Company Profile
Northern Arizona University
Company Overview
Northern Arizona University's Social Work Program offers a CSWE-accredited BSW degree and is developing an MSW for launch in August 2018. We employ a cohort model, and are committed to utilizing technology and service learning as methods within our curriculum.
We are a vibrant and growing academic community, with a commitment to training competent generalist social workers, and producing high-quality learning experiences for all of our students.
Northern Arizona University has a student population of 30,368, including approximately 22,000 on its main campus in Flagstaff and the remainder at more than 20 locations statewide and online.
Committed to a diverse and civil working and learning environment, NAU has earned a solid reputation as a university with all the features of a large institution but with a personal touch. NAU carefully balances teaching, scholarship and service with a faculty and staff dedicated to each student’s success. All faculty members are expected to promote student learning and help students achieve academic outcomes.
While our emphasis is undergraduate education, we offer a wide range of graduate programs and research that extend to such national concerns as forest health and bioterrorism. Our institution has carefully integrated on-campus education with distance learning, forming seamless avenues for students to earn degrees.
Flagstaff has a population of about 70,000, rich in cultural diversity. Located at the base of the majestic San Francisco Peaks, Flagstaff is 140 miles north of Phoenix at the intersection of Interstate 17 and Interstate 40.
With its elevation of 7,000 feet and four-season climate, Flagstaff is ideal for year-round outdoor activities. Nearby attractions include the Grand Canyon, Lowell Observatory, Oak Creek Canyon, Sedona, Monument Valley, Sunset Crater, Meteor Crater, and Arizona Snowbowl.
Company History
Northern Arizona University—or Arizona Normal College as it was named back then—opened its doors in 1899 with 23 students, two faculty members (one, Almon Nicholas Taylor, was also the school president), and two copies of Webster’s International Dictionary bound in sheepskin.
NAU enjoyed growth over the next 20 years, but even the university town of Flagstaff was not immune to the effects of the Great Depression. The president at the time, Grady Gammage, believed that higher education could overcome the Depression, and that the university offered a critical service that would fare well in hard times. He was right.
After doubling down on his education stance and belief in NAU, Gammage presided over a Depression-era enrollment increase from 321 students in 1930 to 535 by 1940.
Many significant historical events also occurred during these hard times. In 1937, graduate work at the university became possible with the addition of the Master of Arts in Education, and in 1939, Ida Mae Fredericks became the first Hopi to receive a college degree.
The entry of the United States into World War II precipitated a large drop in enrollment as college-age men entered the armed services. By the 1944–1945 academic year, just 161 students attended class on the Flagstaff campus, yet the university survived by making valuable contributions to the war effort. The college served as a site for the Navy’s V-12 training program, one of 150 schools selected from 1,600 contenders. The Campus Civilian Defense Program maintained an aircraft spotting post, one of only 84 such posts in the United States.
In the 1950s, the university entered a period of exceptional growth. Students could earn an education specialist degree as well as master’s degrees in the arts and sciences. Building on this growth, the road to becoming a university began with the creation of the forestry program in 1958 and increased research activities. Pleased with the array of quality academic programs and ever-growing student body, the Arizona Board of Regents recommended that the then Arizona State College become Northern Arizona University (NAU), effective May 1, 1966.
Today, more than 60 years later, NAU has much to be proud of, including nationally ranked programs, high-research status, and emergence as a leader in sustainability, science, business, green building, and cultural arts. The university now serves students at the Flagstaff campus, multiple statewide locations, and online. NAU offers more than 150 combined undergraduate and graduate degree programs, all distinguished by an ongoing commitment to close student-faculty relationships.
Benefits
NAU offers an excellent benefit package including generous health, dental and vision insurance; participation in the Arizona State Retirement System (ASRS) or the Optional Retirement Program (ORP); sick leave accruals and 10 holidays per year; and tuition reduction for employees and qualified family members. More information on benefits at NAU is available at https://nau.edu/Human-Resources/Benefits/