Valley City State University
Valley City State University (VCSU) is a public university in Valley City, North Dakota. It is part of the North Dakota University System. Founded in 1890 as Valley City State Normal School, a two-year teachers' college, it was authorized to confer bachelor's degrees in 1921 and changed its name to Valley City State Teachers College. With an expansion in programs outside teacher education after World War II, it became Valley City State College in 1963. In 1986, it was renamed State University of North Dakota-Valley City and a year later received its current  name. VCSU offers over 80 undergraduate programs and an online Master of Education degree program. In 2015, VCSU graduated 302 students, the largest class in its 125-year history. Since 1996, VCSU has been a "laptop" campus by issuing laptop computers to full-time students. The cost of the laptops are part of the university's technology fee which also covers other educational technology enhancements such as campus-wide wireless network access and smart classrooms. VCSU is listed as a Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places. Athletics. Valley City State athletic teams, nicknamed the Vikings, are part  of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), competing as a member of the North Star Athletic Association since 2013–14 as a charter member. The Vikings competed as an independent in the Association of Independent Institutions (AII). Prior to being an independent, they competed in the now defunct Dakota Athletic Conference (DAC) from 2000–01 to 2004–05, and the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) prior to 2000. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, and track and field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, softball, track and field and volleyball. Valley City State University