As cybersecurity risks continue to increase, Minot State University’s new major and minor in cybersecurity and operations will train students to combat those hazards.

“Our cybersecurity major and minor is intended to equip a student with the knowledge and skills to defend computer operating systems, networks, and data from cyberattacks,” Scott Kast, Minot State math and computer science chair and professor, said. “These skills will be taught using both theoretical and hands-on approaches.”

Global connectivity and usage of cloud services to store sensitive and personal data continues to increase cybersecurity risks. The widespread poor configuration of cloud services paired with increasingly sophisticated cybercriminals means the risk that an organization suffers from a successful cyberattack or data breach is on the rise.

The cybersecurity and operations degrees intend to help combat those issues.

“The faculty at Minot State have the expertise required to educate and train students to be successful in cybersecurity,” Kast said. “The faculty also gives students support outside of class to keep students on a successful path; you are not just a number when taking this degree at MSU.”

Earning this degree will open a myriad of job opportunities for graduates including positions as security architects, penetration testers (or ethical hackers), security engineers, security auditors (or forensic experts), and more. The average starting salary for cybersecurity positions is $75,000.

The Minot State University Teacher Education and Kinesiology Department is offering a new major in exercise science and rehabilitation. The Bachelor of Science degree offers seven different tracks for students, ensuring they can choose a route best tailored to their future career path.

While the options are designed for different careers, the choices all include a factor unique to MSU’s program: rehabilitation throughout the lifespan.

“This major will give students more hands-on experiences in rehabilitation both in the classroom and through their clinicals and practicums,” Heather Golly, associate professor and director of exercise science and rehabilitation, said.

The seven major option tracks include Option A: Professional Certification Route, Option B: Professional Route Pre-Athletic Training, Option C: Professional Route Pre-Physical Therapy, Option D: Pre-Occupational Therapy, Option E: Pre-Physician Assistant, Option F: Pre-Chiropractic, and Option G: Pre-Med.

Minot State University Department of Special Education presented national speaker Kyle Schulze, American Ninja Warriors “Deaf Ninja,” at two events on campus in February.

Schulze addressed a group at a private event for children and adults who are deaf or hard of hearing and their families at the Minot State Wellness Center rock wall. Later that afternoon, he gave a motivational talk on his motto: “Stay strong and be proud of who YOU are!” at the Wellness Center.

“It’s really exciting to have an athlete of this caliber visit,” Pedersen said. “We were able to bring Kyle to campus as part of a grant project that involves fathers of children with hearing loss. It was a great opportunity for the kids and families to have fun and interact with a role model who also has a hearing loss.”

During both events, Schulze demonstrated some of his training activities and interacted with the audience along with his motivational speech. Schulze has been a contestant on American Ninja Warrior in seasons 9 and 10, earning a spot in the Indianapolis City Finals in 2018. Originally from Chicago, Schulze was born deaf but wasn’t diagnosed until two and a half years old, when he didn’t communicate verbally.

Over the course of the fall 2019 semester, freshman music students at Minot State University created their own community engagement project to solve a musical problem in the Minot area as part of their first-year experience class (FYE) “Music Student’s Survival Guide.”

The project had three criteria: address a musical need, take place off campus, and involve a performance. Dianna Anderson, assistant music professor and professor of the FYE class, implemented it into the class with a purpose in mind.

“I designed this project to achieve optimal student ownership,” she said. “I feel strongly that if students determine what the project will be, communicate with the beneficiary, and do the performing and other work involved without me directing things, they have a deeper learning experience.”

Kyanne Derr, freshman psychology and elementary education major and Glenburn alumnus, agrees.

“It was cool to collaborate with different musicians and see different perspectives, like class A and class B or people from outside of North Dakota,” said Derr. “It was nice seeing everyone come together for a mutual problem that we could all understand. It was cool working with everyone, and everyone pulled through and completed their assigned rolls.”

Choosing what musical need was a lengthy collaborative process, but the students eventually selected raising money for the music program in Glenburn. Derr knew that they had been wanting to purchase ukuleles for a full class of students, so the class made that their monetary goal.

The Minot State University chapter of DECA finished the North Dakota Collegiate DECA Contest with a record 19 individuals qualified for the International Career Development Conference in Atlanta later in the spring.

Competitions at the state level were held in Individual Case Studies, Prepared Events, and Team Case Studies. Minot State had two individuals, Tyler Sinden and Emily Love finish with first place finishes in Comprehensive Exam during the Individual Case Studies events, while Jonathon Vo earned first place in Prepared Events. Sinden paired with Jameson Hayden for a first-place finish and the team of Aurora Polonio and Juan Diego Jaimes captured first in Team Case Studies.

“The state conference is always an exciting time of year as it is time for the MSU students to showcase their skills and represent the University and the education that is provided to them,” said Tawnya Bernsdorf, Minot State DECA advisor and College of Business instructor. “I am always extremely happy to see our DECA members recognized for their achievements, the excitement on their faces is one of the best feelings to get as an advisor. Seeing the students get recognized and seeing them achieve something they have never done before is wonderful. Their hard work and determination is key and it helps them see what they are capable of.”

The qualifiers from the state level will travel to Atlanta in April for the international conference.

The Minot State University Division of Music, Minot Symphony Orchestra, and Minot Public Schools have received grants from three arts organizations in support of an April 23-25 residency at Minot State of the Iowa-based Heartland Marimba Quartet.

The cooperative project includes a workshop for middle school and high school student percussionists, a free public recital, and a concerto performance with the Minot Symphony Orchestra.

Minot Public Schools applied for and was awarded a $1,250 Special Project Grant from the ND Council on the Arts; the project has been granted $1,000 from the Arts Midwest Touring Fund and $650 from the Percussive Arts Society. Additional support will be provided by the Minot State University Division of Music through its Northwest International Festival of Music. Other co-sponsors of the event are the Magi Drumline and Minot State Percussive Arts Club.

The Heartland Marimba Quartet (HMQ), headquartered in Waterloo, Iowa, was established in 2016 and is comprised of founder Matthew Coley plus Michael J. Jones, Joe Millea, and Ujjal Bhattacharyya. The group’s mission is to develop and disseminate the classical marimba art form in both academic and community contexts. Their appearance in Minot is one stop in a spring 2020 concert tour through Wisconsin, North Dakota, Minnesota, and Iowa.

An HMQ workshop and 2 p.m. performance at Minot State’s Ann Nicole Nelson Hall on April 24 will be part of the official 2020 Percussive Arts Society ND Day of Percussion. On Saturday, April 25, HMQ will be featured guest soloists with the Minot Symphony Orchestra, performing the “Marahuaka” marimba concerto by maestro Efraín Amaya and “Journey for Marimba” by Coley. The symphony’s season finale, “The Titan,” will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Ann Nicole Nelson Hall.

Minot State University will celebrate Homecoming 2020 with a week of festivities culminating in the University’s annual parade and football game on Oct. 10.

The date is a change from the original date planned as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference had to adjust its 2020 football schedule following the announcement that St. Cloud State and Minnesota Crookston were cutting their respective football programs.

Homecoming Week 2020 will kick off with the University’s annual Community Block Party. Minot State will also host the President’s Club Luncheon, Golden Awards Dinner, Alumni and Friends Homecoming Social, and Homecoming Tailgate as part of a fun-filled week. The Alumni Association reunion in 2020 is 1970s graduates. Minot State football will clash with Minnesota State University Moorhead for Saturday’s Homecoming game. A full schedule with specific times and dates will be released at a later date.

The Minot State University Women’s Suffrage Centennial Committee is sponsoring a panel discussion titled “Women’s Political Engagement in North Dakota Today.”

The event is scheduled for Friday, March 13 at the Northwest Arts Center in MSU’s Gordon B. Olson Library from 5-7 p.m.

“To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment and women’s suffrage, we’re excited to be bringing a distinguished group of women leaders to Minot State’s campus,” said John McCollum, Minot State assistant professor, sociology and political science, and Women’s Suffrage Centennial Committee member. “As much as this is a celebration of a historical event, we’re also looking to celebrate today’s women leaders in North Dakota and to encourage more women in our state to take up leadership roles.”

Scheduled for the panel are: Dina Butcher of North Dakotans for Public Integrity; Twyla Baker-Demaray, president of Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College; Barbara Handy-Marcello, historian with the State Historical Society of North Dakota and a professor emerita at the University of North Dakota; Nicole Donaghy, executive director at North Dakota Native Vote; and Kathleen Tweeten, president of Joint Council of Extension Professionals, extension specialist emeritus in North Dakota State University’s Department of Department of Agriculture and Applied Economics, and treasurer of North Dakotans for Public Integrity.

The Minot State University Alumni Association is currently accepting nominations for its annual Golden Awards. The Golden Awards is the highest award bestowed by the Minot State Alumni Association in recognition for an individual.

Recipients of the Golden Award are chosen based on outstanding service to the University or alumni association and distinguished leadership in the recipient’s career or community.

Each year, alumni and friends are nominated for the award.  A committee is then charged with the efforts of reading applications, gathering information about the nominees, and selecting the honorees. The Alumni Association places an emphasis on the recognition of individuals who have demonstrated outstanding support of time and talent to the university.

The Alumni Association Golden Awards committee requests nominations be submitted by Tuesday, March 31.  To nominate, fill out the ONLINE form. For more information on the Golden Awards, please see the Alumni Association’s WEBSITE or contact Janna McKechnie, director of alumni and annual giving, via EMAIL.

Minot State University is sponsoring two career fairs for students during the Spring 2020 semester. The first is an Education Fair scheduled for Tuesday, March 31 from 4-6:30 p.m. in the Minot State Conference Center. The event is open to all students, but will primarily feature education, communication sciences and disorders, and social work majors from freshman to graduate students. The following day, Wednesday, April 1, MSU will host the MSU Career Fair from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Conference Center. This fair is open to all students. Employers attending will visit with all Minot State students and have full time, part time, summer employment, and internship opportunities. For more information, see attached fliers for the EDUCATION CAREER FAIR and the CAREER FAIR or contact Lynda Bertsch by EMAIL.

Flat Tail Press
The gallery is located in the landing space on second and third floors of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open while the Student Center is open, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 1 a.m.

• The Altered Landscape in Blue: Experience "The Altered Landscape in Blue" through May 15.

Hartnett Hall Gallery
The new gallery provides exhibition space for students, faculty, and community artists, and is located on the second floor on the west side of Hartnett Hall in Room 233. The Hartnett Hall Gallery is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

• Abstract: What Does it Mean?: Abstract art can take many forms. "Abstract: What Does it Mean?" aims to provide a variety of abstract art styles featuring 20 artists from the Minot community. Including both two-dimensional and three-dimensional artworks, "Abstract" displays the unique perspective each artist contributes when approaching the theme of abstract art. The show will run through March 6.

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. It is open Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday 1-5 p.m., and by special arrangement. It is closed holidays.

• Preserving History: Experience an exhibition of mixed-media collages by Savannah, Georgia artist Jamie Azevedo, on display in the Walter Piehl Gallery from Feb. 28 to March 27. As a history student, Azevedo loved hearing stories about the founding fathers of the United States and the enlightened thinkers of 18th century France. She states, “it was exciting to learn about the accomplishments of so many global heroes, but I discovered few heroines. Where were the stories of women throughout the ages?” To help bring parity, "Preserving History" is an excavation of the lives, achievements, and even atrocities of women throughout time. 
• FACULTY X: Make time to visit an exhibition featuring new work by Minot State University Art Department faculty Micah Bloom, Andrea Donovan, Bill Harbort, Linda Olson, Ryan Stander, and Greg Vettel. "FACULTY X" will be on display in the Walter Piehl Gallery from March 5 to April 2.
• Public Reception: FACULTY X: Join us at the public reception for "FACULTY X" on Thursday, March 5 from 6:30-8 p.m., and see new work by Minot State University faculty Micah Bloom, Andrea Donovan, Bill Harbort, Linda Olson, Ryan Stander, and Greg Vettel. The reception is free and open to the public.

Rebecca Daigneault, assistant professor and field coordinator of social work, represented Minot State at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity in Honolulu, Hawaii. She is the project director of a federal grant funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Community Living titled “American Indians into Disability Studies Project,” and presented a poster on the Minority Serving Institution Partnership Implementation Grant.

Evan Borisinkoff, human services undergraduate program director and associate professor, represented Minot State at the Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity in Honolulu, Hawaii. He presented an overview of the efforts made by faculty in the Department of Special Education to update the Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services.

Jane la Plante, library chair, has been selected to serve as the academic library representative from North Dakota to the Minitex Shared Electronic Resources (SER) Task Force. This body  includes 30 librarians from academic, public, K-12, and special libraries. The task force will help select the resources that will best meet the information needs of the students and citizens of Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota for the next five years.

Anne Nordgaard, admission specialist, was named Minot State University Staff Senate's January High Five Award winner.

Stetson Pedersen was selected as the ASC Student of the Month for January. He has contributed to the Academic Support Center’s programs as a POWER Office Assistant.