I'm pleased to introduce the new President's Newsletter, intended to provide you with a quarterly overview of the major accomplishments, challenges, opportunities and changes that will impact MSU in coming months.
Unlike the previous President's Campus Newsletter, this publication will focus on key issues, people and programs that broadly affect the institution and its stakeholders. A separate publication—the monthly campus newsletter, which debuted in March—will keep the campus community informed of day-to-day achievements of faculty, staff and students. The two letters are part of a new internal communications plan that I approved earlier this year. Both publications are designed to keep us all better informed as members of the greater MSU community.
As we approach the end of the academic year, all of us should be pleased with the many MSU accomplishments of 2004–2005, including a new vision statement, the grand reopening of the new Centennial Student Union, and legislative approval to design an expanded and renovated Trafton Science Center, launching a new marketing plan and moving forward aggressively with our diversity goals. I'm proud of our achievements, and I've listed some below.
But we cannot be content to rest. As an institution on the move we must continue to find the resources and continually improve our educational mission, while adapting to a diverse and changing society.
I am privileged to serve as president of Minnesota State University, Mankato. I am proud of the achievements of the MSU faculty and staff, and I look forward to more accomplishments in the coming year as we move forward with major transformational goals. I hope this publication will encourage us to continue to achieve, by creating a greater sense of community and a clearer focus as we carry out the important work of the University.
My best wishes to each of you for a refreshing, fulfilling summer.
Sincerely,
Richard Davenport
I recently approved a vision statement for MSU, intended to shape our future, inspire our work, and give direction to our mission. I had asked our marketing team to assist me in the formation of a statement that reflects what I saw and understood MSU could be when I arrived here two years ago. The statement is the result of two years of internal research, including phone interviews with faculty, students and staff, student focus groups, a faculty–staff survey, and discussions with various MSU labor groups, all designed to test the validity and understanding of what I think represents MSU's future.
In addition to describing what we are and what we aspire to be, the vision will provide us with new marketing opportunities. In fact, you now can see test MSU billboards in the Mankato area—billboards with a message that comes from the vision. In addition to the billboards, by the end of the month we will have tested other creative applications with several focus groups, including prospective students, current students, parents, alumni and donors. Messages that test successfully will be the basis for a larger marketing presence in both the Mankato and Twin Cities areas starting this fall.
Our Vision Statement:
Minnesota State Mankato will be known as a university where people expect to go further than they thought possible by combining knowledge and the passion to achieve great things with it.
Our foundation for this vision is our heritage of both dedicated teaching and the direct application of knowledge to improve a diverse community and world.
We will achieve it by actively nurturing the passion within students, faculty and staff to push beyond possibility on the way to realizing dreams.
I believe our new vision will be a beacon that will guide our work for many years.
This marks the first year that we'll have three separate spring commencement ceremonies on the same day. Special events staff members have worked hard to plan the details of all three ceremonies.
We're bringing commencement back to the campus, to make it more memorable and meaningful for graduates and their loved ones. Commencement is about students and their families. It's an important time to celebrate the graduates' achievements, and a celebration of that magnitude should be on campus. It also lets family members see the many improvements to campus buildings and grounds
Each of the three ceremonies will include two colleges, and each will take place in Bresnan Arena:
Undergraduate and graduate students will march in the ceremony for the college with which they are affiliated, and faculty and staff members are welcome to participate in the ceremony for their respective college. Registration for commencement took place during the first three months of this year, and late registration closes April 25.
For more information, visit the graduation website.
I thank all of you for the extra effort that will make this a better experience for students and their loved ones.
I'm so pleased with the improvements to Centennial Student Union. The new CSU not only provides a more comfortable "home–away–from–home" for our students, but it creates a striking new gateway for visitors to our campus.
Last month's dedication of the $12–million renovation project was a special point of pride for me. It was particularly satisfying to hear Board of Trustees Chair Robert Hoffman reflect on the improvements that have occurred since he was a student at MSU, and to see hundreds of visitors marveling at the three–story atrium, the gigantic Kasota–stone fireplace, the Grand Staircase, the Heritage Room, the stunning student art gallery, and the new food courts.
Thanks to all who made this project happen: the CSU staff, the Facilities staff, the architects, all of the contractors, and all of the students, faculty and staff members whose activities were interrupted over the last two years by the construction. Henry Morris should be singled out as a person who played a key role in the completion of this project. The result will forever change the face of MSU.
The Legislature's approval of the bonding bill, with $2.56 million in funds to design the renovation and expansion of Trafton Science Center, is welcome news, indeed. Trafton Science Center remodeling is long overdue, and the physical changes that result from the renovation and expansion plan will be among the most significant in MSU history.
Trafton is MSU's largest classroom building. Thirty percent of all classes offered on campus are taught there. The number of science and engineering programs and majors has grown substantially since Trafton was built, giving MSU the distinction of having the least amount of instructional space per student among all MnSCU universities. Trafton's classrooms and laboratories are outdated. This design will reconfigure space in Trafton to accommodate science and engineering program growth, and will bring its learning spaces into Americans with Disabilities Act and environmental compliance.
The design will address:
The design phase of the Trafton project is currently underway and will be completed in summer 2006. Construction is planned in two subsequent phases over a four–year period:
Investment in Trafton Science Center is more than bricks–and–mortar. It portends a stronger future for technology in Minnesota, and a renewed ability for MSU to serve the public through relevant teaching, research and service. State and national data show that the U.S. is not educating enough scientists and engineers to meet future demands based on retirement and new innovation. The Trafton project will help to improve that effort, in the region, the state and the nation.
Last year, MSU was named one of nation's top master's-degree producers of student Fulbright Awards (based on data from the Institute for International Education, which oversees the Fulbright Program). For the first time in history, three of our students were accepted as Fulbright assistants.
This year there's reason to believe we could again be among the top schools. Erik Youngs recently was selected as a Fulbright grantee to Germany, and the IIE will name more candidates throughout the summer. One of last year's MSU recipients, Katie Zaman, is featured on a poster promoting Fulbrights.
Fulbrights are just one of a number of ways that MSU students can expand their horizons by studying abroad. Students can study overseas for a period as short as two weeks or as long as a year. They can earn credit for studying, interning or serving overseas, and financial aid can be used to cover some costs of study abroad.
International study is an important rung on our strategic priorities ladder. It provides a means for students to experience diverse cultures first-hand, and it enhances academic excellence by exposing students to new ideas and perspectives. That's why MSU will continue to encourage more students to apply for Fulbrights and other international programs.
MSU appears headed for a record high finish in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup. Currently (as of April 21) we're ranked ninth among more than 200 universities, and successful seasons by our spring sports teams could improve our final ranking. MSU's previous best ranking was 16.
We're the only Minnesota school in the top 25 on the current D-II list, and one of only three Minnesota schools on all three lists (University of Minnesota is ranked in D-I and Gustavus Adolphus is in D-III).
The competition was developed as a joint effort between the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) and USA TODAY. Points are awarded based on each institution's finish in up to 14 sports (seven men's and seven women's).
The Directors' Cup rates colleges and universities based on their success in championship and playoff competitions throughout the year. Cup results are regularly published by the national media, including The Associated Press and USA Today.
