Skip to main content
President's Desk

Moving forward through COVID

Oct 12, 2020

President Alan D. LaFaveWe’ve been extraordinarily fortunate at VCSU to have seen minimal cases of COVID-19 on our campus. Weekly testing events continue, and the number of active cases, as of this writing, is three — one off-campus and two on-campus.

While the trends and numbers of active cases have been kept to a minimum, we stress to our students, faculty and staff to remain vigilant. Having a low number of cases can create a sense of complacency, and with the new protocols on face mask use and quarantine requirements, we must continue to make wise decisions to ensure a continued successful semester.

We haven’t been resting on our laurels at VCSU. We continue to move forward with focused drive and energy as an institution, while living up to our defining commitments and mission. Our students continue to attend courses in pursuit of their educational goals. Our athletic teams are practicing and successfully competing in the North Star Athletic Association, and our student leaders are especially active and engaged.

I’ve had the opportunity to visit with many faculty and staff members in the past weeks, and I continue to marvel at their positive attitudes, innovative spirit, and dedication to providing a positive and high-quality experience for our students.

Excellent progress is being made on the Center for the Arts construction. It’s exciting to see the foundation in place, and as construction continues, it will be even more exciting to see the facility take shape and rise into the skyline on the west side of campus. The addition of this building on our campus is going to significantly improve and expand the delivery of our arts programming, an area that we value highly at VCSU and Valley City.

Finally, I’d like to recognize the many contributions of one of our own who will be retiring on October 15. Greg Vanney, director of marketing and communications, will be moving on to enjoy retirement closer to his family and friends in Iowa. Greg has been an integral part of the President’s Cabinet, NDUS Public Affairs Council, and the Valley City Chamber of Commerce, and he’s been a valued colleague here at VCSU. Thank you, Greg, for your seven-plus years of service to our campus and community, and best wishes for a happy and enjoyable retirement.

Go Vikings!