For the first time in over 150 years, North Central College faces a fresh identity. After the recent announcement of a college-wide restructuring by President Troy Hammond, Abiodun Goke-Pariola, vice president of North Central College, discussed the fate of the small liberal arts college.
People are moving around, new positions are being created and old ones are being phased out. Goke-Pariola’s primary objective is to make North Central College stand out. Listening to Goke-Pariola talk is like listening to a scientist talk about manipulating variables in an experiment to achieve one goal In – recognition for quality. Changes in the classroom, leadership structure, and the mission statement of the college are just some of the steps the college’s leaders are on taking to ensure success.
“I would want nothing more than, nothing better than, maybe about two years from now, to see in the ‘US News & World Report,’ North Central College named as one of the schools to watch,” says Goke-Pariola.
However currently, North Central College has not placed strongly even in its own region, coming in at No. 15 in the Midwest for 2016.
“For me five, six, seven, eight years from now, when people talk about North Central, I want them to be talking about us the way they talk about Drake, the way they talk about Butler, the way they talk about, you know, about Elon. Not because we are gonna be them, but because we’re going to be known for quality,” said Goke-Pariola.
Drake placed second this year in the “US News & World Report” of the best colleges and universities. When it comes to any ranking of value, North Central College is absolutely nowhere to be found, nationally or regionally. Quality through restructuring is one attribute that may increase the college’s nationally perceived value, in the eyes of Goke-Pariola.
The leadership structure change was done largely to increase the potential for national accreditations for the college. Grouping majors together under one college provides the opportunity for North Central to venture into areas that were previously inaccessible.
“Then of course you have business, which is what we currently have you know, as economics and management and the rest together, cause typically that is what you have in a business school,” said Goke-Pariola. “And because we are also seeking national accreditation which is AACSB. Generally you put those business programs together.”
To present its new face nationally, the college plans on developing a new mission statement. Goke-Pariola hopes that the college will be able to reaffirm its core identity by asking students, staff, and faculty for input on the North Star mission statement.
“These changes that I’m trying to lead, with the new structure…with a lot of different ideas, is to make us a fundamentally better North Central,” said Goke-Pariola. “Not a different, but a much better North Central.”
