Doing Better, Together

At the recent “State of the Cities” event sponsored by the FMWF Chamber of Commerce, there were many reasons to feel proud of our community. Watching the mayors of Moorhead, Fargo, West Fargo, Horace, and Dilworth interact on stage, it was obvious they feel genuine respect for one another and are accustomed to working collaboratively for the benefit of our entire metro area. Listening to the mayors speak, it was easy to see they feel tremendous pride in their respective communities—and, at the same time, understand we all do better when we all work together.

No matter where you live in the metro area, there are reasons to be excited by the newest developments in your particular community. Certainly, I felt proud of Moorhead—and Moorhead Mayor Shelly Carlson. From the planned library and community center, to the downtown master plan, to the vision for the Moorhead Center Mall, to the recently announced plans for a hotel in the current U.S. Bank building, there are many reasons to be excited about Moorhead’s future. As I listened to Mayor Carlson speak, I found myself thinking that our city will be utterly transformed within the next decade.

I was also proud to hear MSUM mentioned alongside M State and the Moorhead Public Schools as Mayor Carlson described important workforce initiatives in our community. Each of us is doing our part to address the workforce shortages affecting our region but the most exciting initiatives are those we’re pursuing in partnership. One example highlighted by Mayor Carlson is the Teacher Cadet Program, a collaborative effort between MSUM and Moorhead High School to encourage young people from diverse backgrounds to pursue careers in teaching.

There’s no doubt that, together, we can make our great city even better. We’re well on our way.

Dr. Anne Blackhurst served as Minnesota State University Moorhead’s 11th president from July 1, 2014 to June 30, 2023.