Hotline // October 18, 2023

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. Like many, my hope is that the weather will stabilize and provide our farmers ample opportunity for a successful harvest season!

We have many exciting updates to share with you regarding the fall semester here at VCSU. Our campus continues to see the results of the efforts of faculty, staff and community in making VCSU such a special and outstanding place.

Once again, we have been recognized in the U.S. News and World Report rankings. For the third consecutive year we ranked as the top public regional college in North Dakota and placed second among public regional colleges in the Midwest. The Midwest includes North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, and Kansas. We were also ranked as a Best Value School, a top performer on Social Mobility, and a Best College for Veterans. This year marks the 26th consecutive year we’ve been included in these rankings.

As you likely know, our Fall 2023 enrollment has surpassed all previous records and exceeds 1,700 students for the first time in our history. With 1,754 students enrolled this fall, we continue to grow. We were the only four-year regional institution in ND to show growth in both headcount and FTE this fall. Our FTE of 1,112 is the highest it has been in the past three years and the third highest in our history. We welcomed 310 new students, including freshmen and transfers. Our high school dual credit numbers increased by 37 students from 395 to 432, and our NDSU collaborative elementary education program grew by 9 students from 106 to 115.

These numbers help illustrate the importance of the overall enrollment picture and the many different types of students that contribute to our campus. This energy and momentum would not have happened without a concerted effort on the part of our entire faculty and staff, and I extend thanks and appreciation to all!

We were pleased and honored to host the October 2023 meeting of the ND Legislative Interim Higher Education committee. The group was on campus Tuesday, Oct. 10, and Wednesday, Oct. 11. Their visit included a tour of VCSU and a variety of topics and presentations from the North Dakota University System, Valley City State University, Mayville State University, and Department of Public Instruction.

Many of the events focused on teacher shortages and graduation trends in teacher education programs. I’m very pleased to report that VCSU continues to lead in these efforts, with 151 education graduates this past year and over 1,500 alumni teaching throughout North Dakota.

To continue growing the education workforce, VCSU will be hosting two “Tomorrow’s Teacher Education Visit Days.” The days are scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 25 and Wednesday, Nov. 8 from 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m., these visit days will be tailored for students considering or wanting to learn more about becoming a teacher. Prospective students will have an opportunity to meet and interact with our faculty, staff, and students in the School of Education at VCSU. More information and registration materials are available at: https://www.vcsu.edu/admissions/visit/

As always, we welcome you to visit campus and enjoy the beauty of the final fall colors. We appreciate and thank the entire community for your support of VCSU. Go Vikings!

National Day on Writing celebration on Oct. 20

To draw attention to the remarkable variety of writing Americans engage in and to help make writers from all walks of life aware of their craft, the National Council of Teachers of English has established Oct. 20 as the National Day on Writing®. It’s important for everyone to share their knowledge about writing, organize participating groups in schools and/or communities and transform the public’s understanding of writing and the role it plays in society today.

Join the VCSU English Club, Spanish Club and the Department of Language and Literature from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. in the Student Center for a variety of writing, creative and translation activities today.

Follow along on social media @ncte and @vcsulanglitdept: #WhyIWrite and #VCSUWriting. Contact Emily D. Wicktor, event coordinator and associate professor of English, if you have questions: emily.wicktor@vcsu.edu.

Kay Yturralde senior art exhibit on display starting Oct. 24

The VCSU Art Department invites you to attend Kay Yturralde’s senior art exhibit, Introspection, will be in the VCSU Center for the Arts gallery from Oct. 24- Nov. 10. Yturralde will discuss her artwork on Nov. 2 at 3 p.m. in the Center for the Arts choir room. A reception will follow in the Center for the Arts lobby from 4-5 p.m. Yturralde’s artist talk will be livestreamed on the VCSU YouTube channel and the VCSU Art Department Facebook page.

Yturralde’s art explores her subconscious and emotions to process life experiences. Her artwork connects her past, her emotional wellbeing and her Latina/Latin American/ Hispanic heritage. Being a tactile learner, Yturralde engages material to create 3-D sculptures that allow her to express her thoughts and feelings.

After graduation, she will return to the American Southwest region to work as a studio artist and in community arts where she can provide creative experiences to those in her community.

VCSU Music presents Guest Artist Recital, Ray Kilburn

The VCSU Music Department presents Guest Artist Piano Recital, Ray Kilburn, Piano on Friday, Nov. 3. The recital will take place in the Center for the Arts Performance Hall at 7:30 p.m. The public is invited to attend this event, admission is free.

Pianist Ray Kilburn has maintained a successful performing and teaching career that has spanned the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Europe, and Asia. Critics have been unanimous in praise of his outstanding technical abilities and artistic temperament. Kilburn holds four performance degrees: the BM and LM from McGill University where his primary teacher was Tom Plaunt, and the MM and DM degrees from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where his primary teacher was Gyorgy Sebok. Currently on faculty at Ball State University School of Music, his students have distinguished themselves through winning prizes in national and international competitions and obtaining faculty positions at colleges and universities around the world. 

Wicktor presents at Victorians Institute Conference

Emily D. Wicktor, associate professor of English, presented her paper, ‘Strange things are afoot at the Circle K’: Teaching George Bernard Shaw’s Mrs. Warren’s Profession in an Unexpected Age of Comstockery at the 2023 Victorians Institute Conference held at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, N.C., Oct. 6-8. Wicktor’s project responded to the conference theme of “Hard Times” by addressing the unexpected strains of teaching Shaw’s banned 1893 play under current increasingly restrictive practices of “Comstockery,” the term and concept coined in 1905 by Shaw himself in reference to U.S. Postal Inspector and Society for the Suppression of Vice champion, Anthony Comstock. Though all bans on the play were officially lifted by 1924, the unexpected contemporary resurgence of the Comstock Act of 1873 (and other Comstock Laws), eerily evokes, a century later, the restrictive context of hard times past.

Art Faculty exhibition now showing

The VCSU Art Department invites you to the Center for the Arts for the Art Faculty Exhibition.

Artworks include digital, 3-D and 2-D paintings. Artists include Ekow Ephrim, assistant professor of art, Gratia Brown, assistant professor of art, and Angela Mircsov, assistant professor of art. The exhibition will run from Oct. 9 through Oct. 20. There will be a virtual walk-through of the exhibition that will be posted on the VCSU Art Department’s Facebook and YouTube pages.

Shatter the Silence in October

Shatter the Silence will be an opportunity for all of campus to support Domestic Violence Awareness month throughout the entire month of October. A donation box will be set up in the Student Center to place donations to the Abused Persons Outreach Center (APOC). Their most urgent needs are new bed pillows, paper towels, toilet paper, shampoo and conditioner and laundry detergent.

Viking sports update

Volleyball sweeps #12 Jamestown
The Viking Volleyball team swept No. 12-ranked University of Jamestown last week, knocking off their second ranked team in as many weeks. VCSU is now 19-4 overall and is 6-1 in conference play.

Basketball opens season next week
The VCSU Basketball teams are set to open the 2023-24 seasons next week. The Viking men host Brandon University on Thursday, Oct. 26, at 7 p.m. VCSU’s women begin their season on Friday, Oct. 27, with a road game at the University of Jamestown.

Football Back Home
After a bye week, the Viking Football team is back home this weekend. The Vikings host Dakota State at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 21.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 18: Volleyball at Mayville State, 6 p.m. (Mayville, N.D.)
Oct. 21: Volleyball at Sioux City, Iowa, 1/3 p.m. (vs. Morningside/Buena Vista)
Oct. 21: Football vs. Dakota State, 4 p.m. (Lokken Stadium)

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

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

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

Monday, Nov. 6
5-7 p.m. Creativity for a Cause Arin Lutiker Benefit, Valley City Eagles Club
Arin Lutiker is the child of Michelle Abshire, assistant professor of science at VCSU.