Hotline // December 7, 2022

Valley City State University to Host Winter Commencement Dec. 15

103 Graduates to Receive Degrees

Valley City, ND – Valley City State University (VCSU) will host winter commencement ceremonies at 3:30 p.m., Thursday, Dec. 15, in Vangstad Auditorium.

More than 100 students will walk across the stage to receive their degrees. There will be 90 undergraduate degrees awarded including 54 Bachelor of Science in Education, 26 Bachelor of Science, two Bachelor of Arts, six Bachelor of University Studies, and two Associate of Arts.

There will also be 13 Master’s degrees awarded including 12 Master of Education degrees and one Master of Arts in Teaching degree.

“Our campus is proud of these graduates who have worked hard to reach this milestone. It has been a joy to get to know many of these students and see them grow into capable leaders,” VCSU President Alan LaFave said. “We wish every graduate the best as they move into the world as alumni.”

The ceremony is open to the public.

There will be several speakers during commencement including graduate Angeline Gannon, faculty member Susan Pfiefer, President Dr. Alan LaFave and State Board of Higher Education member Dr. John Warford.

The event will be live streamed on VCSU’s YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/vcsuvikings. For more information visit VCSU’s commencement page at: myweb.vcsu.edu/students/commencement/

To schedule an interview about commencement or other VCSU events, contact Tammy Jo Anderson Taft by emailing tammyjo.taft@vcsu.edu or calling 701-845-7227.

President’s Column: Commencement Celebration

I’ve written previously about the importance of commencement – that moment in time when friends, family, faculty, staff, and colleagues gather to celebrate and congratulate students on their achievements and the anticipation of the next chapter in life.

We are excited to continue this tradition with our winter Commencement exercises set for Thursday, December 15 at 3:30 p.m. in historic Vangstad Auditorium.

Many small to mid-size campuses have abandoned the practice of winter Commencements. The option given to those completing their degree requirements mid-year is to return in May for receipt of their diplomas and formal recognition of their achievements. I’m pleased that we continue the practice of winter Commencement our campus.

Commencement celebrations are rich in history, pomp, and formality. The academic costume worn by graduates and other participants originated in the university of the Middle Ages, when a warm gown and hood were useful to the scholar and cleric in unheated buildings. While the temps will likely be cool on December 15, we are grateful to be celebrating in a climate-controlled facility.

We will be recognizing 103 graduates. There will be 90 undergraduate degrees awarded including:

• 54 Bachelor of Science in Education
• 26 Bachelor of Science
• 2 Bachelor of Arts
• 6 Bachelor of University Studies
• 2 Associate of Arts

There will also be 13 Master’s degrees awarded including 12 Master of Education degrees and one Master of Arts in Teaching.

We will be joined by guest speakers including Angeline Gannon, graduating student and former student senate president, faculty member Susan Pfiefer, our department chair of computer systems and software engineering, and State Board of Higher Education member Dr. John Warford.

One of the benefits of working in a university setting is being able to get to know students and their families along the journey. Watching them mature and learn in their academic and athletic pursuits along with their development of leadership, decision-making, and organizational skills is one of the greatest joys of being a part of the university community. On behalf of the entire campus, we congratulate these graduates and extend our best wishes to them for an enjoyable and successful career and life. We are proud to add another 103 graduates to our growing VCSU alumni list.

Go Vikings!

Hidden Underneath on display in VCSU Art Gallery

Hurt’s senior exhibit is featured in the VCSU Center for the Arts Gallery Dec. 5 -16. She will discuss her senior show during the artist talk podcast on Dec. 9 at 2 p.m. Following the talk, a reception will take place in the VCSU Center for the Fine Arts Gallery. The artist talk will be live-streamed on the VCSU Art Department YouTube channel and on the VCSU Art Department Facebook page.

Hurt’s exhibit features paintings, drawings, sculptures and photography that explore different themes around mental health and the societal aspects that surround it.

Hidden Underneath creates a space for conversations about mental health and societal issues that are happening all around the world. Through her work, she wants to open the viewer’s mind to the idea that things aren’t always as they seem. “People’s battles with mental health”, she stresses, “cannot always be seen, but that doesn’t mean that a battle does not exist.” Her goal is to provide another perspective about mental health and related topics, to help people be more aware and sensitive to other people’s mental health because there are aspects of a person’s life that can be easily hidden from the rest of the world.

VCSU hosting Barnes County Tournament

Valley City State University is hosting the annual Barnes County Girls Basketball Tournament on Dec. 6, 8 and 9 at the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse. Girls basketball teams and fans from Maple River, LaMoure/Litchville-Marion, Enderlin, Barnes County North, Richland and Wyndmere-Lidgerwood will be on campus for the event.

The tournament schedule and results can be found at: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/2022girlsbct

Global Exploration Club spaghetti supper next Monday

Join the Global Exploration Club for a spaghetti supper on Monday, Dec. 12 at 5 p.m. at the Valley City Eagles Club. The group will host a second spaghetti supper on Jan. 16.

All donations are used to fund student trips to Costa Rica and Argentina.

Lewis & Clark planetarium show next week

VCSU’s Planetarium presents Lewis & Clark on Dec. 17 at 1 p.m. The planetarium is located in the Rhoades Science Center Room 309. Find out how Lewis & Clark used astronomy to navigate and map the Louisiana Purchase to remarkable accuracy. The show is free and open to the public.

Valley City State University is home to the only planetarium in North Dakota. Our state-of-the-art Rhoades Science Center houses a Spitz 512 planetarium with a 24-foot domed ceiling and 50 reclining seats.

Each semester, VCSU students produce a new show to be used in the Planetarium. Our shows range from basic astronomy to exploring how Lewis and Clark used the night sky to aid in their exploration of North America.

Our planetarium is primarily used to educate area school and community groups but is also used for some classes at VCSU, like Astronomy and Earth Science. With no charge for shows, it’s easy to make the trip to our beautiful campus and have a one-of-a-kind celestial experience.

For more information about the VCSU Planetarium contact Wes Anderson, 701-845-0966.

Nothing is Impossible

ND-ACES Profile: Dr. Hilde van Gijssel – Courtesy of North Dakota EPSCoR

Research is the obvious focus for the ND-ACES project, but one professor is also well-known for her emphasis on developing students in the process of advancing research. Hilde van Gijssel, professor of science and also the ND-ACES principal investigator for Valley City State University (VCSU) is constantly in search of creative ways to empower students to be their best.

“I had a student in my office last spring, and he was ready to quit,” van Gijssel recalled. “We broke down the issues he was facing and talked it through. He worked hard to finish the year. This September, he got a letter and literally ran across campus to my office to tell me he’d gotten accepted to vet school. He ran! That’s when you know you did something right.”

Van Gijssel sets up teams of students to work on projects, a process she started a few years ago with great success. Students start with basic lab tasks, learning techniques and safety procedures, as well as the “soft skills” of time management, collaboration, the need for precision and learning to understand the “why” behind the procedure. As they learn these skills, it builds confidence and a greater appreciation for classroom theory, she explained.

Van Gijssel’s and her students’ research focuses on helping develop predictive models with breast and prostate cancers as part of the Center for Cellular Biointerfaces in Science and Engineering (CCBSE). “Many times, these two cancers will metastasize to the bone, where treatment is much more difficult,” she said. “Our research tests cell reactions on polymer-based scaffolding (specialized materials) that mimic bone. We want to create a model that mimics cell-bone interactions outside of the body so we can find new treatments for the cancer.”

Through the lab research, students learn about cell types and how they react. For example, epithelial cells are normal cells that are connected to surrounding cells. To become cancer cells and move to another area of the body or metastasize, van Gijssel explained, the cancer cells lose the epithelial characteristics and become more mesenchymal-like and lose the ability to stick. The VCSU team is studying this process of transition from epithelial to mesenchymal cells, focusing on a family of proteins called cadherins to test different scaffoldings that can be used as growing surfaces for the cancer cells. Students also test compounds to see if an increase in E-cadherin expression can increase the adherence of cells to each other and possibly change metastasized cells back to more epithelial-like cells, she said. Changing the cells could potentially make them more amenable to treatment and inhibit the ability of the cells to move to other areas of the body.

“The research we’re doing is an important part of the ND-ACES effort,” van Gijssel said, “but to me, it’s all about the students. If they have an interest, they can join the team. We have had freshmen to seniors involved in research. When a student comes to me with an idea, my usual reaction is “let’s figure this out so you can do it.” The results of the research are interesting to van Gijssel, but it’s the students’ growth in confidence and self-discovery that energizes her daily work. “I dream big,” she said. “I start from the viewpoint that nothing is impossible until proven otherwise.” The results from her students indicate they enthusiastically agree.

Mitchell Silkman receives Difference Maker award

Mitchell Silkman, technology services, recently received the Difference Maker award. He was nominated by IT.

His nomination read, “We would like to nominate Mitchell Silkman. His dedication to all things VCSU – academics, sports, music, art and making sure it is all documented via live stream and/or recorded is amazing!”

Congratulations, Mitchell!

Viking Sports Update

Women’s Basketball
Nov. 30: VCSU 94, Trinity Bible 58
Dec. 3: VCSU 66, Dickinson State 60
VCSU women’s basketball extended its winning streak to four games with a pair of wins last week, including a victory over Dickinson State in the conference opener. The Vikings are now 8-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.

Men’s Basketball
Nov 30: VCSU 11, Trinity Bible College 32
Dec. 3: VCSU 82, Dickinson State 70
The Viking men’s basketball team opened conference play with an impressive 82-70 win over Dickinson State last week. VCSU is now 6-5 overall and 1-0 in the North Star. 

Track & Field
Valley City State track and field athletes opened the 2022-23 indoor season with a handful of Top 8 finishes and personal bests last Friday at the NDSU Dakota Alumni Classic. The Vikings had about a dozen athletes compete at the season opening meet, which also featured athletes from NDSU, UND, MSU-Moorhead and Concordia-Moorhead. Read more at: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/4576

Upcoming Events
Dec. 7: WBB/MBB at Jamestown, 6/8 p.m.
Dec. 10: Track & Field at University of Mary, 11 a.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/

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

December 7
6 & 8 p.m. WBB/MBB at University of Jamestown
4:30 p.m – 6:00 p.m. Unofficial Faculty/Staff Gathering, Brockopp Brewing

December 8 
6 p.m. Ano Viejo, Torching the Old Year to Toast the New One, parking lot north of Rhoades Science Center

December 9
4 p.m – 6 p.m. Unofficial Faculty/Staff Gathering, Brockopp Brewing

Community Club meetings

• Valley City Community Band – every Thursday, VCSU Center for the Arts Room 171
• 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.