Hotline // May 11, 2022

VCSU’s Capital Campaign surpasses $6 million

The VCSU Foundation recently announced that the Forward Together Capital Campaign has recently surpassed the $6 million mark.

According to Larry Robinson, capital campaign director, “We are making good progress with our Capital Campaign. We identified approximately 300 prospective donors early on who we would be soliciting from. At the present time, we have contacted approximately 150 of those prospects. Of that number, several are still in the discussion stages.”

Robinson further noted that it is normal for families and businesses who are considering a gift to a campaign of this type to spend weeks and months finalizing their plans and working with their respective family members, and in the case of businesses, their Board of Directors, before making a final decision.

VCSU’s capital campaign kicked off in February of 2020 only to be faced with the COVID-19 pandemic one month later. As a result, the campaign was put on hold for solicitation purposes for several months. Robinson concluded, “We are very appreciative of the many individuals, families and businesses that have supported this campaign to date. All gifts, big or small, are important to our campaign.”

Anyone interested in making a contribution to the campaign should contact the VCSU Foundation Office. Pledges can be paid over a five-year time period.

Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome tonight

The Viking Campus Activities Board and the VCSU President’s Office are sponsoring a concert by Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome to celebrate the VCSU class of 2022. The concert will take place tonight, May 11 at 7:30 p.m. in the VCSU Center for the Arts.

Tickets can be purchased by calling (701-845-7122) or emailing Brooke Yanish (brooke.yanish@vcsu.edu) at the Student Center.

The Forge Open Mic Night tonight

The Forge Open Mic Night will be held tonight, Wednesday, May 11 at 6 p.m. in the Allen Memorial Library Curriculum Center. The Forge, published every spring, is a literary magazine featuring academic and creative writing as well as other artistic works by VCSU students, faculty and staff. The open mic night gives readers a chance to hear from the creators themselves.

Come enjoy culture, creativity, camaraderie and refreshments while supporting the arts! (Masks are not required)

Employee Recognition Banquet this Thursday

The President’s Office is pleased to announce that the VCSU Employee Recognition Dinner will be held Thursday, May 12, at the VCSU Cafeteria in the Student Center.

Recognitions for the 2021–2022 academic year will include retirements, years of service, Difference Maker, Staff Employee of the Quarter, degree and professional certification completion, tenure and promotion, Student Advocate, Teacher of the Year and faculty excellence.

Those who will be recognized will be contacted by the President’s Office and offered two free tickets to the dinner. All other employees will be offered one free ticket with additional tickets available for purchase.

The following will be recognized that evening:

Dr. Margaret Dahlberg, Vice President for Academic Affairs/Professor, Office for Academic Affairs
Curt Hill, Professor, Computer Systems & Software Engineering
Gary Ketterling, Coordinator/Assistant Professor, GPSTEM Center / Department of Science
Patti Rickford, Assistant Director, Financial Aid
Connie Stavens, Help Desk/IVN Specialist, Technology Services
Charlene Stenson, Director, Enrollment Services

Years of Service

VCSU to host spring commencement on May 14

Valley City State University will hold a spring commencement ceremony on Saturday May 14, to honor its graduating class during the 2022 spring semester. VCSU will recognize 186 graduates — 2 will receive associate’s degrees, 167 will receive bachelor’s degrees and 17 will receive master’s degrees.

The in-person ceremony will also be livestreamed on VCSU’s Youtube channel: www.youtube.com/vcsuvikings

Find or share commencement-related content on social media by using #2022Vikings.

VCSU Green Dot Bystander Overview Training to take place May 17

The final spring VCSU Green Dot Bystander Overview Training will take place Tuesday, May 17 from 11:00–12:30 p.m. in the Student Center Skoal Room. Lunch will be provided. This training is for employees but students are welcome to attend.

To reserve your spot for a training, please email kelsie.carter@vcsu.edu or kiersten.baughman@vcsu.edu.

The mission of the program is to empower VCSU employees and students with active bystander skills through awareness, programming and education resulting in a culture where power-based violence will not be tolerated and everyone does their part to provide a safe campus. Since the start of the spring 2021 semester, over 100 employees and 298 students have been trained.

Fenster attends ‘Mind Matters’ and ‘Ethics for the Whole Person’ conferences

Emily Fenster, associate professor of sociology, attended the 2022 Mind Matters Conference held online March 24–25. This conference is hosted annually by the North Dakota Brain Injury Network. She attended sessions on a wide range of topics, including supporting social and emotional growth for health relationships in people with disabilities, the role of community health workers in healthcare and disability bioethics.

Fenster, associate professor of sociology, attended the Ethics for the Whole Person Conference held May 7. This conference was hosted by Essentia Health, Sanford Health and the UND School of Medicine. She attended sessions on a wide range of topics, including the keynote on ethics of care presented by Katherine Brown-Saltzman, trauma-informed care and a panel on beliefs, values and medicine.

Prairie Waters to host summer camps in June

Prairie Waters Education and Research Center will host two day camps this summer for students entering 5th through 8th grade next school year.

Splashin’ Around at Prairie Waters — for those entering 5th and 6th grades — will be held June 13–15, 2022. Among other activities, participants will wear waders as they walk in streams to discover what lives in the water.

Fishin’ Around the Prairie Waters — for those entering 7th and 8th grades — will be held June 20–22, 2022. Participants will explore fish habitats, including lake exploration via pontoon boat and catch fish with and without rods.

Camp fees for each camp are $95, which includes a T-shirt, lunch, and transportation from VCSU to the Prairie Waters facility in Kathryn, N.D., daily. Fishing tackle will also be provided for the Fishin’ Around camp.

Registration deadline is May 27 for both camps. Registration forms can be found online at https://www.vcsu.edu/academics/academic-centers/prairie-waters-education-research-center/summer-camps/.

An extension of Valley City State University, Prairie Waters is an environmental education center specializing in water education and water-related research. Prairie Waters connects K–12 students with water resources in a number of classroom and field experiences, provides water-sampling certification workshops for state employees, and does contract research for state agencies such as the Department of Health and North Dakota Game and Fish.

For more information, call Prairie Waters at 701-845-7570 or email bonita.roswick@vcsu.edu.

Viking Sports Update

Softball
The Valley City State softball team won the NSAA Softball Tournament Championship this past week in Watertown, S.D. The Vikings (33-16) earned the conference’s automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament Opening Round. VCSU will travel to Gulf Shores, Ala., to compete in a four-team opening round site. The Vikings are the No. 4 seed and will face the top team in the country, Mobile (Ala.), in their opening game. 

More info: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/4431

Baseball
The Valley City State baseball team went 1-2 during the NSAA Conference Tournament in Forest City, Iowa. The Vikings finish the season with a 22-22 overall record. 

Read more: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/4429

Track & Field
Valley City State University is hosting the NSAA Outdoor Track & Field Conference Championships this week. The meet will be held Thursday and Friday at VCSU’s John & Diane Hill Track & Field Complex. Events start at 2 p.m. on Thursday and 10 a.m. on Friday. 

Read more: https://www.vcsuvikings.com/2022-nsaa-outdoor-track-and-field-championships

Upcoming Events
May 12: NSAA Track & Field Championships, 2 p.m. (Valley City)
May 13: NSAA Track & Field Championships, 10 a.m. (Valley City)
May 16-18: Softball at NAIA National Championship Opening Round (Gulf Shores, Ala.)

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

Ongoing

MWF: 1 – 2 p.m. COVID-19 Testing, City County Health District (by appointment only, call 701-845-8518)

This Week

May 11
6 p.m. The Forge Open Mic, Allen Memorial Library 6:00 p.m.
7:30 p.m. Post-Traumatic Funk Syndrome, Center for the Arts

May 12
5:30 p.m. Employee Recognition Dinner

May 12 & 13
Men’s and Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Championship, Hill Track and Field Complex

May 13
1 p.m. Senior Awards Program, Center for the Arts

May 14
10 a.m.VCSU Spring Commencement, Osmon Fieldhouse
1 p.m. Community School of the Arts Spring Recital, Center for the Arts

Save the date

June 17
7 p.m. Peggy Lee Day, Myron Sommerfeld and his Music, Center for the Arts

June 18 & 19
Rally the Valley

Community Club meetings

• Kiwanis – Wednesdays at noon, Valley City Town & Country Club
• Optimist Club – Thursdays at 7 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.