Report to State Board of Higher Education August 2015
President’s Column
Tisa Mason, Ed.D.
Town and gown: A win-win for
VCSU, Valley City
I have been thinking a lot lately
about how blessed I am to be
a member of the Valley City/
Barnes County community and
to enjoy the incredible privilege
of being part of the team
leading Valley City State University. The community
has been so gracious in welcoming my husband, Bill,
and me to Valley City. In fact, that is one of the many
aspects that attracted us here—a strong “town and
gown” relationship.
The term “town and gown” is often used to refer to
two distinct communities: “town” consisting of the
residents not affiliated with the university and “gown”
referring to the university population. During the Middle
Ages, academic regalia—the robes (gowns) we see at
commencement—were worn throughout the year, not
just at commencement.
According to Wikipedia, the academic gown proved
comfortable for studying in unheated and drafty
buildings. The gown also served as a social symbol
as it was impractical for physical, manual work. Thus,
by their distinctive clothing, the students were easily
distinguishable from the citizens of the town; hence the
phrase “town and gown.”
(Oh and by the way, noted historian Charles Haskins
studied the letters the medieval students wrote home
and noted that by and far the most common theme
in the students’ correspondence consisted of them
asking their family for more spending money—maybe
that part is still the same!)
The initial relationship between the medieval
universities (gown) and the host town were adversarial.
Although even today “natural” tensions exist—such as
parking that encroaches on residential neighborhoods
or noise from late-night student gatherings—Valley City
State University has enjoyed a long tradition of positive
relations with our town, our beautiful town working
together with our beloved university. In fact, that has
been the case from the very beginning, when the
college needed a home and the town agreed to locate
the college in the city high school. Later the college
would move to various locations around town, but it
seems that Valley City leaders always figured out a way
to hold on to and provide for its college.
Today our university still works hard to sustain the
strong town/gown relationship. In fiscal year 2013,
the university had an $88.3 million impact on the
Valley City area! And this spring the VCSU Foundation
awarded $89,500 in scholarships to 21 Valley City
High School seniors.
Our students, faculty, and staff come together with our
town neighbors to lead positive and integrated lives.
We serve together through our churches and civic
engagement organizations; we grow together through
programs offered by the Community School of the
Arts and the Prairie Waters Education and Research
Center; our students work in Valley City businesses
and fulfill academic requirements with internship and
practicum experiences; we lead together through the
Chamber of Commerce, library, and hospital boards;
and together we are building a Health, Wellness and
Physical Education Center where we will have a place to
gather and thrive—as a community and as individuals,
as town and gown.
Not only is the Valley City town/gown relationship
strong, it is also beautifully represented by the foot
bridge which literally and symbolically joins city and
university, town and gown.
Bill and I are so grateful for the warm welcome and
genuine friendships we are forming here in North
Dakota. Just a few months ago we were living and
working in Kansas, but now Valley City makes us smile
on a daily basis. That’s why we say “there’s no place
like home” and “it’s a great day to be a Viking!”
Guest Column
Margaret Dahlberg, Ph.D., Vice
President for Academic Affairs
Marks of a quality higher
education institution
What are the marks of quality
that help you determine whether
a university is doing well? I would
like to review the different ways
external entities put their stamp
of approval on a university—and specifically, on VCSU.
You may have noted in various news articles over the
past year that VCSU has received recognition from a
variety of organizations that rate campuses for program
quality and affordability. The first recognition to note is
the U.S. News & World Report recognition as a “Best
College” for 17 consecutive years. That’s a long time—as
long as some of our incoming freshmen have been alive!
And that length of achievement points to enduring quality
at VCSU.
In addition, VCSU’s online programs have received
eight awards this year from organizations noting VCSU’s
program quality, focus on students, and affordability.
Eight—once again, that’s a lot of awards during a single
academic year. That doesn’t happen by accident, either.
Another external mark of quality is campus and program
accreditation. This type of approval comes from
organizations that provide peer-reviewed analysis of
a university and its programs, and determine whether
a campus/program meets the standards established.
VCSU has regional accreditation with the Higher
Learning Commission (HLC), which used to be called the
North Central Association. We write self-assessments
twice each decade documenting how we meet HLC
standards, and these self-studies are reviewed by teams
of peer reviewers who in turn either approve or provide
recommendations for improvement where needed. This
fall we are completing one of these quality assurance
reviews; our last one was in fall 2011.
Several VCSU programs are accredited individually. The
review process is much the same, but the reviewing
group is a professional organization within the subject
field, and the programs are held to a high standard for
curriculum content, assessment processes, admission,
faculty qualifications, and student success. Our Teacher
Education programs, which have been continuously
accredited since the inception of NCATE (a national
teacher-education council), will undergo its review this
fall. A team of peer reviewers will be on campus in
October to visit with faculty and students, review campus
records, curriculum and process, and determine whether
we meet standards or need to revise and improve our
programs.
Our Music program is accredited by the National
Association of Schools of Music, and our Library program
is accredited by the American Association of School
Librarians. This year, our new Athletic Training program
is seeking program accreditation with the Commission
on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education (CAATE).
They will send a team of reviewers to visit our campus in
February to examine our facilities, meet with faculty and
students, and verify the quality of the experiences we
offer. When our Athletic Training program is approved by
CAATE next spring, our students will be allowed to sit for
the national exam so they can become certified athletic
trainers.
As you can see, a number of factors are involved in
identifying quality institutions. The external marks of
excellence I have described here provide the public with
good indicators that Valley City State University is thriving
and offering great value to its students and community.
Faculty, Staff and Student Senate REPORTs
Reports from the Faculty, Staff and Student Senates will
return in September when the groups begin meeting
regularly.