MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF STUDENTS: Student Affairs made significant progress during 2025-26 in support of student success, well-being, and engagement. Through strong campus partnerships, we expanded services, improved accessibility and wellness resources, strengthened campus safety efforts, and enhanced student success initiatives. This sixth edition of the Student Affairs Annual Report highlights the first year of our 2025-30 Strategic Plan, during which we achieved five KPIs and 34 key results. You’ll also meet two graduating students whose stories remind us why this work matters. This publication is an executive summary designed to reduce printing, paper, and staff costs. For additional accomplishments, KPI updates, and the full report, visit our Strategic Plan website or contact Student Affairs in Suite 222 of the Student Center. A final note for the critics, historians, and anyone still reading: this report marks my first significant use of AI in the annual report writing process. Copilot assisted with editing, summarizing information, and generating ideas. The opinions, mistakes, and questionable jokes, however, remain my own. Thank you for reading and for being part of the journey. STUDENT AFFAIRS ACHIEVES HALF OF STRATEGIC PLAN KPIs IN FIRST YEAR, EXCEEDS SAFETY, STUDENT SUCCESS AND FINANCIAL GOALS ABERDEEN, SD – In the first year of the Student Affairs Strategic Plan (2025-30), Northern State University has already achieved five of the plan’s ten key performance indicators (KPIs), surpassing several student success, campus safety, and financial sustainability goals ahead of schedule. Building on the momentum of the previous strategic plan (2020-25), these accomplishments reflect the dedication and collaborative efforts of Student Affairs staff, students, and campus partners across the university. Released in October 2025, the Student Affairs Strategic Plan established measurable KPIs and a public dashboard to track progress, promote accountability and transparently demonstrate outcomes to the campus community. Planning for the initiative began in 2020 during development of the division’s previous strategic plan and culminated in a collaborative process involving students, faculty and staff across campus. The university’s strongest gains have occurred in campus safety and student well-being. According to findings from the 2025 Administrator-Researcher Campus Climate Collaborative (ARC3) Survey, two KPIs related to campus safety have already been achieved: • KPI 3: Campus Safety Perception – In 2022, 78% of female students agreed or strongly agreed they felt safe on campus. By 2025, that number increased to 87%, exceeding the 2030 goal of 85%. • KPI 4: Reporting Sexual Misconduct – In 2022, 43% of students agreed or strongly agreed they knew where to report sexual misconduct. In 2025, that number rose to 67%, surpassing the 2030 goal of 60%. In June 2026, Student Affairs announced that KPI 5 had also been achieved. • KPI 5: Safety in the Residence Halls – In 2022, 83.4% and in 2024, 86.9% of students reported feeling safe in their residence halls. In the spring 2026 ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment, 90.8% of students reported feeling safe, exceeding our target of 90% ahead of schedule. More details on the 2026 ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment will be shared this fall. Campus safety is a shared responsibility, and this progress reflects the collective efforts of many. Special recognition goes to Laine Converse, Michelle Dannen, Emily Waldon, Krista Bau, Officer Eric Paul and Northern’s Community Assistants for their contributions to creating a safer campus environment. Student Affairs also achieved two additional strategic plan goals related to student success and financial sustainability: • KPI 2: Graduation Rate – The plan set a goal for 38% of first-time, full-time, baccalaureate degreeseeking students to graduate within four years by 2030. The fall 2021 cohort achieved a 38.8% graduation rate, exceeding the target five years ahead of schedule. • KPI 7: Auxiliary Coverage Ratio – Northern aimed to reach a coverage ratio of 1.6 by 2030 — a key financial metric reflecting an auxiliary unit’s ability to meet debt obligations using operating income. In fiscal year 2025, Northern achieved a ratio of 1.99, signaling strong financial health and positioning auxiliary operations for long-term sustainability. Student Affairs Annual Report Executive Summary 2025-26 3
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