ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University will kick off its Fall 2026 Noon Forum series on Wednesday, Sept. 16, in the Williams Library Round Room.

Dr. Jon Schaff, professor of Political Science, will be the featured speaker at this forum.  His session is titled “Lincoln’s Declaration.” Dr. Schaff’s talk, part of NSU’s Constitution Day celebration, will look at the Declaration of Independence through the eyes of Abraham Lincoln, especially focusing on Declaration of Independence ideas in the Gettysburg Address.

The second Noon Forum of the semester will be on Wednesday, September 23.  This forum is titled “Return of the Wolves.”  Panelists will be Northern alumni who have returned to campus as members of the faculty and staff.  They’ll share memories of their student days at NSU and talk about why they returned to campus for their careers.

For detailed descriptions of future forums, please see the NSU Website.

Noon Forums, which are free and open to the public, will continue most Wednesdays at noon throughout the semester in the Williams Library Rotunda.  Free public parking is available on Washington Street west of the library.  Scheduled topics are as follows:

  • September 16: Lincoln’s Declaration (Constitution Day Forum with Jon Schaff)
  • September 23: Return of the Wolves (Gypsy Week Forum with Nadya Pressler, Julia Wold, and others)
  • September 30: Cramer Center Event: No Forum
  • October 7: NSU Money: Where it Comes from, Where it Goes (Lorelle Davies and Brock Hoyle)
  • October 14: The Rez of the Story: Updates from Indian Country (Pam Monaghan-Geernaert, Jaeden Shaving)
  • October 21: My Predictions for the Election and Why I am Probably Wrong (Steven Usitalo, Ken Blanchard, Jon Schaff)
  • October 28: The Candidates on Education (Katie Washnok, Spencer Sommers, Tim Hanigan, Erin Rudner, Gayle Bortnem, Erik Muckey)
  • November 4: Citizen Responsibilities and the Election (Tim Woods and the NSU Choir and Chamber Singers)
  • November 11: Veteran’s Day—No Forum
  • November 18: The Coming Collapse of Our Civilization (Ken Blanchard)
  • November 25: Thanksgiving Wednesday—No Forum
  • December 2: International Student Forum (Cheng Hsien Wu and Michael Muhammad)
  • December 9: What’s in the Governor’s Budget? (Julie Johnson)
  • December 16: Small Campus, Big Impact: Celebrating Student Achievement at Huron Community Campus (Sarah Meirose and Doug Pietz)