Hotline // March 26, 2025

President's Column: Reflections

By Dr. Alan LaFave, VCSU President

Once every three years, the North Dakota University System and State Board of Higher Education conduct an in-depth evaluation of campus presidents. My second such evaluation was held last week on our campus. These evaluations bring into focus VCSU’s recent accomplishments, challenges, and future issues for the next three years. Constituent groups including staff, faculty, students, community members, and campus leadership participate in a series of listening sessions designed to identify these items and allow for input from each group.

As I sit in my office near the close of the business day, I do so with thankfulness and pride in the amazing team of faculty, staff, and students we have assembled at VCSU. Part of what makes them all so amazing is their work ethic and pride in the institution’s history and accomplishments of the past three years.

Every organization and business experiences challenges along the way, but the VCSU team of employees, students, and proud alumni have helped us meet these challenges with a positive and student-centered approach. I’d like to share some of the high-level achievements our campus has experienced in the last three years.

Facilities Enhancements

• McCarthy Hall renovation: This $13.5 million project is underway and will be completed this summer. McCarthy will be the new home for VCSU’s School of Education and the Technology Education Department. VCSU provided $2 million in matching funds to go along with $11.5 million from the state.
• Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts: This new facility for the art and music departments opened in Spring 2022 and features classrooms, rehearsal halls, practice rooms, a recording studio, a public art gallery and a 350-seat performance space. This building is used for numerous events by both campus and community groups.

Capital Campaign

• We secured the largest monetary gift in the history of VCSU – a $5 million dollar donation from the Gary Tharaldson Family for our athletic facility expansion.
• Gifts and pledges to our capital campaign have directed $1 million to student scholarships, $2 million to McCarthy Hall and $10 million to the athletic facility expansion.

Enrollment Growth

• Our campus has achieved record-breaking enrollments for the past four semesters in a row. We have seen growth in total headcount, graduate students, full-time students and FTE.
• We had a retention rate of 71% from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024, which was an increase of 4% and met our goal. The national average for regional public four-year institutions is 62%.

Reputational Excellence

• 2024 US News and World Report rankings: #2 among Midwest regional public institutions; #1 among public regional institutions in North Dakota; Best Value School; Veteran Friendly institution.
• 2024 Most Valuable Online Education Degree by Research.com
• 2025 “Hidden Gems of the Great Plains” by College Raptor (1 of 3 in ND)
• 2025 #1 Best Value College in ND by Niche.com

Some of the major challenges we have identified for the next 3-5 years include:

Enrollment Growth & Student Success

• We will continue efforts to grow at least 3% annually in headcount and credit hour production (FTE) to stabilize and solidify our budget.
• This growth will be focused on full-time, face-to-face undergraduate students, increased graduate programs and students, possible additions of athletic teams, dual-credit students and courses, online students and courses, and improved retention.

Complete Athletic Complex Addition

• This is a critical component of joining the Frontier Conference, which is the new home for Viking Athletics. Recruitment of student-athletes will continue to be impacted by the quality of facilities available. The new indoor turf practice facility and upgraded outdoor turf will help create a better environment for current and future student-athletes.

Deferred Maintenance

• VCSU has a unique blend of historic and modern facilities. Maintaining these facilities is a major priority for our campus. We will continue to maintain a rolling list of repairs needed and anticipated, along with the funding source for the maintenance.

Fiscal Responsibility

• We plan to maintain budget stability through enrollment stability and growth, and careful long-term planning. Maintaining healthy financial standing and continuing with clean financial audits will be consistent goals for VCSU.

Again, I wish to express my thanks and appreciation to our entire university community, alumni, and community of Valley City for helping us succeed. One of my former colleagues often used the phrase, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and that adage holds true today. We know we can all accomplish more by working together. I’m grateful and happy to reflect on some of these success points and our continued focus to be an “institution of choice for a growing number of students” in our state and region.

I’m excited to see what happens in the next three years!

Go Vikings!

VCSU Music presents "House of Life" on March 28

The Valley City State University Department of Music presents House of Life, a faculty recital on Friday, March 28. This recital features the music of Johannes Brahms and Ralph Vaughan Williams performed by Dr. Stephen Cunningham, bass-baritone and Dr. Ozzie Johnson, piano.

House of Life showcases classical art song with two important song cycles from the Romantic period. Vaughan Williams’ “House of Life” with poetry by Dante Gabriel Rossetti focus on the nuances of love and loss. Brahms’ “Four Serious Songs” were written at the end of his life and dedicated to two old friends. He used Scripture as text for these masterpieces, which serve as an expression of life and death.

The performance takes place Friday at 7:30 p.m. inside the main performance hall at the Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts. It is free and open to the public.

VCSU Art presents Eve Scott senior capstone

The Valley City State University Art Department presents Distracted by Daydreams, Eve Scott’s capstone exhibit, available in the Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery from March 31 to April 11.

A senior from Mandan, N.D., Scott is presenting an artist talk discussing her artwork on Monday, March 31, at 1:30 p.m. in the CFA Choir Room. A reception follows shortly after in the lobby. Scott’s artist talk will be live streamed on the VCSU Art Department YouTube and Facebook page.

Distracted by Daydreams strays away from the expected or ordinary to create a fantastical environment full of pastel colors, cute creatures, and a soft, bubbly aesthetic. Scott’s art expresses not only how pretty things can be in life, but how real and uncomfortable it can be. Her exhibit explores dreamy, whimsical natural forms and escapism through various 2-D and 3-D techniques, such as sculpture, painting, and installation. Her goal as a future educator is to inspire creativity in her students, creating a safe and positive environment where students can be themselves and feel respected and accepted.

Scott is student teaching in the fall of 2025 back in her hometown of Mandan. After graduation, she plans to teach K-12 art in North Dakota. Scott also plans to run a drama club at the school where she teaches or participate in a local community theater.

VCSU Math hosting 2025 Math Competition

Valley City State University Department of Mathematics will host hundreds of area students for the 2nd Annual VCSU Math Competition on Wednesday, April 9.

The competition is open to students in grades 7-12. Registration is done online at the link below and will close on Tuesday, April 1.

View the Online Registration Form

The event runs from 9:30 a.m – 2:00 p.m., concluding with an awards ceremony. Participants and teachers/coaches will receive a VCSU beanie just for attending.

Individual awards will be presented to the top 10 students in each grade division (7-9 and 10-12), including a $1,000 VCSU Math scholarship to the individual champion of the grade 10-12 division. Team awards will be presented to the top 3 teams in each grade division.

Questions? Contact VCSU math department chair, Dr. Jamie Wirth at 701-845-7734 or jamie.wirth@vcsu.edu

Students conducting survey for Medicine Wheel restoration project

Fisheries and wildlife students in Biology 413 Restoration and Plant Ecology along with communications major, Brie Storsved, are conducting a public opinion survey to gather information about Medicine Wheel Park. The results will be used in preparation for restoration work at the Medicine Wheel Conservation Plots.

Those who would like to help students gather information can take the survey at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScME59qgXRVGPsSroWIOOEbeJ8uTybRclQDe3cedQqRZHf-3Q/viewform

Dutton presents at the Congress of the Portuguese Association of Political Science in Lisbon

Anthony Dutton presented his paper “Donald Trump and the Rejection of U.S. Liberal Internationalism” at the 12^th Congress of the Portuguese Association of Political Science, on March 7^th, in Lisbon, Portugal.

The paper is the draft of a chapter Dutton will contribute to an upcoming volume on cognitive geopolitics that he and former VCSU Social Science faculty member Dr. Luis da Vinha are co-editing for Brill publishers.  Dutton and da Vinha have collaborated in the past on the foreign policies of American presidents in the Twenty-first century, and the upcoming volume will bring together contributors who examine the mental maps that influence the policy decision-making of world leaders, from major powers as well as emerging and regional powers in the global south. Luis da Vinha is Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at De Montfort University in Leicester, England.

Viking sports update

TRACK & FIELD

VCSU opened its outdoor season at the Marauders Outdoor Open on Saturday and recorded three first place finishes, seven top three finishes, 23 top eight finishes, and one national qualifier. Kendra Odegard qualified for the 2025 NAIA National Outdoor Championships with a 42.10-meter javelin throw that meets the national “B” standard. Odegard also earned NSAA Field Athlete of the Week after her performance in the outdoor opener.

BASEBALL

VCSU went 2-2 at the NSAA Preseason Tournament which featured four conference teams competing in non-conference games. VCSU defeated Mayville State and Dickinson State over the weekend, including a walkoff 3-run home run from Christian Ramirez to defeat the Blue Hawks. VCSU’s conference opener has been moved to Bellevue on March 27-28 due to forecasted weather.

SOFTBALL

VCSU has moved up its weekend series at Dakota State due to the weekend forecast. The conference opener will now be played March 27-28 in Madison, S.D. VCSU goes into the NSAA schedule with an 11-12 overall record this season.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

March 27: Baseball at Bellevue, 11 a.m./1:30 p.m. (Bellevue, Neb.)
March 27: Softball at Dakota State, 2/4 p.m. (Madison, S.D.)
March 28: Baseball at Bellevue, 12/2:30 p.m. (Bellevue, Neb.)
March 28: Baseball at Dakota State, 12/2 p.m. (Madison, S.D.)

NCT Association's Sheyenne River Valley Chapter to host 2022 NCT thru-hiker Aaron "Soda" Landon

The public is invited to a free program (age 21+) on Friday, April 4 at Brockopp Brewing in Valley City from 6-8 p.m. hosted by the North Country Trail Association’s Sheyenne River Valley (SRV) Chapter that will feature 2022 North Country National Scenic Trail thru-hiker Aaron “Soda” Landon.

Aaron’s program will introduce the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCT), talk about his thru-hike, share stories about Trail Angels who enriched his hike – including a few in North Dakota, and provide a chance for people to ask questions. SRV Chapter volunteers will be on hand to answer questions about hiking on the NCT in the area (Lake Ashtabula to the Sheyenne State Forest by Fort Ransom) and volunteer opportunities.

More information on this event may be found online at NCTinND on Facebook or NCThikersinND Meetup.

What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...

March 28
7:30 p.m. “House of Life” Faculty Recital, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts

March 31
1:30 p.m. Eve Scott “Distracted by Daydreams” artist talk and reception, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts

April 1
11 a.m. General Student Recital, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts

April 4
7:30 p.m. Spring Instrumental Concert, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts

April 11
30th Annual VCSU Scholarship Auction, Valley City Eagles Club
Purchase tickets at https://www.vcsu.edu/30th-annual-vcsu-scholarship-auction-set-for-april-11-2/

Find out what’s happening at VCSU: https://www.vcsu.edu/news-events/

Find out what’s happening in the community: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/