Letter from the president northern today 3 At the close of an academic year, it’s common to reflect on the accomplishments from months past. While we have plenty of those to celebrate, I’d like to instead begin by looking to the future and sharing extraordinary news about some of our recent graduates. Here are four shining examples of the exceptional students we have here at Northern: Megan Case won the largest scholarship possible for graduate studies at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she will study voice; Jennifer Kilber has been accepted into the prestigious Northwestern University’s graduate school for marketing; former Wolves volleyball star Jordan Schaffer has been accepted into Northern Arizona’s doctor of physical therapy program; and Joe Klipfel – whose outstanding academic work ethic is praised by our Honors Program director – is planning to work full time while attending graduate school part time through North Dakota State University. Congratulations to these fine young individuals – their success demonstrates how Northern truly opens a world of possibilities to its students! Speaking of students to be proud of, I’m sure everyone has heard of the astounding achievements of Wolves wrestler Matt Meuleners. Matt ended his career as one of the most decorated wrestlers in NSU history and as the Wolves’ only four-time All-American. He won back-to-back championships in 2011 and 2012, losing his bid for a third straight national title, just weeks ago in Birmingham, Ala., in an extremely tight match. Matt also holds the NSU record for most wins in a career – impressive, indeed! Keeping with the sports theme, this spring, our campus hosted some exciting guests. Most recently, ESPN baseball expert Buster Olney returned to campus to deliver our commencement address. Buster has spent a tremendous amount of time in our area over the past several years, mostly working on his book about Coach Meyer; so he has essentially become part of the NSU family – in his own words, he feels like “an adopted son to the Northern community.” It’s always an honor to host him, and we appreciate the inspiring message he shared with our graduates and their friends and family in attendance. Also this spring, the campus – and community – bustled with activity from state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments. Considering how incredibly packed the Barnett Center was during those weekends, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that attendance here is as high, if not higher, than at tournaments in other communities across the state. Kudos to all who make these events function as smoothly as they do! Summer semester is now in full swing, and we are already gearing up for another solid enrollment year this fall. We continue to carefully focus our work on student retention to graduation. Thus, I encourage you to help us in our efforts by sharing what you love about Northern with any potential student you might know, as well as by continuing to make Aberdeen a welcoming community for our current and future students, as well – you’ll see in two of the articles enclosed, the student body is becoming more diverse and international in nature year by year. Thank you for all that you do to make NSU shine, and do have a wonderful summer! Go Wolves! We are already gearing up for another solid enrollment year this fall. president james m. smith The campus – and community – bustled with activity from state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments. I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that attendance here is as high, if not higher, than at tournaments in other communities across the state. Kudos to all who make these events function as smoothly as they do!
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