Report to State Board of Higher Education April 2016
President’s Column
Tisa Mason, Ed.D., CAE
Open Educational
Resources Put to Good
USe at VCSU
I am so excited by and proud of
our faculty who are trailblazers
in the use of open educational
resources (OERs) to enhance
teaching and learning. A big
thank-you to Julee Russell, Shannon Van Horn, our
General Education Council, and the many faculty
members actively engaged in this process.
What exactly are OERs? Open educational resources
(OERs) are “high quality teaching, learning, and
research resources that are free for others to use and
repurpose,” including “full courses, course materials,
modules, textbooks, streaming videos, tests, software,
and any other tools, materials, or techniques used
to support access to knowledge.” (The Hewlett
Foundation)
From a faculty perspective, this allows for much
flexibility and creativity in putting together course
materials as the professor is no longer limited by a
textbook. It allows for a mix of materials, videos, and
interactive exercises. It also allows for more rapid
integration of emerging knowledge and perspectives.
There are many direct benefits for students as well.
The most obvious one is financial. In January 2014 the
U.S. Public Interest Group released a report “Fixing the
Broken Textbook.” For that report, the group surveyed
more than 2,000 students at 156 college campuses
during the fall of 2013. Close to two thirds of the
students—65 percent—said they were not buying all
of their required textbooks because of the cost. Just
imagine if two of every three students in a particular
class did not have a book! At VCSU our professors have
not only introduced a variety of learning materials and
activities through the use of OERs, they have also saved
our students about $82,000 collectively in textbook
costs!
More importantly, just as our laptops ensure everyone
has equal access to learning technology, OERs are
ensuring that every student in those courses has equal
access to course content—and that’s a game changer
for teaching and learning.
Last week our faculty members leading this effort
were awarded a $10,000 grant from the North Dakota
University System to further develop our OERs initiative.
In addition to training and supporting more VCSU faculty
on the OERs program, the campus will also conduct
a “Scholarship of Teaching and Learning” study to
evaluate quality and effectiveness. (To view a video on
the use of OERs at VCSU, visit www.vcsu.edu/president/
vp.htm?p=3538.)
I am really impressed with yet another faculty initiative
embracing our core values of innovation, commitment
to a learner-centered philosophy, and making education
meaningful with positive relationships and effective
practices. Indeed, putting those values into action is
another reason it is a great day to be a Viking!
VCSU Viking Heroes Unite: The Story Behind
the Scholarship Auction
One of the many highlights of my first year as VCSU
president was experiencing the VCSU Scholarship
Auction last April. I recall so many people describing the
event and the fun that I was sure to experience.
And then I was told about the costumes. Really?
Hmmm. It was a moment of decision for me. Did I want
to be the respectable, dignified, business-suit president,
or the fun, get-into-the-theme (and therefore get into
a costume) president? I actually surveyed students,
faculty and staff—and in the end I dressed for the
theme.
The event was a lot of fun. The Masons won some bids:
we went home with pizza for a year, a bottle of wine
(okay, two bottles of wine, but not wine for the year),
new workout shoes for me (to counteract the wine and
pizza), and the coveted parking spot at the Bubble to
get as close as possible to the door for the chilly winter
basketball games this year (which was, of course, a very
mild winter).
The live auction was very exciting (matched only by
the exhilaration of our first Winter Show). Bill almost
made us “accidental auction winners” when he waved
at some neighbors—yikes, that is definitely a lesson for
newcomers.
But thanks to our tablemates, we not only met
the parents of one of our students, we also had
professional help while bidding during the live auction!
And I also learned good strategy from Ken Astrup on the
silent auction.
We enjoyed visiting throughout the night with our
neighbors and many new friends, and, as always, we
enjoyed the good food served by the Valley City Eagles
Club.
So it is with great anticipation that Bill and I look
forward to the social event of the year—the 22nd annual
VCSU Scholarship Auction on April 15, 2016, at the
Valley City Eagles Club, sponsored by Dacotah Bank.
I love this year’s theme: “VCSU Viking Heroes Unite.”
Indeed, that is so descriptive of the real power of and
the real story behind this event—our heroes coming
together to make an impact for students.
VCSU heroes annually “save the day” by purchasing over
450 event tickets, providing a myriad of contributions of
treasure and talent (there is something for everyone—
including a stand-up paddle board, a Broilmaster
barbecue grill, an electric fireplace, a certificate
for carpet cleaning, a Beats Pill wireless speaker,
restaurant certificates, and much more), spending a
substantial amount of time to plan and implement
the event with more than 50 volunteer Viking heroes
involved in the effort, and most important, raising
$75,000, with the resulting scholarships going to more
than 40 students annually!
Those scholarships make a difference for students who
might not be able to come to VCSU without financial
support—and that difference changes lives.
One does not need a superpower to know that the VCSU
Viking heroes uniting this year are the businesses and
community members who support our students. I am so
grateful for this community.
I eagerly await not only the event but also the
opportunity to personally thank those who invest in
our students in so many ways. Friday, April 15, will not
just be another great day to be a Viking, it will be a
superhero day to be a Viking!
(And yes, I will be in costume.)
Faculty Senate
Anthony Dutton
“First, do no harm.” It was a
surprise to me when I learned
that this mandate is not
actually part of the Hippocratic
Oath, but instead merely a
distillation of one of the central
ideas of medicine. It seems
so fundamental to most of our
conceptions of caregiving that
we assume it to be the one key principle. Still, it would
seem to be a goal to which medical staff, social workers
and people in helping professions should aspire. It is
also a tenet that educators must take to heart.
In the past few weeks I have had reason to reflect on
the responsibilities that I have to my students, my
colleagues and my institution. Every spring semester
becomes tumultuous at some point, and this year has
simply been a little more acute than others. Nerves
are worn, tempers flare, minor problems get blown up
to major ones—anyone who has worked in any sort of
office knows the drill. It is easy to snap and contribute
to a growing crescendo of frustration. When it comes
to dealing with colleagues at times of disagreement, it
can be tempting to begin to look at them as potential
enemies, when in fact there is often nothing more
between us than a difference of opinion. Our ability to
work together in the long term comes down to avoiding
doing irreparable harm to that relationship.
The ability to communicate freely, openly, as colleagues,
mentors or fellow learners, can profoundly shape
our experiences on campus. It is in the relationships
where there is a power differential, however, that our
Hippocratic paraphrase becomes most important—
first, do no harm. Faculty and administrators have a
responsibility to protect the vulnerable, whether they
be students or fellow colleagues. A college campus is a
place where all voices should be heard and respected,
and that is how we manifest our responsibility to the
institution, by ensuring that the university is a place for
dialogue and collaborative growth.
senators, we will be getting together to say good-bye to
2015–16 by having a pizza party in May.
As the outgoing (and graduating !) Student Body
president, I am so proud to have the opportunity to
lead such an amazing group of students. They have put
in so much work this year and really taught me what
teamwork looks like.
Staff Senate
Kaleen Peterson
Staff Senate at VCSU continues
discussions stemming from the
results of and the comments
in the latest Employee
Satisfaction Survey.
On request, we forwarded the
raw materials to Cabinet so
that they have the information
we have in terms of the “pulse” of campus from a staff
standpoint.
Staff Senate’s recommendations and requests are not
ready yet, but we are encouraged that Cabinet is eager
to see the results of the survey and wants to use it in
their work moving forward.
The school year is winding down, and with that comes
many events and activities around campus. Staff
Senate is not competing with those events by planning
our own things; we are simply doing our part in our
areas this month.
Student Senate
Madelyn Zane
Student Senate elected new
officers for the 2016–17
academic year:
•President: Jordan Bushaw
•Vice President: Niklas Ernst
•Secretary: Katelyn Willer
•Treasurer: Hannah Gress
The NDSA representative will
be chosen at the next election at the end of April.
Our next meeting will be the official last meeting of the
year, in which senators will go over the 2016–17 budget
and choose the Teacher of the Year, Student Advocate
of the Year, and Senator of the Semester. As a group of
Six students initiated into Phi Alpha Theta
History Honor society
Six VCSU students—Nick Groth, Michael Hiltner, Patrick
O’Brien, Cassandra Reidburn, Jonah Rosin and Shawn
Webb—were initiated into the Phi Alpha Theta history
honor society Wednesday evening, March 30.
The initiation followed a dinner provided by faculty
members from the Social Science Department at the
President’s House Guest Inn.
Phi Alpha Theta represents 350,000 members in
860 local chapters. Qualifying students must have
completed 12 credits of history with a GPA of 3.1 and
an overall GPA with 3.0. This is the largest initiation
ceremony at VCSU in more than 10 years.
VCSU GRoup attends N.D. GEN ED SUMMIT,
Woehl to serve as COuncil president
VCSU faculty members Sam Keasler, Steven King
and Katie Woehl attended the North Dakota General
Education Summit held Friday, April 1, at Mayville
State University. During the summit presentations, the
group learned about creative, cross-disciplinary general
education courses and programs at other North Dakota
University System institutions, specifically Bismarck
State College, Minot State University, Dickinson State
University and the University of North Dakota.
King and Woehl also represented VCSU at the North
Dakota General Education Council meeting that
followed, and Keasler
attended as an alternate.
Woehl, VCSU assistant
professor of psychology,
was elected to serve as the
next president of the North
Dakota General Education
Council at the April 1
meeting. She has previously
served as council secretary
and vice president. Her oneyear term as president begins June 1, 2016.
Ramos piece featured in Kansas City
exhibit
A ceramic sculpture by Armando Ramos, assistant
professor and chair of the Department of Art, was
featured in the exhibit “Chromaphilia/Cromaphobia”
held at the KCAI Gallery at the Kansas City Institute
of Art in conjunction with the National Council on
Education for the Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 50th annual
conference in Kansas City, Mo., March 16–19.
Ramos’s “Portrait of Puissance” was recognized
as the “Outstanding Single Piece in an Exhibition”
in Cfile’s “Top 10 Guide to NCECA Kansas City.”
The piece was also featured on the “Chromaphilia/
Cromaphobia” exhibit card. The exhibit runs through
June 3, 2016.
Bushaw chosen for NBC internship in
New York City
Jordan Bushaw, a junior software engineering major
at VCSU, has been chosen as a NBC Universal media
tech intern for the summer of 2016. Bushaw will
work in the TV entertainment segment in content
distribution, helping with the
redesign of the customer
relationship management
(CRM) software system.
The 10-week New York City
internship begins in early
June.
Bushaw was offered the
internship opportunity while
attending the Grace Hopper
Celebration of Women in
Computing in Houston, Texas, in October 2015 with
CSSE classmates and faculty Jane Hammer and Sue
Pfeifer.
Sanden, Taffinder honored by Teacher
Education group
VCSU’s Jessica Sanden and Shayna Taffinder were
recognized as “Outstanding Students in Teacher
Education” at the North Dakota Association of
Colleges for Teacher Education (NDACTE) spring
conference, held April 8 at Minot State University.
In accepting the award, Sanden, now subbing at
Washington Elementary in Valley City, thanked her
family, VCSU and the School of Education faculty. Al
Olson, associate professor of education, accepted
Taffinder’s award on her behalf; she is student
teaching in her home province of British Columbia,
Canada.
Sanden and Taffinder were among 17 teacher
education students from 10 North Dakota
universities and community colleges recognized at
the event.