1959 was a very good year.

Alaska and Hawaii became states; Jack Nicklaus won the USGA Amateur Championship; the Frisbee debuted; the space race between the United States and the Soviet Union was running at full steam ahead; and Northwood University was born.

As Gary Stauffer and Arthur Turner watched the race to space, they envisioned a new type of university - one where management led the way. While the frontiers of space were revealing their mysteries, Stauffer and Turner understood that all endeavors - technical, manufacturing, marketing, retail, all business types - needed management that could lead the way.

Then and Now

Northwood University educates the managers of the future - skill savvy, ethically impeccable leaders who know how to get the best from their teams and forge new processes to keep up with the expanding U.S. and ultimately, global economy. These are the graduates of Northwood.

The Northwood Idea

Northwood began in a 19th century mansion in Alma, Michigan. In 1993 after years of growth backed by the solid branding of the Northwood identity, Northwood officially became Northwood University. In 1959 and still today, the Northwood Idea of incorporating the teachings of the American free enterprise system into college classrooms has been an unquestionable success.

Today, there are campuses in Midland, Michigan; Cedar Hill, Texas; and West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as extension centers across the United States and abroad. There is also the Margaret Chase Smith Library in Skowhegan, Maine, in addition to continuing education programs across the United States and Canada, a growing external degree program, and the Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management.

The Northwood Education Business

Northwood University is a private, tax-exempt, independent, co-educational, management-oriented college actively allied to business and the arts. Northwood translates its philosophy into practical, useful curriculums that are designed to prepare students for the realities of the working world. Northwood brings the business world into the classroom. Business instructors are successful career professionals who have chosen to direct their business talents toward preparing students about to enter the work world.

Practical Education

Northwood's career curriculums are developed in response to the needs of business and industry. Northwood University’s curriculums offer the most up-to-date programs and information. Practicing business professionals come to the classroom equipped with the most current relevant descriptions of what is transpiring in today's business world.

Graduates of Northwood have a solid understanding of business and practical, useful management skills. Graduates are successful in immediately becoming a part of the business world and have been prepared for it through a placement service that begins to work for students at freshman orientation and continues throughout their lives.

Northwood friends often remark that businesses are built on confidence, on making markets, on getting people excited and facing challenges. The Northwood Idea has never been described more accurately.

Building the Northwood Foundation

As the enrollment grew, the original quarters in Alma, Michigan became inadequate.  In 1962, the young college opened a brand-new, built-from-scratch campus in Midland, Michigan.  Midland is 135 miles north of Detroit and is home of the international headquarters of The Dow Chemical Company.  The Midland campus is on 434 acres of beautiful, wooded flatland on the banks of the Tittabawassee River.

Gifted Resource

Alden B. Dow, the gifted and famous Michigan architect who lived in Midland, was enthusiastic about the ideas and energy Drs. R. Gary Stauffer and Arthur E. Turner expressed for an educational institution promoting the entrepreneurial spirit.  He assisted the co-founders in developing the philosophy of the arts and business working together, known as the Northwood Idea. 

In addition to the philosophy influence, Alden B. Dow designed the architectural master plan for the Michigan campus, as well as most of the structure.  His firm, Dow-Howell-Gilmore, continues his work.  Some of the firm’s most recent designs for Northwood include the Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management and the Hach Student Life Center.