Controversy spurs changeFollowing opposition to a recent letter sent to students affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Northwest College President Paul Prestwich announced Tuesday that the college will no longer recruit on the basis of religion.“We are initiating a review of our recruitment strategies, especially those that include partnerships with local faith-based organizations. In the future, religion will not be the focus of NWC's formal recruitment practices,” Prestwich wrote in an e-mail Tuesday. The message was sent to college employees, students, board of trustees members and others.

“In addition, to address concerns regarding the use of public funds, a group of benefactors has volunteered to reimburse the college for funds expended on the mailing,” Prestwich added.

The use of public funds to mail the recruitment letters was a main point of contention.

According to the admissions office, the mailing cost just under $630. That includes the cost of letterhead, envelopes and postage, said Mark Kitchen, vice president of college relations, in an e-mail Wednesday.

Unnamed benefactors have volunteered to cover that cost, Prestwich said.

“Last I heard, the list of benefactors is evolving. I haven't seen a list, and I'm not sure I will, as the individuals may well wish to remain anonymous,” Kitchen said.

In the recruitment letter sent to about 1,000 Mormon students last month, Prestwich identified himself as a member of the LDS church and lauded the “remarkable opportunities for LDS students” at Northwest College. The letter, mailed on college letterhead with public funding, was sent along with a letter from Fred Hopkin, president of the LDS Cody Stake.

In the message sent Tuesday, Prestwich pointed out that the college had done similar mailings with the LDS church in the past.

“Although none of our earlier mailings to LDS students received much attention, this time the effort has been the subject of criticism. To be blunt, we hit a nerve! I apologize for that,” he wrote.

Prestwich hosted an open forum last week for faculty and staff to voice their concerns. Similar forums were scheduled for students this week.

After the recruitment letter came under scrutiny recently, Prestwich defended it, saying his motivation was to meet the holistic needs of Mormon students by telling them about the benefits available through the local church's student ward.

However, critics of the recruitment effort argued that as a public institution, Northwest College had no business recruiting on the basis of religion.

Debate over the letter heated up at a time of tense relationships at Northwest College, arising from other disputes, such as the firings of a few employees.

Last week, Prestwich said the college planned to send similar letters to students affiliated with the Christian group Campus Ventures and the Catholic-based Newman Center. On Wednesday, Prestwich confirmed in an e-mail to the Tribune that those letters would no longer be sent out.

While the college has halted its religious recruitment effort, Prestwich said Northwest plans to continue to foster positive relationships throughout the community.