The SMSU Podcast

This week, we introduce SMSU’s Interim President, Dr. David Jones, who brings 14 years of experience from Minnesota State University and looks to continue the success that SMSU has had over the past few years in enrollment. Dr. Jones reviews his journey that has led him to SMSU and what he and his family are excited about in Marshall, Minnesota.

This week, President Kumara Jayasuriya has served as Southwest Minnesota State University’s president for six years, starting in 2019. We discussed his successes at SMSU with him and what he will miss most. He will retire after the 2025 spring commencement. President Jayasuriya will be greatly missed here on campus as he helped grow SMSU during his tenure.

This week, we have Alyssa Miessner, Assistant Director of Development, on to talk about the Fourth Annual M4L Day of Giving. The event is to call upon the Mustang Family to support current Mustangs in a variety of different ways! There are timed challenges, matching goals, and so many other opportunities to support SMSU!

This week, the first STEM Symposium will be taking place on campus, featuring keynote speaker Dr. Trachette Jackson, Associate Vice President for Research, DEI Initiatives, and University Diversity and Social Transformation at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The topic of her keynote is “Mobilizing Mathematics”.

The English department puts on the creative writing series to showcase what students can do once they earn their degree at SMSU. Nick Northrup, aka Crowfather, is this year’s featured guest.

Nick and Jesse go over how SMSU can help students make a career with a creative writing degree, along with Nick’s journey at SMSU and how his experiences here have helped him get to where he is today!

Throughout April, SMSU hosts events featuring many of our different programs, including English, Music, Theatre, and more! Each area on campus has different events to highlight the work students do!

This week we get a preview of this spring's Theatre performance, “SHOUT The MOD Musical”. Sheila and Olivia go through the process of what it takes to get a musical up and running, talking about everything from costumes to stage direction and choreography!

This week, we walk through the different concerts that will be put on with Dr. Daniel Rieppel and the Music Department as a whole! We also go over some work that Dr. Rieppel has been working on with the Bill Holmes Documentary

This week, we go over questions you might have about the FAFSA and what you’ll need to do in preparing for college! We also discuss other options besides just filling out the FAFSA.

This week, Housing sign-up has opened for on-campus residents starting on the 25th with Juniors and moving down through future students. Jerry goes over everything students need to know and may have questions about when it comes to living on campus and how many opportunities students have to save money while living on campus through the opt-on advantage plan!

This Saturday is Tropical Night, and activities are happening all day. Athletics will start the day with their hall of honor event at 10:30 a.m. The Alumni Association will host a social event in the RA Facility starting at 3:30 p.m. and continuing through the basketball games. Anyone is welcome to enjoy the Mustang Ale! The Women's game begins at 5, and the Men's game will follow at 7! 

The Ag Bowl Scholarship Invites over 1,500 high school students from across multiple different states in the Midwest, including Wisconsin! The students start the day off bright and early with an introduction to the university in the RA facility and spend the entire day competing in a wide range of FFA competitions! In addition to their competitions, students also compete for scholarships to attend SMSU!