Northland Pioneer College (NPC) has many changes scheduled or in motion for the coming year, however, all that could change if the new president has different plans.
NPC has been searching for a new president and that search is in the final stages as a selection is expected by February. The goal is to have the new president in place by May or June. Current President Dr. Jeanne Swarthout said, “Over the next year the process of selecting, on-boarding and getting the college on board through that transition is big.” The transition team is already in place and ready. This is a unique college in a unique area and the team will work to ease that transition for the new president.
The college will also be using 2018 to prepare for their accreditation renewal, which is a process that helps to assure the public of an institution’s integrity and quality of services. It is recommended that the college meets or exceeds the standards and expectations established by the accreditation agency. NPC is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
The accreditation visit date will be in November of 2019 but the preparation process for that visit is extensive. Last time NPC was given a 10-year accreditation renewal. “I have guided this institution and several others through this,” said Swarthout about the accreditation process. This may be a challenge for NPC as Swarthout leaves and the new leadership takes over.
Another issue at hand for NPC is the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. In 2018 Congress will be working on the next reauthorization of that act.
Some of the issues that would likely be included in the final bill are affordability and college costs, access, persistence and completion, better information for consumers, student loan programs accreditation and oversight, innovation, and the burden of federal regulations. Substantial changes could be a real challenge for the college to address.
One of the issues that will have an impact is in regards to financial aid. Proposed changes for financial aid disbursements include weekly or monthly disbursements rather than a lump sum at the beginning of the semester.
If these changes take effect, this will change how the college handles its business processes. “There is a lot in the reauthorization that is really going to have us look hard at our business processes but also look at the instructional side of the house and begin to think outside the semester box,” said Swarthout.
NPC has worked this year to develop the possibility of new partnerships with Navajo County. In 2018, those could grow, but all of that depends on if the new president has similar goals.
Work has already begun on changes to the NPC website and those should be complete by February or March. The college performed a media survey to determine if they were meeting student’s needs technologically. As expected, it was discovered that most students access information and classes via mobile devices. “We have not re-thought our strategy around mobile devices sufficiently,” said Swarthout. That means changes to the website and online offerings need to be improved to meet those needs.
There is no doubt that 2018 is a big year for NPC. The change in leadership alone is tremendous. Then add in the fact that school funding is always a legislative hot topic and simply growing with the times can be challenging.
