This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles:

• President’s Column: Transition in the President’s Office
• Suniga named Student Employee of the Month
• 12 Vikings named NAIA Scholar-Athletes
• Woehl coauthors article for AAC&U
• Viking Sports Update
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

The VCSU Hotline! online newsletter is published every Monday during the academic year. Deadline to submit articles (photos encouraged) is 3 p.m. the Friday before publication.

President’s Column: Transition in the President’s Office

As the semester draws to a close at VCSU, faculty are posting grades, students are headed home for the holidays, and I am once again packing up a few items to move down the hall to the President’s Office. As many of you remember, I served as interim president back in 2014, after Dr. Shirley resigned for the presidency at Minot. I am honored to serve in that same capacity this coming year while we pursue another search for a new president.

Valley City and VCSU have an important place in my heart: I was born here in Mercy Hospital, I attended the model school at VCSTC for a couple of years, and, more recently, my husband and I have raised our children here for the past 20 years. At this point, I have lived longer in Valley City than any other place!

While we are very sorry to see Dr. Mason move to Kansas, we recognize the important career move this opportunity offers her. Meanwhile, we have a number of initiatives and program needs to continue working on this year, from facility upgrades to several potential new programs to ongoing efforts to revise curriculum with new technology tools that make education both more affordable and more engaging for our students.

Valley City State University has a wonderful faculty and staff who regularly go the extra mile to help students succeed. It is their effort to recruit and retain students that has generated the Fall 2017 semester’s enrollment increase of about 6 percent, to 1,522, our highest headcount enrollment headcount ever reported at VCSU. We are also fortunate to have strong support from the Valley City community, and I thank you for your efforts to make our students feel welcome.

As the year progresses, I’ll try to keep you up-to-date in this bi-weekly column. Meanwhile, I wish you a joyful holiday season.

Suniga named Student Employee of the Month

Oscar Suniga received the Student Employee of the Month award for November 2017. He is employed by multiple departments on campus including the President’s Office, the Student Center and Athletics; he also serves as a Viking Ambassador and a resident assistant. Oscar takes on additional tasks and contribute to other office needs as necessary. His nomination read, in part, “Oscar is an excellent student employee. He is forward-thinking and ready to do whatever is needed. He is flexible in scheduling for special circumstances and always positive in his attitude.”

If you would like to recognize an outstanding student employee for their hard work, innovative ideas, or mission-driven attitude, please nominate by submitting a nomination online at www.vcsu.edu/careerservices/vp.htm?p=3875.

12 Vikings named NAIA Scholar-Athletes

Valley City State University athletics had 12 student-athletes earn the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award during the fall semester.

The NAIA Scholar-Athlete award recognizes students who demonstrate consistent success in the classroom while handling the heavy time demands of a student-athlete. In order to qualify for this honor, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status.

Awards have been announced for volleyball, cross country and football. VCSU student-athletes earning the NAIA Scholar-Athlete award in those sports are listed below.
Cross Country: Orin Rambow
Football: PJ Peterson, Tyler Masat, Tyler Ukestad, Marc Wagner, Dakota Johnson, Cole Kelly, Jake Peterson
Volleyball: Polette Medina, Autumn Johnson, Mikayla Mellem, Clarissa Olson

Woehl coauthors article for AAC&U

Katie Woehl, Ph.D., associate professor of social science, coauthored an article, “Picking Up Where We Are in North Dakota,” for the Association of American Colleges & Universities’ peer-review publication.

The issue features the AAC&U faculty collaboratives project, which has created a large-scale, sustainable network of resource and innovation hubs and a curriculum for faculty professional learning. Woehl and Ryan Zerr (University of North Dakota) are the faculty responsible for managing the project in North Dakota, along with AAC&U faculty fellow Anne Kelsch (University of North Dakota). The article can be found online at www.aacu.org/peerreview/2017/Summer/NorthDakota.

Viking sports update

Women’s Basketball
Friday: University of Jamestown 53, VCSU 52
Saturday: VCSU 71, Presentation College 54
The VCSU women’s basketball team went 1-1 this week, losing their first game of the season to No. 6-ranked University of Jamestown. The No. 19-ranked Vikings are now 11-1 overall and 4-1 in the NSAA.

Men’s Basketball
Friday: University of Jamestown 89, VCSU 86 (OT)
Saturday: VCSU 78, Presentation College 65
The VCSU men’s basketball team earned its first conference win of the season Saturday with a victory over Presentation College. The Vikings are now 5-10 overall and 1-4 in the NSAA.

Upcoming Events
Dec. 29: Women’s basketball/men's basketball at Tabor College (Kan.), 6/8 p.m.
Dec. 30: Women’s basketball/men's basketball vs. Sterling College (played at Tabor College), 1/3 p.m.

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

Monday, December 18
7:30 p.m. A Magical Medora Christmas show, Vangstad Auditorium

Tuesday, December 19
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW

Wednesday, December 20
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town and Country Club

Thursday, December 21
First day of winter
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room
8:30–10:30 p.m. Vikings for Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, December 22

Saturday, December 23

Sunday, December 24
Christmas Eve

Monday, December 25
Christmas Day
VCSU campus and offices closed

Tuesday, December 26
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW

Wednesday, December 27
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town and Country Club

Thursday, December 28
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, VCSU Norway Room

Friday, December 29
6 and 8 p.m. Viking women’s and men’s basketball @ Tabor College (Kan.)

Saturday, December 30
1 and 3 p.m. Viking women’s and men’s basketball vs. Sterling College (played at Tabor College)

Sunday, December 31
New Year’s Eve

Monday, January 1
New Year’s Day
VCSU campus and offices closed

Go to www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.