Four-Star Naval Officer Receives Honorary Degree from NDSU

Admiral Stuart Munsch says he's thrilled to officially be considered part of the Thundering Herd.

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR)  – Admiral Stuart Munsch did not get to attend North Dakota State University.

Instead, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1985.

Forty years later, the four-star Navy officer is still on active duty, currently in charge of a NATO military command in Naples, Italy.

But the Bison have never been far from his thoughts.

So, when NDSU President David Cook called up the Admiral and offered him an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Munsch was more than ready to accept.

“When he took the phone call he was looking at his watch,” related Cook with a laugh.

“He’s in Italy, but his watch is a Bison watch. Which just tells you that he has strong feelings about our institution, and obviously very strong ties and feelings about North Dakota.”

The native of Oakes traveled back to North Dakota to address the graduating classes of 2025, stating that there’s something about the region that just generates special individuals.

“This is one of the premier places in the nation, I would tell you,” said the admiral.

“It produces young people who know how to bear responsibility. In the Navy, we have about 4 to 500 North Dakotans, but about 200 of them are officers. Which is a very unusual proportion, showing the strength of leadership coming out of this state.”

Cook says that although the admiral would never admit to his greatness, having the graduates hear from a North Dakotan that has gone on to do such impressive things is an invaluable experience.

“He’s the kind of individual who we want standing up in front of our students, them seeing them, and candidly saying, ‘That could be me someday,'” said Cook.