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North Dakota State University

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North Dakota State University
The Seal of North Dakota State University
Motto"For the land, and its people."
TypePublic, Land Grant
Established1890
PresidentJoseph A. Chapman
Undergraduates10,426
Postgraduates1,600
Location
Fargo
,
North Dakota
,
United States
Campus22,058 acres (89.27 km²) total. Fargo campus 258 acres (1.04 km²)
AthleticsNorth Dakota State Bison
ColorsYellow and Green
MascotThundar
Websitewww.ndsu.edu

North Dakota State University (NDSU) is an American state-supported university and the second largest school in the 11 campus North Dakota University System. It offers bachelor's, master's, doctoral, and first professional degrees. Founded as "North Dakota Agricultural College" in 1890 as a land-grant university, it sits on a 258 acre (1 km²) campus in an urban setting in Fargo, North Dakota. However, the school also operates several agricultural research farms around the state, which brings its total land holdings past 22,000 acres (89 km²).

NDSU uses a semester system. Over 12,000 students attend the school, the vast majority of which are full-time. 43% of the students are female and 57% are male. Since 1999, NDSU has generated more than a $1 billion impact on North Dakota's economy. NDSU employs over 1,900 people.

The school colors are yellow and green. The athletic teams, known as The Bison, formerly competed in NCAA Division II, but as of 2004 are competing in NCAA Division I. NDSU's student newspaper is The Spectrum.

Campus

North Dakota State University is located in Fargo, North Dakota. Fargo is the largest city in the state of North Dakota. The main campus comprises 258 acres (1.04 km²) of land, while the entire campus, including research stations and a Downtown Fargo campus, is over 22,058 acres (89.27 km²) in area. There are over 100 buildings on the main campus and an additional 237 Agricultural Experiment Station Buildings.

The NDSU campus offers its own police force, food service, medical facilities, recreation facilities, and power facilities.

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

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, 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 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 article: North Dakota State Bison

Formerly a NCAA Division II institution, North Dakota State's intercollegiate sports teams now participate in NCAA Division I in all sports (I-AA in football and in Division I in all other sponsored sports). NDSU was a charter member of the Division II North Central Conference (NCC), however the university's only current conference affiliation is the Great West Football Conference. The school has been searching for a new conference since its move to Division I. Likely conferences include the Mid-Continent Conference, and the Big Sky Conference. NDSU's official athletic symbol is the bison. Although the teams are sometimes called "The Thundering Herd", the official nickname is "The Bison".

NDSU is known for its intense athletic rivalry with the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. In the past, the football teams of the two schools would compete for the "Nickel Trophy" - an oversized replica of an Indian Head nickel. One side of the trophy has a Native American representing the UND Sioux team and the other has an American bison representing the NDSU team. The oversized coin is dated 1889, the year North Dakota gained statehood. However, with NDSU's move to Division I athletics, the athletic rivalry between the two campuses is at a standstill. In June of 2006, UND announced that it too would be moving all athletics to Division I so it is likely that the UND/NDSU rivalry will once again be renewed in the near future.

Some Bison fans have begun to regard South Dakota State University (another Division I school and an opponent for over a century) as a new major rival for NDSU. The two schools now compete for the Dakota Marker Trophy - a replica of the original stone border markers between North Dakota and South Dakota.

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 national championships on eight separate occasions (1965, 1968, 1969, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990) before moving to Division I-AA in 2004.

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 men's basketball team won an upset victory over the University of Wisconsin on January 21, 2006, potentially increasing the chances of being accepted into a conference.

The wrestling program has also had a fair share of success winning three Division II team titles (1988, 2000, 2001), The Wrestling team also recently joined with seven other institutions to create the Western Wrestling Conference.

Campus media

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

Notable alumni

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