Alyvia Nichols, interdisciplinary studies, claps and looks to her people who are in the audience for her during the end part of commencement where the graduates shout-out and clap to the members in the audience who were there for them through their college experiences. Photo by Rachel Johnson

In an attempt to give future graduates a last farewell to the university, James Johnston, provost and vice president for academic affairs, has explored options to bring graduation back on campus.

While graduation is now being held downtown in Kay Yeager Coliseum is the current location of graduation, it has been held in D.L. Ligon Coliseum before. Johnston foresees that if graduation is moved back on campus, the coliseum is where it would be held.

Johnston said graduation marks a significant achievement in one’s lifetime.

“Beyond the piece of paper that says you’re a graduate of Midwestern State University, it forever changes you as a individual. You view the world differently, you interpret the world differently and it’s all giving you the tools to be successful with whatever you do in your life,” said Johnston. 

For a number of faculty and staff, they have worked with the graduating students for four, and sometimes more, years depending on when they started.

Johnston said, “It’s important that we bring closure to that working relationship for the students.”

Luke Draper, marketing senior, said graduation is one of the last impressions that students have of their university. It is where they have been putting in their hard work and dedication for the future to come.

“Goodbyes are pretty important. Just like after we end a chapter in our life, a proper goodbye is something that is really needed. Being on campus that one last time would make the ending of this chapter in life a lot more special because you’re on campus,” said Draper. “It would be nice to get what you’ve been working for on the ground that you’ve been working hard on.”

Johnston continued and depicted his vision for how future graduations could be held.

“My rough draft look at it would be to graduate right now while we have Ligon Coliseum,” said Johnston. “We would graduate half the colleges on a Friday evening with their faculty and then the other half on Saturday morning with their faculty so they could be with the students that they worked with.”

On top of moving graduation back to campus, Johnston along with Suzanne Shipley, university president, have talked about implementing a senior walk this spring.

“Basically, my thought is to gather all the graduating seniors here next to Hardin and walk them through each of the academic buildings and the faculty and staff will be there to congratulate the graduates as they walk through,” said Johnston.

OUR VIEW: City and campus officials have a vision for MSU to grow in retention and activity, and this will only work if students interact with the opportunities by engaging with the community through events and utilizing college-student targeted apartments.

To emphasize college prevalence in town, Mayor Stephen Santellana and Suzanne Shipley, university president, added campus banners throughout downtown to show the pride Wichita Falls has in Texas’ only public liberal arts university last spring, so instead of heading back to hometowns every weekend, students could explore one of the many antique shops that hold generations of treasures.

As opposed to watching another episode of Steven Universe, go see one of the community theater productions either at The Wichita Theatre or Backdoor Theatre. Community members of all ages are able to perform in the productions or are welcomed to sit in the audience wowed by the talent and excitement “Wichitans” have.

A community event is planned almost every weekend either to take on the Texoma’s Hellacious Obstacle Run or listen to Pixar music from local musicians, so there is always something to look forward to in Wichita Falls that is relatively inexpensive to attend. College students love food and anything with the word “free,” and many times these events offer just that, but students steer clear because they might seem “lame.”

Along with the engaging in activities on the weekend, new apartments are opening above The Highlander on Scott Street, right in the heart of downtown, which will allow students to live off campus in an area full of life while being less than 10 minutes away from campus.

Students complain about this sleepy town, but they are often too lazy to just look up events going on here. Instead of complaining about what Wichita Falls doesn’t have, students should look up and see what’s going on in the Falls.

See more of what’s going in in Wichita Falls here.

In the wake of an ill-received statement addressing tweets that identified a fascist sympathizer on campus, the MSU Texas administration has collaborated with student leaders to issue another statement that’s “more transparent, and less formulaic.”

“By Friday, we were aware that [the tweets] had been made more public than we initially thought,” President Suzanne Shipley said. “At that time, I asked Dr. [Keith] Lamb to reach out to the student leaders of organizations that may be most affected for an immediate meeting.”

Shipley said she invited leaders from: 

• P.R.I.D.E. (People Respecting Identity Diversity of Everyone)
• OHS (Organization of Hispanic Students)
• BSU (Black Student Union)
• SGA (Student Government Association)
• NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People)
• STAND (Students Taking Action in the Name of Diversity)

“I wanted to have this meeting not only to address this issue, but overall campus climate,” Shipley said. “One of the key takeaways for me was the students’ want for administration to be more transparent, and less formulaic, in our responses to issues like these. The students were very understanding of why we, as a public university, often have to be so formulaic, but when it comes to potential threats to the students, we take it very seriously.”

Shipley said the administration assessed the threat potential of the initial posts using behavior and vocabulary analysts from the university’s behavioral intervention team, as well as an independent threat-assessment entity. She said the results of the assessments concluded that the posts did not qualify an immediate physical threat to student safety.

“We approach it very scientifically,” Shipley said. “And when something like this doesn’t meet the criteria of an immediate threat to campus, the university has to treat it as  protected by the First Amendment, even if it’s contrary to our values as a campus.”

SGA President Kerdell Cuffy was one of the first student-leaders to be made aware of the tweets on Nov. 15, and she said the meeting was a step in the right direction for both the administration and students.

“Understandably, there’s a lot of regulations as to how these things are communicated by the university,” Cuffy said. “We discussed [administration] being more direct moving forward, and I believe they are doing what they can to accommodate, but a lot of it comes down to the students. We cannot live in a reality of fear. The university assessed him for threats and found none. An open dialogue is one of our greatest tools, and I believe that’s what Dr. Shipley is trying to do.”

P.R.I.D.E President Michael Maiato, who was one of the first students to bring the tweets to the attention of the university administration, also attended the meeting. Maiato said they appreciate Shipley’s willingness to meet and further address the topic publicly, but also believe the university can only do so much in the way of addressing the heart of the issue.

“It’s really in the hands of the students,” Maiato said. “The university can only do so much because they are a public institution. It’s on the students to make noise about things like this, and make it clear that it’s not ok. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of sentiment from people on campus, and it won’t be the last, but it’s good to know that administration is taking steps to help in the ways that they can.”

Find the most recent statement here: 

To the MSU Texas Community:

Web Site Links Mentioned
NaBITA Risk Rubric: https://t.co/7Z8YpSyoIh
Concerning Behavior Form: https://t.co/eUuhuxe21O
EthicsPoint Hotline: https://t.co/TvFb5iYlJG pic.twitter.com/QUG00JvIsS

— Midwestern State (@MSUTexas) December 2, 2019

The Wichitan staff contacted Tyler Glasscock, geoscience graduate student, and did not receive a response. His employer was also contacted with no response.

After hours of discussion of the potential changes for this institution, members of the Board of Regents introduced what will be implemented into the 2020-2021 academic school year.

Tuition

Suzanne Shipley, university president, announced the request to move the initial increased tuition rates downward after looking over the estimates of tuition and fees elsewhere in the state of Texas.

“That original recommendation and proposal was a rate of 2.6% increase for our first-year students who would’ve started in Fall 2020,” Vice President of Administration and Finance Beth Reissenweber said. “Earlier this week, as President Shipley mentioned, she wanted to check where this price would put us in the market place. So, there is a new fee proposal.”

MSU Texas’s tuition and fees increase for 15 credit hours. Photo courtesy of the Board of Regents.

The administration recommended the creation of the Global Preparation Program, and a new tuition category for international students from certain partner secondary and postsecondary institutions, beginning in Fall 2020. The goal of this program is to increase the enrollment of well-prepared international students. International students currently pay one of three tuition rates: Tier I, for students earning a $1,000 competitive scholarship and earning a waiver to pay in-state tuition (limited to 5% of the previous year’s enrollment); Tier II, which is resident tuition plus $90 per semester credit hour; and Tier III, which is nonresident tuition. Tier II is not eligible for formula funding.

Enrollment and Retention

Vice President of Enrollment Management Fred Dietz said there was a 17% increase for new enrollment.

“We also made some headway into some of the losses we had in the fall,” Dietz said. “We’ve cut those losses in half for the new students coming in, in the spring so we’re pleased with that.”

“Yield” is something that the enrollment management team is looking at in terms of admission according to Dietz.

“As the agricultural [community] looks at the yield of crops, we look at the yield of admissions and what that translates to from an enrollment standpoint,” he said. “This is a measure that we track really closely. The higher your yield, ideally, the more selective you are in terms of admission.”

MSU Texas has been in a range of 28-35% of its yield for freshmen.

“Of the applicants we accept, the number that enroll, that’s the percent that we yield. This past year we came in at about 28% and the year prior we were at 33%,” he said. “Ideally, we want to be in that low 30% range; that’s a good number for us. That yield really helps us begin to know how many students are going to come to the institution. For the state of Texas, the average yield rate is 36.7% so we’re not that far off.”

The Spring 2020 enrollment number stands at 5,550 students in comparison to Spring 2019 where the number stood at 5,622 students.

“We expected to be less down than we were for fall and we’ve caught up some of the enrollment for spring,” Shipley said.

Retention continues to be a focal point for the university. Dietz said the university is partnering with the EAB Student Success Collaborative to provide the university the ability to be more efficient and responsive to students in a timely manner.

“We have partnered with EAB for our student success collaborative,” Dietz said. “This is a software product that will allow us a lot of analysis, will provide us a lot of data related to our students and trends that we’re seeing. It will also help students in terms of how they interact with the university and how we interact with them. That project really has kicked off and we will begin implementation of that over the course of this spring and have it [fully] implemented by the end of the summer.”

Dietz said the overall target for retention is 75%. According to the Board of Regents Minutes, the retention of freshmen increased from 64.6% in Fall 2017 to 67.4% in Fall 2018. Dietz did not provide retention rates for classes other than freshmen.

Retention rates by college. Research provided by Vice President of Enrollment Management Fred Dietz.

Room and Board Rates

Keith Lamb, vice president of student affairs and enrollment management, proposed a slight increase to room and board rates based on the higher education price index for the fiscal year of 2020-2021.

Bridget Reilly
Vice president Keith Lamb speaks to the board on proposed additions to the core curriculum. Feb. 13.

“We believe that if we follow the higher education price index this year that our housing operation will be in good financial shape for this next coming year,” Lamb said. “We are proposing in our freshmen residence halls a 2.55% [increase], our suits in McCullough Trigg a 2.48% [increase], Legacy a 2.44% [increase], and our apartments a 2.43% [increase]. [It will be] a 0% increase for the summer.”

According to Lamb, the university’s rates compare favorably to other institutions.

MSU Annual Housing Rates (Proposed) Compared to 2019-2020 Rates at Peer Institutions. Chart courtesy of the Board of Regents Minutes.

“The institutions that we’ve selected here are institutions with whom we have a large number of shared applications, institutions that students are looking at when choosing Midwestern State University and institutions with similar profiles,” Lamb said.

Registrar’s Office Changes

The registrar’s office has made changes to limit the amount of paper used by becoming more electronic. 

“We use a lot of paper on this campus and forms have to travel through [many] different people before they finally land in the place they’re supposed to. That process isn’t only just cumbersome and environmentally not-great at this point, but it really causes problems for faculty and students,” David Carlston, faculty senate chairman, said. 

Carlston said that the electronic system benefits both students and faculty. He also noted that the faculty has seen visible improvement since these initial changes. 

“The registrar’s office has made a lot of effort to start some initial changes to allow some things to be a little bit more electronic and facilitate things for students in general. We have seen a significant impact in terms of both workload and retention of our students as well,” Carlston said. 

Athletics Report

A report from Kyle Williams, assistant athletics director, showed that male student-athletes’ grade point averages continue to fall consistently behind the overall population of male students on campus and those of male athletes at other schools in the Lone Star Conference. 

“You can see in those charts that a couple of sports in the men’s category fall every semester below our men’s GPA, and we have urged Mr. Williams to work with our coaches to see how those grade points can be increased,” Shipley said. 

The GPA of the women athletes has been much higher than not only the male student-athletes but also the overall female population on campus. 

Bridget Reilly
Athletic director Kyle Williams informs the Board of Regents that MSU’s men’s sports are suffering GPA wise. Feb. 13.

“We can truthfully say for our women’s sports that you are more likely to do better academically as a student-athlete. It’s mixed for our men’s sports,” Shipley said. 

Williams acknowledged the difficulty of being a student-athlete but pointed out that a student-athlete is still a student first and foremost. 

“There is a balance that our kids have to go through, certainly, with practice, meets and games and all those things that are with that. At the same time, we have to balance the school work and grade point average, and ultimately graduate,” Williams said. 

Williams believes that the key to academic success in student-athletes begins with the recruitment stage. 

“My challenge to our coaches is to, as we talked about, make sure we are recruiting the kids and the students that are going to have a chance to not only succeed on the field or court but in the classroom as well,” Williams said. 

Vernon College Partnership

The university will soon begin a new partnership with Vernon College in hopes to prepare and acclimate new students to university life and courses. Dietz explained what this partnership should look like. 

“We approached Vernon in late fall, right before the break. We talked about allowing students to be enrolled at both institutions, potentially live on campus, eat our food, get acclimated to MSU, take the majority of their course work at Vernon while also taking one course here and allowing them to make that transition from Vernon college to MSU,” Dietz said.

While this partnership may seem strange to some MSU students, this is a common model that many universities in the state take advantage of.

“It’s a pretty common model throughout the state; Texas A&M  has one with BLEND, Texas State has one with Austin Community College [and] Texas Tech has one with South Plains College,” Dietz said. 

This new opportunity would mostly benefit incoming students or applicants whose grade point average is too low to be admitted at first. This would allow them to still get the campus experience while also gaining hours and increasing their GPA at Vernon College. 

“Those students [that]  may not meet traditional student requirements are provided the opportunity to eat and live on campus and go to Vernon…and then they get here a year and a half down the road as degree-seeking full-time students,” Dietz said.

Construction Status Update

The $58.4 million funds awarded by the legislature to the university went to five major construction projects: the now-completed Centennial Hall health building, the Moffett library renovations, upgrades to the Fire Marshall building, the Taft Bay window area renovations and a new Facilities Services Shops building.

The 7.7 million dollar renovation of the Moffett library building is drawing closer to completion after students had been unable to access the first floor for the entirety of the Fall 2019 semester. 

“We’re within about six weeks of being able to complete this project and for the students to occupy the first floor again. We’ve taken out the arches, the doors, the little benches and we’ve opened it up a lot,” Kyle Owen, vice president of facilities services, said.

Also scheduled to be reopened in six weeks is the Taft Bay window area, a popular hangout spot for students. 

“We’ve enclosed that area so it can be used kind of like as a reading room or a study area for students,” Owen said.

The new facilities services building being built across from Centennial Hall is still anticipated to be done this summer despite being slightly behind schedule. 

“They’ve framed in about half the outside and much of the interior. We can’t finish the other half because it just keeps raining,” Owen said.

The Bank of America building was closed on in December. According to Owen, about two-thirds of it will be used for a warehouse.

“A lot of walls are being demoed out. We actually worked out a deal with the Wichita Falls Sheriff’s Department and we’re using inmates to save some money in doing the demolition,” Owen said.

Status of Board-approved construction projects and allocated budgets. Photo courtesy of the Board of Regents Minutes.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, MSU Texas began instruction for all classes to be online for the rest of Spring 2020. President Suzanne Shipley discussed what happened behind the scenes to ensure that students were still receiving the best education possible during this time.

“Every single individual has a depth of disappointment in this and we’re trying to alleviate that,” Shipley said.

Q: Was there a timeline of how all of this played out, 1and who was involved in the decision-making process?

A: “In terms of decision-making for the crisis, our team for such things is the cabinet. We were meeting every day as a group and taking decisions one-by-one. I was keeping the board chair apprised, and our board-relations person was keeping the board apprised; the main way we did that was the emails we sent to folks and the postmasters that people got. [When March Madness was canceled] it was from that day on, every single day. Behind the scenes on those announcements, [the questions were]: ‘How fast can I.T. work?’ ‘How much notice will our faculty need?’ ‘How will we make sure we have the infrastructure and students have access to the things that they need?’ So you’re walking across the bridge as you build it.”

Q: What has this looked like behind the scenes in terms of getting the transition in place for students?

A: “It was early on that rapidly-emerging cascade of decisions that had to be made. Just moments, it felt like, after the NBA canceled its season then you had the decisions coming about March Madness from NCAA, and then the next day we’re meeting. It’s that fast because we’ve got to let students know what we’re doing. We had to get the cabinet together to make decisions right away on how we should line this up, and by Thursday get a word out to students that we’re shifting to online and extending spring break. We had been having emergency meetings so a lot of deans and chairs were ready for it, but we didn’t have the best way of doing it, which is everybody gets communication with advance notice. The students got the first communication, faculty got the second communication and staff got the third communication. That’s how it rolled out — cabinet meeting after cabinet meeting and phone call after phone call.”

Q: What would you like to say to the students at this time?

A: “I want them to know that all faculty I’ve talked to [and] the staff, they are trying to do the best they can to alleviate the stress and disappointment of this situation. [For] faculty, it’s getting the best instruction out there they can; staff and faculty; it’s getting all the help to the students they can; [for] student affairs, [it’s] determining when refunds are given, how refunds are given, how credits are given; [for] international students who have had to remain here, how do we feed them, how do we link them with people to give them some shadow of a social life so that they’re not too lonely; then trying to be very public in our media connections to show the processes [and] why they’re happening. I’m trying to do some humorous videos, some YouTube videos and [it’s] just everybody doing their part.”

Q: What would you like to say specifically to seniors who are graduating in May?

A: “Wow, I feel your pain. It’s a disappointment for us too, and I hope, hope, hope you can come back August 1. We didn’t really want to do a virtual graduation. We’ve got some tricks up our sleeves that I think will make seniors feel a little better that I don’t want to disclose in this interview. We just think this is the type of institution where we need to be together again, and so hopefully, we can have an in-person graduation on August 1. Again, it’ll depend on how things are, and if that’s too early, then we’ll reschedule it as soon as we can. There’s always the December graduation scheduled, so we’ll just do the best we can to get folks together. To the seniors, the NCAA gave extended eligibility, but it’s not the same as having the season you had dreamed of, and I feel very sorry for the senior athletes as well. Just, my heart goes out to people. I think the saddest thing [for] everyone is the economic impact. But, as I’ve said to students, I hope this gives you an opportunity to acquire some skills that will make you a very competitive job candidate, or a very good candidate for graduate study. I urge everyone to take advantage of this moment and do all you can to maximize it for your own benefit and minimize the emotional negativity of it.”

Tuesday, Nov. 3 at 1:08 p.m. President Suzanne Shipley announced via MSU Student Postmaster MSU Texas’s August and December graduates will have their commencement ceremony virtually on December 21.

Shipley cited a spike in COVID-19 cases in the Wichita Falls community and, “the increased dangers of exposure through public events,” as reasons for the change. However, Shipley assured that the graduates would be celebrated with, “as much enthusiasm and excitement as we would have done in person.”

Shipley also announced a commencement photo event on Nov. 18, which will follow university COVID-19 guidelines. Shipley wrote, “August and December candidates will sign up for photo appointments to have their pictures taken in their caps and gowns with the president.”

Shipley finished the message by thanking students for their understanding and stating that she takes, “great pride,” in measures by MSU Texas faculty, staff and students to keep the university community safe.

In honor of Women’s History Month, The Wichitan is featuring five outstanding MSU Texas women who have contributed significantly to the university.

Angie Reay, Director of the Bruce and Graciela Redwine Wellness Center

Receiving an athletic scholarship playing basketball for MSU Texas, Reay graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies, earned her master’s in education and is now pursuing her EdD in educational leadership.

At MSU for over a decade, Reay has worn many hats. Currently, she holds the titles of: Camps and Conference Coordinator, Cheerleading Administrator, CPR/AED/First Aid Instructor, Adjunct Instructor: West College Education and Reay’s office oversees the Youth Protection Program; as well as serving as the Staff Senate Vice Chair, Budget Oversight Committee, Return to Campus Task Force, Employee Health and Wellness Committee-Chair, Title IX Investigator and Centennial Steering Committee. Hesitant but confident in applying for the position, Reay was named Director of the Bruce and Graciela Redwine Student Wellness Center in April 2017.

“I think one of the things that worked to my advantage was my dedication and work ethic before this job,” Reay said.

Reay’s advice for young women is to become experts in whatever it is they are trying to pursue and to showcase a strong work ethic. She also said having support from her husband, children and friends were helpful in her journey.

“Know your field. Be very knowledgeable in the area you’re trying to pursue. We all like things, but you need to be very knowledgeable. Regardless of your gender or ethnicity, [succeeding] takes a lot of work. It takes doing a lot of things you might not want to do. Discipline is another thing; you have to be disciplined enough to come to work and be successful,” Reay said.

Eunji Cho, Assistant professor of mass communication

Cho studied advertising at Seoul Women’s University. She was vice president of a student-oriented agency and through the organization, she would enter national advertising competitions. In her senior year after she gave a presentation for an advertising competition, the advertising agency Ogilvy offered her an internship that turned into a job as an account executive.

“Ogilvy is a global agency, headquarter is in New York. We communicated with all people in the world….My main client was Nike,” Cho said. “Airmax 360 was released in 2005, we had to make the same theme…same campaign, but different countries develop different ideas.”

After four years Cho went on to pursue post-graduate education. Cho received her master’s in advertising from UT Austin and earned her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and chose to pursue a career in academia.

“If I go to academia, that is totally different story. I can still study, doing research about advertising, and I can meet students to develop advertising campaigns. I can do more in the universities,” Cho said.

Cho began working at MSU in the fall of 2019. She was confident in this decision because she enjoys her teaching and can do research. Cho researches advertising with children and how they process it. She advises students to talk about their interests and make connections with professors.

“Try to think about what you want to do and also talk with your professors. Discuss your career. It really helps,” Cho said.

Suzanne Shipley, University president

Shipley received her bachelor’s in German and English and pursued her master’s and Ph.D. in German.

“I got my master’s in five years, had a Fullbright [scholarship] to Germany and then went to UT [University of Texas] for my doctorate in German,” Shipley said.

Shipley began her college teaching career at 30-years-old at the Univerity of Cincinnati. She was one of 20 women nominated to be a part of the American Council on Education Fellowship, a national leadership program for women who aspire to be university presidents.

Before arriving at MSU Texas in August of 2015, Shipley was President of Sheppard University in West Virginia for eight years. She chalks her successes up to looking at herself in other ways than what society teaches women are.

“We’re perfectly comfortable looking at ourselves as a daughter, an aunt, a mother, a sister, but what about CEO? What about entrepreneur? What about engineer? We’ve got to make room for titles that society didn’t ok decades ago,” Shipley said. “We’ve got to step into titles that society has now said it’s ok for women but it’s not habituated at all. I think recognizing how you want to define yourself is one of the most important steps.”

Shipley is a strong advocate for manifesting the job you aspire to have and not giving up when expectations are not met.

You have to believe in your core that you’re meant to do this and you will ultimately do it,” Shipley said. “But you can’t give up easily just because people don’t think you look like the job you’re applying for…It is really hard when you are a successful person, to fail.”

Kyung Lee Gagum, Assistant professor of world languages and cultures

Lee was born in South Korea. At 7-years-old she moved to Wiesbaden, Germany after an opportunity arose for her parents to be guest workers.  She left Germany at the age of 18 to study in the United States and pursue a degree in German at the University of Arizona. There, Gagum completed her undergrad, graduate and Ph.D.

“Long story short, I came to study and ended up getting married and stayed in the states. My husband was in the military and stationed at the David-Monthan base in Arizona, so it was convenient for me to go there. It was an interesting experience because I was not a traditional student. At the time I already had children, so I had to balance being a student, a wife and a mother. It was challenging,” Lee said.

Lee said that she has been inspired by Asian female authors who involved the German language in their careers, such as Yoko Tawada.

She inspired me in the sense that although German is not her native language, the way she plays with the language and enjoys writing in the language, made her writing really special. Since she is Asian, and learning a European language, I feel like I can relate to her and aim more toward my goal to share the love and passion of the language,” Lee said.

When asked what advice she would give to a woman in her 20’s, Dr. Lee said to first take care of your skin, then take care of yourself.

“Let’s start with the body. That is something that you can take care of immediately. Set goals, short-term goals, then set long-term goals and establish how you are going to get there and why. The answer to the ‘why’ should always be, for yourself,” Lee said.

Cammie Dean, Assistant vice president of student affairs

Dean graduated from the University of Iowa in 1995 with a bachelor’s of science in sociology and she completed her master’s degree in education in training and development when she arrived at MSU. Throughout her college career as she kept encountering people that had positive impacts on her college experience. Through them, she realized that was the career she wanted to pursue.

“Having sort of decided ‘Yeah I would like to help other people make it through this experience,’ I also landed on the people that I want to help are first-gen students, minority students, international students, students who want to engage in that cross-cultural experience. It was a really powerful piece of my education and so having decided maybe this is the path for me I knew this was the place within higher ed that I wanted to be,” Dean said.

Dean was hired as the director of multicultural services at Clark University in 1997. In 2006, she was promoted to director of student life. In 2009 Dean transitioned to MSU and served as Assistant Director of Student Development and Orientation. Dean is now the Director of the Priddy Scholars program, Mosaic Cross-Cultural Center and in August 2020, added Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs to her titles.

During Dean’s academic life she had Esther Materón-Arum, her advisor who kept her on track to keeping her goals. Now Dean can advise other students in the same way.

“Advice that I most often give to young women in the workforce is to be strategic in whatever position [they] are in…It’s always about thinking of [the] next step and beginning to prepare for that,” Dean said.

The first MSU Texas class to graduate in person following the height of the COVID-19 pandemic walked the stage Friday and Saturday, April 30 and May 1. This graduating class consisted of 683 graduates.

There were 55 out of 76 master’s candidates who walked the stage at 6 p.m. Friday at the D.L. Ligon Colosseum. Erin Henderson, who graduated with a master’s in educational leadership, teaches first grade at Ben Franklin Elementary School and is working on getting principal certification.

“Even though we’re graduating it still seems like there’s a lot to do, but I’m excited to be done with school and have this part behind me,” Henderson said. “This year was hard especially with COVID, but Midwestern has been great in accommodating all of us, and it’s definitely worth it in the end.”

Lauren Vidmar, after having graduated with a master’s in human resources development, is looking to get a Ph.D. in a couple of years. Right now, she works as an academic counselor in the Bolin Science Hall.

“It’s funny to have this experience tied to my undergrad. I already work for the university; I already have a job. That takes a lot of the stress away, but it’s just as exciting as the bachelors [degree] was,” Vidmar said. “Just keep working and never be afraid to ask for help. I think that’s something I struggled with in my undergrad and I didn’t in my grad school career. [What] made a big difference was going to my professors and asking for help.”

Joshua Ysasi also works for the university as the coordinator for Priddy Scholars out of the First2Go MOSAIC office. He graduated with a Master of Arts in history. He wants to continue as a coordinator, develop himself professionally and learn Spanish. He advises other Mustangs to “have grit and keep going.”

“Do something that you love and stick with it. I did my master’s degree and through that time I’ve had four kids, my dad was sick and died and the pandemic [happened],” Ysasi said. “[Through] any one of those things, if I had given up, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself, be able to achieve my goals or realize my goals.”

Timothy Torres graduated with a master’s in biology and has a position doing neurodiagnostic research for a neurologist in Wichita Falls. After a year of working, he plans to apply to medical school.

“It’s a lot of excitement. All the experiences and all of the late nights just definitely feel worth it for today,” Torres said. “As I got older, I figured out that the more fun you have with the people that you surround yourself with, the more that this all seems worth it. You don’t think back on the stressful times. You think back on the fun times.”

There were also 489 of 607 bachelor’s candidates who walked the stage at 10 a.m. Saturday at Kay Yeager Colosseum. Evin Alvarez graduated with a bachelor’s in exercise physiology and he plans to go back home to prepare for work in a hospital with rehab patients.

“I love the field and that’s everything that I’ve always wanted to do. If it’s not working at a hospital, it’s training people with other stuff [like] diseases, weight loss, weight gain… cancer, diabetes. I love being in this part of the field because it’s more than just exercise. It comes to down to mental health as well,” Alvarez said. “Surround yourself with good people. Work together. Be there for each other. It’s going to be hard. College isn’t easy but once you get there, you’ll be glad you did all of that.”

Shelbi Stogdill graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in political science, history and global studies and is excited to take the next step of going into law school.

“Even though I kind of want to take a gap year… I’m going to keep going to college to get another degree,” Stogdill said. “I wish I would have been more involved because you get to know more people and you get to make those connections that end up lasting all four years of college.”

Venah Tembo graduated with a Bachelor of Science in nursing and is excited to begin work in hospice care.

“It’s been [a] hard-working journey. I came to a point where I wanted to give up, but because I had passion for what I got into, I told myself ‘I can do this.’ Anybody can do it. I can do it. That’s why I managed to be here,” Tembo said. “What really got me into nursing school is the passion of taking care of people… I want to venture into hospice because it is taking care of patients and also family. People don’t realize that when somebody is in a situation where they’re about to lose their loved ones, [they need] that comfort [and] that care.”

Rebecca Boyle graduated with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and is a nontraditional student as well as a mother of four kids.

“As I’m moving into closing a chapter of raising children, I’m going to be able to move into a career, and so I’m excited about… being able to see [where] life takes me further and the good that I can do as a counselor and eventually someday a clinical psychologist,” Boyle said. “It’s never too late to start…because everybody has a thing that could hold them back. My main advice would be that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.”

Even throughout a pandemic, these graduates persevered and earned their degrees in the end. Nancy Rebarchik, who earned a master’s in special education, encouraged current students to do the same.

“Don’t quit,” Rebarchik said. “Don’t [quit] when it gets hard. Don’t quit when there’s a pandemic. Don’t quit when everything in you wants to stop. Don’t quit. You’re worth the effort.”

Texas Tech

On Wednesday, Sept. 1, 2021, the Texas Tech University System Board of Regents met on Midwestern State University’s campus to hold a ceremonial special meeting to officially welcome MSU as the newest member institution of their system.

“I think Midwestern State University has the perfect campus culture to fit in with this rest of the universities in our great system,” Jesse Mendez, MSU Texas Alumnus and current TTU Dean of the College of Education, said.

Texas House Bill 1522, which was authored by Representative James Frank and sponsored by Senator Drew Springer, is the legislation that transferred MSU into the TTU System. While it was signed in May, it didn’t officially go into effect until Sept. 1.

“The Texas Tech University system is extremely excited and proud to partner with MSU Texas… as we become stronger together, advancing higher education in our great state and beyond,” J. Michael Lewis, Chairman of the TTU System Board of Regents, said.

President Johnson

During the meeting, former President Suzanne Shipley spoke her final words before departing from campus. As a Texas Tech graduate and a guiding force of this merger, this process marks the magnum opus of her leadership.

“As you can imagine it’s a bittersweet day for all of us who have to say goodbye to the old ways and welcome in the new…. This is the proudest moment of my personal and professional life… as my past joins my present,” Shipley said.

Following her speech, the process to delegate authority of MSU President began. Dr. Tedd Mitchell, TTU System Chancellor, nominated James Johnston, MSU provost and VP for academic affairs, as interim president until the position can be permanently filled.

“Shipley’s departure… leaves Midwestern State University in need of strong leadership. We have that leadership,” Mitchell said.

Johnston received his bachelors and masters degrees from MSU. His employment with the university began in 2012 as interim dean of McGunn Health Sciences and Human Services. He became the permanent dean in February 2013 until his appointment as provost in 2017 and then was officially appointed as vice president of academic affairs in April 2017.

“[He] has been instrumental in a lot of the work that has been done to make this day possible,” Mitchell said.

University upgrades

To celebrate the university’s 100th birthday and usher in a new century of education, the Board of Regents ratified plans for various upgrades around the entire university. On Aug. 19th, MSU was notified that Moody’s Investor Service was placing the university under review. As of the morning of September 1, they upgraded MSU’s outstanding debt by two notches.

“Prior to joining [the TTU System]… Moody’s Rating of MSU’s outstanding debt was A1, they’re now double AA2, only one notch below the TTU System,” Gary Barnes, TTU’s Vice Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer, said.

Now, with an AA2 rating, it makes MSU’s outstanding debt considered high quality with very low credit risk. This was the highest rating MSU could have received.

“What this means is that while it doesn’t change the cost of the outstanding debt of capital for MSU, those owners of MSU’s outstanding debt just got a premium increase in those outstanding bonds,” Barnes said.

Along with this, the board said it allows for more availability in the university’s bonds, tuition and fees, operating budget, maintaining employment status, tenure and funds. There were murmurs of plans of building a new football stadium, but no further information was shared.

Budget and facilities

In order to begin plans to upgrade, the Board has to review the budget for the next fiscal year. Overall support was reduced by $1.2 million, but the 87th Texas Legislature added $380 million of support across Texas to fund enrollment growth.

“In building our budget… for fiscal year 2021, we built it basically flat, declining enrollments. We also had it budgeted for reduced, cancelled, postponed activities, those we knew weren’t able to be had,”  Beth Reissenweber, MSU’s VP of Administration and Finance, said.

Based on an increase in tuition and fees along with a decreasing debt service cost, the budget for this next fiscal year is almost $124 million. Tuition and fees account for 40%, state appropriations for 24%, and gifts, grants and contracts for 19% of the budget. Reissenweber says they’re going to spend most of it on the people, with compensation costs covering almost half of the budget, scholarships using about 22% and maintenance and operations using 16%.

“For fiscal year 2022 however, we’re looking at modest enrollment growth and are cautiously budgeting for return to normal in terms of activities,” Reissenweber said.

For projects planned in the near future, Bolin Science hall additions and renovations are the number one priority. She also reported that the Daniel Building, the future Bridwell Activities Center, is hopeful to open in the spring semester of 2022.

Looking to the future

The MSU faculty put together a video to present to the TTU Board of Regents to capture the spirit of the university.

“As Mustangs with free spirits, each with our own character and style, we run together and work together as a team, representing strength, individuality and unity,” the video said.

MSU also put together various presentations to show the TTU Board of Regents the foundations and subsequent achievements of the university. Different faculty and staff members spoke to introduce MSU’s campus, departments and students.

“We launched our ambitious MSU Texas Boundless Opportunities comprehensive campaign in 2016 with the goal to raise $50 Million in the years leading up to our centennial celebration in 2022. The centerpiece for our campaign is simple: students,” the video said.

The goal was met only 29 months into the campaign, and in 2017 and 2018 MSU broke the institutional record for gifts and pledges received in a fiscal year at $32.8 million. Currently, MSU has collected over $75 million, with a year to go before the conclusion of the campaign.

“It is the generous spirit of our MSU Texas community that is evident in the gifts received today. Gifts include funding for scholarships, academic programming, faculty development support, technology and specialized software,” the video continued.

MSU is hopeful that the new placement within the TTU system will allow for new opportunities for students to grow and flourish.

“Most importantly, we are proud of our graduates because we know they go out and change the world,” Reagan Foster, Assistant Director of Athletics for Student Development and Outreach, said.