3 N O R T H E R N T O D A Y WE HAVE BEEN CHARGED with ensuring that Northern State University not only remains a vital part of the South Dakota Regental system, but also grows as a nationally-recognized, student-centered institution committed to academic and extracurricular excellence, providing high quality programs, cutting-edge technology, and global learning opportunities in a beautiful Midwestern setting. In order to achieve this, we released a comprehensive strategic plan to the NSU community entitled, “Mission Forward 2015,” in August of this year. The new strategic plan is a work in progress with four phases, and though we are still in early stages of implementation, our plan is already experiencing solid degrees of success. In September the Board of Regents announced a fall 2010 headcount of 3,296 which is the highest number at Northern in the past forty years! I believe these numbers are largely the result of an enrollment plan that was created a year ago. Our staff developed a series of enrollment targets focusing on areas such as growth of new freshmen, enhanced online and graduate offerings, increased marketing, more international students, and the generation of workshops that were not just developed and delivered but, in most cases, were presented in a manner so as to exceed all expectations. As we have now launched our new strategic plan, these initial efforts in capacity-building are clearly indicating movement in the right direction. Northern continues to be a great asset for South Dakota and we have clear strategies in place now to grow even more next year. I look forward to seeing how we continue to ascend as our plan evolves over the next several years. I encourage you to keep an eye on our progress – there will be much more good news to come, of that I am absolutely sure. FROM THE PRESIDENT Letter “…2010 headcount of 3,296 which is the highest number at Northern in the past forty years!” THE TRANQUIL BEAUTY OF SUMMER has passed and we are enjoying a fabulous fall. It is always exciting to be on Northern State’s campus at this time of year, as the season’s transformation is yet another reminder of both the power and beauty of NSU. It gives me great pleasure, with this edition of Northern Today, to share the positive news and events on our campus. “…we released a comprehensive strategic plan to the NSU community entitled, “Mission Forward 2015,” in August of this year.” to read more about the strategic plan see page 7 PRESIDENT JAMES M. SMITH
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