Hotline // August 20, 2025
This week’s Hotline includes the following articles:
- VCSU awarded $478,000 research grant
- VCSU Student Affairs launches care team
- VCSU professors present at North Dakota Career and Technical Education (CTE) Professional Development Conference
- “Do You Feel What I Feel” opens Aug. 18 at CFA Gallery
- Viking Sports Update
- What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…
VCSU awarded $478,000 research grant
Valley City State University has been awarded a $478,000 grant from the National Science Foundation that will be used to fund VCSU undergraduate research projects over the next four years.
VCSU is among 10 partnering institutions in North Dakota that were awarded grant money for a collaborative proposal to build a sustainable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education ecosystem in North Dakota. Ten colleges and universities in North Dakota will collaborate to expand STEM research capacity in the state, connect research communities, build STEM research literacy in rural populations, and strengthen the STEM community at the five Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in North Dakota.
The award will provide research opportunities for both VCSU students and faculty, expanding the school’s research capacity by supporting salaries and supplies. Grant money will also be used to build collaborations with area high schools and support their faculty and students in research initiatives.
“This grant makes it possible to continue research within the VCSU science department and provide students with valuable high impact experiences that support their future careers,” said Hilde van Gijssel, Ph.D., professor of science at VCSU. “This grant supports salaries and supplies for VCSU Science professors to develop research projects in their area of expertise. It also supports VCSU student salaries and creates opportunities to recruit high school students into the research program at VCSU. Research involving undergraduate students started with Dr. Andre Delorme (faculty emeritus) in the late 1990s and has had previous support from ND INBRE and through the ND EPSCoR office (ND-INSPIRE and ND-ACES). I am excited to continue the research we have built over the last 5 years with ND-ACES.”
Funded by NSF under their EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement (E-CORE RII) program, the grant was awarded for the Sustainable Programs Advancing Research and Knowledge across North Dakota (SPARK-ND) proposal. NSF has awarded the project for an anticipated total amount of $7,963,804 over four years. VCSU will receive $478,893 over a four-year period.
Some of the planned activities for SPARK-ND include outreach to rural schools, including opportunities for high school and undergraduate students to participate in scientific research; engagement with primarily undergraduate institutions and TCUs to recruit and retain STEM students; and development of multi-institutional research teams across the state using networking events, workshops, and funding opportunities.
Colleges and universities participating in SPARK-ND are:
Cankdeska Cikana Community College
United Tribes Technical College
For more information about VCSU or to arrange an interview, contact Mark Potts at mark.m.potts@vcsu.edu or 701-845-7228.
VCSU Student Affairs launches care team
Valley City State University Student Affairs has introduced the VCSU Care Team, a dedicated group of staff focused on the safety, support and overall well-being of the campus community.
The Care Team was formed following specialized training in May 2025 from the National Association for Behavioral Intervention & Threat Assessment. Staff members Mark Nelson, Erin Edinger, Kaleen Peterson, Kelsie Carter, and Jocelyn Santana attended the Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT) Standards and Practices training on May 7-8, and the Structured Interview for Violence Risk Assessment (SIVRA) training on May 28-29 in Bismarck.
The goal of this training was to create a team utilizing best practices and then follow the national standards of assessment and appropriate intervention. VCSU’s Care Team will begin work in August 2025, replacing the former Behavioral Intervention Team (BIT). Core team members are Kaleen Peterson, Erin Edinger, and Kelsie Carter.
VCSU’s Care Team is not a crisis response team but instead addresses the overall welfare of students considering the totality of the circumstances. The team will meet weekly to review referrals, evaluate needs, and coordinate appropriate support. Student referrals can be made at www.vcsu.edu/care.
Care Team Mission Statement
The Care Team is dedicated to the well-being, support, and safety of all members of our campus community. Through proactive identification, assessment, and coordinated response, we foster a culture of care and connection. Our mission is to intervene early, provide appropriate resources, and ensure a respectful and inclusive environment where every individual can thrive.
VCSU professors present at North Dakota Career and Technical Education (CTE) Professional Development Conference
Harmony Richman, M.Ed., assistant professor for education, and Amber Ussatis Aberle, Ed.D., associate professor for education, recently presented at the North Dakota Career and Technical Education (CTE) Professional Development Conference.
Richman provided a 3-hour workshop titled “Exploring AI in the Classroom: Practical Tools and Ethical Integration.” Aberle attended the full conference and hosted three round table discussions focusing on Online Learning Tools, Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity/Computer Science Integration during the three-day conference in Bismarck, N.D. “Level Up with CTE: Skills that Pay Off” featured sessions, networking opportunities, and keynote presentations. The conference is designed for a variety of professionals, including teachers, administrators, counselors and industry partners to help them grow, connect and share their common mission of preparing learners for success.
“Do You Feel What I Feel” opens Aug. 18 at CFA Gallery
The Valley City State University Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery announces Do You Feel What I Feel, an exhibit of Eugene Ofori Agyei’s sculptural work opening August 18.
The exhibit opens to the public on Monday, August 18, and will be on display through Thursday, October 23, during regular gallery hours. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, and is located inside the Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts. A virtual exhibit will be available on the VCSU Art Department’s YouTube channel.
Originally from Ghana, Agyei’s work explores complicated themes of identity, dislocation, and strangerhood through collections of personal artifacts, digital video, and mixed-media sculptures. Tradition and materials such as clay, batik, and wood ground Agyei’s shifting sense of identity in new places.
For more information about Eugene Ofori Agyei’s artwork and process, visit https://eugeneagyeiarts.com. A virtual artist talk will be announced this fall.
Viking Sports Update
Volleyball
The Valley City State University Volleyball team is headed to Sioux City, Iowa to take on (RV) Morningside University and to compete in the Siouxland Invitational for additional four games. Read the full story at https://vcsuvikings.com/news/2025/8/20/viking-volleyball-is-headed-to-the-siouxland-invitational.aspx
Football
Coach Dennis McCulloch recognized as the winningest active Head Coach in North Dakota. Coaching one college football program for more than ten years seems to be a rare thing these days, saying nothing about staying with a program for 32 years. That is how long Dennis McCulloch has been with Valley City State University football. The 2025 season will be his 29th as head coach. Read the full story at https://vcsuvikings.com/news/2025/8/20/football-coach-mac-top-of-the-list.aspx
What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City...
August 18 – October 23
8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Do You Feel What I Feel art exhibit, Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts Gallery
August 21
Employee Picnic
August 26
VCSU classes begin
September 11
VCSU Convocation
Summer Vikes on Central
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/