President’s Column: VCSU leads in education and innovation in teacher preparation

Greetings from Valley City State University!

Wherever I travel in ND and surrounding states, one of the most recognized and celebrated centers of excellence on the VCSU campus is the School of Education. With over 1,435 educators serving as teachers and administrators in 336 schools throughout North Dakota, we are proud to be positively known for this excellent program and continue to find ways to lead from the front.

Here are just a few additional data points illustrating the success of our program:

• VCSU was ranked as the top elementary education program in the nation by study.com in 2021
• Our Rural School Partner Benefit program continues to build collaborations with partner schools to help teachers obtain a master’s degree by offering a 50% tuition waiver to qualified applicants.
• We graduated 115 elementary education students in 2021-22, more than any other North Dakota institution.
• Our collaborative elementary education program with North Dakota State University is providing real-life in-classroom experiences and valuable experiential learning for our students in West Fargo.
• The innovative substitute teacher program provides hands-on experiences for our students at an early stage in their coursework, preparing them for successful student teaching experiences and careers as educators.

The success and placement of our graduates are positive performance indicators of the program, but we all know we must do more to encourage, recruit, prepare and retain teachers for the workforce needs of today and future years. With nearly 400 unfilled teaching positions available in North Dakota at the beginning of the 2022 school year, this need is more apparent than ever. Teachers are needed in every grade level and content area.

Under the leadership of Dr. Allen Burgad, Dean of the VCSU School of Education, we were recently chosen as the recipient of a $600K grant from the Department of Public Instruction to provide scholarship assistance and provide a pathway for current paraprofessionals and substitute teachers to obtain their licensure. This grant helps illustrate the confidence that many stakeholders have in our ability to make a difference in this important work. Congratulations to all who helped develop the innovative proposal and secure these funds to address the ongoing teacher shortage.

Those choosing a career path in education have our deepest respect and gratitude for their willingness to join a noble profession and help address one of the most critical workforce needs in our state, region and nation. Valley City State University is dedicated to continuing the important work to which we have been committed since our founding and we pledge to continue leading in this effort.

Go Vikings!