{"id":293849,"date":"2025-06-03T08:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-03T13:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=293849"},"modified":"2025-06-03T11:06:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-03T16:06:16","slug":"private-donation-enhance-fisheries-wildlife-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/?p=293849","title":{"rendered":"Private Donation Enhance Fisheries & Wildlife Program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Valley City (VCSU) – The VCSU student experience for Fisheries and Wildlife majors is about to get even better. Already a respected and popular program because of its hands-on, in-the-field approach to learning, the Fisheries and Wildlife program has received an influx of money from a private donation designed to further enhance the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

VCSU alum and long-time supporter Dick Monson has made a significant donation to the university which will directly support the Fisheries and Wildlife program with annual funds dedicated to scholarships and equipment upgrades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monson, a retired farmer from the Valley City area, has been a long-time supporter of VCSU and respects the work that conservation professionals do in North Dakota.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis program is truly exceptional, and I am honored to contribute to its continued growth,\u201d said Monson. \u201cI firmly believe in the value of education that prepares students for meaningful careers in natural resource management. Supporting their success is an investment in the future of our environment and our state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monson\u2019s gift will fund educational infrastructure, cutting-edge equipment, renewable scholarships, and innovative research initiatives, ensuring VCSU continues to lead the state in natural resources education and workforce development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis generous gift opens doors for our students, providing the tools and opportunities they need to succeed,\u201d said Dr. Bob Anderson, Professor in the VCSU Fisheries and Wildlife Science Program. \u201cFrom scholarships that attract top-tier talent to field experiences that prepare them for real-world challenges, this support is a game-changer. This gift is an amazing testament to Dick\u2019s commitment to conservation and to training the next generation of natural resource professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 1974 graduate of Valley City State, Monson and his late wife Karen both earned elementary education degrees from VCSU. Karen taught kindergarten for 27 years at St. Catherine\u2019s Catholic School in Valley City. Dick eventually went into farming and the couple made their home on a farm west of Valley City.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since then, Monson has seen native habitats disappearing across the North Dakota landscape. The wildlife that depends on those habitats are also going away. Monson says well known species such as the American Bumblebee and Monarch Butterfly may soon be listed as threatened or endangered due to loss of native habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI have spent many of the best days of my life in native prairie pastures and cattail wetlands,\u201d he said. \u201cIt is my hope that the students graduating from the Fisheries and Wildlife Department will carry the mission forward to preserve the natural world around us and not destroy it as was done in the past.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About VCSU Fisheries & Wildlife<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The VCSU Fisheries and Wildlife Science Program is the leading undergraduate program of its kind in North Dakota, offering three concentrations: Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Law Enforcement. Graduates of the program are employed in every county across the state and beyond, addressing a significant demand for trained professionals in natural resource management. Since 2020, the program has consistently enrolled an average of 70 students, with a goal to expand enrollment to 100 students in the coming years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fisheries and Wildlife Department plans to use Monson\u2019s gift to fund yearly scholarships for its students, upgrade old equipment used in field projects and labs, and purchase new educational tools or software. Rapidly evolving technologies\u2014such as artificial intelligence (AI), geographic information systems (GIS), and drones\u2014 can now be more easily acquired and worked into VCSU\u2019s curriculum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These advancements will allow students to stay at the forefront of natural resources management. Additionally, the funding will equip science labs with the latest equipment to deliver hands-on learning experiences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis gift will bolster our efforts to grow the program, attract students to North Dakota, and provide unparalleled educational opportunities,\u201d said Cory Anderson, Executive Director of the VCSU Foundation. \u201cIt demonstrates the commitment of donors like Dick Monson to supporting not only VCSU but the broader community and workforce of our state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monson\u2019s donation was part of a $1.47 million dollar package from numerous donors that the VCSU Foundation submitted to receive a $747,000 match from the ND Challenge Grant Fund. Monson\u2019s donation has been earmarked specifically for the Fisheries and Wildlife program. To learn more about VCSU\u2019s Fisheries and Wildlife program, visit www.vcsu.edu\/fw<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Valley City (VCSU) – The VCSU student experience for Fisheries and Wildlife majors is about to get even better. Already a respected and popular program because of its hands-on, in-the-field approach to learning, the Fisheries and Wildlife program has received an influx of money from a private donation designed to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":293851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-293849","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-valley-city"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293849","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=293849"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293849\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":293852,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/293849\/revisions\/293852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/293851"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=293849"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=293849"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/csinewsnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=293849"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}