All for which we are thankful…
Greetings from Valley City State University!
Thanksgiving is a time to give thanks and express appreciation. It is one of my favorite times and holidays of the year. While we know that many of the traditional celebration gatherings with family and friends may be impacted by the pandemic, we can still reflect on all for which we are thankful. With this important holiday upon us, I’d like to take a few moments to share our appreciation for the gifts we enjoy at Valley City State University. These gifts help us to fulfill our mission for the benefit of our students, faculty, staff, community, region and state, and we are so grateful for our partnerships that make it all possible.
Successful fall semester
I’d like to begin with a personal thank you to our faculty, staff and students for helping us to continue our campus operations in the midst of a global pandemic. Faculty have developed and redesigned their courses to be delivered in a variety of different formats including traditional face-to-face, synchronous and remote delivery. Staff have been able to provide the same personalized service to which our campus is accustomed. We are grateful for the consistency of operations including facilities, campus offices, food service and housing. We sincerely appreciate that our students have been patient, flexible and understanding through all of the challenges and changes they faced this semester. Many did not know what to expect this semester, but as we reflect on the past three and a half months, we can be happy and satisfied with the results.
Community support
We are grateful for the support of so many individuals making a difference for VCSU and our students. With over $1.8 million in scholarship allocations this past year, there is a clear correlation between our enrollment growth, stability and retention of students. The addition of our first ever Viking Day of Giving brought in nearly $23,000 of additional scholarship support. All levels of support are helping our students achieve and attain their goal of a university education while minimizing the amount of student loans along the way.
Center for the Arts
We are grateful for our new academic building rising up just west of the Student Center. Seeing the daily progress of the building with additional walls and framework installed each day is so very exciting, and the progress has been helped by a cooperative weather pattern these past few weeks. We are thankful for all of the architects, designers, contractors, sub-contractors, suppliers and site workers who are part of the project and are all very excited to see the project continue toward a December 2021 completion date.
Intercollegiate athletics
We are grateful for the opportunities for our student-athletes to train in a safe environment, be a part of a team, participate in a competitive conference and non-conference schedule, carry forward the Viking tradition of excellence, and represent VCSU in competition. We know that there are numerous positive mental health benefits for our students to have the opportunities to participate the way they have this fall semester.
Beautiful campus in a beautiful city
Finally, we are grateful to come to work each day in one of the most picturesque and beautiful campuses in the upper Midwest, nestled in the heart of our beautiful community. This is truly a beautiful and remarkable place.
On behalf of the students, staff, faculty and administration of Valley City State University, we wish you all a wonderful and enjoyable Thanksgiving! May this be a time of giving thanks for family, friends, community, and continued collaboration for years to come! Take a moment to reflect on all that you are thankful for at this special time of year and share those thanks with those who are close and important to you.
Go Vikings!