The Northwest College Foundation recently received a donation of $3 million from a Cody couple — the largest single gift the foundation has ever received. 

At Monday’s NWC Board of Trustees meeting, Foundation Executive Director Shelby Wetzel said the donation would fund two endowed chair positions for the science and education departments. 

It will be the first time NWC has had these kinds of positions, with Wetzel noting they differ from division chairs. An endowed chair is a faculty position that is privately funded by an endowment, which ensures the position lasts as long as the college exists. It’s both an honor to the appointed chair holder and an enduring tribute to the donor who establishes it. 

“We are tremendously grateful for our donors’ generosity and dedication to education at Northwest College,” NWC Interim President Lisa Watson said in an announcement of the donation. “This lasting gift is truly a landmark moment for NWC, one that ensures our ability to support academic opportunities for years to come and reflects the amazing support for our institution.” 

The gift will create two endowments — each valued at $1.5 million — with investment proceeds supporting the chair positions and special programming. The first priority for funding will be salary support for each position. The NWC Foundation will also provide an incentive or reward for the faculty members named to each chair. 

“We’ve designed a system to allocate a portion of the money for professional development and funds to support innovative curricula development by the respective faculty chairs,” Wetzel said in the foundation’s announcement. “Our goal is to continue inspiring teaching that provides exceptional learning opportunities for students at Northwest College.” 

NWC Vice President of Academic Affairs Gerald Giraud will facilitate a process next spring, which will include faculty peer reviewers, to select candidates for the positions. 

The college president will then appoint faculty members from the nominees. The appointments’ three-year terms will begin in July 2022.

The donors were publicly identified during Monday’s board meeting, but the couple later requested anonymity.

According to a foundation news release, the man attended Northwest College after graduating from Cody High School. He later earned a professional degree before returning to work in Park County.

His wife earned her education degree through the University of Wyoming from the NWC campus, completing many of her general education courses at Northwest. She later taught in Park County’s public schools.

Together, the two said they enjoyed sharing their passion for all Wyoming has to offer with friends and family. 

“Now, they are extending their kindness to share the gift of education at NWC,” the foundation news release said.

For more information, contact Wetzel at 307-754-6110 or email her at Shelby.Wetzel@nwc.edu.  

To learn more about the NWC Foundation’s upcoming events and projects, visit https://nwcollegefoundation.org.

(Kevin Killough contributed reporting.)