biology_class-web.jpgMayville State University’s all-time enrollment record has been topped for the fourth-straight year. Final Fall Semester 2015 figures show 1,110 students enrolled, breaking the previous record of 1,081 students enrolled, which was set in 2014. This is the fifth enrollment record set in the last six years.

The number of students enrolled at Mayville State University has increased substantially in the last 15 years. Headcount enrollment in 2001 was 755. This year’s record number of students enrolled reflects a 47% increase over 2001 figures.

“We are elated with the enrollment gains at Mayville State University,” said Mayville State University President Dr. Gary Hagen, “and we’re especially excited about having broken the all-time record for the fourth-straight year. Our faculty and staff work hard to provide flexible and meaningful educational opportunities for all students. With this in mind, we are vigilant in our efforts to make university‐wide improvements, including changes in programs, instructional delivery methods, and facilities.”

MSU offers a variety of extended learning opportunities to meet the diverse needs of today’s students. Distance students may enroll as non-degree-seekers or pursue degree programs in business administration; early childhood; mathematics; university studies; and elementary, early childhood, and mathematics education. A completely online RN to BSN program opened last fall. The program is designed to with the flexibility to accommodate working RNs who want to become nurses at the baccalaureate level.

Mayville State offers new majors in early childhood special education, elementary special education, and secondary special education. This program serves to meet the demand for special education professionals in North Dakota, and ensures that teachers possess adequate and appropriate content knowledge and special pedagogy for the grades and subjects they teach. The special education major can be incorporated within traditional teacher preparation or added to an existing degree. All courses within the major are available on campus and online.

MSU also partners with Lake Region State College in Devils Lake, N.D. to offer four-year degrees in business administration, elementary education, and early childhood. Mayville offers similar opportunities in elementary education on the NDSCS campus in Wahpeton and in the evenings on the Mayville State campus. On the campus of Williston State College, Mayville State offers opportunities in elementary education, early childhood, and online business administration. Students enrolled in the Dakota Nursing Program can take classes on the Mayville State University campus.

Mayville State’s athletic facilities have been extensively updated, and the largest residence hall on campus, has been transformed to provide apartment- and suite-style living accommodations. The science and library buildings have been updated, and an addition to the library and science buildings recently became home to the Division of Education & Psychology. A drainage project completed last summer is remedying campus-wide water issues, while providing a nice entrance to Mayville State’s athletic complexes. A Health, Physical Education, and Recreation (HPER) expansion project is currently underway and will provide new classroom, laboratory, and office space for the HPER division. It is scheduled for completion in March of 2016.

The mission of Mayville State University is to educate and guide students, as individuals, so that they may realize their full career potential and enhance their lives. This is done in an environment that reflects the university’s tradition of personal service, commitment to innovative technology-enriched education, and dynamic learning relationships with community, employers, and society.

Photo caption: Students in Sarah Sletten's introduction to biology class prepare for an upcoming exam.