Founders Weekend 2019 Presentation with Notes from Friday, March 22 - PDF document

Founder’s Weekend 2019 Presentation with Notes from Friday, March 22 & Saturday, March 23

Paul Ellis presents welcome and prayer

Paul Ellis welcomes Rex Horne to present NUI Review. Rex Horne introduces the NUI staff team: Kai Reeder, Kelly Shaw, Dick Stafford, and Sandi Hanscom. Noted that Brandon Arneson and Jeff Goble will be providing financial oversight for NUI.

Our task s : Make friends, r aise funds, and t rust God. We don’t twist arms, we trust God will provide and ask others to pray about their involvement.

Highlight the $310,000 BOT line-item and the NUI Administration expense budget. Reminder of our goal for 50 Board of Trustee units to fully cover the NUI Administrative Expenses.

Northrise fits the ministry standard that 20% of the base provides 80% of the funds. You are that 20%. We are moved by a small group of people.

Kai Reeder is the Scholarship Program Coordinator.

In conclusion , Rex shared his experience of visiting Africa two years ago and sensing God there. Rex observed God’s hand on Northrise University and noted the Zimba’s story and faithfulness. He related the Zimba’s own experience of receiving a tuition scholarship in Australia from an anonymous donor. That donor gave in faith, not knowing they were impacting history. This is the same opportunity before those considering a scholarship donation to Northrise – the opportunity to impact history. In summary, “do for God, for good.”

Moffat Zimba began his presentation with a reminder that God weaves together his people. To God be the glory. Excellence is expensive. Excellence is changing students’ thinking about God through a Christian worldview. Northrise accepts people of all backgrounds.

Deferred refers to students who attend one period or semester, then skip one or more periods, and eventually return.

Northrise University is gaining ground in recognizability.

Matriculation in the chart refers to the number of new students starting classes each year. CPS stands for Center for Professional Studies and refers to the evening courses designed for working adults. DEL stands for Distance e-Learning and refers to online course programs.

The HEA was established three years ago and now they have established new processes for accrediting programs. Requirements that include proof of infrastructure, teachers, books, and curriculum prior to the approval of a new program. They are now requiring at least 2 PhDs in each program. For each course textbook the HEA requires 1 physical copy available in the library per every 5 students in the course program.

We moved our all of our existing students out of the dorms and into local housing in order to make room for the new freshmen. The need/demand for student housing is greater than our current capacity.

Our campus infrastructure has outgrown our cabling and transformers. While our internet is now on fiber we are still 5x below the capacity needed to facilitate the student need for research and other online access. We are currently renting laboratory space for our nursing program from the local high school which requires us to split our class into two, provide transport, pay the high school teachers, and rent the facilities. A temporary fix for the HEA’s lab requirements that must be remedied quickly.

We are now engaging our alumni to the ends of sponsoring students and recruiting on our behalf! Doreen shared three student stories: Habiba, a 2018 graduate, some may remember checking in and out of the 2015 Impact Ndola Women’s Conference, now works at the United Bank of Africa with her BBA. Habiba, a Muslim, shared her Northrise experience with her community, making a positive impression.

In January of 2019 Habiba’s parents visited with Moffat and Doreen to discuss the possibility of their younger children attending Northrise. They expressed concern about Northrise converting their children to Christianity. Moffat and Doreen assured them that only Christ converts. A couple of weeks later the parents returned with the community’s Imam who also expressed concern about conversion and received the same response from Moffat and Doreen. This semester Habiba’s Muslim community sent 8 new students to Northrise. Please pray for these students. Patrick, a freshman this year, grew up an orphan passed around his family ultimately unwanted. He paid his own way through school by illegally selling exams. In Chapel this year Patrick was moved by a message Doreen shared from Ecclesiastes and confessed his crimes to the Head of Student Life. Even though Patrick, a very bright student, is receiving 100% of his tuition on scholarship he, like all students, must pay some fees and was having difficulty with the $60 required of him. With encouragement from Doreen he found a way to get a loan and is keeping on in his studies. Please pray for Patrick. Last week we lost a student to breast cancer. She leaves behind two young children and a husband. Please pray for this and our family.

Q&A from Friday Afternoon: Steve Bowie: What is the timing of the HEA’s PhD requirement? Moffat: We must be showing progress in staff moving towards their PhDs. We have 4 staff members in PhD programs. The time is now for this requirement. Randy Bramel: Can we supplement our course offerings with online courses from US schools? Moffat: Pointed back to the capacity issue regarding internet connection on campus.

Scott Shilling: Expressed amazement at the nursing school enrollment and the classroom need. Inquired as to the health of the relationship with First Quantum Mines and the capacity possibility there. (Scott also took this time to highlight that NUI is sending a shipping container from Houston on which books and other materials can be loaded by April 16th.) Moffat: The relationship with FQM is strong. We are offering short-courses and foundation classes at the Solwezi campus now. The HEA requires that we register each campus with the same requirements that we must implement for our Main Campus. FQM and nurses throughout Zambia are eager for us to establish DEL courses to finish the 3-year program now available in most Zambian schools. Scott Shilling: Inquired if there is an issue related to maintaining the Northrise culture in this FQM relationship. Goble: Jeff informed us that FQM hired consultants to help guide NU through our nursing accreditation process with the HEA. This is a healthy relationship.

Brandon Arneson: Can our professors get their PhDs from anywhere? Moffat: Yes, but they are expensive. We are talking to local universities here. Goble: We have 2 PhD scholarships available to us now. Al a n Smith: How are our Dordt students doing? Moffat: They are doing very well. They will have to take an extra year or most likely two to cover all of the required science classes in preparation of master ' s degrees. Scott Shillings: Why are we seeing a decline in our evening CPS enrollment? Moffat: The environment is changing. We moved out of downtown. Copperbelt University and others are now adding CPS programs. DEL enrollment is increasing and competing for the same students. On a positive note many CPS students are now sending their children to NU. Steve Bowie: Inquired about the possibility of using eBooks? Moffat: We are currently subscribed to one library but need a couple more. We also have a capacity issue in accessibility to the books, perhaps we need tablets this purpose. We can partner with other universities to this end. The HEA does require that we have physical copies in the library as well.

Started with a moment of pray for Habiba, Patrick, and the family of our passed student led by Brandon Arneson.

Rex Horne led a devotion from Matthew 9 – a chapter in which Jesus heals a paralytic, the ruler’s daughter, a woman with a blood issue, 2 blind men, and a demon-possessed man. In the midst of all this activity Jesus expresses a sense of urgency. A sense that Rex feels in relation to the Northrise opportunities before us now.

Outward look to our potential Inward look to our part Upward look to God’s harvest E.V. Hill says “Everything you have above nothing God gave to you.”

Jeff Goble begins this presentation with a recognition of the current phase change we are experiencing with Northrise University. With the dual HEA presence and our NU recruitment success we now have a capacity challenge. We have a net deficit of 2 classrooms and a dorm shortage.

Northrise University undergoes annual professional audits. We have improved financial analysis, reporting, budgeting, and forecasting – a legacy of Dave Murray’s work.

The relevant exchange rate for Kwacha to USD is about 10 to 1.

We experienced lower income in 2018 due to the nursing school closure but we managed expenses well in light of that. Northrise University is currently about 65% self-sustainable as defined by income made in-country.

The US based OSSP income is increasing. NU is working on its first tuition rate increase in 10 years. For the first time we have a savings account due to the sale of Caravelle House. The budgeted tuition increase of 30% is due to increased enrollment. We had to increase payroll in our staff retention efforts.