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SMSU earns 2025-2026 Military Friendly School GOLD designation

Schools

Southwest Minnesota State University announced that it has earned the 2025-2026 Military Friendly School GOLD and 2025-2026 Military Spouse Friendly School designations in the Small Public university category. Institutions earning the Military Friendly School designation were evaluated using both public data sources and responses from a proprietary survey. More than 1,800 schools participated in the 2025-2026 survey, with 830 earning special awards for going service above the standard. Southwest Minnesota State University has consistently received the Military Friendly School ...

Faith Briefs for July 11

Faith

GriefShare session to start Aug. 4 A 13-week GriefShare session will begin at 6:30 pm, Monday, Aug. 4, at Holy Redeemer Church, Marshall. If you have experienced the death of a loved one (spouse, child, friend, family), you are invited to GriefShare. This nondenominational DVD seminar features Christ-centered, biblical teaching focusing on grief topics with nationally respected grief experts and real-life stories of people, followed by a small group discussion.  Participants will find encouragement, comfort, and valuable information about facing a new normal in life and ...

Seeing Jonah in the mirror looking back at me

Faith

A good portion of the pastor in me wants to be outraged this week. Coming back from a Fourth of July break to read about the goings on in Washington, D.C., I started to fill with indignation. Thanks to Congress’ capitulation on the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, as many as 20 million Americans could lose their Medicare coverage, and there will be a 30% cut to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, possibly affecting 25% of this vital food program’s recipients. I gotta tell ya, as a CEO of an organization that operates both an emergency shelter and a food pantry, none of ...

Campus Notes for July 10

Schools

Alexandria Tech announces dean’s list Sara Fier, vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at Alexandria Technical & Community College, recognized individual students for academic excellence. The following students were named to the dean’s list for achieving a GPA of 3.5 or higher while enrolled in 12 or more credits spring semester 2025: Currie: Samantha Schreier Dawson: Jackson Buer Ghent: Lucy DeVaan Granite Falls: Bryce Sneller Lake Benton: Jenae Christensen Marshall: Hunter Krueger Wood Lake: Addy Louwagie

Campus Notes for July 5

Schools

Hart named to dean’s list, president’s roll of honor at UND Morgan Hart of Marshall was named to the dean’s list and the president’s roll of honor at the University of North Dakota. The UND dean’s list comprises students whose grade- point average are in the top 15% of the enrollment in each of the University’s degree granting Colleges and Schools. A student must have completed no fewer than 12 semester hours of academic work for the semester, of which eight or more hours must be graded work rather than “satisfactory/unsatisfactory.” To qualify for the UND ...

Make a point to come in contact with creation this week

Faith

When was the last time that you scooped up a handful of lake water? Felt the cool, refreshment of one of nature’s most vital gifts? When was the last time you got your nose into a handful of soil? Enjoyed its earthy aroma! Felt its velvety nature as it slipped through the cracks of your fingers. When was the last time you stopped still to enjoy the scenery of a forest, prairie, mountainscape? Let the majesty of the enormity of it all whisk your imagination away! I’ve been blessed this summer to spend some time on a small lake in northern Minnesota, and I have been struck by how ...