Mayville State President’s Newspaper Column

January 16, 2021

Mayville State has an important role in meeting North Dakota’s needs

The work of North Dakota’s 67th Legislative Assembly has begun. Mayville State Vice President for Business Affairs Steve Bensen and I will be in Bismarck early next week for Senate Appropriations Committee hearings. We’ll be making Mayville State’s presentation on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

The Senate Appropriations Committee hearing will be where the “rubber meets the road” as the biennial budgeting process begins. There will be several hoops to go through during the budgeting process, including a presentation to the House Appropriations committee. The entire process is critical and determines our state-supported budget for the next two years.

We are grateful for the opportunity to tell the Mayville State story before the state officials and look forward to letting them know about all of the great things happening at our university. We are making a difference in the lives of students, and in turn, our state and the world, by offering an outstanding education at an affordable cost, highlighted by our legendary brand of personal service.

Did you know that Mayville State offers 80+ majors, minors, certificates, and graduate and pre-professional programs? We are constantly exploring new and better ways to serve the people of North Dakota with relevant, flexible, and innovative options.

New innovative initiatives at Mayville State that are addressing critical workforce needs for North Dakota include the Master of Science degree in nursing (MSN) and the Bachelor of Science degree in agribusiness.

The MSN degree prepares nurses who are seeking or advancing their roles in nursing education and leadership and management. The nursing educator track prepares students to serve as clinical preceptors and nurse educators in academic and health care settings. The innovative program is offered entirely online in five-week blocks, offering flexibility needed for students to continue to work in their profession, where they are badly needed, and raise their families, all while pursuing advanced degrees. Currently 66% of our nursing program students are from North Dakota and are working full-time, helping to reduce the state’s critical nurse shortage.

Mayville State’s new agribusiness degree provides students with enhanced skill sets and expands their knowledge, allowing them to excel in all aspects of business related to farming, ranching, producing, and marketing of agricultural commodities. Students are prepared to work in sales, cooperatives, banking, finance, and other agribusiness fields in the many facets of agriculture-related businesses in North Dakota and beyond. Traditional, online, and hybrid course delivery methods make the program flexible and accessible for people in a variety of life situations.

Mayville State’s enrollment has strategically grown over the past ten years. Headcount has grown from 982 in the fall of 2010 to 1,168 in the fall of 2020, a 19% increase. During this same time period, the full-time equivalent has increased by 13%; the number of transfer students has grown by 66%; and the number of distance students who are seeking degrees has increased by 305%.

Mayville State provides a special niche for North Dakota residents. Of fall 2020 Mayville State freshmen, 71.5% were from North Dakota. Of all fall 2020 students, 63.7% are from North Dakota.

It gives me great pride to know that not only do most of our students come from North Dakota, a great majority of our students stay in North Dakota when they graduate. Nearly 800 of our graduates are teaching in North Dakota’s K-12 schools. Recent figures show that 68% of Mayville State graduates are employed in North Dakota or are continuing their education.

Mayville State graduates are successful! Ninety-nine percent of recent Mayville State graduates are employed or are continuing their education, while 93% of Mayville State graduates are employed in fields related to their studies.

We have great information to share with our legislators! The legislative process is extremely important to our state-supported institution. We are grateful for our legislators and the important work they do. Theirs is not an easy job. We look forward to working together with them as the budget process unfolds.