Alva – Northwestern relationship

This is the sixth of a series of articles designed to recognize the work of many individuals who were responsible for getting Northwestern Territorial Normal School located in Alva, Oklahoma Territory in 1897 and for providing leadership to ensure quality education for the critical years that followed. Much of the information in this article can be found in the book Northwestern Oklahoma State University, A Centennial History (copyright 1996) written by Wayne Lane.

It was not my intention to deal with this subject when I first came up with the idea for this series of articles. However, the more research I did the more I could see the necessity of dealing with the Alva-Northwestern relationship. This close relationship is not just something that existed in the early history; it still exists today. The history does have a few bumps, but for the most part it has been a very supportive relationship.

The beginning of this rapport was in 1895 when the committee was set up to get a normal school located in Alva. One of the first things they did was to advertise for donations of 40 acres of land for the school. Several Alva area landowners offered their land.

In 1897, the bill establishing Northwestern Territorial Normal School at Alva was passed by the territorial legislature and signed by the governor. This bill required that the citizens of Alva establish a bond of $5000 and was approved by a landslide vote of 93%.

Shortly after classes began in the fall of 1897, President Ament came up with the idea for The Castle on the Hill, but they could not get the territorial legislature to act on the funding for the building. 100 Alva citizens signed a $100,000 bond to pay for the castle providing the legislature did not pay for it.

These three early examples show how dedicated the citizens of the Alva area were to Northwestern. Since that time, there are many other examples.

One area often overlooked is the assistance given to Northwestern students by area businesses and farmers by providing jobs. Many employers will adjust work shifts in order to accommodate student schedules. For many students, it is the only way they can afford college. Alva area employers are to be commended for the jobs they have provided and continue to provide for Northwestern students. Three generations of my own family have been helped while attending Northwestern by Alva area employers. Thank you!

Another example of this relationship is the Northwestern Homecoming committee. In the fall of 1950, several community leaders along with representatives from Northwestern revived the Homecoming celebration. Memberships were sold with the proceeds used to finance floats for the parade and extra entertainment as well as to start a Cinderella Queen contest for area high school girls (now button sales are used for these purposes). The Alva-Northwestern Homecoming committee is known as one of the best Homecoming committees that exists. It is believed that this is a very unusual bonding of a community and a university.

The Northwestern scholarship program should also be included as an example of this connection. This program began in 1958 with a drive to raise money from both in and outside of Alva. It was further emphasized in 1973 when the Northwestern "On the Way" scholarship was put into motion. Many Alva citizens have worked and continue to work and contribute to this annual drive. Thousands of dollars have been raised and used in scholarships. The scholarships are very important because of the tremendous increase in tuition that has occurred in recent years. Our state leaders have shifted the costs of higher education more and more to the students and their families.

In the fall of 1959, the Northwestern Foundation was established with many Northwestern friends serving on the Board of Directors. The Foundation's net worth has steadily increased so that in 2018 it reached over 30 million dollars. This is a source of many scholarships for Northwestern students as well as for funding many improvement projects at Northwestern. Area residents and alumni are very generous in their contributions to the Northwestern Foundation.

The most recent and unique example of the close relationship between Alva and Northwestern happened in May of 1999 when the city voters approved a sales tax for economic development that provided revenue for Northwestern scholarships and for the community recreation center. Almost 75% of the voters approved the referendum. Since that election, Northwestern continues to receive awards for its low student debt for graduating seniors. This is a unique way in which Alva area citizens support Northwestern. With the additional burden that has been shifted to the students and their families, there is no doubt that this support came about at a time when it was needed.

These areas of jobs, scholarship drive contributions, foundation contributions, the homecoming celebration, and the sales tax for scholarships all continue and are paving the way for a glorious future for Alva and Northwestern.

The current president of Northwestern, Dr. Janet Cunningham, is not only a Northwestern graduate but she was born and raised in Alva. She is the first female and the first Alva native to serve as president. This is very positive for the Alva-Northwestern relationship.

From my research, I am convinced that the founders of Northwestern would be proud of the unique, positive relationship that continues to exist between Northwestern and the Alva area community.

(Written by John Barton, Associate Professor of Speech Emeritus and Dean Emeritus, NWOSU

Reviewed by Tamara Brown, Communication Department Chair and Assistant Professor of Speech, NWOSU)