When the North Dakota State University football team registered its fifth win of the season last fall at Mississippi Valley State University, the school also snagged a victory off the field. Thanks to NDSU Faculty Athletics Representative (FAR) Deland Myers, the trip produced a cross-cultural exchange program.

"Our university president has made it very clear that our move from NCAA Division II to Division I is about more than athletics," says Myers, Professor and Director of the NDSU School of Food Systems. "It's a vehicle to take the whole university to greater heights as a research institution, which includes increasing diversity in our student body and expanding our geographic base."

Myers took over FAR duties in early fall, and when he found out the Bison had a game scheduled against Mississippi Valley State, a historically black university, he realized he had the perfect opportunity to pioneer a partnership between the two schools. He contacted a colleague at MVSU, and with the support of NDSU's president, began planning an internship program for 10 MVSU biology students to spend the summer in Fargo. Then, accompanying the football squad on the 1,000-mile road trip, Myers met with MVSU administrators to seal the deal.

Although it wasn't by design, five of the interns were athletes, including members of the MVSU golf, softball, and track and field teams. All had a GPA of at least 3.4, none had ever been to the Northern Great Plains, and each received a $4,000 stipend along with campus housing and meals. In addition to lab work, interns met with NDSU students, presented research to faculty members, attended weekly career seminars, and toured regional attractions.

This year, Myers hopes to expand the program, and is searching athletics schedules to find similar opportunities. "I doubt any of this would have come about without that football game," he says.