Provost Hooyman to retire from Northwest in December

Provost Hooyman to retire from Northwest in December

Dr. Jamie Hooyman, the provost at Northwest Missouri State University, has announced she will retire from the institution at the conclusion of the upcoming fall semester.

Hooyman joined Northwest in July 2016 as vice provost and was appointed the University's first female provost in November 2017. As the University's chief academic officer, she leads the development and assessment of academic programming while overseeing learning operations, academic quality and student success.

"Working with the dedicated faculty, staff and leadership across campus has been one of the greatest privileges of my professional career," Hooyman said. "I have been continually inspired by the passion and resilience of our people, and I will carry these memories with me into retirement. I know that Northwest will continue to grow and be successful because of the people."

While she oversees academic affairs and related units at Northwest that include enrollment management and marketing, Hooyman's tenure at the institution is paralleled by record student headcounts that rose by 40.9 percent between 2018 and 2023, when the University surpassed 10,000 students for the first time in its history.

In alignment with Northwest's focus on student success and profession-based learning, Hooyman has overseen the successful launch and retooling of a number of degree programs, including the relaunch of the University's RN-to-BSN program in 2018, followed by the launch of a Master of Science in Nursing program in 2020, both of which have earned accreditation and national recognition.

Additionally, Northwest opened a cybersecurity laboratory and received designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The University also opened its Agricultural Learning Center, completed renovations at the McKemy Center for Lifelong Learning for programming related to systems management for manufacturing and agribusiness, and a renovation of Martinale Hall is nearing completion to strengthen partnerships and programs emanating from the School of Health Science and Wellness.

Further, Northwest earned a series of honors from the American Association of State Colleges and Universities (AASCU) that included the Christa McAuliffe Excellence in Teacher Education Award in 2018 as well as recognition for student success and college completion and for the University's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Northwest was one of five institutions in the nation selected to join an AASCU pilot cohort to bolster student success strategies through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Most recently, Hooyman spearheaded a restructuring of academic units at Northwest that is now being implemented.

"When I joined Northwest, I could not have imagined the scope of the transformation, collaboration, challenges and triumphs that would occur during my time here," Hooyman said. "Through working together, having a shared vision and unwavering commitment to our students and mission, we have achieved significant success - from expanding academic growth and vitality; diversifying our academic portfolio; uplifting student learning and success; merging enrollment management, student engagement, global engagement and marketing into the academic portfolio; completing an academic restructure and so many other accomplished goals. All this while facing challenges like COVID and defending the significance of higher education. I am honored to have played a part with my colleagues in shaping the trajectory of this amazing university."

A native of Trenton, Hooyman served from 2006 to 2016 in various roles at North Central Missouri College, including vice president of institutional effectiveness. She also served on the faculty at the University of Central Oklahoma, where she taught undergraduate and graduate courses in its Department of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

She earned an associate in arts degree at North Central, located in Trenton, Missouri, and went on to earn a bachelor's degree in education with a concentration in physical education at Missouri State University, a master's degree in education with a concentration in exercise physiology and fitness from Northern Illinois University, and a doctorate of education degree in human performance with a concentration in exercise science from Oklahoma State University.

Hooyman's retirement from Northwest becomes effective on Dec. 19.

"Working alongside Dr. Hooyman has been a truly rewarding experience," Northwest President Dr. Lance Tatum said. "Our shared commitment to student success created a strong foundation for collaboration, and I'm grateful for the meaningful work we accomplished together. I wish Jamie all the best as she begins this exciting new chapter in her life."