Valley City  (VCSU)  Alan LaFave, D.M.A., formally began his service as president of Valley City State University Monday.

Selected for the VCSU presidency by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education on Sept. 27, LaFave comes to VCSU after serving as provost and vice president for academic affairs at Northern State University in Aberdeen, S.D.

LaFave had served at Northern State University since 1991 in various capacities including tenured faculty, music department chair, associate dean, dean of graduate and extended studies, and dean of the school of fine arts. He had served as provost and vice president for academic affairs since 2015.

He holds a doctor of musical arts degree and a master‘s degree in music, both from Arizona State University, along with a bachelor’s degree from Northern State.