultural and academic opportunities while also extending the College's long-standing tradition of educational excellence.

"Northland is springing ahead on a number of important initiatives," said Northland College President Michael A. Miller, Ph.D. "We're taking important and exciting steps to boost admissions, to enhance our finances to better support our educational mission, and to deepen and expand our ties to our community and our region. We're already starting to see the results of these efforts and expect them to earn even greater dividends going forward."

Northland's admissions figures indicate that the College is on track to enroll a significantly larger class of new entering students in Fall 2012. Freshmen admissions applications are currently running 53% ahead of the same time last year. Students accepted to the college are up 43% and deposits from students planning to enroll for Fall 2012 are 110% ahead of one year ago.

If current trends hold, this will mark the second year in a row that the College has experienced a significant increase in admissions activity. In September 2011, the number of first-time freshmen enrolled increased over 13% compared to the number of freshmen enrolled in 2010.

Rick J. Smith, Northland College Vice President of Enrollment Management, said the College's growth in admission figures for Fall 2012 appears to be much larger than that of other colleges and universities in the Upper Midwest and other parts of the nation.

"Over the past 18 months, the College has worked hard to implement better strategies to locate the students who can benefit most from studying at Northland," said Smith. "Our growth this year is truly unprecedented and it's gratifying that it is fueled by tremendous enthusiasm for our mission, our programs and our faculty. We're very excited to see the number of high-quality students who are discovering and committing to a Northland education."

In parallel with its efforts to boost admissions, Northland has also taken major strides in enhancing its finances to better support its educational mission. Northland has made important progress in several areas, such as reducing the College's debt by 67% (from $9 million to $3 million), modifying the College's endowment investment strategy to stabilize future earnings, and realizing savings while improving performance by submitting long-term service contracts for competitive bids.

To further its efforts in strengthening its finances, the College has also established a new partnership with Associated Bank. Associated, based in Green Bay, is a community-based bank deeply committed to the well-being of the people and organizations in northern Wisconsin. "We are enormously fortunate to have found a northern Wisconsin ally like Associated Bank," said Robert Jackson, Northland College Vice President of Finance and Administration. "Our partners at Associated share our commitment to the community and the region and have already proven that they will be thoughtful and creative partners in providing financial solutions tailored to meet the unique needs of colleges and universities like Northland."Northland worked with Associated to refinance its remaining $3 million of short-term debt into a more traditional long-term payment schedule, to establish a line of credit that improves cash flow management, and to improve access to capital for possible facility upgrades. To support these initiatives, the College received overwhelming support from both the Northland College Board of Trustees and donors that allowed endowment funds to serve as collateral. The College is optimistic about a pending request to the Ashland County Circuit Court to allow other non-donor designated endowment funds to serve as additional collateral. Northland is also building upon existing community partnerships while seeking new initiatives that reflect the College's expanded commitment of service and support for surrounding communities.

"An important part of our heritage is the depth of our ties to this region," said President Miller. "Since our founding, we have made partnership with our region's cultures and those who care about natural environments and healthy communities a priority. Our most recent efforts in this tradition build upon our past efforts but also expand them into new areas. This is an exciting time for us and also for everyone who cares about northern Wisconsin."

Miller noted that one example of this expanded emphasis on the region is the work being carried out through the new Native American and Indigenous Cultures Center. The Center, established at Northland College in September 2011 through grant support from the Otto Bremer Foundation, will host events, including a powwow, museum tours and other programs that promote awareness and understanding of Native American cultures. March has also been designated Indigenous Cultures Awareness Month at Northland College. A center director will be hired soon to further enhance, enrich and promote connections among local indigenous cultures, Northland College and surrounding communities.

Michele Meyer, Northland College Dean of Student Life, added that other initiatives include building new partnerships around regional food systems and supporting abundant opportunities for students to connect with the community through internships, volunteer experiences, and research projects. One specific example is working with regional producers to expand local food options in the Northland cafeteria.

"We are excited to further incorporate high quality, locally produced food on campus while simultaneously keeping dollars in the local economy. We value being good partners in strengthening and supporting the region in tangible ways," said Meyer.