Students, faculty and staff of North Dakota State University:

I am writing this letter to the faculty, staff, and students of North Dakota State University to thank you for your extreme hard work and flexibility during the ongoing flood fight these past weeks.

You have come together and joined the Fargo-Moorhead community. People who came to help or report the news found our strength and determination to be extraordinary. I am deeply gratified to be part of this impressive group of people.

To our students from the area, and from around the nation and the world, I say a special thank you. I am proud of the way you gave of your time and effort in a vital contribution to the success of this effort.

To staff and faculty, who also gave generously of their time, some fighting for their own homes, some fighting for the homes of people they've never met, also a very heartfelt thanks. Every person made a difference.

We have much left to do. We must remain vigilant until the second crest, predicted for April 15-22, and we need to remain strong as a community to meet the challenges of clean up ahead. We will return to normal operations as quickly as possible. We will do so knowing we have made a difference.

Sincerely,
Joe

Joseph A. Chapman, President

Message from Provost regarding academic calendar

North Dakota State University is proud of the enormous response from our students, faculty, and staff towards flood-fighting effort. The time and effort they willingly offered was astonishing. Thank you for what you have done.

As the region begins the recovery process, our institution must address missed classes. Since our students and faculty have other commitments that would be difficult for them to keep otherwise, we have decided to adhere to our current academic calendar with the exception of classes Monday evening, April 13.

Commencement will be held as scheduled on May 15 and 16. Summer school will begin on Monday, May 18 as scheduled.

To assist with instructional objectives, no exams are to be given during the weeks of April 6-9 and May 4-8. Faculty will focus on instruction only. Finals week will not be used for instruction, it will remain only for examinations.

Library hours will be extended starting April 13, from 6 am to midnight.

The Graduate School will give priority to helping those students completing and to process applications/admission for Fall 2009.

We believe that the best way to ensure that the learning objectives are covered in class is to empower our capable instructors to develop their own plan with student input. The faculty will submit those plans in writing to their department chair/head. Faculty will also be accessible to students outside of class, including extension of office hours.

Here are some of the suggested strategies our instructors may follow:

a. Reorganize/prioritize class materials
b. Use of technology (BlackBoard/WIMBA)
c. Expand take home assignments
d. Use additional course time but check with Registrar for room usage, give consideration to student perspective, videotape lectures
e. Reschedule of laboratories will be coordinated by departments

If difficulties are encountered, students and faculty should first meet with their department chair/head; then, the dean; and finally, the Provost.

We all need to be flexible and reasonable, and to communicate openly with one another. With the help of our extraordinary students, faculty and staff, we anticipate a smooth finish to what has proven to be an eventful spring.

R. Craig Schnell
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs

Message to students from Registration and Records

Due to the continued closure of NDSU, advising/registration dates have been adjusted and extended. Please check Campus Connection for your updated registration appointment.

Students are encouraged to see their advisor prior to registering for classes. If you register during the period that NDSU is closed, please confirm your schedule with your advisor when classes resume, and make the necessary adjustments as soon as possible. Priority advising appointments will be extended to seniors and juniors during the first few days that NDSU is back in full operation.

While the dates for most student classifications have been moved out, they are in the same sequence as originally assigned. Following are the adjusted registration time periods:

Senior/Graduate/Pharm.D. registration already has begun and registration appointments will remain as originally assigned.

Junior registration now begins on Wednesday, April 8

Sophomore registration now begins Tuesday, April 14.

Freshmen registration now begins Tuesday, April 21.

Open Enrollment now begins Friday, May 1.

Thank you for your understanding and flexibility during this challenging time.

Updated information regarding employee paychecks

As clarification to a previous announcement regarding pay for the time period of noon, 3/27-4/5, employees will receive their normal pay for the closure.

This does not pertain to hourly student employees and hourly non-benefitted employees. If you are in one of these employment categories, and perform work during this time, you will be compensated for actual hours worked.

NDSU's main campus and downtown campus is officially closed, with the exception of emergency personnel, until midnight Sunday, April 5th. NDSU will officially re-open for normal operation at 12:01 a.m. Monday, April 6th. All employees should report at their normal start time on this date, unless otherwise notified. If you are unable to report to work at that time, please contact your supervisor.

On March 31st direct deposits will appear in your accounts as normal, please check with your bank for deposit amount. Pay advises will be distributed to your office locations, at a later date.

Employees will receive regular pay during this closure.

If you have any questions regarding your paycheck, please send an email to Tricia Johnson at: tricia.johnson@ndsu.edu

NDSU Flood Fighters in Action

Watch video of NDSU students helping with flood fight.
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Alumnus works to protect Fargo from floodwaters

NDSU alumnus Scott Satermo is in the very thick of Fargo's battle against
the Red River floodwaters. As the owner of Rising Sun Construction and
North Core Corp., his crews are helping to build...
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NDSU students help run Flood Central Call Center

Emergency management students responded to the call for help on Monday
from Carol Cwiak, faculty and internship coordinator for the emergency
management program at NDSU's Department of...
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Weathering tough times made easier by reducing personal stress

Flooding in some regions of North Dakota and Minnesota is raising concerns about personal or family stress. "Personal stress often results when we experience factors beyond our control...
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NDSU safe from river flooding

NDSU officials said the campus is not threatened by the Red River flood conditions. However there would be cause for concern...
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Tetanus vaccines are not needed until flood cleanup begins

Officials from the NDSU Student Health Service and the State Health Department say that floodwaters will not increase your risk for tetanus, and vaccines are not necessary unless dealing with...
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Bison basketball team helps with flood fight

Last week, the Bison men's basketball players were battling on the court during
the team's first NCAA Division I tournament appearance. Now, they've joined ...
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Students and staff in North Fargo bucket brigade

Tyler Schwantes and his buddies are digging into their first flood fight with all
they've got. Schwantes, an NDSU management information systems major, spent
Monday sandbagging in neighborhoods from...
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NDSU students rally to Fargo's flood-fighting efforts

NDSU students and faculty were out in force for sandbagging efforts at the
FargoDome on Monday. After getting her own water issues under control,
Kayla Peterson, an NDSU animal health major said she ...
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Students help with sandbagging efforts

A ribbon of students, four abreast, snaked its way from behind the Memorial Union
to the bus stop in front of Old Main. All of them were ready to help with
sandbagging efforts in Fargo. They climbed...
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International students help with flood prevention efforts

Yangbo He and Yang Gao, two plant science graduate students from Harbin, China,
were playfully tapping on each other's arms and laughing as they waited in a long line ...
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