MSU President's Newspaper Column
August 2, 2025
From athletic camps to can’t-miss events, fall is packed with energy and anticipation
The fall semester and all the excitement that surrounds it are fast-approaching! Comet Football players and staff reported to campus for pre-season camp on Aug. 2. Comet Volleyball players and coaches will report on Aug. 10. Before we know it, the campus will be buzzing with the return of all students, faculty, and staff. Classes begin Aug. 25.
Women’s basketball and men’s basketball will report for pre-season camps on Aug. 22. Baseball and softball will report when classes begin on Aug. 25. Golf players will move in on Aug. 16 and 17, and the team will kick off the year on Aug. 18 with their Longest Day of Golf fundraiser. Learn more about this exciting event at https://charity.pledgeit.org/MSULongGolf.
As is common practice, 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 of football camp, several members of the Comet Gridiron Club, boosters of Comet Football, grilled burgers and hot dogs and served a lunch meal for members of the football team and their families, along with coaches and their families.
Gridiron Club members Jeff and LeeAnn Strand and Myrna Lyng generously provided the food. Tim Garrett, Darryl Tunseth, Mark Osland, Jay DeCann, and Lon Jorgensen helped with cooking and serving, as did LeeAnn and Myrna. What a warm 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 kinds of good things that happen at “The School of Personal Service.”
With 31 players on the roster, the volleyball team will be playing their first matches of the year at the Siouxland Invitational in Sioux City on Aug. 22 and 23. They’ll be taking on William Penn University, Briar Cliff University, Bethany College, and Governors State University. The first home matches are scheduled for Sept. 3 and 4, when they play against Montana Tech and Montana Western.
The first game for Comets Football will be a home game at Jerome Berg Field on Aug. 28, when the Comets will host Judson University. They’ll play games at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn., Nebraska Wesleyan, and Simpson University in California before playing again at home in the much-anticipated combined Farmers Bowl/Homecoming celebration on Sept. 27. The Comets will host Arizona Christian on that day.
We’re excited for our first year of membership in the NAIA Frontier Conference which officially began on July 1. Joining a new conference has us making adjustments and learning lots as we enter into new territory. We look forward to all that comes with this new opportunity for Comet Athletics.
The Alumni Association has a great schedule of activities planned for the weekend of Sept. 26-27. You can see the full schedule and details at www.mayvillestate.edu/reunion. Plans include tours of Old Main, which is currently under renovation, the Homecoming awards program, the traditional Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, parade, corn on the cob and hot dog feed, pre-game festival, socials, reunions, and more!
The grand finale for the celebration will be the traditional Farmers Bowl Auction. Proceeds of the auction benefit the students of Mayville State University through the work of the MSU Foundation, Alumni Association, and Comet Athletics.
Some great auction items are starting to roll in! The items will be sold in both silent and live auction activities. You can find the details at www.mayvillestate.edu/FBauction2025. If you’re interested in making a contribution to the auction, you may contact the MSU Foundation staff at 701-788-4864 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.
We hope you’ll join us for the auction at the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room on Sept. 27. There will be tasty food, great fun, and lots of wonderful items on which to bid.
Fall is definitely a busy and exciting time. We look forward to kicking off a new academic year, welcoming our students, cheering for the Comets, celebrating our roots and agricultural way of life, and so much more!