Alumni Newsletter

October 2006

Welcome

Welcome to the first edition of the Northwood University Michigan Campus Alumni e-Newsletter. My name is Julie Felske and I am the new Director of Alumni Relations on the Michigan campus. One of my roles at Northwood is to promote, develop, and maintain a mutual bond between the alumni and the University. This e-newsletter is just the first step to enhancing those bonds and relationships.

Our desire is to provide you with a real-time connection to your alma mater with this monthly e-newsletter. If you know of a fellow Northwood alum who is not receiving this newsletter, please let us know and we will add them to our e-mail list. This e-newsletter is a work in progress; I anticipate modifying and improving it with feedback from you. I hope you enjoy this newsletter, and I look forward to receiving your feedback.

Julie Felske
Director of Alumni Relations
felske@northwood.edu

What's New on the Michigan Campus

This newsletter has been a year in the making and I am excited to be working with Julie Felske and offering this monthly communication vehicle to you, our alumni. There are lots of exciting things happening on the Michigan campus, here are just a few of the highlights:

We started the fall of the 2006-07 academic year with part of the largest enrollment in Michigan campus history, 1,972 students hailing from 34 states and 27 countries - which is up 1.8% from fall 2005.
801 live on campus, 1171 reside in the greater Midland community paying rent, purchasing goods and services, and enhancing the overall Midland community.
Michigan campus average ACT composite score is up ½ point from fall 2005.
At the end of the 2005-06 academic year it was estimated that our Michigan campus students performed more than 12,000 EXCEL projects that made this campus, the City of Midland, and the surrounding communities a far better place to live!
The student participation rate in EXCEL for the 2005-06 academic year was 95%!
Last spring, our Mock Trial team placed second in the Great Lakes Regional, finishing ahead of Penn State University and the University of Chicago. We went on to have four wins and four losses at the national championships where the University of Virginia beat Harvard on a split decision for the championship. Other teams in our division that finished with a record of four wins and four losses at the nationals were Duke University, University of Notre Dame, Princeton University, Northwestern University, Cornell University, and University of Tennessee. We look forward to this year.
Last spring, more than 3,800 college and university teams from around the world participated in the “Global Business Competition” which is an internet based simulation sponsored by McGraw-Hill. The Michigan campus finished with two teams ranked in the top 20 “overall” in the competition and will participate in 2007.
Our Michigan Campus Entrepreneurship Society team competed in the Ball State University sponsored national “Enterprise Creation” competition at Ball State last spring. More than 60 schools competed from across the United States and the Northwood team (primarily sophomores) made it to the finals in the “Business Plan Development” segment of the competition (finalists in other category segments included Carnegie Mellon University, Baylor University, University of Arizona, Ohio State University, and the University of Michigan).
Our Graduate School is recruiting the fourth cohort of future leaders from The Dow Chemical Company and The Hantz Group for our “Global Executive MBA Program”.
We are preparing to deliver one of the most significant on-line BBA degrees specializing in the aftermarket side of the auto industry via our University College program.
Our fall athletic teams are continuing to be effective at conference and national levels with our men’s and women’s tennis and football team currently ranked nationally.

Dr. Timothy G. Nash
Provost and COO
Michigan Campus

Links to our most recent press releases:
Dr. Johann Turner, Co-Founder of NU, Passes Away
Dr. Haywood Online Memorial
Dr. Ellis Online Memorial
New Director of Alumni Relations
New Academic Dean
New Career Services Director

From the Desk of the President

Keith A. Pretty Named President of Northwood University

The newly selected president of Northwood University, Keith A. Pretty, JD, was introduced today by John A. Hohman, chairman of the board of trustees, to faculty and staff gathered in the Griswold Lecture Hall. Hohman said, "Keith Pretty was chosen to become the third president and CEO in Northwood’s 47−year history and will succeed Dr. David E. Fry. He will be joining Northwood on September 15, 2006." Pretty has served as president and CEO of Walsh College, a unique business school located in Troy, for the past seven years.

Dr. Fry said, "Anyone can see from our documents and financials how fortunate Keith Pretty is to inherit the programs and the financial condition Northwood enjoys. However, I also know how blessed he is to inherit such an able group of professionals who offer a focused series of programs world−wide. It is easy to predict a wonderful future for Northwood under his leadership."

John Hohman remarked, "Northwood University is exceptionally fortunate to find a new CEO of such broad experience and expertise. The future looks very good for us."

After Dr. Fry made his announcement to retire last January to Northwood’s board of trustees, a search was begun to find and install a new president before the beginning of the academic school year in September. Dr. Fry will remain as president emeritus.

In January, a committee consisting of board of trustee members was formed and they were aided in the search by the Compass Group of Birmingham, MI. According to John Hohman, "Seven extraordinary candidates were selected from the 80 applications received by Compass −−both men and women, inside Northwood, as well as from all around the country. The applicants were interviewed and after a lengthy process, the selection of Keith A. Pretty was made."

Keith Pretty joined Walsh College in 1999 and launched an aggressive strategic action plan that has significantly increased enrollment and contributions to support scholarships and activities, and brought greater efficiencies from reorganized functions. He led accreditation efforts and implemented new degree programs for the College.

Pretty has combined his experience in higher education, the private sector, and government service into a career of significant accomplishments in each of those areas. This led former Michigan Governor John Engler to appoint Pretty to design a state Department of Career Development that matched Michigan’s educational resources to its business needs.

Before joining Walsh College, Pretty was with Western Michigan University as its vice president for external affairs and general counsel, and president and CEO of the Western Michigan University Foundation. While managing all of the external relations activities − including legal, affirmative action, alumni, collective bargaining, development, legislative marketing and public relations − Pretty managed significant growth in Foundation endowments, helping to raise more than $100 million in five years. Pretty also taught graduate administrative law courses as an adjunct assistant professor.

Within the private sector, Pretty held governmental affairs positions with Amoco Corporation from 1980 to 1987, eventually rising to the position of senior Washington representative. In this role, he managed Congressional and Executive branch representation for Amoco and three of its major subsidiaries while serving as the primary corporate contact with the Chemical Manufacturers Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Prior to that, Pretty was an administrative assistant to the Minority Leader of the Michigan House of Representatives and later became administrative assistant to former Michigan Senator William Sederburg.

Pretty earned a bachelor of science degree in education from Western Michigan University in 1973. He began his career in education, teaching and coaching at Portage Northern High School in Portage, MI, from 1973 to 1974. In 1978, Pretty earned a juris doctor degree from Thomas Cooley Law School in Lansing. He and his wife, Gretchen, have four children.

What's New in Student Services

This is what is happening in student life this fall:

In the month of September we had over 100 Midland area business, community agencies, non profit organizations and Northwood organizations in our Hach Student Life Center for our annual Kick-Off Party to introduce the City of Midland to our new students.
In October we celebrated Greek Life and had many recruitment events.
We also educated our students on alcohol awareness and mentored 5th graders in the community about alcohol education.

Coming up in November:

Service Leadership week
- Rake a difference (fall yard cleanup)
- Big Brothers and Big Sisters
- Donating canned food goods and clothing
- Hosting a blood drive
- Lastly we will be working with SVSU leaders and hosting a Leadership conference with keynote speaker Nancy Hunter Denney!

Excel Transcripts

95% of the student population on the Michigan campus takes advantage of the EXCEL program. The program utilizes a student development transcript to record student engagement throughout a student’s Northwood University career.

Northwood believes in creating an active learning environment that encourages students to explore new ideas, perspectives, experiences and understanding of their own lives. In doing so, Northwood graduates bring to their professions and communities a broad range of skills and competencies. This background increases the student’s competitiveness and ultimate success in life. Employers look for future employees who can show a balance in life; someone who can make a difference.

Our students take advantage of the opportunities that are offered on campus through many campus departments: Student Activities, Residential Life, Hach Student Life Center and Campus Arts, to name a few. They also look for their own opportunities for job experiences, leadership development opportunities and volunteer opportunities, either in the Midland community or in their home town communities.

Our students enter the job market with a great advantage over other college graduates. They leave here with two transcripts, their academic transcript and their Excel transcripts.

What's New in Athletics

Athletics Update

The fall athletic season has proven to be yet another successful one at Northwood University. The football team is currently ranked 17th nationally and is fifth in the Northwest Region with a 7-1 overall record. The Timberwolves have earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors five times already this football season. Northwood’s women’s tennis team finished its fall season 12-0 and claimed their fourth straight GLIAC Championship. Men’s tennis player Teddy Mebounou became the first player in Northwood history to win the Division II Championship at the Wilson/ITA Small College Championships in Fort Myers, Fla. The volleyball team has had another strong fall, currently 16-10 overall and ranked sixth in the Great Lakes Region. The men’s soccer team finished second in the GLIAC, tying the best finish in school history in conference play. In cross country, Jon Hodge became the first male runner to earn First Team All-GLIAC honors since the 1999 season, while Kylen Cieslak finished among the best freshmen in the conference on the women’s side. The men’s golf team earned three top-five finishes in their fall season, and the women’s golf team had top-five finishes in each of their final three tournaments. Combined, Northwood’s fall teams have established a 47-33-2 with three squads ranking in the top three in the GLIAC.

Inaugural Athletic Hall of Fame Class Inducted

On Saturday, October 7, five Northwood University athletic pioneers were bestowed with the Michigan campus’ highest athletic honor as they were inducted into the newly formed Northwood University Athletic Hall of Fame.

This year’s honorees are:
Jack Finn - Head Football Coach and Athletic Director, 1969-1989
Kevin Jones - Track and Field, 1979-1983
Pavla Melicharova - Volleyball, 1992-1996
Jerry Pettway - Men’s Basketball, 1963-1967
R. Gary Stauffer - Co-Founder of Northwood University

“With over 40 years of athletic history at Northwood University, we felt it was time to start honoring those who have made that history,” said Tim Nash, Provost, Michigan campus. “The Athletic Hall of Fame recognizes the achievements of the people who have made the greatest contributions to our University’s athletic program.”

Nominations for future induction classes can be made by visiting the athletics website at www.northwood.edu/mi/athletics.

Baseball Alumni Event

On Saturday, September 30 the baseball team and friends ran into stormy weather during their 5th annual Parents Day and Alumni game. Despite the bad weather, 15 baseball alumni showed up ready to play. Instead of playing outside in the stormy weather, they played inside the batting cages at Bennett Sports Center. Coach Joe DiBenedetto said “it was great to see the guys and reminisce”. After they were done playing, NU held a barbeque for over 125 baseball players, alumni and their families. A display of baseball apparel was available to order in support of the Northwood Baseball Team.

Volleyball Alumni Event

On Saturday, October 21 the volleyball team and volleyball alumni got together for a friendly match. The alumni team was coached by previous head coach, Jeff Williams, and the current team members were coached by current head coach, Tim Koth. Although the alumni put forth a valiant effort, and the games were close in score, they lost both matches. After the matches the alumni, players, coaches and families gathered for lunch.

What's New in Academics

Hotel, Restaurant and Resort Management

The HRRM curriculum is off to a great start this year. This fall our students worked at the 75th Anniversary Midland Center for the Arts Symphony Orchestra Gala and at the 2006 Northwood University International Auto Show. The HRRM booths at the autoshow once again had an increase in sales and student participation. A record number of alumni visited for the auto show weekend and helped with the event. It is a great way to develop new contacts, work next to experienced individuals, and see old friends.

January 20, 2007 is just around the corner and the Stafford Dinner committee is hard at work. This year’s event will be held at Bay Valley Resort in Saginaw. The lovely resort offers another great learning experience to our students as well as an incredible meal as these students work side-by-side with industry professionals. This event is completely planned and executed by our students, and all funds generated from this enjoyable evening are given back to our students in scholarships.

The annual trip to the Grand Hotel on Mackinaw Island this year was once again amazing! The hospitality of the hotel was impeccable and the food was wonderful. As the year progresses Northwood University Hospitality Enterprises and the Hospitality Curriculum will continue to enjoy Alumni guest speakers, trips to places like Zehnders of Frankenmuth, Windsor, Onatrio and Stafford’s Perry Hotel for the annual meet the Stafford’s Hospitality group round table. Alumni are always encouraged to join us.

Automotive Marketing

The 43rd Annual Northwood University International Auto Show was held on the Michigan campus the weekend of October 6-8, 2006. This show proved to be a huge success surpassing many records: largest attendance (over 50,000), largest student involvement, higher caliber displays, police and fire were represented for the first time this year, Automotive Aftermarket displays were the best ever, and the Classic Car Show on Sunday was taken to a new level. Because of the success of the student-run event, many career opportunities were presented to students in the form of full-time jobs and internship offers.

The selection process has already begun for the 2007 Auto Show Executive Board and will be completed on November 9, 2006 so the plans can begin for next year. The automotive curriculum is also excited to announce that they have recently hired Jim Causley, former Detroit area auto dealer, as an Adjunct Automotive Faculty Member.

Please click below to view the post-Auto Show press release:
Auto Show Press Release

Accounting

Greetings from the Northwood University Accounting Faculty where Accounting Is FUN!!

Fall semester is always a busy one and this year was no exception. We held a recent grads panel and thank alumni Paul Nye, Laurinda Perkins, Mike Eickhoff, and Chad Kime, for sharing their experiences with our students. Northwood alums Dave Schaeffer and Kim Martin (Chemical Bank) conducted this fall’s mock interviews. This year The Rehmann Group invited students from Northwood, Saginaw Valley State University, and Alma to their office for an evening to learn about the firm and see the office. The students really enjoyed this opportunity. These events were followed by interviewing which took center stage from mid-September to mid-October. We welcomed recruiters from Big Four, regional, and local firms to campus for presentations/mixers and interviewing students. Our seniors are now anxiously awaiting calls about office visits and offers.

HASNU is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. We would like to hold a reunion in the spring and welcome suggestions from you for this event. The members will be participating in Rake-A-Difference, Santa’s visit to campus and many other volunteer and social events through the year as well as sponsoring speakers.

We held an accounting faculty summit a few years ago to review and update our curriculum. Governmental and not-for-profit accounting and Financial Statement Analysis are now required courses for all accounting majors. The two-credit computerized accounting course is no longer part of the curriculum. The university also did a review of the general education and business core classes and changes have been made effective this fall. We have an advisory board that provides input to us once a year and we are grateful for their advice. The faculty would welcome any input you have about how we have helped you in your career or things we could have done differently. Please don’t hesitate to contact us. If you are ever back on campus, please stop by and say hello.

Elizabeth A. Minbiole
Associate Professor and Chair, Accounting
eaminbio@northwood.edu

Philosophy 110 Revisited

Each month we will share a chapter from When we are Free or an article form a well known author relative to the Northwood Idea.

Please click here to read the "I, Pencil" chapter from When we are Free.

Eye on Business

The purpose of the Eye on Business section is to provide you with interesting websites to add to your “favorites” on your computers, as well as to provide you with key economic data at a glance.

CEOExpress : http://www.ceoexpress.com
Detroit Economic Club : http://www.econclub.org

	Present - October 27, 2006	Previous Year - October 27, 2005
Dow Jones Industrial Average	12,090.26	10,229.95
NASDAQ	2,350.62	2,063.81
Price of Crude Oil ($ per barrel)	56.82	60.63
Price of Gold	593.00	467.00
Prime Interest Rate	8.25	6.75
Average Home Mortgage Rate	6.36	6.15
Value of U.S. $ relative to Euro	0.7925	0.8369
Value of U.S. $ relative to Yen	118.69	115.92
U.S. Budget Deficit	248 Billion	319 Billion
Quarterly GDP	13,308.3 billion	12,573.5 billion

Save the Date!

Do you live in the Chicago Area?

We would like to have a gathering at Lewis University in Romeoville, IL at the Northwood vs. Lewis University Basketball game at Lewis University on Saturday, November 25, 2006. Please contact us at alumni@northwood.edu if you are interested in attending.

Save the Date - Upcoming Events Calendar

Please click here for upcoming events: Alumni Events Calendar

Feedback

Your suggestions and feedback are vital in our planning of this newsletter and our alumni events and services. Please complete the online feedback form by clicking on the following link:

Online Feedback form

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