Recent Program Features

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“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.

Kevin Buisman has served the University as Director of Athletics since 2002. Behind a deft combination of sound decision-making on key internal and external strategies, Buisman has left an indelible and lasting impact on Maverick athletics over the long term.
 
Over Buisman’s tenure, Minnesota State programs have won three NCAA Division II national titles (women’s basketball 2008-09, softball 2017, indoor track & field 2021-22). The Mavericks have also made 107 NCAA Division II postseason appearances and nine NCAA Division I postseason appearances (men’s hockey).

Buisman has been the architect of MSU’s success by defining important leadership roles across all sports and hiring nearly all of MSU’s current head coaches; four of whom, have earned National Coach of the Year recognition in their respective sports, including Meyer, Hoffner, Magers, and Turgeon.
 
Branded by the tag line “Building Champions”, fans of the program have come to expect outstanding leadership from student-athletes, not only in competition, but also in the classroom and community. In 2022-23, Minnesota State had 155 student-athletes receive an Academic Achievement Award from the Division 2 Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA), which topped Northern Sun Conference member institutions. 

With an eye for improving the overall welfare of MSU’s nearly 550 student-athletes, Buisman reorganized and revitalized the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, developed and created proposals that led to the successful implementation of university-wide policies for priority registration and missed classes, and oversaw the department’s Drug & Alcohol Education and Testing program. The current year will also see the launch of a new embedded provider program that will help address a growing concern for the mental well-being of all student-atheltes.
 
After collaborating with the Department of Campus Recreation to help engineer the implementation of a $6.2 million outdoor facilities plan in 2009-10, Buisman spearheaded donor, alumni, and community support that resulted in just over $14.5 million in state bonding bill funding, allowing for a complete renovation and buildout of new space in the downtown Mayo Clinic Event Center, which became the new home of Maverick men’s and women’s hockey in Fall 2015. 

More recently, Buisman helped garner student fee support for Scheels Field at the Maverick All-Sports Dome, with that multi-purpose, synthetic turf facility for practice and competition opening in 2019.    This fall, Taylor Center’s Bresnan Arena will see more than $1.25 million in upgrades with the addition of a new center-hung Daktronics video scoreboard and sound improvements that will dramatically improve that facilities game environment and fan experience.
 
Buisman’s leadership of the department has resulted in several other significant changes. Public awareness and interest in the program grew behind his creation of a new athletic mascot logo. MSU football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey teams have enjoyed spikes in home game attendance with fans enjoying an emphasis on a family-friendly environment, which was recognized with the 2011 NCAA Division II National “Award of Excellence for Game Environment” for its highly acclaimed “Don’t Cross the Line” campaign.
 
Buisman is a former University of Northern Iowa student and football player (BA management and finance ‘87; MBA ‘89) who has been instrumental in advancing gender equity by establishing a revised plan to achieve proportionality in scholarship funding and participation which led to the department being cited by the NCAA as a 2007-08 Diversity in Athletics Award winner in the category of Gender Equity Compliance. In concert with University administration, Buisman was also able to successfully implement a tuition waiver program that has been used effectively to increase the recruitment of diverse student populations to the program. 
 
Under his guidance, MSU successfully hosted the 2004 NCAA Division II Wrestling Championships, along with the 2008 and 2012 NCAA Division II Men’s and Women’s Track & Field Championships and more recently hosted the 2015 NCAA Division II wrestling super regional championships. 
 
Buisman serves as a representative on various committees that have helped facilitate Minnesota State University as host for the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Timberwolves team training camps on campus. These outside activities have had a significant economic impact on the local community and undoubtedly played a role in the department’s recognition as the 2004 Greater Mankato Tourism Advocate of the Year.
 
Buisman chaired the NCAA Division II National Football Committee in 2008 and 2009, after previously serving on the NCAA Division II Regional Men’s Basketball Committee. He was also selected to participate in the 2005 U.S. Army Leadership Development and Assessment Course in Fort Lewis, Wash. In 2006, he completed the nationally-recognized Chair Academy’s two-year intensive training program, which is designed to promote excellence in administrative leadership among higher education professionals. 
 
Active in the community, Buisman has held various board positions, including with Mankato United Soccer, Mankato Sports Commission, Visit Mankato, and the Greater Mankato Executive Committee and served on the Technical Advisory Committee for a Regional Facilities Development Task Force.
 
Prior to his appointment at MSU, Buisman, 59, had served as the Associate Director of Athletics for Sports Management at Northern Iowa beginning in 1998 and taught courses as an adjunct instructor in UNI’s Department of Finance.  A native of Marion, Iowa, Buisman was the Athletic Development Coordinator for UNI’s Human Performance Center for two years and spent two years (1996-98) as the UNI-Dome Operations Manager, after working a seven-year stint (1989-96) as the Assistant UNI-Dome Manager.

(More information available on the Athletics website.)

Eric Keohane, the president of the club, shared his hope for getting the word out about tryouts taking place early in the school year and believes doing so would be important in improving the team. He shared that he often hears of talented students, particularly international students, who just don’t know about tryouts until the team has been selected. Keohane highlights the importance of diversity on the team, both for raw talent and for exposure to different cultures. “What I love about soccer and particularly our club team compared to other club teams…, it’s so diverse,” he says. “There are people from all different countries coming together. It’s cool to see people from different countries who have different philosophies and see it all mesh together and try to make a cohesive team. It’s just really cool. I think soccer in particular really does that and it’s awesome to see.”

The sense of community within the team was evident, with diverse backgrounds and perspectives coming together. As Keohane explained, "there's something about sports that really brings people together." This unity and shared passion for soccer played a significant role in the team’s success.

The addition of a volunteer coach has also contributed to the recent successes. This past year marks the first time that the team has had a coach. In past years, it was truly student-led, even when it came to coaching and decision making. This coach has been committed to the team and has helped support the change of culture with higher expectation for taking the commitment seriously. Having a coach who can help reiterate that culture contributes to the team’s success. Not only does having a coach help with developing strategy and plans for games, but also serves as a leader and person of authority for the team to look to. 

This team is fully player-led and funded by donations, which help cover expenses like referee and league fees, equipment and travel costs. It takes a lot to create a successful program, both by recruiting talented players to try out and to cover all of the various expenses to play and compete.

Although Keohane graduated in May, he expressed his hopes for the team, saying, “I just hope we keep getting better and better. Continuing to build the culture. I’m excited to see where it goes.”

To support this club or other extracurricular experiences, follow this link.

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