The flags along the wall of the Walgreens Wing in Sudro Hall were dedicated Feb. 19 in a celebration of diversity in the college.
To represent the current diversity, the college hung 22 flags representing different countries and tribes that were named as home or heritage among the college’s students, faculty and staff. A key identifying the flags was unveiled and is displayed on the west end of the hall. The flags are a part of the college’s efforts to support and increase diversity initiatives with a $10,000 grant from Walgreens Co.
The flag ceremony included a presentation of colors by the NDSU Army ROTC Color Guard and a jingle dress dance by Rachelle Crawford of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Sioux tribe.
“It is my hope that the diversity work that we do will result in a greater appreciation and a more welcoming environment for all people in the college,” said Kimberly Halbur, associate dean for student affairs. Halbur also indicated the flags will be updated and rededicated to reflect the college’s current diversity.
Dana Davis, director of recruitment, highlighted other diversity efforts in the college, including an afterschool program for students at Madison Elementary School in Fargo, collaborations with high school students in Moorhead, Minn., participation in Expanding Your Horizons, a program for sixth-through-eighth-grade girls, and offering the Native American Professional Program and Multicultural Affairs in Pharmacy Program.