Northwestern College gets cities' approval for expansion

Northwestern College has gained approval from Roseville and Arden Hills for a new student center and a residence hall that are part of an expansion that will allow the school's enrollment to increase by almost 30 percent over the next 15 years.

The cities' approval of the plans has allowed the school to launch what it calls the public phase of a $32 million capital campaign, the largest in the four-year Christian college's 100-plus year history.

"This is by far the largest campaign we've ever done," said President Alan Cureton, who envisions the new $17 million student center as a community hub.

"It's been amazing that we've been able to exist for 35 years without it, because we have stressed other areas that are more important, like academics and housing and a library. Now, it's a chance for us to do something for the students," he said.

The campus straddles the Arden Hills-Roseville border off Snelling Avenue N. Preparatory construction work on the two-story, 58,000-square-feet student commons building will be done in the summer.

Construction of the student center probably will begin next fall, and is expected to take about 15 months.

The school has approval to build a dorm that would house 550 students, although the college's board has yet to formally approve that project.

Northwestern College is a nondenominational Christian school that was founded in a Baptist church in Minneapolis in 1902. It expanded over the years and moved to Roseville in 1972. The Rev. Billy Graham served as the school's president from 1947 to 1953.

Its enrollment has grown by about 3 percent per year over the past decade and that growth is expected to continue, Cureton said. The school draws students from 42 states, although most come from the Upper Midwest. Roughly 64 percent of those students live on campus, according to the school.

'Building community'

Roseville and Arden Hills approved a growth plan at different points last month that would allow enrollment, now 1,850, to reach 2,400. If the school were to grow beyond that, the college would need to look at other options.

To cope with the growth, the school in recent years has added a media center, converted a gym to academic space and purchased an off-campus building for administrative offices.

But that hasn't been enough. The school currently has a dining hall that can accommodate only 280 people.

"It's a fairly crowded spot," said Amy Bragg Carey, the vice president of advancement. "I think we've done well in serving our students for a number of years, but now we're at that point where we have to look at building a new [student center]. And we want to build community and see students meet face-to-face. Often, students meet up online and we're trying to be intentional about building community. It's a big part of who we are."

The school already has met most of its fundraising goal over the past 2½ years. So far, it has raised $7.3 million of the $12.5 million goal for the student center, as well as $3.5 million of a $4 million goal for an annual scholarship fund, Bragg Carey said.

In addition, the school has raised $8 million toward its goal to boost its endowment to $21 million. That endowment now stands at $17 million.

The student commons will include a dining area, space for student groups, a coffee shop, student store, and offices for staff development and campus ministries.

"We'll feed them intellectually, physically and spiritually," Cureton said.

The school also owns 16 religious talk and music radio stations in eight markets, including KTIS AM and FM in the Twin Cities. Most of the school's students come from the areas where those stations broadcast, Cureton said.

"[Radio has] been part of our mission since Billy Graham was the president. ... Radio is an outreach. There's a lot of marketing there, visibility, promotion. It's a big deal for us, and has been," he said.

Eric M. Hanson • 612-673-7517

Eric M. Hanson • ehanson@startribune.com