Mission
Northland transforms the lives of students and our communities through a welcoming, supportive, and integrated learning environment.
Vision
Northland will be the premier choice for providing exceptional education that transforms lives and strengthens the communities we serve.
Foundational Principle
We are united as one college to increase educational access, support student success, strengthen partnerships, and advance equity in the communities we serve.
Values
We meet students where they are, focus on student success, and provide a high-value learning experience that promotes lifelong learning.
We care about the people and communities we serve and work together to provide excellent service.
We embody an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming environment that celebrates differences and provides equal opportunities for all.
We aspire to operate as a best-in-class college where ingenuity, innovation, and entrepreneurship are encouraged and incorporated.
We aim to do better every day to meet student, employer, and community needs.
We support economic growth through the development of skills, knowledge, and talent.
We strive to be accountable and responsible stewards of resources entrusted to us.
How we got here.
In the fall of 2021, Northland Community & Technical College embarked on a journey to create a new, five-year strategic plan. This plan provides a framework for Northland’s future, proactively ensuring the college is on target to carry out its Vision. The plan brings renewed energy and focus to the fulfillment of the updated Mission to “Transform the lives of students and our communities through a welcoming, supportive, and integrated learning environment” between now and 2027.
Northland engaged students, employees, community members, business partners, and education partners, focusing on opportunities, needs, and challenges in learning. This broad stakeholder engagement was critical to developing a plan to position Northland for future success in a rapidly changing demand. Activities to shape the plan included a benchmarking trip to visit three Wisconsin colleges identified as successful leaders in higher education. The process also included an examination of stakeholder perspectives, best practices of other post-secondary institutions, labor market data, CCSSE survey data, enrollment trends, and student success metrics.
In the spring of 2022, a strategic planning subgroup met to review the findings and the implications. The team reviewed and revised the Mission, Vision, and Values. In addition, they identified four strategic priorities: Access, Student Success, Partnerships, and Advancing Equity. The next step was identifying goals and strategies to move the needle forward in pursuing the compelling new Vision. Northland’s new strategic plan is data-driven and focuses on measurable results.
We look forward to continued engagement and future opportunities together as we work towards our Mission.
Institutional Learner Outcomes (ILOs)
Northland has identified five Institutional Learner Outcomes (ILO) that all graduates should achieve. They are Communication Skills (ILO 1), Critical Thinking (ILO 2), Social Engagement (ILO 3), Application of Resources (ILO 4), and Personal Development (ILO 5).
- ILO #1: Communication Skills
- Students will demonstrate appropriate use of communication.
- ILO #2: Critical Thinking
- Students will gather information, develop solutions, and apply a viable plan of action.
- ILO #3: Social Engagement
- Students will be prepared to practice social engagement that addresses environmental responsibility, civic engagement, and global diversity.
- ILO #4: Application of Resources
- Students will utilize appropriate information or technical resources.
- ILO #5: Personal Development
- Students will demonstrate professional and personal growth behaviors.
Each ILO is assessed through a scoring rubric consisting of four scoring criteria that identifyspecific cognate outcomes that Northland graduates achieve.