UMW /SSA
AUGUST 2021
University Minnesota Waseca Southern School of Agriculture
2021
Reunion Saturday, August 7
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UMW/SSA REUNION
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
University of Minnesota Waseca facts
State Rep. Rodney Searle, University of Minnesota President Malcolm Moos, Regent Neil Sherburne and Chancellor Edward Frederick open the University of Minnesota Technical College, Waseca on Sept. 27, 1971. (Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota Archives)
• UMW enrollment in 1971 was 84 men and 31 women for a total of 115 students. UMW enrollment in 1991 was 438 men and 604 women for a total of 1,042 students. • UMW, part of the University of Minnesota system, operated from 1971-92 and enrolled nearly 20,000 students during that time. • The school’s mascot was Ramus the ram. • The college’s cable-FM radio station was KUMW. • UMW’s tuition rates per quarter in 1971 were $133 for residents and $380 for non-residents. The student service fee was $30. Room and board per quarter was $280 for both residents and non-residents. • Programs of study offered at UMW: agricultural business, agricultural industries and services, agricultural production, food industry and technology, home and and family services, horticultural technology and veterinary technology. • 8,000 UMW students received $38 million in financial aid. • Four UMW staff won the U of M’s Morse-Alumni Award for outstanding contributions to undergraduate education: Philip Allen, an assistant professor of horticulture technology, 1977; W. Clough Cullen, chairman of the Animal Health Technology Division, 1982; William Anderson, professor of agronomy, 1985; and Mark Wilson, associate professor of agricultural production, 1987. Sources: University of Minnesota fact books, course bulletins and Waseca County News archives.
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Wednesday, August 4, 2021
UMW/SSA REUNION
University of MinnesotaWaseca Reunion schedule of events The University of Minnesota-Waseca reunion takes place Saturday, Aug. 7 at Farmamerica, 7367 360th Ave., Waseca.
Schedule of events for the reunion: 9.am. — Registration Visitors and guests are invited to register upon arrival and participate in the program that begins at noon. Those not pre-registered are encouraged to purchase separate admission passes to Farmamerica. There is a food truck to purchase meals and refreshments. (Check in memorabilia for exhibit after 8:30 a.m.) 9 a.m. — Visit Memorabilia Exhibits in Visitor Center Conference Room Special guest and UMW Alum, Dick Beardsley, has written a book and sign copies of his book. Ed Frederick has prepared a compilation about the Southern School of Agriculture. Twenty annual, ‘Get Acquainted Editions’ of the Waseca County News will be available. You are also invited to take home a copy of his booklet, “Put Spice in Your Life.” Sign up for access to the faculty staff directory. See Jonna Moen, former staff in Academic Affairs. 9:30 a.m. — Showings of 10 short videos on Waseca County Agriculture (looped and continuous throughout the day). Features several UMW grads. 10 a.m. — UMW/SSA Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting (North end Large Meeting Room) 11 a.m. — So, Whatever Happened to Our Campus? Federal Correctional Institution Warden Starr and Ms. Anne Cummins, FCI Director of Public Relations, presents a brief program (Large Meeting Room) Arranged by Wanda Morsching, UMW Alum and former Administrative Assistant to the FCI warden. 11:30 a.m. Lunch Large Meeting Room (Tickets required) Music by Jim Kozan, Waseca Music Co. Noon — Program Emcee Dr. James Gibson, former UMW faculty/staff Opening Prayer- Rev. Cary Larson, Pastor, Christ the King Lutheran Church Waseca Welcome- Cindy Glamm, President UMW/SSA Alumni Association
General Introductions: Faculty, staff and alumni Recognition of deceased faculty, staff and alumni: Laura Rohde, UMW Staff
Remarks:
• Pat Hesch Yonker and Jane Fitzsimmons Thomez, faculty members, Home and Family Services • Roger Walker, swine specialist, Agricultural Production Program
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While the primary objective of the college is to prepare graduates for employment, it is inevitable that there will be some students who will change their objectives and wish to continue their education beyond the associate program. The college requires work of such quantity and quality that those who seek admission to other institutions of higher learning may reasonably expect to obtain credit for work completed at this college. It should be recognized that the institution to which the transfer is made detemines the amount of credits accepted.”
3:30 p.m. — Adjournment • Minnesota Agricultural Interpretive Post Reunion gatherings- Katie O’Leary’s Center-Farmamerica: Jessica Rollins, Bar and Restaurant, 117 Second Ave. NE, executive director Waseca • University of Minnesota: Dr. Brian Buhr, Dean, University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences • City of Waseca: Mayor Roy Srp Reunion Planning • State and federal government: Tim Penny, Team President, Southern Minnesota Initiative Foundation, former state senator and U.S. Don Collins, Ed Frederick, congressman Jim Gibson, Ondy Glamm, Mardell Featured speaker Dick Beardsley, UMW Jacobson, Roy Johnson, Denise alum, athlete/dairyman/author/speaker/ Manthe, Bruce McKee, Jonna Moen, — University of Minnesota Bulletin, businessman/fishing guide Wanda Morsching, Deanne Nelson Technical College-Waseca, 1971-73 • Presentation of the Speaker: Dr. John and Laura Rohde Fulkrod, former coach and chemistry For future contacts: Deanne Nelson, professor nelso191@umn.edu, University of Minnesota, Southern Research and Special Awards- Roy Johnson, Former Outreach Center, 35838 120th St., Waseca, MN 56093. Faculty Member (Light Horse Management)
MORE
2 p.m. — Group photo Bruce McKee, former UMW staff photographer and Radio Club advisor 1:30 p.m. — Informal visiting Alumni, staff and faculty have an opportunity for organized visiting. The following faculty and staff have agreed to host a table in the Visitors Center. Participants mayo move from table to table as they desire. • John Fulkrod, Chemistry professor, and Track and Cross Country coach • Roy Johnson, faculty member and Director of the Light Horse Management Program • Jim Gibson, Economics, Leadership and Club Advisor for FFNPAS • Tony Seykora, Dairy Specialist, Agricultural Production Program • Tom Yuzer, director, University Relations, and Institutional Advancement • Janet Donlin, faculty member • Mark Peterson, former student, Animal Health Technology • Tom Lindahl, faculty member (Economics and Business) and academic administrator
For event updates, visit z.umn.edu/umw-ssa-alumni Farmamerica hosts an open house during the reunion. Self-guided tours, a corn maze, patio games and one-room country school games will be taking place all day. A one-hour Farmamerica guided tram tour will begin at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. A Farmamerica and UMW scavenger hunt will take place from 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
(Photo courtesy of
Waseca County His
torical Society)
2021 UMW/SSA Reunion REGIONAL PRESIDENT: RANDY RICKMAN REGIONAL GENERAL MANAGER: CHAD HJELLMING; REGIONAL MANAGING EDITOR: SUZANNE ROOK REGIONAL DIRECTOR OF SALES: TOM KELLING; ADVERTISING: JENNIFER FLOWERS All advertising contained herein is the responsibility of the advertisers. This publication is ©2021 by APG SoMinn and no content can be reproduced without permission.
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UMW/SSA REUNION
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
A GOOD PLACE FOR STUDENTS Former MCGA president reflects on how UMW shaped his farm career
By JULIAN HAST julian.hast@apgsomn.com
W
hen Brian Thalmann graduated from high school, he knew he wanted to go to an agriculture-based college. His advisor encouraged him to look at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. The problem was, he had no interest in going to a four-year university. “I didn’t have a huge desire just to spend a whole bunch of time in philosophy class,” Thalmann said. Seeking the opportunities that college can offer aspiring farmers, but anxious Brian Thalmann to get back home and farm, he enrolled in the University of Minnesota-Waseca, a two-year technical college of agriculture, in fall 1986. He earned his associate degree in agribusiness management at UMW before going on to the University of Minnesota to earn his bachelor’s in applied
economics. Speaking about his time at UMW, Thalmann said the connections he made, the hands-on education he got and the confidence he built were essential influences in his career path. Today, Thalmann operates Thalmann Seeds Inc., a fifthgeneration 2000-acre corn-and-soybean operation outside Plato, Minnesota — in McLeod County — where he grew up on a family farm that’s been operating since 1877. He was also elected to the National Corn Growers Association board in 2020, after serving as president for the Minnesota Corn Growers Association from 2018 to 2019. In terms of his education at UMW, Thalmann appreciated the way his instructors applied the material students were learning in class to their career interests within agriculture. For farmers like Thalmann who wanted to translate their knowledge into applicable skills — actually doing the things they were talking about, rather than just talking about them — that clear application made the classroom experience much more interesting. More than just education, though, Thalmann emphasized how the extracurricular activities he took part in, including sitting on the Board of Regents as a student representatives, influenced his thinking as he entered adulthood. Being able to communicate with both his peers
and with those older than himself gave him experience he used later to advance his own career back on the farm. Sometimes, he said, reflecting on his time on the Board of Regents, he was even able to provide input on issues like infrastructure. “I give them credit for looking at me once in a while,” Thalmann said. The best part, though, was the people he met there — the faculty, staff, fellow students and even members of the administration. During his time in student government, he worked with the college dean to implement higher student fees to fund an improved computer lab, which he believed many students wanted upgraded. “It was always a struggle keeping Waseca funded the way it should be,” Thalmann said, reflecting on how the Twin Cities campus often received the bulk of the university’s funding due to its far larger student population. He lamented the eventually closing of UMW in 1992 on the heels of the farm crisis of the 1980s, a time of high interest rates and low farm incomes that led many kids to find careers other than agriculture, resulting in a reduction of students at colleges of agriculture like UMW. “It was so sad that that all got lost,” Thalmann said. “There was a very strong desire by everybody there to make a good place for students.”
By JULIAN HAST julian.hast@apgsomn.com
G Dave Ziegler was the research manager at the University of Minnesota Southern Research and Outreach Center for 40 years, before retiring in January. (Submitted photo)
A PASSION FOR DAIRY
Retired dairy researcher credits UMW faculty for influencing career path
rowing up on a dairy farm in Green Isle, Minnesota, a town of 330, Dave Ziegler wasn’t sure that a big university was for him. It was a conundrum, as he was interested in agriculture and wanted the opportunities that college had to offer. “I came from a large family, and Dad said, ‘Farm’s not big enough for all the boys,’” he said. Ziegler was intrigued when he discovered the University of Minnesota-Waseca — a two-year technical college of agriculture with a small campus that was close to his home in Sibley County. He enrolled in the summer of 1974. In January, Ziegler retired following a distinguished 40-year career as the research manager at the University of Minnesota’s Southern Research and Outreach Center, overseeing research into animal nutrition on part of the former UMW campus. Thinking about what guided him down that career path, Ziegler looks back to his UMW dairy classes. “I had some pretty good dairy nutrition teachers,” he said, describing how his professors sparked his long-term academic interest in feeding and managing cows. The passion of his dairy nutrition professor made an impact on him in those years, as did John Fulkrod’s chemistry courses. “Their passion for what they did, and how well they taught — I think that’s what got me really interested,” Ziegler said.
After earning his associate degree from UMW in 1976, Ziegler went on to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to obtain his bachelor’s degree, a decision he said would not have happened — for him or for many of his classmates who made the same move — had he not discovered the two-year college first. It was a common theme, he said, adding that a lot of young people he knew who grew up on farms were intimidated by a big university. Places like UMW served as stepping stones for some members of those communities to get their bachelor’s degrees. Like other UMW alumni, Ziegler was disappointed by the school’s closure in 1992, saying he felt it still had a lot to offer the industry. On the other hand, he understood that the landscape was changing — a sharp increase in the size of farms along with a dramatic drop in the number of farms across the country, combined with increasing specialization in agricultural jobs. All these factors combined to produce fewer young farmers looking to enroll in twoyear colleges like UMW. Despite that, he still believes UMW could have provided a good learning experience for a lot of young farmers. When Ziegler thinks about what made his time at UMW great, though, it’s more than just academics. Those two years were also the years that he played on the school’s basketball team and where he made many close friends, almost all of whom stayed in agriculture. Those friendships turned out to be lifelong. “I still get together with people who I played basketball with 45 years ago,” he said.
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UMW alum Kevin Paap elected to Blue Earth County Board of Commissioners following 16 years as MFBF President Kevin Paap, a 1981 graduate from the University of Minnesota-Waseca, is a busy man. After serving as the 13th president of the Minnesota Farm Bureau Federation for 16 years, a run that will end voluntarily in November 2021, Paap was elected to the Blue Earth County Board of Commissioners this past election cycle where Kevin Paap he will serve the communities of Amboy, Good Thunder, Lake Crystal, Vernon Center and Precinct 1 and 3 of Mankato, among others.
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TOP LEFT: UMW Chancellor Ed Frederick poses with the school’s mascot, Ramus, and unidentified student. (Photo courtesy of Waseca County Historical Society)
Paap graduated from UMW with a degree in crop production. He currently resides in Garden City, Minnesota with his wife, Julie, where they own and operate a fourthgeneration corn and soybean farm. — Lucas Seehafer
Congrats to UMW & SSA, enjoy the Reunion! Waseca County Historical Society 315 Second Ave. NE Waseca, MN 56093 (507) 835-7700 info@historical.waseca.mn.us
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UMW/SSA REUNION
(Photos courtesy of Waseca County Historical Society)
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UMW/SSA REUNION
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Congratulations on your reunion enjoy your time together!
Southern Research and Outreach Center College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences
We appreciate all your program has brought to Southern Minnesota, Congrats on the reunion!
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UMW/SSA REUNION
Wednesday, August 4, 2021
(Photo courtesy of Waseca Historical Society)
The legacy of UMW is in the people ByANNIE GRANLUND annie.granlund@apgsomn.com
T
he history of the University of MinnesotaWaseca is certainly unique, and what happened to the campus following the school’s closing only adds to the unparalleled narrative. Regardless of where it came from and what came of it in the end, during its years of operation the school did what every university aims to do: provide students with a top-notch education and open doors to endless opportunities. Perhaps nobody has a better understanding of the
unparalleled life of the state university situated in the tiny southern Minnesota town than Ed Frederick, the school’s former chancellor. In 1964, Frederick moved to Waseca to become the superintendent of what was then called the Southern School of Agriculture and Experiment station. He had already worked for the University of Minnesota system in Crookston as an animal scientist and teacher for six years, and though he had several job opportunities present themselves at once, Frederick said his heart has always been in agricultural education. “I had been in agriculture all my life, it was a passion I
picked up from being on the farm and being in 4-H,” Frederick said. “I had a number of opportunities that year and Waseca was the one I picked — and I’m glad I did.” What Frederick said he found at that Waseca school was the true “hub of agriculture” not only in the state but in the country. “This was all happening at the height of agriculture in Minnesota and the country,” Frederick said. “Waseca was a great place for farming and ag, and this was a very different and unique school.” When Frederick first came on board, the university
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still served as a residential school for high school students interested in agriculture. The students would spend the off season at the school learning in a classroom setting and then return home to their family farms for six months of continuing education. “It had a tremendous impact on the roughly 1,000 graduates in the area that came from that school,” Frederick said. By 1969, the state legislature discontinued residential schools for high school students like the one in Waseca, but since it was a four-year program the last class did not depart from the school until 1973. In its place was the two-year technical college that Frederick said continued to stand out from the rest. “This was a year-round, hands-on institution,” Frederick
UMW/SSA REUNION
said. “All the education courses used agriculture examples in them — it didn’t matter if it was biology or math.” Frederick became the provost of the school and later chancellor, staying there until the campus closed in 1990. It is estimated that more than 5,000 graduated from college during the course of its more than 20-year history. Despite the school no longer operating, however, Frederick says that the legacy of the school lives on in a very specific way. “The legacy of UMW is in the people who graduated,” Frederick said. “Our graduates have held leadership positions up and down the agriculture world from sitting on boards to chairing ethanol plants to being state commissioners.”
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As the reunion of the school approaches, Frederick said the purpose of the event is to honor those graduates and their success because ultimately that is the true measure of what the school was able to accomplish. “That college was based on a strong program, but our success completely depended on what those graduates did,” he said. “This was a unique school — there is no question about that — but my motto always was that this place is for students and serving students is what we did.” “I am proud of what they’ve done and what they’ve accomplished,” he said. Reach Reporter Annie Granlund at 507-444-2378 or follow her on Twitter @AnnieGranlund. ©Copyright 2021 APG Media of Southern Minnesota.
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UMW/SSA REUNION
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Ed Frederick, standing in a field on the University of Minnesota-Waseca campus, shares information about the work being done on campus. (Photo courtesy of University of Minnesota)
Longtime staff members say goodbye to UMW
T
he following people have worked at the University of Minnesota, Waseca, from the very beginning of the school’s existence. Below they offer reflections about what the school’s closing means to them.
Vicki Gleason Twenty-three of my 25 years working for the U of M have been at Waseca. UMW is
This story was first printed in the Waseca County News story in 1992. home and where many of my friendships were made. My best experiences have been working with and becoming friends of many students, attending athletic events, working at track events and on the “chain gang” of home football games, a member of the UMW women’s bowling team which won three championships and had fun participating in the state tournaments, a member of the women’s card club, and attending the annual UMW women’s fishing trip.
I know I will always have good memories of these and other activities too numerous to mention. I also liked and enjoyed my job and had the pleasure of working with two great bosses: Gary Sheldon and Bob Pickert. The worst time is now. The announcement of the closing of UMW was very traumatic and the stress of locating new jobs is great. Friendships were and will be separated but many will continue after UMW is gone. Although it feels like a death we all still need to be excited and motivated
about our future. UMW will always be special to me and I have many happy and fond memories.
Jacqueline Storby
Having taught at the Southern School of Agriculture and the University of Minnesota, Waseca for 28 years, needless to say it has been a major portion of my life. To see it come to a close is a travesty. The type of education that was offered at
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these institutions was unique and special. The change and growth in the facilities for their particular needs was one of leadership and future direction for the agricultural fields. Probably the one outstanding feature was the closeness, friendliness and “one large family” environment for the students, faculty and staff. In a small educational community where individual attention, individual progress, individual success are remembered will be pleasant memories for me.
UMW/SSA REUNION
with great excitement and anticipation that I accepted a faculty position in the biology department at the new institution in August 1971. The first college faculty gathered during the last part of August to plan for the start of classes in September. It was a challenging prospect to walk into an institution where the basic philosophy had been laid, but beyond that there was essentially a blank slate to create a unique type of educational experience. Specifically, I walked into quite barren laboratories (although some equipment had been ordered) and Al Ward started by first ordering supply catalogs so I could Twenty-one years ago we drove into Waseca to interview at a new college being created to serve rural then order equipment. Soon the laboratories started to look ready and the first college students arrived. Minnesota. Barb and I both immediately liked the town, the college and the prospect of regular income. The faculty spent many hours writing curricula which fit the special mission of the campus. I remem Starting in July 1971, I discovered that we were designing and constructing a college at the same time ber spending a great deal of time writing audio-tutorial laboratories for biology which were tailor-made as people were coming to it. It was a little like trying to build a plane while in flight. for our technical focus. As a teacher you just couldn’t Looking back, I see clearly that many of our ideas take commercial educational materials and expect and programs were visionary, idealistic and ahead them to work in our situation. of the times. I am convinced that what we created at It has been very rewarding over the years to see so UMW is deserving of emulation. many students blossom at UMW. In many respects UMW will live on in the hearts and minds of the UMW has been a magical place. I have often obstudents who attended here. Our alumni will serve as served unsure, timid students come to UMW and an eloquent living memorial of all that was good at through their coursework and student activities leave this college. with a sense of reassurance and confidence. While the politics and funding decisions of the It has also been a pleasure over the years to work university have changed, we all can be proud that we with so many talented faculty and staff. The associawere an important part of this university for a time. We can best serve this college and its memory by be- tion with these people has made working at UMW ing a vital part of university affairs, local community a true bright spot. Their support during the last two leadership and national or international activity. Let’s years as I took on the leadership of the academic and keep the traditions of excellence alive as we celebrate student areas has made the job much easier, even in light of the campus closing. all that was good about UMW. I know all of us at UMW are saddened by the campus closing, the loss of two-year agriculturally related Kathy Hanna education and the lost opportunities for students. But the move of faculty to new positions across the coun In July 1971 I had lived in the Waseca commutry and the success of our students will also enhance nity for a year and had watched with anticipation as news of a new college of the University of Minnesota those new units and perhaps keep many of our ideas increasingly appeared in the local newspaper. It was flourishing and growing.
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Alum seek to continue UMW, SSA legacy through donations, scholarship opportunities
D
espite closing its doors permanently in 1992, the University of Minnesota, Waseca and its preceding iteration, the Southern School of Agriculture, live on, at least in the abstract, due to the work of Cindy Glamm and the school’s alumni association. Glamm, a 1978 UMW graduate who serves as the president of the association’s board, works with her fellow 18 board members to keep alumni in touch and abreast as to what other alumni are up to. The board meets four times throughout the year, during which key decisions are made such as which initiatives and/or businesses will receive charitable donations from the group. Ag in the Classroom, a series of educational programs aimed at improving the agricultural literacy of preK-12 students, as well as Farmamerica have been the two primary beneficiaries of its donations in the recent past, according to Glamm. However, the association’s primary goal is keeping the legacy for UMW and SSA alive by providing scholarship money for the children and grandchildren of alums who are looking to further their post-high school education. A student is eligible to apply for one of two $500 scholarships during their senior year of high school or freshman year of college. “That’s one of our big things that we really stress and try to keep on top of [in order to] keep UMW in the mix so it’s not forgotten,” Glamm said. “All the alumni were there for a reason, so we’re trying to help support the next generation.” Although the scholarships were originally intended to be awarded to students who would be studying ag in some capacity, the association has modified the criteria to include children and grandchildren of alums who will be attending either a two- or fouryear college or university, regardless of major. “We’re trying to get as many younger generations as we can,” Glamm said. This year’s recipients were Emily Burns, daughter of Curt Burns, who attended UMW from 1989-90, and Isaac Rott, the grandson of David Rott, who graduated from SSA in 1961. Learn more about the alumni association at University of MN Waseca Alumni on Facebook. — Lucas Seehafer
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The purpose of the University of Minnesota Technical College Waseca is to prepare students to earn a living as semi-professional or midmanagement personnel in the broad fields related to agriculture. The programs offered at the college are designed to educate the individual, not only for immediate entrance level positions, but also for the possibility of job change which he may well experience during his working life. The curriculum includes opportunities for developing knowledge, skills, attitudes and leadership abilities. It also offers a wide range of cocurricular activities which will contribute to the preparation of students for the roles they will undertake as responsible members of a democratic society.” — University of Minnesota Bulletin, Technical CollegeWaseca, 1971-73
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