ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University has named Dr. Stacie Varnson as the new Executive Director of Student Success.

Varnson comes to Northern with extensive experience in the student success arena. She served as the director of the Academic Success Center at the University of Minnesota-Crookston from 2014 to 2019. Prior to that, she held the same position for Dickinson State University from 2008 to 2013.

In both roles, Varnson supervised several academic support units, including tutoring, supplemental instruction, student success programming, and… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – In addition to quality courses ensuring they are well-prepared for their future after college, many Northern State University students have the opportunity to put what they learn in the classroom into practice via independent research projects. Northern’s Undergraduate Competitive Research Grant has been funding some of those student research projects since 2012.

This year, three NSU students were awarded grants to fund their research:

• Parker Heger from Underwood, N.D., received $2,000 from the grant for his project, “The Effects of… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University will begin fall semester on Aug. 19 and conclude classroom instruction by Thanksgiving, as directed by the South Dakota Board of Regents.

Last month, the board announced its commitment to on-campus operations this fall. Today, the regents said all campuses will begin instruction on Wednesday, Aug. 19, three days earlier than originally scheduled. Instead of returning to campus after the Thanksgiving recess Nov. 25-29, students will complete final exams remotely.

“The goal is to maintain the academic calendar while… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University Professor of Political Science Dr. Jon Schaff has been awarded a competitive research grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.

The NEH grant will fund Schaff’s research project, tentatively titled, “A More Perfect Union: Jefferson, Hamilton, and Lincoln and America's Unfinished Work,” as well as its publication.

The book-length research project proposes Lincoln as a synthesis of the early-American conflict between Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton. This Lincolnian synthesis builds a better… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – NSU Honors student and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal member Jaeden Shaving chose Northern State University because Lara Nelson, Director of the NSU American Indian Circle Program, had several conversations with him that made him “feel like someone actually cared about me and my future, and she did a lot to educate me about the variety of opportunities, including scholarships, the Cangleska wašté  pre-orientation program, and peer mentoring, that I had at my disposal.” Shaving is excited… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Globally, a number of countries have tightened their borders and implemented travel bans due to COVID-19, forcing many students who were studying abroad this semester to end their travels prematurely. Some international students, however, have made the choice to stay abroad in the hopes of continuing their education. One such student at Northern State University is Matej Cip.

Cip is an international student at Northern from the Czech Republic. While many of Northern’s international students returned to their home countries when borders started to… more

Campus Colleagues,

I hope you are all doing well and you had an enjoyable Memorial Day holiday. As we move toward returning to campus, I’d like to encourage you all to follow these current CDC recommendations in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• When in public (including campus), wear a cloth face covering over your nose and mouth.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Stay at least six feet apart from other people.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue.
… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Four Northern State University Honors Program students submitted abstracts to the 2020 National Collegiate Honors Council’s Annual Conference – and all four were accepted.

The students and their projects are:

• Matej Cip, Hodslavice, Czech Republic: “Efficiency in Musical Practice: Undergraduate Music Students in the Midwest of the USA”
• Parker Heger, Underwood, N.D.: “The Effects of Dehydroabietic Acid as a Potential Therapeutic Agent for Parkinson’s Disease”
• Amanda McIlravy, Philip, S.D.: “… more

ABERDEEN, S.D. – This fall, Northern State University Wolves will celebrate the “Howling 2020s” during homecoming week.

Homecoming takes place Sept. 21-26 at Northern, with the 106^th annual Gypsy Day Parade set for Saturday, Sept. 26, at 9 a.m. Parade registration begins June 1. Entrants will decorate their float base on the “Howling 2020s” theme, and a panel of judges comprised of Northern and community leaders will present awards in the following categories: 

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University faculty members have been honored as the winners of the 2020-21 Nora Staael Evert and Sanford Faculty Development awards.

NSU Assistant Professor of Marketing Dr. Hannah Walters is the winner of the Nora Staael Evert Research Award, which provides a stipend to support a faculty member engaged in scholarly research. Walters won the award for her research project, “An Assessment of Emotional Intelligence in Ethical Decision Making.”

Northern also named four winners of Sanford Faculty Professional Development… more