Construction continued throughout the winter on Education Village \u2013 slated to open in fall 2019.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s project, \u201cAstronomical Research, Instrumentation, and Education with Undergraduates via ZINGRS,\u201d 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)<\/p>\n The Department of Theatre & Dance\u2019s 2018-19 Season featured performances of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Frogs, and the 29th<\/sup>Annual Dancescape production, which featured the premiere of Roses are Red<\/em>, the latest addition to choreographer Lisa Kusanagi\u2019s (Japan) performance series Psychosomatic Erosion.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s belief is that all students should have the opportunity to experience a connection to the Mississippi River, develop an understanding of the river\u2019s importance, as well as its impact on our lives.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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\u2019s academic spectrum to benefit from an unforgettable learning experience.<\/p>\n WSU and its Strauss Center for Sales Excellence<\/a> was recognized in 2018 by the Sales Education Foundation as one of the \u201cTop Universities for Professional Sales Education\u201d for the fifth consecutive year. WSU has seen a 100% placement rate for its recent sales graduates.<\/p>\n On October 25, 2018, WSU held The Big Day fundraising event \u2013 a one-day crowdfunding campaign that ended with WSU raising nearly $8,000 in 24 hours \u2013 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.<\/a><\/p>\n Each year, WSU students volunteer their time to pick up trash around the city on the Sunday of Homecoming weekend. The annual event \u2013 known as the Homecoming \u2018Clean Sweep\u2019 \u2013 focused on the downtown area in 2018.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s \u201cBest Colleges,\u201d named among the \u201cBest in the Midwest\u201d by The Princeton Review for the 15th year and featured as one of America\u2019s 100 Best College Buys for the 23rd<\/sup>year.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The WSU Malaysian Club held its annual Malaysian Night event in November 2018. This year\u2019s theme was Kampung Baru, which translates to \u201cNew Village.\u201d Event attendees were treated to authentic Malaysian food and cultural performances throughout the night.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n![\"Ed](\"https:\/\/blogs.winona.edu\/alumni\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2019\/04\/Ed-Village1.png\")
<\/a>
\n<\/strong><\/p>\nNSF Career Grant<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nTheatre & Dance<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Classes on the Cal Fremling<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nTop in Sales<\/strong><\/h4>\n
The Big Day<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nClean Sweep<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nRankings & Recognitions<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Mean Girls<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n\u00a0Annual Malaysian Night<\/strong><\/h4>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nGRSF<\/strong><\/h4>\n
BRRRRR!<\/strong><\/h4>\n