The SMSU Podcast

This week we're talking about another SMSU tradition: Family Weekend! It’s an opportunity for family and friends to experience campus and the community your student enjoys while attending SMSU. The weekend is packed with events. Check out the full breakdown here ➡️ https://www.smsu.edu/family/weekend.html

This week, we discuss one of SMSU’s volunteer days during homecoming, September 30th! The Mustangs Give SMSU Day of Service offers a wide variety of projects throughout Marshall and is open to anyone who wants to help out! Melissa also oversees the SMSU Careers in Agriculture, Business, and Tech Career Fair. This will take place on October 20th, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Upper Student Center.

This week, we look at what SMSU does on campus in the world of agriculture with Sarah Jacobs, Agriculture & Business Outreach Coordinator, and SMSU student Lauren Hunt, majoring in Agricultural Education with a minor in Agricultural Business. Our Agriculture programs are worth looking into for a variety of reasons, starting with our faculty-to-student ratio! You work one-on-one with your ag professors in class and build connections that will help you long after graduation.

Last week, Vice President of Philanthropy and Communications at Southwest Initiative Foundation and Cindy Verschaetse, Board Chair of the SMSU Foundation, highlighted the Women's Leadership Conference, Lead with Intention: Clearing the Noise, Claiming Your Power. The conference aims to empower women of all ages by building networks and connections! The speakers at the event are Rachel Raths, Senior Director of Innovation at Ralco; Stacy Frost, SMSU graduate of 1993 and Vice President of Philanthropy and Communications at Southwest Initiative Foundation; and Keynote Speaker Ginny Priem, who is a #1 best-selling author and a leadership and performance expert with over 20 years of corporate experience.
 
Make sure to sign up to experience this annual event hosted on SMSU’s campus in the Upper Conference Center from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. https://www.smsualumni.com/events/annual/womensleadershipconference/index.html?utm_source=go_link&utm_medium=urlshortener

This week, SMSU’s Vice President of Athletics, Travis Whipple, highlights the wide variety of momentum athletics has moving into the Fall sports season. Soccer takes on Ferris State at 1 pm, and then Football goes head-to-head against Valley City State at 7 p.m., with the game-day roundup starting at 5 pm. Make sure to get out to the games and show your support for Mustang Athletics!

This week is Gold Rush Days! The weekend kicks off with move-in on Thursday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Mustang Movers helping students move into their rooms from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The weekend doesn’t stop there, though! The full list of weekend events is linked below! Sarah, JJ, and Emily go through the weekend and what to expect, along with what brought them to SMSU! We are all excited to see students back on campus and to grow the Mustang Family!
https://www.smsu.edu/events/grd/index.html

This week, Josh and Marcy go through highlights from past year’s guests and some of the exciting things SMSU does throughout the year!

This week, we talk about the Graduate studies programs here at SMSU, and more specifically, the Education Learning Communities that provide a unique experience for educators looking to further their careers!
The program is designed where students meet once a month for a weekend in a cohort, the program takes two years to complete and you learn in your area with educators from your area! For more information, go to https://www.smsu.edu/graduatestudies/programs/mseducation/learningcommunityinfo/index.html

This week, we have Michael Van Keulen, Associate Director of Student Success, to talk about getting ahead through SMSU! Michael touches on how SMSU encourages the 15-credit-per-semester model so that undergraduate students graduate within the 4-year window while not feeling overworked with a heavy class schedule!
The other way SMSU helps students get ahead or catch up is through our summer courses, which are almost completely online! If you are interested, check out our summer courses at www.smsu.edu/go/summer and work with the SMSU Admissions team to get enrolled and get ahead this summer!

This week returning guest Dr. Daniel Rieppel joins us to highlight the Schubert Festival performance that runs from April 23rd-26th with Thursday’s performance taking place at the Campus Religious Center at 7:30 pm, Fridays performance also taking place at the CRC starting at 6:30 pm, Saturday’s performance is a round table discussion running from 2-4 pm at the CRC and Sunday the Festival wraps up with Grand Finale Festival Concert in the Holy Redeemer Catholic Church at 4:00 pm with Tickets costing: Adult: $12; Students: $5; Families of 3 or more: $25.
The performances Thursday-Saturday are free and open to the public! Dr. Rieppel goes through the thought process behind his selection of the pieces and what they mean personally, and their historical impact! Don’t miss out on these phenomenal performances along with all the other events happening during the fine arts celebration this month!