Maverick Moments

Beyond extracurricular initiatives, Watts emphasizes the importance of aligning service with academics to make sure that students are utilizing their skills within a community context. “It doesn’t matter if you’re an aviation major, a math major or a biology major, there’s always room for community service and service learning,” she says.

This spring marks the second year her team will work with service-learning interns, allowing students the opportunity to help plan events and understand and reflect upon the impact of volunteering. She highlights putting a greater focus on the proactive solution rather than reactive.

Watts’s work extends into building partnerships with local organizations such as Lutheran Social Services, A Fresh Start Mankato and Crossroads Church. The partnership with Lutheran Social Services provides programming to foster youth and families. In addition to four foster youth mentor days, there will be a private closed party hosted for foster youth and their families to select donated books after the March Literacy Book Drive. The collaboration with Crossroads Church involves the Campus Cupboard, which is open on the days opposite the Maverick Food Pantry to reduce food insecurity in the student population. These collaborations ensure that resources are available to those who need them most.

Another key component of Watts’s job is organizing the Alternative Spring Break Program, which offers students the opportunity to serve outside Mankato while reflecting on how to bring sustainable solutions to their communities. For the past three years, the students have traveled to Kansas City, where they have engaged with housing, food insecurity and animal welfare projects. Watts explains that the trip integrates service with fun and reflection, fostering a holistic learning experience. She shares, “it doesn’t matter what degree path you’re on, you can get the most out of that experience with alternative spring break.”

As a non-traditional student and a graduate of Minnesota State Mankato’s Counseling and Student Personnel program with a focus on College Student Affairs, Watts’s journey has shaped her commitment to collaborative thinking and problem-solving. Her work is fueled by a passion for empowering others and creating a supportive community. “[Doing this work] gives you more of a passion for the people who struggle because we can all be there in a heartbeat,” she reflects.

Watts finds daily inspiration in her team and the students she serves. She says, “their ideas, their energy, their goofiness... I feel like I keep up more on what’s happening in the world right now because I’m surrounded by students who are experiencing those things right now.”

For students, Watts urges them to take their education beyond the classroom. “You can serve in very specific, meaningful ways and get involved,” she emphasizes. For alumni and community members, she highlights the importance of supporting service-based initiatives. “It takes a lot to ask for help, so consider ways you can contribute to community betterment,” she says.  

As the Office of Community Engagement continues to grow under Watts’s leadership, it remains a testament to the power of service, collaboration and passion.

Big ideas, real-world thinking and inspired action on campus and in the community.

Outside of Residential Life, Bayerl was involved in Impact (now called Student Events) and worked in Admissions her junior year. Being a tour guide had been on Bayerl’s bucket list, and it was also her first exposure to more of an office job.

Bayerl says time at Minnesota State Mankato and her willingness to be open to new opportunities influenced her professional career. She was a double major in accounting and marketing, and she landed her first job with Hormel Foods after graduation. She started in accounting and now works in data analytics. She shared that Hormel is a great company to work for, but it wasn’t on her radar at all prior to a career fair on campus. Bayerl encourages students to take the extra effort to go to networking events on campus, not knowing what those opportunities may lead to. She shared that “half the battle is just showing up… just get yourself out there!”

Rachel’s husband, John ’16 MA, ’19, studied communications during undergrad and stayed at Minnesota State Mankato for his master’s in educational technology. As a graduate student, he had a graduate assistantship position within IT Solutions, which turned into a staff position when the D2L administrator opened up. D2L is the official learning management system used at Minnesota State Mankato, as well as at many other colleges and universities. Upon completion of his master’s degree, John began his career doing similar work for various Minnesota State colleges, ultimately landing his current role working directly for D2L.

Rachel shared that “both of us are successful at our roles because we can talk to people,”— skills that she feels were strengthened through their time at Minnesota State Mankato. The couple now lives in Rochester and credits a lot of their current professional success to Minnesota State Mankato and the experiences gained as students, and especially by taking opportunities to get involved and try new opportunities.

Big ideas, real-world thinking and inspired action on campus and in the community.

The main responsibilities of these students are to table around campus, consult with Student Government and work with the Student Events Team. They have applied for democracy challenges including the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, which allows the university to compete with other colleges to see who can get the most students to register to vote. Riesenberg shared that although it would be nice to win any of these challenges, a perk to joining them is that they receive feedback about the initiatives they are already doing, along with other ideas to improve.

On Tuesday, Sept. 17, these students partnered with the Women’s Center for the Mavericks Lead the Vote voter registration drive to encourage people to register to vote both on campus and in the community. The Vote Coordinators also partnered with the Student Events Team to host a viewing of the vice presidential debate on Oct. 1.  

This year the University has received clearance to provide data to the county about elections for all students living on campus and within 10 miles of Mankato, which allows for an easier voting process for students this year. Riesenberg shared that students living on campus will “have their names already on the county election list and they can show up to the polling station with their MavCARD or another form of identification with a photo… things should be a lot easier this year, which I am excited about.”  

Leading up to the presidential election, they are planning to table weekly in various locations around campus to push the information and encourage students to register to vote. Various informational websites will be shared with students closer to the election date, which will make it easy for students to find out where their voting location will be, especially if they live off-campus. Additionally, signage has been placed on campus to remind students of the Voter Registration Deadline on Oct. 15; after that date,  the focus will shift to how to vote in-person. 

“The state has been very invested in voter education,” Riesenberg says. “There have been more mandates that came out in 2023 within the state… Minnesota has been more active as a state, and we want to make sure students are seeing these things in front of them and they are being educated on them so they can make decisions.” Riesenberg adds that getting Student Voter Coordinators into classrooms, learning communities and Recognized Student Organization meetings are among a few things he wants to push for if future donations come in. 

Craig Sanderson, director of Financial Aid and Scholarships, is pleased with the NSP. “It’s reducing indebtedness, it’s helping students with the higher costs that are out there and giving them another option to pay for college… which we like to see,” he said.

Students enrolled in higher cost programs, such as nursing, dental hygiene and aviation, can benefit greatly from this scholarship and may receive higher scholarship totals. Additionally, this scholarship can be particularly helpful for non-traditional undergraduate students who file as an independent on the FAFSA and have an adjusted gross income less than $80,000.

The number of students qualifying for this scholarship highlights the significant financial need of many students at Minnesota State Mankato. This scholarship program helps with the cost of school; however, it does not cover any additional living expenses such as housing or food, which is where much of student debt comes from for college students. Other students are not wanting to borrow, or take out loans, resulting in the need to work two or three jobs to cover living expenses. Between scholarships like the NSP and donor support for other expenses, students can avoid needing to work multiple jobs and improve overall well-being with more time to focus on their studies.

“For funding from donors to come in and help with those other expenses, it can help those students maybe avoid a second or third job,” Sanderson said.  He adds that “it is important to note factoring in those additional costs, and what students are doing today with finances and the need to work more, so that [scholarships and donations] just helps them reduce their workload and focus on their studies, which is what we all want.”

Sanderson encourages all students to complete the FAFSA application to see what resources are available to them from the financial aid programs run by the federal and state governments and to determine what they might be eligible for, including the NSP. His office can help students who need it.

“[Financial Aid Services] is here to help. There’s lots of information to know about financial aid. Our Campus Hub staff are friendly and professional and know a lot about financial aid,” he says. “We also have financial aid advisors to assist families in completing the FASFA or answer any questions about financing their education. We’re here to help students and families understand how to go about securing these resources to help them with their education.”

Big ideas, real-world thinking and inspired action on campus and in the community.

Bettendorf emphasized the importance of understanding the existing dynamics within the Residential Life program and other departments on campus before developing his own vision. His first few weeks on campus included a “listening tour,” during which he met with many departments across campus to understand how they are currently running and to learn how they could further work collaboratively as a team to decide which direction to go moving forward. One recurring theme throughout this listening tour was a student-first attitude.  “Every person I’ve met with, I feel like the student is the focus,” he says. He highlighted taking a collaborative approach, believing that creating a cohesive and supportive environment is crucial for the student experience. 

While getting to know his staff and the university is important, Bettendorf noted that one huge component to Residential Life is not currently on campus: the students. A key priority for the upcoming academic year is to assess the needs and preferences of the students by engaging with various student organizations such as Residential Hall Association (RHA) and Student Government. He aims to tailor future changes based on the feedback from students to enhance their overall college experience while attracting prospective students. Bettendorf is impressed with the current state of the Residential Life facilities and considers them to be “top notch.” He wants to continue to meet the diverse needs of students and feels the University is doing a great job, evidenced by the recent renovation of pod-style restrooms that are more accessible and inclusive. Donations to the University can help keep the facilities among the best. 

As the new academic year approaches, Bettendorf is particularly excited for move-in day on Thursday, August 22. He loves the interactions and energy that comes with students moving in and the beginning of the school year, especially with first-year students. While reflecting on his past experiences within residential life, Bettendorf says, “I think back to when I was going to college the first time… the nervousness you have of leaving home and doing all of that. You get to watch that happen and know that our staff are there and that we’re engaging folks so that they will have a good experience here.”

In his short time at Minnesota State Mankato, Bettendorf has been impressed with the outstanding team of people in Residential Life. He immediately noticed the strong dedication to student success across campus. “I have been wowed by the outstanding team of people in Residential Life… their knowledge, their skills, their dedication to students,” he said. His mantra is "to make the experience the best that we can for students," which reflects his commitment to enhancing the Residential Life program. He is eager to engage with the campus community, collaborate with colleagues, and support students in every possible way.  

Big ideas, real-world thinking and inspired action on campus and in the community.