MSU President's Newspaper Column
August 10, 2024
The excitement of fall activity is underway!
The fall semester is fast-approaching, and all the excitement that surrounds it is underway! Comet Football players and staff reported to campus for pre-season camp on Aug. 6. Comet Volleyball players and coaches report to campus on Aug. 11. Before we know it, the campus will be buzzing with the return of all students, faculty, and staff. Classes begin at 4 p.m. on Aug. 26, with the first full day of classes being Aug. 27.
As is common, members of the community and Mayville State supporters are on deck, rolling out the red carpet and welcoming the students with open arms. On opening day, several members of the Comet Gridiron Club, boosters of Comet Football, grilled burgers and brats and served a lunch meal for members of the football team and their families, along with coaches and their families. Comet Gridiron Club members LeeAnn and Jeff Strand and Myrna and Merwin Lyng very generously provided the food. What a wonderful welcome for the new and returning Comets! Thank you to all who played a part in making this happen. It is a truly wonderful example of the good things that define “The School of Personal Service.”
Just a few weeks down the road, alumni and friends will be gathering for events that support Mayville State University and its students. The Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle event is scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 14 at the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room. Not long after, on Sept. 27 and 28, Farmers Bowl will meet Homecoming for another epic Comets family reunion.
This year marks the 18th annual Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle. The raffle is held to raise academic scholarships for the student athletes of Mayville State University. A total of 50 guns will be raffled. Ticket holders will have a one-in-ten chance of winning a gun and need not be present to win. Raffle tickets are on sale now for $100 each. More information is available at the MSU Foundation, 701-788-4864.
Homecoming/Farmers Bowl festivities will begin at noon on Friday, Sept. 27 with a celebration of the soon-to-be Legacy Plaza along the walkway that runs east and west between the north side of the Lewy Fieldhouse and the Classroom Building. Another highlight on this day will be a program recognizing this year’s Performing Arts Hall of Fame inductees, Leanne (Folland) Eylands (’76), Chris Pankow (’07), and Amy Jo (Stewart) Paukert (‘82). The program, which will include musical performances, begins at 2 p.m. in the Classroom Building Auditorium.
The Athletic Hall of Fame and Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame inductees, as well as the Distinguished Alumni and Distinguished Service Award recipients (who I mentioned in a previous column), will be recognized at a dinner on the evening of Sept. 27. It will be held in the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room, starting at 6 p.m.
The First Annual-Last Reunion of Jerome Berg Teams will also be a highlight of this year’s festivities. Former Jerome Berg players have been invited to gather for reminiscing and catching up. They’ll ride in the parade, enjoy tailgating with the Comet Gridiron Club, receive recognition at the football game, and be treated to a post-game social at Richard Fugleberg’s airplane hangar. Many thanks to Curt Almlie, Martin Johnson, Richard Fugleberg, and Arne Osland for organizing this wonderful opportunity.
The Farmers Bowl Auction event is back again this year! The auction will be the grand finale for the Homecoming/Farmers Bowl celebration. Proceeds of the auction, together with all Farmers Bowl activities, are used to support Mayville State University students through the work of Comet Athletics, the MSU Alumni Association, and the MSU Foundation. Donations are now being accepted for the auction. If you’re interested in making a contribution, you may contact the MSU Foundation staff at 701-788-4750 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.
The Homecoming/Farmers Bowl schedule also includes the traditional Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, parade, corn on the cob and hot dog feed, Comets football game versus Valley City State, and more. Watch as all the Homecoming/Farmers Bowl 2024 details unfold at www.mayvillestate.edu/reunion. We hope that you’ll join in the fun, enter a unit in the parade, attend the various events, and show your support for Mayville State University.