News Release

Contacts: Robert T. Tad Perry, Executive Director

tadp@sdbor.edu

Tracy Mercer, Information Research Analyst

tracym@sdbor.edu

T: 605.773.3455

F: 605.773.5320

www.sdbor.edu

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Thursday, May 29, 2008

NSU Student Groups Recognized

ABERDEEN, S.D. – The South Dakota Board of Regents recognized outstanding student groups from Northern State University at its meeting this week.

Student organization award winners from NSU were:

• Award for Academic Excellence – Music Educators National Conference (MENC) is a NSU organization that provides support to future music educators and works to improve their academic environment. MENC encourages members to continue in their education by awarding scholarships to those who show leadership and participation. The organization also offers many learning opportunities in the field of music education. MENC formed and organized the first annual Young Artist’s Competition and continued to help with the Region IV music contest and the NSU Jazz Festival. Members also benefit from the Returning Graduates program, in which NSU graduates return to talk about their experiences as new teachers in music education.
  
  
• Award for Community Service – NSU Student Ambassadors participated in more than two dozen service events in their community in the past year. Community services they provide were participating in the Adopt-a-Highway program and the Aberdeen Park and Recreation’s Haunted Forest program. At Christmas, members sang at a local nursing home and rang bells for the Salvation Army. Throughout the year Student Ambassadors volunteer to serve as official student representatives at numerous university and alumni events. The group also provided assistance to the campus community by raising money to help with medical bills for two NSU students battling cancer. 
  
  
• Award for Organizational Leadership – Masquers promotes dramatic activities at the campus and community level. When NSU hosted the state one-act play competition, members of Masquers assisted the 42 schools participating in the event. Giving back to the university, the group assisted the NSU Foundation with the Northern Night scholarship fundraising event. Masquers also took on a year-long initiative to raise money for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, the professional theater community’s response to the AIDS crisis.