NORTHERN TODAY 21 FALL 2015 The new Confucius Institute at Northern State University partnered with the Sioux Falls Chinese Association to include two decorative Chinese lions in the Gypsy Day Parade. The university dedicated a statue of the late Millicent Atkins in front of the Gerber Building as a precursor to changing the name to the Millicent Atkins School of Education in October. The statue was dedicated Friday, Sept. 25, as part of the 100th anniversary celebration of Gypsy Days. NSU received $15 million — the largest donation in the university’s history – from the estate of Atkins, a Northern graduate. The money is being used to benefit education students. Atkins, who attended high school in Columbia, received a teaching degree from Northern in 1940. She taught school for a few years, but later moved on to tend to her greater passion in life, farming. The dedication included remarks by officials from the university administration, School of Education and NSU Foundation, followed by the statue unveiling. NORTHERN NEWS Atkins statue dedicated during Gypsy Days As Northern State University honored its homecoming history this fall, it also celebrated its future with a new statue for the NSU School of Education. ABOVE Sculptor Sherri Treeby and Dave Lynn (’59) inspect a statue to honor the late Millicent Atkins, an NSU School of Education alum who gifted NSU one-third of her $37.5 million estate. The statue was created by Northern alum-sculptors Treeby and Lee Leuning. D E D I C A T I ON
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzkyNTY=