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Inaugural WorldFest is April 30 at Red Baron Arena & Expo

The first WorldFest 2022 celebration will be from noon to 8 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Red Baron Arena & Expo in Marshall. WorldFest is a reboot of the International Food Festival held for 29 years at Southwest Minnesota State University. The pandemic caused the event to be canceled in 2020 and 2021. It has been brought back, with a broader, more diverse and inclusive scope and will celebrate international cultures and local diversity through education, food, arts and cultural performances. WorldFest will include three key areas: The World Café: It will be open from noon ...

Campus Notes for April 6

Redner named to dean’s list at UMD Julia Redner, daughter of Frank and Helen Redner of Echo, was named to the dean’s list for Academic Excellence at the University of Minnesota Duluth for the sixth time during her academic career. A senior, Redner is a major in the Studio Fine Arts department and enjoys working in a wide variety of mediums, and is currently working in 12th century Japanese scrolls. In her letter of congratulations from the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, Prof. Youde expressed his great pride in her achievement, noting that “the ...

SMSU earns Military Friendly Schools Gold Status

Southwest Minnesota State University has been named a 2022-23 Military Friendly School, earning the classification in the Gold Division. SMSU currently has 54 veteran students, said Veterans Service Officer Justin Guggisberg. “We are happy to continue our tradition of being recognized as one of the top Military Friendly universities in the country,” he said. “We appreciate the support we receive from President Jayasuriya and the entire Mustang Family.” Methodology, criteria and weightings were determined by Viqtory, with input from the Military Friendly Advisory Council of ...

SMSU Forensics places 9th nationally

The SMSU Forensics team made program history March 19-20 by placing 9th nationally in the virtual National Speech Championship. Five Forensics team members represented SMSU, and each earned top tournament awards. It marks the highest national placing in program history. The win follows the team’s state championship in the Limited Entry Division of the Minnesota State Forensics Tournament in February. “This is an historic achievement,” said Director of Forensics Professor Ben Walker. “We don’t just compete against the same size schools. In forensics, you go head-to-head ...

SMSU Theater presents ‘The Cherry Orchard’

SMSU Theater’s 54th season closes with “The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov,” adapted by Emily Mann. Performances are April 4-9 at 7:30 p.m. and April 10 at 2 p.m. All performances are in the SMSU Fine Arts Theatre, with free parking available in lot B-1. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.SMSUtickets.com and at the door. All performances are free to SMSU students with a valid student ID. Considered a theater classic, “The Cherry Orchard” is SMSU Theater’s first-ever production of a full-length Chekhov play. Alternately funny and poignant, “The Cherry Orchard” ...

SMSU Briefs for March 24

SMSU to host the Creating Entrepreneurial Opportunities and Center of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Student Entrepreneurship Field Day High school and college entrepreneurs will be meeting at Southwest Minnesota State University (SMSU) on Friday, March 25 to network with one another, pitch business ideas, get feedback from seasoned entrepreneurs, and tour local businesses. According to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, 94% of all Minnesota businesses employ less than 50 employees. Small business start-ups are critical to the economic vitality of ...