Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) has received $122,000 in funding from the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to expand its educational support for wildland fire management personnel.
This five-year agreement broadens NNU’s partnership with the Forest Service, extending the University’s role beyond technical training to include instructional design, curriculum and faculty development as well as professional education.
The goal of the partnership is to support the future of fire leadership training through helping the U.S. Forest Service define learning objectives and instructional requirements, positioning NNU as a long-term educational partner rather than simply a training vendor.
Dale Hamilton, Professor of Computer Science, Department Chair and NNU’s wildfire research specialist, believes this award puts “NNU on the forefront of USFS education efforts as the agency looks to outsource more of their education and research to universities.”
Hamilton also credits Associate Professors Holly Ripley and Whitney Ward for their collaboration with the USFS, saying the award is “largely in response to the excellent work” they’ve accomplished.
