University College

Dacotah Hall, Room 101
(605) 626-7782

Mr. Steven Rasmussen (Director); Ms. Krista Bau; Ms. Madia Droppers; Ms. Vicki Evans; Ms. Laci Hettick; Ms. Rebecca Jensen; Ms. Jennifer Lofswold; Mr. Peni Mounga; Ms. Lara Nelson; Ms. Hillary Robinson; Ms. Rachael Gilbertson.

The University College brings together all the academic support services at NSU. Students have access to a Tutoring Center that is staffed by trained tutors to provide tutoring in math, reading, and writing. The Tutoring Center provides assistance for students taking math and statistics courses, reading tutoring that provides comprehension strategies for content area, and writing help that will assist students with assignments that involve writing for any of their classes. Tutoring can be requested for other subjects as needed. There are also Supplemental Instruction study groups for a variety of general education courses. All of these services are provided free of charge to NSU students.

Academic advising is another area where the University College provides support for students, coordinating the overall NSU academic advising process. In addition to assisting in selecting, adding, and dropping classes, each semester advisors help students by giving guidance and providing a support network all the way through to graduation. Academic advisors educate students about their responsibility to, and the importance of, their education.

The University College also offers students the opportunity to participate in the learning communities it coordinates. These learning communities consist of two or three general education courses that are linked by a Freshman Seminar course. These seminars teach students study skills, provide information about university resources and show students how to link their career goals with academic majors at NSU.

The two federally-funded TRiO programs at NSU are housed in the University College as well. These programs are designed to help students prepare for and graduate from college, and are open to those students who parents have not graduated from college and/or are from a low-income background, or who have a disability. The first TRiO program is Student Support Services (SSS). TRiO-SSS provides intensive advising and tutoring for NSU students through graduation. The second is TRiO-Upward Bound. This program works with high schools in northeastern South Dakota, providing students with a school-year academic program and a six-week summer college experience.

For more information concerning the University College, its programs and services, please contact the Office of the Director, University College, Northern State University, 1200 South Jay St., Aberdeen, SD 57401-7198. Phone number: (605) 626-7782.