Valley City State University

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Valley City State University (VCSU) is a baccalaureate- and masters-granting public institution of higher learning in Valley City, North Dakota and one of eleven campuses in the North Dakota University System. It is located on a 55 acre (223,000 m²) campus in the southern part of the city. Founded in 1889 through provisions in the North Dakota State Constitution, VCSU has been a college focusing on training teachers as well as teaching students in the liberal arts, business, and information technology. It is still broadly recognized as a leading teacher education school in North Dakota.

In 1996, Valley City State University underwent a massive overhaul when Dr. Ellen Chaffee (current President of VCSU) started and executed the "Laptop Initiative". Becoming the second college in the nation to issue all of its students and faculty laptop computers that are all interconnected via an extensive on-campus wired and wireless network that includes 100% smart classrooms, VCSU's focus changed to include technology along with its historic mission in educating teachers for the future. Mayville State University, where Dr. Chaffee also formerly presided, executed a similar laptop program in 1997. Until 2002, Dr. Chaffee was President of both colleges, at which time she became the full-time President of VCSU, focused on broadening and improving future and existing programs. The current (2006) model computer issued to all faculty and students is the IBM Thinkpad R52.

Valley City State University has been recongized for the 9th year in a row by US News and World Reports as being in the top four liberal arts colleges in the midwest, being the only public university in North Dakota to rank in this catergory.

From 1889 to 2005, Valley City State University held undergraduate status, being able to formally offer bachelors degrees to its graduates. The university achieved graduate status on October 27, 2005 upon the introduction of their new Master of Education (M.Ed.) programs in Teaching and Technology and in Technology Education. Both programs are available entirely online.

The undergraduate and graduate programs are accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In addition, selected programs at VCSU maintain specialized accreditation: The Education programs are accredited by the National Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE), while its music programs recently received accreditation by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM).

The student body of VCSU holds roughly 1000 students, being able to tout one of the largest inter-racial mixes per capita in the North Dakota University System. VCSU is a member of the Dakota Athletic Conference(DAC) and is affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The patron mascot for the school is the Viking.

Valley City State University is located in Valley City, ND, where it lies 60 miles west of Fargo, ND on Interstate Highway 94.

Alumni include US Representative Earl Pomeroy and hospitality industry entrepreneur Gary Tharaldson.