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Northwest Missouri State University

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Category 9: Building Collaborative Relationships

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9C1. What are your institution’s key collaborative relationships? Note 1: Address specific relationships with educational institutions, businesses, and other organizations. Also, address the nature of the relationship (existing or emerging, feeder or receiver, community support, outsource, etc.). Activity that promotes internal collaboration among employees is best addressed in Category 4,Valuing People. Note 2: External collaborative partners might include organizations that are the sources of your entering students (high schools, community colleges, places of work); organizations that are the destination of your exiting students (4-year institutions, graduate schools, places of work); suppliers such as food services, book suppliers, and student recruiting services; external agencies such as state coordinating boards or state, local, or national governments; religious organizations; other institutions or consortia of institutions; etc.

Northwest’s key suppliers are organized into the following groups: technology, textbooks, and materials. Technology suppliers are companies such as Gateway, Microsoft, and Xerox that supply hardware and software for the Electronic Campus. Textbooks are purchased by the University from several vendors and rented to students through a unique textbook rental program. Materials suppliers include furniture and hard-goods suppliers that support the auxiliary functions of the University. Key Northwest requirements for these suppliers are cost, adaptability to University needs, support, and responsiveness.

Key service partners include ARAMARK (dining and facilities; i.e. custodial, grounds maintenance, and power plant) and Barnes and Noble (bookstore). Northwest fully integrates both of these organizations into our strategic planning process, leadership committees and teams, and performance improvement and innovation cycles. These key partners follow our SSPP and adhere to reporting requirements in the same manner as all Northwest departments.

Key academic partners are Northwest’s top feeder schools. These high schools provide approximately 20% of Northwest’s student population. The University has entered into a unique Building Bridges partnership (an AQIP Action Project) with these schools to systematically close three recognized gaps between high school and college: knowledge and skills, work habits, and culture.

Key collaborators include the University of Missouri System, Missouri Southern State University, North Central Community College, Missouri community colleges, and the Pennsylvania State University because of joint degree offerings and curriculum collaborations. Similarly, Northwest receives grants from external sources for a variety of research and development reasons. These grantors are also considered collaborators. The Nodaway County Economic Development Board and the City of Maryville collaborate with Northwest on issues related to building codes, city and university infrastructure projects, and the campus master plan. Additionally, the county officials are members of the advisory board for the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

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9C2. In what ways do these collaborative relationships reinforce your institutional mission? If applicable, how do these relationships support changes in your institutional directions as addressed in Category 8, Planning Continuous Improvement? Note 3: Involvement of external collaborative partners in planning processes may also be addressed in Category 8, Planning Continuous Improvement.

Key academic and service partners are an integral part of Northwest’s family and as such are routine participants in all phases of the NQSM. The SSPP serves as the common thread of interaction with our suppliers, partners, and collaborators. Key service partners are also apprised of communications through their integrated position in the Northwest leadership groups. Key academic partners serve on advisory panels and also participate in planning discussion regarding the current Building Bridges AQIP Action Project.

For the purpose of maintaining a positive town-and-gown relationship, university leaders (including the President’s Cabinet) and the city leaders (including the mayor and the city manager) meet on a monthly basis – the meetings are dubbed “Eggs and Issues” – to discuss such issues as building codes, city and university infrastructure projects, and the campus master plan.

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