A Minot State University announced a total of 465 students were named to the Fall 2023 President’s List, a total of 265 students were named to the Vice President for Academic Affairs’ Honor Roll, and 10 students earned a spot on the Engagement Honor Roll.

Students who earned a term grade point average of 3.8 or higher while enrolled for 12 or more credits during the Fall 2023 semester were named to the list. Students who earned a term grade point average of 3.5-3.79 while enrolled for 12 or more credits during the Fall 2023 semester were named to the VPAA list. The honor will show on the student’s transcript for the semester it was earned.

The Engagement Honor Roll is an opportunity for Minot State University undergraduate students to receive recognition for the engagement activities they participate in while a student at MSU through the inclusion of this distinction on their transcripts. Students must complete a minimum of 50 hours, verified by supervisors, in any combination of engagement activities in order to be recognized during any given term.

Students named to the Minot State Fall 2023 President’s List are ordered according to their hometowns. North Dakota students are listed first, followed by students with out-of-state hometowns listed alphabetically by state, then hometown. Canadian students are listed alphabetically by province, then hometown. International students are listed by home country and hometown. The Engagement Honor Roll is ordered by the students’ last name. Students named to the VPAA Honor Roll are ordered according to their hometowns. North Dakota students are listed first, followed by students with out-of-state hometowns listed alphabetically by state, then hometown; and then Canadian students alphabetically by province, then hometown. Finally, international students are listed by home country and hometown.

PRESIDENT'S LIST

VPAA & ENGAGEMENT HONOR ROLLS

All Minot State University faculty and staff are reminded of the resources available to help ensure a healthy and safe workplace environment.

• Human Resources (HR): All employees are encouraged to contact HR as needed regarding any Non-Title IX Employment obstacles, any or all employment job postings, FMLA leave of absence, policies, benefits, and additional resources. All employees are encouraged to contact the Payroll department regarding any benefits, payroll, and tax questions or concerns.
  • Click HERE to learn more about Human Resources at Minot State University
• Title IX: Any person may report sex-based harassment (whether or not the person reporting is the person alleged to have experienced the conduct) in person, online, by mail, by telephone, by video, or by email. A report may be made at any time (including during non-business hours) and will be addressed confidentially by the University.
  • Click HERE to learn more about Title IX at Minot State University.
• Employee Assistance Programs (EAP): An EAP is an employer-sponsored service designed to assist benefitted employees, their spouses, and their dependent children in finding help for emotional, drug/alcohol, family, health, and other personal or job-related problems. The services are provided at no cost to any benefitted MSU employee. Confidential services are provided to Minot State University benefitted employees through The Village Business Institute. Benefitted MSU employees, their spouses, and their dependent children can use the program by simply calling The Village Family Service Center at 800-627-8220. 
  • Click HERE to learn more about Employee Assistance Programs through The Village Business Institute

Minot State University's Gordon B. Olson Library introduces Choice Reviews, a searchable source for reviews of academic books. This new service replaces and enhances the Choice cards, which are being discontinued this February. Choice Reviews contains more than 200,000 book reviews written by academics. Searches in this list can be filtered by subject, publication date, readership level, and recommendation level.  Choice Reviews can be found HERE or under Faculty Services link on the Gordon B. Olson Library's WEBSITE.

The Minot State Wellness Center is offering Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare professionals on Monday, Feb. 12 and Heartsaver CPR AED course on Friday, Feb. 23.

The BLS course trains participants to promptly recognize several life-threatening emergencies, give high-quality CPR, deliver appropriate ventilations, and provide early use of an AED. The course will be held at 9 a.m. and in the Group Exercise room of the Wellness Center. Sign up HERE.

The Heartsaver CPR AED course trains participants to give CPR, and use an automated external defibrillator (AED) in a safe, timely, and effective manner. The course will be held at 3 p.m. in the Group Exercise room of the Wellness Center. Sign up HERE.

The POWER Center/TRiO Student Support Services, in collaboration with MSU Athletics and the Office of Title IX, is proud to bring to our campus Genius Potential! Bert & Det have toured the country performing their signature hip hop stage plays. Think Hamilton, but specifically customized for realistic scenarios that college students face every day. The event is Tuesday, Feb. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Beaver Dam. Click HERE for more information.

Love, full of butterflies and green fields, yes? And marriage is what comes from love? Really? Maybe— but not from a literary, a sociological, or a biological perspective. Sure, traditions matter, and we all have our own ideas. Yet in this world where better than 50% of marriages fail, where fewer people are opting for marriage, and where polyamorous intent appears the new fashion, the question rears its head on the Minot State campus this coming Valentines Day: "Is the Holy Trinity of Love, Marriage, and Monogamy Still Relevant? Was it Ever? A Discussion." Join professors Robert Kibler (humanities and literature), Jynette Larshus (sociology), and Alexandra Deufel (biology) for a discussion on the third floor of Swain Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 14 from 12-12:55 p.m. Bring your thoughts on the matter and we supply the coffee and brownies.  For more info, contact Kibler by phone at 701-720-2716. See you then. With love….

First Western Bank & Trust's Investigator, Jacob Rued, will discuss best practices for personal fraud prevention and detection on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 4:30 p.m. in the Minot State Student Center Conference Center. Seats are limited, RSVP HERE.  For more information, see attached FLIER.

Each year, Minot State University selects 10-20 undergraduate students to receive the Student Leadership & Engagement Award based on their academic achievement, service to Minot State University and to the greater Minot community, participation and leadership in academic and extracurricular activities, as well as potential for continued success. A recognition event will be held in honor of the recipients May 1.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:  

1. Student must have attended Minot State University full-time for four consecutive terms, through fall term 2023, excluding summer sessions.
2. Student must be a university junior or senior (must have achieved 60 or more credits).
3. Student must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better.
4. Student must not have received the Student Leadership & Engagement Award recognition previously.

SELECTION CRITERIA: 

1. Scholarship
2. Participation and leadership in academic and/or extra-curricular activities
3. Community involvement
4. Service to Minot State University
5. Potential for future achievement

Nomination Process: Minot State University faculty and staff members are invited to nominate outstanding students for this award, and students may also self-nominate. Nominees who meet the criteria will be invited to apply for the award. Final selection will be made by the Student Leadership & Engagement Award Committee and will be announced through University Communications. Nominations are due no later than 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 23. Follow this LINK for the online nomination form. Contact Jim Sturm, Looyenga Leadership Center director, by EMAIL with any questions regarding the nomination process. 

Northwest Arts Center
The gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The arts center is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 1-5 p.m., and by special arrangement. It is closed holidays.

• FACULTY X: 2024: The Northwest Arts Center presents ‘FACULTY X: 2024,’ on view Jan. 16 to Feb. 13 in the Walter Piehl Gallery. The exhibition features new work by Minot State University Art Department faculty Micah Bloom, Bill Harbort, Linda Olson, Ryan Stander, Amanda Watts, Susana Amundaraín, and Professor Emeritus Walter Piehl.
• The Sketchbook Project: The Northwest Arts Center presents ‘The Sketchbook Project,’ selected artist sketchbooks from the Collection of the Taube Museum of Art, on view in the Northwest Arts Center’s Walter Piehl Gallery from Jan. 16 to Feb. 13. The sketchbooks are currently touring through the North Dakota Art Gallery Association.
• Juried Student Art Show: The Northwest Arts Center presents the annual Minot State Juried Student Art Show. Open to all Minot State University students, the Juried Student Show has been a campus tradition since the early 1980s. The exhibition is on display from Feb. 22 through March 21. The competition invites area and regional artists, educators, and other art professionals to serve as jurors each year. Visiting Minot State as a juror for 2024 is artist and photographer Meghan Duda, assistant professor of photography and design at North Dakota State University.
• Juried Student Art Show reception: An opening reception and online viewing with the juror is scheduled for Feb. 22 from 6:30-8 p.m. The event will include juror’s remarks and an awards presentation at 7:30 p.m. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public.

Flat Tail Press
Flat Tail Press is an educational printmaking studio at Minot State University. The gallery is located in the landing space on second and third floor of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-12 a.m.

• Blue Remembered Hills: Taryn McMahon on view Jan. 11 to May 15.

David Frantsvog, assistant professor, College of Business, was a part of Wallethub.com's Expert Opinions section of their website. Frantsvog added his advice on two questions concerning personal loans from online-only lenders. Read Frantsvog's advice HERE.

Upul Rupassara, assistant professor, Mathematics. was featured in the December 2023 North Dakota EPSCoR newsletter. To read more on Rupassara and MSU's data science program, see the EPSCoR newsletter ARCHIVE.

Rhonda Holden, facilities management, was the December winner of the Staff Senate High Five Award. She is pictured HERE with Minot State President Steven Shirley, Staff Senate President Tiffany Pierson, and multiple staff members at the annual holiday potluck. Holden has worked for Minot State for 34 and a half years and semi-retired from the staff of facilities management on Dec. 30. While she spent most of her time at the University as a custodian, Holden worked five years at the MSU Bookstore. She spends most of her time doing as much as she can outdoors and loves to be of service to people in many capacities. While she will enjoy some time off, she also looks forward to returning to work and spending time with the students, faculty, and her wonderful coworkers at MSU!

Connor Hollenbeck, a junior on the men’s basketball team, earned NSIC Player of the Week honors in the week of January. Hollenbeck averaged 14.5 points and 10 rebounds on the weekend. The honor is the first for Hollenbeck, and the first for a Minot State player this season. 

Gunnar Kozlowitz, a junior on the baseball team, was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Central Region Team and was named to the NCBWA NCAA Division II Preseason All-American Second Team at first base. Last season, the Beaver infielder from Littleton, Colorado led the Beavers in batting average (.410) and home runs (16) and was second on the team in RBIs (53).

Congratulations to Kelby Armstrong, Roxi Mathis, and Madison McDonald for being the recipients of the annual Minot State Staff Senate Scholarship. The fund was initially created Jan. 21, 2000, by Minot State employees. An endowment of $5,000 was started through cookbook sales and MSU employee donations, and the fund’s interest supports the scholarship.

The Minot State athletic department is pleased to announce that a record number of 16 Beaver student-athletes have been named as NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic with Distinction Award winners, one of the most prestigious honors bestowed on student-athletes by the NSIC. Earning this prestigious honor were men’s wrestlers Kelby Armstrong, Logen Fischer, and Cayden White; football players Lafayette Bade, Phillip Green, and DJ Schneibel; softball players Lexi Barduson, Gabi Dawyduk, Lauryn DeGuzman, and Izzy Penner; track and field athletes Jacob Jensen, Samuel Kreins, Monica Okopal, and Sidra Sadowsky; volleyball player Tea Boeckel; and baseball player Parker Collett. The honor, named for the late NCAA President Dr. Myles Brand, is bestowed to senior or graduate-student NSIC student-athletes who have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or higher, are exhausting their athletic eligibility this academic year, and are on track to graduate or have graduated with their bachelor’s degree.