Enid Mayor declares April 11 ‘Northwestern-Enid Day’ for 20th anniversary celebration
Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid will be celebrating with the community its 20th anniversary on Tuesday, April 11. A ribbon-cutting ceremony, dedication and an official reading of the proclamation will take place on location at 4 p.m. that day.
To celebrate the anniversary, Bill Shewey, mayor of the city of Enid, read the proclamation that declared April 11, 2017 as “Northwestern Oklahoma State University-Enid Day” during the April 4 City Council meeting. Dr. Wayne McMillin, Northwestern-Enid dean, received the mayor’s proclamation on behalf of Northwestern-Enid accompanied by Candace Reim, Student Services coordinator, and Kimberly Wheeler, senior criminal justice major from Ringwood and member of the Leadership Council.
“It was an honor for the mayor to read the proclamation in front of the Enid City Council,” McMillin said. “It’s been a tremendous 20 years in Enid. I should know, I’ve been a part of it for 19 of the 20 years first as a faculty member and currently the dean. We’ve had a lot of faces come and go over the years and we’ve made an extraordinary impact for our community, but overall our legacy has been consistent in providing higher education opportunities to the surrounding area.”
“We’ve got a dedicated administration, faculty and staff and can’t wait to see what the next 20 years will bring.”
McMillin encourages Northwestern alum and the public to attend ceremony on Tuesday as an opportunity to reflect on how Northwestern-Enid has impacted their lives futures through getting their education.
For 20 years, Northwestern-Enid has assisted a diverse population, including adult learners, achieve their career and educational goals by providing local, affordable access to higher education by offering upper-level courses leading to the bachelor’s degree and complete graduate degree programs in a positive, student-centered, technology-enriched learning environment that promotes service and excellence.
In 1996, House Bill 2164 provided for the establishment of branch campuses of Northwestern in Enid and Woodward. Governor Keating signed the measure into law on May 30, 1996. The Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education followed with their approval. Northwestern-Enid was designated to be in the new facility built by the community of Enid in 1994. The University officially opened the branch campus in the location at 2929 East Randolph as “NWOSU” on July 1, 1996.
Northwestern’s role is to deliver higher education to the citizens of northwest Oklahoma. The modern spacious ADA accessible facility has 86,000 square feet. Northwestern-Enid houses traditional classrooms, ITV classrooms, a computer lab, library, registry/business offices, student services, financial aid, bookstore, campus police, AHEC, wellness room, clinical simulation skills lab, computer testing lab, and one polycom meeting room, and faculty offices.
Upper-division courses offered at Northwestern-Enid for completion of bachelor’s degrees in 13 areas including accounting, business administration, computer science, E-commerce, education (elementary, secondary, special), general studies, history, nursing (RN, LPN Completion), political science, psychology, social work, sociology and technical management. Complete master’s degree programs in education, counseling psychology, and American Studies and co-ops with two other universities to offer a Master of Business Administration degree.
Many students take advantage of the cooperative agreements between Northwestern and Northern Oklahoma College and make a smooth transition to Northwestern for completion of their four-year degree. While other students come to finish a degree started earlier in life or transfer in coursework from other institutions.
In honor of the anniversary, Northwestern-Enid has two more events planned for April. On Saturday, April 15 from 9 a.m. until noon, a children’s cheer camp will take place and afterwards they will show parents what they learned.
On Wednesday, April 19, Northwestern Foundation and Alumni Association will host the “Baseball, Hotdogs, and Apple Pie” alumni event at David Allen Ball Park in Enid as the Rangers will take on Southern Nazarene University starting at 7 p.m. General admission to the game is $7 per person. Children 12 and under will be admitted free with a paid adult. The first 120 children, 13 and under, will receive a free t-shirt. Those in attendance also will enjoy free hot dogs cooked by the Rowdy Rangers and free apple pies provided by McDonald’s.
For more information on Northwestern-Enid call Student Services (580) 213-3147 or visit www.nwosu.edu/enid.
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