St. Cloud State University welcomed back faculty and staff following the winter break and for the start of spring semester the week of Jan. 1, concluding a week full of insightful, engaging and innovative workshops with a Convocation Address on Jan. 5 at Ritsche Auditorium on campus.
SCSU President Robbyn Wacker opened up the address by welcoming faculty and staff back to campus before inviting a group of panelists from campus onto the Ritsche Auditorium stage to talk about the initiatives and successes taking place throughout SCSU.
Panelists included Dr. Feng-Ling Johnson (Dean of University College and Associate Vice President), Nic Katona (Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement), Shriyans Pradhan (Student Government Association Vice President), Holly Schreiner (Director of Athletics), Chocoletta Simpson (Vice President for Equity and Inclusion & Title IX Coordinator), Dr. Janet Tilstra (Associate Professor of Communication Sciences & Disorders and Director of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning), and Dr. Jason Woods (Vice President for Strategic Enrollment Management).
Dr. Johnson discussed the SCSU’s Student Life Success and Support framework and other initiatives underway with University College, Katona discussed the #OurSCSU initiative and how SCSU is building a sense of community and pride within the Huskies community, and Pradhan talked about how Student Government is assisting in increasing the involvement of students and helping students feel a sense of belonging at SCSU.
“I would like to thank everyone for working for the betterment of students. Thank you to all the faculty and staff involved to help our students,” Pradhan said. “Your work certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed.”
In addition, Schreiner listed the accomplishments and milestones reached by Huskies Athletics both in competition and in the classroom, while Simpson discussed SCSU’s Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) and Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) initiatives as well as the University’s continued commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
“I am always proud of the work every faculty and staff does,” Simpson said. “I am very proud of the work that we all do here.”
To conclude the panel discussion, Dr. Tilstra talked about the initiatives underway within the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning including the amplification of good work being done at SCSU and assisting in building a connection of campus, while Dr. Woods discussed initiatives focusing on enrollment and the success that has followed as well as other work being done within Strategic Enrollment Management and University Communications.
President Wacker ended the Convocation Address by reflecting on her time at SCSU since her arrival as in 2018 while thanking faculty, staff and departments throughout campus for their commitment to SCSU as the University looks ahead to the remainder of the 2023-24 academic year and beyond.
“We are blessed to have an amazing group of leaders on campus, but also great faculty and staff that make all the success possible. Your work and this success shows that we are on the right path,” Wacker said. “Thank you for your belief in St. Cloud State, in each other, and for also remaining hopeful for the future. There is so much to celebrate. By working together, you will bring the vision we created at St. Cloud State University to life.”
