Poland, Kashubia, and Winona
As someone who is neither Polish nor Kashubian, I have spent what some might call an inordinate amount of time studying the history, culture and country of Poland. My earliest visits were with the U.S. Department of State, as America assisted Poland in rebuilding its...
The Nature of Free Speech and Responsible Speech
The U.S. Bill of Rights gives all Americans unprecedented freedoms. Here at Winona State University, we support the freedom of speech, press, and assembly of all of our students, and we hope to create an environment where the First Amendment thrives. But our shared...
ALICE Training Opportunity
In light of the national tragedy unfolding in Florida, we want to remind the campus community that there will be Response Training to an Active Shooter in Minne 103 this weekend. ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) Training provides preparation and a...
Recent Posts
Welcome Week 2016: Elementary
1. The Big Story We will be the place that keeps faith with the biggest story, abides the wisdom of that story, and speaks the truth. You are the clergy of this secular spirit. You are its evangelists. If our thoughts and passions and beliefs and actions align,...
The Answer Must Be Action
To the WSU Community, I know we all feel compelled to comment on recent events in Minnesota and our nation, but I feel that any words I try to muster in the face of such sadness and horror will be too paltry and too feeble to provide much comfort or meaning. So I am...
We Stand With Orlando
To the WSU Community, On Sunday, June 12, a heinous act of terror was committed in Orlando, Florida. This type of violence and hate has no place in civilized society, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families and all those who are affected. I...
Laird Norton: A Gift to the Future
We were thrilled to host members of the Board of the Laird Norton Company and other members of the Laird and Norton families in Winona on May 5th to thank them for the gift of their historic corporate headquarters to Winona State University. The building – sometimes...
Fulfilling Our Commitment to Student Safety
Update Feb. 3, 2016: An inaccurate and misleading report about the conclusion of our external investigation was widely circulated today by the Associated Press, a report that has since been corrected by AP. As I shared with you yesterday, WSU hired an independent...
WSU Offers Students Tremendous Value
For the past few years, the Obama administration had been pursuing a national rating system for colleges and universities. The complexities of implementing such a system led them to abandon the effort, but some of the data that would have been used for constructing...
Greetings, Warriors!
Greetings, Warriors! Let’s bid adieu To 2015. Greet the new Year: reflect, cheer, and celebrate All those Warriors who make us great. Now that we have this winter snow Lift our spirits high, I-F-O! Bake some pies! Milk some heifers! Serve some treat to A-S-F-ers! Let...
Let Me Tell You About the College Students I Know
I don’t know when Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker last visited a college campus, but her understanding of today’s college student is very different from mine. In her Nov. 26 column in the Daily News titled “Let’s not call college students crybabies,” she...
Understanding and Acceptance
On Friday, I reached out to inform you of an incident that took place and to request your patience and understanding as we determine appropriate next steps. We are still piecing together information, but what has been brought to my attention thus far is as follows: A...
WSU Mourns Loss of President Emeritus DuFresne
It is with great sadness that I inform you that WSU President Emeritus Robert A. DuFresne passed away Nov. 17, 2015. Dr. DuFresne served as president of Winona State from 1967 to 1977. This was a period of great change for WSU. The campus nearly doubled in size,...
