NEWS

ABERDEEN, S.D.?–?Northern State University invites the campus and Aberdeen community to welcome Dr. Alan LaFave at a public reception on Friday, Nov. 21, from 3–5 p.m. in Kessler's Champion Club in the Barnett Center.

The reception will provide an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members to meet Northern's incoming president and his wife, Kari LaFave. Nathan Lukkes, executive director and CEO of the South Dakota Board of Regents, will attend the reception and formally introduce President LaFave, who will offer brief remarks at 4 p.m…

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Northern State University Art Department hosted the 2025 South Dakota Art Education Association + South Dakota College Art Association State Conference Oct. 9–11 on campus.

The event welcomed around 100 art professionals and educators from across the state. More than 30 lectures and workshops focused on art techniques, concepts and pedagogy.

The keynote presentation was given by Mural On The Wall (OTW), a community-based mural team from Vermillion, South Dakota. The group’s core members, Amber Hansen and Reyna Hernandez, have…

ABERDEEN, S.D.?– Kristen Brown, assistant professor of English at Northern State University, recently presented her research on the fiery poetics of Muscogee author Joy Harjo at the Western American Literature Conference in Oklahoma City.

Brown serves on the Executive Council for the international organization, which celebrated its fiftieth year. She also chairs their WLA and Charles Redd K-12 Teaching Award, which recognizes exceptional K-12 teaching plans related to the North American West. During the conference, she joined the Sustainability Committee, which…

ABERDEEN, S.D. – Northern State University's Student Government Association has partnered with Aberdeen Ride Line to launch WolfLine, a pilot transportation program designed to help students access essential shopping destinations during the winter months.

The pilot program will run from late November 2025 through the end of March 2026, providing students who do not have access to a vehicle with safe, reliable transportation to local grocery stores and retailers during the colder months when walking or biking becomes difficult. The first WolfLine ride…

ABERDEEN, S.D.?– Northern State University is introducing a new scholarship opportunity designed to make higher education more accessible for post-traditional and transfer students beginning in fall 2026.

The Maroon and Gold Scholarship—named for Northern’s official colors—provides a $1,000 one-time award for eligible students returning to college, transferring from another institution, or first-time students who meet eligibility requirements.

“This scholarship reinforces Northern’s commitment to providing affordable, high-quality education for…

ABERDEEN, S.D. — The South Dakota Board of Regents announced today the appointment of Dr. Alan LaFave as Northern State University's next president. Northern is pleased to welcome Dr. LaFave, who will assume the presidency in January.

Dr. LaFave returns to Northern after serving seven years as president of Valley City State University in North Dakota. His appointment marks a homecoming, as Dr. LaFave spent nearly three decades at Northern, advancing from music instructor to provost and vice president for academic affairs.

"I am thrilled, honored and…

ABERDEEN, S.D. –?Northern State University bands will present “Discovery” at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16, in the Johnson Fine Arts Center’s Jewett Theater.

The concert will feature performances by the Symphonic Band, directed by Dr. Audrey Miller, and the Concert Band, directed by Dr. Travis Netzer. The Symphonic Band will perform works by David Maslanka, Eric Whitacre, Erika Svanoe and John Mackey. The Concert Band will perform works by Richard Strauss, Julius Fucik, Claude Debussy, Steve Danyew and Randall Standridge.

All tickets are general admission and…

ABERDEEN, S.D.?– Five students and student groups will compete for cash prizes as they pitch their business ideas Shark Tank-style at Northern State University’s annual Idea Pitch Competition, taking place Tuesday, Nov. 18, at 7 p.m. in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Black Box Theater.

The event, which is free and open to the public, showcases innovative ideas from Northern students and provides an opportunity for the audience to help select the winners of the People’s Choice Award, worth $150.

The finalists and their ideas are:

• Blake…

ABERDEEN, S.D. –?Dr. Lucas Wiscons, assistant professor of criminology and criminal justice at Northern State University, recently presented at the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) South Dakota Conference, held Oct. 16–17 in Huron, S.D.

His presentation, “Justice or Trauma? How Systems of Punishment Create Wounds in People and Communities,” drew from his forthcoming book project and examines how America’s criminal justice system has become the default responder to mental health crises—often with counterproductive results.

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ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Aberdeen University-Civic Symphony invites the public to a concert steeped in sweeping Romantic beauty at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 22 at Northern State University’s Johnson Fine Arts Center Jewett Theater.

Christopher Stanichar, director of the AUCS and NSU associate professor of music, will lead the orchestra. The concert, titled “Autumn Romance,” features the dreamy elegance of Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake,” along with one of the most beloved piano concertos ever written: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18.…