What does it take to shape the trajectory of a university and its students? How do we ensure an NDSU education remains dynamic and innovative while rooted in purpose?
NDSU was built upon the premise of educating people to serve citizens and key industries in North Dakota, the region, and beyond. Our future as a land-grant institution is tied to the relationships we build in and out of our campus gates.
This was true to my own NDSU journey, both as an undergraduate and graduate student. I attribute my development to the people who were willing to invest in me — those who took my trajectory to new heights by lifting me up. My NDSU experience was a launching point for everything that followed.
Now, in my role as director of industry relations at the NDSU Foundation, I see every day how meaningful relationships shape students’ lives in ways that go far beyond the classroom. Through the generosity of NDSU alumni, donors, and industry partners, NDSU students are not just learning in classrooms; they are applying their knowledge in ways that will leave a lasting impact on our state and world.
As you read the stories in this edition, I encourage you to reflect on the relationships that make NDSU’s continued success possible — whether it’s a professor sharing his industry connections with his students, an architecture alumna opening doors for members of her community, a coach and players who are building trust and accountability as a team, parents and donors empowering an engineering student to say “yes” to opportunity, or a company inviting students to learn and network in their inspiring corporate headquarters.
Our collective efforts — faculty, staff, students, alumni, parents, donors, and industry partners — are what propel NDSU forward on this remarkable trajectory where the possibilities are limitless.
Alyssa Teubner ’13
Director of Industry Relations
NDSU Foundation
Margaret and her husband, Hugh Veit ’79, established the Eleanor S. Fitzgerald Memorial Graduate Student Scholarship to support NDSU students earning advanced degrees in the Department of Health, Nutrition, and Exercise Sciences or the Department of Human Development and Family Science.
Core areas of home economics remain part of current NDSU degree programs such as accounting; apparel, retail merchandising, and design; education; family and consumer science; financial planning; human development and family science; interior design; and nutrition science.
Home economics programs opened doors, particularly for women, to earn college degrees and pursue careers in education, Extension, state and federal government, business and industry, health care, and more. NDAC listed domestic economy as one of its courses in its founding year, 1890.
Established by Dr. Teresa Conner, dean of the NDSU College of Health and Human Sciences, and cochaired by Dr. Margaret Fitzgerald ’83 and Col. Esther Meyers ’75, the Wisdom Keepers provide support and share their knowledge and expertise with students, faculty, staff, and leadership in the College.
The home management house at NDAC was the first facility built on a college campus specifically for home management practice. In 1954, it was named in honor of Alba Bales, the first female academic dean at NDAC.
