MSU President's Newspaper Column
August 12, 2023
Athletic team camps, much-anticipated events and activities highlight fall excitement
The fall semester and all the excitement that surrounds it is fast-approaching! Comet Football players and staff reported to campus for pre-season camp on Aug. 1. Comet Volleyball players and coaches reported to campus on Aug. 9. Before we know it, the campus will be buzzing with the return of all students, faculty, and staff. Classes begin August 21.
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 White Hat 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.
White Hat Club members Jeff and LeeAnn Strand and Merwin and Myrna Lyng generously provided the food. Tim Garrett, Darryl Tunseth, Mark Osland, Dan Jorgensen, and Lon Jorgensen helped with cooking and serving, as did LeeAnn and Myrna. What a wonderful 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.”
The volleyball team will be playing their first matches of the year on Aug. 26 in Madison, S.D., where they’ll be taking on Dordt and Mount Marty. They’ll be road warriors for several weeks until their first home matches of the season versus Dakota State on Sept. 27.
The first game for Comets Football will be on Aug. 26 in Havre, Mont., where they’ll meet up with Montana State-Northern. They too will be road warriors for a few weeks. The first home game for the Comets will be Sept. 16, when they host Waldorf. This is also the day of the much-anticipated combined Farmers Bowl/Homecoming celebration.
The Alumni Association has a great schedule of activities planned for the weekend of Sept. 15-16. You can see the full schedule and details at www.mayvillestate.edu/reunion. Plans include a Performing Arts Hall of Fame induction program, Homecoming awards program, socials, Ceremony of Remembrance at the Military Honor Garden, parade, corn on the cob and hot dog feed, pre-game festival, 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 really great auction items are starting to roll in! The items will be sold in both silent and live auction activities. I encourage you to take a look at a few of the items pictured at www.mayvillestate.edu/FBauction2023. If you’re interested in making a contribution to the auction, you may contact the MSU Foundation staff at 701-788-4750 or alumni.mail@mayvillestate.edu.
We hope you’ll join us for the event at the MSU Campus Center Luckasen Room on Sept. 16. There will be tasty food, great fun, and lots of wonderful items on which to bid.
Another activity to support the students of Mayville State, the Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle, is underway. This year marks the 17th annual Comet Athletic Club Sportsmen’s Raffle. The raffle is held to raise academic scholarships for the student athletes of Mayville State University. A total of 50 guns will be raffled. Ticket holders will have a one-in-ten chance of winning a gun and need not be present to win. Raffle tickets are on sale now for $100 each. More information is available from Comet Athletic Club board members and at the MSU Foundation offices, 701-788-4864.
The Sportsmen’s Raffle event, where the drawings for gun winners will take place, is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Top Hat in Mayville. The CAC board is excited to change it up and try a little different format for the raffle event this year.
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!