On the Cover: Photo credit Elizabeth G. Varin. Students gathered on the Campus Green during Wolf Pack Welcome for their first Class “N” Photo, reviving a beloved Northern tradition that was reinstated in 2024. Northern State University offers a personalized educational experience, with rigorous, nationally accredited academic programs in arts and sciences, business, fine arts and teacher education. With more than 45 majors, 55 minors and 16 pre-professional programs, Northern provides hands-on learning and internship opportunities that will help prepare you for a rewarding career. Located in Aberdeen, SD, we’re known for our affordability and our scholarships, one of our most popular being the WolfPACT scholarship, a highly competitive merit-based award. At Northern, you’ll learn from dedicated faculty and staff who truly care about you and want to help you succeed. You’ll also find a place to belong, with numerous diverse campus organizations in a safe, welcoming community. Student Affairs at Northern State University ENGAGED LEARNERS: We seek engaged learners who create inclusive communities, actively participate in university life, connect classroom learning to real-world experiences, and integrate their education into a broader understanding of the world around them. Engaged students achieve greater academic success, persist to graduation, and are more likely to maintain meaningful connections with the university after graduation. Northern alumni apply the knowledge, skills, and experiences gained both inside and outside the classroom to make positive contributions to their communities, the state of South Dakota, and the nation. Student Affairs advances Northern State University’s student success agenda through student engagement, holistic wellness, exceptional studentcentered services, and the goals outlined in the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025-30). Student Affairs includes Campus Recreation and Intramurals; Campus Safety; Community Service and Civic Engagement; Counseling Services; the Dean of Students Office; Dining Services; New Student Programs; the Northern State Welcome Desk; Residence Life; Student Accessibility Services; Student Activities and Involvement; the Student Center; the Student Government Association; Student Health Services; Student Organizations; Student Rights and Responsibilities; Summer Camps and Conferences; Title IX; and Wellness and Prevention Services. VISION: To promote student success through engagement, holistic wellness, and providing excellent student-centered services. MISSION: To advance the student success agenda of Northern State University, we will: • Deliver safe, comfortable, affordable, and both physically and programmatically engaging housing and dining experiences for students living on campus; • Provide integrated wellness services to address physical and behavioral health; • Educate students; encourage personal accountability for their choices and actions; refer students to appropriate resources on and off-campus; • Engage students in leadership opportunities; provide educational, social, and entertaining programs and events; • Foster opportunities for students to provide feedback to the university and participate in shared governance. VALUES: Our values represent beliefs and principles that drive the culture and priorities of Student Affairs and provide the crucial framework within which decisions are made. Student Development: Creating services, environments, and programs that develop students along intellectual, cognitive, social, ethical, and identity dimensions. Personal and Social Responsibility: Educating students to strive for excellence, cultivate personal and academic integrity, contribute to a larger community, take seriously the perspectives of others, and develop competence in ethical and moral reasoning and action (Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2007). Holistic Wellness: Promoting cognitive, cultural, emotional, environmental, financial, physical, social, and spiritual wellness as critical components of student success. Inclusion and Sense of Belonging: Fostering a diverse and international community that includes, validates, recognizes, and respects all ethnicities, genders, sexualities, identities, abilities, cultures, and world views. Our work promotes “a learning environment that exposes students to and encourages exploration of a variety of ideological and political perspectives” (SD House Bill 1087) consistent with the SDBOR Opportunity for All Statement of August 2021. Engagement: Developing an engaged student body that creates an inclusive community, fully participates in the life of the university, connects classroom content to real-life situations, and integrates learning into their understanding of the world around them. Engaged students perform better academically, persist to graduation, and are more likely to remain connected to the university following graduation. Transitions: Welcoming and assisting students in the transition to college and Northern State University in ways that support the values and priorities of retention, persistence, engagement, and wellness. Student Affairs Annual Report Executive Summary 2025-26 2
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