SMSU

Although Lee Kanten's globetrotting days are over, he feels the best of his creative days may still be ahead of him. Kanten, a 1974 alumnus, and his wife Jeanie (Strube) have moved from the Twin Cities, where they owned the video production company Lee Pictures Inc., to Ortonville, population 1,916, on the southern edge of Big Stone Lake, on the South Dakota border. It's his hometown, and he's glad to be back.

Southwest Minnesota State University is ranked 8th in the nation for the Most Affordable Colleges for Online Master's Degrees for Out-of-State Students by AffordableSchools.net.

Southwest Minnesota State University is ranked 26th in the nation for Best Early Childhood Education Program for 2020 by Study.com.

Alumni Dr. Arnold Bell, '96, and Sedric McClure, '94, will be the keynote speakers on Monday, Jan. 18 during SMSU's virtual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day program. It runs from 8:30-11:30 a.m.

Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) has been awarded a $580,000 grant from the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system (Minnesota State) and MDRC for their Scaling Up College Completion Efforts for Student Success (SUCCESS) initiative. SUCCESS is a national effort to improve completion at colleges and universities by designing, implementing, and scaling comprehensive student support programs, which have been proven to increase graduation rates for traditionally underserved students.

SMSU students Bella Erickson and Carter McLaughlin are enthused about student interest in the upcoming presidential election.

May Lee Moua-Vue, new Director for International Student Services and Global Studies, is excited to "bring the world to campus" by creating an environment where international and domestic students can thrive and become comfortable with one another at Southwest Minnesota State University.

Residence Life at SMSU has changed during these COVID-19 times. Much of the credit for implementing the necessary adjustments goes to Jessica Bentley.

Leslie-Burl McLemore talked not only about Martin Luther King, Jr. when he was here on campus for MLK Day activities, he also praised the work of others, who paved the way and acted as the movement's 'foot soldiers.'

Facilities Director Tony Nubile had been on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University once before, in 2002, as a member of the Trinity Bible College (Ellendale, N.D.) basketball team. And while it's true he'd like to forget the results of that 98-44 thumping at the hands of the Mustangs — he scored 6 points ­— it did make an impression on him. That why, when he saw the posting for the position, it piqued his interest. "I said, 'I've been to that campus.' It left a positive impression on me as a young person, and drew me to apply."