At the finale of Northland Pioneer College’s (NPC) spring semester, six dedicated employees were acknowledged for their efforts and successful tenures as ambassadors of lifelong learning for students and communities across northeast Arizona. These employees were presented with Crystal Eagle emeritus Awards at the April and June 2025 meetings of the Navajo County District Governing Board (DGB).
NPC Dean of Nursing, Ruth Zimmerman, is retiring this summer after 19 years of dedicated service to the college. She has led NPC’s nursing education initiatives, not only as the dean of the department but also as an instructor, administrator, colleague, and beloved friend and role model for students and staff alike. Over the years, Zimmerman has guided NPC’s nursing program through many successful and rigorous accreditation visits and reviews. Now, NPC’s nursing program remains one of the best in the state.
Fellow emeritus recipient Mike Colwell was also acknowledged with a Crystal Eagle emeritus award. Colwell has spent the last 14 years as an academic advisor at NPC’s locations in Apache County. He has provided academic guidance to countless students from the St. Johns, Springerville and Eagar areas, and served as the lead advisor for NPC’s All Arizona Academic Team scholarship program, which provides NPC students full tuition waivers to the state’s three universities each academic year.
In addition, NPC presented Crystal Eagle emeritus awards to three departing employees who, like their co-workers, have made a tremendous impact on the lives of students at NPC. Faculty in Biology Dr. Susan Hoffman, has been a beloved teacher to many. She retired this summer after seven years of teaching at NPC. Long-time employee Frank Pinnell has also retired. He earned the NPC Crystal Eagle emeritus award after serving the college for 21 years as a champion for NPC’s Career and Technical Education department. Fellow emeritus awardee, Dr. Judy Yip Reyes, has been instrumental in leading NPC’s accreditation efforts with the Higher Learning Commission. She has worked for the last eight years as NPC’s Director of Institutional Effectiveness and retired earlier this summer.
In a culmination of this year’s fond farewells, Betsyann Wilson, the executive director of NPC Friends and Family, the college’s non-profit organization, is retiring after 28 years of selfless service. Wilson has served as the Director of NPC’s non-profit foundation since 2014. Former NPC President, Dr. Jeanne Swarthout, shared, “One of the first things facing me as president of NPC at that time was the failure of the NPC foundation. Betsy accepted the challenge of reviving the foundation with enthusiasm and commitment, and, in short order, took the organization from doing nothing for NPC students to being a rapidly growing fund source for student success.” She explained, “To sum it up, Betsy can be credited with hundreds and hundreds of student success stories at NPC.”
All six of these departing NPC employees have cultivated a legacy of success at NPC. The impact they have made by educating, training, supporting, and transforming students’ lives and the communities NPC serves will be felt for many years to come.
