Get up to speed on what’s been happening around campus this year!
Education Village
Construction continued throughout the winter on Education Village – slated to open in fall 2019.
NSF Career Grant
WSU Physics Professor Dr. Carl Ferkinhoff was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER grant of nearly $820,000 in late 2018. Ferkinhoff is an astronomer working to understand how the history of galaxies in the early universe have evolved to produce the universe we see today. This NSF grant will support work on Ferkinhoff’s project, “Astronomical Research, Instrumentation, and Education with Undergraduates via ZINGRS,” which will study galaxies in the early universe and the building of instruments and tools to enable the study. The grant will also provide undergraduate WSU students the opportunity to work with Ferkinhoff on the project and support development of a family science night at Kids First in Winona, where WSU students studying to become high school science teachers will lead program presentations and serve as program assistants. (PIC)
Theatre & Dance
The Department of Theatre & Dance’s 2018-19 Season featured performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Frogs, and the 29thAnnual Dancescape production, which featured the premiere of Roses are Red, the latest addition to choreographer Lisa Kusanagi’s (Japan) performance series Psychosomatic Erosion.
Classes on the Cal Fremling
For the second year in a row, two different grant programs through the WSU Foundation are offering opportunities for students to get a one-of-a-kind learning experience unique to Winona, and Winona State.
The first, through the generosity of a local alumni couple, funds three separate grant opportunities for Winona K-12 schools or programs to create a 90-minute educational excursion aboard the Cal Fremling Floating Classroom. The couple’s belief is that all students should have the opportunity to experience a connection to the Mississippi River, develop an understanding of the river’s importance, as well as its impact on our lives.
The second grant program offers educational grants to WSU faculty and staff looking to schedule classes or education-related events aboard the Cal Fremling as well. In 2018, the program’s inaugural year, the Foundation was able to fully or partially fund 32 proposals for a total of almost $15,000 – allowing students from across WSU’s academic spectrum to benefit from an unforgettable learning experience.
Top in Sales
WSU and its Strauss Center for Sales Excellence was recognized in 2018 by the Sales Education Foundation as one of the “Top Universities for Professional Sales Education” for the fifth consecutive year. WSU has seen a 100% placement rate for its recent sales graduates.
The Big Day
On October 25, 2018, WSU held The Big Day fundraising event – a one-day crowdfunding campaign that ended with WSU raising nearly $8,000 in 24 hours – with gifts coming in for the three Power of Experience campaigns, Sustaining Fund, Endowed Scholarships Fund, and many other scholarships, student organizations and academic programs. A big thank you goes out to all who made a direct impact on WSU students by giving on The Big Day! Learn more about The Big Day.
Clean Sweep
Each year, WSU students volunteer their time to pick up trash around the city on the Sunday of Homecoming weekend. The annual event – known as the Homecoming ‘Clean Sweep’ – focused on the downtown area in 2018.
Rankings & Recognitions
The University once again garnered numerous recognitions in fall 2018, once again ranking as the second public institution in Minnesota in U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Colleges,” named among the “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review for the 15th year and featured as one of America’s 100 Best College Buys for the 23rdyear.
Mean Girls
The University Programming Activities Committee (UPAC) sponsored a show by comedian Daniel Franzese, known for playing Damien from the movie Mean Girls, on campus this January.
Annual Malaysian Night
The WSU Malaysian Club held its annual Malaysian Night event in November 2018. This year’s theme was Kampung Baru, which translates to “New Village.” Event attendees were treated to authentic Malaysian food and cultural performances throughout the night.
GRSF
The Great River Shakespeare Festival will once again be hosted on the WSU campus in summer 2019, with Season 16 bringing performances of Macbeth, Cymbeline and more.
BRRRRR!
January 30, 2019 brought -30-degree lows, -50-degree windchills, and Winona State to shut down main campus (except for residence halls, of course) for a full day for the first time in over 20 years. The last time that occurred? March 1997.
State Leaders
WSU students across campus were given three unique opportunities in fall 2018 to hear from some of our state leaders. Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Paul Thissen, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon, and Minnesota Commissioner of Corrections Tom Roy all visited campus to speak with students on a variety of topics.
Living History
Each year, College of Liberal Arts students participate in the Living History Project, where they create documentaries on the lives and legacies of WSU retirees. This year’s chosen retirees included Marjorie Dorner, Dennis Martin, Bill Koutsky and Nancy Malotke. These documentaries, along with past years’, can be viewed on the WSU Retiree Center website.
