FARGO — Former North Dakota State President Joseph Chapman will go into the school's athletic hall of fame this weekend, a much-deserved honor for a man whose tenure here ended on a sour note. Chapman resigned in 2009 after a couple of controversies over spending became "distractions" he was not going to survive.

Chapman and former athletic director Gene Taylor and will go down in history as the duo that dragged NDSU into NCAA Division I over the objection of many, including — infamously — your beloved columnist. Chapman was the key, of course, as major initiatives on campuses happen because of the president. Taylor was the one doing the heavy lifting, Chapman was the one giving him the encouragement to do so.

It was Jan. 18, 2002, when a column ran in The Forum headlined "Division I i

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