NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY


'North Dakota State University' ('NDSU') is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota, United States. Currently, over 12,000 students attend classes on the NDSU campus. Founded as "North Dakota Agricultural College" in 1890 as a land grant institution, it sits on a 258 acre (1 km²) campus in an urban setting. The school also operates several agricultural research centers around the state which brings total land holdings past 22,000 acres (89 km²). NDSU is a part of the North Dakota University System.
NDSU offers 356 separate academic options from the Bachelor's degree to the doctoral level including 103 bachelor's, 75 minors, 56 master's, 43 doctoral, and three professional degrees. NDSU uses a semester system (Fall and Spring, with the addition of two summer sessions). The majority of students are full-time. 45.3% of the students are female and 54.7% are male.
Since 1999, NDSU has generated more than a $1 billion impact on North Dakota's economy [1]. NDSU is a comprehensive doctoral research university with programs involved in high research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation.[1] NDSU employs over 5,300 people in all of its capacities. The current president is Dr. Joseph A. Chapman.

Contents
Campuses
Main campus
Southern area
Central area
North area
Athletic area
Research and technology park
NDSU downtown
Agricultural experiment stations
Current construction and expansion
Academics
Libraries
Residence Life
Residence Halls
Research
Athletics
Performing arts
Greek life
Fraternities
Professional fraternities
Sororities
Campus media
Notable alumni
Notes
External links

Campuses


Gates to North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU consists of several campuses including: the main campus, NDSU Downtown, and several agricultural experiment station campuses.
Main campus

The main campus sits on 258 acres (1.04 km²) of beautiful, well landscaped land and consists of over 100 major buildings. The main campus features hundreds of flowerbeds and trees of great variety, all supported by the University’s extensive agricultural programs.
The main campus is bordered by 19th Avenue to the North, University Drive to the East, and 12th Avenue to the South.
Located in the historic Minard – South Engineering quad is the Babbling Brook. The Babbling Brook is a large water feature that offers students a serene location to relax and unwind. Enhancing the area are several waterfalls, various fish and flowers, an amphitheater, and "buffalo-rubbed" rocks. This area also offers a space for the holding of classes outdoors as well as performances.
Over the years NDSU’s main campus was aesthetically enhanced with many monuments including: an F-104, the Bjornson Memorial Obelisk, Theatre Passion: Mask Sculpture, We Will Never Forget Memorial, and Noble's Golden Marguerite, among many others.
Southern area

The Southeastern area of campus consists of many of NDSU’s historic buildings including Old Main, Minard Hall, Ceres Hall, Putnam Hall, South Engineering, and Morrill Hall. The Southwestern area consists of agricultural research centers, the USDA, State Seed, and many research plots.
Central area

The central area of campus is one of the busiest areas on campus. The central area consists of the Engineering Complex, Sheppard’s Arena, and many academic buildings. The central campus is also home to the Industrial Agricultural Communications Center (IACC) which is a technology powerhouse for the entire state. The IACC contains several hundred computers; computer servers for many of the Universities in the North Dakota University System; and many other technologies and communication devices.
Old Main at North Dakota State University

The NDSU Memorial Union is also situated within the central campus. The NDSU Memorial Union is a structure built for the sole purpose of serving student’s social needs. The NDSU Memorial Union is nearing completion of a multi-million dollar addition and renovation. The addition consists of over 68,000 square feet to be used for dining facilities, student offices, lounges, meeting and a new ballroom. The renovation includes redesigning the main concourse to better serve students, implementation of a one stop shop to meet many of the student’s administrative needs, and more.
When the addition and renovation are complete the NDSU Memorial Union will consist of six restaurants, a coffee shop, a dining center, a rec center, including a bowling alley, a bookstore, a convenience store, large, spacious lounges and meeting rooms, a radio station and much more. The large outdoor area to the east of the of the NDSU Memorial Union, known as Churchill Field, will be converted to a large quad consisting of plazas, water features, amphitheaters, and landscaping features. The quad will provide a great area for students to hang out and relax and will serve as a focal point for outdoor performances and recreations.
North area

Just north of the central area of campus is a large area that consists of many academic buildings, residence halls, and dining centers. This area is easily recognizable as four residential high-rises rise above the landscape. The high-rises are surrounded by grassy quads, an amphitheater, and sand-volleyball and basketball courts. In between the four identical high-rises is a dining center that serves the 1000+ residents of the high-rises. Tunnels connect the high-rises and the dining center to ease travel. A large new upper-class student residence facility is to the west of the high-rises. To the east is another dining center serving other nearby residence halls and 1000+ residents.
This area of campus is also home to the NDSU Wellness Center and YMCA. The Wellness Center, which was completed in 2002, is nearing completion of a multi-million dollar addition. The addition will include several basketball courts, a multipurpose gym, several racquetball courts, a large free-weight area, spinning and cycling rooms, martial arts facilities, and the state’s tallest rock climbing formation, among many other features.
Athletic area

Further north is area of campus that consists of many athletic facilities including the Bentson-Bunker Fieldhouse, Bison Sports Arena, Fargodome, Newman Outdoor Field, Ellig Sports Complex, McCormick Wrestling Complex, Dacotha Field, Schlanser Track, and others.
A multi-million dollar addition and renovation of Bison Sports Arena is to begin summer 2007. Talks are currently underway about the possibility of building a new basketball arena and attaching it to the Fargodome.
Research and technology park

The Research and Technology Park is a 55 acre site of innovation and technology; the site sits to the west of the north area of campus. The Research and Technology Park consists of entities that research and develop nano technologies, RFID, polymers and coatings, high performance computing, and others.
To supplement the Research and Technology Park the Center for Technology Enterprise was developed to assist startup entities and the NDSU Development Foundation built an extended stay hotel.
NDSU downtown

NDSU Downtown is a growing campus of North Dakota State University. This mini-campus started in 2004 with the purchase and renovation of the Northern School Supply building at NP Avenue and 8th Street north in downtown Fargo. In 2006, the NDSU Development Foundation purchased the Pioneer Mutual Life Insurance Building and Lincoln Mutual Life & Casualty Insurance Building along 2nd Avenue North between 8th and 10th Street in downtown Fargo from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of North Dakota. The buildings and subsequent additions will house the College of Business and some architectural programs. The area surrounding the buildings will be developed into a "mini-campus" with large grass areas, trees, and other amenities. To further supplement the area local developers immediately expressed interest in developing the area after campus expansions were reported. To assist in travel between NDSU Downtown and the main campus, a free busing system will be available as well as a large walking and biking path.
Agricultural experiment stations

North Dakota State University has many experiment stations across the state that encompass over 22,053 acres (89.24 km²) in total. Major NDSU research and experiment stations are located near Carrington, Casselton, Dickinson, Fargo, Hettinger, Langdon, Minot, Streeter, and Williston.
Current construction and expansion

NDSU is currently growing at an exceptional rate. NDSU's recent move to NCAA Division I athletics coupled with the addition of many academic programs and research opportunities has led to a nearly 20% increase in enrollment in 5 years.
Recently completed and future projects include:

★ Minard Hall addition and renovations - additions have been completed, renovations have begun.

★ NDSU Technology Park - a 55 acre site that contains many research buildings and a hotel.

★ The new College of Business buildings - to include many classrooms, auditoriums, and a finance room featuring live market analysis and world news feeds.

★ Living Learning Center East and West, Bison Court, and F Court - residential buildings.

★ Wellness Center - additions and renovations affecting over 70,000 square feet.

★ Memorial Union - additions and renovations encompassing nearly 200,000 square feet.

★ NDSU Downtown - includes the art department, architecture, and college of business.

★ Upper Great Plains Transportation Institute - researches urban and rural transportation and logistics.

★ NDSU Library expansion - studies are being conducted regarding the building of a 40+ million dollar new library.

★ Research Greenhouses - 16 million dollars worth of funding has been approved to build new research facilities.

★ Athletic facilities upgrades and expansions - includes remodeling of current facilities and the prospect of a new basketball arena.
Many privately funded projects are also underway around the campus. These include shopping areas, restaurants, student housing, and beautification, among others.

Academics


North Dakota State University is well known for many of its academic programs. Not only are many of NDSU's academic programs nationally known, but NDSU offers many unique degree programs including: Communication and Signal Processing, Emergency Management, Health Communication, and Behavioral Statistics.
North Dakota State University is divided into the following colleges:
:
★ College of Agriculture, Food Systems & Natural Resources
:
★ College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
:
★ College of Business
:
★ College of Engineering and Architecture
:
★ College of Human Development and Education
:
★ College of Pharmacy, Nursing, and Allied Sciences
:
★ College of Science and Mathematics
:
★ College of University Studies
:
★ Graduate School
Additionally NDSU has the following academic divisions:
:
★ Continuing Education
:
★ Cooperative Education
:
★ International Programs
103 bachelor's, 75 minors, 79 options, 56 master's, 43 doctoral, and three professional degrees make up North Dakota State University. NDSU offers a unique major unknown as University Studies that allows a student to study in nearly any area that interests them. To enhance learning among its students, NDSU offers many online classes, online academic portals, and technology enhanced classrooms.
Libraries

Total collections at NDSU libraries include nearly 1.4 million units.
Libraries at NDSU:

★ Main Library - As of 2003, the main library contained over 400,000 books and 100,000 individual periodicals. The library also offers electronic books, government documents, maps, electronic resources, Microforms, non-print materials, and slide sets.

★ H.J. Klosterman Chemistry Library - This library contains nearly 7,300 books as well as serials, periodicals, a reference collection, a number of microfilms, theses, and indexes.

★ Architecture and Landscape Architecture Library - This library contains more than 13,000 books. Other offerings include periodicals, slides, microfilms, theses, and audio-visual equipment.

★ Philip N. Haakenson Health Sciences Library - Contains various material relating to health sciences.

★ Institute of Regional Studies

Residence Life


North Dakota State University's department of Residence Life ensures that a healthy, vibrant learning environment is provided to students living on the campus. The Department of Residence Life has established residence halls in which to provide this environment.
Residence Halls

There are 12 residence halls at NDSU:

★ Burgum Hall

★ Churchill Hall

★ Dinan Hall

Johnson Hall

★ Niskanen Apartments

★ Living Learning Center

★ Pavek Hall

Reed Hall

★ Seim Hall

★ Sevrinson Hall

★ Stockbridge Hall

★ Thompson Hall
An additional Living Learning Center, called Living Learning Center West, is being constructed on the west side of campus. This is projected to be complete in 2008.

Research


NDSU is a major component of the Red River Valley Research Corridor and does research in many areas. According to the National Science Foundation, NDSU is the largest research institution in the state of North Dakota. NDSU’s position is the highest National Science Foundation ranking in the states of North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming and Idaho and is also among the top 100 research universities in the United States in six research categories including both federal and non-federal research expenditures. NDSU's annual research expenditures exceed 100 million dollars. NDSU is among North America's "35 Best Places to Work for Postdocs”, according to a survey published in The Scientist's March 1, 2006 issue.
Major fields of research at NDSU include nanotechnology, RFID technology, agriculture, and polymers/coatings. NDSU also has a 55 acre (223,000 m²) Technology Park located on the north side of the main campus.

Athletics


Main articles: North Dakota State Bison

NDSU's sports teams are known as the North Dakota State Bison, or simply The Bison; however, they are also known as "The Thundering Herd". NDSU's athletic symbol is the American Bison.
North Dakota State's intercollegiate sports teams participate in NCAA Division I in all sports (Division I Championship Subdivision in football). NDSU was a charter member of the Division II North Central Conference (NCC), and made the move to Division I sports in the fall of 2004. NDSU spent the next two years as an independent in Division I in all sports other than football in which it is a member of the Great West Football Conference. The school was accepted into The Summit League on August 31, 2006 and will begin play in that conference on July 1, 2007. The football team left the Great West Football Conference and joined the Gateway Football Conference on March 7, 2007. They will become a full member of the conference during the 2008 season.
The Bison football team, which plays their home games at the Fargodome, was the winningest program in NCC history with twenty-six conference championships. A dominant force in NCAA Division II, and its predecessor NCAA College Division, they won eight national championships (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990) before moving to Division I Championship Subdivision in 2004. In November 2006, the Bison football team won their first Division I Championship Subdivision Great West Football Conference title against the South Dakota State University Jackrabbits.
The men's and women's Bison basketball teams play in the Bison Sports Arena. The women's basketball team was also a dominant force in Division II throughout the 1990's. They won five titles during the decade (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996). In January of 2006, the NCAA recognized NDSU's four consecutive Division II Women's Basketball Championships (1993 - 1996) as one of the "25 Most Defining Moments in NCAA History."
The Bison wrestling program has also had great success winning four Division II team titles (1988, 1998, 2000, 2001). The team is fully eligible for the Division I tournament competition. They recently joined with six other institutions to create the Western Wrestling Conference.

Performing arts


The Division of Fine Arts offers four performance facilities:

Festival Concert Hall - An acoustically excellent, 1000-seat hall, opened in 1981. FCH is the concert home for all NDSU music major ensembles, such as the F-M Symphony and the F-M Opera.

★ Beckwith Recital Hall - A smaller setting with a seating capacity of 200. It is used as a classroom for art and music as well as faculty, student and small group recitals.

★ Askanase Auditorium - A 380-seat proscenium theatre. The Little Country Theatre uses the space for a majority of their productions.

★ Walsh Studio Theatre - A flexible studio-laboratory "black box" theatre. It is located in Askanase Hall.

Greek life


Greek life has been a part of the NDSU campus since 1913 and there are currently 15 national fraternities and sororities. The Greek community has over 500 students. In 2005, the 15 fraternities and sororities at NDSU raised nearly $100,000 and served over 5,500 hours to local and national charities.[2]
Fraternities


Alpha Gamma Rho - 1913

Sigma Alpha Epsilon - 1935

Delta Upsilon - 1970

Theta Chi - 1917

Sigma Nu - 1962

Sigma Chi - 1934

Alpha Tau Omega - 1932

FarmHouse - 1955

Sigma Phi Delta - 1928

Tau Kappa Epsilon - 1955
Professional fraternities


Kappa Psi (Pharmacy) - 1924
Sororities


Alpha Gamma Delta - 1930

Kappa Alpha Theta - 1947

Kappa Delta - 1924

★ Ceres - 1994

Campus media


NDSU's student newspaper is ''The Spectrum''. NDSU also has a campus magazine. "Thunder Radio", an NDSU radio station, operates on KNDS-LP 105.9 FM and offers online streaming.

Notable alumni



Mark Andrews - former U.S. Senator

Bob Backlund - former World Wrestling Federation champion wrestler

David Bernauer - CEO Walgreens

Tyrone Braxton - former NFL player

Douglas Burgum - senior vice president of Microsoft Business Solutions

Alf Clausen - composer for "The Simpsons" as well as other television programs and motion pictures

Stan Dardis - President and CEO of Bremer Financial Corporation

Lamar Gordon - current NFL player

William L. Guy - former governor of North Dakota

Phil Hansen - former NFL player

Arthur A. Link - former governor of North Dakota

Earl Mindell - writer and nutritionist

Steve Nelson - former NFL player

Mancur Olson - 20th century economist and social scientist

★ Gen. Charles F. Wald - former Deputy Commander of United States European Command

Milton R. Young - former U.S. Senator

Notes


1. [2] ''The Carnegie Foundation...Classifications '' Retrieved on July 1,2007.
2. http://www.ndsu.edu/memorial_union/greek/

External links



NDSU official website

NDSU Athletics website

''The Spectrum'' website - NDSU's student-run newspaper

NDSU Student Government website

NDSU Alumni Association

NDSU Development Foundation

NDSU Magazine

NDSU Research and Technology Park

ndbison.com - website that contains information for NDSU students (not affiliated with NDSU)

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