Two weeks ahead of the opening of the fall semester at Northwest College, anticipated enrollment is hard to predict.

The first day classes of the 2022 fall semester is Wednesday, Aug. 31.

“We’ve been pulling numbers for some time, and they are fluid at this time of year. All colleges are seeing some movement in the month of August,” said NWC President Lisa Watson.

Comparing fall of 2021 and this year, “We’re currently up 1%,” Watson said. “That’s a good sign, and we’re hoping that will hold.”

If it does, the college would see head count somewhere between 1,400 and 1,500 students.

In fall 2022, NWC would like to leave the COVID years behind. Masks are not going to be required.

“We’re trying to transition away from a pandemic response and really focus on a wellness campaign,” Watson said. “We will work with students and their needs.”

The president said the college is trying to get back to a situation where the students take care of themselves. Students can wear masks or quarantine if they desire.

“We want to support students if they’re not well,” she said. “If they need to stay home, they just need to contact the college, and we’ll get the work to them so they can stay home and get better.”

There will be no mandatory vaccination program as the fall semester begins.

“The college has always had one of the highest vaccination rates,” Watson noted. “But it is people’s choice, and we support that. We’ll do what we need to do to support our students.”

• The first day of fall classes and the opening of the 2022-23 academic year is Wednesday, Aug. 31, 2022.

• Orientation for new faculty members is set for Aug. 25-26, and the NWC employee luncheon is scheduled Aug. 29. 

• President Lisa Watson will help open the year on campus with her State of the College address on the morning of Aug. 29. This will be Watson’s third State of the College address, her first since being named permanent president of the college.