Spring Semester Progress at Valley City State University

Greetings from Valley City State University!

The winter weather has been kind to us this past week and it appears we have more good weather fortune ahead – and it is certainly welcome! There have been and will continue to be some exciting events that I’d like to highlight this week.

• Free application month will continue until February 15. If you know of any interested high school students searching for a university home, please encourage them to apply by visiting vcsu.edu/apply to start the process. Any student that applies before February 15 and is admitted by February 28 will be entered into a drawing for a free mini fridge. This would be a welcome addition to any residence hall room!
• I had the honor of joining some of our VCSU music faculty members in their spring recital performance on February 26 in the Center for the Arts. The audience was treated to a varied and excellent program, illustrating the talent of some of our outstanding faculty. I especially enjoyed performing a duet with our new clarinet professor, Dr. Katrina Clements (clarinet) and Dr. Oswald Johnson (piano). Interestingly, we both studied with the same clarinet professor at Arizona State, Dr. Robert Spring. Dr. Spring will be retiring this year after a 40+ year career. If you couldn’t attend the recital, you can watch and listen to the recorded performance on YouTube.
• Congratulations to an outstanding group of VCSU students who were recently recognized for their work on “The Forge”. The locally published literary magazine was recently recognized as a Superior Magazine by the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE).
• More than 40 businesses have registered for our upcoming career fair for students at the end of February. We have reached the maximum capacity of participating businesses! However, if you’d like to reach out to our students for anticipated workforce needs, internships, or other assistance, please contact Janna Kohler, director of career services at 701-845-7534 or janna.kohler@vcsu.edu.
• The annual Giving Hearts Day is February 8. Early giving is now open. Donations received will be used for student scholarship support. For more information, contact the VCSU Advancement Office at 701-845-7203. Donate $10 or more to the VCSU Foundation at https://app.givingheartsday.org/#/charity/383 and your gift will be matched up to $5,000 by Ludvigson, Braun & Co. – Matt Pedersen. The dollars raised during Giving Hearts Day help our students through scholarship support in addition to hosting alumni gatherings, award programs, Homecoming activities and our alumni newsletter. It’s a win-win for both students and alumni!
• The long-awaited renovation of McCarthy Hall continues to move forward. Thanks to the generous support of individual donors and the ND Legislature, this $13.5M project will be going to bid soon. It is anticipated the 12-month construction process will begin in March.
• Finally, we look forward to reconnecting and meeting with VCSU alumni and friends in Arizona at the end of this week (February 1-3). These events are an excellent opportunity to share many campus updates and stay in close contact with our wonderful supporters.

As always, we look forward to greeting you on campus at one of the many activities happening in the fast-paced spring semester!

Go Vikings!