North Dakota State University

North Dakota State University was founded as North Dakota Agricultural College in 1890 as the state's land-grant university. NDSU is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity". As of 2021, NDSU offers 94 undergraduate majors, 146 undergraduate degree programs, 5 undergraduate certificate programs, 84 undergraduate minors, 87 master's degree programs, 52 doctoral degree programs of study, and 210 graduate certificate programs.

NDSU is part of the North Dakota University System. It is the largest university in the state of North Dakota. The university also operates North Dakota's agricultural research extension centers distributed across the state on 18,488 acres (75 km2). In 2015, NDSU's economic impact on the state and region was estimated to be $1.3 billion a year according to the NDUS Systemwide Economic Study by the School of Economics at North Dakota State University.In 2016, it was also the fifth-largest employer in the state of North Dakota.

History

Founding

The bill founding North Dakota Agricultural College (NDAC) was signed on March 8, 1890, one year after North Dakota became a state and seven years after initial plans to start an agricultural college in the northern portion of the Dakota Territory. NDAC was established as North Dakota's land-grant institution.

On October 15, 1890, Horace E. Stockbridge became the first NDAC president and the Board of Trustees was formed.[18] Classes were initially held in six classrooms rented from Fargo College. A provisional course was held on January 6, 1891, and the first regular class of students was admitted on September 8, 1891. College Hall (Old Main), completed in 1892, was the first building and consisted of offices, classrooms, and a library.

20th century

In 1908, the school's alma mater "The Yellow and The Green" was written and a year later the school's official colors, Yellow and Green, were selected. In 2015 a change was made where only the first verse of the alma mater is recognized by the university.

NDAC continued to grow and was renamed North Dakota State University on November 8, 1960, after a statewide referendum. The name change was to reflect the increasing field of study breadth of the institution.

A 36-acre (15 ha) area including 12 historic buildings was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as North Dakota State University District in 1986.

21st century

Around the start of the 21st century, NDSU began a phase of growth.

NDSU surpassed 10,000 students in the fall of 2000 for the first time, and by Fall Semester of 2009, NDSU increased enrollment by another 10% to 14,189 students.[22] Enrollment in 2018 stood at 13,650.

Research, athletic programs, and campus facilities benefited from increases in student enrollment. Between 2000 and 2007, NDSU added a number of undergraduate programs and 31 graduate programs. Several buildings have been built or expanded and remodeled over the past seven years, including the Wallman Wellness Center, Memorial Union, and the College of Business.

In 2004, all athletic programs moved to Division I.