A Message from Interim President Dr. Brian Lenzmeier
I am excited to share some updates as we begin a new academic year. Thank you for the continued support and encouragement you provide our faculty and staff.
Dear Alumni,
Thanks so much for your support and continued interest in all things Buena Vista University. We started the University’s 130th academic year by welcoming dozens of transfer students as well as 237 freshmen, the largest freshman class on campus in the past seven years. We hadn’t seen so many students on campus since we were forced to close in March as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a wonderful sight and a humbling experience to join my wife, Betsy, at the base of the Victory Arch as we personally greeted each newcomer to campus before they observed our time-honored tradition by stepping through the Arch to formally open their BVU journey. The Victory Bell rang and rang, lifting us, as students smiled for individual photos we’ll share with their families to mark the momentous occasion.
It was also great to see how many of those students—a fellow staff member estimated half to three-quarters—were clad in BVU regalia of some sort. Despite the pandemic, BVU spirit is alive and well!
COVID-19
Alumni might not recognize a few of our classrooms on the Storm Lake campus this fall, as some haven’t been regular classrooms before. A few professors host larger class gatherings in places like Schaller Memorial Chapel, Anderson Auditorium, and the Lamberti Rec Center, areas that allow us to physically-distance from one another in continuing efforts to keep students, staff, and faculty healthy. All of our “classrooms” are equipped to simultaneously deliver learning online to students who may be joining from home or from their residence hall if they are unable to attend class physically. I cannot say enough for the work our staff and faculty continue to do to serve our students in creative and unique ways in the midst of the first pandemic our country has seen in more than 100 years.
Forum Phase II Renovation
We also can’t wait to reopen campus for visitors in the future. And a big reason is to show the wonderful changes we’ve made with your help. Forum Phase II, the renovation of Ballou Library, has allowed for an expansion of the Center for Academic Excellence (CAE) and 2Fix, our campus IT department. Increased usage of both areas necessitated a move to better serve a growing student body with ever-evolving needs. Additionally, renovation efforts have been completed in Common Grounds, the coffee shop, while a new room adjacent to the library has been transformed for our newest BVU club, or team activity: esports. BVU gamers, you have arrived!
Sincerely,
Brian