About Northwest
Originally established in 1905, Northwest Missouri State University is a state-assisted, four-year regional university that also offers graduate degree programs.
Quality Academics
Northwest offers 140 undergraduate majors and 36 master’s programs. The Business, Education, Geography and Agriculture departments graduate the largest number of 
students each year. Career Services offers an “Exploring Majors” fair where students can learn about different majors on campus and find which major is the perfect fit for them.
Hands-on Experience
Northwest is a true advocate of hands-on experience. For instance, in our Horace Mann Lab School students majoring in education get a true inside view of what teaching is all about. Northwest offers several other opportunities for hands-on experiences including internships, the University farm for agriculture majors, on-campus radio and television stations and volunteer work.
The Right Size
Northwest currently has around 7,000 students. This size of campus offers great opportunities for students to succeed socially, as well as academically. With a student to teacher ratio of 21 to 1, you never feel like a number and receive personalized attention from faculty.
Mission
Northwest Missouri State University is a learning-centered community of scholars offering undergraduate and selected graduate programs. The University is committed to preparing broadly-educated and engaged citizens for a world of constant change, applying information technology to improve learning processes and promoting continuous improvement to enhance performance in all of its activities. Northwest seeks to expand access to learning and promote research designed to address the needs of our students and stakeholders.
Vision
Northwest Missouri State University will be an internationally recognized innovator in continuously improving higher education.
Cultural Core Values
- We focus on our students and stakeholders.
- We care about each other.
- We are a learning organization, continually improving our University and ourselves.
- We collaborate and work together to accomplish our goals.
- We master the details of what we do.
- We are open and ethical.
- We are leaders in our field.
Educational Values
- Communications Competencies
- Critical/Creative Thinking Competencies
- Problem-Solving Competencies
- Computer Competencies
- Self-Directed Learning Competencies
- Competence in a Discipline
- Personal/Social Development
- Teamwork/Team Leading Competencies
- Multicultural Competencies
- Cultural Enrichment
Northwest History
Traditions
FAMILY DAY
A special time for the families of all Northwest students is Family Day. Faculty and administrators look forward to this opportunity to meet and visit with parents and students on an informal basis. The Family of the Year is selected and honored during the day.
Bearcats
The name was bestowed upon Northwest in 1916 by the Drury College basketball team in Springfield, who had come to know the Maryville team as formidable opponents. In later years, students did a bit of research and discovered that a Bearcat is hard to capture and harder to hold. The Bearcat serves as the mascot for both men’s and women’s athletic teams.
WALKOUT DAY
Historically, Walkout Day has been a major event. On the Friday morning before Homecoming, students went to class to await the ceremonial ringing of the Bell of ’48, signifying the end of classes for the day. A school-wide picnic and other activities were held, including a mass celebration in downtown Maryville. Today, Northwest continues to observe Walkout Day on the Friday prior to Homecoming; however, students no longer go to classes. An addition to the day in recent years has been raising flags on the International Flag Plaza. International students are selected to raise the flags of their countries in this annual ceremony.
HOMECOMING
Homecoming is a long-standing tradition at Northwest. The Homecoming parade and football game are the main events of the weekend. Other events include variety show performances, alumni gatherings and the house decoration contest, which help provide a memorable weekend for students, parents and alumni.
THE BELL OF 1948
The Bell of ’48 is rung to announce athletic victories, in memory of any member of the University community, and to announce other events deemed important by Student Senate and the administration.
MEMORIAL BELL TOWER
The Memorial Bell Tower is located in the center of the campus and was constructed using funds contributed by alumni.
TRADITION OF THE BRIDGE
The small rustic wooden bridge on the south side of Colden Hall. It is referred to as “The Kissing Bridge” and suggests that it is a place for student romance to blossom.
SENIOR CLASS COLORS
A tradition established by the class of 1920 is that the Senior Class each year adopt the University colors, green and white, as its class colors.
HICKORY STICK
The tradition of the hickory stick dates back to 1930, when Northwest presented the hickory stick to Northeast Missouri State University with the intent that it would be a traveling sports trophy. Since that time, the winning team has kept the stick.
THE STROLLER
The Stroller is one of the oldest traditions on campus, having made his/her first appearance in 1918. Still preserved in anonymity, the Stroller continues to thoughtfully observe and comment upon campus and Maryville life in The Northwest Missourian.
School Songs
Listen as the Northwest Marching Band performs the school songs 
WINGS OF VICTORY (FIGHT SONG)
Come on Bearcats fight, (you Bearcats fight!)
on to victory.
Hail the Green and White,
best in history.Come on Bearcats fight, (you Bearcats fight!)
Proud, brave and strong we will stand.
Our glorious colors raised up triumphantly,
across Missouri Land.
THE ALMA MATER
Let your voices loudly ringing, echo far and near,
Songs of praise thy children singing to thy mem’ry dear.Alma Mater! Alma Mater! tender, fair, and true;
Grateful sons with love unfailing all their vows renew.Years may dim our recollection, Time its change may bring,
Still thy name in fond affection, evermore we’ll sing.Alma Mater! Alma Mater! tender, fair, and true;
Grateful sons with love unfailing all their vows renew.
Northwest Academics
Northwest Missouri State University has had a long tradition of academic excellence. Today, the University offers outstanding undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the fields that prepare students for careers in a global marketplace, and for laying the foundation for lifelong learning. Please view these pages to see the variety of programs and to become acquainted with our colleges, departments and faculty.
Student-Athlete Success Program
For more than a decade, Northwest’s student-athletes have had a higher cumulative grade-point average than the rest of the Northwest student body.
Much of that academic success is attributed to Northwest’s nationally-renowned Student-Athlete Success Program (SASP). The goal of the program is to provide an environment in which student-athletes can experience their fullest potential, social and academic growth. The pervading philosophy of the SASP is success.
Each student is held accountable for his/her own academic performance. But the SASP works hard to provide the support needed for athletes to be successful students. The programs and services of the SASP are designed to keep student-athletes informed, to answer their questions and to prevent any potential problems.
The program will help make student-athletes aware of the vast variety of resources available to them and help them use those resources. This information will help the student-athlete make the important decisions regarding their personal, academic and career goals.
The following is a look at some of the resources available to student-athletes through the SASP:
Advising
All academic advising is provided through the individual college and academic departments.
Academic Progress
During each semester, the SASP surveys the professors of each student-athlete three times. In this grade check, the instructors are asked to comment on: the level of work the student is maintaining; the student’s attendance and attentiveness; the need for tutorial help; and any general comments.
Each report is viewed by the SASP office. Students are called in on a regular basis to review the progress. If necessary, arrangements are made for additional support services.
Academic Recognition
The athletic department is proud of the success its student-athletes have on and off the field. Click here to see a list of student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.50.
Mentoring
The SASP provides individualized mentoring sessions for interested student-athletes. The goal is to help students avoid academic-related difficulties and to develop opportunities for improvement of skills, rather than merely avoiding academic crises. It also provides for more individual monitoring of the student’s academic progress.
Career Development
One of the major goals of the SASP is to help students explore various majors and minors so they make make an informed decision regarding careers. The SASP uses a variety of tools to provide students with this information.
The “Major/Minor Finder” provides a fast, written means to help make the decisions that lead to the kind of work that will give students pride in achievement of his/her chosen career.
The “Discover” software program guides students through a series of questions that allow them to answer questions in the following areas: self-information, exploration of occupations, instruction and practice in decision-making, and the development of a plan for career choice.
The Office of Career Services and the Counseling Center are both important departments which can help students prepare for their careers.
Bearcat Stadium/Herschel Neil Track/Mel Tjeerdsma Field
Northwest Missouri State University’s football and track and field facility has been called Bearcat Stadium since 2004. This beautiful, state-of-the-art facility, called “the crown jewel of the MIAA” by the Kansas City Star, was formerly known as Rickenbrode Stadium.
Bearcat Stadium is the longest-running continuous site for football in all of NCAA Division II. No other stadium in Division II has played host to its team’s game for as long.
The Bearcats’ athletic field was first located behind the Administration Building. But in 1913, the team’s game were moved to the field at the current site.
In 1917, construction was completed at the new field and it was named Memorial Stadium. The facility was re-named Rickenbrode Stadium in 1961 by University President J.W. Jones. It was named Rickenbrode Stadium in honor of long-time Northwest employee and Bearcat supporter William Rickenbrode. For nearly 44 years, the facility was named Rickenbrode.
In 2007, renovations began on the field for an upgrade to synthetic turf and lights. Switching to synthetic turf and adding lights will allow the University to open the field to a variety of activities year-round. On June 28, the Board of Regents gave unanimous approval to have the new field named “Mel Tjeerdsma Field.”
In 2000, the first of a wave of major changes to the stadium took place. The east grandstand was completely rebuilt. This project was funded solely by Northwest students.
The renovations weren’t finished, however. Following the 2001 season, demolition of the west grandstand and construction of the new west side had begun. The Bearcats played the 2002 season with temporary bleachers and a temporary press seating area.
In 2003, the new-and-improved stadium was unveiled. The new construction included an increased seating capacity on the west stide, chairback and railback seating, 10 luxury suites, a spacious and functional press area and a new scoreboard, complete with a video board.
The most recent set of renovations was funded entirely by privated funds. Some of these private funds were behind the re-naming of the stadium in 2004.
A small group of anonymous donors wished to give a generous donation to the stadium project. They did not want to be identified. Instead, their wish was that the stadium honor everyone who was involved with making the facility what it is today.
The stadium has a seating capacity of 6,500, with room for thousands more near the endzones. The site was host of the 2006 NCAA Division II Semifinal Football game between Northwest and Bloomsburg (Pa.) on Dec. 10, marking the first night game since 1977 and the first nationally televised game featuring ESPNU. The game was the first national broadcast by an ESPN network from an MIAA site in conference history.
Lamkin Activity Center/Bearcat Arena
The home of the Northwest men’s and women’s basketball programs and Bearcat volleyball program, Bearcat Arena has a seating capacity of 2,500 spectators. The facility also houses annual University commencement ceremonies and professional concerts as well as the practice facilities for the indoor track and field teams.
Bearcat Arena was constructed as Lamkin Gymnasium in 1959, replacing Martindale Gymnasium as the home of Northwest basketball. The facility underwent a $6 million renovation in the 1993-94 academic year with additions to the south and north of the original building. The south side received a new facade that included a fitness center in the basement, an expanded lobby and concourse on the first floor and coaches offices on the second floor. The Student Recreation Center was built onto the north side, featuring three basketball courts, five raquetball courts, a suspended jogging track and weight-lifting equipment.
Bearcat Weight Room
The weight room is located in the basement of Lamkin Activity Center. With over 3,000 square feet of space available, it allows nearly 420 student-athletes to work out comfortably. The Bearcat Booster Clubrecently provided over $100,000 for 10 Power Lift Collegiate Half Racks, making the weight room one of the best in Division II. The multi-use racks enable Northwest student-athletes to perform nearly all of their lifts in one area. The area adjacent to the weight room is used by all teams for warm up and various exercises.
Bearcat Baseball Field
Located northwest of Bearcat Stadium, the Bearcat Baseball Field was constructed in 1968 and has a seating capacity of 500.
Bearcat Softball Field
The Northwest softball program moved from Beal Park to the Bearcat Softball Field in 1996. The facility has a seating capacity of 250.
Frank Grube and High Rise Tennis Courts
The Frank Grube Tennis Courts are the primary practice and event facility for the Northwest tennis teams. Located north of the Robert P. Foster Aquatic Center, the tennis courts have a seating capacity of 100. The High Rise Tennis Courts, located west of the baseball field and south of the softball field, also seats 100. The facilities have played host to numerous regional ITA and NCAA tournaments.
Bearcat Pitch
The home of Northwest women’s soccer, Bearcat Pitch was constructed in 1999 for the inaugural season of Bearcat soccer. The facility can seat 600 and features a weather-protected press area.
Source: Northwest Missouri State University