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Part of Northwest Missouri State University, the Valk Center was completed in 1970 and named for Donald N. Valk, long-time chair of the Department of Technology. Valk Center is the home of the Humanities and Social Sciences Department. The building is also home to the Occupy Valk Series, Phi Alpha Theta, and various other department clubs.


Valk Center

Valk Center

Donald N. Valk

Donald N. Valk

In 1993 the building became the home of the Department of Agricultural Sciences following the closing of the Department of Technology. Twenty-three years of use as the Department of Technology required updates to accommodate the growing program in Agricultural Sciences. Facilities within the building included faculty offices, lecture rooms, a computer laboratory, and laboratories for plant science, animal science, and soil science. The building was retrofitted with historical agricultural mechanical displays, drawing visitors' attention to Northwest Missouri State's history as an agriculture school. 

The lower level of Valk used formerly for warehouse storage was renovated in 2008-2009 as the university continued to grow and change. Enhancements included new building entries, exterior stairwells, classrooms, faculty offices, student gatherings, and display areas for the Department of Humanities, History, Philosophy, and Political Science. The department was renamed the Humanities and Social Sciences Department in 2013.

In 2017, the Department of Agricultural Sciences relocated across campus, freeing space in Valk Center for the growing Humanities and Social Sciences Department. Criminology, Geography, Geospatial Information Systems, Military Science, and Emergency and Disaster Management occupy the upper level, while History, Political Science, and Philosophy offices are on the lower level.

Valk Center also serves several other purposes. Valk Center is located close to Roberta Hall and off-campus fraternity houses and often hosts meetings for Greek life. Many SI meetings and clubs also meet in Valk Center throughout the week. The growing Applied Digital Humanities Lab and major specific honor societies call Valk home. Training exercises for Emergency Management and lecture series, like Occupy Valk, also take place in the building. The Valk Center is a multipurpose building that helps to cultivate and grow students' and staff's love of Humanities and Social Sciences.

, Northwest Missouri State University. Valk Center, Northwest Missouri State University. Accessed April 5th, 2023. http://nwmissouri.smartcatalogiq.com/en/2017-2018/Undergraduate-Catalog/Appendix/Facilities/Valk-Center.

, Northwest Missouri State Digital Humanities . Valk Center, Northwest Stories. Accessed April 12th, 2023. http://northweststories.dhnorthwest.org/OmekaS/admin/item/1.