MSUM Foundation board member sets high school students up for success

Vince's Educational Journey

MSUM alum Vince Williams is the newest member of the Minnesota State University Moorhead Foundation board. Vince graduated from MSUM in 2003 with a degree in teaching high school social studies and a minor in economics. Whilst attending MSUM Vince played football for the Dragons from 1998-2003. Now, twenty-two years later, Vince is eager to give back to MSUM and support the continued success of its students.

Vince originally came to MSUM from Detroit, Michigan, to play football, but he stayed for the academic opportunities and experiences MSUM gave him. When reminiscing about why he stayed with MSUM Vince said,

 "My professors were awesome, so that made the decision easier, I loved them so much that I did a work study with the social studies department, essentially I was an administrative assistant."

After completing his undergraduate degree, Vince came back to get his master's degree in curriculum & instruction. Vince says he returned to MSUM for his master's because,

MS in Curriculum & Instruction

Vince says the courses he had taken were relevant to education today, theory-based, and the professors did an exceptional job of making the content applicable to his life. Vince was thankful for the courses as he took on roles as a principal for Discovery Middle School in Fargo, from 2017 to 2020 and as head principal at West Fargo Sheyenne High School in 2020. Here he was able to use the information and skills he had learned from his degrees.

Career Development

Since 2021, Vince has been pushing the envelope for education as the secondary assistant superintendent for West Fargo Public Schools.

"Going to the College of Education at MSUM prepared me to serve in a number of different roles within my current profession." Vince says.

"I have been able to gain that knowledge and experience because of the preparation that MSUM provided me. For example, we have a lot of meetings about student success, and how we can make sure that our ninth graders are on track to graduate in four years. Those are my favorite types of meetings because I get to apply what I learned in school to help these students succeed." Vince says.

Vince says he became interested in education because of the teachers that believed in him. He says, "My advisor, Ken Simo, suggested I go into teaching. So, I did my practicum at Moorhead High School and wound up loving it. I was able to connect with students and bring the content to life for them, after that I was hooked."

Vince prioritizes connecting with students so that they too are drawn in like he was with education. He wants students to be invested in their own learning, and says, "It feels great to impact those younger students, that will stay with them for the rest of their lives."

Giving Back to MSUM

Vince recently joined the MSUM Foundation 2024 - 2025 Board of Directors because as a former student, Vince says, "I would like to show students that no matter your background, you can have a future, if you apply yourself, I know this because I did it at MSUM and it changed my life for the better," he says.

In his position on the foundation board, Vince would like to see the development of an outreach program with the local schools, "Not just necessarily to recruit kids, but to create a way for MSUM to have a presence within our schools in the areas. By doing this, kids can see that college is something they can do and that it is attainable for them," he says.

The legacy Vince would like to leave behind as a board member is, "I just hope that I can make life better for our students and professors by improving their opportunities and connecting them more to the community." he says.

Vince continues to be an advocate for students and how we can do more to keep kids connected to education, "I came into this field to reach kids," he says. Vince works with a group of students at the high school level quarterly and they talk about students' daily struggles and Vince helps them to strategize their next academic move.

Along with being invested in the growth of education, Vince is also invested in his community's growth. In West Fargo Vince is part of Civic West, a nonprofit organization, which aims to find out ways to help the community to get civically engaged in WF, by having informed residents and city leaders, more robust discussion and civic interest, better decision making, and a more socially connected community.

 For Vince, the most rewarding part of giving back to his community whether it is for the foundation, Civic West, or just returning to campus events, Vince finds that "Having a voice and being able to bring a unique perspective to the board as an educator regarding the needs of our learners and professors is the most rewarding part of this work," he says.

Vince hopes to continue shaping the future of education, ensuring that every student has the opportunity to succeed-just as MSUM helped him to do.