Academic Advisor also known as Advisor or Professional Advisor - the staff member assigned to each student who will be a resource for course selection and registration, withdrawals, internships, degree requirements, academic policies and procedures, academic planning, major exploration, and referrals to other support units on campus.

Academic Dean - the head of a particular academic area within a university setting. At NSU, these areas are the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, and School of Fine Arts. (There is also a Dean of Students.)

Access Northern - the online platform where students can request accommodations through the Office of Accessibility Services. 

Attendance Confirmation - a required action item for all students every fall and spring semester confirming class attendance and location. Attendance confirmation is located in Self-Service Banner, accessible through the Ellucian Experience.

Census Date - the last day on which students may add or drop a class for a full refund of standard-length classes. Each semester has a common census date for standard-length courses. Classes that are not standard length will have a different census date. 

Community Assistant or CA - a student employee assigned to a designated residence hall. Formally known as an RA, each CA is responsible for overseeing student conduct, helping guide students to different campus resources, and providing programs for students to engage with each other.  

Convocation - the New Student Convocation is the traditional welcome for new students after they move into the residence halls. Parents and families are invited to attend as these students become official members of the Wolf Pack Family and the Northern Community.

D2L - Desire2Learn is the system used by NSU to deliver course content online. D2L also has a mobile app called Pulse by Brightspace. Faculty will share the course syllabus and content on D2L; it is also commonly used to submit assignments.  

DegreeWorks - the academic program planning guide that displays academic course requirements for students’ majors, minors, or certificate programs. Also known as a Program Evaluation or Degree Audit, the guide indicates the requirements that have been completed and those that are still needed. Academic advisors assist students in understanding their degree plan using DegreeWorks. 

DUO - the two-factor authentication required for access to NSU systems.  

Ellucian Experience – a web portal where students will access university timesheets, connect to Self-Service Banner to register for classes, view DegreeWorks, link to Attendance Confirmation, and access many other university applications.

Finance Office - handles business transactions including tuition and fee payments, library fines, parking fines, miscellaneous bills, and financial aid refund inquiries.  The Finance Office is located in the Krikac Administration Building, room 202.  

Financial Aid Office – this office assists students with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), scholarships, grants, loans, and work study. Students should complete their FAFSA annually.  The Financial Aid office is located in Dacotah Hall, room 103. 

Full-Time Status - to be considered full-time, undergraduate students must be enrolled in a semester total of 12 credits or more; anything less is considered part-time. The number of credits a student is enrolled in may impact financial aid and scholarships. Bachelor’s degrees require a minimum of 120 total credit hours; associate’s degrees require only 60 credit hours. It is recommended that students earn 15 credits each fall and spring semester if their goal is to graduate in four years. Academic advisors assist in course selection and degree planning.  

Gen Eds or System General Education Requirements - essential required courses within a set of goals. These classes provide students with the foundation of knowledge necessary for program-specific courses. NSU has six goals: Written Communication, Oral Communication, Social Science, Fine Arts and Humanities, Mathematics, and Natural Science.  

myNSU - also known as the student portal - a campus-only student website where students can access account information and find information about registration, financial aid, technology services, professional advisors, assignments, event calendars, announcements, the knowledge base, and many campus applications. myNSU also links to the Ellucian Experience. 

Navigate360 - the platform that provides personalized information to support academic success. Topics include choosing the right major, understanding requirements, making appointments with advisors and tutors, staying on top of important dates and deadlines, and creating peer study groups.  

NSU Wolves Email - this joint Google email system is used for all NSU communication, and students must check their NSU Wolves email accounts daily. Students also have access to Google apps through their NSU account.  

NSU Mobile - the NSU app that provides access to news, events, a campus map and directory, courses, grades, Navigate360 (student), and Self-Service Banner registration. 

Office Hours - times when faculty are available to meet with students on a drop-in or scheduled basis. Office hours are listed on each course syllabus and are usually posted outside faculty offices.  

Pack Pass Mobile ID – the mobile version of the NSU Student ID available in a student’s app store. All enrolled students should have a mobile student ID that can be tapped at various readers across campus. The Pack Pass is most often used for dining, residence hall and door access, laundry, concessions, FLEX dollars, library checkouts, beverage and snack vending, and Thunder Bucks.  

Progress Report - the time frame when faculty review students’ academic standing within a course and recommend actions to address concerns or recognize academic achievement. Students may hear that they have an “Early Alert” or a “Kudos” for a job well done. Faculty provide this feedback through Navigate360. Professional advisors then contact students to connect them with academic support and resources.  

Provost - the chief academic officer for NSU responsible for academic and budgetary affairs. The provost works with the university president in setting overall academic priorities and allocates funds to move the priorities forward.  

Recognized Student Organization or RSO - a student club, team, or organization that is chartered by the university. Joining an RSO is a great way to get involved by becoming part of a group with a shared interest.  

Registrar’s Office – the Registrar’s office maintains student academic records. It helps all students (former, current, and prospective) with tasks such as program evaluations or degree audits, transfer credits, transcript requests, course registration, enrollment verification, graduation applications, and institutional policies and procedures. The Registrar’s Office is located in Dacotah Hall, room 103. 

SDePay - the electronic billing and payment service accessed by logging on to Self-Service Banner. Students can pay their bill via e-check or credit card online through SDePay. Students can also view their tuition/fee statement and payment history, as well as set up access for parents or other authorized users to view and pay a bill.  

Self Service Banner or SSB - the web-based platform where students register for courses, view grades, review financial aid information, accept/reject financial aid offers, access a link to SDePay to pay their bill, confirm attendance, and complete other academic procedures. Students may access SSB through the Ellucian Experience.  

Student Affairs - the unit on campus that supports student success by enhancing student growth, learning, and development outside of the classroom. At NSU, the Dean of Students is the leader of Student Affairs.  

Student Labor - on-campus student jobs that are not connected to financial aid awards. For assistance in finding student labor positions, students can access Wolf Work by visiting Career Services, located in Mewaldt-Jensen, room 102B. 

Student Success Center - a unit on campus containing multiple resources for student success including Academic Advising, Career Services, American Indian Good Circle Program, Navigate360, Peer Mentoring, Supplemental Instruction, Tutoring Services, TRIO McNair Scholars, TRIO Student Support Services, and TRIO Upward Bound. The Student Success Center office is located in the Tech Center, room 148.  

Supplemental Instruction or SI - regularly scheduled peer-led study sessions that help students gain a deeper understanding of course content. Faculty will provide information about SI sessions in class. 

Syllabus - an outline of the topics, assignments, due dates, quizzes, and exams for each course. Each syllabus will also include class expectations, meeting times, instructor contact information, and required course materials.  

TextbookX - the online bookstore used by NSU students to purchase books for their courses. The NSU Wolf Shoppe can assist students with identifying their course materials. 

Thunder Bucks - money that can be deposited directly onto a student’s Pack Pass (mobile ID). Funds are instantly available when loaded online by students, parents, or anyone with the student’s last name and ID number. Thunder Bucks can be used for laundry in the residence halls, at Einstein’s, for campus dining facilities, for campus printing, and in various vending machines across campus.  

Time Ticket - students’ assigned registration day and time found in Self-Service Banner. Students’ academic advisor can assist with registration related tasks.  

TRIO - a government funded program that provides additional support to students who meet specific qualifications. NSU has three TRIO programs: Student Support Services (SSS), Upward Bound (UB), and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. NSU students may apply to the SSS and McNair programs, where Upward Bound works with high school students.

Wolf Shoppe - located in the Student Center, this store sells Northern branded clothing and merchandise for all students, alumni, and fans. Some course materials and graduation merchandise can also be found here, and students access TextbookX through the Wolf Shoppe online.  

Wolf Work - the online platform where students can search for employment by visiting Career Services, located in Mewaldt-Jensen, room 102B. Wolf Work lists work study jobs, student labor positions, and internship vacancies of various types: full-time, part-time, summer, on-campus, and off-campus. Wolf Work is also used to schedule Career Services Appointments. 

Work Study - Work study is a federally funded program awarded to students through financial aid after they have qualified via the FAFSA. Work study jobs provide part-time employment while a student is enrolled in school and can be found in Wolf Work (see above).