Great Grads One of the most telling indicators of a university is measured by the success of its graduates. President’s Message You can measure a university’s stature in many ways. Here are some broad characteristics that define MSUM: ▸ the highest number of CASE professors in the region, ▸ great graduates with excellent jobs, superb graduate and medical school acceptances, and great futures, ▸ highly engaged students who win national and regional competitions in their fields and obtain prestigious internships, ▸ high levels of student engagement for our seniors compared with peer institutions. In the following pages, we’ll look at some of these concepts in greater detail. You see, I believe one of the most telling indicators of a university is measured by the success of its graduates, and we’ve got some really great grads with really great stories to tell. Best wishes,
Edna Mora Szymanski President, MSU Moorhead
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Great Grads 2013
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Grad Receives Prestigious Fulbright Award
Physics Grad Lands Coveted Spot in Creighton Physics Program
Faculty support is an inspiration
Research, internships and student competitions build strong academic foundation
Kimberly Ehrlich, Communication Arts and Literature & English with Writing Emphasis, Spring 2013
Kimberly didn’t come to MSUM with a major in mind, but she knew she wanted to travel internationally after a Rotary Youth Exchange to Japan. An English professor guided and supported her through a challenging sophomore year, and she chose a double major in the English Department. “A lot of professors have inspired and challenged me. They want students to take their experiences and develop into great people.” Kimberly honed her leadership and writing skills as a four-year member of the Student Senate and a section editor on The Advocate student newspaper. She developed to her fullest potential and was rewarded for her effort by receiving a Student Fulbright to Taiwan for the 2013-14 academic year. The competitive program only selects 10 to 15 percent of student applicants for this prestigious honor, and she beat out many applicants from Ivy League schools. “MSUM is a shining star. It provides so many opportunities to get involved and to be individually recognized. The MSUM community is supportive, not competing against you. There are so many great professors and people who are dedicated to making you a great person.”
SELECTED MSUM FACTS ▸ MSUM has more Carnegie Professors of the Year (10, including one national winner) than any other university or college in the five-state region, including 2013 winner Brian Wisenden. ▸ The Society of Actuaries categorized the Mathematics Department’s Actuarial Program as an Advanced Undergraduate Program, one of only three universities in Minnesota so categorized. ▸ The Society of Physics Students (SPS) has been named a “Distinguished SPS Chapter” by the National Council, awarded to about 10% of chapters nationwide. ▸ The Cinema Arts and Digital Technologies Department received a 2012-13 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Academic and Student Affairs award for Excellence in Curriculum Programming. ▸ Counseling and Student Affairs graduates earned 100% pass rate on the Counselor Preparation Comprehensive Examination and the National Counselor Examination. ▸ School of Business is among the top 5% of business schools accredited by AACSB International. Student ranking in national ETS Major Field Test in Business: Accounting & Finance students—top 13%. ▸ 100% – Completion rate, retention rate and job placement rate of Counseling and Student Affairs graduates.
Shouvik Bhattacharya, Physics, Spring 2013 Shouvik’s resume is rich with research experience and presentations; his laboratory skills honed as a teaching and research assistant; and his career preparation fine-tuned with internships and awards. Shouvik completed two prestigious physics internships—the American Institute of Physics Career Pathways Project and the American Association of Variable Star Observers. Among Shouvik’s plethora of awards: Society of Physics Students Leadership Scholarship; National Society of Physics Student’s Reporter Award to attend the American Physical Society’s annual meeting; and a bronze medal in the University Physics Competition, an international contest for undergraduate students. “To put that we placed in an international competition on a resume for a future employer or on an application for graduate school will set us apart from other applicants,” Shouvik said. His MSUM experience and strength of his resume secured him a spot at Creighton University’s highly regarded physics department, where he is enrolled in their master’s program in physics, with a research concentration in astrophysics. “The opportunities here for hands-on learning and experimenting are incredible. The professors are so accommodating and yet so driven to really reach out to students. All of the experiences and classes I’ve had here have prepared me very well.”
More Great Grads Jasmine Maki, Mass Communications, features reporter, The Grand Forks (N.D.) Herald. Jamie Anderson, Counseling and Student Affairs, licensed school counselor, West Fargo (N.D.) Public Schools, Osgood Kindergarten Center. Adam Brant, Film & TV Production, freelance cinematographer, PBS, Target, FOX, Food Network, CGI Communications and more, Fargo. Jennifer Dobis, Biochemistry and Kiesha Bullock, Biology, both in the medical school program, University of North Dakota School of Health and Medical Sciences. Charly Haley, Mass Communications (multimedia journalism), reporter, The Jamestown (N.D.) Sun. Lyndsey Langsdon, Anthropology, archaeological technician, Metcalf Associates, Bismarck, N.D. Lucas Byzewski, Computer Information Technology, IT specialist, City of Moorhead. Conor Holt, Film Studies, intern at Psychic Bunny Media Company, Los Angeles, and R&D intern at Marvel Studios, Manhattan Beach. He recently screened two of his student film projects, “Storytime” and “A Better Life,” at Twin Cities-based film festivals. Angela Norlien, Communication Studies, received a graduate assistantship at Minnesota State University, Mankato.
Great Grads 2013
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Alum Graduates from Intern to Editor of Area Magazines
Alum Interns with the Smithsonian American Art Museum
Professors gave real-world boost for career
Faculty encouragement, guidance fostered his growth
Andrew Jason, Mass Communications, Spanish, Fall 2012
Joshua Gates, Political Science, Cum Laude, Spring 2013
Andrew participated in many MSUM activities to prepare for a journalism career. He was arts and entertainment editor of The Advocate, a member of Students Today Leaders Forever and Fuego Tropical, and a world traveler via Eurospring.
Joshua found his passion and drive while interning at the university’s Archives Office, setting him on a career path matching his interests and major.
His go-getter attitude and the knowledge and encouragement gleaned from his professors paved the way for Andrew to rise quickly from intern to editorial director at Spotlight Media Inc., a Fargo-based publishing company. Real-world experiences at MSUM prepared him well for the pressures and deadlines of putting out four monthly magazines. “It is imperative that you get real-world experience. That’s what makes the difference and will separate you from the rest of the crowd. They (faculty) were very helpful in preparing me for my career.” “Every day, I communicate with people. The closer you become with someone, and the more relaxed they feel, the better the information they’ll give you. That is essential when you are a journalist. I improved on these skills through many of the extracurricular activities I was involved in at MSUM. It truly prepared me for anything and everything.”
SELECTED MSUM ACHIEVEMENTS ▸ The physics team of Meredith McLinn, Pragalv Karki and Shouvik Bhattacharya earned MSUM a bronze medal, and was the top performing team from the U.S. in the University Physics Competition, an international contest for undergraduate students. The team notably defeated NDSU, Georgia Institute of Technology, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. ▸ Film production student Miah Detjen’s film “Daddy” was a finalist in the My Hero International Film Festival. ▸ Accounting graduate Bradley Ostendorf was one of 39 winners out of 92,000 CPA candidates to receive the American Institute of CPAs 2012 Elijah Watt Sells Award. It’s given to candidates who have obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination. ▸ Prof. Brian Wisenden and undergraduate researchers Randy Sutrisno and Phil Schotte had their paper, “Fin-flicking behaviour as a means of cryptic olfactory sampling under threat of predation,” accepted for publication in the peer-reviewed journal Ecology of Freshwater Fish. This is Sutrisno’s third peer-reviewed paper and Schotte’s second. ▸ Mass Communication majors Lane Zyvoloski, Bryce Haugen and Kaitlyn Teske were honored nationally by the Society of Professional Journalist’s 2012 Mark of Excellence Awards. ▸ Computer Science students Ashraf Kamel, Joseph Nosie and Dan Stueve placed 2nd out of 45 teams in the Midwest Instruction and Computing Symposium. ▸ MSUM’s Horizonlines.org was a national finalist in the 2012 EPPYTM Awards presented by Editor & Publisher magazine.
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“I’ve always loved history, but working in Archives brought clarity to what I want to do.” He presented his research at regional history conferences and attended The Society for Military History Conference. He landed a prestigious summer internship with the Curatorial Office of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, working with the museum’s exhibitions, acquisitions and the national collection. This fall he’ll attend the University of (Newark) Delaware to pursue a master’s degree in historic preservation and a certificate in museum studies. He received a 90 percent tuition scholarship and an annual research stipend of more than $16,000. Gates credits several professors across campus departments for fostering his personal and professional growth through encouragement and guidance. “I thank them for providing a warm, endearing atmosphere that allowed me to become the person I am today that keeps persevering despite how tumultuous the path may be. Had I not attended MSUM, quite frankly, I do not know what I would be doing.”
More Great Grads McCal Joy Johnson, Art & Design, co-founder of “Abbetors Letters,” an educational software application company, Fargo. Jaime White, Anthropology, Peace Corps to Mongolia. Samantha Buhr, Geosciences, well-site geologist, Sunburst Energy, Billings, Mont. Brett Johnson, Art & Design, art teacher, Mapleton. Amanda LeGare and John Edmonds, both Counseling and Student Affairs, and both academic advisors, M State, Moorhead. Megan Larson, Art & Design, attends the Manhattan Graphics Workshop in New York, N.Y. Simone Leclaire, Film Studies, Master’s in Cinema program at New York University, New York. Larissa Harris, Anthropology, M.A. program in Anthropology, University of Manitoba (with a $4000 scholarship). Robert McDermott, Film Studies, Master of Fine Arts program in Film Production at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. Mara Paulson, Art & Design, graphic designer, Myriad Devices, LLC, Fargo. Sumit Tuladhar, Computer Information Systems, programmer/analyst, Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota, Fargo. Josephine Stromseth, Art & Design, accepted to the Eastern Virginia Medical School to study art, Norfolk, Va.
Minnesota State University Moorhead
Education Grad Attending UND Resident Teacher Program
Accounting Grad Joins Area’s Premier Accounting Firm
Alum gained lots of classroom experience as an undergraduate
Competitive internship moves to permanent job at Eide Bailly
BreAnne Gregory, Elementary Inclusive Education, Spring 2013
Jeffrey Johnson, Accounting, Summa Cum Laude, Spring 2013
BreAnne transferred from M State in Fergus Falls to MSUM to pursue a teaching career. “MSUM fit everything I wanted. It was close to home and had a great education program,” she said.
After spending four years in the service, Jeffrey wanted to attend college close to his home. He was impressed by MSUM’s reputation and efficient transfer process and knew the school would be a good fit. He was active in the accounting club, student advisory board and Beta Gamma Sigma, but it was the guidance of his accounting professors that helped Jeffrey find his niche.
BreAnne participated in Education Minnesota Student Program, Student Council for Exceptional Children and International Reading Association Alpha Upsilon Alpha. She credits Professor Rebecca Theisen for contributing to her college success.
“They’ve all been in the accounting field and have real-world experience. They were very helpful in sharing their experiences, which helped me “She was always available to help and made sure I maintained on the right track academically. Many professors have inspired me to be a better teacher. find the field I might want to work in.” The Education Department is truly full of caring, driven, awesome people.” Jeffrey landed a competitive accounting internship at Eide Bailly, LLP, a top 25 regional accounting firm. Upon graduating and receiving the She is working toward her master’s degree in elementary education Outstanding Accounting Graduate Award, his internship progressed at the University of North Dakota and also teaching at Lake Agassiz into a permanent position as a business evaluation analyst. “I think it’s Elementary in Grand Forks, N.D. going to be a good fit for my future goals,” he said. “The practicum experiences in the education program provide a lot of real “The size was great at MSUM. It was large enough where you had professors classroom experience, allowing me to work first-hand with students and get who had real-world experience and really knew what they were doing, but a feel for how I want my future classroom to run. I feel this put me ahead of small enough where you can get to know those professors.” a lot of other people just starting in the field.”
SELECTED MSUM FACTS ▸ Paralegal is 1 of 74 programs in the nation approved by the American Bar Association (one of two MN/ND public universities offering a B.S. degree), with 90-95% of graduates employed in law professions.
More Great Grads Gabriel Hertler, Counseling and Student Affairs, mental health counselor, South Dakota State University, Brookings. Christina Grimsley, Communication Studies, assistant event coordinator, French’s Point, Bangor, Maine.
▸ 90.5% pass rate by Social Work graduates on the licensure exam. National average is 78%.
Amber Cleveland, Paralegal, Vogel Law.
▸ Students in our Speech-Language Pathology graduate program enjoy 100% job placement.
Meridith Ramsey, Geosciences, awarded a research assistantship in the master’s program in Environmental and Conservation Science, North Dakota State University.
▸ Over 55 alumni have been named Teacher of the Year in their state or district. MSUM has more awardees than any other North Dakota or Minnesota university.
Annie Jirele and Sara Alsup, both Paralegal, completed summer internships at the worldwide law firm of Robins, Kaplin, Miller and Ciresi in Minneapolis.
▸ The School of Business’s new Executive Mentorship Program matches students who are preparing to transition to the workplace with mentors who have experience related to each student’s major.
Rachel Hettich, Economics, received a full scholarship, health insurance and a hefty stipend to pursue a master’s degree in applied economics at Purdue University. Amanda Brown, Counseling and Student Affairs, licensed school counselor, AdaBorup High School.
▸ New programs and initiatives include: o B.S. Project Management o New certificate programs: Entrepreneurship, Doing Business in China, Professional Ethics, Professional Writing, Professional Communications, Visual Communication
Ryan Daly and Fariha Rahman, both Economics, were accepted into North Dakota State University’s Applied Economics program.
▸ Only Minnesota state university offering an undergraduate degree in Health Services Administration.
Vaneesha Dusoruth, Economics, studying Advanced Policy Analysis at the University of Minnesota.
Anthony Lau, Economics, studying urban planning at the University of Minnesota.
Nick Enger, Economics, pursuing a master’s degree in Finance and Accounting at his alma mater.
Great Grads 2013
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Grad Hired for Competitive Ad Agency Internship
Speech Pathologist Joins Sanford Team On-campus clinic provides real-world career preparation
Campus experiences help her beat out 175 candidates Hannah Savoy, Communication Studies, Magna Cum Laude, Spring 2013
MSUM’s small campus and nurturing environment provided the ideal opportunity for Hannah to embrace many social and academic opportunities to develop life skills. As a student orientation counselor, tour guide, resident assistant and Dragon Ambassador, she gained communication, organization and marketing proficiency that led to two campus internships: one in Dragon Athletics and one as Homecoming coordinator. She credits that real life experience for landing a highly competitive internship with Sundog, one of the largest marketing firms in Fargo. Hannah beat out a pool of 175 candidates for the highly coveted position by creating a Pinterest board and participating in an intense speed interviewing process. During the final interview, she tackled a real-life work dilemma by proposing solutions and strategies. She is now an account manager intern at Bolster Creative, a brand management agency in Minneapolis. “I received a great education at MSUM. I am confident of my abilities and what I can do in the future. It’s been a fantastic experience to learn how to become a solid team member and leader and to have these important life skills.”
SELECTED MSUM ACHIEVEMENTS ▸ Photographers Caitlin Abram, Ashley Wegh, Roni Delany, Haley Frost, Ashley Transgrud and Kristen Perala were finalists for the Photographer’s Forum Annual College Photo Competition. ▸ Mass Communications student Macy Egeland received the Don Shelby Journalism Scholarship from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Upper Midwest Chapter/Foundation. ▸ MFA graduate students Whitney Walters, Jamee Larson, and Allegra Barlow and undergraduates Katie Hansen, Maggie Olson presented papers at the Sigma Tau Delta 2013 International Convention. ▸ Physics major Iwnetim Abate placed in the top three out of 200 students from across the U.S. at the National Collegiate Research Conference for research he did last summer at the California Institute of Technology. ▸ Business Administration majors Whitney Jensen and Gavin Doppler received awards for reaching the finals in all events they entered at the Minnesota Collegiate DECA Career Development Conference. ▸ Construction Management students won the Heavy-Civil Division of the Region IV Associated Schools of Construction student competition, beating out 31 teams from a seven-state area. ▸ Bioscience majors Cory Sailer and Sonny Radenic had a chapter published in the book “Zebrafish Protocols for Neurobehavioral Research.” ▸ A short film created by five students was accepted into and screened at the International Shorts Program of the Albuquerque (N.M.) Film & Media Experience. ▸ Philosophy major Lance Pearson presented his research paper, “A Moral Accounting of Unrequited Love: Perspectives from both Hume and Kant” at the 2013 Minnesota Philosophical Society Undergraduate Conference. ▸ Conor Holt and Simone Leclaire, Cinema Arts & Digital Technologies, presented research papers at the Midwest Popular and American Culture Association Conference.
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Amanda Nordby, Speech Pathology, Fall 2013 Knowing she would like to pursue a career in the medical field, Amanda followed her aunt’s advice (a speech pathologist herself) and gave MSUM’s Speech Pathology Department a chance. Soon after taking an introductory class, she realized how perfect the program fit her personality. “In speech therapy you really get to interact one-on-one with patients,” Amanda said. “The professors are awesome at MSUM. We have some professors who are authors of some of the books we use, and they all have experience working for so many years prior to coming in to the clinic, so they can offer their hands-on experience.” Working in the on-campus clinic helped set a foundation for Amanda’s job as a pediatric speech-language pathologist at Sanford, Fargo. “MSUM has its own clinic with a lot of clients, so you get experience,” Amanda said, “and the facility is incredible.” “Communication is such a huge thing that so many of us take for granted. Many people need a little help in that area, and people who have strokes or traumatic brain injuries can have that taken away in a second. It’s great to see the progress there.”
More Great Grads William Scott, Social Studies Education, Communication Arts & Literature Education, English teacher, Fargo North High School. Grant Atwood, Counseling and Student Affairs, mental health practitioner, White Earth Nation. Melanie Lang, Elementary Education, Special Education, teacher, Rochester Public School. Kristin (Kirtz) Trelstad, Mass Communications, journalist and ad manager, Hillsboro (N.D.) Banner Danu Vino, Music Industry, business researcher/analyst, Minnesota State University Moorhead. Tyler Kreidlkamp, Economics, inventory control specialist, Bobcat Company, Fargo. Ben Syltie, Graphic Communications, graphic artist, Personal Touch Embroidery and Marketing, Moorhead. Jordan Stark, Graphic Communications, Film Production, videographer/motion graphics animator, Profiles International, Waco, Texas. Tharaka Muthukumarana, Accounting, revenue manager, CPA Hotels in Pennsylvania. Meghan Feir, English and Mass Communications, Music, freelance writer, digital marketing specialist, Minnesota State University Moorhead. Mitch Johnson, Counseling and Student Affairs, assistant director, First Year Programming, Minnesota State University Moorhead. Andrew Sailer, Art, Graphic Design, Photography, photographer, Minnesota State University Moorhead.
Great Grads Total Graduates
Men Women Minority International
1,343 469 741 58 75
Facts from 2013 Graduating Classes
Degrees Awarded
Baccalaureate Masters Specialist Doctorate
1,235 1,101 127 6 1
27% Graduated with Honors
Summa Cum Laude Magna Cum Laude Cum Laude
113 114 141
Graduate School Acceptance 90% – Of students who participate in our pre-professional advising process, 90% are accepted to a medical school of their choice. 85% – Of students reporting their application to faculty advisors, 85% are accepted into professional programs in health related areas. 75% – Of students reporting their application to faculty advisors, 75% are accepted to graduate school programs or law school.
A snapshot of where some graduates attend: Ball State University Central Washington University Claremont Graduate School Clarion University Colorado State University Creighton University School of Law Drake University Law School Florida State University Harvard Law School Iowa State University John Marshall Law School Mayo Graduate School, College of Medicine Medical College of Georgia
Medical College of Wisconsin North Dakota State University Ohio University Purdue University Tennessee State University University of California Riverside University of Delaware University of Georgia University of Illinois University of Iowa, Physician Assistant Program University of Michigan-Ann Arbor University of Minnesota Law School, Medical School
University of Nebraska College of Medicine University of New Orleans University of North Dakota, School of Medicine & Health Sciences, School of Law University of Oregon University of Rhode Island University of South Carolina, School of Medicine University of St. Thomas School of Law University of Utah William Mitchell College of Law
Average amount of debt for graduates: $29,786
At a Glance
Average Class Size: 24
Distinction: More Carnegie Foundation Professors of the Year (10) than any college or university, public or private, in the Dakotas, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin, including the 2010 Outstanding U.S. Master’s Universities and Colleges Professor.
72% of classes have fewer than 30 students
Number of Majors: 82 undergraduate majors with 99 emphases; 14 graduate degree programs
Fall 2013 Headcount: 6,624 (37 states & 58 countries) Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16:1
At a Glance
Great Grads 2013
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MSU Moorhead Graduates Get Hired While we don’t have final employment data for the class of 2013, the most recent data for MSUM’s 2011 graduates who reported being available for employment, 96.3%* were hired in a field of their choice. That’s the highest of all Minnesota state four-year universities. * Source: Data is for FY 2011, based on Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Strategic Performance metric report
Some companies who hire our graduates: American Crystal Sugar Bank of North Dakota Best Buy Bobcat Cargill Case New Holland Digi-Key Eide Bailly Elite Talent Agency Enterprise Rental Car Fiebiger, Swanson, West and Co. Hinrichs & Associates Hormel Integrity Windows Jenny-O McGladrey & Pullen Medtronic Microsoft Monsanto Molokai Nodak Mutual Insurance Northwest Mutual Insurance Percussive Arts Society Phoenix International Polaris RDO Equipment Sanford Health Scheels UPS US Bank Waddell & Reed Wells Fargo World Health Organization
Minnesota State University Moorhead • 1104 7th Avenue South • Moorhead, Minnesota 56563 Information: 218.477.4000 • mnstate.edu Minnesota State University Moorhead is a caring community promising all students the opportunity to discover their passions, the rigor to develop intellectually, and the versatility to shape a changing world. Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer and is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System. This information will be made available in alternate format upon request by contacting Disability Services at 218.477.4318 (voice) or 1.800.627.3529 (MRS/TTY).