northwestnews
Soils team beats twotime national champions K-State, advances to national competition
University unveils online museum
Northwest has a new
virtual museum for online
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visitors. The Northwest Museums Web site, located at www.nwmissouri.edu/ onlinemuseum, showcases Northwest’s “diverse and vital present along with its rich, compelling past, which includes ties to such historic events as the 1936 Berlin Olympics and the world’s first successful electronic and commercial computers,” said Kim Todd, information systems user consultant and the Northwest Museums project team leader. The project was initiated to provide a single venue for Northwest alumni, educators, historians, parents and students to explore. The Northwest Museums Web site features two distinct areas. The Northwest History portion features photographs, interactive maps, video and information about Northwest’s evolution from a Normal School to a state university, offering visitors a glimpse into campus life and the contributions of Northwest faculty, staff and students. The Computing History portion emphasizes Northwest’s technological development through the decades and highlights the life and contributions of computing pioneer and Northwest alumna Jean Jennings Bartik ’45. n
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SPRING 2010
fter winning the American Society of Agronomy Region 5 Soil Judging Contest, Northwest’s soils judging team now advances to the national competition in Lubbock, Texas, this spring. Northwest, the only NCAA Division II school to compete in the seven-state regional competition, claimed the victory over the defending two-time national champions, Kansas State University, as well as the University of Missouri-Columbia, Missouri State University, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Iowa State University, University of Minnesota and South Dakota State University. Northwest’s seven-member team is coached by Dr. Jamie Patton, assistant professor of agriculture. Patton said this is the third year Northwest participated in the contest and the first year to place in the competition. During a soil-judging contest, students describe and classify the soil profile in several pits. While in the pit, they describe the color, texture and structure, as well as many other
Chester Greub, a member of Northwest’s awardwinning soils team, competes in the regional soil judging contest. The competition allows students to gain experience with soils and land use in other regions while also learning cooperative decision-making skills.
properties of the soil horizon. Team members use their observations to classify the parent material, water-holding ability and suitability for different uses of each soil sample. They also determine the soil characteristics within a time limit and rotate among the pits during competition. The student’s final descriptions are ranked in comparison to the official judges to determine contest winners. n
Northwest enrollment hits an all-time high
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orthwest is experiencing record-breaking enrollment figures for the 2009-2010 academic year. Northwest’s total student headcount during the fall trimester was 7,076, representing a 3 percent increase over the previous year’s total headcount. In addition, Northwest’s spring enrollment for both undergraduate and graduate students is up 6 percent compared to last year. Bev Schenkel, dean of enrollment management, said the fall 2009 census was a hallmark for the University in that total headcount and undergraduate enrollment was at its highest level ever. She said Northwest also is experiencing a record number of freshmen, with most of the growth coming from Missouri, Kansas and Illinois.
N O RTH W E S T A L U M N I M A G A Z I N E
Furthermore, Northwest officials are pleased with the retention rate of students who were freshmen in fall 2008. The University retained 73 percent of these students, well above the national average of 70 percent for moderately selective institutions. “Our high freshman retention rate indicates student satisfaction as well as student success are priorities at Northwest,” Schenkel said. “It’s important that our students achieve these high levels of success as the University is going through a time of growth.” Schenkel said enrollment growth is a testament that students “see the value of pursuing a Northwest education and that there is a great amount of awareness of Northwest’s stellar academic programs, excellent student success rates and exceptional student satisfaction rates.” n