Message from the President
A busy fall semester at Minot State
By Dr. Steven W. Shirley
President, Minot State University
The fall semester at Minot State University (MSU) has been a whirlwind of excitement across campus.
We began with a ribbon-cutting to celebrate the reopening of Hartnett Hall following a two-year closure during a $26.6 million renovation. The result is an incredible transformation, and this facility will play a key role with future MSU students pursuing their educational endeavors. The modern classrooms, advanced technology, new recital hall, refurbished Aleshire Theater, revamped art rooms, expanded collaborative spaces, new Esports suite, and transformed broadcasting and communications area all combine for a wonderful new academic facility at MSU.
On the heels of the Hartnett celebration was MSU’s annual Homecoming Week. The mid-September weather was terrific and the turnout from MSU alumni and friends was superb. During the week we bestowed the MSU Alumni Association’s highest honors, the Golden Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award, on five very deserving individuals. The Academic Hall of Fame inducted two new members, Vicki Michels and Jacob Schillo. The week also featured enshrinement of a new class of MSU Athletics Hall of Famers with six individuals and one team. The annual President’s Club luncheon provided the opportunity of recognizing loyal donors who support the MSU Foundation. Saturday morning’s parade from downtown Minot to campus along with a tailgate festivity and football win were cherries on top concluding a memorable week of Beaver pride!
Other autumn highlights have included the Western Plains Opera’s incredible performance of La Boheme in Ann Nicole Nelson Hall, as well as the start of the Minot Symphony Orchestra’s 99th season with two terrific performances so far. We are blessed with such amazing talent in this community, and MSU music professors, students, and alumni help make these incredible productions possible. The 2024-25 theater season also began this fall on campus, utilizing the new lecture and recital space in Hartnett Hall for its first production. The 17th annual NOTSTOCK was held in late September bringing hundreds of area students and residents to campus over several days to interact with various artisans. And the recent Northwest Festival of Music brought hundreds of choral and band students from across North Dakota to interact with MSU professors and other music professionals.
MSU’s 24th annual SRT Tech Day recently concluded with over 100 regional high school students visiting MSU to compete and hear from business and technology speakers. Additionally, our 4th annual NoDAKoN conference was held bringing technology and cyber experts to campus discussing cybersecurity and online threats.
Continuing our close partnership with Trinity Health, MSU nursing hosted our semi-annual White Coat ceremony at the start of the academic year officially welcoming our newest class of nursing students into the program.
In athletics, highlights have included hosting the NSIC Cross Country Championship at Souris Valley Golf Course, an outstanding season for women’s soccer reaching the NSIC championship match, multiple NCAA Division II era records set by golf, the best season for Beaver football in the Division II era featuring signature wins over numerous NSIC traditional powers, and MSU’s Manuela Pacheco Martinez earning the “Elite 18” award as the outstanding student-athlete with the highest GPA among all fifteen women’s soccer teams in the NSIC.
MSU’s student enrollment increased this fall compared to the fall 2023 semester, and this is our second consecutive semester of growth following the increase we also saw in spring 2024. This great news reinforces that new academic programs recently added, new student club and athletic opportunities that have been initiated, and programs such as the Hometown Pride Scholarship are all paying dividends in attracting students. It is indeed encouraging seeing the increased numbers of students choosing Minot State to continue their education with our wide array of high-quality academic offerings.
Thanks to an incredibly supportive community and broader region, along with so many terrific friends and organizations that support the campus, the future is bright for current and future MSU students. We look forward to more great things ahead. As always…..Go Beavers!
About Minot State University
Minot State University is a public university dedicated to excellence in education, scholarship, and community engagement achieved through
rigorous academic experiences, active learning environments, commitment to public service, and a vibrant campus life.
Published: 12/06/24
