A busy fall semester at Minot State

By Dr. Steven W. Shirley
President, Minot State University

The fall semester at Minot State University (MSU) has been a whirlwind of excitement across campus.

We began with a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the reopening of Hartnett Hall following a two-year closure during a $26.6 million renovation. The result is an incredible transformation, and this facility will play a key role with future MSU students pursuing their educational endeavors. The modern classrooms, advanced technology, new recital hall, refurbished Aleshire Theater, revamped art rooms, expanded collaborative spaces, new Esports suite, and transformed broadcasting and communications area all combine for a wonderful new academic facility at MSU.

On the heels of the Hartnett celebration was MSU’s annual Homecoming Week. The mid-September weather was terrific and the turnout from MSU alumni and friends was superb. During the week we bestowed the MSU Alumni Association’s highest honors, the Golden Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award, on five very deserving individuals. The Academic Hall of Fame inducted two new members, Vicki Michels and Jacob Schillo. The week also featured enshrinement of a new class of MSU Athletics Hall of Famers with six individuals and one team. The annual President’s Club luncheon provided the opportunity of recognizing loyal donors who support the MSU Foundation. Saturday morning’s parade from downtown Minot to campus along with a tailgate festivity and football win were cherries on top concluding a memorable week of Beaver pride!

Other autumn highlights have included the Western Plains Opera’s incredible performance of La Boheme in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, as well as the start of the Minot Symphony Orchestra’s 99th season with two terrific performances so far. We are blessed with such amazing talent in this community, and MSU music professors, students, and alumni help make these incredible productions possible. The 2024-25 theater season also began this fall on campus, utilizing the new lecture and recital space in Hartnett Hall for its first production. The 17th annual NOTSTOCK was held in late September bringing hundreds of area students and residents to campus over several days to interact with various artisans. And the recent Northwest Festival of Music brought hundreds of choral and band students from across North Dakota to interact with MSU professors and other music professionals.

MSU’s 24th annual SRT Tech Day recently concluded with over 100 regional high school students visiting MSU to compete and hear from business and technology speakers. Additionally, our 4th annual NoDAKoN conference was held bringing technology and cyber experts to campus discussing cybersecurity and online threats.

Continuing our close partnership with Trinity Health, MSU nursing hosted our semi-annual White Coat ceremony at the start of the academic year officially welcoming our newest class of nursing students into the program.

In athletics, highlights have included hosting the NSIC Cross Country Championship at Souris Valley Golf Course, an outstanding season for women’s soccer reaching the NSIC championship match, multiple NCAA Division II era records set by golf, the best season for Beaver football in the Division II era featuring signature wins over numerous NSIC traditional powers, and MSU’s Manuela Pacheco Martinez earning the “Elite 18” award as the outstanding student-athlete with the highest GPA among all fifteen women’s soccer teams in the NSIC.

MSU’s student enrollment increased this fall compared to the fall 2023 semester, and this is our second consecutive semester of growth following the increase we also saw in spring 2024. This great news reinforces that new academic programs recently added, new student club and athletic opportunities that have been initiated, and programs such as the Hometown Pride Scholarship are all paying dividends in attracting students. It is indeed encouraging seeing the increased numbers of students choosing Minot State to continue their education with our wide array of high-quality academic offerings.

Thanks to an incredibly supportive community and broader region, along with so many terrific friends and organizations that support the campus, the future is bright for current and future MSU students. We look forward to more great things ahead. As always…..Go Beavers!

Minot State University Communications is proud to announce the return of the Onward Beavers video series.  Produced by University Communications Productions, with filming and editing done by Minot State student Joshua Tu, Onward Beavers is a quarterly video featuring Minot State faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This Onward Beavers features Minot State Marketing Director Cole Krueger. You can view the video HERE, and for all Minot State-produced videos, see the University's YouTube PAGE.

The 2025-2026 Minot State General Scholarship Application is now available HERE! The deadline to apply for MSU scholarships is Feb. 15. Please review the scholarship terms and conditions by clicking on Undergraduate scholarship terms and conditions, found under the red “Apply Now!” button in the link. 

Minot State offers a variety of scholarships funded by gifts to the University. Scholarships are based on academic achievements, financial need, and other criteria defined by the donors. The scholarship amounts vary depending on student eligibility and the availability of funds. Some Minot State scholarships available for the 2025-2026 academic year require a separate application form from our general scholarship application. Visit the other MSU Scholarship PAGE to locate applications for these scholarships. For more information, contact the Minot State Financial Aid Office by phone 701-858-3375 or EMAIL.

Minot State University’s Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program will host an accreditation site visit by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) from Feb. 26-28, as part of its evaluation for continued accreditation. In accordance with CCNE procedures, program constituents, including faculty, students, and other stakeholders, are invited to submit third-party comments regarding the program’s qualifications for accreditation. The deadline for submitting third-party comments is Feb. 5, which is 21 days before the scheduled site visit. These comments provide valuable feedback to CCNE as part of the accreditation review process. All comments must be written in English and sent directly to CCNE at thirdpartycomments@ccneaccreditation.org. If you have any questions about this process, please contact CCNE staff at (202) 887-6791 ext. 268.

The fifth annual Teaching and Learning Conference, sponsored by North Dakota State University’s Office of Teaching and Learning, is seeking proposals for breakout sessions at its May 2025 conference. Individual or group-led session proposals may be submitted by anyone who serves in a teaching role or supports instruction at a regional institution of higher education. For more information, see the NDSU WEBSITE. Proposals are due Jan. 11.

Minot State Track & Field is hosting youth track nights on Tuesday nights this winter, beginning Jan. 7. There will be three age groups: Pre-K (2-5 yrs.), K- Grade 6, Jr./Sr. High pre-season. All participants will receive a Beaver track & field t-shirt. For questions or more information, contact coach Jordan Aus by EMAIL. See attached POSTER.

Join us in welcoming Chappy Windsor of Dakota Chappy fame to the Start Up Minot stage this January! Our first free event of the new year will feature Chappy speaking at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 9, at the Carnegie Center in downtown Minot. Join us for business insights, entrepreneur knowledge, networking opportunities — and free coffee and donuts. Time to kick 2025 off on the right foot! See you on Jan. 9, bring a friend. For more information, see the Facebook event PAGE. For any questions, contact the Minot Area Chamber EDC economic development specialist Mark Lyman at 701-852-6000 or by EMAIL.

Come with us on an adventure! The Minot State International Programs May 2025 trip to Scotland is now open to all students, faculty, staff, and community members. The application deadline is Feb. 14. See attached FLYER for more information, or go to the MSU Office of International Programs "An Outlander's Guide to Scotland" WEBSITE for information and to apply. Ye dinnae ken Scotland yet, but you will!

Hartnett Hall Gallery
The Hartnett Hall Gallery is located on the second floor of Hartnett Hall in the walkway and Collaboration Space. It is open during Hartnett Hall hours.

• Animals in Art: This exhibition is curated by Syndr Bagley and Blaire Engel. This exhibition emphasizes 15 artists’ unique views on the subject of animals. Using different printmaking techniques including, lithography, etching, and intaglio. The exhibition will be displayed in Hartnett Hall from Oct. 13 until Jan. 13.

Flat Tail Press
Flat Tail Press is an educational printmaking studio at Minot State University. The gallery is located in the landing space on the second and third floor of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open during normal Student Center hours.

• The Truth of Intuition: Christopher Reno studied painting, drawing, and printmaking at Knox College, The New York Studio School, Robert Blackburn's Printmaking Workshop, Flatbed Press in Austin, Texas, and the MFA program of The University of Iowa. He is currently the Gallery Director and assistant professor of art at St. Ambrose University in Davenport, Iowa. The exhibition will be on display from Oct. 4-Jan. 30.

Dan Conn of Minot State University, Annie Rappeport of the University of Virginia, and Alex Decoteau of Turtle Mountain Community High School co-authored "ANI-ANISHINAABEWAADIZING (Becoming Indigenous): Healing from Sustained Cultural Genocide and Linguicide through Ojibwe Language World View," an article that was recently published in "Genocide Studies International." It examines the transformative journey of language revitalization within the Ojibwe community and highlights the importance of Indigenizing education to promote reconciliation, cultural resilience, and community well-being. For more information, read the article HERE.

David Frantsvog, assistant professor at Minot State College of Business, was part of Wallethub.com's Ask the Experts section of their website. Frantsvog answered three questions concerning how many credit card accounts the average person should have. Read Frantsvog's answers HERE.

David Paterno, associate professor of professional communication, has published an article called "Industry professionals speak: It's all about messages – Except when it isn’t" in Media International Australia (a Q1 journal ranked in the top 20% of all peer-reviewed journals in communication studies). The article is based on interviews with communications professionals working to support Australia's transition to low carbon fuels. One key finding is the continued relevance of interpersonal communication in our highly digitized world. Practical and theoretical implications of this finding are discussed and potential solutions offered. Read the article HERE.

Serena Pontenila, Emily Stephens, and Nathan Anderson published a manuscript in "Intersection: A Journal at the Intersection of Assessment and Learning." Their article, "Using A+ Inquiry as a Framework for Exploring Faculty Needs Related to Program Assessment Workload," aligns the A+ Inquiry model with elements of five frameworks associated with higher education assessment and then utilizes the model to explore faculty needs related to program assessment workload. The study examines faculty perceptions associated with five areas related to program assessment: time commitment, processes, impact, barriers, and recommendations.

Minot State faculty Ruth Chen, Genevieve Kahrilas, and Joseph Pettit, along with student Hayden Tinker, have all earned North Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCOR) awards. Tinker was awarded an undergraduate research award for his project “Preventing Childhood Obesity – Are Children Physically Active at Daycare." Chen, an assistant professor in teacher education and kinesiology, serves as Tinker’s mentor on the project and was awarded an equipment award to fund accelerometers and accessories such as belts, wristbands, software, and storage for her research in physical activity at MSU. Kahrilas, assistant professor of chemistry, was also awarded an equipment award. Kahrilas’s proposal sought funding for a high-powered ultrasonic device and setup for use in scientific research and education laboratory classes at MSU. Pettit is an assistant professor of biology and was the third awardee from MSU in the equipment category. He requested funds for a plant growth chamber to be used in seed germination, plant physiology, and microbial growth experiments. For more information on the awards, see EPSCOR's PRESS RELEASE and for more information on EPSCOR, visit their WEBSITE.

Kyle Patterson is the October winner of the Staff Senate High Five Award. He is pictured HERE with Minot State President Steven Shirley, Staff Senate President Karla Bredahl, and the team in the Academic Support Center. Patterson, an academic advisor in the Academic Support Center, has been in his current role with Minot State since July and was an admissions counselor in Enrollment Services from 2017-2019. He and his wife Kelsey (Minot State alumna in 2014) have two children, Landon and Elyse, and a cat, Kooper. Outside of MSU, Patterson enjoys sports play-by-play, podcasting, gaming, camping, and anything his kids are involved with at the moment! He had this to say, "It’s great to be back on campus and work with the awesome staff and faculty! It has been a blast working with the students at Minot State and helping them succeed in this chapter in their life."

Asmita Pun has been selected as the ASC Student of the Month for November. She has contributed to the Academic Support Center’s programs as a peer tutor. The ASC Student of the Month recognizes the outstanding contributions of the many student leaders working with ASC's programs. Each month, one ASC student leader is selected as the ASC Student of the Month and featured on the ASC website. Anyone may nominate a student; however, a student may only be recognized once during the academic year. Nominations are due by the 1st of each month.

Jake Swirple, Minot State’s senior center, is getting the chance to showcase his football skills one more time on an exclusive stage. Swirple has been invited to participate in the 2025 Podyum College All-Star Bowl in Miami, Florida in January. This special event for college seniors is a four-day All-Star festival that culminates in the Podyum Bowl on Sunday, Jan. 19, at Tropical Park Stadium in Miami. Prior to the Podyum Bowl, invited senior college football players will take part in three days of drills led by professional football scouts, agents, and trainers to evaluate each as they look to make the leap to the next level. A four-year performer for the Beavers on the offensive line who played in 37 games, Swirple was a starter at center the last three seasons for Minot State and a key part of the offensive line that led the Beavers to their best season in NCAA history this fall with a 5-6 record. Swirple is also a 2022-23 NCAA All-American in wrestling for the Beavers and is currently ranked No. 7 in the country by the NWCA at 285 pounds.

Caleb Van De Griend, junior forward, has led the way for the Beavers during a memorable start to the season for the Minot State men's basketball team, while senior forward Journey Miller led the way on the ice during a challenging 10-game stretch for the Minot State women's hockey team. Both were honored for their effort as Van De Griend was named the Pinnacle Employee Benefits Male Athlete of the Month for November, while Miller was named the Pinnacle Employee Benefits Female Athlete of the Month for November. Pinnacle Employee Benefits became the title sponsor for Minot State's Athlete of the Month award during the 2021-22 academic year. The award recognizes the outstanding athletic achievements each month of one male and one female Beaver student-athlete. Van De Griend was also named the NSIC Men’s Basketball Player of the Week for his efforts on the hardwood for the Beavers. The honor is the first this season for Van De Griend who has been named to the NSIC Shining 5 each of the first three weeks of the season.