MSU reopens Beaver Dam
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Kevin Harmon, vice president of Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics at Minot State University, gives the opening remarks and introductions for the Sept. 14 ribbon cutting of the Beaver Dam.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Minot State University Student Government Association President Krista Permentier talks about the involvement of student voices for the Beaver Dam construction on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Minot State University President Steve Shirley welcomes students and guests to the newly opened Beaver Dam on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN The Minot Area Chamber EDC Ambassadors join Minot State University staff in cutting the ribbon for the Beaver Dam on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Students, staff and guests visit the newly opened Minot State University Beaver Dam common area on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Kevin Harmon, vice president of Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics at Minot State University, gives the opening remarks and introductions for the Sept. 14 ribbon cutting of the Beaver Dam.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Minot State University Student Government Association President Krista Permentier talks about the involvement of student voices for the Beaver Dam construction on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Minot State University President Steve Shirley welcomes students and guests to the newly opened Beaver Dam on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN The Minot Area Chamber EDC Ambassadors join Minot State University staff in cutting the ribbon for the Beaver Dam on Sept. 14.
HANNAH VELASQUEZ/MDN Students, staff and guests visit the newly opened Minot State University Beaver Dam common area on Sept. 14.
Trending
Minot State University held a grand opening for its Beaver Dam on Monday, Sept. 14, during a ribbon cutting, finishing a years long effort to rebuild the space for the growing student population and staff. The opening of the Beaver Dam coincides with Homecoming week, according to Dr. Steven Shirley, president of MSU.
Construction began earlier in May after approval in March 2022 for $3 million worth of renovations for the Beaver Dam/Student Center - approved by a student body vote to be fully paid by student activity fees, according to MSU. Ackerman-Estvold was brought on as the architect in October 2023, and finally in 2025, the North Dakota Legislature approved the project.
The Beaver Dam, located in the Student Center building, had previous renovations in 2006. The current changes have been in the works since 2019, according to Kevin Harmon, vice president of Student Affairs and Intercollegiate Athletics.
“The Student Government Association, way back in 2019, brought forward the idea of renovating this space,” Harmon said. “We ran into COVID, cost overruns and various exercises. However, today is a great day for Minot State University. A great day for our students as we celebrate this beautiful space.”
Harmon and SGA President Krista Permentier, both spoke on students leading the renovations. An open floor plan with natural light to accommodate student activities and life drove development. In addition, Permentier said, students were involved in surveys and meetings to aid in the decision-making process.
“One of the main calls that students had in 2019, all the way up to today, was to gain more natural daylight in this room, as well as opening up the floor plan,” Harmon said. “A lot of the time, our student activities, we can have up to 400 students participating in any of our events. That was the main guise of this particular department and having space for M life, and our student government association.”
Shirley spoke on the student responses and said it has been fun seeing students and faculty return and explore the new area this fall semester. He said having a place like the Beaver Dam on campus is important in fostering connections, and while projects always have a few ups and downs, the university is pleased with the end result.
“It’s been interesting. Today is the first time we’ve opened it up to the community,” Shirley said. “It’s been fun to see from when we first opened it up a couple of weeks ago when classes started and returning faculty and staff who hadn’t been here in months, a lot of open eyes. It’s been a variety of reactions, but certainly from folks that knew what it looked like previously, its been a lot of wow and eye opening. It’s been fun to see.”
The newly renovated Beaver Dam serves both students, staff, alumni and includes a large common area, study rooms, a coffee shop and wide windows facing 11th Avenue Northwest. Shirley said there are a few more renovations to be done within the next few months, such as the fireplace and hallway photos, but the end results have been “fantastic.”
“This is a place where freshmen will grab a coffee before their first exam and strike up a conversation that leads into a four-year friendship,” Permentier said. “It’s a place where a club will plan an event or host an event that will change the way people feel about this campus. This place is the heartbeat of all student life on campus.”