10 Notable alumni of Northern State University
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
Northern State University is ranked #3,700 in the world and #972 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 10 notable alumni from Northern State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Northern State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Tim Kraayenbrink
1959-. (aged 67)
politician
Tim Kraayenbrink is the Iowa State Senator from the 5th District. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa Senate since winning election in 2015.
2. Kay Schallenkamp
1949-. (aged 77)
Kay Schallenkamp is an American education administrator, most recently serving as Black Hills State University's ninth president in Spearfish, South Dakota. Before her job at Black Hills State, Schallenkamp also served as the fourteenth president at Emporia State University, provost and vice-chancellor at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, Chadron State College, and multiple positions at Northern State University.
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3. Oscar E. Huber
1917-2017 (aged 100)
politician
Oscar Edwin Huber was an American politician in the state of South Dakota. He was a member of the South Dakota House of Representatives from 1961 to 1972. He is an alumnus of Northern State University and the University of Minnesota. Huber was a farmer/rancher and resided in Bowdle, South Dakota. He died at the age of 100 on September...
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4. Ralph Herseth
1909-1969 (aged 60)
farmer
businessperson
politician
Ralph E. Herseth was the 21st governor of South Dakota from January 6, 1959, to January 3, 1961. He was a Democrat and was the patriarch of the prominent Herseth family of South Dakota.
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5. Arthur Amiotte
1942-. (aged 84)
painter
Arthur Douglas Amiotte is an Oglala Lakota Native American painter, collage artist, educator, and author.
6. Craig Smith
1972-. (aged 54)
basketball coach
Craig Francis Smith is an American college basketball coach who was most recently the head coach for the Utah Utes men's team of the Big 12 Conference until 2025. He served as an assistant for Tim Miles at four schools – Mayville State, North Dakota State, Colorado State, and Nebraska. Smith was also the head coach at Mayville State from...
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7. Cecil E. Harris
1916-1981 (aged 65)
Captain Cecil Elwood "Cece" Harris was an American schoolteacher, naval aviator and flying ace of World War II. Harris is remembered for actions in the Pacific Ocean Theater, which earned him nine combat medals including the Navy Cross, the highest award for valor after the Medal of Honor. He ended the war as the navy's second-highest-scoring ace after David McCampbell...
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8. Joe Robbie
1916-1990 (aged 74)
lawyer
entrepreneur
lobbyist
politician
Joseph Robbie was an American attorney, politician, and the principal founder of the Miami Dolphins.
9. Travis Lutter
1973-. (aged 53)
mixed martial arts fighter
Travis Lutter is a retired American mixed martial artist who won The Ultimate Fighter 4 reality show. He is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Carlos Machado.
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10. Kristi Noem
1971-. (aged 55)
husbandry worker
beauty pageant contestant
writer
civil servant
politician
Kristi Lynn Arnold Noem is an American politician who is the 8th United States secretary of homeland security. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 33rd governor of South Dakota from 2019 to 2025 and represented South Dakota's at-large congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2019.
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