As we begin this new year and launch our next semester, it is a pleasure to extend greetings to you. Dickinson State University made significant strides during 2010. Our fall semester concluded in an outstanding manner and we have many accomplishments to celebrate.
The chronicles of state history indicate, for more than 92 years, DSU has been a vital sparkplug within the engine that propels the daily life of western North Dakota. Each day we are making a difference in the lives of our students and the greater community as we focus on performing our educational mission.
A few weeks ago, the State Board of Higher Education approved our request to begin offering limited graduate credit classes. This is a landmark decision. We are connecting our past as a state normal school with our future as we launch graduate classes that will be offered by our Teacher Education Department. Without question, a new window of opportunity has opened for us as we continue to shape the boundaries of our future. This recent success is another example of DSU's positive energy as we strive to convert ideas into action.
Many of you have heard me speak about our vision for the next five years. I have outlined five pillars of effort that will advance our pursuit of becoming recognized as a premier university. At least three of these five pillars have the potential for DSU to gain regional recognition throughout the upper Great Plains, while advancing our standing within the national and international communities of higher education.
One of these five pillars, DSU's Theodore Roosevelt Center, has evolved significantly during the last two years and has become a true gem within our university's crown of educational assets. This great effort seeks to promote Roosevelt studies by enhancing access, increasing the visibility and integration of Roosevelt collections and simultaneously preserving and interpreting Roosevelt's immense contributions as a leader, writer and president.
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The TR Center has four major lines of effort that have been developing momentum simultaneously:
- The creation of a comprehensive TR digital library
- Annual symposia and publications, both print and online
- Advancing new avenues of TR scholarship
- Public outreach and interactive kiosks
The synergy from these efforts promises to create a presidential collection that will emerge as a state and national treasure. The development of this remarkable database will integrate the holdings from multiple partners and provide unprecedented Internet access to TR archives that have been geographically dispersed across the United States.
We presently stand on the threshold of making a quantum leap forward as we obtain access to Harvard College Library's collection and launch a website that offers a modern, integrated catalog system. When this progress occurs, the TR Center's digital library will move onto the world stage and become a global treasure chest for future TR studies.
Finally, we want to provide our faculty and staff opportunities to excel and experience career growth as they perform their many responsibilities. The DSU campus continues to be an exceptional place where great people assemble to engage in the exciting work of higher education. We are fostering intellectual energy that will solve the problems of today and tomorrow. Our graduates are, to be sure, our most important credential.
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Thank you for your continued support, friendship and commitment to Dickinson State University! As we move into the second decade of the 21st century, our many collaborative efforts remain focused upon our educational mission, as well as the economic vitality and quality of life throughout our region.
McCallum is the DSU president.
