The SMSU Podcast

This week, we dive into how our very own TikTok account, @smsuofficial, has become the highest-ranked D2 TikTok account based on engagement! Mitch goes over what work needs to go into achieving this and what the Marketing and Communications office plans to do to carry this momentum throughout the school year.

This week, we go over Kevin’s visit to campus on the 16th of September. Kevin is the first of many renowned authors that the SMSU English Department is bringing to campus as a part of the visiting writing series! Kevin has published his works in venues such as The New Yorker, The Georgia Review, McSweeny’s, and many others. His reading will take place Monday, Sept. 16, 2024, in Charter Hall 201 at 7:00 p.m. Make sure to listen to the end for a special surprise by Brockmeier.

This week, we will cover all the activities with Ag Bowl starting on Saturday, with pedal pulls and a petting zoo out in the tailgating lot from 3-5 pm, with the home opener for the Mustangs Football team following those events. The theatre department has also been busy. With the 50th anniversary of Watergate events, the program is putting on a stage reading of those events on Monday, September 9th at 7:30 pm in the Fine Arts Theatre. Sheila also touches on her time in Scotland during her sabbatical last spring, learning the art of kilt-making and its history and culture.

This week, Angela Lee joins us to discuss the upcoming Women’s Leadership Conference presented by the SMSU Alumni Association. The event focuses on the theme, “Lead Where You Are.”

The day is packed with professional development that enforces this theme, networking opportunities, and three speakers. Julia Walfoort graduated from SMSU in 2016 and works at Stackline as an Associate Director. Lori Dubbledee is a '00/’11 graduate and is the VP of Finance at Schwan’s Consumer Brands. The event keynote speaker is Sherri Coale, who was the University of Oklahoma head women’s basketball coach for 25 years, with 19 straight NCAA tournament appearances, and competed in 3 Final Fours.

The events registration closes September 5th, so sign up here: https://www.smsualumni.com/events/annual/womensleadershipconference/registration.html. 

SMSU students are free to attend! 

This week, SMSU is busy preparing for its 56th commencement ceremony on Saturday, April 4th. To discuss the social media and content creation surrounding commencement and for the university as a whole, we invited Mitchell Riibe, the Digital Marketing Strategist, to go over what SMSU is doing regarding content creation.

This Week is the SMSU Alumni and Foundation’s “M4L Day Of Giving”. On April 25th, M4L Day (Mustangs 4 Life Day) will bring alums, friends, students, parents, faculty, and staff for Southwest Minnesota State University's Day of Giving.

 This 24-hour online fundraising event offers opportunities to show your Mustang Pride. Your support will directly impact current and future students. 

Justin covers all the different bonuses and opportunities during the online event! There will also be a social on April 25th from 3 to 5 p.m. on the SMSU campus. 

https://www.m4lday.com/giving-events/m4l24/home

This week the computer science student’s have been busy this year putting together an app that they call, Calbuddy, short for “Calendar Buddy”. It allows students to fill out what type of events they would like to be notified about, it can also work for class notifications through the work they did with the SMSU IT department.

This week, Tayyaba Rahman is in the studio discussing her upcoming event, the Future Forward Speaker Series, presented by North Star Mutual School of Business. Tayyaba comes from Pakistan and is pursuing her Master of Business Administration at SMSU.

The event occurs on Monday, April 15, from 3-5 pm in the SMSU Conference Center! RSVP for this free event at www.smsu.edu/go/futureforward

Next week, the SMSU Theatre Program presents “An Inspector Calls.” Director Nadine Schmidt chose this show because it's a classic detective story that fits this year's theme: Timeless and Timeliness.  

Senior Theatre Major Colton Jensen plays Eric Birling, a member of the family called on by Inspector Goole. Colton touches on how he prepared for the role, as well as handling lighting design using new lighting equipment the program received last fall. 

The show runs April 10-14, starting at 7:30 pm, with a matinee showing on April 14, beginning at 2 pm. All performances will take place in the Fine Arts Theatre. Tickets are $10 at the door. SMSU students and employees can attend for free with their SMSU ID.

This Week, Dr. Ken Murphy joins us to discuss the upcoming solar eclipse on April 8, 2024. In preparation for that, the planetarium at SMSU is putting on a show this weekend. Tickets are sold at the door for five dollars, and SMSU students get free admission.

Dr. Murphy discusses the significance of this solar eclipse and provides “need to know” information to stay safe and enjoy this amazing scientific event!

The show times are March 29 and April 4, both at 7 p.m., at the SMSU planetarium. After the show, if you don’t have the proper eye protection, glasses are available for purchase for four dollars.