This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles:

• VCSU President’s Column: McFarland Hall: The story behind the name
• Solstice celebration at Medicine Wheel on Thursday evening
• ‘What in the World Are You Reading?’ to be held June 25
• Engelhard describes student experience in Prague
• Area teachers participate in STEM education professional development
• VanHorn published in inaugural issue of communication pedagogy article
• Da Vinha joins Brazilian publisher IDESF’s editorial board
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

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

VCSU President’s Column: McFarland Hall: The story behind the name

Margaret Dahlberg, Ph.D., Interim President

In my last column, I wrote about the “ghost buildings” on the VCSU campus. I hope you remembered a few of them! Each of those buildings was known by its function or location (Old Science, West Hall, Park Ave. Cottage). But now all the buildings on campus are known by people’s last names. I am curious (and I hope you are too!) about what’s behind a building’s name, and in the next few columns I plan to look at a few of those named buildings and the people they were named after at VCSU. Many of the details in this column come from “Cornerstones,” the VCSU centennial history by Dr. Welch.

The first and best-known building on campus is the Main building, now referred to as “McFarland Hall.” This building was constructed during the summer and fall of 1892, initially under the supervision of Miss Emma Bates, instructor in mathematics and reading, who was appointed interim principal when our first president, J.W. Sifton, took a train west in April of that year after a disagreement with the Board over the building’s planned location.

George McFarland, originally from Ohio and most recently an instructor at Madison State Normal (South Dakota), began work at Valley City Normal in August 1892. The original title of “principal” was officially changed to “president” in 1906; the students apparently referred to him as “Prexy” if one can believe the school annual (“The 1914 Blizzard”).

The building itself was completed by December 1892, at a cost of $26,220, under the direction of Valley City contractor J.C. Drake. It was built of red pressed brick and trimmed with Duluth brown sandstone, and included nine recitation rooms, library, assembly room, cloakroom, and principal’s office. From its inception, the building reserved space for a training school, which accepted children in kindergarten through high school, in order to provide Normal School students with practice-teaching opportunities. As early as 1893, the training school included a kindergarten, one of the first in the region.

The building as we know it today has two wings. The west wing—originally called Science Hall, which housed the expanded library; science, geography, English, and history classrooms; a manual training room; and, on the third floor (which we now call the fourth floor), a gymnasium—was completed in 1904. The east wing was completed in 1906 as the Model School, with space for all grades, a gymnasium, manual training room, and critic-teacher accommodations. This area was used for grades K–6 until 1965, when the Model School was closed. Today Enrollment Services, the Registrar, and the School of Education have their offices in this wing.

McFarland served as president from 1892–1918. Many consider him the “father” of the college. He left behind a campus of nine buildings, and enrollment growth from about 20 students to over 500. His impact on higher education in North Dakota continued, as he was asked to lead the newly established Minot Normal from 1922 to his death in 1938. In 1953, Old Main was named McFarland Hall, in recognition of his contributions to field of education and his tremendous work in securely establishing two institutions of higher education in North Dakota.

Solstice celebration at Medicine Wheel on Thursday evening

Connect with nature! Connect with the community! Connect with the universe! Celebrate the longest day of the year at the Summer Solstice Sunset at Medicine Wheel Park on Thursday, June 21, at 9 p.m. (Sunset is at 9:30 p.m.)

Come see the new developments at the park and be part of the entertainment. As the sky darkens, telescopes with be available to view Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn and the moon. After midnight, Mars will join the show.

‘What in the World Are You Reading?’ to be held June 25

The “What in the World Is Going On?” group will host “What in the World Are You Reading?” on Monday, June 25, at 7 p.m. at the Vault (223 N. Central Ave.) in Valley City. The session provides an opportunity for readers to share what they have been reading with others

Participants are asked to bring their enthusiasm when they advertise concisely (up to three minutes) one of their favorite reads. A general discussion will follow. Plan now to make a case for a book you enjoyed—fiction or nonfiction, what thrilled you and why, what in opening the pages or reading on screen made your days more enjoyable. Come to share or just to listen!

Engelhard describes student experience in Prague

VCSU student Casey Engelhard of Valley City—in the Czech Republic this summer doing chemistry research in Prague—wrote an entry on the IRES (International Research Experience for Students) program’s blog describing his recent experience.

The blog entry is available online at iresczechia.wordpress.com/2018/06/03/ires-week-3-may-28-june-4.

Area teachers participate in STEM education professional development

The Great Plains STEM Education Center (GPSEC) at Valley City State University recently completed five days (June 4-8) of professional development (PD) for area K-12 teachers as part of its Implementing Integrative STEM Education in the Classroom grant project.

Thirty-eight teachers from 12 area school districts participated in the project, which was primarily funded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Math and Science Partnership (MSP) and facilitated by the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction. Participating districts included Barnes County North, Central Cass, Edgeley, Enderlin, Ellendale, Fort Ransom, Griggs County Central, Kensal, Litchville-Marion, Lisbon, Maple Valley and McClusky.

Read more at https://www.vcsu.edu/news/10632/38-area-teachers-participate-in-stem-professional-development.

VanHorn published in inaugural issue of communication pedagogy article

“Best Practices for Retaining Public Speaking Students,” an article by Shannon VanHorn, Ph.D., professor in the School of Education and Graduate Studies, has been published in the inaugural issue of the “Journal of Communication Pedagogy.” Co-authored with faculty from Williston State College and Minot State University, the article provides 10 best practices for retention in the basic communication course.

VanHorn is also a consulting editor for the journal. The issue, with a link to the article, can be found online at csca-net.org/aws/CSCA/pt/sd/news_article/172784/_PARENT/layout_details_publications/false.

Da Vinha joins Brazilian publisher IDESF’s editorial board

Luis da Vinha, associate professor of social science, has joined the editorial board of the Brazilian publisher Editora IDESF (Instituto de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social de Fronteiras).

IDESF is a nonprofit institution that aims to create mechanisms for promoting equality and integration among border regions and strengthening the political, social and economic challenges of these regions through the development of academic studies and projects. For more information, see www.idesf.org.br/.

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

Monday, June 18

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

Wednesday, June 20
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, June 21
First Day of Summer
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room

Friday, June 22

Saturday, June 23

Sunday, June 24

Monday, June 25
New student orientation

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

Wednesday, June 27
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, June 28
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room

Friday, June 29
Pay Day
NDQHA Horse Show, North Dakota Winter Show Event Center

Saturday, June 30

Sunday, July 1

Monday, July 2

Tuesday, July 3
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW

Wednesday, July 4
Independence Day
Music in the Park, City Park

Thursday, July 5
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room

Friday, July 6

Saturday, July 7

Sunday, July 8

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