The Minot State University Looyenga Leadership Centers is pleased to announce the 2024 Women's Leadership Conference and Career Fair, which will be held on April 6 in Swain Hall's third-floor atrium.

The event, which includes a free lunch, is scheduled from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. The Looyenga Leadership Center asks attendants to sign up HERE prior to the event to ensure the appropriate amount of food and seating is available.

Terry Eckmann, an MSU professor of kinesiology; Brenda K. Foster, CEO of First Western Bank & Trust; Jessica Smestad, director of the MSU Honors program; and McKenna Gudmunson, founder of 701 Realty and 701 Healthcare Solutions and part owner of Whisky Nine, are scheduled to speak at the event.

Minot State Director of Alumni Engagement Courtenay Brekhus will serve as the event's emcee.

Along with the scheduled speakers, the Looyenga Leadership Center is hosting a women’s career fair throughout the day. The Center invites all attendees to be a part of a growing community that inspires and empowers women’s leadership. There will be opportunities to seek information about a variety of career paths and potentially earn jobs from area businesses run by female owns and leaders within the community.

Minot State University is pleased to announce the fifth annual Northern Plains Philosophy Conference, scheduled for Saturday, April 13 in the newly renovated Hartnett Hall.

The Northern Plains Philosophy Conference will have presentations throughout the day, running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., including talks by philosophy students and faculty members from Minot State, the University of North Dakota, the University of Mary, and North Dakota State University.

Scheduled to present are Jason Procka, Minot State; Isaac Roufs, University of Mary; John Paul Farrell, University of Mary; Brandon Stariha, North Dakota State; Donald J. Bungum, associate professor, University of Mary; Dennis Cooley, professor, North Dakota State; and Jack Russell Weinstein, professor, University of North Dakota. Presentation topics include machine suffering, the ethics of the use of slurs in the classroom, and the relation between empathy and non-violence. For the complete schedule, view the conference program HERE.

The conference is free to attend and open to the public.

The North Dakota Department of Commerce and North Dakota Gov. Doug Bergum announced Launching Leadership was honored as a recipient of the 2023 Future Leaders Empowerment Award, presented at the 2023 Mainstreet Awards on March 18 at the Governor’s Residence.

Launching Leadership, a leadership institute for high school students in the northcentral region of North Dakota, was offered through a partnership between Strengthen ND, Minot State University’s Looyenga Leadership Center, and the North Dakota Department of Commerce. The first conference was at MSU in October 2022, and the second event was in November 2023.

The program provided education specific to leadership development and introduced participants to local communities, businesses, organizations, and leaders. Attendees learned essential leadership pillars and developed a list of local and regional issues they were concerned about in their own communities.

The Future Leaders Empowerment Award recognizes a community that seeks to engage students in creating a healthy and vibrant community through leadership development, community planning, or workforce exploration in community industries.

The Mainstreet Awards 23 created a highlight video for Launching Leadership, along with the other 2023 winners, that can be accessed HERE.

Minot State University President Dr. Steven Shirley has announced the MSU Athletic Department and Minot State Student Affairs will undergo an administrative restructuring effective immediately.

The University has eliminated the athletic director position and expanded the role of Kevin Harmon, current vice president for student affairs, into the newly established position of vice president for student affairs and intercollegiate athletics.

Harmon was named interim athletic director following Kevin Forde's resignation in January. This is the second time Harmon has been named interim athletic director, also serving in the role for several months in 2022.

Along with over 15 years of service to the University as dean of admissions and vice president for student affairs, Harmon is a 1989 elementary education graduate and a former student-athlete, competing for the Beavers in wrestling. He has deep ties to MSU and the community.

Shirley noted Harmon’s long-standing relationships in the athletic community in Minot, his time spent as interim AD, and the synergy between student affairs and intercollegiate athletics as catalysts for the restructuring. MSU will likely elevate additional positions to take on added roles and responsibilities as a result of this change.

Harmon previously worked in K-12 education for 19 years as a teacher, administrator, and coach in Minnesota and North Dakota. He has been active in many community and civic planning groups and boards. Along with his undergraduate degree at MSU, he holds a master’s degree from the University of North Dakota. Harmon and his wife, Leisa, have strong ties to Minot State University as graduates and long-time employees. The Harmons have three grown daughters, two of whom also hold MSU degrees.

The annual Minot State Staff Senate Silent Auction will be April 2-5. Please bring any donated items to the VPAA office on or before April 2. Acceptable Donations include new or gently used home décor, accessories such as handbags, jewelry, scarves, movies, books, music, art, small appliances, kitchenware, and sporting goods. Staff Senate requests no clothing as a donation.

The live auction will be Friday, April 5 at 11 a.m.  If you would like to donate a basket, please drop off at the VPAA office by March 28 if possible. Baskets are accepted until April 4.  

The donor who receives the most money in the live auction will get to choose one of these charities: Men’s Winter Refuge, Backpack Buddies, or Tuesday Soup to receive all proceeds raised from the Silent Auction.

The 2024-25 MSU Small Grants for Faculty Research & Creative Projects - Request for Proposals is now open to current MSU faculty. The deadline for proposals is Friday, April 5. Please note, the title of this grant program has been updated to include and encourage both research and creative project proposals.  Please visit the Minot State Office of Sponsored Programs WEBPAGE for complete details.

The focus of each event is to bring together Minot State University and Minot as a whole to have conversations on important topics in our community. The next event is April 9 beginning at 4:30 p.m. in the Northwest Arts Center. 

• Topic: “Local Media Impact: The Decisions Behind the News
• Guests: Dave Thompson, news director, Prairie Public Radio; Amy Dalrymple, editor-in-chief, ND Monitor
• Location: Northwest Arts Center – Minot State University
• Date: April 9
• Time: 4:30 p.m., social; 5-6:30 p.m. discussions

The deadline to submit hours for the Spring Engagement Honor Roll is April 10. More information, including the submission form, is available HERE. The Engagement Honor Roll is an opportunity for students to receive recognition for the engagement activities in which they participate while they are students at Minot State University, through inclusion of this distinction on their transcripts. The list of qualifying activities includes Community Service (volunteerism), Civic Engagement, Service Learning, Community-Based Problem-Solving, and Leadership Development. This includes hours for activities such as research, internships, club leadership hours, volunteer hours for athletics teams, and FYE classes, etc. Students must complete a minimum total of 50 hours, verified by supervisors, in any combination of engagement activities in order to be recognized during any given term. Students may only submit hours that have already been completed, not hours expected to be completed by the end of the term. Hours may be accumulated over several semesters; however, recognition for engagement activities will only be awarded for the semester in which the reported activities total 50 hours. Please encourage students to submit their hours of activity as soon as possible. For more information, see attached FLIER.

The Minot State University Division of Fine and Performing Arts and Western Plains Opera Company present "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," a new musical based on the Victor Hugo Novel and songs from the Disney film. The performance is set for April 12 and 13 at 7 p.m. in  Ann Nicole Nelson Hall. Sarah Belfrage Honerman, assistant professor of theatre, will direct the performance, while Abbie Eads, development officer and data analyst, is the conductor. Admission is free for MSU student with ID, adults are $35/$30/$25, ages 17 and under are $10. Ticket can be purchased HERE or call 701-660-0566. For more information, see event POSTER.

North Dakota Open Education Resources is sponsoring a conference set for April 15 in Bismarck. Cultivating an OER Learning Landscape will take place at the North Dakota Heritage Center, Russell Reid Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Registration is free and open until April 5 and can be made online HERE. For more information, see attached FLIER.

The ND ACES Workshop on Broader Impacts has been changed to a virtual workshop with three modules presented on April 17 from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.  The workshop will be presented by the Center Advancing Research Impact in Society (ARIS).  ARIS works with U.S. and international scientists to build capacity, advance scholarship, grow partnerships, and provide resources to demonstrate the impact of research on communities and society. Anyone interested is asked to please register and participate as much as you can.  The event is free for everyone. A link to participate in the workshop modules and access to the recordings after will be provided to those who register.  For more information and a complete list of workshop topics, click HERE, and to register for the event, click HERE.

This workshop is supported by the NSF EPSCoR RII Track-1 Award ND-ACES: New Discoveries in the Advanced Interface of Computation, Engineering, and Science (NSF OIA #1946202).

The MSU Faculty Research Committee invites all faculty, staff, students, and friends of MSU to join us for the Annual Research Poster Session on Thursday, April 18, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Gordon B. Olson Library, main floor commons. This annual event provides an opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to share recent research or creative projects. Please plan to stop by anytime between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. that day. Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit the WEBSITE and see the attached FLIER.

New this cycle: Increased funding for up to $4000 per project. The Cultural and Intellectual Engagement Council (CIEC) is accepting proposals for academic and cultural projects for fall 2024. Bring in a musician for workshops and performance; an artist, poet, or theologian for discussions—or work up your own project and share with the campus. Collaborations of all sorts are welcome.

This past spring, CIEC funded six events for the MSU campus and community:

• A Day with Diane Wilson: Award-Winning Dakota Writer and Educator
• North Dakota Democracy Café
• Plum River Native Prairie Dedication
• 33^rd Annual Spring Honor Dance and Powwow, Educational, and Cultural Program
• Dr. Mark Graves, Keynote Speaker, Data Science for All Summit
• Data Science for All Summit: Relevance to Diverse Fields and Industries

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.

Emerson Eads, assistant professor of music, wrote a song cycle and piano interludes for a recent published book of poetry by Patrick Milian. The album was recorded by Roderick Everson in the Old Church, in Portland, Oregon by Arwen Myers, soprano; Hannah Penn, mezzo-soprano; and Susan McDaniel, piano. The book of poetry with QR codes to the recordings by Eads, and readings by Milian, is available HERE. The book is available HERE: (author, Patrick Milian reads his poetry), the song cycle recording release is available HERE, and the score is available HERE.

Robert Kibler, professor of humanities and literature, was re-elected to a 3-year term on the Eureka Township and Planning Board of Supervisors, just north of Minot. The Board sets the Mil Levy for the Township, handles road maintenance and repair, deals with water issues, writes grants, and is the first line of enquiry for planning and zoning issues great and small in the Township. Bridging the Town/Gown Divide!

Stephanie Little, assistant professor in Social work, had an article published in the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) North Dakota chapter website. The article, titled "The Transformative Power of Mentorship" was co-written by student Elizabeth Muralt. To read the article, see the NASW WEBPAGE.

Ben Daggett has been added as a design specialist/copy center and data technician in Design and Print Services. Daggett is the contact for all campus paper orders, ready-to-print departmental projects, and personal printing through Copies for U and works for the MSU Development Foundation as a data technician. Daggett graduated from Minot State in 2009 with a degree in fine arts. The Glasgow, Montana native has lived in Minot for 18 years and is an avid gym-goer, weightlifter, family man, and illustration/comic book enthusiast.

Minot State goalie Haylie Biever, defenseman Aspen Cooper, and forward Makena Welby all were named to the ACHA All-Tournament First Team as they helped lead the Beavers to the national championship game for the second straight year.

Beaver women’s hockey team was ACHA runner-up national champions for the second straight year. Winning three straight games in overtime to earn a shot at the championship before seeing their run end in a 4-1 setback to Adrian (Mich.).

Nathan Bowles '19 was announced as a 2024 Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition finalist. He joined nine others from across the country as finalists for the prestigious competition and performed in the Grand Finals Concert on Sunday, March 17 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City.