Dr. Eli Ahlquist is the new president and chief executive officer for North West College. (Submitted photo/North West College)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

North West College names new president, CEO

Jan 14, 2022 | 3:21 PM

North West College has named its new president and chief executive officer (CEO).

Dr. Eli Ahlquist will take over the leadership role, replacing interim CEO Tanis Studney. Ahlquist comes with more than a decade of experience in leadership positions at post-secondary institutions in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

In a media release, Board Chair Byron Merkosky expressed excitement for the hire.

“We believe that Eli will see North West College through these challenging economic times, and provide the direction and leadership to make the college even more successful.”

In addition to welcoming Ahlquist, the Board of Governors thanked Studney for her work as interim CEO. She took the position after the departure of former President Jay Notay in October.

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Holding a bachelor of science in nursing from the University of Saskatchewan, a master of public administration from the University of Regina, and a doctor of education degree from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota, Ahlquist has experience in development and implementation of institute-wide strategies. These include, strategic plans, operational plans, Indigenous and international education and more.

Speaking to battlefordsNOW, Ahlquist said he’s keen to take on the role and usher in students in healthcare, business management and more.

“The Battlefords is a great community and I’ve been looking forward to coming back to Saskatchewan,” he said. “A really great opportunity to lead an organization that has a great past and a great future as it moves forward.”

He leaves his role as dean of the school of health and human services at Keyano College in Fort McMurray. Prior to that, Ahlquist had a lengthy tenure at Saskatchewan Polytechnic, serving as an academic chair and served in a number of roles within nursing and health sciences.

The new president said his main goal is to bring educational and economic benefits of the college to the region, helping to build on its social and economic prosperity. He added it’s important to be responsive and flexible as he oversees both the North Battleford and Meadow Lake campuses and addresses their needs.

“Education is more critical than ever,” he said. “As we recover from COVID-19, North West and other schools will play a key role in that process.”

“Now it’s about getting to know the community, what the needs and responding aggressively to those needs. I’m happy to be a part of this movement.”

Ahlquist officially starts in his new capacity as president/CEO on Feb. 1.

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