MSU President's Newspaper Column
July 31, 2021
The fall semester is upon us
We eagerly await the fall semester and the return of a campus filled with students, faculty, and staff. It will be wonderful to see those who have been away for the summer as well as to meet and get to know the newest members of the Mayville State family.
We are actively monitoring the COVID-19 situation and will be taking precautions as needed. As of right now, masks and face coverings will be optional and capacity for classrooms and events will not be limited. Students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to practice healthy habits such as hand-washing. Mayville State Campus Health will be offering free vaccines for all employees and students who wish to pursue this. In addition, BinaxNOW testing will be offered free of charge for those individuals who request a test.
Staff and faculty are keeping very busy preparing for the fall semester. We are blessed to have exceptional employees who are both hard-working and dedicated to the mission of making lives better for students in pursuit of their goals and dreams.
Comets head football coach Rocky Larson says they’ll have 124 reporting for camp on Aug. 3. Some football players began moving into the residence halls this week. Coach Larson and his staff have done yeoman’s work in recruiting and building a team. It makes us Comet Proud to know that he and his coaches were able to visit every high school in North Dakota, in spite of the hurdles caused by the Coronavirus pandemic.
Head volleyball coach Lindsey Johnson’s team will report for pre-season camp on Aug. 14. They’ll participate in a scrimmage at Valley City with several teams on Aug. 18, and their first match is Aug. 26. Comets Volleyball enjoyed an extraordinary season last year and made it to the national tournament for the first time in Mayville State history last spring. We could not be more proud of the coaches and team for the way in which they represented Mayville State and we look forward to seeing more of the same this year.
Baseball players will report on Aug. 19 and softball players will report on Aug. 22 to begin preparations for their fall season. Men’s basketball players and coaches will begin their pre-season work on Aug. 14-15 and the women’s basketball team will begin workouts on Aug. 21. I commend all the teams and their coaches for their work as Comets. We look forward to seeing the athletic teams in action this year.
Plans are being made for pre-service activities for faculty and staff Aug. 18, 19, and 20. During these three days, lots of information will be shared. There will be time for training, catching up, and learning. This is also when I will give the annual state of the university address.
The first classes of the fall semester are scheduled for 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 23. The first full day of classes is Tuesday, Aug. 24.
Students may begin moving into residence halls on Aug. 21. Our Student Life staff have lots of activities planned for new and returning students. The bookstore and dining center will be open for business. Students will be able to get their campus mailbox and have their ID photo taken. Peer Leaders will sponsor yard games outside of Agassiz Hall in the evening. The grand finale for the day will be a street dance in the Campus Center parking lot.
Students may continue to move in to the residence halls on Aug. 22. Informational sessions on campus employment, financial wellness, time management, and wellness will be offered, as well as a time to get laptop computers set up and ready to go. Sunday will end with a drive-in/blanket movie night at the football practice field.
I will have the great pleasure of officially welcoming students to campus at an assembly planned for 10 a.m. Monday, Aug. 23. This will be followed by a Student Success Scavenger Hunt that will involve Peer Leaders introducing new students to all the folks who are on campus to serve them. Students who haven’t had an opportunity to meet with an advisor or register for classes will be able to do so on the afternoon of Aug. 23.
The day will wind up with a special guest speaker, Carlos Andres Gomez. He will cover the topics of diversity, equity, and healthy masculinity. Carlos is a former educator and social worker turned keynote speaker and bestselling author. He uses storytelling and spoken word poetry to build empathy and connection across lines of difference.
It’s not too late to apply for admission for the fall semester. If you or someone you know would benefit from a Mayville State education, please reach out to our student recruitment staff at 701-788-4842 or recruitment@mayvillestate.edu. You can explore the opportunities Mayville State has to offer at www.mayvillestate.edu.