Your future, our focus
As part of Northwest College’s institutional transformation process, area residents are invited to attend a Learning & Discovery Panel about rebranding and renaming and its use in business and higher education on Wednesday, Oct. 13, at 6 p.m. in the Yellowstone Building. The meeting will also be available live via Zoom.
The NWC Board of Trustees will be present, but no action will be taken during the meeting. Instead, it will be a discussion, led by expert panelists, for campus and community members to learn about the pros and cons of rebranding and/or renaming Northwest College.
The meeting will be moderated by Owner and Consultant Amber Simon-Power of Power Business Strategies.
“Whether you like the idea of rebranding or renaming, have reservations, or lie somewhere in between, this event is for you,” NWC Interim President Lisa Watson said. “Your thoughts are critical to NWC’s progress, and this panel discussion is a great opportunity to learn more and have all your questions answered by experts.”
Panelists include Jim Owston, assistant provost for extended learning and professor of mass communication at Alderson Broaddus University and Dana Pulis, owner and principal of Kinetic Marketing & Creative in Billings. Interim President Watson will also be available to address questions, specific to the College.
Joining Alderson Broaddus’s faculty in 2014, Owston was assigned as Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences from 2016 to 2019, tenured as a full professor in 2017 and promoted to Assistant Provost for Extended Learning in 2018.
His 2007 dissertation on higher educational rebranding was the winner of AAUA’s 2008 Leo and Margaret Goodman-Malamuth Award and CASE’s 2009 Alice L. Beeman Award. While a broadcaster, he earned 14 gold and platinum record awards and was a winner in five Active Industry Research’s pick-the-hits competitions. Since 2016, Owston and his students have won 51 PR awards.
Pulis is a nationally-known marketing expert, award-winning writer, accomplished public speaker and respected business leader. Since launching Kinetic in 2007, she has focused on moving businesses forward through creative marketing communications. Her focus has produced results for local, regional and national clients alike. Her company has doubled in size since 2016.
During the event, panelists will take questions from those who attend in-person and online. The public will have the opportunity to comment at the event after questions conclude and online afterwards. After the session, NWC’s transformation webpage at https://nwc.edu/transformation will be updated to allow anyone to watch the panel recording, answer a short survey, and submit additional comments until Friday, Oct. 22.
The Learning & Discovery Panel is part of NWC’s third phase of transformation work. Thus far, the three phases have included gathering ideas and receiving feedback about ways the College can better reposition itself (July-Oct. 2020), scanning the external and internal environment to test core idea options and ways to position NWC (Dec. 2020-April 2021) and assemble collective learning into an actionable and implementable roadmap (fall 2021). Learn more about each individual phase and its timeline at https://nwc.edu/transformation.
“While we continue to explore the pros and cons of a college-wide rebrand/rename, no decisions have been made yet,” Watson said. “I encourage you to come with an open mind and share your questions, listen with intent to learn, and then provide your thoughts on the value of rebranding or renaming for Northwest College.
There will be limited seating in the Yellowstone Building due to social distancing, so those who plan to attend in-person are encouraged to arrive early. Those who wish to attend the meeting via Zoom can find the link at https://nwc.edu/events.
