Northern Forward identifies four strategic directions that will guide Northern State University from 2026 through 2031. Each direction includes objectives, five-year targets and two- to three-year milestones to measure progress and guide implementation.
- Strategic Direction 1: Increasing Enrollment and Student Success
Value Statement
Northern will grow enrollment and student success by strengthening recruitment, enhancing the student experience from first contact through graduation, and expanding student financial resources.
Objectives
- Strengthen recruitment strategies.
- Enhance the experience of each student throughout their academic journey to improve engagement, retention, and graduation.
- Review and expand sustainable student financial resources.
- Strategic Direction 2: Strengthening Organizational Framework
Value Statement
Northern will strengthen how the university works by engaging students, faculty, and staff in improving our policies, processes, and workplace, to build a thriving, connected campus community.
Objectives
- Ensure and support regular policy and procedure reviews by involved stakeholders.
- Encourage ideas and feedback about policies, processes, and workflows.
- Invest in employees to promote retention and professional development.
- Modernize campus workflows through strategic investment in human capital and process improvement.
- Strategic Direction 3: Advancing Academic Innovation
Value Statement
Northern will create a culture where all students own their education through academic excellence, innovation, and experiential learning to build rewarding lives and careers.
Objectives
- Empower and inspire all students to define and pursue success for themselves in their lives and careers.
- Support faculty and staff in creating a culture of exceptional teaching and an engaging and evidence-based learning environment that fosters student transformation.
- Build a collaborative ecosystem among faculty, staff, alumni, and employers that connects students early to career pathways, integrates liberal arts competencies, and aligns education with workforce opportunities.
- Strategic Direction 4: Championing a Unified Identity
Value Statement
Northern will build connections with students, alumni, partners, and the region by communicating a clear, consistent identity to our region, state, and stakeholders.
Objectives
- Define Northern's identity in a core identity statement that reflects and affirms the Northern Experience.
- Deepen mutually beneficial partnerships between Northern and the greater northeastern South Dakota community.
- Northern's identity will be recognizable and resonate both regionally and nationally, positioning the University as a leader in academic excellence and community engagement.
Measuring Our Progress
Each strategic direction includes five-year targets and two- to three-year milestones. Progress will be reviewed through the university's implementation process and shared through town halls, annual reports and dashboards.