This week’s Hotline! includes the following articles …

• President’s Column: Updates local and beyond
• Recording studio open house Thursday in Foss Hall 225
• VCSU coloring book artwork on display
• Trzpuc receives ‘Difference Maker’ award
• VCSU art education students bring outdoor art in to Girl Scouts
• Russi designs sound for ‘Last Schwartz’
• 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: Updates local and beyond

Greetings from Valley City State University!

The week of December 2-6 included many exciting developments for VCSU which I’d like to share with you.

On Tuesday, December 3, I participated in the State Board of Higher Education meeting on the University of North Dakota campus. The morning was spent in open interview sessions of candidates for the UND presidency. I welcome Dr. Andrew Armacost as the new UND president and look forward to working and collaborating with him in continuing to provide excellent higher education opportunities for the students of the North Dakota University System!

A few items of specific importance for VCSU on the SBHE agenda included the approval of two major bonding proposals: the issuance of $22.5 million in facility revenue bonds for construction of the activated carbon plant on the east side of campus, and the refinancing of up to $3.2 million in housing and auxiliary facilities bonds.

Planning for the activated carbon plant began long before my arrival at VCSU, and it’s exciting to see this project advanced to the point of bond sales. Since the 2017 North Dakota Legislative Assembly approved sale of revenue bonds for the activated carbon plant, the project has undergone two years of design development, with feasibility vetted by a third-party engineering firm.

A collaborative applied research project between VCSU and UND research scientists, along with Horizon Carbon product development experts, this plant will utilize North Dakota lignite coal or other biomass to create the energy that will help drive our steam heat plant. The cost savings anticipated will be over $400,000 annually.

But even more exciting is what happens next. The char produced from burning the coal and biomass will be infused with steam, reactivating it to create activated carbon. This by-product can then be sold and distributed to municipalities and companies for use in water and air treatment and purification processes. Additionally, the plant will provide innovative research opportunities for students and faculty from across North Dakota. We anticipate this plant to serve as a prototype for additional facilities throughout North Dakota and the nation.

VCSU was also approved to refinance revenue bonds which were approved by the SBHE in 2010 for the renovation of Snoeyenbos Hall, one of our campus residence halls. The bonds are maturing on or after July 1, 2020, and subject to redemption with accrued interest. Refinancing the debt will take advantage of current market conditions in lieu of direct repayment and save us nearly $200,000.

In addition to attending the SBHE meeting in Grand Forks, I’ve also been traveling a little closer to home. On Wednesday, December 4, I joined James Boe, VCSU dean of graduate studies and extended learning, and Bridget Blunck, admissions counselor in our enrollment services office, in visiting with over 100 high school dual credit students at Valley City High School. On Friday, December 6, we met and visited with the high school dual credit students at Davies and Oak Grove high schools in Fargo.

Plans are to visit all of the schools offering high school dual credit from VCSU within the next few weeks. We value these relationships highly and look forward to continuing to offer high-quality curriculum to all who participate. It is gratifying to see the positive difference these courses are making for so many students by providing a jumpstart to college and a tremendous cost savings for their families.

With the semester quickly coming to a close, a plethora of university and community activities, events and concerts are certainly keeping the calendar full. I hope to see you at some of these events and wish you all the best!

Go Vikings!

Recording studio open house Thursday in Foss Hall 225

Ever wonder how your favorite songs go from ideas to albums?

Have some refreshments and see how it’s done at VCSU’s recording studio, home to our new recording and production concentration.

Please join us Thursday, Dec. 12, from 11 am. - 1 p.m. in Foss Hall 225.

VCSU coloring book artwork on display

Hannah Aberle and Kayla Triebold, VCSU art students, are the artists behind the VCSU coloring book. The artwork from the book is on display in the Viking Learning Commons through Dec. 19.

To purchase a coloring book, contact Angela Mircsov at 845-7564 or angela.mircsov@vcsu.edu. Proceeds support the VCSU Open Studio Art Club.

Trzpuc receives ‘Difference Maker’ award

Linda Trzpuc, Student Center building services, was recently presented with the “Difference Maker” award. She was nominated by the Foundation and Alumni Office and President's Office.

Her nomination read, “Linda takes pride in everything she does. She looks ahead at events coming up and often reaches out to check on details so she can plan ahead to clean the carpets, chair upholstery, etc. We appreciate her seeing and taking care of those little details that help make our events successful. She is always pleasant when working with her on set up or just seeing her in the Student Center. Linda is always so cooperative and does a top notch job in anything she does and always with a smile.”

Congratulations, Linda!

VCSU art education students bring outdoor art in to Girl Scouts

VCSU art education students Jenna Cameron, Shania Schooler and Jennifer Schrader donated a cold Saturday morning in November to help Valley City Girl Scouts earn their Outdoor Art Badge. What they didn’t realize is that they would be teaching outdoor art inside because of early winter weather.

Mentored by Gratia Brown, assistant professor of art, the students agreed in late August to lead Girl Scout Troop 30138 through a major component of their Outdoor Art badges. (There are different Outdoor Art badges for the different levels in Girl Scouts: Brownies, Juniors, and Cadettes.) The troop is a multi-age troop, with girls ranging in age from kindergarten through sixth grade.

The original plan was to teach the Girl Scouts to incorporate leaves into rubbings and clay impressions. But then it snowed in October, and the students realized that by the date of the activity, there were likely to be very few leaves. So with the help of Brown, the three VCSU students improvised to come up with a new plan, as practicing teachers often do.

Cameron led sixth grade Cadette Girl Scouts in making outdoor winter 3D scenes. Schooler led fourth and fifth grade Junior Girl Scouts in painting watercolor terrariums of make-believe outdoor worlds. Schrader led kindergarten through third grade Daisy and Brownie Girl Scouts in making undersea shoebox terrariums with sea creatures, shells, sand, and glitter.

The scouts and students worked for over two hours on their projects. Leaders and parent observers noted how engaged the scouts were, as well as the creativity and professionalism of the VCSU art education students. One Brownie summed up their experience as “The best morning ever!”

Russi designs sound for ‘Last Schwartz’

Jenni Lou Russi, associate professor and chair of the Communication Arts Department, is the sound designer for Theatre B’s annual holiday show, “The Last Schwartz,” which opened Nov. 29 and runs through Dec. 21 in Moorhead, Minn.

While working with the design team, Russi has appreciated the opportunity to use her technical skills in creating and editing music and sound effects, and researching NASA missions and Yiddish culture for dramaturgical context. Russi has designed for several Theatre B productions, including sound for “A Beautiful Hell” and “Hand to God.”

Viking Sports Update

Women’s Basketball
Saturday: VCSU 91, Dickinson State 78
The VCSU women’s basketball team opened conference play Saturday with a 13-point victory at Dickinson State. The Vikings are now 3-4 overall and 1-0 in the NSAA.

Men’s Basketball
Saturday: Dickinson State 81, VCSU 61
VCSU’s men’s basketball team dropped its conference opener Saturday at Dickinson. The Vikings are now 1-10 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

Track & Field
VCSU junior Bryeann Robertson qualified for the NAIA national meet, and the Viking track and field team won four individual titles at its season-opening meet in Bismarck on Saturday afternoon. Robertson won the women's shot put and hit the NAIA National Qualifying "B" Standard with her top throw of 13.12 meters (43 feet, 0.5 inches). As a team, VCSU's women and men both placed second out of three teams at the University of Mary Holiday Festival on Saturday.
Read more at: http://www.vcsuvikings.com/article/3618

VCSU Athletics hosting food pantry drive at men’s basketball games
The VCSU athletic department is hosting a food pantry drive at the two remaining men’s basketball games before holiday break. Admission is free for everyone at the games on Dec. 9 and Dec. 18, but VCSU athletics is asking attendees to bring items for donation to the Barnes County Food Pantry. Game time is 7 p.m. both days.

Upcoming Events
Dec. 9: Men’s Basketball vs. Oak Hills Christian College, 7 p.m. (Valley City)
Dec. 11: Men’s Basketball @ Dakota Wesleyan University, 7 p.m. (Mitchell, S.D.)
Dec. 18: Men’s Basketball vs. Univ. of Maine at Fort Kent, 7 p.m. (Valley City)

What’s happening at VCSU and around Valley City …

Monday, December 9
Destress @ Allen Memorial Library all week!

Tuesday, December 10
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center
6:30 p.m. In Knots Crochet club, VCBC public library

Wednesday, December 11
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, December 12
Virgin of Guadalupe (Mexico)

Friday, December 13

Saturday, December 14

Sunday, December 15
9 p.m. Finals Breakfast, Student Center Cafeteria

Monday, December 16
Finals Week

Tuesday, December 17
12:05 p.m. Rotary, Student Center
6:30 p.m. In Knots Crochet club, VCBC public library

Wednesday, December 18
noon Kiwanis, Valley City Town & Country Club

Thursday, December 19
3:30 p.m. Winter Commencement, Vangstad Auditorium

Friday, December 20

Saturday, December 21
First Day of Winter

Sunday, December 22
Hanukkah begins at sundown

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