Omniquest
Omniquest is our university-wide program in which provocative and challenging books are selected and the themes of those books are explored throughout the academic year.
As part of the revitalized Omniquest program, we asked the Northwood community to nominate books that support the purpose of the Omniquest program: promoting The Northwood Idea, community building, personal enrichment, leadership, and career readiness.
Each fall our Omniquest selection focuses on facets of The Northwood Idea and each spring our Omniquest selection focuses on personal and professional development. We received numerous nominations from students, faculty, staff and alumni, making the selection process difficult! I would like to thank the Omniquest Selection Committee for their diligence in the selection and recommendation process. They have selected two books that will enrich our coming academic year.
It is with great pleasure that we announce the Omniquest selections for the 2026-2027 academic year:
FALL 2026: The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy. by Tom Rinaldi
SPRING 2027: Honorable Business: A Framework for Business in a Just and Humane Society by James R. Ottenson
Current Selection
FALL 2026: The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy.
By Tom Rinaldi
The Red Bandanna tells the story of Welles Crowther, whose life and actions on 9/11 became a powerful example of character, courage, and purpose. Known for the red bandanna he carried since childhood, Welles was a former athlete and volunteer firefighter who later worked in the South Tower of the World Trade Center.
After the attacks, his family struggled with the unknown details of his final moments until survivors recounted how a young man wearing a red bandanna repeatedly led people to safety before returning upstairs to help others.
Through this story, The Red Bandanna: A Life. A Choice. A Legacy highlights the impact of one selfless decision and the enduring legacy of a life lived with purpose.
SPRING 2027: Honorable Business: A Framework for Business in a Just and Humane Society
By James R. Ottenson
Honorable Business by James R. Otteson challenges the common perception that business is inherently unethical, arguing instead that it can be a force for good when grounded in integrity. He defines honorable business as the creation of value through voluntary, mutually beneficial exchanges—making it a positive-sum activity that advances both individual success and broader societal prosperity.
Drawing on the ideas of Aristotle and Adam Smith, Otteson emphasizes autonomy, accountability, and moral judgment as essential to ethical decision-making. He also presents a practical code of business ethics, encouraging professionals to use their time, talent, and resources to create value for others as well as themselves—demonstrating that business, when practiced well, can be both principled and praiseworthy.
2008-2009
- The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
- Capitalism At The Crossroads, 2nd Edition by Stuart L. Hart
- Simply Success: How to Start, Build, and Grow a Multimillion-Dollar Business the Old Fashioned Way by Jack Miller
2007-2008
- Where Have All The Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca
- The Science of Success by Charles G. Koch
- New Ideas from Dead CEO’s by Todd Buchholz
2006-2007
- Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner
- The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcolm Gladwell
- An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary People to Beat Big Media, Big Government, and Other Goliaths by Glenn Reynolds, 2006, Nelson Current, ISBN: 159555042
2005-2006
- Death by Meeting by Patrick Lencioni
- Cleaning Up by Barry Minkow
- The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman
2004-2005
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- The Commanding Heights by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw
2003-2004
- Founding Brothers (The Revolutionary Generation) by Joseph J. Ellis
- Homesick by Sela Ward
- Sailing Alone & Around the Room by Billy Collins
2002-2003
- Ben Franklin’s 12 Rules of Management by Blaine McCormick
- The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander
- Make It BIG: 49 Secrets for Building a Life of Extreme Success by Frank McKinney with Victoria St. George
2001-2002
- Fish! by Stephen C. Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen
- Living a Life That Matters by Harold S. Kushner
- The Art of Innovation by Tom Kelley
2000-2001
- The Greatest Generation by Tom Brokaw
- Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
- No Place for a Woman: A Life of Senator Margaret Chase Smith by Janann Sherman
1999-2000
- Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
- How Now Shall We Live? by Charles Colson and Nancy Pearcey
- Permission Marketing by Seth Godin
1998-1999
- Leading with Soul by Lee G. Bolman & Terrence E. Deal
- Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff…and it’s all small stuff by Richard Carlson
- The Northwood Idea: People Helping People
1997-1998
- In Search of Nature by Edward O. Wilson
- Image by Design by Clive Chajet & Tom Shachtman
- Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success by Kevin and Jackie Freiberg
1996-1997
- The Winner Within: A Life Plan for Team Players by Pat Riley
- The Road Ahead by Bill Gates
- The Death of Common Sense: How Law Is Suffocating America by Phillip K. Howard
1995-1996
- Beyond Race and Gender: Unleashing the Power of Your Total Work Force by Managing Diversity by R. Roosevelt Thomas
- Man’s Search for Meaning: An Introduction to Logotherapy by Viktor Frankl
- The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization by Peter Senge
1994-1995
- Compassionate Capitalism: People Helping People Help Themselves by Rich DeVos
- Beating the Street by Peter Lynch
- The Choice: A Fable of Free Trade and Protection by Russell D. Roberts
1993-1994
- Breakpoint and Beyond: Mastering the Future – Today by George Land and Beth Jarman
- The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox
- Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen R. Covey
1992-1993
- 2020 Visions: Long View of a Changing World by Richard Carlson and Bruce Goldman
- Changing Course: A Global Business Perspective on Development and the Environment by Stephan Schmidheiny
- Recapturing the Spirit of Enterprise by George Gilder
1991-1992
- Essentials of Business Ethics by Peter Madsen and Jay M. Shafritz, Eds.
- The Content of Our Character: A New Vision of Race in America by Shelby Steele
- The Man Who Discovered Quality: How W. Edwards Deming Brought the Quality Revolution to America – The Stories of Ford, Xerox, and GM by Andrea Gabor
1990-1991
- The New Realities by Peter F. Drucker
- Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition by Harvey Mackay
- Leaders: The Strategies for Taking Charge by Warren Bennis and Burt Nanus
