Recent Program Features

“Ask Stomper” is predominantly used by prospective students and families who are seeking information about attending the University or have questions regarding financial aid and housing. The chatbot offers users assistance in Spanish, Simplified Chinese and Vietnamese, which benefits some prospective students by providing information in their native language.

The chat has the highest traffic in the months of July and August, which is when incoming students are preparing to move to campus and transition into a new phase of life; their questions regarding move in, financial aid and other new student questions can to be answered by the chatbot.

Current students also benefit from the chatbot, and will soon even more, thanks to an upcoming advanced version expected in the next couple of months. The AI will be more advanced, which will allow for questions about timely matters, such as upcoming events, to be answered. The chatbot currently is comprised of pre-populated, frequently asked questions for which answers could be manually put in by departments; the new version will have a higher level of interpretation and be able to pull more detailed information from the website. IT Solutions Architect Chris Lienemann is excited about the advancements. “I think it will help our students quite a bit,” he says.

One challenge with the chatbot is that some people may assume there’s a person on the other end, rather than automated answers. There is a function that allows users to get through to a live chat or send an email to a specific department. Some departments, like the Campus Hub and Residential Life, have a live person connected during business hours more frequently; for other departments, “Ask Stomper” provides easy access by sending an email. “As AI continues to improve, that distinction may become less important,” says Lienemann.

Offering assistance 24/7 is a critical component of “Ask Stomper.” Research shows that 41% of all questions are asked outside of normal business hours for the University; the chatbot allows users to get answers immediately, enabling staff to focus on other projects, which increases efficiency. Lienemann confirms that the chatbot allows staff to “spend more time on difficult questions, on people who are physically in person, [and] they can work on other projects.” Residential Life, Campus Hub and Registrar’s office had a live chat option prior to “Ask Stomper”; since the transition, the number of live interactions has gone down significantly.

Within the last year over 79,000 questions have been asked through the “Ask Stomper” chatbot, highlighting the usefulness of this tool. It is anticipated that a more full, comprehensive service is coming in the future.

Big ideas and real-world thinking on campus and in the community.

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The technological advances alone have improved exponentially from what they were when she first started her career. Through these advances, staff now have the ability to reach students where they are more effectively. The simplicity of sharing job postings online, expediting communications with students, creating connectivity amongst students and hiring managers has created countless new opportunities for students to engage with career opportunities more effectively and easily. Weller adds that although “technology has definitely helped with [being more efficient and effective],” since they are an opt-in service, they primarily see only students who proactively seek out assistance from the CDC. Weller adds that in her experience, “a lot of times those students, their parents or a family member have given them a nudge, so what ends up happening is the students most needing assistance aren’t necessarily coming through the door, attending a career event, etc.” This led Weller and her colleagues in the CDC to take a look at how they can improve visibility and access to career guidance on campus amongst all students. They want to develop a philosophy of helping those who seek out their guidance and assistance, while also reaching out to those who may not be aware of the assistance and resources available to them. Weller notes that visibility did improve in the mid-2000s when they moved into their current space in Wigley Administration Center, which is big and bright. This move is one of her favorite memories in her time at the University.

Throughout Weller’s time at Minnesota State Mankato she is most proud of a few key initiatives and programs that have been developed. Outreach to various sub-groups on campus by creating partnerships with other departments and targeted programs and career-related communications are two improvements Weller highlights. Additionally, the faculty/staff Career Champions Program, now in its second year, provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to be trained to serve as a resource to the students they work closely with in order to aid in student career development. Since the faculty and staff work more frequently and closely with the students, the staff of the CDC developed this program with a “train the trainer” mentality. Around 200 faculty and staff have gone through the training to be considered a Career Champion. A goal of the Career Champion program is to increase career integration in the classroom, academic advising and in other areas of campus with Career Champions serving as career influencers.

Weller has learned a lot both about herself and how to best provide for students over her time at Minnesota State Mankato. She hopes that students know the CDC has programs, resources and tools that can be helpful for any major. Coming from someone who has worked closely in student success and career development, her advice for students is not to equate their major with their career. “Major doesn’t equal career, and I think sometimes people get caught up in that,” she says. “Approach your career path with your eyes open. Know what the opportunities and obstacles are for the field you want to go into, and invest in your own career development.” For professionals, she shares the advice that one must “take ownership of your career because no one else is going to.” She also suggests you “respect your individual style; don't necessarily strive to be like someone else. Incorporate your style into what you’re doing because that’s the way you are going to be successful.”

As she embarks on retirement, Weller looks forward to new adventures. While she wants to stay in the field in some capacity, she is unsure of what exactly that will look like at this time. What she does know for certain, though, is that she is looking forward to traveling and seeing the world. She also plans to spend more time with family, and is excited to see her adult daughter more. Her future in the field may remain uncertain, however, her impact on student affairs and career development at Minnesota State Mankato is undeniable—a testament to her enduring legacy of excellence and dedication.

Madison Vandersee, the Assistant Program Coordinator for Maverick Adventures, has been working on the Earth Month schedule and has received strong positive feedback on the number and type of experiences offered. In April alone, Maverick Adventures has partnered with 21 different groups across the University and in the community to provide 17 different events related to Earth Month. These events include volunteer opportunities, workshops, discussions, craft activities and some excursions that “allow us to have a wide variety of programs and different ways for people to interact,” Vandersee shares. Students across campus from a wide variety of majors have been participating in the outdoor programming, with many events seeing quickly filled registrations.

One of Vandersee’s favorite memories with Maverick Adventures is the State Parks Road Trip that took place during Earth Week last year. Throughout the one-day event, 18 students and three staff members stopped at three state parks in southern Minnesota to explore and hike. Another highlight for Vandersee from prior Earth Week events has been volunteer campus cleanups, like the one last year that focused on tobacco waste, which also had an educational component and impacted campus beauty. Tobacco waste cleanup is again scheduled this year during Earth Month.

This year there are even more unique events for students, such as a bike trip involving volunteering at a community farm, a day trip to the Niagara Cave and making wildflower seed balls. Other events are also open to the public including an ethics and animal discussion with author Peter Singer, the screening of Green Fire: Aldo Leopold and a Land Ethic for Our Time and an evening exploring Indigenous astronomy at Jeffers Petroglyph.

Earth Month events are listed online at the following link. Students, staff and community members interested in participating can find a full list of events and activities, event-specific details and register for events directly on the website. Certain events are limited in size and require registration, while others are open to anyone interested in participating.

About Maverick Adventures

Beyond the Earth Month events, Maverick Adventures offers a variety of programming to both students and the surrounding community. Maverick Adventures has long offered team building and leadership development programming, both indoor and outdoor rock climbing on the climbing walls on campus and outdoor programs and equipment rentals to encourage people to explore southern Minnesota's natural resources and the wide variety of outdoor activities in our backyard.

Maverick Adventures has been working in recent years to expand offerings within outdoor programs, giving Minnesota State Mankato students opportunities that include canoeing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, hiking and caving trips. Maverick Adventures Program Coordinator Sam Steiger adds that “getting outside is a great way for our students to relieve stress, refresh their energy, make connections with other students and make connections with the natural world.” Maverick Adventures is focused on continuing to expand in the coming years by offering more programming and increasing the outdoor equipment rentals offered.

If you would like to support the work of Maverick Adventures through donations or sponsorship, please visit the following link or contact adventure@mnsu.edu.