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Our History and Mission

Our History

A Place to Prepare for the Future

Founded in 1902 to provide people with the specialized training necessary for a successful career in business and to support Chicago’s rapidly growing business community, Northwestern College continues to pursue the basic principle of J.F. Fish, its founder: to meet the needs of driven, career-oriented students. He had the foresight to realize that our community would need competent, well-trained workers in the years ahead, and his philosophy is still evident in the College today.

NC graduate with diploma

Mr. Fish and those who succeeded him believed that a career education should prepare students for significant, responsible lives and equip them with the intellectual and social skills necessary to succeed. Career preparation at NC emphasizes the complementary relationship between a general education foundation and specialized study.

Northwestern College is located in Oak Lawn, IL, close to Chicago, and strives to provide a college experience that is genuinely focused on helping students graduate on time and find a career in their field of study. Furthermore, NC is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and holds various programmatic accreditation to ensure our students learn the latest curricula and are prepared to work in their field of study upon graduation.

Our Mission and Purpose

The following mission statement has been adopted by the Board of Directors of Northwestern College to guide the development and growth of the College.

Northwestern College educates, prepares, and empowers its diverse student body to pursue their professional goals. Our career focused programs that are taught in a student-centered learning community provide employers with passionate qualified graduates.

Our Vision

Changing the face of career education through innovation.

Our Values

We are committed to excellence in all things we do:

  • We reflect on our setbacks in an effort to learn and grow.
  • We encourage creativity, innovation, and risk-taking.
  • We collaboratively make decisions using data.
  • We promote continuous improvement to exceed student and stakeholder satisfaction and expectations.
  • We utilize established processed that lead to successful talent acquisition.

We are committed to integrity in all things we do:

  • We are dedicated to an educational environment that upholds academic integrity and supports ethical behavior.
  • We create processes in order to maintain consistency and compliance in all areas.
  • We establish professional relationships based on mutual trust, respect, and honesty with students, employees, and the community.

We are committed to serving our community in all things we do:

  • We strive to understand and respond to the needs of our community.
  • We offer programs that our student’s desire and that meet the needs of the employers we serve.
  • We actively contribute to our community by holding events and donating to causes that align with our mission.
  • We make efforts to operate efficiently to reduce our impact on the environment.