Minot State University is pleased to announce its largest first-day freshman class in 14 years, reporting a total of 415 new freshmen, representing a 15% increase over 2024. MSU was also up 4% in transfer students, with 273 students, marking the largest fall transfer class in five years. Combined with new graduate students, the total number of new students at MSU is the largest since 2020.

“The first day of classes is a wonderful time of year on campus, and welcoming our largest freshman class since 2011 is a testament to the education and opportunities we are creating for students at MSU,” said Minot State President Dr. Steven Shirley. “We are excited to welcome all of our new students – the freshmen, new transfer students, and new graduate students – along with welcoming back all of our returning students for another productive and fulfilling academic year.”

Minot State also experienced a considerable increase in Canadian students, with an 8.9% rise, resulting in a total of 184. Minot State’s Hometown Pride Scholarship, now in its fourth year, continues to attract local students, as MSU saw a 4.4% increase in students from Ward County. Minot State’s overall Fall 2025 first-day enrollment is 2,627 students. The official enrollment will fluctuate as Minot State’s final numbers are not reported to the North Dakota University System (NDUS) until after the fourth week of fall classes.

Minot State University special education programs have received a Bush Foundation award to continue to recruit, train, and retain special education teachers to serve in rural communities.

Minot State was notified in late July by the Bush Foundation that it had received the award for Project PIPELINE (Partnership Initiative to Prepare Educators for Licensure in ND (special) Education) Expansion. The five-year, $5.25 million grant will support the growth of a robust special education personnel preparation pipeline, which begins with high school career exploration and culminates in graduate-level leadership preparation.

This collaborative project is led by Minot State University and Certification Central (CC), North Dakota’s alternative special education teacher licensure program. Co-project directors are Holly Pedersen, professor of special education at MSU, and Katherine Terras, CEO of Certification Central.

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Certification Central and expand the special education personnel pipeline for our state,” said Pedersen. “Minot State has a rich history of preparing high-quality special education personnel for more than 60 years. We’ve been able to do this by being innovative and responding to changing needs in the field. We pioneered the special education para-to-teacher model in our state, and Certification Central pioneered the special education technician model — our partnership now allows students to move along a career path that includes different options to meet different needs, ensuring a strong workforce to support students with disabilities.

“This support from the Bush Foundation ensures this important work will continue, and we look forward to more collaborative problem-solving with our stakeholders around the state.”

Project PIPELINE seeks to integrate on-the-job learning, reduce coursework redundancy, and shorten the time spent in post-secondary education, without compromising quality preparation. This multi-pronged effort will ensure that high-quality personnel are available at all levels to support students with disabilities in public schools.

The North Dakota Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (ND EPSCoR) is pleased to announce that its partnering institutions have been approved for a National Science Foundation (NSF) E-CORE award for their Sustainable Programs Advancing Research and Knowledge across North Dakota (SPARK-ND) proposal.

NSF has awarded the project for an anticipated total amount of $7,963,804 over four years. Minot State University will be a key player in the STEM Pathways Core, focusing on increasing STEM research literacy in rural populations with limited STEM opportunities. MSU will receive $480,000 in funding over the next four years to support these efforts.

SPARK-ND, funded by NSF under their EPSCoR Collaborations for Optimizing Research Ecosystems Research Infrastructure Improvement (E-CORE RII) program, aims to build a sustainable science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) research and education ecosystem in North Dakota. Led by North Dakota State University, 10 colleges and universities in North Dakota will collaborate to expand STEM research capacity in the state, connect research communities, build STEM research literacy in rural populations, and strengthen the STEM community at the five Tribal colleges and universities in North Dakota.

The Minot State University Alumni Association is pleased to announce it has selected four individuals for the 2025 Golden Award and one individual for the 2025 Young Alumni Achievement Award.

The honorees include Gregg Blikre ’77, Randy Hedberg ’77, Lisa Johnson ’95/’00, and Don Selk ’72. The Young Alumni Achievement Award winner is Joe Davis ’13.

The MSU Alumni Association will honor the 2025 class at its annual awards dinner on Thursday, Sept. 11, at 6 p.m. in the Minot State Student Center Conference Center.

"We are thrilled to honor this year's recipients of the Golden Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award," said Courtenay Brekhus, MSU’s director of alumni engagement. "Their remarkable achievements and commitment to excellence embody the spirit of our alumni community. We celebrate their successes and look forward to their continued impact."

We are excited to announce that the POWER (Providing Opportunities with Enhanced Resources) Center has officially been renamed and rebranded as TRIO Student Support Services (TRIO SSS). While the name has changed, our mission remains the same: supporting student success. Established in 1964 under the Economic Opportunity Act, TRIO SSS is a federally funded program that provides academic support, resources, and guidance to students who are first-generation, income-eligible, or have a documented disability, helping them overcome barriers to remain in college and graduate successfully.

Minot State University launched its TRIO SSS program in 2010 with a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. At that time, the program was branded as the POWER Center. Now, in alignment with national naming practices and to enhance visibility and recognition, we are retiring the POWER Center moniker in favor of the widely known TRIO Student Support Services.

For more information, contact Katy Allers, director of TRIO SSS, by EMAIL. Visit TRIO SSS in the Lower Level of the Gordon B. Olson Library (part of the Academic Support Center), explore the WEBSITE, and follow them on Instagram at msu_triosss.

The Minot State University Student Health Clinic and Counseling Center invites the MSU community to participate in upcoming QPR Suicide Prevention Training sessions in Fall 2025. QPR, which stands for Question, Persuade, Refer, is an evidence-based suicide prevention program designed to help participants recognize the warning signs of suicide and effectively intervene by questioning, persuading, and referring individuals at risk to appropriate resources for help. If you are interested in attending a training session listed below, RSVP by contacting Kaitlyn Nieuwsma by EMAIL or Ralitsa Wierson by EMAIL. Sessions without received RSVPs will be canceled. All sessions are scheduled for the Jones Room.

• Tuesday, Sept. 9 | 9-10 a.m.
• Monday, Sept. 22 | 2-3 p.m.
• Wednesday, Oct. 8 | 2:30-3:30 p.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 23 | 9:30-10:30 a.m.
• Friday, Nov. 7 | 3-4 p.m.
• Monday, Nov. 24 | 10-11 a.m.

The Minot Area Chamber EDC is excited to have ND Small Business Development Centers' Alan Gohary back as the lead facilitator in the upcoming Start Up Minot Academy powered by CO.STARTERS course that starts in September. There is plenty of room for more students for the 10-week class. The class will once again be held on Wednesday mornings at the Carnegie Center in downtown, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m., starting on Sept. 10. The cost of the academy is $150. In the first three years, the academy served more than 830 people through the monthly networking event, and had 68 entrepreneurs graduate from the 10-week Start Up Minot Academy powered by CO.STARTERS. Contact Mark Lyman, economic development specialist, by EMAIL or sign up ONLINE.

Better than your last binge-watching obsession: Step into the glass towers of high finance, where egos are as inflated as quarterly earnings. In Western Plains Opera’s bold new staging of Don Giovanni, Mozart’s legendary libertine, is reimagined as the charismatic but corrupt CFO of a major New York City corporation. Experience Don Giovanni Sept. 5 and 6 in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall at Minot State University. For tickets, visit wpopera.org.

• Mozart's Don Giovanni
• Directed by Olivia Gacka
• Conducted by Efrain Amaya
• 5 & 6
• 7 p.m.
• Free Admission with MSU Student ID
• Adults Ticket Prices: $35/$30/25
• Ages 17 & Under: $10
• Military Discount with active ID when purchasing tickets at the door.

The Minot State Athletic Department is hosting its annual Homecoming "Meet The Beaves" luncheon at noon on Friday, Sept. 12, in the MSU Dome's South Lobby. Cost is $10 and lunch will be provided by Homesteaders. Come hear from Minot State head football coach Ian Shields and Beavers head volleyball coach Alex Courtney.

Don't miss out on your chance to celebrate with the Minot State Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The induction banquet will be Friday night, Sept.12, at 5 p.m. at the Sleep Inn & Suites as Beaver Athletics honors women's basketball player Caroline Folven, men's wrestler Jeffrey Nelson, men's basketball player Tyler Rudolph, men's basketball and golf coach Mike Hultz, and the 1994 Minot State Beaver football team. Tickets must be purchased in advance. Cost is $35, and tickets can be purchased by contacting Janna McKechnie, associate director of athletics for external operations, by EMAIL or ONLINE.

The Minot State Undergraduate Research Forum will be held on Thursday, Nov. 13 from 9 a.m. to 3 -- p.m. in the Gordon B. Olson Library. This event will provide students with an opportunity to present their work at any stage, receive feedback, and engage with faculty and other students in the research community. Students at any stage of research are invited to submit abstracts by Oct. 15, with accepted lead presenters receiving a $100 honorarium. For more information, see attached PDF. 

Get Ready for Success! Join us in the Academic Support Center (Gordon B. Olson Library, lower level) for 30-minute workshops that will enhance your academic and college experience. If you are an online student and need to access the workshops remotely, contact Heather Martin, director, Academic Support Center, by EMAIL. For a complete listing of workshops, see the online SCHEDULE.

All staff and faculty of all faith backgrounds (or none!) are invited to participate in MSU Spiritual Wellness services (like the Food Pantry, Tuesday Soup, chaplaincy one-on-one conversations with Rachel, special events, etc.). This also includes the event coming up this Friday: Bearing Witness to Gaza. Join us as you're able, for as long as you're able, during an hour of silent meditation to acknowledge the people suffering in Gaza. We'll be joining a larger Zoom gathering through Zen Peacemakers, holding vigil with people across the country and around the world. The event begins at 11 a.m. in the Spiritual Wellness Office (2nd floor of the Wellness Center, near the skyway entrance and the Minot State Dome). 

Minot State University will host FUTUREPALOOZA at the Minot State Dome on Monday Sept.  8 from 9:30am until 11:30 a.m. The event will utilize the main floor and third floor. Prospective high school students will visit a career fair on the main level and a college fair will run on third floor. Sign up to host a career fair table HERE.

Minot State will be the main sponsor again this year at the 2025 Minot Area Career Expo on Wednesday, Oct. 29 at the North Dakota State Fair Center. The event is expecting over 1,500 prospective students to attend. Departments at Minot State that are interested in hosting an interactive table, need to sign up by Oct. 24. For questions, contact Michelle Sayler, director, Enrollment Services by EMAIL. Sign up for interactive tables HERE.

Trinity Health Foundation and MSU Department of Nursing are hosting speaker Jessica Zitter, on ethical challenges of end-of-life decisions in the ICU. It will be held on Thursday Oct. 16 in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, see the attached FLYER.

The Minot State Marketing Office has developed a streamlined event planning checklist to support on-campus units in covering all essential elements. By following these steps, units can help ensure their events are properly spotlighted and receive the visibility and coverage needed to maximize engagement and impact. This tool, along with other helpful resources, is available on the Marketing Services WEBPAGE. 

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 on holidays.

Laurie Geller, vice president for academic affairs, was named to Women We Admire's The Top 50 Women Leaders of North Dakota for 2025. Women We Admire is a membership organization comprised of some of the most accomplished women executives and leaders across the U.S. and Canada. Geller is No. 39 on the list. To view her bio and to read the complete list, see the list HERE.

Hilory Liccini has been appointed as executive director of the North Dakota Center for Persons with Disabilities (NDCPD), effective immediately. Liccini brings valuable experience and a strong commitment to NDCPD’s mission. She has served in various leadership roles and is well-positioned to guide the Center forward. I extend my thanks to Lori Garnes for her dedicated service as both executive director and associate director. Garnes will return full-time to her faculty role in the Minot State Department of Education and Inclusive Services.

Kata McCarville, professor of geosciences, and Kate Hicks, MSU geology major, participated in the Minnesota Association of Professional Soil Scientists Summer Conference, held Aug. 1 at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul. The conference focused on a proposed new soil order in the USDA Soil Taxonomy system: Artesols, which occur in urban/built environments. The conference featured a tour of field sites on the university campus. McCarville also presented her poster entitled "Supporting Critical Minerals Workforce Development in Undergraduate Courses in Mineralogy and Igneous and Metamorphic Petrology" at the University of Texas at Austin Jackson School of Geosciences’ inaugural North American Workshop on Critical Mineral Research, Development, and Education in August (WEBSITE). 

Holly Pedersen, professor of special education in the Department of Education & Inclusive Services, presented her research at the 24th International Congress on the Education of the Deaf in Rome, Italy, in July. This congress is held every five years and brings together international experts in the field. The title of Pedersen’s presentation was “Faith of Our Fathers: Exploring the Role of Faith, Spirituality and Religion as Support Among Fathers of Children who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing.”

Tyler Schmaltz, a network computer support specialist, was named Minot State Staff Senate’s June High Five Award winner. He is pictured HERE with Minot State President Steven Shirley and Staff Senate President Celeste Simmons. Smaltz has worked at Minot State for 15 years in the ITC office. He is currently dating Swain Hall building custodian Megan Miller, who has been his best friend for 18 years. He has a "tiny mutt dog," Sophie, who was a wedding present from his first marriage. Schmaltz's hobbies including running several large servers in his two-bedroom apartment and playing with his 3D printer and smart home. Most weekends in the summer you can find him at a local state park tent camping with his dog. He said, "Most people on campus use me as weather man as its not cold outside unless Tyler has pants on which means its below zero."

Kevin Speed, a junior defensive back on the Minot State football team, was named an NSIC Player to Watch and to the D2 Football Elite 100 Preseason Watch List. Speed was named to the SQUAD Team on defense, which is the equivalent of earning preseason All-American honorable mention honors. Last fall, Speed played in 10 games for the Beavers in his first season at Minot State after transferring from Georgia Southern. He finished second on the team with 45 tackles (30 solo, 15 assists), which included three tackles for loss. He added an interception and broke up four passes while earning First Team All-NSIC honors.