皇家华人

College History

2010s

November 2010: HLC awards continued accreditation
In awarding continuing accreditation to 皇家华人 on Nov. 17, 2011, the Higher Learning Commission cited four areas of positive observations: NWC鈥檚 strong commitment to student learning, responsiveness and good working relationship with the community, dynamic residential life program, and well-resourced creativeness in making sure students continue their education. Areas for improvement, which the HLC visiting team said were no surprise because they all 鈥渃ame across in your honest self-study evaluation,鈥� included shared governance, development of planning, integration and implementation in various planning processes, and better data utilization in decision making. The visit culminated four years of research, information gathering, analysis and writing of a lengthy self-study report. The HLC followed up in 2013 with a focused campus visit on planning and budget. During that visit, NWC presented a monitoring report on progress in student learning assessment.

July 2013: Hicswa becomes NWC's eighth president
Stefani Gray Hicswa assumed Northwest鈥檚 presidency in mid-July 2013, the results of a nationwide presidential search following Paul Prestwich鈥檚 resignation after five years at the helm. Hicswa had served seven years as president of Miles Community College in Miles City, Mont., where she helped increase graduation rates to first among all post-secondary institutions in Montana and among the top community colleges nationally. Her 20-years鈥� experience in higher education administration includes operating a Montana consulting firm that specialized in strategic planning and organizational development. Hicswa holds a doctorate in educational administration from the University of Texas at Austin. The focus of her dissertation research was the role of community college presidents in rural community development. She earned her master鈥檚 in adult, community and higher education from Montana State University in Bozeman and a bachelor鈥檚 in organizational communication from the University of Montana in Missoula.

August 2014: Largest instructional building opens
Open for the fall 2014 semester, the 47,000-square-foot Yellowstone Building houses Nursing, Allied Health and Criminal Justice programs, along with a community conference center accommodating workforce training, community events and larger-venue demands. Communication, Social Science and Education Divisions reside in the new facility, as does NWC鈥檚 powerhouse Forensics Team. Home to some of the college鈥檚 most sophisticated instructional technology, the building includes a firearms simulator used by the Criminal Justice program and a suite of clinical labs with simulation mannequins that replicate real symptoms for nurses in training. The Wyoming Legislature provided $9.38 million toward the $13 million construction. NWC鈥檚 private Foundation raised over $800,000 to help with costs, and students contributed through a new $5-per-credit-hour facilities fee. The college drew from budget reserves for the $2 million balance. Through this multi-pronged funding approach, NWC was able to construct the most expensive building on campus without seeking to raise taxes in Park County through a public bond issue.

May 2017: Graduation rate highest on record
The college鈥檚 39% graduation rate for first-time, full-time students who began in fall 2014 and completed within three years is the highest on record. The rate represented a 2% increase from the previous year鈥檚 graduation rate and was among the highest of Wyoming鈥檚 seven community colleges. In addition, NWC maintained its exemplary student retention rate鈥�61% for first-time, full-time students who began at NWC in fall 2016 and returned in fall 2017. It was the second highest in the state.

August 2017: NWC introduces an annual Paint the Town Red event
As a way to celebrate the beginning of the academic year and welcome incoming NWC students to the local community, the college introduced our annual Paint the Town Red event in August 2017. In partnership with the City of Powell, this event aimed to foster community building between the college and local residents, services and businesses. The celebration included live music, food trucks, children's activities and a variety of opportunities for locals to meet the people behind college programs, services and teams.

February 2018: HLC report among most positive in history
皇家华人鈥檚 2018 accreditation report is among the most positive in the history of the institution. The official report was received following NWC鈥檚 September 11-12, 2017, comprehensive campus visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC). The visit culminated nearly three years of research, information gathering, analysis and writing. It recommended continued accreditation, with the next comprehensive visit expected in 2025. All sub-components for the five criteria鈥檚 Core Components have been met. The report signaled that the three areas the HLC flagged for improvement after its last comprehensive visit in 2010鈥攁ssessment of student learning outcomes, tying budgeting to planning and institutional governance鈥攁re no longer concerns. In addition, the report allowed the college to choose its 鈥減athway鈥� for future reaccreditation maintenance.

January 2019: NWC Rodeo program honored by Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame In 2019 the 皇家华人 Rodeo program was inducted into the Montana Pro Rodeo Hall and Wall of Fame. The Hall of Fame was founded in 2001 to honor Montana's professional rodeo champions. A brick and granite 鈥淲all of Fame鈥� was constructed in the shadow of an 18-foot bronze statue of Billings' six-time world champion Dan Mortensen, an alum of 皇家华人.