| VCSU Faculty and Staff Newsletter, The Hotline! | Mar 11th, 2019
This week's Hotline! includes the following articles: • President’s Column: Music program serves community, region and state
• Students receive ‘Student Employee of the Month’ awards
• Student art exhibit on display at CHI Mercy Health
• Support Viking Tennis through online store
• VCSU faculty trio attends eLearning Conference
• Olson presents at AACTE conference
• VanHorn attends leadership retreat
• 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. President’s Column: Music program serves community, region and state  Greetings from Valley City State University!
A few weeks ago, I commented on the beauty of winter. As our students enjoy spring break this week, with many venturing to warmer climates for a few days, I must admit that spring fever is rampant, but its arrival here in Valley City seems to be in the far-distant future!
As we prepare to make our VCSU Senate Appropriations presentation on March 18, one of the topics that remains top of mind on campus is the continued work and effort to gain approval for the new Communication and Fine Arts Building. You may know that Senate Bill 2297, a bonding bill that passed the Senate unanimously a few weeks ago, includes $32.275 million dollars of bonding authority for this project. We strongly support this effort, and I’d like to devote this column to detailing some of the outstanding success stories and community collaboration with music at VCSU.
The VCSU Department of Music has been an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM) since 1997. This content-area accreditation affirms our quality and continued dedication to meeting a variety of standards including, but not limited to, the size and scope of the department, finances, governance and administration, faculty and staff, facilities, equipment, technology, library and learning resources, recruitment, admission, retention, published materials and community involvement.
In regard to community involvement, the music department hosts an impressive number of annual events that impact students and patrons from the community, state and region. In fact, more than 2,300 students from all corners of North Dakota will participate in music events on our campus this year! Those events, and corresponding participant numbers, include: - James Ployhar Honor Band Festival – 100 students
- Solo Song Symposium Invitational – 12 students
- Barnes County Music Festival (band/choir) – 150 students
- North Dakota Federated Music Club Festival – 10 students
- NDHSAA Eastern Dakota Conference Instrumental Solo Contest – 400-plus students
- NDHSAA Region II Vocal Solo Contest – 200 students
- NDHSAA Region V Vocal/Instrumental Solo Contest – 200 students
- NDHSAA Region II Instrumental Solo Contest – 150 students
- NDHSAA State Class A Vocal/String Solo Contest – 1,100 students
Additionally, the VCSU Community School of the Arts serves as an outreach arm of the department, providing applied, private and group instruction to an average of 50 students annually. The breadth and depth of this program illustrates the very important and critical role VCSU plays in the advancement of music in our schools. These examples demonstrate our continued efforts to positively impact music education in our local community, region and state. Our own students and those who visit our campus to participate in these outstanding events warrant a safe and modern space for our university music program, and I hope you will join me in affirming the importance of the new Communication and Fine Arts Building on the VCSU campus. Go Vikings! Students receive ‘Student Employee of the Month’ awards  Four students have been named “Student Employee of the Month” for going above and beyond in their campus roles.
Laken Chase, student employee for Facilities Services, was recognized in December 2018. Her nomination read: “She shows an outstanding example of working without supervision, creates a clean and safe environment for residents to live, and exhibits big-picture thinking.”
Bryeann Robertson, student employee for Sodexo, was recognized in January 2019. Her nomination noted: “She exhibits commitment to her work and continually does more than expected.”
Mikayla Donohue, student employee for athletics, was recognized in February 2019. Her nomination read: “Mikayla has helped out and exceeded expectations with concessions during many athletic contests during the month of February, and she has been able to adapt quickly.”
Matthew Breslin, student employee for athletics, was also recognized in February 2019. His nomination read: “Matthew would step up to cover necessary tasks outside of his regular work schedule and has been an essential contributor to the athletic department overall.”
Congratulations, Laken, Bryeann, Mikayla, and Matthew. Keep up the great work! Student art exhibit on display at CHI Mercy Health  “Untouched Hues,” a VCSU student art exhibition, will be on display in the Mercy Gallery at CHI Mercy Health from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. through April.
The exhibit features photographs, paintings, and drawings by VCSU art majors and minors.
The artists include Brenna Winter (Valley City), Isaac Ingstad (Valley City), Alexa McCulloch (Valley City), Zoey Koch (Valley City), Zander Dale (Navajo, N.M.), Jennifer Schrader (Langdon, N.D.), Shania Schooler (Jamestown, N.D.), Kallie Fretheim (Valley City) and Laken Chase (Milnor, N.D.).
The exhibit is open to the public free of charge. The gallery is located on the first floor of CHI Mercy Health, 570 Chatauqua Boulevard, Valley City. VCSU faculty trio attends eLearning Conference Diane Burr, Jodi Shorma and Julee Russell attended the ITC eLearning Conference, held in Las Vegas, Nevada, Feb. 10-13. The three attended many different conference presentations and identified some common themes that will impact all institutions including VCSU in terms of course design, universal access, and student engagement.
Nearly every presentation began with the premise that common course design is essential for both universal access and student engagement. Most representatives from the colleges and universities in attendance stated that their campuses require a common learning-management system template for all courses. The common template facilitates and improves retention, persistence and student success.
When a common template is implemented, students no longer must participate in a course “scavenger hunt” to find key course information and materials. Think of it this way, when you go into a Walmart, you know where the electronics section is located, no matter which Walmart you enter. Our face-to-face students know what to expect when they enter a class, where the door is located, where the teacher station is located, etc. Common course design provides a consistent pattern for students in the online environment.
Another significant point that echoed throughout the presentations is the concept that Universal Access is not about meeting students’ declared special needs, but rather Universal Access provides a variety of ways for all students to access course materials. For example, Universal Access can enable commuting students to hear, rather than see, course readings. All materials in all courses, online and face-to-face, must be made available to all learners, inclusive of multiple learning styles. Universal Access not only promotes student success; Universal Access is the right thing to do. Olson presents at AACTE conference  Al Olson, Ph.D., professor of education, participated in two presentations in Louisville, Kentucky, on Feb. 23 at the 71st annual American Association for Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) conference. The AACTE represents more than 800 postsecondary institutions with educator preparation programs. Olson, along with Karen Kindle (University of South Dakota) and Mark Baron (Wayne State College, Nebraska), presented during a data to action session titled “Increasing the Value of a Teacher Candidate Entry Survey.” Jane Gillis (University of Minnesota), a leading contributor to the work, was unable to attend.
Olson presented at a later session with Kevin Mackin (St. Catherine University, Minnesota) and Laura Maki (Minnesota State University Mankato). The second session was titled ”Getting More from Your Data: Institutional Case Stories that Chart the Journey from Data Collection to Program Improvement.”
Both presentations featured collaborative efforts of the Network for Excellence in Teaching (NExT) Common Metrics and were well attended by AACTE participants. VanHorn attends leadership retreat  Shannon Vanhorn, Ph.D., professor in the School of Education and Graduate Studies, attended the National Communication Association's Leadership Retreat, Feb. 28-March 1, in College Park, Maryland. Chair of the Teaching and Learning Council and a member of NCA’s Executive Committee, VanHorn also serves on an NCA task force behind creating topical videos and animations in communication areas such as speech anxiety, micro aggressions and digital activism. Viking sports update  Softball
March 7: VCSU 3, Bethel College 1; VCSU 13, Dakota Wesleyan 0
March 8: VCSU 8, Madonna University 7; Concordia University 6, VCSU 1
March 9: VCSU 14, St. Francis 0; VCSU 4, Aquinas College 2
The Viking softball team started its Arizona trip with a 5-1 record last week. VCSU is now 17-1 overall this season. The Vikings play seven more games in Tucson this week.
Baseball
March 6: Aurora University 8, VCSU 6; Dakota Wesleyan 15, VCSU 3
March 7: VCSU 25, North Central University 15
March 8: Dakota Wesleyan 13, VCSU 3; Northwestern College 9, VCSU 3
March 9: VCSU 13, Briar Cliff 11
The Viking baseball team opened its spring trip to Tucson with a 2-4 record last week. VCSU is now 3-8 overall. Valley City State is scheduled to play four more games in Tucson this week.
Track & Field
VCSU track and field athletes Dennis Gonzalez and Grace Miller both qualified for the NAIA National Championships after competing Saturday at the Midland Half Marathon in Fremont, Neb. Despite rain and temperatures barely above freezing, both Gonzalez and Miller hit the national qualifying standard for the full marathon race which will be held May 25 in Gulf Shores, Ala.
Upcoming Events
March 11-13: Softball in Tucson, Ariz.
March 11-14: Baseball in Tucson, Ariz.
March 15-16: Track & Field @ University of Colorado Jerry Quiller Classic What's happening at VCSU and around Valley City ... Monday, March 11
Spring Break Week
On The Move Activities:
11:30 a.m. Walk Away the Pounds, Hi-Liner Activity Center
1–4 p.m. Free admission, B-Fit 24/7
Tuesday, March 12
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center Student Senate Room
On The Move Activities:
10 a.m. Senior Fit, Gaukler Family Wellness Center
1–4 p.m. Free admission, B-Fit 24/7
Wednesday, March 13
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club
On The Move Activities:
Walk It Wednesday, Gaukler Family Wellness Center
1–4 p.m. Free admission, B-Fit 24/7
Thursday, March 14
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
On The Move Activities:
11:30 a.m. Walk Away the Pounds, Hi-Liner Activity Center
1–4 p.m. Free admission, B-Fit 24/7
Friday, March 15
Pay Day
Viking track and field @ University of Colorado Jerry Quiller Classic, Denver, Colo.
On The Move Activities:
9 a.m. Aqua Fit, Gaukler Family Wellness Center
1–4 p.m. Free admission, B-Fit 24/7
Saturday, March 16
Viking track and field @ University of Colorado Jerry Quiller Classic, Denver, Colo.
Sunday, March 17
St. Patrick’s Day
Monday, March 18
Tuesday, March 19
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center Student Senate Room
Wednesday, March 20
First Day of Spring
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club
Thursday, March 21
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, March 22
Saturday, March 23
noon Viking baseball @ Dakota State University, Madison, S.D. (double-header)
1 p.m. Viking softball @ Dakota State University, Madison, S.D. (double-header)
Sunday, March 24
11 a.m. Viking baseball @ Dakota State University, Madison, S.D. (double-header)
1 p.m. Viking Softball @ Dakota State University, Madison, S.D. (double-header)
Go to www.valleycitynd.org/calendar.php to see more events happening in and around Valley City.
| | © Valley City State University 2019 |
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