CON V ERGING CA MPUS & COMMUNIT Y
NORTHWEST MISSOURIAN THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 2023
LANCE TATUM PRESIDENTIAL TIMELINE February 2 -16 Final four candidates visit campus
March 1
MARYVILLE, MISSOURI
NWMISSOURINEWS.COM
VOL. 112, NO. 1
@THEMISSOURIAN
100 DAYS
Lance Tatum announced as president
March 16
Induction ceremony with Board of Regents
June 1
Tatum starts tenure as President
FILE
Northwest’s 11th President Lance Tatum sits with the Northwest Board of Regents at the March 16 induction ceremony. Tatum is nearing the end of his first 100 days as president and has outlined goals for him to address during his tenure.
NW President talks plan for success SIDNEY LOWRY
August 16
First State of the University address
Spring 2024
Tatum’s Inauguration
GRAPHIC BY SIDNEY LOWRY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
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Editor-in-Chief | @sidney_lowry
ust over two and a half months ago, Lance Tatum began his tenure as Northwest’s 11th president. As his first 100 days near an end, Tatum said he has many goals and plans for the future of the University. While he continues into his first year of presidency, Tatum wants to focus on enrollment, retention and working on campus infrastructure. Before he made these plans, Tatum had to get to know the University and the people within it. He said a lot of the time during the first months was listening to people who have been at Northwest longer than him. “Part of what I wanted to do, from the very beginning, is to work on this idea of accessibility and approachability,” he said. “And so I don’t think that happens if you sit in your office all the time, and you don’t get out.” Tatum had a transition team for him during
these first 100 days composed of members from the Northwest Leadership Team, members from the Board of Regents and many others from departments throughout the University. The transition team met three times throughout the summer to help give Tatum different outlooks from different parts of the University. During that time, Tatum listened to people about their new ideas and what things they thought Northwest offered that made it a unique institution. “So, what came out really, which was great in my mind, was the same types of feelings and understandings that I got from others and that was this place is about family,” he said. “You know, it’s a very closely connected community, the University is. So family’s important here.” Tatum addressed Northwest faculty and staff at the All-Employee Meeting Aug. 16 and outlined his and other team members at Northwest’s efforts toward retention, enrollment and a plan for infrastructure.
Parking permit payment system changes
SEE PRESIDENT | A4
Tentative opening dates set for new dining options, staff talks construction setbacks HANNAH CLAYWELL News Editor | @Hannah_9504
SIDNEY LOWRY Editor-in-Chief | @sidney_lowry
As students started preparing for the fall semester, one of the many items on their to-do list was to purchase a parking pass, but this year the process was different. In January, Northwest transferred to a new system for parking permits and ticketing, which now allows students to see more information online, but requires students, faculty and staff to purchase their parking permits out-of-pocket rather than having the option to add it to their Northwest bill. Lieutenant Amanda Cullin said this change was to help streamline data for the parking system and help with the process of appealing tickets. “Honestly, the feedback has
Retention and Enrollment Despite it being the fifth consecutive year overall headcount has increased, and is on target for fall enrollment to grow, he credited it to an increase in international enrollment. Since his first appearance on campus as a part of the panels for the final four candidates, Tatum has had enrollment efforts on his mind. When looking at enrollment, he said the largest drop off has been in enrollment from out-of-state students. At the All-Employee Meeting, Tatum said there was a new scholarship model being introduced to become more competitive with outof-state schools when recruiting for Northwest. “I think that the location of Northwest Missouri State is a key part of the conversation,” Tatum said. “We’re not in the middle of the state. So, you know, you’re looking at a recruiting strategy that has to take into account multiple states, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas and the state of Missouri.”
GRAPHIC BY JULIANNA LAWRENCE ASST. ESIGN EDITOR
been both positive and negative as with everything,” Cullin said. “There were some concerns with not being able to put it on our Northwest bill.” In previous years, people purchasing a parking permit were able to put it on their Northwest account, where it could either be covered by financial aid or could be paid off in increments. With the change in system, when those purchasing their parking passes went to enter their personal and vehicle information, they were met with a page asking
AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SINCE 1914.
for payment information before they could finish registration. Student parking decals or hang tags are $90 for the year, which is no change from fall 2022. Employee decals have decreased from $115 to $90. Cullin said there have only been a small number of people who have mentioned a problem with being able to pay for their parking permits, as well as a low number of people who want to pay for their parking permits with cash, which is not an option.
SEE PARKING | A4
The new dining provider, Sodexo, is on campus and getting things running for the new year, but not all the dining options students were expecting are open yet. There are tentative dates set for the restaurants to open up. Qdoba is set to open near Sept. 18 and McAlister’s Deli and the UCook kitchen a few weeks following that. The ghost kitchen does not have a set frame, and the Buffalo Wild Wings is still set to open in the spring 2024 semester. Vice President of Student Affairs Matt Baker and Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs: Residential and Auxiliary Services Rose Viau have been active parts of this transition. Sodexo General Manager Casey Benton said there was a lot of planning that went into changing dining providers, but the timing didn’t happen the way he had hoped. “Feeding the masses takes clear and precise planning, everything from scheduling the staff, to ordering the food to all of the production, the technical de-
livery of our operation is critical each and every day,” Benton said in an email to The Missourian. The new on campus restaurants and services, excluding Buffalo Wild Wings, were set to be open this fall when students got back on campus. Viau said there were some issues with the construction. “There have been some hiccups with some of the retail venues and some of the construction work, but I think that’s a pretty normal experience as we go through a transition after 43 years with one dining provider,” Baker said. Baker said by mid June they knew things were going to have to be pushed back. Benton said being transparent with the students is key as things change, and he wants to make sure the right information is going out. The seating currently closed in the back of the Bearcat Commons is not because of Sodexo, but Northwest doing some repairs. There was a leak from the outside seating area at the J.W. Jones Student Union that worked its way downstairs.
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