President’s Column: Competitions, concerts, contributions, construction, and cross-country

Greetings from Valley City State University! I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving celebrating with friends and family. It’s truly one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year and this year’s weather was especially cooperative. The past week has included many noteworthy events, achievements and activities! There is never a dull moment on our campus. The VCSU volleyball ...

President’s Column: Recognition, sport season transition, Envision 2035 

Greetings from Valley City State University!  The second half of the fall semester is well underway and external recognition of our campus excellence continues. We were recently notified of our selection as a 2023-2024 College of Distinction. VCSU is one of three North Dakota institutions recognized on this year’s list with special recognition cited of our Business and Education programs.  ...

President’s Column: Enrollment, Interim Higher Education Committee Visit, Tomorrow’s teacher events

Greetings from Valley City State University! The temps outside are certainly giving a preview of the changing of the season from fall to – do I dare mention it – winter. Many folks who keep track of annual trends such as first snow have reminded me that was almost exactly one year ago when we experienced our first significant snowfall. ...

President’s Column: Welcome to new staff on campus

In addition to the new faculty I introduced previously, we also have new staff members. Although they’re not typically in the classroom, these individuals often have much direct contact with students and contribute greatly to making a VCSU education what it is for our students and their families. Joining the staff at VCSU are the following individuals who assume a ...

President’s Column: Welcome new faculty

Greetings from Valley City State University! The beginning of a new semester is upon us. Having new faculty, staff and especially students join us on campus is one of the most exciting parts of this work. Last week I had the privilege of meeting with all of our faculty and staff during our annual Welcome Week breakfast. There was energy ...

President’s Column – New faces, new roles, continued commitment to excellence

[caption id="attachment_21319" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] President Alan LaFave[/caption] Greetings from VCSU! As we enter the first week of August, planning efforts for resuming fall classes and activities are in full swing! We look forward to welcoming our returning students back to campus, as well as a large group of new students. Athletic teams are already returning to campus and will be ...

Inspiring the next generation – INSTEM

Greetings from Valley City State University! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful Independence Day with family and friends! In this week’s column, I am sharing details of another successful summer of growth for the VCSU STEM Academy – in which students learn science, technology, engineering and math. In 2010 VCSU established the Great Plains STEM Education Center to help create ...

President’s Column: State Board of Higher Education June meeting held on VCSU campus

We were excited to host the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) on our campus for their June 27, 2023 meeting. The SBHE is the policy-setting and advocacy body for the North Dakota University System and the governing body for North Dakota’s 11 publicly supported colleges and universities. The SBHE is made up of seven citizen members appointed to four-year ...

President’s Column – Freshman orientation, Kiwanis visit, STEM academy, Scholarship Auction

Greetings from VCSU! We have enjoyed an exciting week at Valley City State University! I had the pleasure of visiting with a portion of our incoming freshman class. During the spring and summer months, we provide several opportunities for new students to register for classes, meet faculty and other students, and get to know campus a bit better. Today’s event ...

Accreditation, campus updates, and summer projects

Greetings from VCSU! I sincerely hope you enjoyed a wonderful and safe Memorial Day weekend, remembering those who gave the ultimate sacrifice to secure and preserve our freedom. In today’s column I first want to recognize, thank, and congratulate our School of Education and Graduate Studies for securing national accreditation through CAEP (Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation). We ...