MSU President's Newspaper Column
September 16, 2023
It’s been a great week to be a Comet!
For the first time ever, Mayville State Homecoming met Farmers Bowl for a combined celebration the week of Sept. 11. It was a week packed full of things to do as students, faculty, staff, alumni, friends, and community members came together to recognize our roots as Comets while celebrating the agricultural way of life in our area.
Students are at the heart of all we do at Mayville State, and many worked hard to not only make sure things went smoothly, but also to make sure there were great social activities for students and others to enjoy. Our campus makes me Comet Proud every day!
For students, the week began with a 9/11 remembrance and continued with the first meeting of the Arts & Crafts Club; a super-charged dodgeball tournament that included students, administrators, and coaches; watch parties to support the Mayville State volleyball team who had matches in Yankton, S.D. and Sioux City, Iowa; and the ever-popular flag football activity sponsored by Peer Leaders. National speaker Odd?Rod, a poet, photographer, author, and spoken word expert, made a return appearance at Mayville State. Area youth were invited to scrimmage with the Comets football team on Thursday evening. This was such a great experience for all! The much-anticipated coronation of homecoming royalty and annual lip sync competition did not disappoint on Thursday evening.
Our Homecoming Court this year was made up of queen candidates Miriam Carignan from Walhalla, N.D., Kaitlin Ensign from Buxton, N.D., Mackenzie Hughes from Thompson, N.D., and Thyra Peterick from Hatton, N.D. King candidates were Marcus Hughes from Thompson, N.D., Roy Morsette from Twin Buttes, N.D., Gunnar Petersen from Mayville, N.D., and Jacob Strand from Glyndon, Minn.
These Mayville State students truly represent the best of the best. They are leaders who are active on the campus and beyond. It is a blessing to know these individuals and I am happy to the nth degree knowing that they were selected by their peers to represent Mayville State University in this way.
By Friday, alumni and friends were beginning to enjoy the Farmers Bowl/Homecoming festivities together with the students. Seeing the campus and community come together to enjoy the parade, corn on the cob and hot dog feed, pre-game festival, football game, and Farmers Bowl Auction had me smiling from ear to ear. This is about as good as it gets. Having our faculty, staff, cabinet, and community participating makes the perfect blend in our beautiful community.
There are many to thank for planning, organizing, and carrying out a big celebration like Farmers Bowl/Homecoming. Many of our employees have worked extremely hard, as have the members of the MSU Alumni Association Board, the community, and a plethora of others, including our students.
Our student leaders have been integrally involved in planning and executing not only activities for their peers, but also for the community, alumni, and friends. On our campus, getting to know the students is a special gift. They come from all kinds of backgrounds and bring their unique experiences to a place where we can all grow and learn together. A celebration such as the one we’ve experienced this week is a great opportunity to get to know students, an opportunity I treasure.
Over and over again, our students cite the community as a big reason for their happiness at Mayville State. They enjoy going to places where community members reach out to them in kindness. Perhaps community members recognize someone as a member of an athletic team and then congratulate them on a recent game. Maybe they have gotten to know a student who is doing their student teaching or an internship in a local school. I understand that our students become celebrities among elementary school children. That is especially cool because they’re setting good examples with high values for one other.
The Farmers Bowl/Homecoming festivities provided a special time for us to come together as a campus and community. I am happy beyond words to have seen it all culminate in a Great Week to be a Comet!