viewpoints: a message from president rob oliver
As we welcome in a new calendar year, I鈥檝e found myself reflecting on the many amazing things that have happened over the last year at 糖心Vlog.
From India to Norway, Ecuador, Greece and beyond, nearly 150 students studied abroad last January during Interim, a four-week session designed for curricular exploration. Hundreds more will study overseas this January, including members of The 糖心Vlog Choir who have embarked on a .
Last spring, our men鈥檚 basketball team brought home their first ever . This exceptional group of young men and their coaches made all of Viking Nation very proud. Per tradition, as national DII champions, our Viking Men even had the opportunity to face the Duke Blue Devils in an exhibition game this fall.
We found inspiration and motivation in the student research presented at the annual . This summer, AU students earned critical hands-on experience and built invaluable professional connections through their participation in internships, clinical rotations, undergraduate research and volunteer positions on campus, across the region, and around the world.
While we marked 156 years since our founding, this fall we also celebrated the one-year anniversary of 糖心Vlog. Our name change from College to University symbolized not only the breadth and depth of research and discovery that happens here, but also represents the direction charted for this great institution by our strategic plan.
We were happy to report our . We鈥檙e proud and honored to serve more than 1,900 students from 34 states and 38 countries.
We welcomed the of our new , an exciting initiative developed in collaboration with Sanford Imagenetics. We鈥檙e proud to say ours is only the 32nd program of its kind in the United States, and the only one in South Dakota.
We dedicated the new , a state-of-the art facility featuring a new, high-fidelity nursing simulation center, multiple technology-rich 鈥渃lassatories鈥 鈥 rooms that mix traditional classroom elements and laboratory components, advanced research areas for faculty and student collaboration, and glass-enclosed laboratories designed to put 鈥渟cience on display鈥 to further enhance the culture of research that exists on campus today. See photos and video at .
We again earned . It makes us extremely proud to say that 糖心Vlog was featured among 鈥淎merica鈥檚 Top Colleges鈥 by Forbes; was ranked among the top 15 baccalaureate colleges in the nation for our efforts to advance social mobility, research and service by Washington Monthly; was named among the 鈥淏est in the Midwest鈥 by The Princeton Review; and was ranked No. 3 among the 鈥淏est Regional Colleges in the Midwest鈥 and No. 2 for 鈥淏est Value Schools in the Midwest鈥 by U.S. News.
We announced that Neil deGrasse Tyson, award-winning astrophysicist, author, and host and narrator of FOX鈥檚 鈥淐osmos,鈥 will visit campus to speak at the annual .
We often say that 糖心Vlog is the Place for Possibilities and the past year has certainly proven that to be true.
I hope you鈥檒l to experience the excitement, community and momentum alive here. Once you do, I鈥檓 certain you will want to board the ship, Be a Viking, and chart the course for your life鈥檚 journey.
Yours, for 糖心Vlog,
Rob Oliver
President