Northland College (Wisconsin)

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Founded in 1892 as the North Wisconsin Academy, Northland College was officially established in 1906. Originally affiliated with the Congregational Church, the college remains loosely tied to the Congregational Church's descendant, the United Church of Christ (UCC).

Northland is a small liberal arts college, with an average enrollment of 700 students. It hails itself as "The Environmental Liberal Arts College", and most classes focus on or include environmental issues.

Northland's campus is small, having only 19 major buildings, and is dominated by the new student union, completed in 2003, and Wheeler Hall, built in 1892 and renovated in 1993-94. The buildings are predominantly brick with sharply peaked roofs, in an effort to emulate the region's historical brownstone architecture. The campus is centered on an open mall, a grassy area where students gather to sunbathe and play ultimate.

The campus atmosphere is relaxed, and the faculty are generally congenial and laid back. Small class sizes make it easy for students and professors to get to know each other. There is a definite hippie flavor to the student body - dreadlocks, patched clothes, and bare feet are common, and business attire is rarely seen.

The college has a solid relationship with the nearby Native American communities, being close to both the Bad River and Red Cliff Ojibwa (Chippewa) reservations. The college offers courses focusing on Native American history, language and culture, and offers a degree in Native American studies.

The college is located in Ashland, Wisconsin, a small town on the shore of Lake Superior. The school is only ten blocks from the lakefront. The region, known for its harsh winters, is sparsely populated, the nearest major population center being Duluth, Minnesota. The nearby town of Bayfield, Wisconsin is a major summer vacation spot, attracting many seasonal residents from the Twin Cities and Chicago. The school's location on the lakefront makes internship opportunities available with agencies including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ashland Fisheries Resource Office(AFRO), The Whittlesey Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

The college is also part of a 6 college consortium called the Eco League, where students can spend semesters at Antioch College, Alaska Pacific University, Green Mountain College, Prescott College and College of the Atlantic.

The current President of Northland College is Dr. Karen Halbersleben.

[edit] External links

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
Bethany Lutheran^‡ • Blackburn^† • Crown • Maranatha Baptist Bible^† • Martin Luther • Minnesota Morris • Northland^‡ • Northwestern C. • Presentation^‡ • Principia^† • Rockford^† • St. Scholastica^‡ • Trinity Bible^† • Westminster^† ^† football-only member • ^‡ non-football member

Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities
Milwaukee Area: Alverno • Cardinal Stritch • Concordia • Marquette • Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design • Milwaukee School of Engineering • Mount Mary • Wisconsin Lutheran Greater Wisconsin Area: Beloit • Carroll • Carthage • Edgewood • Lakeland (WI) • Lawrence • Marian (WI) • Northland • Ripon (WI) • Silver Lake • St. Norbert • Viterbo

Midwest Collegiate Hockey Association
Adrian College • Concordia University • Finlandia University • Lawrence University • Marian College • MSOE • Minnesota Crookston • Northland College