Northwest Notes: The future is bright
Lance Tatum President, Northwest Missouri State University
The 2025-2026 academic year at Northwest Missouri State University has officially begun, and it is exciting to see the campus coming back to life with the energy, dedication and spirit that our faculty, staff and students bring to it. The contributions of our faculty and staff do so much to not only inspire the learning and growth of our students, but also advance academic efforts throughout the university. Our students, meanwhile, are the heart of everything we do at Northwest and contribute greatly to the vitality of our community.
Our work at Northwest this fall remains focused on four strategic priorities — enrollment growth and sustainability, the collegiate experience, people, and operations. These priorities are deeply interconnected, and they are fundamental to the university’s progress. We are laser-focused on attracting the right students to enroll and then retaining them on their path to degree completion and preparing them to be successful in their communities.
While we have made many strategic investments to boost the university’s enrollment, we must remember that recruiting and retaining students are not the job of just one office on campus. It is a part of everyone’s role to build impactful relationships with our students — from our custodial staff to our faculty at Northwest, even from business owners to the neighbors we meet in grocery aisles. Every interaction is an opportunity to affirm the magic of the Northwest experience.
I also encourage you to visit campus this fall to attend any of the many events and activities we host. Whether you are a sports fan, enjoy the fine arts or appreciate gaining new insights from thought-provoking personalities, Northwest offers something for everyone. My wife, Jill, and I are especially excited to welcome back our friend and a leader in the education field, Gerry Brooks, for a lecture at 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 21, at the Olive DeLuce Fine Arts Building. Tickets are $16 at bearcatsports.com, and the proceeds go to Northwest’s Pay It Forward Fund to assist students in need. Also, mark your calendars for our annual Family Weekend, Sept. 26-28, and watch the Northwest website for details as that weekend nears.
Looking beyond the fall, we are working hard to position Northwest for long-term success. Higher education is evolving quickly, and we are reinforcing critical relationships at the local, state and federal levels. At the same time, we are building new ones that help ensure Northwest has the resources and support it needs to sustain itself in the years ahead. This year, I will take our voices to Jefferson City and Washington, D.C., along with our lobbyists, students and board members to share the Northwest story with clarity. We will advocate for strategic investment in initiatives that will grow, strengthen and elevate our university and region. Our message remains focused on partnerships, strategic innovation and the belief that when Northwest thrives, our region and our state thrive.
As I enter my third year as president at Northwest Missouri State University, all of the decisions, actions, investments and planning during the past two years have aligned with the university’s focus on student success. Every hallway conversation. Every email. Every tour. Every act of care. It all matters because every moment becomes a memory that defines a student’s experience.
The future of Northwest continues to be bright. Jill and I are so thankful to be a part of Northwest and the Maryville community, and to work and live among people who have a heart for education and moving our region forward.
Lance Tatum is the 11th president of Northwest Missouri State University.
