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NORTHERN TODAY
6
SPRING 2016
S.D. legislator Sly delivers
commencement address
South Dakota
legislator and
Northern State
University alumna
Jacqueline
(Peterson) Sly
’69 delivered the
university’s spring
commencement address at the ceremony, held May 7
in the Barnett Center. Sly, a longtime educator in South
Dakota, played a key role in advancing the education
bills this session as co-chair of the Governor’s Blue
Ribbon Task Force on K-12 Education Funding.
Sly received her bachelor’s degrees in elementary and
special education from Northern in 1969. In 1996, she
completed her master’s in curriculum and instruction
from Black Hills State University.
Sly worked as a teacher for 37 years, teaching
throughout South Dakota in the areas of special
education, elementary education and alternative
education.
“In 1966, Northern was my first home away from
home as an 18 year old,” she said. “It provided me with
a sense of belonging and being a part of something
bigger, beyond the safety net of my family and my
hometown of Platte.”
NSU awarded accreditation of
its business programs
Northern State University’s business
programs have been awarded
accreditation from a leading
specialized association for business
education, the Accreditation Council
for Business Schools and Programs.
The ACBSP accreditation is a
tremendous honor for the NSU
School of Business, said Dr. Willard Broucek, dean.
“Specialized accreditation recognizes the School of
Business’ commitment to provide the highest quality
business education for our students,” Broucek said.
“Quality, continuous improvement, and academic
excellence are the benchmarks by which we judge our
efforts.”
ACBSP accreditation certifies that the teaching and
learning processes within the business programs and
degrees offered by the NSU School of Business meet
the rigorous educational standards established by
ACBSP.
NSU officials received the Certificate of Accreditation
at the ACBSP Conference 2016 in Atlanta, Ga., on
June 19.
Jacqueline
Sly
South Dakota
legislator
Dr. Timothy M. Downs has been named the 17th president
of Northern State University by the South Dakota Board
of Regents.
Timothy Downs named
NSU president
D
OWNS
became
president at NSU on
June 27, succeeding
r. James M. Smith, who
assumed the presidency of
Eastern Michigan University
July 1.
Downs was formerly the
provost and chief academic
officer of New York’s Niagara
University. He provided
leadership and supervision
for all facets of Niagara
University’s academic affairs
work since 2011.
“In his academic life,
Dr. Timothy Downs has
worked as a faculty member
and administrator across
all levels of the institution. He
has been at the forefront of
initiatives to improve the student
learning experience,” said Regent
Harvey Jewett, who chaired the
presidential search committee.
“We were impressed with his
commitment to a learning tradition
that develops students as critical
thinkers, lifelong learners, and
socially responsible leaders. We
are pleased to welcome him to
South Dakota, to Northern State
University, and to the community
of Aberdeen.”
Downs said, “I am excited to
join the Northern State University
learning community and am
extremely honored to serve as
the next president. Northern has
a great reputation for providing
exceptional learning opportunities
and being an outstanding partner
in the Aberdeen community and
beyond. It is evident that the
talented faculty and staff I met
during the search process are the
reason why Northern students
love their campus and alumni are
loyal supporters of the institution.
In fact, everyone I met during the
campus visit, including those from
the university, community, and the
Board of Regents, confirmed that
this opportunity is very special.
I look forward to engaging with
students, alumni and friends of
Northern to continuously improve
upon the Northern experience
and learning outcomes for our
students. Additionally, I am excited
to engage in the continued work to
strengthen our local and regional
economies, recognizing that these
partnerships are critical to the
success of Northern, the region,
and the State of South Dakota.”
Now in his 28th year in the
higher education field, Downs
holds a Ph.D. in organizational
communication from the
University of Oklahoma. He
earned a master’s degree in
communication studies fromWest
Virginia University, and a B.A.
degree, also in communication
studies, from California State
University, Sacramento.
Dr. Downs and his wife, Mary, are
excited to join the NSU campus and
the Aberdeen communities. Tim
and Mary enjoy hiking and biking,
exercising their two dogs (Bob and
Harvey), along with an occasional
round of golf.
NORTHERN
NEWS