NDSU will greet new students during a welcome celebration scheduled for Monday, Aug. 25, from 1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Timothy Alvarez, vice president for student affairs, and Sarah Russell, student body president, will address the incoming class and lead them as a group through the university gates, located at the corner of University Drive and 12th Avenue North.
“This is an exciting and unprecedented time to be at NDSU,” Alvarez said, noting this will be one of NDSU’s largest freshman classes. “I will share with our incoming students that our student-focused, land-grant research university has had exceptional success in the academic rigor of our classes, research opportunities and our athletics. I will discuss how our success as a university is inextricably linked to their success as students.”
Alvarez also will introduce Mark Randklev, one of the first students admitted for fall semester. Randklev, a marketing major from Minnetrista, Minnesota, is the son of Keith and Beth Randklev.
Randklev said he is excited to begin classes at NDSU and to meet other students. “I want to challenge myself in the classroom, and develop the skills I need to help me grow intellectually and socially,” he said. “I am looking forward to learning more about my major than I ever have, but I'm also excited to live the college life.”
Randklev’s message to fellow students will include a challenge to pursue success. “Let’s go out and leave our mark on the school. Let’s never settle for mediocrity,” he said. “Let’s be the best in the classroom, on the field and in our lives. Let’s be the people we've always wanted to be. Let’s become the leaders, innovators and role models that we have looked up to our whole lives.
Fall semester classes begin Aug. 25 at 4 p.m., with the first full day of classes on Tuesday, Aug. 26.
NDSU is recognized as one of the nation’s top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.