2008 Weekly Messages

Building our Future
2008-05-09
Does time seem to be moving more quickly these days? We are in a whirlwind of celebrations across the entire Northwood system.

Employee Performance Evaluation
2008-05-02
Charles Koch states in The Science of Success,“... it is essential to have shared vision that is understood and embraced.” It is also essential for an organization to value its culture. Our guiding philosophy, The Northwood Idea, sets the tone for our actions and our beliefs. We are fortunate our founders gave us the tools to be whom we are.

Alumni
2008-04-25
The Northwood University experience does not end at graduation. Our alumni should enjoy a lifetime of networking, knowledge, and leadership by staying connected. We are pleased to report alumni activities at all three campuses are vibrant and growing. This is a critical component of our strategic plan for the university.

Freedom Seminar
2008-04-18
The Northwood University Freedom Seminar is an annual three and one-half day symposium on free market economics led by national and international academic and business leaders. The purpose of the Freedom Seminar is to investigate current business and economic topics of utmost interest to the academic and business communities.

Terms to Semesters, Chapter 2
2008-04-11
The decision has been made and the news has been communicated. Changing a university’s academic calendar is no small feat. Just as thorough as the discussions and studies were that preceded the decision, the implementation of changing to semesters requires equal diligence.

Community College Partnerships
2008-04-04
Like every quality organization, Northwood University (NU) works to maximize current and future opportunities. We are finding a key opportunity lies with an endeavor where we were on the forefront over 25 years ago–community college partnerships. We were partnering with community colleges long before other universities realized the benefits of these relationships.

ONE Northwood
2008-03-28
When a good seed is planted in a quality environment, amazing things can happen. Last summer when we started the ONE Northwood initiative, it was our intent to bring the campuses together in mind and in spirit. I think we have made great strides to that end.

Founders Day
2008-03-20
Northwood University celebrated its 35th Anniversary in April 1994 with a very special proclamation–March 23 would be forevermore celebrated as Founders Day with tribute and honor paid to Arthur and Johann Turner and Gary and Willa Stauffer for the pride and promise they created for the students of Northwood University.

Terms-to-Semesters Announcement
2008-03-14
During my first year as president, when I visited with all constituencies, I heard comments and engaged in dialogues about terms versus a semester calendar. These discussions were pervasive and compelling enough for me to support the Academic Management Committee’s decision to explore the issue in depth. They recently returned a recommendation that is in the best interest of our students and our University. Northwood University will move to a semester calendar beginning in the fall of 2010 from a quarter hour term calendar system.

Commending the Grounds Crews and Maintenance Departments
2008-03-07
An aspect of Northwood we could easily take for granted is the outstanding condition of our buildings and grounds. This week I would like to commend the grounds crews and maintenance departments for their excellent work. These men and women perform their duties quietly and unobtrusively and, because of their consistent diligence and strong work ethic, our campuses continue to be points of pride.

The Northwood Scorecard System
2008-02-29
This week’s message deals with a topic that may be more information than most of us really need but is intended to convey the importance of data-gathering and its uses across our campuses as we strive to be One Northwood. Data enables solid decision-making and a focus on continuous improvement. One of our recent breakthrough improvements is the development and use of a Scorecard System.

The Science of Success
2008-02-22
The Omniquest selection for winter term was Science of Success by Charles Koch. This book was new to me this fall but has become a favorite of mine due to the similarity between Koch Industries and NU philosophy.

The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention
2008-02-15
The National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA) annual convention is a significant event for Northwood University.  Held last week in San Francisco, it is an opportunity for students, faculty, and advancement staff to begin new partnerships, to keep Northwood vital, and to learn what’s important within the industry.  A faculty delegation composed of Steve Brazill, Tim Gilbert, Joe Lescota and Steve Tidwell, and accompanied by Julie Becker-Meyers guided students from all campuses throughout the many activities of the convention.

Board of Trustees Meeting Recap
2008-02-08
The Board of Trustees met on the Florida Campus January 25 during a very active week including the Outstanding Business Leaders (OBL) Gala and Forum as well the Dow/Hantz graduate students on campus. This week's message is a brief recap of many of the topics we discussed. I hope you will take away from this the enthusiasm as well as the depth of inquiry with which the Officer Team and BOT are addressing the future of Northwood University.

Outstanding Business Leaders
2008-02-01
Last weekend we celebrated the Outstanding Business Leaders (OBL) annual event. The theme this year was Business Growth and honorees were selected because each has substantially grown his or her respective endeavor to success.

The EXCEL program
2008-01-25
One of the activities about which we can be most proud is the EXCEL program.  We at Northwood work hard to make sure our graduates leave our campus understanding leadership means a commitment to both their businesses and their communities.  The EXCEL program, developed in 1998, helps serve that purpose.

The University of the Aftermarket
2008-01-11
The University of the Aftermarket (U of A) is an integral part of Northwood.  With the opening of the Sloan Family Building for Aftermarket Studies on the Michigan campus, we will see increased visibility for this program, not only within Northwood, but also to the public and the industry.  To that end we are very pleased to announce the following appointment.

Northwood Strategic Planning Process
2008-01-11
Happy New Year to you all and welcome back to the winter term at Northwood University! Higher education is somewhat unique in that we get to celebrate two “new years” in each twelve-month period.

2007 Weekly Messages

Happy Holidays
2007-12-21
As we take a break from our campus activities beginning this weekend, I want to wish you a most happy holiday season.

Where is IT going?
2007-12-14
In our technology-filled world, we text, e-mail, and download. Entertain for a moment the enormity of our global conversations, electronic discussions, and World Wide Web browsing. Now, scale down to our Northwood community; roughly 1,100 computers connected with hundreds of miles of network cables and a team of 30 staff and 60 students making the technology work essentially 24/7.

ONE Northwood Branding Platform
2007-12-07
We should all be aware that raising the visibility of Northwood University within the public eye is a key initiative for all of us. We have been working hard over the last several months on the marketing research necessary for us to move forward with decisions and messages based on real-world data. What follows outlines what we’ve been doing and to whom we have been talking. We’re not done yet, but we’re on our way. This is an exciting activity and when brought to fruition will help pave the way to a dynamic future for our University.

Northwood Strategy Planning Process
2007-11-29
Building on the work of our Academic Quality Improvement Process (AQIP) Action Project which helped reshape our Mission and BHAG (big, hairy audacious goal) (hope those Bookmarks are being put to good use!), I am excited to announce the system-wide rollout of the new Northwood Strategy Planning Process (NSPP).

An Ounce of Prevention
2007-11-16
A well run university requires diligence at many levels. Right now we are hearing a lot in the media about the rise of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus or MRSA in schools, hospitals, athletic facilities and other places of public assembly. It is a situation we take very seriously.

Board of Trustees
2007-11-09
The success of Northwood University can be attributed to many factors. Certainly the vision of our founders, Drs. Turner and Stauffer, the investment of our many friends, the administrative teams of the past 48 years, our outstanding faculty and staff – all have worked together tirelessly to help us grow into a worldwide presence.

Distinguished Women’s week
2007-11-02
It’s Distinguished Women’s week at Northwood University. In Dallas on Saturday, November 3, we are celebrating significant female movers and shakers from all over the country, from all sorts of endeavors.

Emergency Alert Notification System - clearTXT launch
2007-11-01
Thank you for taking time to read this important information regarding the clearTXT launch. Weather events this week in Florida are the perfect example of why the service is so valuable to you.

Employee Benefits
2007-10-26
These weekly messages have chronicled the significant endeavors we have undertaken as we change the way we do business at Northwood. Everything we are doing has one overarching goal – to provide a quality education for our students.

Specialty Programs
2007-10-19
The enhancement of the impact and reputation of our specialty programs will be vital in the growth of our brand and accomplishment of our BHAG.

Emergency Alert Notification System
2007-10-15
Please take a moment to read this important announcement regarding a new communication option for our community.

First Anniversary
2007-10-12
October marks my first anniversary with Northwood University. This week’s message outlines my experience with Northwood University during this past year.

NUQUIP
2007-10-05
The essential business of a university takes place in the classroom. This week’s message outlines exciting developments supporting the work of our faculty in the classroom.

Northwood University 50th Anniversary
2007-09-28
The 50th Anniversary of Northwood University is less than two years away and we’ve recently made some changes to our University Advancement department that will begin to develop plans for the celebrations.  Our message this week details some of the changes and we hope you’ll be pleased to read about them.

Graduate Programs
2007-09-21
I am very pleased to report enrollment in the DeVos Graduate School of Management is up 17% this fall with a record 378 students.