Northwest Stories began in the fall of 2018 as a student-led project. Six students over eight weeks created the first 36 posts describing the history of Northwest. The following semester, interns – some of whom were in the inaugural class – continued to refine and develop the project.
In 2023, Northwest Stories took off again as a post-pandemic project. With a new focus on our work with The Clio, we determined to utilize assistance from various Artificial Intelligence tools including ChatGPT to refine our entries. The results are an improved and varied perspective of the key sights and the lesser-known secrets of the University.
Northwest Stories brings the history of Northwest out of the archives and texts, putting the material in your hands. Utilizing a variety of digital tools, this project seeks to connect past Bearcats with the newest generations of students and alumni.
Users will find a collection of short histories of places on the Northwest Missouri State University campus. These histories are viewable through the Clio companion app. Clio also utilizes Google Streetview to orient users with the campus via 360 photos and walking tours.
The Northwest Stories Team:
Project Director – Dr. Robert Voss
The Clio Content: Noah Hann, Molly Huibregtse, Natalie Johnson, Ryan Moore, Zoie Riggs, Grace Wineinger
First Team:
Student Project Lead – Rebecca Saari
Student Technical Lead – Tim Ogg
Media: Sarah Amos
Digital: Valentine Osakwe
Content: Laura Young, Maddison Haynes
Special thanks to Northwest Missouri State University Archives for copious material, Dr. Dawn Gilley, Dr. Mike Steiner, and Dr. Elyssa Ford for continued suggestions and encouragement on this project.