MSU President's Newspaper Column

November 5, 2022 

Committed to providing essential educational opportunities that are affordable and of high quality

College enrollment is a hot topic nationwide. Overall, enrollment at public colleges and universities is declining. I am happy to say that while Mayville State experienced a slight decrease in overall enrollment this fall semester, we have bucked the national trend and had growing enrollments, including all-time highs, over the past several years.

Mayville State’s affordable costs and the Mayville State brand of personal service contribute to the appeal of Mayville State University to students. Students enrolled at Mayville State can expect to receive an excellent education, opportunities to get involved as leaders, and great jobs when they graduate.

Enrollment is integral to maintaining a favorable budget, which is an extremely important point, but let’s take that one step further and look at the needs of North Dakota. The state’s Workforce and Development Council, with assistance from Job Service North Dakota, has identified several in-demand occupations. The list was primarily created using long-term employment projections from the North Dakota Labor Market Information Center and supplemented by data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The list is reviewed annually and is primarily comprised of occupations that typically require some postsecondary education up to and including a bachelor’s degree.

The in-demand occupations include elementary and secondary school teachers, middle school teachers, kindergarten teachers, special education teachers at the kindergarten, elementary, and secondary school levels, preschool teachers, accountants, financial managers, nurses, general and operations managers, training and development specialists, sales representatives, childcare workers, educational, guidance, and career counselors and advisors, and more.

These are all areas where Mayville State can provide degree opportunities, and we are committed to serving the needs of the state by providing graduates who can assist with these in-demand occupations. We are maintaining our commitment to quality education and personal service while providing flexibility and convenience to meet the needs of students who are pursuing these degree and program opportunities. We also seek to help individuals who have some college, but no degree, get back on track to earning a degree.

Maintaining a healthy residential campus with students who attend classes in-person is extremely important, as is meeting students where they are. We offer many options for students who are place-bound and/or who wish to maintain full- or part-time employment while pursuing their educational goals. For instance, Mayville State’s agribusiness program is available to students on campus and online. That’s a win for a farmer or rancher who needs to maintain the family farm while enhancing their educational background.

We love to have prospective students visit Mayville State in person or virtually. It’s great when a person can experience first-hand what makes Mayville State special. We’re waiving the application fee for all who visit or meet with an academic advisor during the month of November. Those who are interested may arrange for their visit by going to www.mayvillestate.edu/visit and filling out the request form. If you know someone who could benefit from the educational opportunities at Mayville State University, please encourage them to visit us today.

Mayville State prides itself on offering an outstanding value in college education. Recognizing this, WalletHub recently named Mayville State the highest-ranking public college in North Dakota in their 2023 Best College & University Rankings report. To determine the top-performing schools at the lowest possible costs to undergraduates, WalletHub compared more than 900 higher education institutions in the U.S. across 30 key measures. The data set is grouped into seven categories, such as Student Selectivity, Cost & Financing, and Career Outcomes. The ranking also analyzes post-attendance metrics - the student-loan default rate and the share of former students out-earning high school graduates, for instance - to show the value of the education students can expect to receive beyond their undergraduate studies.

Mayville State continues to be a shining star in the higher education galaxy. To maintain this standard, it takes a great team effort of faculty, staff, community members, and supporters working together to share the good news, develop in-demand course and program offerings, help prospective students to know of the opportunities available, and deliver on the promise of an outstanding education at an affordable cost. We’re committed and determined to maintain and grow this goal.