By Dr. Alan LaFave, VCSU President

Once every three years, the North Dakota University System and State Board of Higher Education conduct an in-depth evaluation of campus presidents. My second such evaluation was held last week on our campus. These evaluations bring into focus VCSU’s recent accomplishments, challenges, and future issues for the next three years. Constituent groups including staff, faculty, students, community members, and campus leadership participate in a series of listening sessions designed to identify these items and allow for input from each group.

As I sit in my office near the close of the business day, I do so with thankfulness and pride in the amazing team of faculty, staff, and students we have assembled at VCSU. Part of what makes them all so amazing is their work ethic and pride in the institution’s history and accomplishments of the past three years.

Every organization and business experiences challenges along the way, but the VCSU team of employees, students, and proud alumni have helped us meet these challenges with a positive and student-centered approach. I’d like to share some of the high-level achievements our campus has experienced in the last three years.

Facilities Enhancements

• McCarthy Hall renovation: This $13.5 million project is underway and will be completed this summer. McCarthy will be the new home for VCSU’s School of Education and the Technology Education Department. VCSU provided $2 million in matching funds to go along with $11.5 million from the state.
• Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts: This new facility for the art and music departments opened in Spring 2022 and features classrooms, rehearsal halls, practice rooms, a recording studio, a public art gallery and a 350-seat performance space. This building is used for numerous events by both campus and community groups.

Capital Campaign

• We secured the largest monetary gift in the history of VCSU – a $5 million dollar donation from the Gary Tharaldson Family for our athletic facility expansion.
• Gifts and pledges to our capital campaign have directed $1 million to student scholarships, $2 million to McCarthy Hall and $10 million to the athletic facility expansion.

Enrollment Growth

• Our campus has achieved record-breaking enrollments for the past four semesters in a row. We have seen growth in total headcount, graduate students, full-time students and FTE.
• We had a retention rate of 71% from Fall 2023 to Fall 2024, which was an increase of 4% and met our goal. The national average for regional public four-year institutions is 62%.

Reputational Excellence

• 2024 US News and World Report rankings: #2 among Midwest regional public institutions; #1 among public regional institutions in North Dakota; Best Value School; Veteran Friendly institution.
• 2024 Most Valuable Online Education Degree by Research.com
• 2025 “Hidden Gems of the Great Plains” by College Raptor (1 of 3 in ND)
• 2025 #1 Best Value College in ND by Niche.com

Some of the major challenges we have identified for the next 3-5 years include:

Enrollment Growth & Student Success

• We will continue efforts to grow at least 3% annually in headcount and credit hour production (FTE) to stabilize and solidify our budget.
• This growth will be focused on full-time, face-to-face undergraduate students, increased graduate programs and students, possible additions of athletic teams, dual-credit students and courses, online students and courses, and improved retention.

Complete Athletic Complex Addition

• This is a critical component of joining the Frontier Conference, which is the new home for Viking Athletics. Recruitment of student-athletes will continue to be impacted by the quality of facilities available. The new indoor turf practice facility and upgraded outdoor turf will help create a better environment for current and future student-athletes.

Deferred Maintenance

• VCSU has a unique blend of historic and modern facilities. Maintaining these facilities is a major priority for our campus. We will continue to maintain a rolling list of repairs needed and anticipated, along with the funding source for the maintenance.

Fiscal Responsibility

• We plan to maintain budget stability through enrollment stability and growth, and careful long-term planning. Maintaining healthy financial standing and continuing with clean financial audits will be consistent goals for VCSU.

Again, I wish to express my thanks and appreciation to our entire university community, alumni, and community of Valley City for helping us succeed. One of my former colleagues often used the phrase, “a rising tide lifts all boats” and that adage holds true today. We know we can all accomplish more by working together. I’m grateful and happy to reflect on some of these success points and our continued focus to be an “institution of choice for a growing number of students” in our state and region.

I’m excited to see what happens in the next three years!

Go Vikings!

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