Northwestern College (Iowa)

Former names	Northwestern Classical Academy (1882–1928) Northwestern Junior College (1928–1961)
Motto	"God Is Light" (Deus Est Lux)
Type	Private college
Established	1882
Religious affiliation	Reformed Church in America (RCA)
Endowment	$56.3 million (2020)[1]
President	Greg Christy
Academic staff	148
Administrative staff	184
Undergraduates	1,546 (fall 2020) [2]
Location	Orange City, Iowa , U.S. 42°59′56″N 96°03′25″W / 42.999°N 96.057°W / 42.999; -96.057
Campus	Rural, 100 acres (40 ha)
Colors	Red & White
Nickname	Red Raiders
Sporting affiliations	NAIA – GPAC
Website	www.nwciowa.edu

Northwestern College (NWC and informally Northwestern Iowa) is a private Christian liberal arts college in Orange City, Iowa. It is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America and enrolls more than 1,500 students. In addition to approximately 1,000 students in bachelor's degree programs, the college has a growing graduate school, which includes a master's degree program in physician assistant studies since June 2020. Northwestern began as an academy in 1882. It became a junior college in 1928 and a four-year college in 1961.

Northwestern is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.^[3] In addition, the athletic training, business, education, nursing and social work programs are accredited by their respective accreditation organizations.^[4]

College community

Northwestern College is an educational institution of approximately 1,500 students and 300 faculty and staff ^[5] located in Orange City, a rural community of 6004 residents in Sioux County, Iowa.^[6] The campus is a few blocks south of the downtown area, centered on the intersection of State Highway 10 and Albany Avenue.

Leadership

Northwestern College is governed by a board of trustees chaired by Carl Wynja. Approximately half of its members represent the RCA denomination.^[7] There is also a Student Government Association.^[8]

Greg Christy serves as the president of the Northwestern College. He is assisted by a leadership team called the President's Cabinet.^[9]

President Christy began serving as president of NWC in 2008. He had previously served as the vice president for institutional advancement at Dakota Wesleyan University in Mitchell, South Dakota, an institution he served for 12 years. Prior to that, he held positions on the staffs of South Dakota State University and Iowa State University. Christy holds a bachelor's degree in management from Simpson College and a master's degree in physical education and sports management from Western Illinois University.^[10]

Campus culture

Northwestern College identifies itself as a "Reformed, evangelical and ecumenical" community, viewing these three Christian theological perspectives as complementary and drawing strengths from each perspective to fulfill its mission.^[11] Chapel is offered two days a week. There is also a student-led time of praise and worship on Sunday evenings.^[12]

Demographics

There were a total of 1,546 students at the start of the 2020–2021 school year. Roughly one-third of the student population attending NWC comes from the state of Iowa and more than half of its students come from four Midwestern states: Iowa (539 students), South Dakota (123), Minnesota (80) and Nebraska (64). The top six Christian denominations represented at the college are: Reformed/RCA (310), Evangelical Free (64), Lutheran (157), Baptist (44), Methodist/Wesleyan (36) and Roman Catholic (57). Approximately 17% of residential undergraduate students are identified as ethnic minorities or international students.^[13]

Student residences

• Colenbrander Hall – Men
• North Suites – Men
• Fern Smith Hall – Women
• Stegenga Hall – Women
• Hospers Hall – Men
• Bolks Apartments
• Courtyard Village Apartments

Student groups and clubs on campus

• Student Government Association (SGA) – A group of elected student representatives and faculty advisers gather weekly to discuss issues about campus and how to improve campus life.^[14]
• The International Club (I-Club) – The International Club is open to both international and American students who form friendships and learn about one another's cultures through meetings, events and trips.^[15]
• Red Raider Club – Composed of current and former athletes and Red Raider fans, the Red Raider Club supports Northwestern student-athletes and helps fund equipment and other athletics department purchases.^[16]
• Discipleship Groups (D-Groups) – Student-led groups meet weekly in each residence hall and student apartment complex to pray, study the Bible, and provide a place to talk about one's Christian faith.^[17]
• The Beacon – A weekly student newspaper covers topics of interest to the Northwestern community, such as news, arts & culture, sports, and opinions. It is distributed on Fridays.^[18]

Events and traditions

• RUSH: Northwestern's annual student dance concert, RUSH features student-choreographed performances with a cast of more than 100 dancers whose dance experience ranges from 0 to 20 years. RUSH was formed with the belief that anyone can dance as long as they are committed and determined. All who try out are cast, and since its founding in 2004, RUSH has quickly become one of the most anticipated and most popular events at Northwestern.^{[citation needed]}
• As residence life is a big part of campus life at Northwestern College, each residence hall boasts a number of hall-specific traditions.

Academic buildings

• Bultman Center for Health, Physical Education and Intercollegiate Athletics, opened in 1995
• Christ Chapel and DeWitt Music Hall, opened in 1987
• DeWitt Family Science Center, opened in fall 2018
• DeWitt Learning Commons, opened in 2013
• DeWitt Theatre Arts Center, opened in 2004
• Korver Visual Arts Center, opened in 2003
• Rowenhorst Student Center, renovated in 2007
• Van Peursem Hall, renovated in 2020

Administrative facilities

• Ramaker Center, renovated in 2014
• Zwemer Hall, built in 1894 and restored in 1997. Zwemer is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.^[19]

Recognition

• The 2020 edition of America's Best Colleges, published by U.S. News & World Report, ranks Northwestern 6th among 70 Midwestern regional colleges.^[20] Northwestern is also one of 31 Best Value Schools.
• Northwestern is listed on the latest President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.^[21] Since 2007, the college has been consistently included on the honor roll because of its commitment to community service. NWC students log thousands of hours of service each school year.^[22]
• Northwestern is recognized as a Groundwater Guardian Green Site by the Groundwater Foundation. NWC has earned this recognition every year since 2008.^[23][24]

Missions opportunities

Spring Service Partnerships

Spring Service Partnerships provide students opportunities to participate in mission work taking place domestically and abroad during annual spring breaks in early March. Students have spent their ten-day breaks serving in city missions, youth hostels, construction sites, disaster relief zones, and low-income schools.^[25]

Summer of Service

The Summer of Service (SOS) program at Northwestern College challenges, prepares and encourages students to be effective Christian servants in the world. It also exists to assist and support missionaries and the communities they work in. Each year, 20 to 25 students serve cross-culturally for at least six weeks in the U.S. or overseas. Past participants have traveled to countries like Croatia, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Malawi, Russia, South Africa and Thailand to serve with mission agencies like The Luke Society, Dublin Christian Mission, Pioneers International and TEAM (The Evangelical Alliance Mission). They have worked in hospitals, orphanages and refugee camps; taught Vacation Bible School and English as a second language; and served in sports and hospitality ministries.

Summer of Service team members return from their summer experiences more aware of the world's problems and promises and more equipped to wrestle with biblical applications to what they experienced. Often these students remain involved in service and mission, either full- or part-time after graduating from college.^[26]

Athletics

The Northwestern athletic teams are called the Red Raiders. The college is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) since the 1992–1993 academic year.

Northwestern competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis, track & field and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball; and co-ed sports include cheerleading and eSports.

Facilities

Outdoor sports such as football and track are played at DeValois Stadium. The stadium has a capacity of 3,100 and also hosts track and field events including conference championships,^[27] NAIA football playoff games,^[28] and marching band events.^[29]

National Championship appearances

"*" indicates overtime

The 2001 "double" (men's and women's basketball titles) was the first time that an NAIA school accomplished the feat, and at the time, only the second in collegiate history (Central Missouri State, now known as the University of Central Missouri (located in Warrensburg, Missouri) previously accomplished the feat in 1984; the University of Connecticut would later accomplish the feat in 2004 and 2014).^{[citation needed]}

Free throw record

Deb Remmerde-Leusink, a 2008 Northwestern College graduate, holds numerous NAIA records, including the record for most consecutive in-game free throws in the history of organized basketball. She ended her 133-shot free-throw streak in February 2006. Remmerde later appeared on "The Early Show," where she completed 580 of 585 free-throws, live, in front of a CBS television crew.^[31][32]

Notable people

Alumni

• Bob Boerigter (1970) – Former Northwest Missouri State University athletic director and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association commissioner.
• Kelvin Korver (1972) – Athlete – An American football player who played 3 seasons with the Oakland Raiders. Korver was drafted in the second round of the 1972 NFL Draft.
• Richard Mouw (1959) – Author and retired president of Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, CA.
• Bob Vander Plaats (1985) – Teacher, education administrator, CEO, author, former state Republican Party gubernatorial candidate, and political activist. Vander Plaats is the president and CEO of the Family Leader – a Christian, social action organization.^[33]
• Cora Vander Broek (2000) – Tony Award-nominated actress.
• Zach Dieken (2012) – Iowa state representative.^[34]

Staff and faculty

• Jeff Barker – playwright, retired professor of theatre, named Iowa's Professor of the Year in 2006.
• James Bultman – former college president, later president of Hope College in Holland, Michigan.
• B. D. Dykstra – former professor, pacifist, pastor, and poet.
• A. J. Muste – instructor of classical languages in 1905–1906; pacifist, labor, and civil rights activist.