This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles:

• President’s Column: Economic impact strengthens community
• VCSU picnic planning committee looking for volunteers
• Van Gijssel to speak on ‘Freedom’ at museum Thursday night
• BCWF supports VCSU’s Prairie Waters Center
• Alumnae honored at business education conference
• Chaffee receives AIR award
• Carlson presents at institutional research conference in D.C.
• Pfeifer presents at teaching conference
• Dieken cycling to fight kids’ cancer
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

The VCSU Hotline! online newsletter is published every other Monday from May 8 through August 14. Deadline to submit articles (photos encouraged) is 3 p.m. the Friday before publication.

President’s Column: Economic impact strengthens community

by Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE
Valley City State University President

I am so very grateful for the many ways our local community supports Valley City State University. I am equally proud of the significant impact VCSU has on the community. Many of our faculty and staff reside here, send their children to our local schools, and serve as engaged citizens in a myriad of ways. Similarly, many of our students are employed here, live here, and serve here. The friendships created warm the heart and often change lives. That is impact.

There is another impact made by VCSU not so readily thought about—the economic impact. Every two years the North Dakota University System commissions a study of the economic contribution the universities and our students have on the state and local economy. Did you know that in the most recent study the economic impact of VCSU on the Valley City area for fiscal year 2015 was an estimated $91.5 million, an 18 percent increase over the last 5 years!

Key economic indicators included in the study were direct impacts, total level of economic activity, personal income, retail trade, tax revenues, and employment. Increased retail trade activity was estimated to have more than doubled from $9.5 million in fiscal year 1999 to $20.4 million in fiscal year 2015, representing an $11.0 million, or 115 percent, increase.

Accordingly, increased levels of retail trade activity would generate $946,000 in sales and use tax in fiscal year 2015, and personal income tax collections were estimated to be $520,000 that same year. Further, the report indicates that levels of business activity resulting from VCSU expenditures would support 200 jobs—in addition to faculty and staff jobs—in 2015.

Students also contribute to the local community in a big way. In fiscal year 2015, direct impacts of student spending in the Valley City area were $10.4 million, with a total economic contribution from student spending of $25.9 million. The report indicates that this level of student spending would generate an additional $543,000 in sales and use tax revenue, along with $94,000 in personal income tax collections—creating enough business activity to support 45 jobs.

The message I take away from that data is that our partnership is strong. We add value to the community and the community makes us better. Our enviable town/gown relationship—whether counted by the strength of our positive interactions or in dollars—makes it yet another great day to live in Valley City, and a great day to be a Viking!

Van Gijssel to speak on ‘Freedom’ at museum Thursday night

Hilde van Gijssel, Ph.D., professor of science, will speak on “Freedom” at the Barnes County Museum on Thursday, June 22, at 7:30 p.m.

In her talk, van Gijssel will explore the meaning of freedom from her personal perspective as a member of the Remonstranten, a Protestant church in the Netherlands which includes the words “freedom” and “tolerance” in its guiding principles. Some questions she will explore are these: What is the meaning of freedom for van Gijssel personally? Is freedom limitless or are there restrictions? Is the meaning different in other countries and how are freedom and tolerance connected?

Open to the public free of charge, the lecture is part of season 19 of the Barnes County Historical Society Lecture Series. The annual meeting of the historical society will be held at 7 p.m. prior to van Gijssel’s presentation.

VCSU picnic planning committee looking for volunteers

President Mason will host the annual VCSU picnic on Monday, Aug. 14, 2017. Past picnics have include fun and food for the whole family planned by an energetic group of VCSU employees.

If you are interested in being part of this planning committee, please contact Rhonda Fairfield at 845-7102 or rhonda.fairfield@vcsu.edu.

BCWF supports VCSU’s Prairie Waters Center

The Barnes County Wildlife Federation recently contributed more than $1,500 to VCSU’s Prairie Waters Education and Research Center in Kathryn, N.D., to provide waders for the center’s aquatic exploration activities and scholarship support for participants in Prairie Waters’ summer camps.

Pictured are Perry Kapaun (right), president of the Barnes County Wildlife Federation, and Bonita Roswick, Prairie Waters education specialist.

The waders are used in Prairie Waters’ environmental education and research programs for students and teachers, while the scholarship funds provide assistance for youth to attend the center’s two summer camps: Splashin’ Around at Prairie Waters, for schoolchildren entering 5th and 6th grades, held June 19–21, and Fishin’ Around the Prairie Waters, for those entering 7th and 8th grades, held June 26–28.

This year in April and May alone, nearly 600 students participated in activities at Prairie Waters. More information on Prairie Waters Education and Research Center can be found at www.vcsu.edu/prairiewaters.

Alumnae honored at business education conference

VCSU alumnae Amber (Ussatis) Aberle ’03 and Theresa (Foertsch) Ostgarden ’11 received awards at the Mountain-Plains Business Education Association’s regional conference held in Bismarck, N.D., from June 12–14.

Aberle, a VCSU business instructor, was named 2017 M-PBEA Collegiate Teacher of the Year, and Ostgarden, an instructor in the Grand Forks Public Schools district, was named Middle Level Teacher of the Year.

The conference, themed “Inspiring Tomorrow’s Legends,” provided technology sessions, workshops, tours and keynote addresses for attendees, including middle and high school teachers, community and university professors, and administrators from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

Aberle presented on two topics: Universal Access and Design, and Open Education Resources. She also exhibited on behalf of the VCSU Business Department and provided a means for secondary educators to earn continuing education credits at the conference. Aberle served on the conference planning committee the past year.

Chaffee receives AIR award

Ellen Chaffee, Valley City State University president emerita, received the John Stecklein Distinguished Member Award at the Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum in Washington, D.C, on June 2.

The John Stecklein Distinguished Member Award recognizes an individual whose professional career has significantly advanced the field of institutional research through extraordinary scholarship, leadership, and service.

Chaffee, senior fellow for the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges (AGB), is past president of AIR and also served the organization in a variety of additional capacities. Her award nominations cited her leadership and advocacy for improving the quality of higher education and its management through data-informed decision-making.

Carlson presents at institutional research conference in D.C.

Gregory Carlson, Ph.D., director for institutional research and assessment, delivered a poster presentation at the 2017 Association for Institutional Research (AIR) Forum held May 29–June 2 in Washington, D.C.

Titled “Implementing Open Education Resources (OER) at Valley City State University,” the poster was based on work evaluating the OER initiative at VCSU with Julee Russell and Jodi Shorma. Carlson reports that VCSU received a considerable number of compliments on the innovation and success of this project as a campus initiative.

Carlson attended sessions on development of data visualizations, utilizing IPEDS data for institutional measures, enrollment forecasting, and effectiveness of survey incentives. He also attended an organizational meeting for the Association of Higher Education Effectiveness (AHEE), which is seeking to enhance professional development opportunities within the field of institutional effectiveness.

In addition, Carlson helped facilitate discussion in an Association for Institutional Research in the Upper Midwest (AIRUM) planning meeting. Carlson is currently in the second year of a three-year term on the AIRUM Steering Committee, which organizes and plans the AIRUM annual conferences.

Pfeifer presents at teaching conference

Susan Pfeifer, associate professor of computer systems and software engineering, presented at The Teaching Professor Conference June 2–4 in St. Louis, Mo.

Pfeifer’s poster, “Using Open Educational Resources to Teach Social Implications of Computers,” described her course that was designed to use various active learning assignments and activities along with OER.

In addition, she attended several presentations, including topics of engagement in the classroom and gamification strategies.

Dieken cycling to fight kids’ cancer

Karri Dieken, assistant professor of art, is participating in the Great Cycle Challenge, a bicycle ride from Minneapolis to Chicago to raise funds to fight kids’ cancer. Dieken began the ride on Friday, June 16, in Minneapolis, but she has been logging miles since June 1 in support of her 1,000 mile goal in the fundraising challenge.

Dieken is also using the ride to collect data for a current art research project on the region.

To follow Dieken’s ride and fund her portion of the challenge, visit greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/KarriDieken.

What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

Monday, June 19

Tuesday, June 20
Laylat al-Qadr begins at sundown
noon Rotary Club meeting, VFW

Wednesday, June 21
First day of summer
noon Kiwanis meeting, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, June 22
noon Toastmasters meeting, VCSU Student Center Norway Room
7 p.m. Barnes County Historical Society annual meeting
7:30 p.m. “Freedom,” Hilde van Gijssel, Ph.D., Barnes County Historical Society Lecture Series, Barnes County Museum

Friday, June 23

Saturday, June 24

Sunday, June 25
Eid al-Fitr begins at sundown

Monday, June 26

Tuesday, June 27
noon Rotary Club meeting, VFW

Wednesday, June 28
noon Kiwanis meeting, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, June 29
noon Toastmasters meeting, VCSU Norway Room

Friday, June 30
Payday

Saturday, July 1

Sunday, July 2

Monday, July 3

Tuesday, July 4
Independence Day
No VCSU classes; offices closed

Wednesday, July 5
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, July 6
noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room

Friday, July 7
4-H Achievement Days, North Dakota Winter Show Event Center

Saturday, July 8
4-H Achievement Days, North Dakota Winter Show Event Center

Sunday, July 9