Campus Update January 2016
and Alan Olson, associate professor in the VCSU School
of Education and Graduate Studies, presented the faculty
reflection.
Sanden, an elementary education major with a minor
in library media and information science, served on the
Viking Campus Activity Board, Student Senate and the
Teacher Education Committee. She also was a Learning
to Live mentor and Homecoming co-chair. Sanden
challenged her fellow graduates to become difference
makers—“to stand up, to speak up, to make something of
yourself” and to enjoy “the beauty of the journey we were
challenged to begin at Valley City State.”
Alan Olson (right), associate professor education, gives the
faculty reflection at VCSU’s first winter commencement Dec.
17, 2015, as Emma Tufte (left), staff adviser to the State Board
of Higher Education, looks on.
first winter commencement celebrated
Dec. 17 in Graichen Gym
VCSU celebrated its inaugural winter commencement
exercises with a ceremony held the afternoon of
Thursday, Dec. 17, in Graichen Gymnasium.
Eighty candidates for degrees—including 9 Master
of Education candidates, 44 Bachelor of Science
in Education candidates, 26 Bachelor of Science
candidates, and 1 Bachelor of University Studies
candidate—were eligible to participate in the ceremony.
President Tisa Mason led the event, providing remarks
along with Emma Tufte, staff adviser to
the North Dakota State Board of Higher
Education. VCSU student Jessica Sanden
presented the undergraduate reflection,
Olson received the 2015 Teacher Excellence Award for
Senior Faculty. He reassured the degree candidates
that they had learned critical-thinking skills and “were
graduating with more than just knowledge in [their]
program area.” Olson also reminded them that the VCSU
community shared in their accomplishments—“We’ll be
delighted to celebrate your successes today and in the
future as well,” he said.
VCSU will hold its 2016 spring commencement exercises
on Saturday, May 14.
VCSU online programs nationally ranked
by U.S. News
Valley City State University’s online degree programs—
both its Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Bachelor’s
Degree programs—have been nationally ranked in the
2016 U.S. News Best Online Programs.
VCSU’s online M.Ed. is ranked 83rd among 263
programs listed in the Graduate Education rankings, and
in the Best Online Bachelor’s Program category, VCSU is
ranked 143rd of 297 listed programs.
No other North Dakota schools were listed in the
Graduate Education rankings; in the Best Online
Bachelor’s Program lists, Minot State University (191st),
Mayville State University (205th) and the University of
North Dakota (208th) were ranked along with VCSU.
“We’re proud of the recognition our online programs
have received from U.S. News,” said President Tisa
Mason. “We emphasize best practices in teaching,
learning and technology at VCSU, so that regardless of
how the instruction is delivered, students enjoy a rich
and rigorous educational experience. That shows in the
honors our programs receive.”
“Online instruction affords students additional flexibility
in choosing their courses and where they take them,”
added President Mason, “so when they choose us, we’re
able to increase the reach of the university beyond Valley
City and North Dakota, providing online accessibility in
key areas.”
U.S. News surveyed colleges and universities with online
programs to obtain data for the rankings. Graduation
rates, class sizes, retention rates, student indebtedness,
technological infrastructure, support services, and
percentage of faculty with terminal degrees and
with tenure were among the many factors that were
considered in ranking online programs.
VCSU ranked 6th in online teaching degree
programs
VCSU has been ranked
sixth in the nation by
Affordable Colleges Online
(ACO) in its 2015–16 Best
Online Teaching Programs
rankings.
ACO ranked the programs
based on a number
of qualitative criteria,
including a peer-based
value comparing the cost
of each program to the
cost of similar programs
with the same qualitative
score.
Included in the rankings are higher education
institutions—including VCSU—that have developed online
learning environments that include highly trained faculty,
new technology and resources, and online support
services to help students achieve educational and career
success.
VCSU offers online teaching programs—culminating in
a bachelor’s degree—in business education, career and
technical education, English education, history education
and technology education.
The university’s Master’s in Education (M.Ed.) degree
program is offered online as well, with concentrations
in elementary education, English education, library
and information science, teaching and technology,
teaching English language learners (ELL) and technology
education, along with an option in communication
education.
Online communication program at VCSU
earns two national rankings
The bachelor’s degree program in communication at
VCSU has recently been recognized by two independent
sources as one of the top online communication degrees
in the nation.
The program was ranked
fourth among the top
online communication
degrees for 2015–16 by
Affordable Colleges Online
and ranked seventh by
SuperScholar in its 2016
Smart Choice list of best
online bachelor’s in
communication degree
programs.
Available entirely online (in addition to being offered
face-to-face), VCSU’s professional communication degree
offers three concentrations: corporate communication,
digital media management and media communication.
A key component of the VCSU program is a professional
internship during the junior or senior year which provides
real-world, hands-on learning.
“We’re very pleased to have our program recognized in
both of these national rankings,” said Jonna Ziniel, Ph.D.,
assistant professor and chair of the VCSU Department
of Communication Arts. “Effective communication is a
vital 21st century skill, and our ability to deliver a quality
education in the discipline says a lot about the caliber of
our students, faculty and program.”
In addition to these recent rankings, this past summer
the VCSU communication program was recognized with a
2015–16 Students Before Profits Award for Best Online
Bachelor’s in Communication and Public Relations by
Nonprofit Colleges Online.