Committed to the Vision

Committed to the Vision President’s rePort July 1, 2009–June 30, 2010 V i s i o n Core values are deeply imbedded in the minds of the people who serve and sustain the institution and are readily recognized and appreciated by those served by the institution. Planning for the future depends on the affirmation of Minot State University’s core values and core purpose. Minot State University is built upon a commitment to students, learning, service, and cooperation, and upon a respect for people and place. Core Values MSU cares deeply about its students, their learning, and their growth. The university is proud of its values and long-term commitment to: n Teaching and learning with excellence, integrity, and engagement n Serving students and others respectfully and responsibly n Following high ethical and moral principles n Supporting the values of community and place, where all community members are valued and respected for their work, contributions, and freedom of expression. Core Purpose Minot State University helps people appreciate life and learning and contribute meaningfully to the lives of others. Campus landmark undergoes a renovation refurbished Swain Hall reopened this fall to serve MSU’s reading clinic is also located on the second level. students of the 21st century. University students teach elementary students to read, especially The former athletic facility is the new home of the Depart- ones who are struggling. The clinic features high-tech cameras mentA of Teacher Education and Human Performance. and sound equipment. The first floor houses labs for physiology and athletic training. “We can record our students working with children who have The spacious facilities boast cutting-edge equipment for use by learning disabilities,” Nordquist said. human performance majors. “That’s the best athletic training facility for 500 to 600 miles in any direction,” said Neil Nordquist, dean of the College of ‘ The spacious facilities boast cutting- Education and Health Sciences. The second floor features a replica of a high school gymna- edge equipment … that’s the best sium that will be used as a pedagogy lab. The same level features athletic training facility for 500 to methods classrooms where education majors will work with preschool and elementary students. 600 miles in any direction.’ The floor also houses the Center for the Applied Study of Cognition and Learning Sciences (CASCLS, pronounced — neil nordquist “Castles”). CASCLS couples brain research with practical Dean of the College of Education and Health Sciences page classroom applications. 4 Newly renovated Swain Hall The third floor includes new classrooms and laboratories. Three general contractors worked on the project’s three Currently, the Division of Science is using the space. phases. They included Environmental Plant Services of St. Paul, Administrators believe the new building will be a magnet for Minn., Mackley Construction of Minot and Mattson Construc- students and faculty alike. Jaimie McMullen, a leading authority tion of Minot. on pedagogy in physical education, is a case in point. She arrived Swain Hall will eventually connect to a projected Health and at MSU this fall from Arizona State University. Wellness Center via a skywalk over 11th Avenue. “One of the big reasons she came here was the building,” Swain Hall is named for Carl Swain, the university’s fourth Nordquist said. president (1938 to 1954). The building was dedicated in his The building’s south end features conference rooms and honor in 1952. lounge areas with bright lighting, comfortable furniture and Swain Hall served as home for the physical education depart- sweeping views of the campus. ment and field house for indoor sports for three decades. When The remodeling effort cost $12.6 million and was supple- the Dome became the primary athletics facility in the 1980s, the mented by federal stimulus funds, funding from the state of facility served mainly as a practice facility. It also housed coaches’ North Dakota and Minot State University. offices, football locker rooms and a fitness center. page 5 caption Second floor commons area Classroom Pedagogy Lab for physical education researCh digging into the past to understand our place The first summer of digging into the past of the First Lutheran Church Cemetery in Minot is now in the books, with three more summers to go. The historical-archeological project is the brainchild of Mark Timbrook, technology support special- ist in MSU’s Office of Instructional Technology, adjunct faculty member and author. And while he is often too humble to admit it, Timbrook is truly dedicated to understanding the history of the cemetery and involving students and others in his passion for history and research. The cemetery is located just to the east of the Student Center and Administration Building, right next to North Broadway. It was first platted in 1892. Timbrook’s research project is tied directly to a new class at Minot State University — Special Topics in History: Historical Archeology, Graveyard page Preservation. 6 Among other objectives, the unique course is designed to map the cemetery grounds, document its history and grave markers, uncover submerged markers, locate unmarked graves, clean grave markers, research individuals interred, develop an interactive website of the compiled information, work closely with First Lutheran on a preservation plan and develop signage to add to caption the cemetery’s sense of place within the community. No easy task. Misty Neumiller and Jacob Jenkins, both of Minot, partici- But one that Timbrook is doing with help from other faculty, pated in the cemetery preservation course this past summer and including Joseph Jastrzembski, history, and Margaret Sherve, presented their findings to both First Lutheran Church and a English, as well as interested students. campus audience during a Northwest Art Center Lecture. caption The project is designed to run through 2013 with a new This event helps members of Congress to better understand quadrant of the cemetery to be explored each summer. the importance of undergraduate research by talking directly Following their cemetery preservation project in June, with the students whom the federally funded programs impact. Sherve, Timbrook and four MSU students spent two weeks in Young’s research focuses on the rapid synthesis of pipero- July working with Michael Fosha, chief archaeologist for the nylformamide. Specifically, Young developed a new method of South Dakota Archaeology Research Center, excavating historic synthesis of an important natural product that could be used for Fort James, near Mitchell, S. D. The fort was constructed in the preparation of safe natural pain-killers and other medicines. 1865, a consequence of the Great Sioux War. Young completed his work in the lab of Mikhail Bobylev, Students successfully identified the fort’s south, east and west associate professor of chemistry. walls, as well as the walls of the enlisted men’s barracks, ware room and quartermaster’s area. They excavated a large number of cut nails, glass from various types of bottles and contain- undergraduate research grant ers, window glass, tin fragments, bone fragments from regional renewed fauna discarded during the occupation, seeds, timbers from the More than $3 million in biomedical research grant money fort’s flooring, pottery shreds and charred wood from the fort’s will allow Minot State to continue providing science research destruction in 1868. opportunities for undergraduates. Five Minot State University Minot State students were the first to unearth the treasures faculty members will split the university’s portion of the North of Fort James. Students will return to the site in 2011. Dakota IDEA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence grant. “What this gives students and faculty at Minot State is the support needed for salaries and projects that allow one-on-one undergraduate on the hill page research with undergraduates,” said Chris Beachy, principal 7 investigator at Minot State University and professor of biology. “What we’re all focusing on is the role cadmium, a heavy metal, plays in North Dakota’s environment and human health. Cadmium can have many adverse environmental effects, including causing several types of cancer.” The INBRE grant will also make it possible for students to give presentations at national meetings and allow for collabora- tions with tribal colleges. U.S. Senator Ken Conrad, Zane Young, Mikhail Bobylev For the second year in a row an undergraduate student from Minot State was chosen to present at a prestigious national conference. Zane Young, of Minot, was selected by the Council on Undergraduate Research for a presentation at the 2010 Post- ers on the Hill in Washington, D.C. During the event about 60 undergraduate students from the entire nation presented their research to the members of the United States Congress on Capitol Hill. The students and their faculty advisors spent the entire day in the US Capitol, first meeting with their state Representa- tives and Senators, and then presenting their research during the poster session. caption aCademiCs helping all students succeed The new standards are: New admission standards, along with recent support programs designed for freshman students, will give more students at Minot ACT/SAT H.S. GPA Range State University a chance to reach their educational goals. Any and 3.25+ “Minot State University is empowered with the mission, first 22-36/1020-1600 and Any and foremost, of being dedicated to the success of all students,” 20-21/940-1010 and 2.5 - 3.249 said David Fuller, president of Minot State University. “As a 18-19/860-930 and 3.0 - 3.249 university, we need to better assist these students in the difficult Passport Program (see below) transition from high school courses to life as a student of higher education.” Students are encouraged to apply even if their test score or The previous standard of admitting any student who had at GPA does not fall within the standards of the admission chart.

Load more