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President's Message
 As we approach what I’m sure will be a very welcome three-day weekend, I want to thank everyone who planned, participated in and attended multiple Veterans Day activities on our campus. As a veteran and, equally, as a citizen, I appreciate this effort to understand and honor the service and sacrifice of all who serve in our armed forces.
I cannot say too often how much I value and depend on your commitment to the success of our students, every single day. Their busy lives in the classroom, in leadership roles, in musical ensembles and in athletic competition help make this a truly rewarding place to work.
We need look no further than tomorrow, when the Bemidji State soccer team will compete for the first time ever in the NCAA Division II Women’s Soccer Championships. At 1 p.m., BSU will get a rematch against Augustana in Warrensburg, Mo., which last week delivered their sole defeat in an incredible season. Equally exciting are the Council of Indian Students Pow-Wow on Nov. 18, continuing a busy schedule of programs for Native American History Month, and the Madrigal Dinners, which open Nov. 30. As you may know, the Madrigal Dinners will try out an off-campus venue this year – the magical Finnish Village at Concordia Language Villages. I hope you will find a date that works for you in their five-show run.
Please read below for important updates on strategic planning, college reorganization and other major strides in our shared work of continually improving the BSU experience for all of us.
Have a great weekend – and Go Beavers!
Faith C. Hensrud, Ed.D.
President
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November Faculty and Staff Achievements
Highlighting this issue's roundup of faculty and staff achievements is Mark Morrissey, assistant director of campus recreation, who jumped out of a helicopter during a simulated water rescue exercise at the 24th Annual Wilderness Risk Management Conference in Portland, Maine.
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Blackwell, Jr., Wins Diversity Leadership Award
From Minnesota State System Office
Bill Blackwell, Jr., executive director of Bemidji State University’s American Indian Resource Center, has received the Distinguished Diversity Leadership Award from the Minnesota State colleges and university’s Academic and Student Affairs division.
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Robust Campus Feedback Shapes
Continued Work on Strategic Plan
Members of the Bemidji State Strategic Planning Committee are reviewing more than 150 student and employee responses shared at an Oct. 12 campus forum (pictured, above) and via an online survey as they work toward a January launch of a Strategic Plan for 2018-2023.
Subcommittees for each of the plan’s five priority areas are reviewing the comments and identifying themes that emerge from them. Those themes will be included in the final plan.
The subcommittees also are considering how the plan aligns with the Minnesota State system’s priorities of student success, diversity and inclusion, and financial stability, as well as weighing the cost and impact of various activities to determine which should begin next year.
A final version of the plan, incorporating the campus feedback and committee work, will be shared in December before being implemented in January.
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College Reorganization Proceeds
Toward Launch in Fall 2018
Work to reorganize Bemidji State’s academic departments into three new colleges has benefited from robust input, said Dr. Tony Peffer (pictured), provost and vice president of academic and student affairs.
The goal is to complete a plan next month and launch it for the Fall 2018 semester, allowing time for necessary preparations, such as allocation of support staff.
Peffer said he has gathered feedback via email, at meetings with bargaining units, and at two open forums this week, which were especially productive. “They were very well attended, and there was really good input and exchange of ideas,” Peffer said at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.
Once the president has reviewed an updated draft of the plan, it will be shared with the campus for final input. The reorganization is scheduled to take effect July 1.
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49th Annual Madrigal Dinners Moving to Salolampi
For the first time in the 49-year history of Bemidji State's Madrigal Dinners, the show is moving off campus. This year’s performances, which open Nov 30 and run through Dec. 3, are being held at Salolampi, the Finnish language camp at Bemidji’s Concordia Language Villages.
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Renewed Grant Will Continue McNair Program Until 2022
Bemidji State has received a $1.61 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to continue its McNair Scholarship program, which helps prepare qualifying undergraduate students to pursue doctoral degrees, through the 2021-22 academic year.
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TAD School Students Collaborating on Tiny House Project
Students in Bemidji State's School of Technology, Art & Design are collaborating to design, build and, eventually, sell a "tiny house." A student-developed design concept has been selected for production, and construction teams are revising the design and working with potential donors for materials to begin the build. The completed house will be auctioned in conjunction with the Fourth Annual TAD Talks event on April 26.
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- Members of Bemidji's Ralph Gracie American Legion Post 14 presented colors Nov. 6 as part of a week of activities to recognize Veteran's Day on campus.
- BSU's Council of Indian Students held its third annual "All My Relations" feast for Bemidji's homeless residents on Nov. 2.
- BSU joined a national effort to recognize students who are the first in their families to attend college on Nov. 8 with free dessert for the First-Generation College Student Celebration.
- High school students visited BSU faculty to learn about academic programs during an Academic Open House held during Minnesota's MEA Weekend, Oct. 19-20.
- Freshman, sophomores and undecided students attended the Major & Career Expo, hosted Oct. 25 by Career Services and the Advising Success Center, to meet with faculty from different majors offered at BSU.
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