2023 Oct – LU Parent Newsletter

Welcome from the VP for Campus Life & Dean for Students

David R. Simon Jr.

Dear Muskies family,

As a fellow parent (and proud Muskies dad!), we are pleased you and your student chose Lakeland University, and for returning Muskies Nation family members, welcome back! This is exciting as a new chapter begins with a new academic year.

My name is David R. Simon Jr. I have been at Lakeland for 13 years and currently serve as Lakeland’s vice president for campus life and dean for students, in addition to other roles. Our role here is to support students outside the classroom through community building, leadership opportunities, student organizations and clubs, and health and well-being. Our work is focused on helping students succeed in and out of the classroom as they navigate their collegiate experiences through engaging programs and numerous other opportunities. We feel privileged to do and share this role with you through our Parent’s Newsletter.

I am honored to lead the Department for Campus Life, which includes nine divisions: Dining Services, Student Affairs Team, Residence Life, Department for Campus Safety, Shuttle Operations, Health Clinic, Counseling Services, Mail and Package Services, Office for Title IX, and Esports.

Students are at the center of our mission. Whether fostering a vibrant life outside the classroom or providing resources around physical and mental health, we care about our students’ total experience at LU.

We have numerous student services, but sometimes, students hesitate to ask for help and assistance. This is where you come in. Encourage your student to explore services and options for getting involved at LU or connecting with us if they have a problem or need assistance; we are here to support them on this journey. The Lauer Student Engagement Center is an excellent place for your students to find help if they’re unsure where to go.

We are excited to welcome our new and returning Muskies and help them make the most of their time here. Thank you for being part of our community. We look forward to being on this journey together with you. To help you navigate our design programs for the enrichment of all our students, here are some links to see what is going on in the Pond.

(If you click the box that says, “Traditional Student,” you will be able to see our pre-calendared programs designed for our students)

If you ever have questions, please feel free to contact me at SimonDR@lakeland.edu.

Genuinely,

David R. Simon Jr.
Vice President for Campus Life and Dean for Students

Lakeland sophomore launches content writing business

Launch: Lakeland Student-Run Businesses would like to have a word with you about its latest business venture.

Beginning this fall, Lakeland Content Writers, a team of student writers, will channel the skills they’re learning in the classroom into creating killer content. Students will tackle the writing needs of clients and cook up copy that makes brands shine.

Lakeland Content Writers will offer help across a variety of platforms including blog posts, newsletters, web content, articles and profiles, instructions and product descriptions, annual reports, editing and anything else needing writing.

It becomes Launch’s fifth business that’s managed by Lakeland students.

The chief author behind this latest venture is sophomore Sarah Stege, a creative writing and professional writing double major from Hartford, Wis. Stege landed a job with Launch creating the content for its upcoming annual report, and conversations with Launch advisor Kym Leibham led to the creation of this new business.

“I have a chance to start my career while also promoting Lakeland to other writing students and filling a need for many local businesses and organizations,” said Stege, who is assembling a team of writers.

Stege said she’s benefiting from a Lakeland experience which has merged her work for Launch and what she’s learning in the classroom from LU’s creative and professional writing faculty. The annual report project was an eye opener, showing her additional ways she can use her skills.

“The most challenging part was just getting started,” Stege said. “It was more project management and I ended up liking that. I attended online school in grades 7-12 and a lot of the work was project based.

“I like the way writing gives me control over language. Grammar and editing, it’s like working on a puzzle.”

Lakeland Content Writers has designed a collaborative process with clients which includes a preliminary questionnaire to gauge the project scope and a free consultation to discuss project specifics and expectations. Pricing is offered on a per hour or per project basis.

To learn more about Lakeland Content Writers or to begin collaborating on a project, email launch@lakeland.edu with Lakeland Content Writers in the subject line.

Learn more about Launch at its website:

Homecoming & Family Day 2023

A huge thank you to all the parents and family members that took the time to come to Family Day. We had beautiful weather which made tailgating and exploring campus that much better! We had 55 Muskies family members join us. We really loved getting to know every one of you!

If you came to Family Day and want to send in any feedback, please email Alli VanStelle at vanstelleak@lakeland.edu. She would love to hear from you!

What have your students been up to?

We can’t believe that we are almost halfway through the fall semester. Your students have been busy! Some highlights from the last month include the Student Involvement Fair, Battle of the Halls Week, Greek Rush Week and Homecoming!

It has been a blast getting to know your students and seeing them at all our Muskies events. Ask your student what events they have been to on campus, and which event was their favorite! If your student has any new event ideas or wants to be a part of a planning committee, let them know they should stop in the Lauer Center and see LaJill, director for student activities & engagement. She is always looking for input from students and their awesome ideas.  

A few key events coming up include Fresh Check Day, the Great Lakes Writers Festival and the fall play, PUFFS! For more information on these events and to see what else we have going on, visit our Lakeland Calendar at: lakeland.edu/calendar.

MAILING ADDRESS

If you would like to send your student mail or a package, please address it as the following:

FIRST & LAST NAME
HALL NAME & ROOM #
W3718 South Dr.
Plymouth, WI 53073