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President Hanson was joined by BSU students, faculty and administrators at an Oct. 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony for the newly renovated Memorial Hall.
Open for Business (and Accounting)
Bemidji State University officially unveiled the newly renovated Memorial Hall during an Oct. 2 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Among the oldest buildings on campus, Memorial Hall underwent a $13.79-million renovation beginning in September 2014 that transformed the 75-year-old basketball gym into a state-of-the-art home for BSU’s business and accounting programs. The building opened for classes this fall. [more photos]
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Fall enrollment expected to show slight increase over 2014
While final 30th-day enrollment numbers will not be available until later this week, early indications are that Bemidji State will see its first headcount enrollment increase in more than five years. BSU is expecting a total enrollment of more than 5,000 students for the first time since 2012, and an expected headcount increase of more than 100 students would mark the school's first enrollment gain since 2010.
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MnSCU Chancellor Steven Rosenstone meets with a student at BSU on Sept. 30.
Chancellor visits campus to discuss presidential search
Dr. Steven Rosenstone, chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, visited Bemidji to gather information and guide his search for the next BSU/NTC president. Rosenstone met with faculty, staff and students at both BSU and Northwest Technical College, and he also conducted an open forum for community members in BSU's Memorial Hall.
MnSCU has partnered with EFL Associates, a Kansas City-based executive search firm, to help identify potential candidates, and Dr. Connie Gores, president of Southwest Minnesota State University, will chair the screening committee. Because BSU/NTC does not currently have a permanent chief human resources officer, Becky Lindseth, retired chief human resources officer from Northland Community and Technical College, will support the process as well. Solicitation for additional screening committee members, which will include faculty, staff and students from both BSU and NTC, along with members of the Bemidji community, is underway.
Rosenstone said he hopes finalists will be on campus for interviews beginning in late March. Finalists also will interview with Rosenstone in St. Paul. The chancellor stated his intention to recommend a potential candidate in time for the Board of Trustees to consider the appointment at its April 20 meeting. [photos from Rosenstone's visit]
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U.S. news again ranks BSU among region's best
Bemidji State has again been named one of the 100 best colleges and universities in the Midwest region in rankings released Sept. 9 by U.S. News and World Report.
BSU tied for 34th among public institutions in the Midwest, and tied with four other institutions for 99th among all colleges and universities in the region. It is the eighth consecutive year that BSU has made the U.S. News list of top 100 colleges in the region.
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Current and past BSU alumni award recipients gather for a photo during the Oct. 2 Honors Gala.
Honors Gala celebrates alums and campaign progress
BSU Alumni & Foundation recognized its five latest alumni award winners at the 2015 Honors Gala on Oct. 2 at Sanford Center. Bemidji business owner Richard Siegert ’67 received the Alumni Service Award, and human rights worker Katrina Jorene Maliamauv ’07 of Selangor, Malaysia, was honored with the 2015 Young Alumni Award. The 2015 Outstanding Alumni were Sandra (Henderson) Anderson ’82 of Eden Prairie, Joe Grabowski ’81 of Plymouth and Roger Reierson ’74 of Fargo.
President Richard Hanson announced the university's five-year Imagine Tomorrow fundraising campaign has received gifts and pledges totaling $34 million, just shy of its original $35 million goal. The campaign will continue through June 2016 to involve as many donors as possible.
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Alexander Yocum, a senior in criminal justice; Dr. Marsha Driscoll, professor of psychology and director of the honors program; President Hanson; Jolynne Denman, a senior in English; Dr. Martin Tadlock, BSU provost and vice president for academic and student affairs, and Callie Johnson, a junior in criminal justice, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony Oct. 2 at Laurel House.
Honors program unveils new Laurel House
On Oct. 2, the BSU honors program officially unveiled its new Laurel House, which will not only serve as a residence for as many as four honors students each year but also as a new gathering and learning space for all students in the program. [more photos]
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Jinhua University students pose outside Sanford Hospital during a Sept. 22 visit.
BSU forges partnership with Jinhua University
Nursing students and faculty from Jinhua University in Jinhua, China, wrapped up a week-long stay in Bemidji on Sept. 24. The group, which included six of the university’s leading students and three faculty members, toured the nursing programs at both Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College and visited health care facilities throughout the Bemidji community.
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Members of the Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee listen to a presentation on the Hagg-Sauer project during their Oct. 1 visit to BSU. Photo courtesy @MnSenCapInvest.
Campus forum on Hagg-Sauer Hall project set for Oct. 14
An all-campus forum to share the latest information on the proposed replacement of Hagg-Sauer Hall with a new academic learning center and renovation and remodeling in most other academic buildings will be held Oct. 14 at 2 p.m. in Hagg-Sauer 100.
The Minnesota Senate Capital Investment Committee visited campus on Oct. 1 to learn more about the project. BSU will be seeking $18.1 million from the Legislature during the 2016 bonding session to complete the project, which is sixth on MnSCU's bonding priority list.
Up-to-date plans for the project are available on the Academic Affairs website.
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The HLC site visit team meets with NTC students on Sept. 28.
Accreditation team visits Northwest Technical College
On Sept. 29, a three-person team representing the Higher Learning Commission concluded a two-day site visit at Northwest Technical College, where they met with students, staff, faculty and community members as part of their review of the college’s case for continued accreditation.
The Higher Learning Commission accredits degree-granting post-secondary educational institutions in the North Central region of the United States. The commission and its accreditation process assure the quality of higher education for students who benefit from federal financial aid programs.
The college’s visit team included:
- David Ho, vice president of academic affairs (retired), Metropolitan Community College, Bellevue, Neb.
- Eric Johnston-Ortiz, vice president for business affairs, Eastern New Mexico University-Roswell, Roswell, N.M.
- Cynthia Hoss, vice president of academic affairs, Hutchinson Community College, Hutchinson, Kan.
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BSU launches pilot student success coach program
Under the direction of Dr. Mary Ward, interim dean of student success, Bemidji State has launched a pilot program to improve retention rates for first-time, full-time freshmen who are not being served by other student service programs on campus, such as TRIO. There are 22 success coaches, all in the university's administrative and support faculty unit, who each have been assigned 12 students. The coaches are required to meet with each of their students for 15-30 minutes at least three times during the semester and contact them by phone or email at least 15 times per semester. Each of the 269 students participating in the pilot has been asked to complete a questionnaire, which guides coaches as they learn how they can best serve each student.
"This program mainly intends to provide these students with a friendly answer and a friendly face," Ward said. "And for the coaches, it's a great experience for us to interact with students and get to know them. It's not about academic advising; it's a support network to help students navigate through life in college."
Coaches are meeting as a group four times this semester for training and to share their experiences. Each coaching session is documented for data-collection and tracking purposes. This data will be aggregated at the end of the academic year to evaluate the success of the pilot. Students in the pilot will also be compared to a control group of students who are not receiving any services on campus other than those they pursue on their own to check for patterns in enrollment for fall 2016.
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Combined Charities campaign continues through October
The Combined Charities giving campaign for Minnesota state employees began Oct. 1 and runs through the month. While you can set up payroll deductions at any time, the fall campaign aims to educate employees about the charitable federations and their charities so they can make decisions about their payroll deductions for the coming year.
State employee donations help support more than 1,400 charities representing a wide variety of health, education, environment, arts and social service programs. There are 38 approved charitable federations to choose from, including the United Way, that represent hundreds of charities working in communities across Minnesota. Many of these federations allow you to designate your gift to a specific charity or nonprofit group.
The state government is the state’s largest employer, and the State of Minnesota Employees’ Combined Charity Campaign is the largest charitable campaign in the state. Minnesota’s charities depend on state employees’ payroll deductions.
Participating charitable federations are assessed each year by Minnesota Management and Budget and must meet stringent statutory guidelines for accountability.
Contributing through the Combined Charities Campaign allows you to take a small deduction from each paycheck. This is a convenient way of giving, and it reduces administrative costs for the charities. Your donations are tax deductible.
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Talley Gallery features Todd Hebert
Todd Hebert, an assistant professor of art and design at the University of North Dakota, is exhibiting his work at the Talley Gallery in a show called “Selected Works: 1999-2014.â€
pictured: "Dew with JackoLantern" detail
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Professional Education at BSU: Affordable Quality for Non-Traditional Students
In rankings published Sept. 8 by USA Today, college evaluation firm College Factual has named BSU as one of the country’s best values for teacher education. It also rated Bemidji State among the top 10 percent of schools nationwide for non-traditional age students.
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Faculty and Staff News
A Volunteer of the Year, presentations at conferences specializing in technology and computing ethics, and articles written to help people get in shape before hunting or fishing highlight this month's faculty and staff achievements.
• New hires at Bemidji State University
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Scholarship sends CJ major to statewide conference
Ryan Newhouse, a junior criminal justice major, received the 55th Annual Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers Conference Scholarship. The Warroad, Minn., native was the first Bemidji State student to receive this scholarship, which sent him to the Association of Minnesota Emergency Managers conference, Sept. 20-23 in Breezy Point, Minn.
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Click photos for complete galleries from each event (top, then L to R):
- 1941 grad Harold Shellum was grand marshal at Homecoming parade
- Career Services held its Grad Prep for Seniors event on Oct. 1
- Homecoming King and Queen crowned at Sept. 28 ceremony
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Beavers take sixth consecutive Homecoming plunge
The football team honored the 20th anniversary of its traditional jump into Lake Bemidji following a Homecoming win on Oct. 2, capping the celebration with a dip of their own after a 39-7 win against University of Mary.
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