This week's Hotline! includes the following articles:

• President’s Column: Presidential candidates validate our strengths
• Eat pizza Wednesday night and support suicide prevention
• Out of Darkness Walk to be held Sunday
• Dutton presents at Northern Great Plains History Conference
• Viking sports update
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City…

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

Presidential candidates validate our strengths

During the week of Sept. 10, VCSU hosted five presidential candidates, all interested in becoming the 14th VCSU president. While only a couple of the candidates will be interviewing with the State Board on Thursday, Sept. 27, we found all of their visits informative because they helped us see ourselves from the outside. Here’s what we learned from the candidates:

First, they were impressed by our enrollment growth over the past few years, especially at a time when high school senior classes are shrinking. What are we doing, they wondered, to keep achieving record enrollments? The best answer, I think, can be found in our constant efforts to collaborate with other entities like the public schools, the development corporation, and two-year campuses across the state, along with a focus on our current students, to assure both their retention and success.

All of them commented on our upbeat campus culture. In the midst of budget challenges and several years with no raises, they were expecting to hear complaints at staff and faculty meetings. Instead, they heard us say, “Here’s what we’re doing, and here’s the next thing.” Our culture is focused forward, on quality and innovation, not mired in negativity.

With the recent budget reductions, they expected to see financial challenges, and several even sent our financial information to their campus experts, to determine whether what they saw is accurate: VCSU is financially solid, with strong financial ratings and reserves. This is also impressive—we have met financial constraints with creativity and compromise, making good decisions that have kept us solidly in the black.

The candidates found our students both informed and engaged in the process, and they were complimentary about the thoughtful questions the students asked. They were impressed by the interest our students showed in interacting with them during the student-candidate interviews. Since we had student guides walk each candidate from one meeting to the next throughout the day, the candidates also had opportunities to visit individually with students, who did an impressive job of showcasing the VCSU student body.

VCSU’s vision states that we are an innovative university, and our visitors confirmed that indeed this is true. They were impressed by our efforts to collaborate, try new techniques, and respond to changes in the workforce with altered curricula, new programs, and professional development.

At VCSU, we are learning-centered, innovative, student-focused, collaborative, and engaged. These are our core values, the qualities we attempt to embody in daily work, planning, and decision-making. It’s reassuring to know that the outside perspectives from these presidential candidates indicate that we are both “talking the talk and walking the walk” in keeping our focus on the success of our students and our university.

Eat pizza Wednesday night and support suicide prevention

The Human Services and Psychology Club is working at a Community Impact Night at Pizza Ranch on Wednesday, Sept. 26, from 5–7:30 p.m.

Print this article or show the Community Impact image on your phone when you order, let our club members and advisors bus your tables, and Pizza Ranch will donate 10 percent of your tab and 100 percent of any tips!

All funds raised will be donated to the Valley City Out of the Darkness Walk/American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Out of Darkness Walk to be held Sunday

The Valley City Out of the Darkness Community Walk will take place on Sunday, Sept. 30, at Lokken Stadium. Registration begins at 2:30 p.m. and the event itself runs from 3:00–4:30 p.m.
This event is an opportunity for those in our community who are affected by suicide and those who want to provide their support to come together. Please join us to hear about how suicide has impacted our community, learn how the funds raised from this event are making a difference in Valley City and beyond, heal and support others.

Please see our website—www.afsp.org/valleycity—for more information, to pre-register, or to raise funds electronically or see our event on Facebook—Valley City Out of the Darkness Community Walk.

Thank you to VCSU for being an official sponsor of this event!

Dutton presents at Northern Great Plains History Conference

Anthony Dutton, Ph.D., associate professor of history, presented “Who Owns the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky?: Undermining Commons Land in 20th century Mongolia” at the 53rd Annual Northern Great Plains History Conference, held in Mankato, Minn., Sept. 21–22. Dutton’s paper examined changing patterns of land tenure and the conflict over access to public lands between nomadic herders, mining interests and private smallholders. In addition to his own presentation, Dutton provided comment for a panel on Islamic History.

Hosted by Minnesota State University Mankato, the conference was organized by Lori Ann Lahlum, Ph.D., former VCSU history professor.

Viking Sports Update

Football
Saturday: VCSU 37, Mayville State 0
The Viking football team recorded its second straight shutout and opened conference play with a 37-0 win against Mayville State on Saturday. VCSU is now 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the NSAA.

Volleyball
Tuesday: Jamestown 3, VCSU 0
Friday: VCSU 3, Dakota State 2
Saturday: Bellevue University 3, VCSU 2
The Viking volleyball team went 1-2 overall this week, including a 1-1 record in conference play. VCSU is now 8-8 overall and 2-1 in the NSAA.

Baseball
Wednesday: Jamestown 7, VCSU 6
Sunday: Viterbo 3, VCSU 1; Viterbo 2, VCSU 1
VCSU’s baseball team opened its fall schedule with tough losses this week, losing three games by a combined four runs. The Vikings host Mayville State on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

Cross Country
VCSU’s cross country teams competed Saturday at the St. Olaf Invitational. VCSU’s women finished eighth out of 12 teams, while the men placed ninth out of 10 teams at the meet featuring mainly NCAA schools from Minnesota. View complete results at www.vcsuvikings.com/article/3122

Golf
VCSU senior Jared Lentz took first place individually at the 36-hole Jamestown Invite, which was played Sept. 16–17 at the Jamestown Country Club. View complete results at www.vcsuvikings.com/article/3113

Upcoming Events
Sept. 26: Baseball vs. Mayville State, 6 p.m.
Sept. 28: Volleyball @ Waldorf University, 7 p.m.
Sept. 29: Football vs. Presentation College, 1 p.m.
Sept. 29: Volleyball @ Viterbo University, 3 p.m.
Oct. 1–2: Golf @ SD School of Mines Invite

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

Monday, September 24

Tuesday, September 25
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW
1–4 p.m. Career Services Agriculture and Business Career Expo, Fargodome, Fargo, N.D.

Wednesday, September 26
10 a.m.–3 p.m. Career Services Engineering and Technology Expo, Fargodome, Fargo, N.D.
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club
6 p.m. Viking baseball vs. Mayville State University, Charlie Brown Field

Thursday, September 27
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
8:30 a.m. State Board of Higher Education meeting, Student Center Skoal Room
11 a.m.–3 p.m. Career Services Business, Liberal Arts and Aviation Fair, UND Wellness Center
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room
8:30–10:30 p.m. Vikings for Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, September 28
Payday
4 p.m. Viking JV volleyball vs. North Iowa Area CC, @ Waldorf University, Forest City, Iowa
7 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Waldorf University, Forest City, Iowa

Saturday, September 29
8 a.m.–5 p.m. Viking Club Tennis Viking Invitational Tournament, North Tennis Complex
1 p.m. Viking football vs. Presentation College, Shelley Ellig Field at Lokken Stadium
1 p.m. Viking JV volleyball @ Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wis.
3 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Viterbo University, LaCrosse, Wis.

Sunday, September 30
Viking softball @ North Dakota State University, Fargo, N.D.
11 a.m. Viking baseball vs. Viterbo University, Charlie Brown Field (double header)

Monday, October 1

Tuesday, October 2
noon Career Services Resume and Cover Letter Workshop, Student Center Norway Room
12:05 p.m. Rotary, VFW

Wednesday, October 3
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club
5 p.m. Viking JV volleyball @ Mayville State University, Mayville, N.D.
7 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Mayville State University, Mayville, N.D.

Thursday, October 4
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
noon Toastmasters, Student Center Norway Room
8:30–10:30 p.m. Vikings for Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, October 5
Viking golf at Dickinson Invitational, Bully Pulpit, Medora, N.D. (Oct. 5–6)
all day Ployhar Honor Band event, Vangstad Auditorium
4 p.m. Viking cross country @ Jimmie Invitational, Jamestown, N.D.
7:30 p.m. Music Department faculty recital, Froemke Auditorium

Saturday, October 6
3 p.m. Ployhar Honor Band concert, Vangstad Auditorium
4 p.m. Viking football @ Dakota State University
4 p.m. Viking JV volleyball @ Presentation College, Aberdeen, S.D.
6 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Presentation College, Aberdeen, S.D.

Sunday, October 7
VCSU Homecoming Week begins
10:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Sodexo Sunday Brunch, Student Center cafeteria
noon Viking baseball @ Morningside College, Sioux City, Iowa (double header)
8 p.m. Get to know your homecoming court followed by Casino Night, Student Center cafeteria

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