Recent Program Features

Being involved in campus activities can provide students myriad benefits during their college careers. By joining a student organization on campus, students are able to build relationships, improve their leadership abilities, work on their interpersonal skills, expand their interests and feel a part of their university’s community. At Minnesota State University, Mankato, there are over 250 registered student organizations (RSOs) that students can join.

While these organizations can provide numerous benefits, it can also be challenging for students to balance being a member of these groups or running them with everything else that is going on in their busy lives.

In Fall 2019, a group of students along with Emi Menk, assistant director of Student Activities, decided there was a need to form a group that could help these students find the optimal opportunities through their organizations. Additionally, it could be a resource for students on how to run an organization, which many are doing for the first time.

As a result, the Maverick Involvement Team (MIT) was born. According to Kathryn Wirtanen, MIT’s Program Operations Coordinator, “the main goal of the Maverick Involvement Team is to enhance the leadership skills of students, but also to connect them with peer-to-peer advising with RSO officers, and to provide workshops and leadership development.”

Wirtanen, a junior Environmental Science major from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, has been actively involved in student organizations since becoming a Maverick. Wirtanen came to Minnesota State University, Mankato with hopes of finding volunteer opportunities, so she joined a couple of organizations her first year as a member. Then, she engaged with officers to inquire about leadership positions.

Wirtanen joined multiple organization’s leadership boards and worked her way into becoming the president of Colleges Against Cancer, the president of the Environmental Sustainability Organization and the Program Operations Coordinator of the Maverick Involvement Team

Wirtanen has gained a lot from her experiences in student organizations. “Being involved in even one student organization can really increase a lot of opportunities for [students], whether it be a social group or major group, whatever type of group there is, there is something to pick from. Just joining one group can open so many opportunities for you,” she says.

With such a wide range of student organizations at Minnesota State Mankato, there truly is something for everyone. Whether it be in Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Government, religious groups, sport clubs, language clubs, honors societies, political groups, art clubs or groups that meet based on hobbies, there are so many opportunities to get involved.

According to Wirtanen, being in a student organization can enhance “the college experience” and help students grow personally and professionally, which helps students succeed not only at Minnesota State Mankato, but in their careers after they graduate. That is exactly what the Maverick Involvement Team is hoping to accomplish.

The team provides numerous resources to do this including peer advising for RSO officers and student leaders, Leadership U workshops each week, RSO officer training, involvement fairs, RSO socials, teambuilding workshops, a student leadership conference, student leadership awards and they will also be co-sponsoring the U-Lead Conference with other organizations on campus.

Wirtanen holds dear every value of the Maverick Involvement Team, but she especially loves the idea of empowering individuals and organizations and helping students connect.

“I really like the idea of having RSOs connecting with each other to collaborate on different events, fundraising efforts or campaigns. Whatever they choose to do, the sky’s the limit. If you have the interest and the numbers, you can really grow the passion that you have. By supporting students and the initiatives they want to take, we can see those groups go farther,” she says.

Although the group is still pretty new and COVID-19 has forced it to get even more creative with student opportunities, the group is still so excited for what’s to come.

“Establishing a new group and new program can be challenging, and while that challenge has been amplified by the pandemic, the students involved with MIT have really stepped up and taken initiative to figure out how they can make the most of the situation…They’ve also really supported and uplifted each other throughout the process – as an advisor it has been an absolute joy to see how they have embarked on this process, how they’ve brought their vision to life, and the connections that have resulted from the program,” Menk says.

Dear Students:

I sincerely regret to inform you that we have decided to cancel our in-person fall commencement ceremonies originally scheduled for Dec. 12, 2020. Please understand that we are taking these precautions because we are concerned about ensuring everyone’s safety and well-being during the ongoing pandemic.

As you know, we have also restructured the semester to transition to remote learning following the Thanksgiving holiday break. This means that your class activities will be online between Thanksgiving and the end of the semester. Both of these changes—commencement and the transition to remote learning after Thanksgiving—are intended to minimize the potential for heightened transmission of COVID-19 and other viruses in late fall.

Please know that we understand and empathize that this news is disappointing to our graduates and their families. We know that many of you were looking forward to the traditional, in-person graduation day, just as many faculty, staff and administrators were as well. We are disappointed that we will not be able to celebrate with you in our customary format.

We will not, however, let commencement day go by without finding a way to celebrate you and all of your hard work! It’s important to recognize your accomplishments and to wish you farewell as you embark on your next journey in life. Therefore, I have assembled a team to work on a special virtual commencement as our alternative way to celebrate on Dec. 12.

Stay tuned as additional details will be shared with graduating students via MavMail and posted at www.mnsu.edu/graduation as plans are finalized. Any questions relating to commencement can be directed to events@mnsu.edu.

Please continue to be safe and well. The Maverick community is cheering you on to the completion of your degree.

Sincerely,

Richard Davenport
President

Our winners for 2020

First Place, $5000 and people’s Choice, $2000: Logan Sendle, Lakeshore Potential

He advanced to the semifinalist round in the student division of MNCup (the largest statewide business plan competition in the US where the Student Division prize is $30,000).

Lakeshore Potential specializes in weed removal, landscaping, and beach restoration services to Lakeshore residents using unique chemical-free techniques.

Where Are They Now

Lakeshore Potential had one of their best years ever in summer of 2020 with larger crews and more orders.

Second Place, $2500: Abelrahman Elkanaway, Alex Shepherd, Kaitlyn Gloege with Hearing Glasses

Hearing Glasses developed glasses designed for people with hearing disabilities. It’ll help anyone communicate between those with hearing disabilities and anyone without needing to know sign language or having a translator.

Where Are They Now

Hearing Glasses placed third in the semifinals of the Student Division of MN Cup 2020. They won Entrepreneurial Bridge ($5000) in 2020 and won the College Compact competition for $10,000. They continue to actively develop their business idea and to do research and development on their prototype.

Third Place, $2500: Sam Csizmadia, Csizmadia Lawn Care

CLC provides lawn care, landscaping, snow removal, and fertilization services.

For the first time in history, we had a tie between second & third place.

Where Are They Now

Csizmadia Lawn Care wrapped up one of their best financial years and over the winter, he is planning for growth for 2021.

Agriculture/Food/Beverage Division, $3000: Jaden Klingenberg, from Downed Duck

Downed Duck’s invention was a remote-controlled boat used for retrieving shot ducks from the water.

Where Are They Now

Downed Duck is actively working on building their manufacturing prototype to prepare for mass production.

“In the past six years, we have given away $70,000 to student startup businesses. Of the 34 presentations that have made it to the finals, 15 of those businesses are still in operation today. We have had about 112 community and alumni mentors and judges help to make this a terrific real-world learning experience for our students.”

The Big Ideas Challenge has been sponsored for each of the last six years by Lloyd Companies. Craig Lloyd is a 1972 graduate of Minnesota State University, Mankato. This year, the Agriculture/Food/Beverage Division prize was sponsored by All American Foods. Other generous sponsors were CrankyApe.com, BankVista and MN Valley Business Magazine.

We had 32 applications start the process, 20 that went into Round one for judging. A team of community, alumni, and faculty review and score the round one applications. No names or identifying information is given to the judges, just the ideas. The highest-scoring teams advance to Round two. In Round two, the finalists had to write a full business plan and then prepare a pitch and deliver it on stage on April 14, 2020. The combined plan and pitch scores from our judges determined the winners of all of the prizes except for People’s Choice (which was chosen by audience vote).

We encourage all students, from any major, to start thinking about THEIR Big Ideas for next year. Ideas don’t have to be high tech. Your idea could be a novel or play, it could be an idea to clean up the environment, it could be something that helps people with disabilities or a service for agriculture. Join other students at the Center and get help with developing your idea so you can be on stage next year.

Student conduct promotes and enforces the responsibilities students agree to when they enroll at Minnesota State Mankato. To learn more, visit the Student Conduct website.