Northwood University is a private university in Midland, Michigan. Opened in 1959, more than 33,000 people have graduated from the institution.
History
Northwood University opened as Northwood Institute in 1959 by Arthur E. Turner and R. Gary Stauffer. One hundred students enrolled at the new school, which was initially located in a 19th-century mansion in Alma, Michigan. Northwood Institute moved to Midland, Michigan, in 1961. The Jesuits operated a seminary known as West Baden College at the former West Baden Springs Hotel, in Orange County, Indiana, from 1934 until June 1964, when declining enrollment forced the closure of the facility. They sold the property to a Michigan couple, who in turn donated it to Northwood Institute, which operated a satellite campus of their business management school under the great dome on the property from 1966 until 1983, when it was closed. During the same time frame during which the Indiana campus was opened, a Northwood facility was also established in Texas, which continues to serve students in the Southwest United States. In 1982, David E. Fry became president of the school. The Florida residential campus was added and the academic curricula was expanded. The school was accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 1993, the name was changed from Northwood Institute to Northwood University and The DeVos Graduate School of Management was created. A joint program with the Hotel Institute Montreux was established in 2001 to combine Swiss hospitality traditions with American management practices. The school, located in Montreux, Switzerland was Northwood University's first international venture. University College program centers were expanded for a total of 40 locations in eight states and program centers were begun in Bahrain, People's Republic of China, Sri Lanka, and Switzerland. In October 2007, Keith A. Pretty was named Northwood's third President and CEO. Kent MacDonald became president in 2019. In 2014, Northwood announced that it would close its residential operations at the Texas location, while continuing to expand its adult degree program and graduate program there. One year later, the university sold its Florida location to Keiser University.
The teams of the Northwood University's Michigan campus are known as the Timberwolves. The campus is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II level; primarily competing in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track & field and volleyball.
