masontisa2Valley City  (CSi)  Dr. Tisa Mason was inaugurated Thursday the 13th president of Valley City State University following a ceremony inside the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse.

An emotional day for Mason as she told the audience about her journey to become the president of the university. She said she was the first in her family to graduate with a college degree and then was fortunate enough to move on to become an administrator in higher education.

Mason said it will be an honor to lead VCSU into the future as the school enters into it’s 125th year of service to the state and community.

 

Previously…

Valley City (CSi)  VCSU reports that Tisa Mason, Ed.D., will be inaugurated as Valley City State University’s 13th president on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2015, at 3 p.m. in the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse on the VCSU campus.

A 4:30 p.m. reception at Epworth United Methodist Church, adjacent to the fieldhouse, will follow the inauguration ceremony.

A tree-planting ceremony in honor of President Mason will take place in front of McFarland Hall on the VCSU campus on Friday, Oct. 2, at 1:30 p.m.

The inauguration events are open to the public free of charge.

Mason was appointed VCSU president by the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education at its meeting on the VCSU campus Oct. 30, 2014, and she began her work at VCSU on Dec. 15, 2014. She succeeded Steven Shirley, now president of Minot State University.

Mason came to Valley City from Hays, Kan., where she served as vice president for student affairs at Fort Hays State University. She previously served as dean of student life at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater in Whitewater, Wis.; executive director of the Sigma Kappa Sorority and Foundation in Indianapolis, Ind.; director of student life and assistant professor at Christopher Newport University, Newport News, Va.; and assistant dean of students, Hanover College, Hanover, Ind.

A frequent speaker on leadership, student involvement, adult learners, and fraternities and sororities on college campuses, she is a member of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and former president, treasurer and board member of the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity.

In 2013, Mason received the Robert H. Shaffer Award from the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors for her long-term commitment to fostering positive change in fraternities and sororities. She received the Excellence in Service to Students Award from the National Society of Leadership and Success in the same year.

Her academic credentials include a Doctor of Education degree in higher education from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va.; a Master of Science degree in education from Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Ill., and a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology/anthropology from Transylvania University in Lexington, Ky. Her dissertation at William and Mary was “The Commuters’ Alma Mater: Profiles of College Student Experiences at a Commuter Institution.” She has also earned the professional credential of Certified Association Executive (CAE).

She and her husband, Bill Mason, make their home in Valley City.

President Mason’s inauguration is part of VCSU’s homecoming week and 125th anniversary celebration. More information can be found at www.vcsu.edu/inauguration.