Northland College

Northland College
  • Academics
  • Campus Life
  • Admissions
  • Athletics
  • Centers
  • Sustainability
Search
  • Contact Us
  • Campus Map
  • Calendar
  • Alumni
  • Giving
  • News
More...
  • Academics
    • Undergraduate
    • Faculty
    • Resources
    • Opportunities
      • Internships
      • Undergraduate Research
      • Study Abroad
      • Off-campus Learning
      • Student Jobs
    • Graduate Success
    • Course Catalog
    • Transcript Request
    • Commencement
  • Campus Life
    • Dining
    • Housing
    • Outdoor Orientation
    • Diversity & Inclusion
      • Indigenous Cultures Center
        • Native Student Offerings
        • Powwow & Awareness
        • Community Outreach
        • Native American Museum
    • Get Involved
    • Bicycles & Gear Rental
    • Fitness Center
    • Services
      • Counseling Services
      • Accommodations
      • Health Services
      • Safety & Security
  • Admissions
    • Visit Campus
    • Tuition
    • Financial Aid
      • Scholarships
      • Grants
      • Loans
      • FAFSA
      • Veterans
    • Enroll
    • Meet Your Admissions Counselor
    • Virtual College Fairs
    • High School Counselor Visits
  • Athletics
    • Athletic Website
    • Athletic Facilities
    • Varsity Club Membership
    • Buy Team Gear
    • Hall of Fame
    • Annual Golf Classic
    • Camps, Leagues, Tournaments
      • 3on3 Basketball Tournament
      • Basketball Camps & Leagues
      • Men’s Soccer ID Camp
      • Youth Soccer Camp
      • Softball Camp
      • Volleyball Camps & Leagues
    • Give to Athletics
  • Centers
    • Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation
      • Our Work
      • Student Research Opportunities
      • Lab Services
      • Burke Center in the News
      • Water Summit
    • Center For Rural Communities
      • Rural Livelihood Initiatives
        • Quality of Life Database
        • Northwoods Community Survey
        • Opinion Polls
        • Local Food Systems
      • Human-Environment Connection
      • Great Lakes Islands Alliance
      • Publications
      • Data Visualizations
      • Student Opportunities
    • Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute
      • LoonWatch
        • About Loons
        • Protect Loons
        • Get Involved
        • Loon Appreciation Week & Poster
      • Timber Wolf Alliance
        • Wolf Awareness Week & Poster
        • Learn About Wolves
        • Wolf Status Reports
        • Vision for Wolves
        • Great Lakes Wolf Symposium
      • Youth Outreach Programs
      • SONWA Book Awards
        • Sonwa Press Kit
      • Sigurd Olson Legacy
      • Apostle Islands Stewardship Symposium
      • Intangible Magazine
      • Forest Lodge Educational Campus
        • Rental Information
    • Hulings Rice Food Center
      • Compost Center
      • Larson Food Lab
      • Campus Gardens
      • Student Opportunities
  • Sustainability
  • Alumni
    • Events & Awards
    • Leadership
    • Transcript Request
    • Campus Store
  • Giving
    • Your Gifts at Work
    • Planned Giving
    • Northland College Face Mask
    • Christopher T. Morgan Scholarship
    • Meet Our Team
  • About Northland
    • President Karl I. Solibakke
    • Northland Magazine
    • Campus Sculpture Tour
    • Advocacy & Public Discourse
    • Consumer Information

Finding True North

By Mary O'Brien
Ashland Daily Press
May 11, 2020

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • email

Mary O'Brien headshotWhat a year for our mighty little College by the lake!  When I enthusiastically accepted the role of major gift officer in Institutional Advancement earlier this year, I could never have imagined what we would soon face as a campus community. Nor how quickly I would come to hold such deep respect and conviction for the work of my colleagues and our leadership.

Here’s what I did know: the Chequamegon Bay is my heart’s true home. My family has many generations of history on Madeline Island dating back to 1857 and I’ve been lucky to spend most of every summer there.

Admittedly, I had only a cursory knowledge of Northland College and its enriching value to our region over the past 128 years. I knew the Wheeler name and the story of the Protestant mission at La Pointe, as our family’s cabin sits at the bottom of Old Mission Hill.

It was only when David Saetre, emeritus professor of philosophy and religion, suggested I read Nathaniel B. Dexter’s Northland College: A History that I fully appreciated the link between my Madeline roots and my new post. Now, I imagine Reverend Wheeler sleeping under island stars, dreaming Northland into being.

What I’ve come to understand in my first months on the job is just how many layers of meaning form Northland’s bedrock.

As major gift officer, I am a point of contact for our donors, working to maintain the relationships established by my predecessors in advancement and to create new ones. In January, I began meeting with several of our supporters in person to hear their stories of connection. Some are proud descendants of early alumni for whom a Northland education offered a path to success at a time when opportunities were limited.

Generations later, our vanguard commitment to environmental studies would attract new waves of committed supporters who still champion Northland’s mission and ideals.

I was looking forward to my first spring on campus when the COVID-19 crisis began. It was surreal to watch our students pack for home and say their goodbyes with snow still on the ground. Since then, I’ve spoken with parents who express their heartfelt thanks for the care and concern of our faculty and staff as we transitioned to a new reality, creating innovative online classwork and maintaining close ties amid the disruption. Last week, a generous gift arrived with a handwritten note reading, “Thank you to every person at Northland for all you do to educate our children on the right path.”

I could fill every page of this newspaper with stories of what Northland means to the people who love it. It’s a privilege to spend my days connecting with our supporters, learning more about our history through their experiences, and sharing my pride in our continued evolution. Like so many others, I’ve found my true north here.

  • Robert Rue Parsonage and Ruth Lull with sons at Northland College 1980s

    Embracing the North

    Robert Rue Parsonage, Northland’s president from 1987-2002, made an imprint as indelible…

    Embracing the North
  • Northland College Trustee Mary H. Rice on her porch in Bayfield.

    Wisdom, Work, Wallop, and Wealth

    “Your generosity and commitment to Northland College continues to take my breath…

    Wisdom, Work, Wallop, and Wealth
  • Northland College student Emma Holtan

    The Chequamegon Bay Region Spoke and the IJC Listened

    In September of 2019, the Mary Griggs Burke Center for Freshwater Innovation…

    The Chequamegon Bay Region Spoke and the IJC Listened
  • Northland College Emeritus Professor of Philosophy and Religion David Saetre

    A Spirit of Imagination

    Some years ago, I began an address to an organization facing uncertain…

    A Spirit of Imagination
  • Andre-Forest_Lodge_students

    Slow Down, Do Less

    How are you going to teach outdoor education online? was the question…

    Slow Down, Do Less
  • Northland College Campus

    Northland Remains Vigilant

    As Northland College continues to negotiate the perils of the COVID-19 pandemic…

    Northland Remains Vigilant
  • Visit
  • Info
  • Apply
  • Enroll

News

  • COVID Campus Communication

    » Read our COVID Campus Plan » Read our Campus COVID FAQ…

  • Your Family Veterinarian

    Margaret Koosmann ’10 grew up on a five-generation beef farm, twenty minutes…

  • IJC Releases Recommendations

    The United States and Canada should work together to eliminate blue-green algae…

  • All You Have to Do Is Ask

    At a small school, connections are easily made, and countless doors can…

  • Platypuses Capture Worldwide Imagination

    Northland faculty and alumni have created a well-needed bit of fun in…

  • Alumni Sew Masks for Incoming Students

    When the pandemic hit, Nancy Carey Mullenbrock ’78 got to work doing…

  • Rethinking Plantation Tourism 

    I remember the first time I was invited to visit a plantation…

  • Peter Annin Recognized for Excellence

    The Great Lakes Protection Fund—the world’s first ecosystem endowment—named three individuals and…

  • Teaching In and Out of the Classroom

    Anne Kriskovich ’08 knows her stuff. Just ask any Ashland High School…

  • Diversity Moves Into Much-Loved Space

    The Diversity Center has moved to the house formally known as Gaia’s…

News Archive »

1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, WI 54806
(715) 682-1699 | Map
  • About Northland
  • Consumer Information
  • Privacy Policy
  • Take a Class
  • Employment
  • Campus Store

my.northland.edu

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2021 Northland College. All rights reserved.

https://www.northland.edu/news/finding-true-north

Our website uses cookies for necessary functions and to enhance your browsing experience. Learn more in our Privacy Policy.

Accept & Continue