Valley City State University moves all instruction online after flooding closes campus

by E Wayne Ross on April 17, 2009

Inside Higher Ed: A River Runs Alongside It

This is Steven W. Shirley’s first year as Valley City State University president; he’s 36. “Although I felt a lot older after some of the sand bagging I was doing over the last few days.”

It’s a first year with an unusual end. Valley City on Wednesday announced it would move all instruction online for the remainder of the semester, as the Sheyenne River rose to record levels and officials called for an evacuation of the city’s flood plain (where much of the university is located). According to Mayor Mary Lee Nielson’s statement, the river’s elevation had never before exceeded 20 feet; a crest at 22 feet or higher is expected and, “additionally, the Corps of Engineers also predicts that we will likely remain at this elevated level for up to two weeks, adding additional strain to our dike system.”