Momentum Marks the Start of NWU’s New Academic Year

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  • The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is the university's first academic building to be constructed on campus in decades. The facility will house the biology, chemistry and psychology programs and is scheduled to open in early 2019.
    The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is the university's first academic building to be constructed on campus in decades. The facility will house the biology, chemistry and psychology programs and is scheduled to open in early 2019.
  • The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is located along 50th Street between Huntington Ave. and St. Paul Ave. The location extended the campus perimeter for the first time since the university's founding.
    The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is located along 50th Street between Huntington Ave. and St. Paul Ave. The location extended the campus perimeter for the first time since the university's founding.
  • Construction crews did the basement for the new Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science. Construction for the three-story building is scheduled to be completed in early 2019.
    Construction crews did the basement for the new Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science. Construction for the three-story building is scheduled to be completed in early 2019. Photo courtesy of Sampson Construction.
  • Construction on the new athletic practice facility began this summer and is scheduled to be completed in October.
    Construction on the new athletic practice facility began this summer and is scheduled to be completed in October.
  • Graciela Caneiro-Livingston
    Graciela Caneiro-Livingston is the new provost at Nebraska Wesleyan University.
  • The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is the university's first academic building to be constructed on campus in decades. The facility will house the biology, chemistry and psychology programs and is scheduled to open in early 2019.
    The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is the university's first academic building to be constructed on campus in decades. The facility will house the biology, chemistry and psychology programs and is scheduled to open in early 2019.
  • The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is located along 50th Street between Huntington Ave. and St. Paul Ave. The location extended the campus perimeter for the first time since the university's founding.
    The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science is located along 50th Street between Huntington Ave. and St. Paul Ave. The location extended the campus perimeter for the first time since the university's founding.
  • Construction crews did the basement for the new Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science. Construction for the three-story building is scheduled to be completed in early 2019.
    Construction crews did the basement for the new Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science. Construction for the three-story building is scheduled to be completed in early 2019. Photo courtesy of Sampson Construction.
  • Construction on the new athletic practice facility began this summer and is scheduled to be completed in October.
    Construction on the new athletic practice facility began this summer and is scheduled to be completed in October.
  • Graciela Caneiro-Livingston
    Graciela Caneiro-Livingston is the new provost at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

Momentum.

That’s how Nebraska Wesleyan University President Fred Ohles describes the new academic year.

“We have lots to celebrate,” said Ohles. “There’s no better time than now to ensure that our current momentum is sustained.”

That momentum includes sustained enrollment. For the third consecutive year, Nebraska Wesleyan welcomed more than 410 new first-year students. Total enrollment nears 2,000 students, including transfer, adult undergraduate and graduate students.

For the first time in 15 years, NWU has two construction projects underway: The Duane W. Acklie Hall of Science and a new athletic practice facility. The science center is the first academic building to be constructed on campus in decades and its footprint has extended the campus perimeter for the first time since the university’s founding. The science building will house the biology, chemistry and psychology programs. It is expected to open in early 2019.

The athletic practice facility will be completed in October. The facility will include wrestling mats, exercise equipment, athletic training room, lockers and coaches offices.

Nebraska Wesleyan also welcomes new provost, Graciela Caneiro-Livingston. Caneiro-Livingston comes to NWU from Clarke University in Dubuque, Iowa, where she served for 22 years — the last 12 years as dean of undergraduate studies. In this role, she supervised Clarke’s undergraduate programs, academic advising, first-year seminar, academic support services, career services, and the university’s experiential learning program.

The university also welcomed its first cohort for the new Stem Scholars Program. In January, NWU was awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation for $649,863 — one of the largest federal grants awarded to the university. The grant provided scholarships to seven first-year students who will major in a STEM field. Funding will also assist with special programming, mentoring, and travel costs for undergraduate research presentations throughout the students’ academic careers at NWU.

Other highlights for the 2017-2018 academic year include:

  • This year’s first-year students come from 19 states.
  • Enrollment in the MBA program and the MSN-MBA degree continues to grow. Many NWU undergraduate alumni are enrolling in the MBA program with alumni making up 35 percent of the program’s enrollment. NWU offers three graduate degrees — MBA, MSN, MSN/MBA joint degree and an M.Ed. 
  • Transfer student enrollment remains steady with over 40 percent of the transfer students coming from SCC-Lincoln. NWU is working closely with SCC-Lincoln to explore further partnerships.
  • NWU welcomed 13 new faculty in psychology, business, accounting, nursing, religion, history, theatre, physics, Spanish, and music.