Northern State University (NSU) is a public university in Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States. NSU is governed by the South Dakota Board of Regents and offers 45 bachelor's degrees, 53 minors, six associate degrees, 16 pre-professional programs, 23 certificates and 10 graduate degrees.

History

Aberdeen, South Dakota, had rapid population growth during the late 19th century, leading the citizens of northern South Dakota to push for a government-funded institute of higher learning. In the 1885 legislative session, a bill was passed creating what was then known as the University of Central Dakota in the small town of Ordway, South Dakota. Funds were approved for the school in the 1887 legislative session, but Governor Louis K. Church vetoed the bill for financial reasons and statewide lack of support; it took a few more decades for the school to become a reality.

In 1900 Aberdeen had the fastest-growing population in northern South Dakota and advocates for school began to organize in greater numbers. On January 7, 1899, state legislator James Marshall Lawson, often considered the father of the Northern Normal and Industrial School, proposed a bill to create the school in Aberdeen; the bill went through many revisions. On March 2, 1899, the new school existed on paper, but both a site and funding were still needed.

Wealthy Aberdonians quickly responded by donating land for the school; the Aberdeen City Council created a committee of 25 to choose the site. The committee comprised well-to-do citizens of Aberdeen, including Lawson, Ira Barnes, W.F.T. Bushnell, C.F. Easton, F.W. Brooks, Ed Askew, B.C. Lamont, William Tennant, W.G. Bickellhaupt, and Andrew Melgaard.<!-- this link doesn't work -->

The end of the war also brought a drastic decline in the number of teachers in rural South Dakota. The state responded by creating Normal departments in four-year high schools. This new policy proved to be troublesome for NNIS, because it was no longer necessary to attend the school in order to teach in South Dakota. In response to the decline in enrollment, President Harold Foght pushed to professionalize the teaching occupation, making it necessary to be certified to teach. The headline of the April 1920 issue of the Exponent read, "NNIS To Become Teacher's College", making Foght's effort successful. The school was then reorganized into three divisions: pre-normal, junior-normal, and senior-normal; each division would have its own dean. NNIS could now award baccalaureate degrees, but not until 1939 did the state legislature change the school's name from Northern Normal and Industrial School to Northern State Teachers College.

The Great Depression had left the school in debt, enrollment numbers were dropping and the world was entering into yet another war. Noah E. Steele was the president from 1939 until 1951;

Northern State is a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), which consists of sixteen universities in five states: Bemidji State University (MN); Concordia University St. Paul (MN); University of Minnesota-Crookston; Minnesota State University Moorhead; University of Mary (ND); Northern State University (SD); Southwest Minnesota State University; Upper Iowa University; Wayne State College (NE); Winona State University (MN); University of Minnesota-Duluth; Augustana University (SD); Minnesota State University, Mankato; St. Cloud State University (MN); Minot State University (ND); and University of Sioux Falls (SD). Northern State has been a member of the conference since 1978 and has the second smallest enrollment of the 16 member schools. In the 1990s, all members of the NSIC became members of NCAA Division II, after spending many years with dual membership with the NAIA.

Campus

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|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023

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| Black

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| Two or more races

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| American Indian/Alaska Native

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| Asian

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| International student

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! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |Economic diversity

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Northern State's campus occupies 66 acres on the south side of Aberdeen. The oldest buildings on campus were built on the green, and the campus has expanded outward since. The buildings where most classes meet are the H.P. Gerber Building, which houses the offices and classrooms for the School of Education, the Johnson Fine Arts Center, home of the fine arts department and many level classes, and the Mewaldt-Jensen building, which has 16 classrooms, 13 laboratories, and 60 offices that house the mathematics, science, and business departments.

The oldest buildings on Northern's campus are Lincoln, Krikac, and Spafford. Spafford had the first gymnasium. Lincoln was the first residence hall but is now known as the office of business.

The residence halls are Great Plains West, Great Plains East, Briscoe Hall, Kramer Hall, Wolves Memorial Suites, McArthur-Welsh Hall, and Steele Hall. Accommodations include single rooms, double rooms, and numerous suites, which include a bathroom and a living room. Great Plains East also features a Papa John's and a POD (provisions on demand) store.

The Avera Student Center houses the Wolves Den dining hall, the Wolf Shoppe (campus bookstore), a Caribou Coffee/Einstein Bros. Bagels, the campus post office, and all student-related services, as well as several meeting rooms. It also houses offices including NSU Admissions, Student Affairs, the Counseling Center, Disability Services, and Avera Health Services. The Beulah Williams Library has several group study rooms, multimedia stations, NSU Archives, and an extensive collection of books.

  • Ronnie Cruz, professional football player
  • Paul Sather, college basketball coach
  • Elmer Diedtrich, South Dakota businessman and legislator
  • Cecil E. Harris, United States Navy aviator
  • Sarah and Jennifer Hart, perpetrators of the Hart family murders
  • Jim Hundstad, South Dakota politician
  • Ronald Leighty, South Dakota politician
  • Dakotah Lindwurm, professional runner
  • Travis Lutter, professional mixed martial artist
  • Joe Robbie, original owner of the Miami Dolphins professional football team
  • Kay Schallenkamp, president of Emporia State University and later Black Hills State University
  • David Sigdestad, member of South Dakota House of Representatives
  • Floyd Westerman, Dakota Sioux musician, political activist, and actor
  • Benjamin Victor, sculptor
  • Sundance Wicks, college basketball coach

Notes

References

  • Athletics website