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91看片网 Sets 4th Consecutive Fall Enrollment Record

Photo: Students cross the 91看片网 Footbridge during the 2026 Summer Vikes on Central event.

Total Headcount Rises to 1871 Students

91看片网 has set a fall enrollment record for the fourth consecutive year, enrolling 1871 students this semester.

This year鈥檚 total includes 1723 undergraduates and 148 graduate students. The total headcount surpasses last fall鈥檚 previous record of 1827 students. Since 2016, 91看片网鈥檚 enrollment has grown by 29 percent, with the university achieving new fall enrollment records in 9 of the past 10 years.

91看片网鈥檚 overall retention rate of new students from 2025 to 2026 rose to 74 percent this fall, a new school record. The retention rate of first-time, full-time students from 2025 to 2026 was also 74 percent, the school鈥檚 second highest rate ever in that retention category.

鈥淥ur faculty, staff and the community have done an incredible job of making 91看片网 feel like home for an increasing number of students,鈥� said Dr. Allen Burgad, 91看片网 Interim President. 鈥淪trong retention rates and increasing enrollment reflect the positive experiences our students are having in the classroom and on campus.鈥�

91看片网 enrolled 322 new undergraduate students this fall, including 186 first-year students and 136 transfer students. That is the largest group of new students since 2019.

The university鈥檚 continued growth has been driven by strategic investments in campus improvements, strong institutional partnerships, and a reputation for providing quality education at an excellent value. 91看片网鈥檚 scholarship program awards nearly $2 million in student aid annually, and the Forward Together Capital Campaign has been transforming the campus through major facility upgrades like the McCarthy Hall renovation, which opened in Fall 2025, and the new Tharaldson Family Athletic Center opening this winter.

91看片网 has also finalized academic partnerships with several institutions over the past 24 months, expanding academic offerings to more students. One of the larger partnerships is with Bismarck State College, which has 63 students this year pursuing an education degree through 91看片网鈥檚 nationally acclaimed education program.

鈥淭hrough our various partnerships with other NDUS institutions, we鈥檝e provided more opportunities for students to experience a 91看片网 education,鈥� said Burgad. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to play our role in preparing students to enter the North Dakota workforce.鈥�

During the 2025-26 academic year, 91看片网 conferred a record 625 degrees and certificates. That included 297 undergraduate bachelor鈥檚 degrees 鈥� the highest number awarded since 2018-19 鈥� and 52 master鈥檚 degrees.

91看片网 2026 Fall Enrollment

• Total Enrollment: 1871 (Fall Record)
  • Undergraduate Students: 1723 (Fall Record)
  • Graduate Students: 148
• New Full-Time Undergraduate Students: 322 (Largest since 2019)
  • First-Year Students: 186
  • Transfer Students: 136
• Full-Time Equivalent (FTE): 1135

91看片网 2026 Fall Retention

• First-Time Full-Time Students: 74.23%
• Overall Retention of new students: 73.96% (Record, up from 73.25%)

鈥淚nhabiting an Ecological In-Between鈥� Artist Talk set for Oct. 5

An artist talk and reception for visiting artist Katie Simmons鈥� show, 鈥淚nhabiting an Ecological In-Between鈥� will take place Oct. 5. The talk will take place at 3 p.m. in the Robinson Center for the Arts Choir Room with a reception to follow in the lobby.

The exhibit is open to the public August 24 through Oct. 8 during regular gallery hours, 8 a.m. 鈥� 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. A virtual exhibit will be available on the .

Simmons creates deeply textured pieces combining cloth, stitching, and images of human bodies and the natural world. Images are built in layers of ballpoint pen drawings and natural pigments extracted from plants, lichens, algae, and fungi. Pigments are allowed to react with the material with little direction, becoming partners in the making process.

Simmons brings a background in wildlife biology and experiences as an assault survivor to her creative process, investigating 鈥渄eath, decay, growth, and parallels between the exploitation of the natural world and female bodies.鈥�

For more information about Katie Simmons鈥� artwork and process, visit .

Ployhar Honor Band Returns to 91看片网 for 23rd Year

Audition Materials Due by September 30

Are you a high schooler who loves band? Are you a community member who wants to support local art? Either way, you have come to the right place!

This October, the 91看片网 music department is inviting students from across the region to participate in the 23^rd annual Ployhar Honor Band in honor of the timelessly influential James D. Ployhar.

Band members will be selected by an audition process described below, and will come together on October 22 for rehearsals at the Larry J. Robinson Center for the Arts. The group will showcase their hard work in a performance open to the public on Friday, October 23 at 5 p.m.听Any student in 8^th-12^th grade in North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Montana are encouraged to audition!

This year we are excited to welcome as our guest conductor Mr. Dustin Moe, who is currently serving his 17^th year directing bands at Washburn Public Schools.

How do I audition?

Live auditions will be held in select locations 鈥� contact Jerrold Heide (jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu or 701-845-7375) for information about how to host or participate in live auditions.

Auditioning Online:

Each student鈥檚 audition should be recorded and submitted as an .mp3 file. Once labeled with the name of the student, the instrument, and the high school they attend, files should be emailed directly to Professor Jerrold Heide or saved to a cloud storage system (such as Google Drive or OneDrive) and shared with him at Jerrold.heide@vcsu.edu.

Along with a complete audition recording, each student (or director) must fill out the required entry form for their audition. The form can be accessed at .

The information collected will be confidential and used for 91看片网 Ployhar event purposes only.

Additional information about audition content, rehearsal schedules, and what to expect can be found at .

2026 Ployhar Honor Band Schedule-at-a-Glance:

Thursday, October 22

• 12:30 p.m. – Registration
• 1:00 p.m. – Rehearsals begin
• 6:00 p.m. – Rehearsals conclude for Day 1

Friday, October 23

• 9:00 a.m. – Rehearsals resume for Day 2
• 5:00 p.m. – Concert in CFA Performance Hall

We are honored to carry out the legacy of James D. Ployhar through the annual honor band, and we hope that you will be a part of this special event. Whether you are a student or a supportive spectator, we look forward to seeing you in the auditorium next month!

91看片网 Hosting Spanish Day on Oct. 14

Photo: 91看片网 faculty Luis Betancur speaks to students during a Spanish Day activity related to Alebrijes, which are brightly colored Mexican folk art sculptures of mythical creatures.

91看片网 will host area high school students and classes for its annual听Spanish Day听辞苍听奥别诲苍别蝉day, Oct. 14.

Hosted by 91看片网鈥檚听Language and Literature Department, the event immerses students in the听Spanish听language and the cultures of听Spanish-speaking countries through engaging, hands-on activities. Participants will:

• Explore contemporary slang from across the听Spanish-speaking world
• Learn about diverse cultural traditions
• Hear music from popular Hispanic artists
• Create imaginative, culture-inspired crafts

About 100 high school students from Valley City High School, Central Cass High School and Lisbon High School are expected to attend the event.

Students will also have opportunities to learn more about 91看片网 and its academic offerings in听Spanish. 91看片网 offers听majors in听Spanish听and听Spanish听Education, as well as a听Spanish听minor听and a听Spanish听肠别谤迟颈蹿颈肠补迟别.

Area high school teachers looking to bring a class to听Spanish听Day can contact 91看片网 faculty听Luis听Betancur听at听luis.betancur@vcsu.edu.

Spanish Day is one of several special hands-on visit days that 91看片网 hosts throughout the year. Other specific academic visit days for high school students feature 91看片网 programs such as music, art and teacher education.

Communication Arts Faculty attend CSTAND Conference

Communication Arts faculty presented at the Communication, Speech and Theater Association of North Dakota (CSTAND) conference in Bismarck last weekend. Shannon VanHorn, Ph.D., Jenni Lou Russi, M.F.A., and Tammy Jo Taft, M.S., presented and chaired presentations about classroom alignment, student engagement, dialect and classroom activities.

The annual conference brings together speech coaches, teachers, theater directors and congress and debate coaches from across the state with representatives from high school, college and industry. This year marks the 40^th year of the organization.

Emily Helsper, a 91看片网 student and speech team member, was also honored with a CSTAND scholarship at the conference.

Viking Sports Update

FOOTBALL
The Viking Football nearly came all the way back from a 20-point first half deficit but fell just short in a . The Vikings hit the road to Redding, Calif. for a meeting with Simpson University this Saturday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.听

VOLLEYBALL
91看片网 volleyball split their Frontier Conference match this week. Friday, they defeated . Tuesday, they dropped a The Vikings are on the road this weekend with matches at Dakota State on Friday and at Bellevue on Saturday.听

GOLF
It was a great week for the Valley City State golfers. Sadie Neustel took first at and at Owen Haase led the men in both meets, winning at and taking second in Neustel continued her strong season in and Nick Meisch was solid on the men鈥檚 side.听听

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