Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza - Northwest History

The Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza became part of the Northwest campus in 1998.

Northwest international students participate in a flag-raising ceremony during Homecoming activities each fall to celebrate their homelands and cultures as well the University’s diversity.

During Northwest’s annual flag-raising ceremony each fall, the University’s international community gathers and students raise their country's flags in accordance with United Nations protocol.

The “Friends Wall & World Clock” stands at the southern end of the Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza. The granite wall displays the names of alumni and friends who helped fund and support the International Plaza project.

The Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza, modeled after the United Nations flag plaza in New York City, is a symbol of Northwest's commitment to international understanding and cooperation.

The Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza, which displays 54 flag as well as five clocks on the “Friends Wall & World Clock,” stretches approximately 300 feet from West Fourth Street on the southern edge of campus to the center of the campus.

The Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza, located near Colden Pond and Martindale Hall, stretches approximately 300 feet from West Fourth Street to the center of the campus.

The International Plaza, seen here at night from across Colden Pond, was completed entirely through $400,000 in donations, with the most generous donation from Joyce and Harvey White, a couple with long-standing ties to Northwest.

During the dedication of the Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza in 1998, then-University President Dr. Dean Hubbard addressed the crowd as Joyce and Harvey White were honored.

Harvey White attended Northwest after graduating from Horace Mann High School, and his wife, Joyce, graduated from Northwest with a degree in business in 1951. Harvey and Joyce (left) are pictured with Northwest President Dean Hubbard and first lady Aleta.

The Joyce and Harvey White International Plaza was constructed in 1998 as a tribute to Northwest's global enrollment. A symbol of goodwill and peace, it recognizes the various countries of currently enrolled Northwest students. It boasts the flags of 54 nations and displays five clocks showing times between Maryville and Istanbul.

Joyce Smith White was born in Maryville and attended kindergarten at Northwest's Horace Mann Laboratory School when it was located in the southwest corner of the Administration Building's first floor. After graduating from Maryville High School, she attended Northwest, completing a Bachelor of Science degree in business education and Spanish.

At Northwest, Joyce made many friends that would last a lifetime, including her best friend, international student Mary "Maria" de Ardeles Stein of Argentina. Through her friendship with Maria and the support of the Rotary International chapter in Maria's hometown of Tucuman, located in the foothills of the Andes Mountains, Joyce studied Spanish for a year in Argentina.

Joyce's passion for promoting diversity and helping international students acclimate to life in the United States was the impetus for her establishing an organization in the 1960s called the "Wives of the World." She explained that in those days most foreign students at institutions across America were men, and their wives often were isolated in campus housing, sometimes with small children and with little or no knowledge of the English language. Wives of the World worked to ensure these women were supported and able to interact successfully in their communities by providing free English language instruction and other services.

Joyce was a teacher both at Maryville High School and at Northwest. During her years at Northwest, she taught literature under the chairmanship of Dr. Joseph Dreps. She would later tell Northwest President Dr. Robert Foster that those were the happiest years of her life.

Although the Whites life experiences led them far from Missouri, Northwest nevertheless remained dear to their hearts. To quote former Bearcat coach Ryland Milner, "Once a Bearcat, always a Bearcat," the Whites have found that statement to be true, actively supporting Northwest students through scholarship opportunities. Joyce also served two terms on the Northwest Foundation Board during some of its formative years, leading to the "Campaign for Northwest," which raised more than $40 million for the institution.

Launch Plaza Experience