This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles …

• President’s Column: Enrollment growth — Moving forward together
• Russi to speak on ‘North Dakota Nice’ tonight
• Student artist talk and reception set for Thursday
• ‘Climate Change and Food Production’ presentation to be held Thursday
• Miss North Dakota visits campus
• Viking Club Tennis finishes 3rd at Gustavus Invite
• VCSU group attends, presents at MN SHAPE
• Viking sports update
• What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City …

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

President’s Column: Enrollment growth — Moving forward together

Greetings from Valley City State University!

One of the most important measures and validations of a university’s success is enrollment. We have seen our fall enrollment numbers increase every year for the past 10 years, and in the last 4 years, our efforts to continue that growth have been very purposeful and focused.

Our faculty, administration and staff have been diligent in this effort. This focus has been centered on the notion of continuous improvement, with specific attention to recruitment, retention, student engagement and success, and quality academic and cocurricular opportunities, as we aim to create a community of scholars and learners, offer excellent advising, and provide an affordable higher education option with abundant scholarship offerings. This list of our goals and efforts, while not exhaustive, has been a big part of the discussion and work with our enrollment management team here at VCSU.

This fall we set enrollment records with a 1,665 total headcount and an undergraduate headcount of 1,524, breaking the 2018 records of 1,547 and 1,404 respectively. Our FTE (full-time equivalent) also increased over last year; we’re now at 1,164, compared to 1,096 in 2018.

VCSU is one of only two North Dakota University System institutions that grew in both headcount and full-time equivalent categories this year.

Taking a bit of a deeper dive into the numbers, it’s interesting to note that 54% of our students are face-to-face, on-campus students, while 26% are online only. The remaining 20% take a combination of face-to-face and online courses. While online is a preferred method of delivery for approximately a quarter of our students, 45% of our face-to-face students are not taking any online courses, and 47% of our online-only students are North Dakota residents.

We understand the importance of providing high quality in both face-to-face and online delivery methods and have implemented measures to address quality assurance in content and consistency in the online courses. This assures an online student of receiving the same, high-quality experience as our face-to-face students.

Retention plays an important role in the success of our overall enrollment management plan. As you might imagine, many hours are spent in the recruiting process identifying prospects; making initial contacts with them; inviting them to campus to meet with faculty, staff and coaches (if they are being recruited as athletes); giving campus tours; and maintaining regular communication all the way through the registration and orientation. With these extensive efforts invested in recruiting prospects, it becomes just as important for us to retain them once they become VCSU students.

Our retention rate for our first-time full-time students is also at a record high for VCSU. This rate, measured by the number of students retained from fall semester freshman year to fall semester sophomore year, was 72.85% this fall, nearly 5 percentage points over the 68.13% last year. A task force has been assembled to provide recommendations for actions and programs that will help our retention remain strong; this is a top priority.

These are very exciting times at VCSU! The record numbers represent the active choice that students make when they enroll. The numbers are also a positive indicator of the tremendous work being done by our faculty and staff, and the strong support we receive from alumni, donors and the Valley City community, along with the North Dakota University System and North Dakota Legislature. The personal attention that students receive both on campus and online makes for an outstanding education and tremendous value, and I’m so very proud of the people who make that happen.

Go Vikings!

Russi to speak on ‘North Dakota Nice’ tonight

Jenni Lou Russi, associate professor and chair of the Communication Arts Department, will present “North Dakota Nice — Or Is It” at the Valley City Barnes County Library as a Teen Event at 5 p.m. tonight, Monday, Nov. 4.

Student artist talk and reception set for Thursday

Jenny Schrader’s artist talk and reception for her senior exhibition, “Home,” will be held Thursday, Nov. 7, at 4 p.m.

Schrader works primarily in acrylics. Other mediums used in the exhibition include chalk pastels and colored pencils.

‘Climate Change and Food Production’ presentation to be held Thursday

Phyllis Johnson, Ph.D., will present “Climate Change and Food Production” on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. in Rhoades Science Center 102 on the VCSU campus. Sponsored by the “What in the World Is Going On?” group, the 40-minute presentation will a question-and-answer session and discussion.

As the world warms, some food-producing areas will see serious decreases in crop yields and livestock productivity. The increasing incidence of flood, drought and other serious weather events will also challenge food production. Focusing on how climate change is impacting agriculture and food production, Johnson will attempt to answer the question “Can we feed the world in 2050?”

Johnson served as vice president for research and economic development at the University of North Dakota from 2009-14. Previously she spent 18 years as a senior executive at the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), managing all areas of agricultural research. An elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, she has traveled in developing countries throughout the world.

Miss North Dakota visits campus

On Tuesday, Oct. 29, Haley Wolfe, Miss North Dakota 2019, visited campus to express her thanks to Valley City State University for its support of the Miss North Dakota Scholarship Organization.

Wolfe, from Carrington, presented a certificate to VCSU President Alan LaFave. The university participates by offering renewable scholarships to Miss North Dakota and runners-up should they choose to attend VCSU.

Viking Club Tennis finishes 3rd at Gustavus Invite

Playing in the Gustavus Invitational in St. Peter, Minn., on Oct. 26, the Viking Club Tennis team finished in third place with a 3-1 record.

Playing for the Vikings were Caitlyn Hunter (junior, Williston, N.D.), Dalton Ondracek (junior, Valley City), Riley Miller (sophomore, Valley City), Zach Baumgartner (freshman, Valley City) and Angela Larson (sophomore, Valley City).

“We are a young team this year with some great potential and fortunate to have great leadership from juniors Caitlyn Hunter and Dalton Ondracek,” said coach Erik Kringlie. “I think we showed that this weekend with Zach, Riley and Angela all playing amazing tennis and being able to close out the big points when we needed them.”

The Vikings, now 5-4 on the season, will head to Fargo on Nov. 16 for the NDSU Bison Invite at Courts Plus.

VCSU group attends, presents at MN SHAPE

Angie Williams and Michael Kostick, assistant professors of kinesiology and human performance, along with 12 health and physical education (HPE) majors, attended and presented at the MN SHAPE conference, held Oct. 17-18 at Mound Westonka High School in Minnetrista, Minn.

The presentation — “Obesity Crisis? Not on My Watch!” — focused on cardio-related fitness activities. “The objective of our presentation was to present activities that focused on improving the cardiovascular health of today’s student through fun, purposeful, and engaging activity,” said Williams.

Through attending and presenting at various health and physical education conferences, VCSU HPE majors gain educational resources, experience in presenting, as well as network with veteran HPE teachers in the tri-state area. In addition, the students are exposed to potential future employers as many administrators attend such conferences.

Sofia Murauto, VCSU SHAPE Club president, and Carter Buelow, vice president, took the lead in the presentations and share their experiences.

“The MN SHAPE conference was such a great experience, not only did I learn a lot from other HPE instructors, I also got to teach! Being able to teach in a professional setting is such a great way to gain experience while giving knowledge,” said Muruato. “One of my favorite sessions was a Social Emotional Learning session where I was able to learn games that promote SEL in a gym setting! These are activities I plan to implement into my student teaching experience as well as my future classroom. Attending these conferences are important for the development of PE majors. To have 12 HPE students attend this conference was awesome. I am so proud of the crew I had the privilege to present with!”

“While attending the MN SHAPE Conference, we were fortunate enough to be able to present and it was an amazing experience! Many of our HPE students presented for the first time and did an outstanding job, which was awesome for our HPE program,” said Buelow. “Besides teaching, all of us had the opportunity to learn from some of the best teachers in our profession. Attending sessions that focused on special adapted physical education were some of my favorites for sure. You gain knowledge of best practices when teaching students with disabilities!”

On Nov. 1, several HPE majors presented at the ND SHAPE Conference in Bismarck.

Viking sports update

Football
Saturday: VCSU 30, Dakota State 18
The Valley City State football team is now 7-2 overall and 5-1 in conference play. With one game remaining, VCSU is tied with Dickinson State for the conference lead. With a win in their final game against Waldorf, VCSU will earn at least a share of the conference championship. VCSU’s regular season finale will be played in Valley City at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9.

Volleyball
Wednesday: Mayville State 3, VCSU 1
Saturday: Presentation College 3, VCSU 0
The Viking volleyball team is now 5-19 overall and 1-12 in conference play. VCSU will close out the season on Friday, Nov. 8, with a road match at Dickinson State University.

Women’s Basketball
Monday: Mount Marty 59, VCSU 46
Wednesday: Dakota Wesleyan 72, VCSU 58
Saturday: VCSU 89, Providence College 50
Sunday: VCSU 87, Providence College 66
VCSU’s women’s basketball team went 2-2 during a busy week, earning two victories against Providence College. The Vikings are on the road Nov. 9 for an exhibition game at St. Cloud State.

Men’s Basketball
Monday: University of Jamestown 104, VCSU 86
Friday: Dordt University 86, VCSU 76
Saturday: Northwestern College 99, VCSU 68
The VCSU men’s basketball team is now 0-5 this season. The Vikings are back home Friday night, hosting Mount Marty College at 7 p.m.

Upcoming Events
Nov. 8: Cross Country @ NSAA Championships, 10 a.m. (Forest City, Iowa)
Nov. 8: Volleyball @ Dickinson State, 7 p.m. (Dickinson, N.D.)
Nov. 8: Men’s Basketball vs. Mount Marty, 7 p.m.
Nov. 9: Football vs. Waldorf University, 1 p.m.
Nov. 9: Women’s Basketball @ St. Cloud State, 5:30 p.m. (St. Cloud, Minn.)
Nov. 13: WBB/MBB vs. Jamestown, 5:30/7:30 p.m.

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

Monday, November 4

Tuesday, November 5
Election Day
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center

Wednesday, November 6
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, November 7
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
8:30 p.m. Vikings For Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, November 8
Cross country NSAA Championships, Forest City, Iowa
4 p.m. Jenny Schrader artist talk and reception, McCarthy Gallery
7 p.m. Viking volleyball @ Dickinson State University, Dickinson, N.D.
7 p.m. Viking men’s basketball vs. Mount Marty College, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse
7:30 p.m. Rochelle Van Bruggen senior clarinet recital, Froemke Auditorium, Foss Hall

Saturday, November 9
Mawlid al-Nabi begins at sundown
Solo Song Symposium on campus
1 p.m. Viking football vss Waldorf University, Shelley Ellig Field at Lokken Stadium
5:30 p.m. Viking women’s basketball @ St. Cloud State, St. Cloud, Minn.

Sunday, November 10

Monday, November 11
Veterans Day observed
No VCSU classes – offices closed

Tuesday, November 12
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center
5:30 Sheyenne Valley Friends of Animals meeting, Our Saviors Lutheran Church, Valley City, N.D.
6:30 p.m. In Knots Crochet club, VCBC public library

Wednesday, November 13
VCAB Blood Drive
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club
5:30 p.m. Viking women’s basketball vs. University of Jamestown, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse
7:30 p.m. Viking men’s basketball vs. University of Jamestown, W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse
6 p.m. Barnes County Wildlife Federation meeting, Valley City Eagles Club

Thursday, November 14
Spring semester registration begins
7 a.m. Optimists, Vicky’s Viking Room
8:30 p.m. Vikings For Christ, Student Center Skoal Room

Friday, November 15
Payday
Volleyball NSAA Conference Tournament
7:30 p.m. Kenneth Bolton, guest pianist performs, Froemke Auditorium

Saturday, November 16
Volleyball NSAA Conference Tournament

Sunday, November 17

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