I hope this newsletter finds you enjoying the Minnesota summer, "recharging" for the upcoming 2005-2006 academic year.
Minnesota State Mankato as an institution is "recharging" by creating new initiatives and providing new information that will help organizations across Minnesota to accomplish their goals. This summer our College of Education is helping school districts chart teaching and learning achievement, so the districts can become eligible for Quality Teacher Compensation funding. Our athletic department is showing other colleges and universities that gender equity can be achieved without sacrificing competitiveness. Our Minnesota Teacher Alternative Preparation Program (MN TAPP) is helping to fill critical positions by training non-teaching professionals for the classroom. The list goes on.
As an institution we're sponsoring construction of our first Habitat for Humanity house – certainly an opportunity for all of us to "recharge," by giving back to the community.
The summertime regenerative process is really about preparing for the future, and this newsletter talks about some of our preparations at Minnesota State Mankato. I hope your summer is proving to be just as enjoyable and fulfilling as mine.
Sincerely,
Richard Davenport
Brand Positioning StrategyIn my Spring 2005 newsletter I discussed the new vision statement for the University, intended to guide our work and shape the University's future. (Read the vision statement in the Spring newsletter). The vision will provide us with new marketing opportunities; we have tested one of those concepts through local Minnesota State Mankato billboards.
The vision statement also is a springboard to a long-term brand positioning effort for the University. Our research shows a significant need to strengthen the University's name awareness across Minnesota, particularly in the Twin Cities. In the last three months we developed a brand positioning strategy intended to enhance the University's prestige and differentiate us from our key competitors. We tested creative applications of the strategy with numerous focus groups: prospective students, current students, parents, alumni and donors.
As a result of this research, soon we will launch a branding campaign that will affect all of our external efforts: student and faculty recruitment, fundraising, alumni engagement, community partnerships and public perceptions. Starting this fall you'll see new messages and materials to fulfill that strategy. During my Convocation talk later this month I'll discuss our branding strategy in further detail. The Convocation will include a video that will focus on the essence of the Minnesota State Mankato "brand."
Not only will the vision statement help us to revitalize our image, it will inspire us to continue the physical regeneration of campus. Over the next few years I'd like us to transform the campus, moving our residence halls to the "campus core," replacing asphalt with green space, and reducing interior automobile traffic.
Accomplishing this in 3-5 years is an attainable goal, and once we reach it, the results will be astounding. Our students will be safer; our freshmen will be closer to the new CSU, the library, exercise facilities and study areas; and Minnesota State Mankato will be even more attractive to prospective students and their families.
The transformation has already started, with the remodeling of the CSU, Otto Arena and Highland Center. The Legislature has approved funds for the design of the Trafton Science Center construction and renovation project, and the MnSCU Trustees will be reviewing our proposal for a new residence hall near the Crawford Complex. Our current strategy involves having both projects under construction concurrently, so the campus "regeneration" will be completed sooner, rather than later.
I believe a physical transformation of campus will embrace the heart of our vision statement: "nurturing the passion within students, faculty and staff to push beyond possibility on the way to realizing dreams."
 Wesley Loutsch |
 Jamie Schlachter |
 Chad Wilson |
The entire campus has been deeply touched by the tragic loss of three outstanding students. Our thoughts continue to be with the families of Chad Wilson, Wesley Loutsch and Jamie Schlachter, and with Scott Rector, whose recovery continues.
Minnesota State Mankato has established an endowment to memorialize these three exemplary automotive engineering students. The Wes Loutsch, Jamie Schlachter and Chad Wilson Memorial Endowment will provide funds for future student vehicle competitions. Minnesota State Mankato and the Minnesota State Mankato Foundation established the endowment after consultation with the parents of the three students and faculty and staff members.
The endowment will be a lasting and appropriate legacy that will provide funds for Automotive & Manufacturing Engineering Technology students to use to design and build vehicles for regional and national competition.
The Minnesota State Mankato Foundation created the endowment with financial gifts donated in memory of the three students. The gifts are from contributors across the country, including members of the Society of Automotive Engineers, sponsors of the annual Formula car competition.
Athletic Director Kevin Buisman recently announced that Minnesota State Mankato achieved substantial proportionality in our men's and women's athletic programs in 2004-2005. I'm proud of this achievement for two reasons: Kevin and his staff accomplished it in half of the expected time frame, and our teams were highly successful this year, despite the new limitations.
In just one year our ratio of women's to men's sports participation improved 10.1 percentage points. In 2003-2004 there were 556 Minnesota State Mankato student-athletes: 40.1 percent were women, and 59.9 percent were men. Last year there were 598 student-athletes: 50.2 percent were women, and 49.8 percent were men.
To accomplish this feat, the Athletic Department capped men's participation, provided more scholarships for men and women, and made more athletic opportunities available to women. Hard work by coaches and other athletic staff was the key to the plan's success.
Our experience is a good lesson that gender equity doesn't automatically mean reduced competitiveness. This year we were the top athletic department in the seven-team North Central Conference, winning the 2005 NCC Cup. We won the NCC Men's All-Sports title. And we earned our highest-ever ranking (10th place) in the U.S. Sports Academy Directors' Cup.
Gender equity in sports is an ongoing process, and I am committed to it. Later this year we will report our 2004-2005 numbers to the NCAA and the federal government, but we will continue to monitor our rosters, and make corrections as necessary.
The recent groundbreaking for Minnesota State Mankato's first Habitat for Humanity House is a highly visible example of the thousands of ways in which the University serves the larger community.
Habitat is a wonderful partner for Minnesota State Mankato, not only because it is one of the world's most respected charities, but because many of our students, faculty and staff possess excellent construction skills, and are eager to volunteer their services for such a worthy project.
The Habitat partnership is also close to my heart. I enjoy building and designing houses – earlier in my career I remodeled 10 homes and built four new ones. I plan to help with the Minnesota State Mankato Habitat house, and I hope each of you will contribute some of your time and talent.
Faculty and staff at Minnesota State Mankato represent a deep reservoir of academic knowledge and experience. But they also bring a wealth of other skills that are unrelated to their jobs.
A 2002 survey showed that Minnesota State Mankato faculty and staff members donated more than 16,000 hours to Mankato area charities that year. I'm sure the number has increased since then. Later this year we'll conduct another community service survey to verify whether that's true.
Millard Fuller, who founded Habitat for Humanity International in 1976, said "I see life as both a gift and a responsibility." I wholeheartedly agree. Volunteering fulfills life's gift, because you gain new experience and skills, meet new people, feel good, and help others. Volunteering also fulfills life's responsibility, because you nurture everyone when you give back to the community.
The Habitat house is one of a number of new initiatives that lets all of us give back.
