Campus Update w March 2016
President Mason
receives national
student affairs award
VCSU President Tisa Mason
received the Pillars of the
Profession award from
the NASPA Foundation in
Indianapolis, Ind., March 14.
The awards ceremony was part
of the 2016 annual conference
of NASPA: Student Affairs Professionals in Higher
Education, “Common Purpose: Shaping a Vision for
Higher Eucation,” held March 12–16 in Indianapolis.
The Pillars of the Profession award recognizes
outstanding members of the student affairs and higher
education community who have served as teachers,
leaders and scholars in the field. Award winners
are selected based on their sustained professional
distinction in higher education; service in regional or
national NASPA leadership roles; extraordinary service as
recognized by colleagues, friends, students, and student
organizations; and significant lifetime contributions to
higher education.
As part of the Pillars award, a gift of $2,500 in President
Mason’s name is made to the NASPA Foundation to
further research and scholarship in student affairs.
A native of Massachusetts, Tisa Mason came to Valley
City from Hays, Kan., where she served as vice president
for student affairs at Fort Hays State
University. President Mason previously
served as dean of student life at the
University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis.;
executive director of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and
Foundation in Indianapolis, Ind.; director of student
life and assistant professor at Christopher Newport
University, Newport News, Va.; and assistant dean of
students, Hanover College, Hanover, Ind.
A frequent speaker on leadership, student involvement,
adult learners, and fraternities and sororities on
college campuses, she is a NASPA member and former
president, treasurer and board member of the Center for
the Study of the College Fraternity.
In 2013, Mason received the Robert H. Shaffer Award
from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for
her long-term commitment to fostering positive change
in fraternities and sororities. She received the Excellence
in Service to Students Award from the National Society of
Leadership and Success in the same year.
Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Education
degree in higher education from the College of William
and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.; a Master of Science
degree in education from Eastern Illinois University
in Charleston, Ill., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in
sociology/anthropology from Transylvania University
in Lexington, Ky. She has also earned the professional
credential of Certified Association Executive (CAE).
VCSU contingent attends fisheries
meeting
Andre DeLorme, Ph.D., professor and chair of the
Department of Science; Casey Williams, Ph.D., assistant
professor; and Louis Wieland, lab manager, along
with 16 VCSU fisheries and wildlife science students,
attended the 2016 annual meeting of the Dakota
Chapter of the American Fisheries Society (AFS) in
Spearfish, S.D., from Feb. 1–3.
The annual meeting provides an opportunity for
professors to keep current on fisheries science issues
and provides learning and networking opportunities for
students.
Williams—along with personnel from South Dakota State
University; South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks; and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—presented a continuing
education seminar titled “Is Graduate School for You? A
Guide for Both Students and Professionals.”
DeLorme and Weiland presented a talk titled “Presence
of Zebra Mussels in the Red River of North Dakota.”
President Mason named to Top 25 Women
in Business list
VCSU President Tisa Mason has been named one of
Prairie Business magazine’s 2016 Top 25 Women in
Business. She is profiled in the March 2016 issue of the
magazine.
Prairie Business annually recognizes successful
businesswomen in the northern plains region—North
Dakota, South Dakota and western Minnesota—who have
made significant impacts in their chosen professions,
industries and communities.
President Mason was one of 25 honorees selected
from 150 nominations received. Honorees were
selected through a nomination process that emphasized
professional achievement, community contributions and
work-life balance. The magazine is available online at
prairiebizmag.com.
“I’m thrilled to be recognized among this group of
exceptional women,” said President Mason. “Throughout
my career in higher education, I’ve led so that my efforts
can benefit students. At VCSU, I’m surrounded by a
wonderful group of talented, hardworking faculty and
staff who feel the same way; I’m proud to share this
honor with them.”
VCSU faculty attend and present
at ELearning conference
Six faculty represented VCSU at the 2016 eLearning
Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., Feb. 14–17. This is one
VCSU faculty who attended the eLearning Conference in Arizona
include James Boe, Diane Burr, Shannon VanHorn, Angie Williams,
Julee Russell and Amber Aberle.
of the top conferences for faculty, administrators and
instructional designers to learn about best practices
and challenges associated with distance learning.
Angie Williams, VCSU assistant professor of HPE,
presented “GoPro as an Assessment Tool for Students
and Pre-service Teachers.” Her presentation discussed
the use of GoPro cameras as an assessment tool for
students, gathering program data and using it with
social media platforms to communicate with university
supervisors. Williams received funding for this project
and her equipment through the VCSU Instructional
Technology Innovation Mini-Grant program.
VCSU Instructional Design team members Amber
Aberle, James Boe, Diane Burr, Julee Russell and
Shannon VanHorn presented “Summer Teaching
Academy: Training Faculty in Pedagogy and Best
Practices.” The presentation discussed the summer
academy and how it provides a platform for faculty to
learn more about sound pedagogical practices, while
blending instructional technology and innovation into
their teaching.
In addition, faculty members attended sessions on
universal access, course design, open educational
resources, instructional technology, apps, course
retention, and policies regarding faculty development,
learning management systems orientation and course
templates.
Knowledge gained from this conference will be used as
a focus for the 2016 Summer Teaching Academy here
at VCSU.