Northern State University
The Institution
Since 1901, Northern State University has been dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in education. Northern’s roots are in teacher education, but the university has since grown into a comprehensive, multi-purpose institution made up of the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Fine Arts and Millicent Atkins School of Education. Northern serves approximately 3,000 students at the undergraduate and graduate level online and on campus.
The Campus
Northern’s picturesque campus includes a blend of historic and modern buildings surrounding the park-like campus green. The university continues to grown and expand, with numerous building projects finished in recent years, and some ongoing - all within easy walking distance of downtown Aberdeen.
THE BEULAH WILLIAMS LIBRARY is home to a variety of individual and group study spaces, a computer lab, a smart classroom, and a DDN room. Williams Library also houses the Reading Clinic; the campus music collection and listening room; NSU Archives and Special Collections; and the Round Room, an intimate event space. Print holdings include over 175,000 books and 35,000 federal and state documents. Access to the online catalog and electronic collections is provided to student and faculty 24 hours a day, seven days a week online.
THE STUDENT CENTER is the core of social life on campus, housing the Wolves Den dining facility, Einstein’s Bros. Bagels/Caribou Coffee; and student organization offices for Student Association, the Campus Activities Board (CAB) the Honors Program and the Exponent student newspaper. It’s also home to the offices of Residence Life, Student Involvement and Leadership, Admissions, Health Services, Disability Services, Career Services, Veterans and Military Services, and Campus Security; as well as the Counseling Center, Multicultural Center, the NSU Wolf Shoppe and the Post Office.
THE JOHNSON FINE ARTS CENTER, Northern’s primary performing arts space, includes a Black Box Theatre, Berggren Recital Hall; state-of-the-art practice rooms for music students; an art gallery; and the main Jewett Theater, which hosts an array of university and community performances. The building also serves the campus as a major classroom facility.
THE JOSEPH H. BARNETT PHYSICAL EDUCATION AND CONVOCATION CENTER is home to NSU Athletics. This multipurpose facility includes a swimming pool, racquetball courts, wrestling room, weight room, training room, auxiliary gym, lockers rooms, classrooms and offices. The main arena, Wachs Arena, contains a 160-meter indoor track and a basketball court. The facility seats 8,000 people and is utilized for state tournaments and community events. Wachs Arena is home to the NSU volleyball; wrestling; indoor track and field; and basketball teams, which consistently lead the nation in attendance for NCAA Division II. The women’s swim team practices in the Barnett Center, but competes at the Aberdeen Family YMCA.
Northern’s beautiful turf ATHLETIC AND RECREATION FIELDS include a new women’s soccer field and football practice field, with a pavilion between the two. The Athletic and Rec Fields are also used by NSU Intramurals, which offers numerous sports and recreational activities for Northern students.
THE HARVEY C. JEWETT IV REGIONAL SCIENCE EDUCATION CENTER is home to the NSU biology and chemistry departments. With state-of-the-art labs and equipment, this two-story facility will enhance science education and undergraduate research on the Northern campus while offering community outreach opportunities to K-12 students around the area. With its prominent placement at the corner of Twelfth Avenue Southeast and South State Street, it also serves as a gateway to campus.
THE NSU REGIONAL SPORTS COMPLEX, currently under construction, will connect to the existing Barnett Center. The complex will also include the brand new Dacotah Bank Stadium, which will be home to NSU Wolves Football, and Koehler Hall of Fame Softball Field, which will be home to NSU Wolves Softball.
THE NSU TECHNOLOGY CENTER stands out at the center of campus with its glass facade. An addition to the Mewaldt-Jensen Building, the Tech Center houses computer labs, a video production studio, smart classrooms, a conference room, offices for NET Services staff and Arts and Science faculty, and the Tech Support Desk. Tech Support Services provides free technical assistance to faculty, staff and students. A centrally located, lighted courtyard with perennial plantings, brick walkways and benches provides an open-air sanctuary where people can socialize and hold special events.
MEWALDT-JENSEN houses programs of the College of Arts and Sciences, along with NSU-SDSU Accelerated Nursing Program and the NSU CENTER FOR STATEWIDE E-LEARNING. Established by the South Dakota legislature in March 2001, the E-learning Center serves K-12 schools across South Dakota through distance education and interactive instructional technologies.
THE GERBER BUILDING houses the Millicent Atkins School of Education, the heart of teacher education at Northern.
LINCOLN HALL is the home of the School of Business and the Office of International Programs, which provides students and faculty the opportunity to have an international experience through exchange programs, conferences and other international experiences. The center also sponsors an international business conference attended by faculty, students and business people from around the world.
SPAFFORD HALL is the home to the School of Fine Arts, including the art department studios and labs. Spafford also houses the offices of the President and Provost.
DACOTAH HALL includes the Financial Aid office; Registrar; Tutoring Center; and Dacotah Hall Gymnasium, a wellness center available to students that features a basketball court plus two levels of space designed for individual exercise activities.
KRIKAC ADMINISTRATION BUILDING houses the finance, purchasing and human resources offices. It is also home to the Krikac Auditorium, which is a gorgeous performance space with its beautifully renovated stained-glass windows and ornately decorated seats.
Northern has six residence halls - including three new facilities offering the latest amenities, such as various suite-style rooms. They are BRISCOE HALL; STEELE HALL; KRAMER HALL; WOLVES MEMORIAL SUITES, which opened in fall 2017; and GREAT PLAINS EAST and GREAT PLAINS WEST, both of which opened fall 2018. GPW offers a game-cleaning room for students who hunt, and GPE features a Papa John’s Pizza and a POD: Provisions on Demand convenience store.
THE CLARK SWISHER ATHLETIC COMPLEX, located two miles east of the main campus, is used by the NSU track and field team and is currently used by the NSU football team. The complex includes a 6,000-seat football arena, Swisher Field, and an artificial-surface outdoor track. The NSU baseball team plays at Fossum Field, located in northeast Aberdeen, and the softball team currently utilizes Moccasin Creek Softball Complex, which features four diamonds and is located just blocks from campus.
THE BECKMAN BUILDING southeast of campus houses the NSU Foundation.
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