Hotline // March 29, 2023

President's Column: A Flurry of Activity

Greetings from VCSU!

When one looks outside, it’s hard to imagine we are soon to be welcoming the month of April, but here we are in the final stretch of the Spring 2023 semester!

With about six weeks left until spring commencement, there is a lot of regular and important work still happening on campus. Faculty and students are preparing for end of the semester projects and finals. Student-athletes are hoping to find indoor or warmer weather locations to be able to hold contests for their sports. The Higher Learning Commission just finished its annual meeting in Chicago, Viking Visit Days are in full swing, and the NAIA National Convention is being held March 31 to April 3.

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of welcoming approximately 35 potential VCSU students at one of our Viking Visit Days. It’s always a pleasure meeting with prospective students and their families. We sincerely appreciate their interest in VCSU as the next important step in their studies and career preparation. We gathered in the Center for the Arts Performance Hall and the excitement was evident. Our story is compelling and convincing. The many external validations of quality and affordability from U.S. News rankings, Study.com, EdSmart.com, OnlineU, Intelligent.com and WalletHub continue to substantiate the outstanding opportunities available at VCSU.

Later that day, I traveled to Bismarck to attend the performance of our VCSU Percussion Ensemble at the North Dakota Music Educator’s Conference at the Bismarck Events Center. I was so proud of the students and their director, Dustin Mallory, assistant professor of music. They represented VCSU and the music department exceedingly well and many positive comments have been received on their performance. Most of the VCSU music faculty were present, along with a large contingent of our student members of the National Association for Music Education. It was a proud moment to see such a strong representation of VCSU at this event.

Speaking of pride in student success, I hope you had the opportunity to read or hear about the outstanding success story on Hadlee Mathias, a senior at Valley City High School. She was recently recognized for completing 41 credits of high school dual credit coursework, the most completed thus far from the VCSU dual credit program, which equates to approximately three completed semesters of college coursework! This program provides such an outstanding opportunity for students to get a jump-start into their undergraduate degree. We are even more pleased to know she will be continuing her education at VCSU to become a teacher. Congratulations, Hadlee!

Two other noteworthy events occurred at the State Capitol in Bismarck last week. First, several VCSU students, faculty and staff attended Higher Education Day during the annual Legislative Showcase featuring campuses from across North Dakota. The VCSU delegation included students Matthew Mills, Dahlia Diegel and Taylene Mendiola. They were accompanied by staff and faculty members Mitchell Silkman, Jerilyn Beckman, Tammy Jo Taft, Angela Mirscov, and Dr. James Boe. They braved some challenging travel conditions to represent VCSU. Additionally, I’d like to extend thanks to Dr. David DeMuth for organizing the undergraduate research showcase at the Capitol on Friday, March 24. This event brought undergraduate students and faculty research advisors together for a poster presentation representing the NDUS system. Dr. DeMuth has provided outstanding service to the SBHE Research and Governance Council for several years and his guidance and collaborative style is appreciated by the entire NDUS system.

If you are looking for opportunities to visit campus and see the results of student work, the High School Art Exhibit is up through the end of the month and the Percussion Ensemble Concert will be held on Thursday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts. Both events are free and the public is invited to attend!

Finally, additional testimony will be provided to the Senate Appropriations Education and Environment division committee on Wednesday, March 29. We will be present in Bismarck to address questions from the committee on our budget request for the next biennium.

Go Vikings!

Percussion concert set for April 6

The VCSU Music Department presents the Percussion Concert on Thursday, April 6 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center for the Arts. The public is invited to attend and admission is free.

Musicians for the evening include Cassie Boelke (Wahpeton), Tedi Dimmer (West Fargo), Elizabeth Gazeley (Valley City), Carter Gill (Fargo), Wesley Gill (Fargo), Isabelle Haring (Oakes), Matthew Johnson (Valley City), Eyan Mehlhoff (Lisbon), and Jonathon Utke (Enderlin).

The program includes pieces by assistant professor of music Dustin Mallory, as well as Nathan Daughtrey, Adam Hopper, George Hamilton Green, Philip Glass, Robert Muczynski and Pat Metheny.

Jimenez receives ‘Difference Maker’ award

Ken Jimenez, D.M.A, assistant professor of music, recently received the “Difference Maker” award. He was nominated by the Marketing & Communications Office and Viking Print Services.

His nomination read, “Dr. Jimenez recently went out of his way to help a couple different departments on campus. For the marketing department, he edited the music for the VCSU TV commercials that have been airing during the state basketball tournaments. For athletics, he fixed an issue with the audio system in Graichen Gym, saving us the cost of professional repair or replacement. He helped us identify the issue, went to a hardware store and purchased a replacement part, and then fixed the equipment. Dr. Jimenez happily used his knowledge of audio and audio equipment to help other departments on campus. That makes him a Difference Maker at VCSU!”

Congrats, Ken!

VCSU Auction Committee Presents 'A Night at the Track'

The 28th annual VCSU Scholarship Auction will be held on Friday, April 28 at the Valley City Eagles Club. The theme for this year’s auction is A Night at the Track. The cost to attend is $60 per person and includes admission to the event, buffet dinner and two drink tickets.

The social hour will begin at 5 p.m. A buffet dinner will be served from 6–8 p.m. The live auction will kick off at 7 p.m. This is your chance to bid on some great deals while contributing to a great cause.

The silent auction will once again be available through the Handbid app. It will start on Monday, April 24 at 1 p.m. and will end on Friday, April 28 at 8:30 p.m. The app can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play Store. After downloading, participants can follow the prompts to create an account, then choose “VCSU Scholarship Auction 2023” from the list. Users can monitor their winning and losing bids from the dashboard, receive notifications when they have been outbid and checkout within the app at the end of the night. Participants need not be present to win or need a ticket to the event in order to participate.

Scholarships are vital to VCSU’s success and all proceeds from the auction go directly to V-500 and Century Club scholarships. The goal is to raise $115,000 this year for scholarships.

How can you help in the success of the auction?

• Donate a purchased item or handmade item for the live or silent auction
• Donate a bottle of wine valued at $20 or more for the Mystery Wine Table
• Purchase a Ticket
• Attend the Auction

To purchase tickets stop by or call the VCSU Foundation Office at 701-845-7203.

English students to present at MnWE 2023

Alexa Walby and Cassidy Hoyt, VCSU English students, will be presenting their research papers at the 2023 Minnesota Writing & English Conference (MnWE), March 31 – April 1. This year’s theme is “Learning Ecologies: Building, Improving, and Refining Pedagogy.”

The conference takes place at St. Cloud State University in St. Cloud, Minn. and online over Zoom. View the conference here: https://www.mnweconference.com/#/

Traveling art show coordinated by VCSU assistant professor

Show includes art from five different North Dakota University System schools

Valley City State University (VCSU) is pleased to announce the 2023 Traveling Art Exhibit for the North Dakota University System (NDUS) was on display at the North Dakota Capitol on Wednesday, March 22.

The show was coordinated by Assistant Professor of Art Angela Mircsov and focused on the cultural heritage of North Dakota.

Five NDUS institutions are participating in submitting artwork and displaying the show including VCSU, Bismarck State College, Cankdeska Cikana Community College, North Dakota State University, and Minot State University. Each institution submitted work from student and faculty artists.

The show will be on display in the following locations:

• Bismarck State College: Feb. 28 to March 21
• North Dakota State Capitol: March 22 for Higher Education Day
• Cankdeska Cikana Community College: April 24 to May 5
• Valley City State University: May 10 to June 20
• North Dakota State University: Fall 2023
• Minot State University is renovating their Art Department space and is unable to host the show.

“Every student and faculty submitted art that reflected what North Dakota means to them,” Mircsov said. “It is a wonderful show that highlights many different aspects of our state.”

For more information about the show, contact Mircsov by emailing angela.mircsov@vcsu.edu or calling 701-845-7564.

For more information about VCSU, contact Tammy Jo Anderson Taft by emailing tammyjo.taft@vcsu.edu or calling 701-845-7227.

VCSU Wellness Fair rescheduled for April 19

VCSU invites you to attend the annual Wellness Fair on Wednesday, April 19 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. in the Student Center. There will be hands-on activities, wellness information and door prizes from 30 different campus, local and state entities!

Participants can try a variety of screenings and testings such as Dermascan and InBody 270 and also have a chance at amazing door prizes such as workout gear, cooking appliances and gift cards.

VCSU employees who attend will also receive a voucher for 3000 points towards their wellness benefit.

VCSU Art Department presents High School Student Art Exhibit

The VCSU Art Department invites the public to attend the High School Student Art Exhibit starting March 13. The show will run through March 31 in the Center for the Arts Gallery from Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. with a reception on March 29.

Viking Sports Update

Softball
March 25: Dickinson State 7, VCSU 6; VCSU 14, Dickinson 2
March 26: VCSU 5, Dickinson 1
Viking Softball opened conference play with a 2-1 record against Dickinson State last weekend. The Vikings are now 8-15 overall and 2-1 in the NSAA. VCSU plays a four-game series at Bellevue University this weekend.

Baseball
March 24: Bellevue 5, VCSU 4; Bellevue 11, VCSU 2
March 25: Bellevue 5, VCSU 3; Bellevue 21, VCSU 0
VCSU baseball dropped a four-game series at No. 9-ranked Bellevue University this past weekend. The Vikings (5-19, 1-7 NSAA) are back on the road this weekend with a four-game series at Viterbo University on Sunday and Monday.

Track & Field
Valley City State sophomore Kendra Odegard qualified for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field National Championships during the season-opening outdoor track meet last week in Nebraska. Odegard recorded a top throw of 41.58 meters on Friday, winning the women’s javelin competition at the Wayne State College Wildcat Classic. VCSU senior Taylor Sargent also picked up an individual meet title on Saturday, racing to a victory in the women’s 100-meter hurdles.
Read more: https://vcsuvikings.com/news/2023/3/25/womens-track-and-field-odegard-qualifies-for-nationals-at-season-opener.aspx

Upcoming Events
April 1: Softball at Bellevue University, 2/4 p.m.
April 2: Softball at Bellevue University, 12/2 p.m.
April 2: Baseball at Viterbo University, 1/4 p.m.
April 3: Baseball at Viterbo University, 12/3 p.m.

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

Saturday, April 1
9 – 11 a.m. District 24 Legislative Forum, VCHS Cafeteria

Wednesday, April 19
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. Wellness Fair, VCSU Student Center

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/