ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University President Dr. Timothy Downs has been appointed to serve on the board of directors for two regional nonprofit organizations: the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Northeastern South Dakota.

Downs began Jan. 1 on the Aberdeen Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and is eligible to serve two, three-year terms. The Chamber¡¯s mission is to serve as the leading business advocate for the economic health and vitality of its membership, community and the greater Aberdeen area. The Board of Directors¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University's 2017 spring commencement will take place Saturday, May 6.

The ceremony will begin at 10:30 a.m. in the Barnett Center on the NSU campus.

Tickets are not required; the public is welcome. Doors open at least an hour before the ceremony.

The spring ceremony lasts approximately two hours. All guests are encouraged to stay until the end of the ceremony to honor all graduates.

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University and Avera Health will continue a longtime partnership that provides on-campus health care for NSU students at no cost.

NSU and Avera have signed a 10-year agreement for Avera to operate NSU Health Services through July 31, 2027.

¡°This is an exceptional opportunity to continue to provide our students with excellent health care without additional costs,¡± said Dr. Timothy Downs, NSU president.

Avera¡¯s on-campus health care at NSU dates back to 1992, when Aberdeen Family Physicians (now Avera Aberdeen Family¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Dr. Kelly Duncan, dean of the Northern State University Millicent Atkins School of Education, has co-authored another article for the Journal of Counseling and Development.

The article, titled ¡°Meta-Analysis of Counseling Outcomes for Youth with Conduct Disorders,¡± was published this month.

Duncan and her fellow colleagues sought to meta-analyze information related to the potential impact of counseling in treating youth conduct disorders. Their studies compiled information from 21 clinical trials, in which they concluded that the lasting¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C The 47^th annual South Dakota Jazz Festival Concert will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, featuring internationally celebrated NSU alum, Doug Woolverton.

Doug Woolverton, NSU graduate of 2004, will serve as guest performer at the festival, which will culminate in an evening performance at 7:30 p.m. in the NSU Johnson Fine Arts Center.

The South Dakota Jazz Festival brings together more than 200 students from high school jazz groups across South Dakota and the Upper Midwest,¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C The first Northern State University Visit Day of 2017 will be held Friday, Jan. 20, on the NSU campus.

Prospective students and their families are invited to NSU Visit Day beginning at 12:30 p.m. Activities begin in the Student Center and continue around campus.

The schedule is as follows:

12:30 p.m.: Check-in/information fair (Student Center Mezzanine)

1 p.m.: Welcome (Centennial Rooms)

1:15 p.m.: NSU Panel (representatives from Residence Life, Financial Aid,¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Joshua Opp will have his senior recital at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 12 in Krikac Auditorium on the campus of Northern State University.

Opp, the son of Allen and Melissa Kienow of Aberdeen, is a 2008 graduate of Aberdeen Central High School.

Opp, a music education (orchestra) major, plays the viola. He will perform ¡°Sarabande¡± by Carl Bohm, ¡°Gavotte and Mazurka¡± by Hans Sitt, ¡°Hoffmeister Viola Concerto (Movement 2 Adagio)¡± by Franz Anton Hoffmeister, ¡°Romanian Peasant Dance¡± by Constantin Dimitrescu, and ¡°Spanish Dance¡± by Moritz Moszkowski. He will¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University will host four Cracker Barrel sessions during the 2017 legislative session.

The first Cracker Barrel is set for 10 a.m.-noon Saturday, Feb. 4, in the Student Center Centennial Rooms. NSU President Dr. Timothy Downs will provide the welcome.

Cracker Barrels will also be held at NSU on Feb. 11, Feb. 25 and March 4. Each event will take place at the same time and same location on campus: 10 a.m.-noon in the Centennial Rooms.

Cracker Barrels provide an opportunity for community members to speak with South¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D., has released the dean¡¯s list for the fall 2016 semester.

Students who have earned at least a 3.5 grade point average for the semester are eligible for the dean¡¯s list. There are four categories:

? Full-time students with a GPA of 4.0.

? Full-time students with a GPA of 3.5-3.99.

? Part-time students with a GPA of 4.0.

? Part-time students with a GPA of 3.5-3.99.

Students who achieved dean¡¯s list status and requested that their names be released to the media are¡­ more

ABERDEEN, S.D. ¨C Auditions for child actors to play the roles of Jane and Michael Banks in this April¡¯s NSU Theater production of Mary Poppins will be conducted Saturday, Jan. 14, in the Black Box Theater in the Johnson Fine Arts Center.

The time for the auditions will be 11 a.m. to noon.

¡°Anyone who has seen the film knows what an important part the Banks children play in the story,¡± said Director Daniel Yurgaitis. ¡°Whichever children are cast will also get the opportunity to fly with Mary Poppins in performance, too!¡±