MSU President's Column for Traill County Tribune
January 19, 2019
Points of pride show a bright future for Mayville State
On Wednesday, Jan. 16, I had the privilege of testifying before the 66th Legislative Assembly House Appropriations Committee in the Education and Environment Division hearing at the state capitol in Bismarck. My presentation was among those of all the North Dakota University System institutions. We were given an opportunity to inform the legislators of our financial status and to present our request for 2019-21 appropriation funding. Jami Hovet, Mayville State’s Vice President for Business Affairs also made the trip to Bismarck and joined me for the hearing.
While our purpose in the hearing was specific to funding, we were able to distribute written materials to the legislators that gives them an overview of Mayville State University. The information we prepared included testimonial statements from students and alumni, as well as a listing of our majors, minors, and pre-professional programs, and MSU’s mission, purposes, core values, and strategic goals.
Many of the points of pride that we touted in the document were related to student outcomes. Demonstrating Mayville State University’s efforts to serve the state of North Dakota, we are happy to say that 63% of the students enrolled in the fall of 2018 were North Dakota residents. We have 365 degree-seekers who are completing their programs through online/distance delivery. We think it’s pretty cool that 72% of our graduates find employment in the state and contribute socially and economically to North Dakota’s way of life.
Since 2010, the number of students studying at a distance has grown significantly. In 2010, 407 students were studying at a distance and 136 of them were seeking degrees. This past fall, we had 670 students taking classes at a distance. Of that number, 357 were degree-seeking. It’s important to note that many of our residential students are also enrolled in one or more online courses.
Of the students who start their studies at Mayville State, 42.3% of them complete their degrees at Mayville State. Of the students who transfer out of Mayville State, 14.3% of them graduate from other institutions.
Our graduates are successful! After graduating, 97.8% of our alumni are employed are continuing their education. Specific to teacher education, 97.3% of our graduates are employed or continuing their education. Of those earning non-teaching degrees, 98.7% are employed or continuing their education. A high percentage of our teacher education graduates stay in North Dakota, helping to contribute to workforce needs. Of our teacher education graduates, 71.2% are teaching in North Dakota or are continuing their education in the state. Of MSU’s non-teaching graduates 75.2% found employment in North Dakota or are continuing their education. These statistics were compiled by surveying alumni one year after their graduation. Nearly 800 Mayville State alumni are currently teaching in North Dakota schools.
Mayville State University has been innovative in developing initiatives to address critical workforce needs. We’re helping to address the nursing shortage in our state and country with the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. It is an online accelerated program where courses are offered in five-week blocks. The program is designed to serve associate’s level RNs who are currently working. They can complete the program in 12 months. Through the RN-to-BSN online nursing program, Mayville State collaborates with six medical facilities. In addition, Mayville State partners with the Dakota Nursing Program (Lake Region State College, Dakota College at Bottineau, Williston State College, and Bismarck State College) and North Dakota State College of Science to prepare nurses for work in rural communities. Also related to the need for medical professionals, Mayville State collaborates with the University of North Dakota School of Medicine on a medical laboratory science degree.
Mayville State University is consistently recognized by outside regional and national organizations because of the good work that is done. Just to name a couple of these accolades, U.S. News & World Report named Mayville State among its 2019 Best Colleges in the Midwest. In addition, they named Mayville State’s online bachelor’s degree programs among the best in 2018. We have much for which to be proud, and I look forward to sharing this good news among all constituents as we look to a bright and successful future.