Representatives of Northwest Missouri State University and North Central Missouri College convened Monday to celebrate their continuing partnership and another batch of agreements that create pathways to further student educational attainment and success.
During the gathering at North Central’s Savannah Campus, Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum and North Central President Dr. Lenny Klaver signed 17 articulation agreements that help qualified students complete a bachelor’s degree at Northwest after earning an associate degree at North Central. The institutions signed 14 similar agreements last spring during a celebration on Northwest’s campus.
As the leaders of both schools touted their institutions’ strategic focuses on academic excellence and student success, they also noted their shared interest in workforce development and preparing students with the skills needed to support growing industries and benefit the region.
“Today is a great example of two institutions pulling their resources, working together to accomplish great things for northwest Missouri,” Tatum said. “We are also honored and proud of the fact that we represent probably the number one destination for students coming from North Central.”
Klaver added, “There’s no better way to do that than through articulation agreements, having our graduates transfer to Northwest, being colleagues and collaborators rather than competitors. It works; it’s been proven over the years, and hopefully, this will strengthen it even more.”
Said Dr. Jamie Hooyman, an alumna of North Central who now serves as the provost at Northwest, “We collaborate so well together because both of us put the students first. We work hard, not only to get them to our institutions, but it’s extremely important to us that they’re successful at our institutions.”
The agreements signed Monday support the following areas of study at Northwest:
- Applied science
- Early childhood education
- Special education
- Physical education
- Agricultural education
- Marine biology
- Wildlife ecology and conservation
- Biology
- Social media management
- Mass media broadcasting and production
- Criminology
- Nursing
- Sonographic sciences
Located in Maryville, Missouri, Northwest is a state-assisted, four-year regional university that offers undergraduate and graduate degrees. North Central Missouri College is a two-year community college offering associate degrees and certificates that focus on career readiness and easy transferability. Both institutions are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and hold several discipline-specific accreditations.
