Summer Brings Future Dragons to Campus

Conventional wisdom is that university campuses are quiet and empty places during the summer months. It’s true that, by early August, most of our summer courses have wrapped up and our students—and faculty—are enjoying a few weeks of rest and relaxation before a new academic year begins. But up until then, our campus is surprisingly vibrant during the summer months. And, although enrollment in our regular summer courses has reached record highs in recent years, not all of the activity involves college students. In fact, much of it involves what I like to think of as future Dragons.

For example, hundreds of elementary and high school students will participate in our College for Kids and Teens program this summer. They’ll take classes in subjects such as LEGO robotics, video game design, creative writing, or yoga and mindfulness. High school students will even have the opportunity to join the Summer Dragon Drumline, an intensive marching percussion experience capped off with an outdoor public performance.

High school students also come to campus for career exploration camps, such as the upcoming Scrubs Camp, which will introduce students to careers in health-related fields. A week-long residential experience, the camp exposes students to a variety of careers in healthcare, including surgery, chiropractic medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, athletic training, mental health, and medical research.

Future Dragons also attend our summer sports camps and the Dragon Swim School. And our littlest Dragons, the children at the year-round Early Education Center on campus, are frequently seen—and heard—on the campus mall. 

In other words, it’s a normal summer at MSUM: busy and full of activity. After the challenges of the past year, it feels great to have our campus spaces filled with youthful energy and enthusiasm once again.

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