When COVID-19 forced Minnesota State University, Mankato, to effectively close its campus and move to an entirely online course delivery format, it was hard for all of the more than 14,000 students enrolled. But the changes were particularly hard on our 1,266 international students from 92 countries, most of whom stayed in Mankato to finish the spring semester and many even the summer to weather the pandemic. As an institution that has had success recruiting and graduating international students (top 10 among Midwest regional institutions, top 15 nationally among master’s institutions for international student population), we take their concerns and needs seriously. Our response to them has demonstrated the kind of commitment we believe it will take for higher educational institutions to continue to successfully recruit and graduate students from outside the United States.
Character (Still) Counts: Moral Injury and the Case for Character Education
Many academic leaders remember the Character Counts! initiative from the 1990s and early 2000s. It was visible in schools and youth programs nationwide, emphasizing as core values the Six Pillars
Teresa Maggard Stephens
June 15, 2026
