The presentation will be part of the final steps of an internship in which Bervig is using research conducted on Dakota Hall to construct an overall history of the building, according to an MSU news release.

“The overall presentation will cover Dakota Hall’s history from the time it was built to the summer of 2024. Descriptions of the layout of Dakota Hall, the women living in the hall, and the change in the dormitory’s history will be given,” Bervig said in the release. “The presentation will be broken down into decades/specific periods to ensure it is easy for the audience to follow along.”

Bervig originally took interest in studying Dakota Hall’s history after taking a class on the history of North Dakota from MSU Professor Bethany Andreasen in the fall of 2023. Andreasen’s students researched the history of the building, decade by decade.

MSU decided to close Dakota Hall in 2020 and has determined it is not financially feasible to renovate the nearly 100 year old building. When Andreasen learned of the demolition, she decided it was important to set up a project to record the building’s history.

Submitted Photo Minot State University’s Dakota Hall was built in 1931.

“Dakota Hall has been an important part of the Minot State campus for almost a century,” Andreasen said. “I thought it was essential to recognize the role that it has played in the lives of students of multiple generations.”

The presentation, which is free and open to the public, will include stories and photos shared by alumni and community members after the Minot State History Department reached out following the 2020 closure. Information from the MSU student newspaper, Red & Green, Beaver yearbooks, along with campus directories and campus master plans, were used to compile the history of the building.

“I wanted to continue doing public history work to strengthen my portfolio as a history major, and this internship presented me with a good opportunity to do so,” Bervig said. “One of the main reasons I chose this path is because I see history as truth. I believe that history can be incredibly exciting, engaging, and challenging if it is taught the correct way. Fortunately, I have had amazing teachers and professors in the past who have supported my critical thinking when it comes to history.”

Along with the presentation, Bervig and the MSU Department of History will be producing a booklet on the building’s history.