| Dr. Tyrone Bates | Kansas City Regional Recruitment Coordinator | Office of Admissions |
| Letitia Fashbaugh | Office Manager | Office of Enrollment Management and Student Success |
| Amanda McCain | Part-Time Instructional Aide | Horace Mann Laboratory School |
| Amber Sego | Financial Assistance Counselor | Office of Scholarships and Financial Assistance |
Congratulations to these employees for their milestone years of service in October 2026!
| Taylor Ashford | Transfer Specialist | Office of Admissions |
| Carissa Everhart | Nurse | Wellness Services |
| Duane Havard | Director of Alumni Relations | Office of University Advancement |
| Carma Kinman | Administrative Specialist | Office of the President |
| Andrew Hefner | Custodian - 1st Shift | Facility Services |
| Jared Groomer | Project Manager | Facility Services |
Save the date: The 2026 Employee Recognition event will be Tuesday, Dec. 1.
All Northwest employees are invited to a breakfast or luncheon to recognize and celebrate the hard work and dedication of employees who have reached milestone years of service. An official invitation is coming soon.
In alignment with Northwest's focus on enrollment growth, the University offers campus tours to employees approximately once a month during the academic year. This campus tour experience is the same tour that our prospective students and families receive. This is a great opportunity for employees who are newer to campus as well as for employees who have been a part of the Northwest community for quite some time.
Tours leave from Mabel Cook Recruitment and Visitors Center and encompass a 90-minute walking tour. Tours are led by Northwest Student Ambassadors and allow the campus community to see how our campus is showcased.
Click here for an easy way to pay parking, traffic and permit fees.
For more information, contact the University Police Department at police@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1254.
As the winter months approach, Northwest employees should be mindful of the University’s policy regarding portable space heaters. The policy, approved by the Board of Regents in June, is available for review by and within the University’s online policy library.
In addition to awareness of the space heater policy, Facility Services offers the following tips related to campus HVAC upgrades as part of Northwest’s infrastructure modernization project.
For more information, contact Facility Services at 660.562.1183.
Northwest continues to make progress on digital accessibility efforts, led by the Office of Title IX and Equity. Although the federal compliance deadline is April 26, 2027, Northwest has set a deadline to complete the project by Dec. 8, 2026. As a public university, Northwest has a legal responsibility to ensure its digital assets – including academic content, social media content and web content – is accessible to everyone.
During the summer, the Northwest Leadership Team approved the creation of a Digital Accessibility Task Force to implement a training program and processes to help the institution reach digital compliance.
Web coordinators and social media coordinators have completed training and are working to address digital accessibility needs. However, all offices and academic areas are asked to prepare accessible versions of their online content. This is a University-wide effort, and employees who have created PDFs, web pages and other content appearing online are best equipped to review and update them.
The Learning and Teaching Center offers professional development sessions aimed at digital accessibility, particularly PDF remediation. Training sessions provided through the Learning and Teaching Center are accessible by clicking this link.
Click this link to learn more about webpage accessibility, or contact the Office of Title IX and Equity at titleix@nwmissouri.edu.
Northwest is implementing Workday Student as the next phase of its Workday transition. The planned go-live is February 2028, in preparation for the fall 2028 academic term. Workday Student will become the primary system supporting the student lifecycle and will replace many processes and functions currently managed in Banner (CatPAWS).
The Workday Student implementation provides an opportunity for Northwest to review and improve the student experience across departments, establish more consistent practices and create a more connected experience for students, faculty and staff.
The Workday 2026R2 release includes a new Managers Insight Hub experience for managers of students, faculty and staff on campus. The project team will host sessions for areas to explore new system functionality and follow up payroll and onboarding training. All sessions will take place in The Station Center Room.
Enjoy casual article discussions over coffee. You don’t need to have read a specific article — just bring your thoughts, ideas and a willingness to learn. This space is open to all employees for sparking new ideas in a welcoming, low-pressure environment. Coffee will be provided.
Noon to 1 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 16
Garrett-Strong Science Building, Room 1070
Staff Council meetings are open to all Northwest staff. Learn about what Staff Council is working on, share an idea or concern, or simply get involved.
The next meeting is 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 18, in Room 250 of the B.D. Owens Library. Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Bruce Skinner will be the featured speaker.
Thank you to all who purchased a Northwest sweatshirt. The initiative raised more than $500 for the Staff Council Scholarship.
The Staff Council's Employee Recognition Committee is planning an appreciation event consisting of a coffee and hot chocolate bar in November. Watch your email and Staff Council meeting minutes for more information.
View the Staff Council website by clicking here.
The Northwest Faculty and Staff Employee Resource Groups invite you to a Friendsgiving Potluck. Join the resource groups between 4 and 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 16, in the Station for an opportunity to enjoy a meal, and build connections with colleagues. All Northwest employees are welcome.
To contribute a food item, add your name and the food you plan to bring to the sign-up sheet at this link.
Affinity groups are designed to create safe spaces for members to share and process experiences. Affinity groups also allow participants the opportunity to identify ways in which we can appropriately use privilege to bring about social change. For more information, visit Northwest affinity groups.
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Contact Giselle Greenidge at ggreenidge@nwmissouri.edu |
Contact Luke Novak at lnovack@nwmissouri.edu |
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Contact ALLY@nwmissouri.edu |
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Contact Jessie Peter |
Contact Garrison Kennedy at GKENNEDY@nwmissouri.edu
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The open enrollment period for 2027 insurance is tentatively scheduled for Nov. 9-22 and will occur in Workday, pending unforeseen setup delays. An email with additional information regarding open enrollment will be sent to all employees on the first day of the open enrollment period.
In November, join a webinar with Commerce Bank representatives discussing personal, individualized finance education.
Follow Northwest Employee Well-Being on Facebook or @nwemployeewellbeing on Instagram.
Campus recreation facilities are free for Northwest employees and spouses to use.
Employees and spouses can complete waiver forms to use the facilities by logging in to Workday and clicking the “Employee Fitness Center Annual Registration” and “Spouse and Dependent Fitness Center Registration” links in the External Links tab.
For hours and additional information, visit www.nwmissouri.edu/recreation/.
Blue Cross is now offering Medicare guidance for eligible employees that include one-on-one consultations, enrollment guidance and transition, and general Medicare education.
Click this link to learn more about services offered and reach out to a representative. (PDF)
The BlueKC Medical and Pharmacy Management Committee reviews and maintains the prescription drug list. The Committee, consisting of practicing physicians and pharmacists in the Kansas City area, hosts quarterly meetings to evaluate new drug therapies and review drug utilization issues. Medications are evaluated based on drug safety and costs.
Click here to browse the Blue Cross Blue Shield Prescription Drug List.
BlueKC is taking proactive steps to limit disruption, including:
Northwest’s 403b plan administrator OMNI/TSAGC has several resources available to employees on topics such as retirement savings plans, managing personal finances, college funding options and how to navigate Social Security and Medicare.
Calculators, videos and informative content on various topics can help guide employees in their planning process. To explore the Financial Wellness Center, click here.
Click here to read the Spring 2026 employee newsletter.
The Hartford is now offering empathy life essentials services to our employees in addition to the employee assistance program. Some of these services include funeral planning, will preparation and bereavement support. To learn more about services offered, click here. (PDF)
USI's Benefits Resource Center is a free resource service for employees and encourages you to reach out for any information, questions or help with insurance or benefits.
Toll Free: 855.874.0829
Email: BRCMidwest@usi.com
Benefits specialists can assist you Monday through Friday, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
USI's medicare specialist, Jessyca Latimer, can enroll individuals in Medicare Advantage, Supplements, and Medicare Pard D policies. Click here to view Jessyca's contact information with other helpful information.
MOSERS offers educational programs to help members learn information about their benefits as they progress through their careers and experience different life events along the way.
Mid-Career Webinar: Learn how different career and life events may affect your pension benefit.
Ready to Retire Sessions: Learn about the retirement process and how different decisions may impact your pension benefit.
Stay up to date and visit this link frequently for more information, including schedules and how to register.
The MO Deferred Comp plan is a supplemental retirement savings option available to employees. Click here to learn more about the plan, register for upcoming education sessions or find financial planning options.
A Healthier You gives you convenient online and mobile access to wellness tools you can use to live your healthiest life. Plus, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for chances to win gift cards to some popular retailers.
For more information about the AHY program, click this link.
Cold and flu season is quickly approaching. Help protect yourself and others by washing your hands regularly, getting adequate rest, staying hydrated and remaining home when you are sick.
Northwest employees may visit Wellness Services anytime between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday to receive a flu shot. No appointment or call ahead is necessary; employees must bring their insurance card.
Registration is now open for next semester’s CALM training. CALM — Create Awareness, Ask Questions, Learn Resources and Manage Your Wellness — helps members of our campus community recognize concerns, respond supportively and connect individuals with appropriate resources.
The Office of Human Resources highlights the following resources that employees may use as necessary. Mindful by BlueKC, the EAP and TAO are completely confidential.
Mindful by BlueKC is a behavioral health initiative dedicated to reducing stigma around behavioral health in our communities while making care accessible and affordable for members. Mindful by BlueKC is a commitment to covering the health needs of the whole person and comes to life as a set of tools and resources to address stress, depression, anxiety, substance use and more. This ensures that members can access and afford the behavioral health care they need.
Mindful Advocates are available 24/7 and are licensed behavioral health clinicians who match members to providers and guide care plans. Mindful Advocates may be contacted at 833.302.6463. For more information, visit Mindful by BlueKC initiative.
All Northwest employees are eligible to use Ability Assist Counseling Services sponsored by The Hartford. Click here to read about the benefits this program offers.
This is a private online library of behavioral health resources. It is a free and confidential resource available to Northwest employees and students. For more information, visit TAO-Therapy Assistance Online.
Wellness Services is offering a variety of online programming. Follow Wellness Services on Twitter and Instagram at @nw_wellness for updates.
The center provides reliable information about a variety of mental and behavioral health topics. For more information, visit Lucet Health Resources.
For information about a specific substance use, visit Lucet Substance Use Disorders Center or call the Substance Use Disorder Hotline at 877.326.2458.
If you have questions, email healthybearcat@nwmissouri.edu.
Northwest partners with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City to offer employees a share of the savings – in cash – when you shop for a medical procedure and select a cost-effective, in-network provider using SmartShopper.
Medical procedures can have vastly different costs depending on where you receive care. SmartShopper makes it easy to shop and save on a procedure and earn a cash reward for doing so. Here’s how it works:
When a doctor recommends a medical procedure, follow these steps:
See below for additional information about the program.
At the March 12 Board of Regents meeting, the Staff Serving as Adjunct Faculty policy was approved. This policy is effective July 1, 2026, and will be included in the Employee Handbook.
To read the policy, click here.
Visit the Compensation webpage by clicking this link.
Mail and Printing Services receives and distributes USPS mail, as well as provides printing services for Northwest and the public.
For more information, contact Mail and Printing Services at 660.562.1109 or mailcpy@nwmissouri.edu, or visit the mail and printing services website.
The mission of the Bearcat Food Pantry is to provide a source of food and necessities for Northwest students and employees experiencing food insecurity and hunger. The food pantry is located in the J.W. Jones Student Union and is accessible during the following hours:
Northwest accepts food donations for the pantry at the Student Engagement Center and the Office of Student Affairs located on the second floor of the Student Union. Monetary donations to support the food pantry should be directed to the Northwest Foundation and are tax-deductible.
Click this link to view a list of needed items.
Northwest has implemented an updated Tobacco Free policy. The University is committed to providing an environment that is safe and healthy. Consistent with this policy, the use of tobacco is prohibited on all University-owned or leased property (“University Property”) and in all University vehicles. This policy applies to all students, employees, contractors, volunteers and visitors.
For more information about this policy, click this link.
The University provides family and medical leave in accordance with the federal Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) of 1993. FMLA requires covered employers to provide up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave to eligible employees. The University requires that employees substitute (run concurrently) accrued paid leave to which employees may be entitled to cover the employee’s FMLA leave, before using unpaid leave under the FMLA.
If an employee is away from work for three or more consecutive days due to medical reasons, contact the Office of Human Resources regarding FMLA and leave requirements.
The state Central Accident Reporting Office (CARO) has implemented new reporting system, Origami.
If a workplace injury or incident occurs, employees must complete the following steps:
These steps must be completed before seeking outside medical treatment. If the injury is life-threatening, seek emergency medical care immediately.
A step-by-step Injury Reporting Guide is available and includes detailed reporting information, FAQs and an Authorization to Release Medical Records.
For more information regarding the reporting process, contact Paetyn Turner at paetynt@nwmissouri.edu or 660.562.1123.
