NORTHERN TODAY 10 SPECIAL I SSUE | Summer 2021 REVITAL IZATION OF CAMPUS | A SALUTE TO OUR DONORS FOUBERG remembers the swim team practicing in the pool in Spafford Hall – “all 20 yards of it,” he recalls fondly. His childhood also involved performing onstage in the Johnson Fine Arts Center, as a tap dancer and in theater performances. “Northern has just been part and parcel to a lot of what we’ve done as a family and I’ve done as an individual,” said Fouberg, Dacotah Bank president and CEO. Northern has also been important to his parents, Rod and the late Glenna Fouberg. Glenna played a major role in Robert’s childhood memories of NSU, from taking him to swim practice to taking the family to fine arts and athletic events at Northern. “My mother’s a graduate of Northern,” Robert said. “She was a longtime educator in the area and believed very strongly in education, and certainly in the university.” Today, Northern continues to be important for the family. Fouberg’s wife, Dr. Erin Fouberg, is the associate vice president for Academic Affairs, and also a longtime professor. Their kids have also benefited from educational opportunities through Northern. “It’s special to our family for a variety of reasons,” he said. It’s a source of workforce development, high-quality employees, entrepreneurs, educators, and community entertainment events, Fouberg said. “It’s a real important piece of our economy in the region,” he said. Rod Fouberg said recruitment and retention of students is a driver of success. “Universities are finding it necessary to compete for students regionally and nationally and not all universities will survive. We all need to do as much as we are able to assist Northern in its efforts to attract students from our region and beyond because we are getting fewer students out of the traditional catchment areas,” he said. Northern State University is special to the Fouberg family Northern State University has played a big part in Robert Fouberg’s life since childhood. “It’s special to our family for a variety of reasons.” ROBERT FOUBERG
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