A Message from the SMSU President Dear Alumni and Friends, I hope you had an amazing holiday season with family and friends and are looking forward to the start of the new year. I am happy to tell you that our Mustang Family continues to grow with a 10.8% increase in new first-year students in Fall 2023 and a 6.2% increase in the overall full-year equivalent number. I feel very fortunate to work with dedicated faculty and staff whose hard work and collaborative efforts continue to attract students to SMSU. I am very proud to say that I am a Mustang! Last summer was very busy on campus with department moves and renovations prompted by a new partnership with the Southwest/West Central Service Coop (SW/WC) and the Marshall School District. The SW/WC started a lease of the Social Sciences building in September that will provide educational programming to area students starting next year. The new lease
required moving faculty between several buildings and renovating parts of Charter Hall and the Science and Technology building. This is a valuable relationship that will increase overall campus utilization, contribute to a more vibrant campus, and will help SMSU move forward with additional campus improvement projects. I also want to thank everyone who has made donations to support SMSU students this year. The SMSU Foundation had a record year exceeding $8.6 million in total support and revenue. These investments will help us increase scholarship and program funding, renovate classrooms and residence halls, and enhance the overall student experience at SMSU including the purchase of nearly $720,000 in state-of-the-art academic equipment for programs across campus in 2023. I am truly grateful for the generosity of our alumni and friends.
Kumara Jayasuriya
A magazine for alumni & friends of Southwest Minnesota State University
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Enrollment News Cover Story: Wokil Bam ’12 Athletics Alumni Award Recipients Homecoming Recap News from Campus Alumni Gatherings Class Notes Foundation Annual Report
WINTER 2024 | VOL. 43, NO. 1
President Dr. Kumara Jayasuriya Vice President of Government Relations, Communications and Marketing Bill Mulso ‘93 Associate Vice President of Advancement Nathan Polfliet ’00/MBA ’11 Director of Alumni Relations Outreach Angela Lee ’20/MBA ’23 Senior Director of Communications & Marketing, Writer Marcy Olson ’93/MBA ’05 Design Maddy Groff
Photography Mitch Riibe ‘20 Maddy Groff Contributors Kelly Loft ’97/MS ’11 Graduate Assistants Alumni Maria Valentin ‘22 Communications & Marketing Juliana Villa ‘22 Jennifer Aguilar ‘23 Foundation Elaina Leach ‘23 Special Thanks WHOI for Wokil Bam Photos
Send story ideas to: SMSU FOCUS, Founders Hall 20 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 Contact the Editor: Marcy.Olson@SMSU.edu or 507-537-7374 All cities and towns are located in Minnesota unless noted. Year(s) after names reference degrees awarded by SMSU. Year of undergraduate degree listed first. Year of advanced degree listed after MBA/MS. FOCUS (USPS 565-770) is published twice each year for alumni and friends of Southwest Minnesota State University by the Office of Communications & Marketing and Alumni & Foundation at SMSU. Opinions expressed in FOCUS do not necessarily reflect official University policy. To make name/address corrections, call 507-537-6266 or email alumni@SMSU.edu. Feature stories may be reprinted with the written permission of SMSU. Other articles may be reprinted without permission provided that credit is given to SMSU. This document can be made available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Request by calling 507-537-6255, 800-260-0970, or via the Minnesota Relay Service at 800-627-3529. Southwest Minnesota State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer. ADA Accessible. A member of the Minnesota State system.
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