Northwestern President Sees a Bright Future for University

Imagine Our Future Campaign Will Support Northwestern’s Goal of Becoming the Nation’s University of Choice in Natural Health Care Education

Northwestern Health Sciences University has launched its most aggressive capital campaign since it was founded in 1941 - a five-year, $23 million campaign titled “Imagine Our Future.” Northwestern’s president, Mark T. Zeigler, DC, talks about what motivated Northwestern to launch the capital campaign, what the University hopes to achieve beyond the assembling of thousands of tons of bricks and mortar, and why it is important to all Northwestern stakeholders to consider supporting this campaign.

QUESTION

Why the decision to launch this capital campaign?

ANSWER

In 2003, Northwestern Health Sciences University began the process of developing a strategic plan to guide the future of the institution. After two years, countless meetings and discussions, and the input of thousands of Northwestern’s stakeholders – board of trustees, alumni, students, faculty, staff, administrators, and friends of the University – we unveiled a Strategic Plan for 2005-2010 with the intent of laying the groundwork for our future. At the core of this plan is an overarching goal that all of our other efforts are designed to support – that we will become the nation’s university of choice in natural health care education. To achieve that goal, and all of its objectives, required us to seek additional resources from our stakeholders. Thus, in the summer of 2006, we launched the leadership phase of our capital campaign, “Imagine Our Future.”

QUESTION

You mention the goal of becoming the nation’s university of choice in natural health care education as being the primary goal. How will you achieve this?

ANSWER

We have four central “pillars” that we believe will provide us with the foundation to achieve our overarching goal or what I call our “compelling vision.” They are 1) to create an international model of integrative clinical health care, 2) to build the most comprehensive natural health care library in the world, 3) to develop the leading natural health care research center on the globe, and 4) to provide our students, prospective students, and alumni with the best possible resources for their ongoing success through our programs, services, and learning facilities.

QUESTION

You have often stressed the importance of the words inscribed in our Hall of Honor on campus. Can you explain that a bit more?

ANSWER

When we unveiled the Hall of Honor at our 2005 chiropractic Homecoming, a central element was the three frosted glass panels. One featured the University’s crest, one presented the institution’s mission statement, and the third had four words etched into the glass that describe the essence of Northwestern. The words are “innovative,” “visionary,” “natural,” and “integrative.” Together, they represent the threads that bind together all four central pillars and provide a blueprint for the ascendancy of Northwestern to a position as the nation’s university of choice in natural health care education.

QUESTION

What is the significance of the campaign theme, “Imagine Our Future.”

ANSWER

Those three words, “Imagine Our Future,” are individually powerful. But combined together, they give us the impetus to aspire to great ideas, to transcend the present and seize the future, and to collectively embark on a journey that no institution in natural health care education has dared to take. Let’s examine each word individually and see why each is so important and why the three combined are even more powerful.

If you can imagine, then you can dream of places where no one has gone, of futures that are unrealized. You can change the course of history if you dream, and we aim to do just that – to change the course of health care.

At the heart of this pioneering institution is a simple yet profound core value, one that is manifested daily by our alumni, students, faculty, and staff. It is this simple statement: We are a “Community of Caring.” Note the use of the words “we” and “community” in that statement. Communities of people who agree on a shared vision and work together toward a common mission can achieve amazing results. United, they can go where few if any have gone, and together, they can be unstoppable. For Northwestern to become the nation’s University of choice will require all of “our” efforts.

Thousands of the University’s key stakeholders have imagined our future together, and our 2005-2010 Strategic Plan is an example of the power of bringing together many minds. We have collectively seen the future of our University, and have developed a roadmap of how to arrive at that distant point.

QUESTION

The “Imagine Our Future” capital campaign has a goal of $23 million in five years. Isn’t that overly optimistic?

ANSWER

After spending the last six months working on the “Imagine Our Future” campaign, I am optimistic we can achieve our campaign goal. We have received a wealth of donations during the leadership phase, and I have had numerous positive conversations about our vision with alumni, faculty, students, staff, and friends of the University. Time after time, I have been impressed by their willingness to invest in our vision of Northwestern’s future. You also need to remember that we are raising $8 million in cash donations and $15 million in planned gifts. So we have a smaller need for cash donations right now and a larger need for long-term support.

QUESTION

What will you do with the $23 million?

ANSWER

The $8 million will fund immediate University needs, including $6.5 million for the construction of a new 48,000-square-foot addition on the south side of campus, $1 million for renovations to the current building, and $500,000 for a new Healing Courtyard connecting the two structures. The $15 million in planned gifts will be used to establish a permanent endowment to fund Northwestern’s long-term needs and new projects and programs.

QUESTION

As you reach out to Northwestern’s key stakeholders over the months and years ahead, what will you be telling them about why they should support this capital campaign?

ANSWER

Rarely does an organization of higher education have the opportunity to take control of its destiny and become “the” national leader in their area of expertise and to influence the course of history. Northwestern Health Sciences University has just such an opportunity. We have built an international reputation for excellence during the last six decades in higher education, patient care, scientific research and community involvement. We have created a growing student enrollment base, occupy a solid physical plant, enjoy strong support from our 5,000 alumni, are led by an outstanding senior administration and board of trustees, and have an exceptionally talented and dedicated faculty and staff. With additional resources to support our four central pillars, we can reach our goal of becoming the nation’s university of choice in natural health care education.

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