Northern Today_Nov-2018

NORTHERN TODAY 3 FALL 2018 THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS going on around campus, but I view all the activity as a good thing; we’re moving forward, unleashing our university’s potential. We started the fall semester with good news: we increased our freshman class by nearly 5 percent. We have aspirations for even more students next fall, but a steady increase was crucial for our enrollment management plan, headed by our VP of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs, Dr. Jeremy Reed. One of the highlights from this fall’s class was this year’s group of first-time, full-time, bachelor’s degree-seeking students has an average high school GPA of 3.431. Our data only goes back so far, but that is the highest high school GPA for a Northern cohort in at least 10 years. It’s likely one of the highest high school GPAs for a Northern class ever. The Educational Impact Campaign (educational-impact.com ) continues to gain momentum. At the time I write this, we’re currently at $44 million dollars raised. The EIC campaign raises funds for new Athletic and Recreation Fields, a new South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, and an on-campus sports complex, which includes Dacotah Bank Stadium and Koehler Hall of Fame Softball Field. We just broke ground on the SDSBVI and cut the ribbon on the Athletic and Recreation Fields. These new, first-class facilities will bring in more students and higher caliber student-athletes. We’re excited about the direction we’re heading, and we’re thankful for the tremendous support we’ve received from throughout the region. We also cut the ribbon on our two new residence halls, Great Plains East and Great Plains West, this fall. Construction on our state-of-the-art Regional Science Education Center is coming along. If you haven’t been to campus lately, I recommend stopping by the Beckman Building and getting a tour from our Foundation staff. This is truly a game-changing time for Northern. Thank you for your support of Northern State University. We will continue to grow and develop our students and graduates so they’re ready to unleash their potential onto our region and throughout the world. What a time to be a wolf! Go Wolves! Learn more about the Educational Impact Campaign at educational-impact.com Letter from the President Off and running: We’re nearing the end of the fall 2018 semester, and yet it feels like we’re just getting started.