Hotline // June 21, 2023

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 brought more than 50 new students, along with parents and family members to campus. On the heels of commencement, when we send our students on their way to careers and life, this event has the same sense of anticipation and excitement for what is to come. I sincerely appreciate the participation of all the folks contributing to help make these meaningful and informative experiences for our new students – faculty, staff, student volunteers, community members – thank you for your help!

Earlier this week Larry Robinson and I had the opportunity to host the Valley City Kiwanis Club on campus. We provided a tour of the new Center for the Arts. It’s always a pleasure to help community members and groups see the complexity and inner workings of the facility. The exterior façade is impressive, but the classrooms, learning spaces, rehearsal halls, art gallery, studios, recording wing, faculty offices, and main performance hall combine to make this the most outstanding space in our state and region for students to learn, work, perform, and improve. Our students and community are fortunate to have such a space, and I’m reminded of the outstanding Kiwanis mission statement – A global organization of volunteers dedicated to improving the world one child and one community at a time.

This past week also included the first cohort (new student participants) in our summer STEM Academy. Led by Dr. Jamie Wirth and Jason Dockter, these camps bring students together to experience learning in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and math. There will be two more groups on campus during the next few weeks.

Additionally, on June 6^th and 7^th, VCSU was one of six locations across the state to host a two-day “boot camp” for K-12 teachers. The Dakota Digital Academy – which is part of the North Dakota University System – teamed up with the Northern Information Technology Consortium to deliver the professional development opportunity. In addition to VCSU, other sites included Dakota College at Bottineau, Lake Region State College, Minot State University, Turtle Mountain Community College and Williston State College.

As I compose this update, the Viking Scramble Golf Tournament is underway, and we are preparing to host our Foundation Board for their summer meeting next week. We will have several exciting updates to discuss with them, including our spring 2023 recap of enrollment and activities, completed and planned campus improvements, capital campaign progress, and plans for the 2023-24 academic year. While we are still finalizing expenses, we are excited to report that the VCSU annual scholarship auction set another record by raising nearly $127,000 with all proceeds going to student scholarships (V-500 and Century Club)! The success of this event and other initiatives on campus only happens because of the outstanding support of so many friends, alumni, and community members. We sincerely appreciate all who helped make this such a fun and productive evening for our students!

I hope you will have an opportunity to enjoy some travel, lake time, rest, and rejuvenation during the summer months.

Go Vikings!

Spring 2023 honor rolls released

Valley City State University has released its President’s Honor Roll, Dean’s Honor Roll and Honor Roll for spring semester 2023.

The President’s Honor Roll recognizes students who completed 12 semester hours or more of VCSU classes for which grade points are earned with a 4.0 grade point average.

View President’s Honor Roll

The Dean’s Honor Roll recognizes students who completed 12 semester hours or more of VCSU classes for which grade points are earned with a grade point average of at least 3.50.

View Dean’s Honor Roll

The Honor Roll recognizes students who completed 6 to 11 semester hours of Valley City State University classes for which grade points are earned with a grade point average of at least 3.50.

View Honor Roll

Valley City State University is fully accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, VCSU is one of 11 institutions in the North Dakota University System (NDUS).

Donors Recognized for Commitments to Valley City State

On Monday, June 13 the Valley City State University Foundation honored its donors who have reached a new level of giving.

This year’s Recognition Luncheon drew over 90 attendees, held at Sabir’s Fine Dining & Lounge.  Individuals and businesses were recognized for their continued support of the University through donations, volunteerism, and other efforts.

During the luncheon attendees heard campus updates from the Foundation Board chair, Mary Simonson, VCSU President Alan LaFave, and Cory Anderson, executive director of the VCSU Foundation.

Donors recognized for reaching a new giving level this past year included (July 2022 – June 2023):

Diamond Level ($100,000 – $249,999)

• Matt and Jen Pedersen
• Petro Serve USA
• Stoudt-Miller Inc.

Gold Level ($50,000 – $99,999)

• Dave and Sue Carlsrud
• Farmers Union Insurance – Kirk Olson & Tyler VanBruggen
• Kathryn Holleque
• Robert and Deanne Horne
• John and KaSaundra Olstad

Regents Level ($25,000 – $49,999)

• Farmers Union Insurance
• Don* and Darlene Fiebiger
• Steven and Mary Fike
• Susan and Charles German
• Donald and Sharon Hoff
• J.T. and Maryellen Homan
• Merton and Joan (Bjornson) Johnson
• Alan and Kari LaFave
• Missouri River Energy Services
• Puklich Chevrolet Buick GMC
• BIFROST CJMJJ Charitable Trust
• Gerald and Cindy Urlaub
• Shelley and Jim Williamson

VCSU Strategic Implementation Team Completes Year One

Wrapping up a productive year of implementation planning, the VCSU strategic implementation team finalized the plan to implement VCSU’s Forward Together Strategic Plan.

The role of the team is to track progress and keep the plan alive and relevant to achieve objectives.  There have been minor changes to the original plan published and kicked off during the August 2022 Welcome Week. One major change was to move from a three-year plan to a four-year ending in 2026. This allows the team to align the goals with the State Board of Higher Education (SBHE) plan, which also ends in 2026, as well as to integrate changes resulting from the most recent state legislative session. The minor changes amount to the team’s work to simplify and prioritize plan tasks and strategies while filling in important details such as tasks, measures, targets, responsible parties and timelines.

Key measures have been determined and will be integrated into a plan dashboard to track progress, which will be developed this summer. Cabinet members are leading strategies and tasks within their respective areas and serve as a connection for involvement and details on how to achieve results.

There has been good progress made toward all objectives. Benchmark and target data has been established, such as enrollment and retention trends, employee community involvement and satisfaction, academic program practical experience opportunities and advisory board involvement. Alignment with other VCSU plans have been mapped to the implementation plan, including the VCSU Master (facilities), Digital Accessibility and Information Technology Services plans.

“Everyone worked so well together, keeping VCSU’s mission and vision at the heart of all actions,” said Kerry Gregoryk, director for institutional effectiveness & planning. She extends a huge thanks to the strategic planning and implementation team members for their selfless work and input.

The following lists members of the teams, with notation of the team(s) on which they served.

Employees can find more information in the VCSU Employees Team files > VCSU Strategic Planning 2022-2026 folder.

SBHE to meet at VCSU for June meeting

Valley City State University welcomes the State Board of Higher Education for their monthly meeting on June 27. The agenda can be viewed at https://ndus.edu/sbhe-overview/agendas-minutes-videos/ as it becomes available.

The State Board of Higher Education 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.

NDUS Traveling Exhibition on display through June 27

Valley City State University is hosting an art exhibition representing the cultural heritage of North Dakota. The show incorporates work from 24 different artists from multiple entities within the North Dakota University System (NDUS). The show has been traveling around the state this Spring and Fall.

The NDUS traveling show will be in the VCSU Center for the Arts Gallery through June 27. A reception was held Wednesday, May 10, in the CFA lobby.

The exhibition was organized by Angela Mircsov, assistant professor for art and department chair. This show began as an idea after COVID-19 to bring back collaboration among visual art departments. In total five of the institutions are participating: Bismarck State College, Candeska Cinka Community College, North Dakota State University, Minot State University, and Valley City State University.

Each participating institution has students and faculty exhibiting what cultural heritage means to them. The exhibition will make its final travel to North Dakota State University in the Fall of 2023.

Viking Sports Update

Viking Volleyball hires Michelle Meiklejohn as head coach

Valley City State University athletic director Dennis McCulloch has announced Michelle Meiklejohn as the new head coach of the VCSU volleyball program.

“Michelle has proven herself as a top assistant coach in our conference, and it’s time for her to lead her own program,” said McCulloch. “We are excited to have her join Viking Athletics.”

Meiklejohn joins the Vikings from Mayville State where she served as an assistant coach for nine seasons. She is a three-time North Star Athletic Association Assistant Coach of the Year – including this past season – and a two-time North Central Region Assistant Coach of the Year. While at Mayville, she also spent seven years as an instructor and assistant professor in the health, physical education, and recreation department.

“It is an honor to be named the next head volleyball coach at Valley City State University,” said Meiklejohn. “The current and incoming group of women I have the opportunity to coach is extremely exciting for me. I plan to continue to build off the current talent and culture of the program. I am looking forward to August, and the bright future of Viking Volleyball.”

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

Find out what’s happening in the community on the Valley City Community Calendar: https://www.valleycitycalendar.com/

Find out what’s happening at the VCSU Center for the Arts: https://www.vcsu.edu/center-for-the-arts/fine-arts-calendar/

June 27
State Board of Higher Education meeting, VCSU Center for the Arts