Valley City State University has been named a 2024-25 STEM School of Excellence in recognition of a wide range of STEM-related initiatives the university leads or collaborates on.

The award was announced by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA) STEM Center for Teaching and Learning, which annually recognizes schools for their commitment to providing a robust integrative STEM education experience.

“This award is a result of the hard work, dedication, and forward-thinking of individuals who collaborated and contributed to deliver high-quality STEM education at VCSU,” said Peder Gjovik, Chair of the Department of Technology and STEM Education. “It’s a great honor to receive this designation from the ITEEA, an organization that sets and maintains the standards for technology and engineering education.”

VCSU will officially receive the award in April at the ITEEA 2025 Conference in St. Louis, Missouri.

The ITEEA evaluated numerous VCSU STEM-related initiatives when awarding the School of Excellence honor, including the VCSU Planetarium – which is the only permanent planetarium in the state and regularly hosts free shows for area schools and community members to learn about astronomy and space.

The award also cited VCSU’s technology education degrees, the Great Plains STEM Education Center, and the INSTEM program. INSTEM (Indians into STEM) annually brings Native American students to campus for week-long STEM academies in the summer.

VCSU offers a Bachelor of Science in technology education and has STEM certificates for both elementary and secondary educators. Other STEM-related initiatives mentioned by the ITEEA include the annual Marketplace for Kids event on campus and a statewide engineering design challenge hosted by the VCSU Department of Technology.

“VCSU is honored to be selected as an ITEEA 2024-25 STEM School of Excellence,” said Larry Brooks, Vice President for Academic Affairs. “This is a testament of our commitment to numerous initiatives related to STEM education.”