Continuing changes at Northwest Missouri State was the theme of the president's fourth state of the university address.
Click the LISTEN button to hear Dr. Lance Tatum's comments at the August 19, 2026 state of the university address.
Dr. Tatum complemented the additional work by the university community to incorporate the changes that have happened the last three years.
He also thanked the university community who he said chose to lead rather than react and to anticipate change instead of waiting for change.
Dr. Tatum says what has, is, and what will be coming to Northwest reflect the changing landscape in higher education.
His list of changes included restructuring schools into colleges, new recruitment strategies, launching an e-sports program, the continuing work of a compensation task force, ongoing infrastructure and building projects, the recent launch of the next university advancement campaign, developing the university's next vision plan, and providing an update on the new center for rural health.
The president listed four challenges...responding to declining enrollment, receiving adequate state funding, addressing uncertainty at the federal level, and responding to those who question the value of higher education.
Following the state of the university address, Dr. Tatum sent an e-mail recapping his remarks:
Greetings, Bearcats,
Welcome to a new year at Northwest Missouri State University.
There is something about the start of a new academic year that never grows old. The campus fills again, the J.W. Jones Student Union comes alive and Northwest shifts back into motion. I hope you feel that same sense of energy and possibility during the weeks ahead.
Tomorrow, we will welcome a new class of freshmen to campus. They had many choices, and they chose us. I do not take that lightly, and I know you do not either. At the same time, our returning students will come back knowing what it means to be a Bearcat. That understanding is shaped, in large part, by the work each of you does every day. As you encounter our students on campus, I encourage you to show them a smile and say hello; step out of your offices and help students find their way around our campus.
During the State of the University address, I shared where I believe Northwest stands and where we are headed. I want to reinforce a few of those thoughts as we begin the semester together.
Higher education is navigating a difficult period, and Northwest is not exempt from those challenges. I recognize the fatigue that comes with sustained change and the agility this moment continues to require. But Northwest has never been a university that simply waits for the storm to pass. We prepare for it. We move through it. And we emerge stronger and clearer about who we are and where we are going.
This year, student retention must remain at the center of our work.
Retention can sound like an institutional metric. In reality, it is deeply personal. It is noticing when a first-year student begins struggling in October and reaching out before that student quietly disappears by January. It is recognizing a missed class, an advising appointment that never happened, or a student who simply seems different than they did a week ago. It is a faculty member, coach or staff member knowing a student’s name and asking a simple but important question: How are you doing?
Retention reflects our collective commitment to student success. It is built through the consistent engagement, support and care our students experience throughout the year. Every member of this University community contributes to that effort, and together, we create the conditions that allow our students to persist, succeed and ultimately earn a Northwest degree.
That commitment is also reflected in the strategic plan we are developing, Excellence: The Northwest Way, organized around four pillars that guide our work.
Enrollment Growth & Sustainability means growing Northwest in ways that strengthen the University for the long term. It means recruiting students who are a good fit for Northwest, strengthening our partnerships and pathways, and ensuring that the students we enroll have the support they need to succeed. A student we recruit but cannot retain is not sustainable growth.
The Collegiate Experience means ensuring that a Northwest education is transformative both inside and outside the classroom. Academic excellence remains at the heart of what we do, but the Northwest experience is also built through relationships, traditions, organizations, athletics, the arts and countless moments of connection. Our students should leave here not only able to tell us what they learned, but also how Northwest helped shape who they became.
Our People recognizes a simple truth: none of this happens without you. Investing in our employees means continuing to address compensation while also creating meaningful opportunities for professional growth, leadership development and engagement. Northwest’s greatest strength has always been its people, and our future depends on continuing to invest in them.
Operations means building systems and processes that make it easier for students and employees to succeed. From registration and advising to the daily workflows that support this University, our processes should serve our mission rather than stand in its way. We should continually ask a simple question: Does this make the experience better for our students and the people who serve them?
These four pillars are interconnected. Enrollment brings students to Northwest. The collegiate experience gives them reasons to stay and succeed. Our people make that experience possible. And strong operations allow all of us to do our best work.
Throughout the year, I want you to know how we are progressing. Each quarter, I will provide an update focused on one of these four pillars – what is working, where challenges remain and what will be coming next. I will also share shorter monthly updates with important campus developments and issues affecting higher education.
I begin this year with tremendous optimism about Northwest’s future. We have spent the past several years doing difficult work, confronting challenges directly and positioning our University for its next chapter. There is real momentum on this campus, and I believe we are entering one of the most promising periods in Northwest’s recent history.
But plans, programs and strategies do not make Northwest special. People do.
That is why Jill and I look forward to celebrating you and your families from 5 to 7 this evening during the President’s Back-to-School Picnic at the Raymond J. Courter College Park Pavilion. It is an opportunity for us to say thank you for the work you do, the care you show our students and the many ways you make Northwest a remarkable place to learn, work and belong.
I am grateful to serve alongside you.
Let’s have a great year, Bearcats.
Lance Tatum, Ph.D.
President
