Hotline // October 26, 2022

President's Column: Accreditation and Collaboration

Greetings from Valley City State University!

In my most recent column, I addressed some of the successes and innovations in our School of Education. Today, I’d like to share some thanks and recognition pertaining to our recent accreditation site visit and continued collaboration with the Valley City Public Schools and regional partners.

The Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) is the national organization responsible for ensuring education programs and standards meet established benchmarks of excellence. Our School of Education and Graduate Studies (SEGS) faculty and staff have been working diligently for many months in preparation for our site visit which occurred this past week. Those participating in the accreditation process included VCSU faculty, administration and staff, regional educators including teachers, principals, and superintendents, current VCSU teacher candidates and graduates of VCSU who completed our teacher education program.

In a message to all stakeholders, Dr. Al Olson, Professor/Assessment Coordinator, Dr. James Boe, Dean of Graduate Studies and Extended Learning, and Dr. Allen Burgad, Dean of the School of Education shared the information below:

The feedback from the CAEP visitation team was very positive. During our exit interview, the CAEP site chair provided a verbal summary from the interview panels and site visit. Areas that were highlighted included:

• Valuable field experience for VCSU teacher candidates
• Professors who are invested and supportive of all students
• Timely feedback for students completing education coursework
• Collaboration and cooperation among faculty and the education department
• Vision and practice for continuous improvement
• Commitment to establish strong PK-12 partnerships with schools

The words commitment and passion for preparing and supporting educators seemed to resonate throughout the process of our accreditation review. It is through reflection that our university recognized how many educators and community members throughout our region support the VCSU School of Education vision. This vision is to prepare future educators through a student-centered learning environment focused on relationships, social-emotional learning, and academic relevance. It is with sincere gratitude we thank all stakeholders instrumental in supporting future and current educators regionally and nationally.

While the final accreditation decision and communication with the campus won’t happen until the spring semester, we are confident the result will be positive, and we thank all who participated in the process for your continuous investment, commitment, and collaboration in education and our teacher preparation program at Valley City State University.

Go Vikings!

VCSU features nationally recognized professor for Ployhar Honor Band October 28

The 19^th annual James D. Ployhar Honor Band will perform in the VCSU Center for the Arts Performance Hall on Friday, Oct. 28, 2022. A variety of classical and modern band literature will be performed by 95 students selected from 20 schools across North Dakota and South Dakota, featuring selections arranged by Ployhar.

“We are once again humbled by the regional support for our event,” said Jerrold Heide, festival director and music department chair. “Thanks to the efforts of directors and students, we once again offer two quality instrumental ensembles as part of the Ployhar event.”

To mark the first Ployhar event in the newly completed Center for the Arts, the event will feature two educators who were recently honored in their field.

Shawn Sudduth, professor from the University of the Cumberlands (UC), Ky. will conduct the Honor Band, which features the top instrumentalists accepted for the event. Sudduth is currently serving as Director of Music Education and Athletic Bands at UC and sponsors the UC National Association for Music Education (NAfME) chapter, which was recognized with the 2022 National Service Chapter of Excellence Award.

The Festival Band will feature Tammy Goerger, current instrumental music teacher at Wahpeton Public Schools and the 2022 Richland County Teacher of the Year.

“We are honored with the presence of two outstanding educators for this year’s festival,” Heide added. “Both of these directors are inspirational leaders and musicians, and we are grateful for their willingness to share their time and talents with the Ployhar participants. We look forward to what is sure to be a memorable evening, and are excited to welcome these students, directors and their families to experience our beautiful campus!”

The 7 p.m. concert is free and open to the public. Please contact the VCSU Music Department at 701-845-7272 for additional information.

Global Exploration Club upcoming events

The Valley City State University Global Exploration Club has several events in the works this fall help raise money for a trip to Costa Rica & Argentina.

The club invites you to The Haunted Library (Allen Memorial Library) this weekend Oct. 28-30. All ages are welcome to attend for inflatable games, fun and food. Hours for the event Oct. 28 & 29, 6 p.m.-midnight and Oct. 30, 6 – 10 p.m.

The flamingoes are also making their way around town again. With a suggested donation of $30, the club will flock a person of your choosing! Contact Kasen Anderson at kasen.anderson@vcsu.edu or club advisor, Kiersten Baughman at kiersten.baughman@vcsu.edu  to participate.

Center for the Arts calendar available

VCSU’s Center for the Arts hosts multiple events throughout the year that highlight the work of students, faculty and visiting artists.

See a complete list of art and music events for the 2022-2023 school year here https://www.vcsu.edu/center-for-the-arts/fine-arts-calendar/ or download a printable PDF schedule.

Baughman presents at Annual Conference on Teaching

Kiersten Baughman, Ph.D, associate professor for social science, attended the Annual Conference on Teaching (ACT) in Pittsburgh, Pa. that was delivered in its first ever hybrid format this year. Baughman co-presented a talk with a colleague she mentors through a formal mentoring program sponsored by the Society of Teaching of Psychology (STP), a division of the American Psychological Association (APA), that organized the conference.

The talk was titled Meeting Students Where They Are: How Far is Too Far? and they explored the variety of ways that institutions and educators have adapted in recent years while providing practical tips that professionals can implement in their everyday lives to bend without breaking. In addition, there were many teaching-focused sessions that highlighted the ways that service learning, social justice, open science, and trauma-informed teaching can serve our students. Another highlight was the presence of two colleagues who record a teaching-related podcast PsychSessions, who recorded mini-sessions live from the conference.

VCSU Art Gallery presents Kiowa Six

The VCSU Art Gallery in collaboration with the Center for Diversity and Inclusion presents art prints created by the Kiowa Six, a portion of VCSU’s permanent collection. The show is on display now through Nov. 4.

These Indigenous artworks were a part of a project initiated in 1928 by Oscar Brousse Jacobson, director of the art school, University of Oklahoma. Each work created by the Kiowa Six represents costumes, symbols and legends from the Indigenous culture of the 30 prints displayed in the art gallery.

The VCSU Art Gallery is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Viking Sports Update

Football
Oct. 22: VCSU 35, Waldorf University 14
Viking Football won its second game in a row, picking up a big road victory at Waldorf. VCSU is now 2-1 in conference play and faces conference leader Dickinson State (3-0) on Saturday in Dickinson.

Volleyball
Oct. 21: Bellevue 3, VCSU 0
Oct. 22: Dakota State 3, VCSU 1
Viking Volleyball returns home this weekend with matches Friday and Saturday against Viterbo and Waldorf. The Vikings will also finish the regular season at home with matches against Mayville State (Nov. 2) and Presentation College (Nov. 4).

Cross Country
Jasmine Barnes and Dominic Santiago both placed in the Top 30 on Friday as the Viking cross country teams competed at the Mystic-Marauder Invite near Bismarck. Read more: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/4521

Basketball
The VCSU basketball teams start the 2022-23 season with home games this weekend at The Bubble. The Viking men play Friday night and Saturday, while the women play Saturday and Sunday. Both VCSU teams were picked fourth in the NSAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Upcoming Events
Oct. 28: Volleyball vs. Viterbo, 6 p.m.
Oct. 28: Men’s Basketball vs. Northwestern College, 8 p.m.
Oct. 29: Volleyball vs. Waldorf, 1 p.m.
Oct. 29: Football at Dickinson State, 3 p.m. CT
Oct. 29: Women’s Basketball vs. Providence College, 5 p.m.
Oct. 29: Men’s Basketball vs. Dordt University, 7 p.m.
Oct. 30: Women’s Basketball vs. Providence College, 12 p.m.
Nov. 2: WBB/MBB vs. Minnesota-Morris, 5:30/7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2: Volleyball vs. Mayville State, 6 p.m.

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/

This Week

October 26
6 p.m. Halloween Hike on the NCT, meet at Medicine Wheel

October 28
1:50 – 2:30 p.m. Open Forum with Dr. Mark Hagerott (NDUS Chancellor) and Mr. Jerry Rostad (Vice Chancellor of Strategy and Strategic Engagement), Vangstad Auditorium
Open to students, staff and faculty
6 p.m. – midnight Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

October 29
6 p.m. – midnight Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

October 30
6 p.m. – 10 p.m. Global Exploration Club presents “The Haunted Library”, Allen Memorial Library
Join us for games, fun and food for all ages. Donations will be accepted.

Community Club meetings

• Valley City Community Band – every Thursday, VCSU Center for the Arts Room 171 (Find out more about the community band: https://www.newsdakota.com/2022/09/08/area-music-teacher-rekindles-valley-city-community-band/)
• Kiwanis – Wednesdays at noon, Valley City Town & Country Club
• Optimist Club – Thursdays at 7:00 a.m., Vicky’s Viking Room
• Rotary Club – Tuesdays at noon, VCSU
• Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals – 2nd Tuesday at 5:30 p.m., Our Saviors Lutheran Church
• Barnes County Wildlife Federation – 2nd Wednesday of the month
• Grief Journeys for Adults Support Group – meet virtually, call Hospice at 701-845-1781 to take part

Go to https://www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.