ntspring18

NORTHERN TODAY 3 SPRING 2018 THROUGHOUT MY TIME as president of Northern, I’ve continually used the phrase “enhancing the student experience.” The men’s basketball team’s run to an NCAA National Championship game is exactly the kind of experience our community, alumni and university deserve. For three epic nights in March, more than 9,000 combined fans – made up of alumni, faculty, staff and students – took part in an experience none of us will or should ever forget. People from around the nation cheered on the Wolves; in fact, the NCAA reported nearly 1.3 million people watched the championship game. We cannot expect every season or team to produce these results; that is the nature of sports. We can expect our teams to compete every game and our fans to support them – just like they’ve always done. But there are many other ways you, as a fan, can support our teams and the university in addition to buying tickets and showing up for games. You can buy officially licensed Wolves gear and wear maroon and gold every Friday. You can donate to the Educational Impact Campaign (educational-impact.com ) or support scholarships via the Foundation. However you’re able to show your support, now is the time. We recently broke ground on our Regional Science Education Center and the Athletic and Recreation Fields. Great Plains East and West, our second and third new residence halls, will open their doors to 299 students this fall. Our educational partner, the South Dakota School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, will soon unveil final architectural concepts for its new building. Northern and the community of Aberdeen are on the verge of unleashing their potential. The Northern we’ve all been accustomed to is about to change, becoming even better. Our men’s basketball team fought through adversity and showed a level of determination and grit synonymous with our community, students and alumni. They also showed us a path toward a higher level of success we can all strive to achieve. Words cannot describe the immense pride I felt while standing on the sidelines, cheering on our Wolves. Thank you, Wolves Nation, for showing the state and nation what we’re all about at Northern State University. Go Wolves! Dr. Tim Downs Learn more about the Educational Impact Campaign at educational-impact.com Letter from the President The team may be done, but Northern is just getting started.