MOORHEAD minnesota state university moorhead
magazine
There is only one race— the human race.
SPRING 2017 | Vol. 17, No. 1
The magazine for alumni, friends and community.
DRAGONS GIVE
MSUM students, faculty, staff, alumni and the community rallied together to collect 1 ton of food during Homecoming 2016. MSUM collected 2,114 pounds of food and personal care items for the Great Plains Food Bank and the Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. You can watch MSUM’s 2016 holiday greeting of the Dragons Give effort at youtube.com/MSUMoorhead.
MOORHEAD minnesota state university moorhead
ALUMNI FEATURES
magazine
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8 What is Your Story? 16 Diversity at MSUM 18 The Last Word: Dr. Andrew Conteh 22 Students of the Sphere 27 We Can Do Better 30 Dragons at Northwestern Mutual
NEWS BRIEFS
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5 ShopMSUMDragons.com 6 MSUM Offers New Ed.D. in Educational Leadership 6 18 Online for Minnesota Teachers 7 Colson Releases Book for Science Teachers 7 Art Students Win Local Competition Administration
Staff
President: Anne Blackhurst president@mnstate.edu Provost/Senior VP, Academic Affairs: Joseph Bessie VP, University Advancement Gary Haugo VP, Finance & Administration: Jean Hollaar ’90, ’92 VP, Enrollment Management/ Student Affairs Brenda Amenson-Hill Director of Athletics/Interim Associate VP, Enrollment Management Doug Peters Executive Director, Marketing & Communications: David Wahlberg ’81 Chief Information Officer: Daniel Heckaman Chief Diversity Officer: Donna Brown Chief Human Resources Officer: Ann Hiedeman ’13
Executive Editor: David Wahlberg ’81 david.wahlberg@mnstate.edu Editor: Kristi Monson ’84, ’96 kristi.monson@mnstate.edu Art Director: Derek Lien liende@mnstate.edu Photographer: Dave Arntson ’96 Editorial Team: Danielle Page ’15 Meghan Feir ’13 Katie Faken ’12 Jennifer Donahue Lexi Byler ’17
Minnesota State University Moorhead Magazine is published by the Marketing & Communications Office for the MSUM community of alumni, employees, students, supporters, friends and neighbors. Contact us: kristi.monson@mnstate.edu or 218.477.2110. Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer and is a member of the Minnesota State system.
PRESIDENT’S LETTER Dear Alumni and Friends, ould the original class of 29 students who enrolled at the Moorhead Normal School recognize the campus we now know as Minnesota State University Moorhead? There’s no doubt that the economic, demographic, social, and technological changes of the ensuing 130 years—and the challenges and opportunities they’ve presented—have profoundly affected MSUM. As we’ve evolved and adapted, perhaps our biggest challenge has been staying true to our heritage and identity. This is a challenge MSUM has embraced thoughtfully and carefully over the past three years as we’ve recommitted to our fundamental purpose of providing a transformative education; defined our core values of grit, humility and heart; and identified the strategies we will pursue to achieve our mission. These strategies are anchored by three commitments: focusing relentlessly on student achievement, creating a diverse and inclusive campus community, and being indispensable to Moorhead and the surrounding region. While these strategic anchors will ground us as we navigate a future we cannot imagine, they are also completely consistent with our roots. We were founded to provide access to education so that students, their families, and their communities could achieve their dreams. Our commitment to access has been reaffirmed many times during our history, perhaps most notably in 1968 when President Roland Dille established Project E-Quality to expand access to minority students. Today, access is more important than ever to the students and communities we serve, which are increasingly diverse. Just as MSUM has changed substantially over the past 130 years, so has the community in which we reside. Today, 36 different languages are spoken in the homes of students who attend our Moorhead public schools. This ethnic and linguistic diversity is just one facet of the rich, complex, sometimes complicated diversity that exists within the Moorhead and MSUM communities. Rather than write about why our commitment to diversity and inclusion is important, we’ve chosen to let our alumni and a student tell the story. When you read their essays, you’ll experience first-hand the power of exploration and self-discovery, and the value of creating an environment in which all students can flourish. The essays are a powerful reminder that every student has a story and each of those stories is shaped by the unique background and experiences of the author. I’m proud of the role MSUM has played in helping these alumni—and thousands of others—achieve their dreams. This promise of a better future is something our original 29 students would surely recognize. Best wishes,
Anne
Connect with President Anne facebook.com/PresidentAnne
twitter.com/PrezBlackhurst
NEWS BRIEFS
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EDITOR’S NOTE he magazine team is always looking for ways to tell the stories of lives transformed by MSUM. In this issue, we make it really personal by featuring essays from people like you – alumni and a student – who share intimate and thought-provoking stories of how their MSUM experience transformed their lives. We’ve been telling alumni stories of change, growth and transformation for years, from the early days of the Alumnews tabloid to our recent evolution as Moorhead Magazine. But the theme of transformed lives has emerged even stronger as the university proudly proclaims its core values and embraces its strategic anchors.
Pay it Forward MSUM is committed to transforming students’ lives by finishing the year strong in our mission to fund student scholarships. Just as you were given opportunities through the generosity of strangers, you can pay it forward by continuing the legacy of supporting students. Whether it’s through a phone call from a student or an email from the Alumni Foundation, please help support our students. Give anytime online at donate.mnstate.edu.
I’m extremely thankful to the alumni writers in this issue for revealing a little bit of themselves in this very public way. It is a reflection of our campus, our community and our world. To each, I applaud your courage and honesty. Your words are touching and inspiring and beautifully demonstrate the lifelong impact of an MSUM experience. If you have an interesting story – either yours or someone you know – that can inspire, educate or entertain, please let us know. We are always looking for these kinds of stories to share with our valued alumni and friends. And be sure to check out the online magazine at mnstate.edu/magazine for content that didn’t make the print issue, including a feature on MSUM’s highly successful drag show featuring Kelly Coxsyn ’06 (mass communications), who has hosted the annual Tri-College drag show since its inception. Enjoy. Kristi (Storebo) Monson, ’84, ’96 Editor | kristi.monson@mnstate.edu.
ShopMSUMDragons.com for Your Gear “You’re going to find items here you can’t get anywhere else like sport specific merchandise any time you want it, all year long,” said assistant athletics director Jon Wepking. Advanced-Online has an on-demand and in-house production model that allows orders to be placed, produced and shipped within 72 hours. Alumni, parents, students and fans can purchase Dragon branded merchandise such as apparel, hats, and bags through monthly promotions and discounts.
The month-long scholarship campaign kicks off April 8 at the 9th annual Spring Scholarship Gala. All proceeds directly benefit student scholarships. Purchase tickets online at mnstate.edu/gala or call 218.477.2143. RSVP is required.
Dragon Athletics is partnering with AdvancedOnline to create an online store for licensed Dragon gear at ShopMSUMDragons.com. The store offers more than 1,300 items for Dragon fans, featuring brands like Adidas, Under Armour and Columbia in sizes adult to infant.
Members of Dragon Fire Booster Club and Scorch Squad Kids Club are eligible to receive discounts on merchandise purchased from ShopMSUMDragons.com. Visit GoDragonFire.com or MSUMDragons.com/ScorchSquad for more information on how to join. SPRING 2017
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NEWS BRIEFS
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MSUM offers new Ed.D. in Educational Leadership Classes begin Fall 2017 MSUM will offer a new Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in Educational Leadership beginning Fall 2017 for professionals interested in advancing their careers at both the P-12 and postsecondary levels. Applicants must have at least three years of professional employment and accomplishments within education or a related field, such as consulting, corporate training, human resources or nonprofit leadership. The need for highly trained educational leaders is growing. In a survey of students and alumni of MSUM’s graduate programs in education, 80 percent expressed interest in an online Ed.D. program. “Interested individuals include current principals, superintendents, teachers, special education directors, community education directors, higher education administrators and business professionals,” said Boyd Bradbury, coordinator of MSUM’s Ed.D. program. “Given the level of interest within the first few weeks of accepting applications, there is clear evidence that MSUM’s online Ed.D. is a desired degree.”
Founded as a teacher’s college, MSUM enjoys a solid reputation in graduating well-prepared education candidates and is competitively positioned to offer this doctorate degree. While other doctorate programs are offered regionally and online, MSUM’s program is a practitionerfocused program. “MSUM’s Ed.D. will build skills and foundational knowledge to successfully address organizational, leadership and educational issues and apply these skills through real-world experiences,” Bradbury said. “It will equip graduates for highlevel leadership positions.” Bradbury said there is no other entirely online Ed.D. program offered by a public university in Minnesota or North Dakota. “There are forprofit institutions offering online Ed.D. degrees, but students pay considerably more," he said. “With the exception of two summer residencies, MSUM’s entire Ed.D. is online.” Learn more about MSUM’s Ed.D. at mnstate.edu/doctorate/educational-leadership
Online programs included in U.S. News & World Report rankings Several MSUM graduate programs were named in the 2017 U.S. News & World Report Best Online Programs rankings. MSUM’s online graduate education programs were ranked No. 158 based on the following criteria: student engagement, student services and technology, admissions selectivity, faculty credentials and training and peer reputation. MSUM’s online nursing program and online bachelor’s programs were listed without numerical ranking.
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“The face of college students is evolving, and our commitment to provide engaging, affordable, exceptional educational opportunities that meet the students where they are—at their offices on lunch break, kitchen tables once the dishes are done, coffee houses while they wait for a child to finish music lessons—is a source of our Dragon pride,” said Julie Zaloudek, MSUM’s new dean of Online and Extended Learning. The complete rankings and accompanying profile data can be found at usnews.com/ education/online-education
18 Online 18 Online provides the 18 credits teachers need to become qualified content area concurrent enrollment instructors. It’s the result of HF 3326 and SF 3026 - Northwest Regional Partnership, which appropriated $3 million to provide curriculum development for the Northwest Regional Partnership continuing education program. It’s a collaboration between Lakes Country Service Cooperative, Northwest Service Cooperative and MSU Moorhead. Fifteen content areas have been identified as high need for Northwest Minnesota. Legislative funding provides this program free (up to 18 credits in a content area) to qualified teachers in participating cooperatives. Teachers outside of the cooperatives may be enrolled, space permitting. 18 Online is delivered entirely online with flexible classes delivered by MSUM faculty. Learn more about the partnership and how to enroll at mnstate.edu/18online.
Art students win local competition CenturyLink held a community-wide contest in September asking for technology inspired art with a goal of beautifying community utility boxes. The project was a collaboration between the telecommunications company, the city of Moorhead, MSUM and the Arts Partnership to brighten the community. Of the seven winners, three were MSUM art students—Hanna Loegering, Timothy Schmiesing and Megan Vetter.
Colson releases book for science teachers Anthropology and Earth science Professor Russ Colson and his wife, Mary, recently published “Learning to Read the Earth and Sky,” a book for middle and high school science teachers. The book tells stories from the classroom, stories from real research, and offers example classroom investigations. It examines how classroom science and real research can be alike.
“I think it helps make the community more interesting and beautiful,” said Loegering, a senior graphic communications major. Her piece is titled “Timeknowlogy.” She was intrigued by the contest because of how technology and art are used simultaneously within her major. Vetter, a freshman art student, created a piece called “Control-Command-D” after being inspired by her new Mac computer.
The seven utility boxes are located near MSUM’s campus, each featuring a unique design. The embellished boxes are available for viewing yearround and will last seven to ten years. Visit mnstate.edu/magazine to see the students’ winning designs.
Schmiesing is a freshman illustration and animation student and calls his piece “Ami,” the
Time On My Hands
Carter releases acclaimed album Carter composed most of the music and arranged all of it, while Ryan Jackson, MSUM music industry professor, recorded the drum tracks. He collaborated with 18 other musicians, many of whom worked with Carter on “Gifts,” his first album as a big-band leader.
“It is our hope that readers will find our book short on ‘edu-speak,’ long on the joy of doing science, and full of stories of students, classrooms, scientists, and Earth and sky,” Colson said.
The book is available at nsta.org and on amazon.com.
French word for “friend.” He wanted to visualize a friendship between technology and nature.
The All About Jazz website praises the work.
Allen Carter, a professor in MSUM’s School of Performing Arts, received rave reviews for his newly released big-band album, “Time On My Hands.” The project was partially funded with a university Dille Grant and allowed two jazz studies majors, Kathryn Malaktaris and Matthew Tinjum, to assist with the project.
“To say the result is seamless would be to understate the case. Simply put, it can't be done any better; there are no missteps, and Carter and the band are perfectly in sync. That would be irrelevant, of course, if the music itself were less than admirable. And it is here that Carter reaches his artistic summit, designing melodies and charts that call to mind master craftsmen.”– Jack Bowers “Time On My Hands” is available at amazon.com. SPRING 2017
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There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you. – Maya Angelou
WHAT IS YOUR STORY? s a former advertising copywriter, I’d say ad writers have it easy. They can get people to read their work with attention grabbers like “big sale” or “new and improved.” Add photos of babies or puppies and they’ve got a sure bet. University magazine writers, on the other hand, must work to present topics in compelling ways. Why compelling? Because research connects the time spent reading a magazine to other forms of alumni engagement. So, at its most basic level, the purpose of a university magazine is to be read. Those of us who have a hand in Moorhead Magazine think a lot about which topics people might be interested in reading. For example, research shows you don’t mess with class notes. People really like their class notes. Readers tell us they want to know what’s going on at MSUM. Here’s something of significance; for the past couple of years, MSUM has engaged in some deep, strategic conversations. MSUM has declared that our purpose, in the simplest and most idealistic form, is to transform the world by transforming lives. We defined our core values as grit, humility and heart. You can more read about these declarations and our strategic anchors at mnstate.edu/about/mission.aspx.
Lately, I’ve given a lot of thought to one of these concepts, “creating a campus community that is diverse, inclusive, globally aware and just.” As a white guy in a region that’s 90 percent white, I don’t spend much time thinking about being white. People don’t give me a second look when I enter a store or grab their purse tighter when I pass by. If diversity, in this case my whiteness, is less relevant in my daily life, am I less inclined to read about it? Will the other 90 percent of this community be less willing to read about it? To understand MSUM’s historic and renewed commitment to diversity, we wanted to share several essays around a theme of diversity, each written by an alum with a different experience at MSUM. You see, there isn’t one narrative that tells the story of diversity at MSUM. There are thousands. Understanding these experiences teaches me, and hopefully you, something new. David Wahlberg ’81 (mass communications) Executive Director of Marketing and Communications, MSUM
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Newsflash: I'm gay By Jordan Schroeer ’15 (political science, broadcast journalism) Multimedia Journalist/Weekend Anchor, WDAY-TV I agonized over this moment for hours. I told myself I was going to tell my friends who I really was before, but never could. Thinking I could lose the friends I just made at college, the carefully rehearsed lines no longer seemed right. What did seem right was sitting in the lounge of Grantham Hall, enjoying time with my friends, on the verge of knowing an important part of my life. We just finished looking at houses to live in next year off campus, and everyone was chatting about what house we liked and didn’t like. Finally, after screaming at myself internally to say something, I did. “Before we live together, I think it’s important you all know something,” I say. ‘Oh shit,’ I think. Now they’re all looking at me and I have to say it. “Ummm, I’m not sure how to say this…” I say with my voice trailing off as I look from their faces to the ground.
“Do you need a calculator?” My friend completely unaware of where this conversation is going says. “No.” I say, regretting my final moment to back out. “I’m gay.” Their serious faces turn to smiles. “That’s what you wanted us to know before we live together?” a friend asks leaning forward. “Um, yeah,” I awkwardly reply. In unison, as if rehearsed, they all say, “We don’t care! You’re our friend no matter what.” After years of wondering what that moment would be like, I finally knew. I wasn’t cast out. I wasn’t ‘un-friended.’ I was validated. I was loved. The people I met at MSUM were the first people I ever told I was gay. It was the right place to do it. I could be myself. I knew the other students, staff and faculty would support me so long as I wanted to continue my education and make any contribution to our community and country in my own way. I grew up in a small town where ending your life seemed like a better option than coming out. Back home I’d been called a faggot, homo, queer in front of entire classrooms, in personal conversations and in online chats. No one said anything in my defense. The teacher would turn away, my ‘friends’ would walk away. I knew that wouldn’t happen at MSUM. I knew the university and everyone who calls it home would judge me for my character, not my affinity for a rainbow flag. Shortly after I came out, I saw the renovated sitting area in the center of campus was completed. Engraved on the benches read the words, “And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” I smiled as I walked by. My university helped me blossom. My university helped me gain confidence. My university allowed me to simply, be myself. ■
Anishinaabekaa
(there are a lot of people)
By Karen Branden ’91 (sociology) Professor of Sociology, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Diversity and Social Justice, MSUM When people ask me how to define diversity, I respond by saying we, at the Center, don’t define diversity. We want people to share their stories. If we define diversity we might close the door to someone with a diverse experience or perspective that enhances our world. Diversity between and within groups is a strength in our society. Most scientific research on diversity indicates it makes us more creative, offers more solutions to problems, and develops new ways of thinking and interacting in a complex world. Unfortunately, diversity can be painful. The first time I felt diversity between groups was when I was 11 years old. I was standing on the baseball field waiting to try out for the team. The coach said I couldn’t play because I was a girl. I was confused because I had played baseball my whole life, including the year before playing in a smaller town not too far away. I didn’t realize the only reason girls played there was because there weren’t enough boys! The coach in my new town didn’t give me a chance even though the boys told him I was a good player. My heart was broken that day and I still miss baseball. Whether you are a boy or a girl is often obvious, but some diversity is hidden. I am Ojibwe, Irish, French, German, Norwegian and Swedish. I pass as white even though my lineage is not completely white. My entire adult life I have gravitated more and more to my Ojibwe lineage; it’s something strong and pure in my heart. People look at me and see a white woman, but when they get to know me they see someone else. This part of my identity led to losing a friend recently and clarified the reality that sometimes diversity happens within groups and it can be just as painful. My Ojibwe friend is a beautiful native woman with skin darker than mine. Unlike me, she wears her nativeness daily and sometimes people treat her poorly because of it. I understand her wanting to police identity so nativeness can be protected from white people who claim to be native but do not live native. White people sometimes claim a native identity but do not really know for sure. My friend did not accept the diversity of my story and has “unfriended” me. I am deeply saddened about this loss. How do I handle not being Ojibwe enough for some people and too much Ojibwe for others? I am learning more about being Ojibwe from elders. I share my experience so that someone else who passes as white might relate and not feel so alone. My story has its own lessons. Sharing our individual stories leads to something bigger; the reality that diversity is the real weaving of our society even within groups.
Diversity is simply understanding “ranges” and “different experiences.” These definitions acknowledge the institutional features that make some diversity a complication in people’s lives as they strive for education, opportunity, income, wealth or even a voice. We know this is based on color, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religion, ability, and many other features that make us unique. We must understand these social patterns that make life difficult for a broad range of marginalized people. We also need to share our stories so we can always be watchful for new ways our society negatively impacts groups of people. Diversity changes over time as more people share their experiences. This is why it’s important to know the institutional definitions but not let them overshadow the individual experiences. Together, institutional realities and individual experiences tell the whole story of diversity. What does your story mean to your community? It might be more powerful than you think. I know sharing mine lost me a friend, but I didn’t lose myself. ■ SPRING 2017
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My black skin By Lexi Byler ’17 (public relations, advertising, management) Marketing & Communications Intern, MSUM Diversity Chair, Student Senate
I used to wish I were white. Abandoned by my black father, I grew up entirely with the white side of my family. Having me at 19, I was raised by a strong single mother alongside my supportive grandparents. I grew up in predominately white neighborhoods in the suburbs of Minnesota prior to moving to Wisconsin. When I was young, I never understood my blackness. Like most children, my opinions on people were formed by the presents they gave me on my birthday or how easily I could beat them in a game of Candy Land, not by the color of their skin. The innocence of a child can be a beautiful thing. However, there comes a point where the ignorance that used to be bliss ends up inhibiting. I was in elementary school the first time I experienced overt racism. I was swimming at a hotel while on a family vacation with my white siblings. There were two other children in the pool, both white, who began playing with my siblings. I was a reserved child, always quiet and insecure around peers I didn’t know. Observing how much fun they were having, I asked to join. The two children told me I couldn’t play with them because I was black. My heart still sinks at the memory knowing how much courage it took just to ask. Being in a predominately white public school system had its challenges. I was the butt of a lot of black jokes and diversity wasn’t valued the way it should be, socially or educationally. MSUM gave me the freedom to learn about my own diversity. From the outside looking in, people may underestimate the diversity on this campus. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion and its centers have given me an abundance of knowledge about diversity issues and topics. Many staff, faculty, administrators and students are knowledgeable and passionate about diversity. Through the relationships and mentorships I’ve formed, and the learning opportunities the university has provided, I learned to be comfortable in my skin; my black skin. For that, I’ll be eternally grateful. ■
It's different here By Vincent Williams ’03 (social studies, secondary education) and ’11 (M.A. curriculum & instruction) Assistant Principal, Woodrow Wilson High School
Growing up in the inner cities of Chicago and Detroit, my exposure to other racial and cultural groups was limited. The geographical layouts of those cities contributed to my lack of interactions with others because certain ethnic and cultural groups resided only in specific parts of the city. The people I interacted with on a daily basis looked like me, talked like me, thought like me. Therefore, my worldview was “black.” I looked at everything that happened in the world through the lens of an African-American. The opportunity to attend MSUM widened my worldview. As a member of the football team, I formed lifelong friendships with guys who came from places such as Fosston and Dilworth, Minn., Hope-Page, N.D., Miami, Fla., and Riverside, Calif. These friendships helped me to understand cultures and perspectives different from my own. I vividly remember going to Washburn, N.D., for Thanksgiving with one of my teammates and thinking to myself, “What am I getting into?” I had never been to small-town USA before and didn’t know what to expect. My experience in Washburn was awesome! The people were loving, caring and, of course, “North Dakota nice.” I felt as though I had known these people forever. I often laugh thinking about my first experience in an MSUM classroom. The biology course was held in King Hall. After settling in my seat, I looked around the room at the 200 or so other students, none of whom looked anything like me, and thought to myself, “What have I gotten myself into.” Talk about culture shock! I often joked that I would never be able to skip a class because it would be obvious to the professors when I wasn’t there. The faculty made it a point to connect with all of their students and often assigned group projects to help students meet and collaborate with one another. This helped the culture shock I was experiencing dissipate rather quickly. Whenever I visit MSUM’s campus, I am amazed at the level of diversity that exists amongst the staff and student population. There are people from all walks of life, backgrounds, cultures, religions, etc. MSUM’s rich tapestry of diversity provides stakeholders with the opportunity to widen their worldview by learning alongside people who may not look like you, talk like you, or think like you. I believe this to be true for me, personally. ■
Finding my voice By Jerome P. Barney ’72 (Spanish education) Principal Attorney, Barney Law Group, P.L.C. My grandfather was white. My mother is mulatta. I moved from the segregated South to the integrated Hyde Park neighborhood in Chicago. I learned to embrace other cultures, but I am proud of being black. I played basketball at Saint John’s University, earning Honorable Mention All-Conference on the Johnnie 196869 National Championship team. Academically, I was a bit of a screw up. I got a second chance—at basketball and school—when Dragon Coach Marv Skaar recruited me to play for the Dragons. Johnnie Coach Jim Smith vouched for me, according to Marv. I became a real student at MSUM. I wanted to prove to my coach, the president and the guy in the mirror, that I could do better. I was motivated to distinguish myself athletically and academically. Playing on the 1970-71 basketball team is one of the greatest sports stories in the history of Dragon athletics. Led by Mike Berg, Charlie Williams, Steve Colby, Dan Retherford and myself, we had a 24-2 season, won the NIC and lost by one point to Augsburg to advance to the national championship. My Dragon basketball experience launched a sequence of events that catapulted me to many bigger opportunities. MSUM gave me a second chance to prove myself worthy of recognition and success. I’m honored to be a member of the Dragons Sports Hall of Fame with my teammates. My MSUM experience changed my world. Spring 1970 was a transformative time. I became a vocal champion for civil rights after the May 15, 1970 killing of two black students on the Jackson (Miss.) State University campus. It was very emotional for me because I had many relatives who attended Jackson State. There was little reaction on our campus, or in the country, to these killings, yet there had been national outcry of the May 4, 1970 shootings of white students by the Ohio National Guard at Kent (Ohio) State University. When I spoke, students listened. I was a 6’ 6” black dude with an Afro and had become a bit of a public figure on campus. I encouraged the discussion about racial disparity and felt like our voices were heard. MSUM students became sensitive to the movement. I’m proud of how I helped bring these topics forward for public discussion on our campus. We hear a lot about race in America, but in reality, there is only one race—the human race. ■
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Project E-Quality By Abner Arauza ’89 (individualized studies, business administration, management) Retired Associate Director, Multicultural Affairs, MSUM Adjunct Professor, MSUM Consultant, Cultural Programming Services and Grant Writing My family had been migrating between Crystal City, Texas, and Casselton, N.D., to work in the sugar beet fields since 1940. For three decades my family worked summers for the Sinner Brothers and Bresnahan Farms. I attended Southwest Texas Junior College for three semesters after high school. The summer of 1968, George Sinner, who later became governor of North Dakota, asked me what I was going to do after I finished at SWTJC. I wanted to continue my education but I didn’t know if I could afford it. Sinner helped connect me to Moorhead State College (MSC) and a new a program called Project E-Quality. My family had concerns about me attending college in Minnesota. Like most Mexican American families, we were very close and depended on and supported each other strongly. Finances and leaving my family in Crystal City were obstacles, but George Sinner’s suggestion offered an option because there would be other Mexican American students at MSC. I also had the Sinner family support and families we knew through the church we attended in Fargo during the summers. After arriving on campus, I was introduced to staff at the Project E-Quality office. As it turned out, many of the Mexican American students in the program were from my home area: Crystal City, Asherton, Carrizo Springs and Uvalde. One student was from Lubbock and another was from Fargo-Moorhead. We all became fast friends. My family placed great importance on being selfsufficient but mostly within the safety net of the family. This would be my first time away from my family, totally alone and on my own.
administrators, school teachers, business owners, federal program administrators, and state program employees.
As things turned out, my family should not have worried. The director of Project E-Quality Lois Selberg was more than a program administrator. She was an advisor and support services coordinator. She was the mom away from home for many of us. She created opportunities for students—helping them find jobs, admonishing them for not keeping up with their studies, finding tutors, and most significantly, connecting students to faculty, staff and families in the community who welcomed them into their homes and lives.
After graduation, I returned to Crystal City, where I lived until I came back to Moorhead in 1988 as a newlywed. In time, I became head of the Multicultural Support Services Office at MSUM. I had the privilege and extraordinary opportunity to play a role in helping students of color find their strengths, develop their skills, and enhance their knowledge. They did this on their own, really; I just gave them a “guided tour” by pointing out where the opportunities were.
The late 1960s were marked by events of the Civil Rights Movement. Although most Americans are aware of social unrest related to African Americans, some might not know that the ’60s also witnessed a civil rights struggle by Mexican Americans. So, for Mexican American students coming to MSC, including me, this was not just a migration of bodies, but a migration of ideas and beliefs that fostered activism. MSC was a place where students and their philosophies found fertile ground to grow. Mexican American students who arrived at MSC in the late 1960s graduated and went on to become college
I retired from MSUM a few years ago, but you can still find me on campus having lunch with my wife, visiting friends and teaching a class as an adjunct. MSU Moorhead might not have all the answers, nor is it the be-all and end-all institution of higher learning. However, MSUM continues to open doors and provide outstanding support to help students grow. MSUM fosters a spirit of learning and contributing to a better diverse world. It’s a place I look forward to my grandchildren attending. ■ SPRING 2017
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THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD LIES IN THE DIVERSITY OF ITS PEOPLE. – Author Unknown
BY KATIE FAKEN
iversity in educational institutions can mean many things—increasing racial and ethnic enrollment, providing equal access to all socioeconomic classes or accepting differing political and ideological beliefs, among others. This is no different at MSU Moorhead. Diversity presents important learning opportunities in our campus culture and in the daily lives of our students, faculty and staff. MSUM identifies diversity as one of our key factors of success—“embedding and supporting diversity in every facet of the university.” Diversity expands our capacity for viewing issues or problems from multiple perspectives, angles and vantage points. Diversity is always evolving. Here are some ways MSUM strives to help students view the world from a wider lens.
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%
OF MSUM'S GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES FEATURE DIVERSITY-RELATED COURSES
EMBEDDING AND SUPPORTING DIVERSITY IN EVERY FACET OF THE UNIVERSITY
48+ FOUR CULTURAL CENTERS
NINE TYPES OF DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIPS
DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
58+
17
90+
COUNTRIES REPRESENTED ON CAMPUS
DIVERSITY ORGANIZATIONS
MULTICULTURAL EVENTS
WE ARE BEING INTENTIONAL ABOUT DIVERSIFYING OUR FACULTY AND STAFF. BRINGING IN DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES INCREASES STUDENT ENROLLMENT AND RETENTION. WHEN YOU CHANGE THE FACE OF YOUR FACULTY AND STAFF YOU CHANGE THE FACE OF THE STUDENT BODY AS WELL.
Minnesota State University Moorhead (2016)
16.9% 9.9% 78.8% 4.3% TOTAL DIVERSITY
DOMESTIC DIVERSITY
WHITE
UNKNOWN
City of Moorhead (2010 census)
9.28% 90.71% PERSONS OF COLOR
WHITE
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State of Minnesota (2010 census)
12.7 % 85.3%
PERSONS OF COLOR
WHITE
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THE LAST
WORD Ambassador Conteh Has Left The Building “Modesty does not permit me, or allow me, to evaluate myself,” said Dr. Andrew Conteh in a Jan. 25, 2007 interview in The Advocate, MSUM’s student newspaper. After a 31-year career at MSUM, Conteh retired in December and moved to Turlock, Calif. That’s why this profile on one of MSUM’s favorite teachers features not his words but those of alumni, colleagues and friends. It’s a small, edited sampling of well wishes and remembrances of a man who has significantly impacted the lives of thousands of students, hundreds of colleagues, an entire Moorhead community. He is bigger than life. Yet, humble to the core. He knows everyone by name. His voice booms through the hallway. And we always listen. Gentlemen and ladies, ladies and gentlemen, this day will never come again. We already miss you, Professor Conteh.
IT’S TRUE GUYS. I’M LEAVING, BUT I’VE MADE SOME HAPPY, SOME NOT HAPPY. I DID CAUSE A LOT OF TROUBLE FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT I DID ALL IN GOOD FAITH. ALL DONE IN THE NAME OF HIGHER LEARNING AND THE INTEREST OF STUDENTS.” – Andrew Conteh, 2016 Jen Engquist (2009, Spanish): My favorite lesson among the multitudes is from a class when he boldly mandated that each of us, “never do anything to harm the dignity of another human being.” I cherish this and have shared it, to his credit, for nearly a decade. Furthermore, his presence fostered some of my best friendships at MSUM, for which I am thankful always.
At a low point in my academic career I was put on academic probation. I felt lost, like I didn’t belong. I went to his office and I asked for his help. Dr. Conteh literally rubbed my hand and took me where I needed to go. He sat with me and we planned exactly what I needed to do to get out of the rut I was in. It completely changed my life in that moment.
Kayla Abtin Beach (2012, international studies): The best thing I learned from Dr. Conteh is the importance of handholding. Not in the romantic sense of course, but in a sense of simply extending your hand to redirect an individual from a negative situation into a positive direction.
Mike Obach (2006, communications studies): Always one of my favorites, he never passed up a conversation. You could walk into class late and just tell the prof that you “Got Conteh’d” and they’d totally understand.
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TO BE DIFFERENT MEANS ONLY ONE THING: THAT YO THAT’S ALL. AND IF YOU DON’T UNDERSTAND THIS, “We promote an atmosphere that says everyone here is a winner. We’re not out to nominate a star or crown the best presenter—we want to empower students by giving them the opportunity to do presentations in a safe environment and help them to prepare better for the outside world.” – Andrew Conteh, 2008
Nicole Elkin (2006, political science): When it came time for graduation I was considering the Peace Corps. Dr. Conteh was unbelievably supportive. Instead of writing a standard recommendation letter for me, he called my Peace Corps recruiter to push home how good of a fit I’d be for this program. My recruiter was so impressed with Dr. Conteh that he started speaking at MSUM on Peace Corps service. Mike Welkin (2002, East Asian studies): Dr. Conteh had a profound impact on me, my career, and how I interact with colleagues. I am a practitioner in international affairs and in my personal mentorship meetings and lectures I tend to throw in a “Gentlemen and Ladies,” followed a few sentences later with a “Ladies and Gentlemen” as a personal and private call-out to Dr. Conteh. Kayleigh Johnson (2010, political science): I always dreaded speaking in public. The first year I participated in the Student Academic Conference I was sitting next to Dr. Conteh before my presentation started. He asked if I was doing all right. I told him I had never been a fan of public speaking and that I was dreading this day. He told me people came to listen because they were interested in what I had to say, not to judge me. Off the record he then told me Vic’s Bar was a close walk and that if having one beer made me feel better about speaking, I should have it. And then clarified one beer, not two. I didn't have the beer but it made me laugh, and I always think about that when public speaking. Randy Cagle (Dean, MSUM College of Humanities and Social Sciences): I am in the unenviable position of managing Dr. Andrew Conteh. If you know Andrew, you know there’s a bit of irony in that. I find more often that Andrew Conteh leads me on a number of issues and I mean that very sincerely. Andrew’s years of service at MSUM have in no way diminished his passion for transforming student lives and it remains a real inspiration to me in those times when things get busy and challenging. Andrew helps me remember what it’s all about.
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Troy Olson (2010, political science): Dr. Conteh is a human encyclopedia. My wife works at Goldman Sachs, which is really hard to get a job at. She has a coworker who scored five out of 10 on an international relations quiz, and my wife Jackie told her I scored 10 out of 10. Her coworker was impressed and when she told me this I texted back, “Well, she didn’t have classes with Dr. Andrew Conteh.” Dr. Conteh is a human encyclopedia, and he is very generous in giving as much of that encyclopedia to his students. Karen Branden (MSUM Sociology Professor, Director of the Interdisciplinary Center for Diversity and Social Justice): I came here in 1987 and I never had Andrew Conteh for a class, yet somehow I’ve always known him. Because that’s Andrew’s power; he's always there. I can’t imagine a campus without him. “Do you see my point?” The answer to that is, “Yes, Andrew, I do.” Paul Kramer (MSUM Political Science Professor): One of the things he’ll be most remembered for here long after we're all gone is the Student Academic Conference. I was along when he used to go around and try to drum up support for that. I learned the role of diplomacy and doggedness. I’d been a junior lieutenant for this gentleman for about 20 years and we had a unique way of approaching people for what we wanted. The Japanese sometimes refer to it as the Senpai/Kōhai relationship, which means the younger member goes out and barks like an animal to try and get their way and soften up the room, and when the world is tired of listening to that character speak, the good doctor would put up his hand and say, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I have a compromise.” And everybody would say, “Yeah, anything he wants, just give it to him!” And it worked out really, really well. People did not catch onto that routine for many, many years. Bruce Roberts (MSUM Anthropology Professor): I first met Dr. Conteh in 1999. A mutual friend had told Dr. Conteh about me coming and that I had spent a lot of time in Africa. And that was it. He almost ran me over with his bike in the parking lot outside the Center for the Arts and the rest is history. He’s an ambassador in every sense of the word. He has, I think, more than any other faculty member I’ve known, given everything he could for students.
“We are a rare and unique university. Thanks to our faculty, and above all thanks to the administration for giving us this day. This (student academic conference) is the greatest day in the life of this institution. When we show what we have learned we are celebrating learning at its best.” – Andrew Conteh, 1994
U ARE DIFFERENT, OR YOUR VIEWS ARE DIFFERENT. THEN YOU ARE HEADED FOR TROUBLE.” – Andrew Conteh, 2007 “To be educated is a tool of liberation. A tool that provides opportunities. A tool that can be used to cultivate friendships and understanding. It can be used to fight prejudices and discrimination.” – Andrew Conteh, 2013
Ryan Sylvester (1998, mass communications): I knew I needed to take a class from Dr. Conteh during my freshman year sitting in history class with Professor Smemo. He was teaching in the adjacent room. Since his distinct and penetrating voice could be heard through the walls I figured I owed MSU the money for being practically dual-enrolled but only paying for the history course. After one class with him I was hooked. I continued to take courses from Dr. Conteh each semester even though I was a mass communications major. Those courses inspired my future academic pursuits and my career in international/national security law. His departure presents quite the paradox as his presence will surely be missed in the order of an immeasurable chasm but yet his legacy and impact on MSUM and its people are sure to reverberate indefinitely. Tracy Gompf (MSUM Paralegal Professor): I really appreciate Andrew’s inquisitive mind. Almost every day our doors are close enough where I hear, “Professor!” and then silence, and I know he means me. And now it’s time to talk. He has brought up a variety of topics that have forced me to work through Google, Wikipedia, every book in my office, and other people. Just as an example in the last week I think we talked about migration, Vatican City, IRS law, power politics, the role of the U.N., paper tickets versus electronic tickets, human rights, how to raise children, appropriate professional dress, manners of boys when they come to your home to see your daughters, and it continues. These are daily conversations that show what an inquisitive and wonderful mind he has. Kay Randall (1987, criminal justice): One day after class a few of my classmates were talking to Dr. Conteh about something we’d been discussing that day in class. As usual I was one of the last to leave. Dr. Conteh turned to me and said, “You know you’d make a great lawyer.” That was the first time someone who I admired that much believed in my ability to go on to grad school. I was a poor kid, a single mother and I was the first person in my family to attend college. It was because Dr. Conteh believed in me that I believed in myself and went on to law school. I have always seen him as one of the most influential people in my life. Michael Rein (1991, political science, social studies): We’re taking notes like every other class of his and all of a sudden Dr. Conteh turns around and notices we’re all looking up with our jaws dropped. He can’t figure
out why we’re not writing. Well, for the last five minutes this gentleman had been speaking and writing in Latin. And then he realized what he was doing, and he says, “Excuse me, sometimes I get confused.” Sir, it has been an unbelievable honor to have you as a professor. Corey Elmer (1994, political science, American studies): What strikes me as I walked in the room and saw Andrew up here is that I wasn’t alone. When I was (a student) here, I thought I was so special. I had this guy’s attention, he was my teacher, he became my friend, he became my neighbor, and I thought, this guy thinks a lot of me. He’s talking to me and investing in me, he cares about me. Then I come to find out he cares about all of you, too! As I hear these stories, I realize how much he means to so many of us, and the things he’s done in our lives to shape who we are. And we all have those stories, and I know to us, or to him rather, we are all, each of us, special.
“I have lived in many countries and many places. I consider Moorhead, Minnesota, my home. I value this place, I value the people. I want to ask you again, gentlemen and ladies, we should continue supporting our students. They are the future of this country. They are the ones who will continue our legacy. We need to invest in them.” – Andrew Conteh, 2016
These submitted and edited comments came from Facebook’s “Thank you, Dr. Andrew Conteh” page and his retirement party held Oct. 5, 2016. You can read more online at mnstate.edu/magazine. Dr. Conteh delivered “The Last Lecture” November 30, 2016, his last MSUM lecture that is, sharing his passion and dedication to diversity and social justice in the world. You can watch that speech on youtube.com/MSUMoorhead and search “the last lecture.”
Donations in honor of Andrew Conteh may be sent to the Andrew Conteh Fund for the Student Academic Conference, c/o MSUM Alumni Foundation, Box 68, Moorhead, MN 56563 or donate.mnstate.edu.
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STUDENTS of the
SPHERE BY MEGHAN FEIR
How MSUM encourages global education
l
ong before the word “diversity” became a hot topic, it was taught within the walls of universities, institutions where scholars are encouraged to study the world they’ve seen and have yet to discover. At MSUM, “diversity” is active and alert. For professors, addressing diversity head on is part of their job, and for students, discovering it begins in the classroom. –>
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Our true nationality is mankind. – H. G. Wells “The Outline of History” (1920)
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One needs to see all human beings as three-dimensional. – Linda Houts-Smith
Diversity across campus
A successful exercise Houts-Smith carries out in education classes places students in the seats of those who often feel misplaced, confused and anxious. Using Moroccan Arabic, she presents a lesson on materials students were instructed to cover. Puzzled expressions soon follow.
Diversity unites her department, but diversity efforts are seen around campus in every area of study.
“The longest I ever was able to go before I pretty much lost the whole class was 12 minutes,” Houts-Smith said. “I tell them, ‘If you have students who are not native speakers in your class, what is your expectation of them? You lasted 12 minutes. You’re being trained as a teacher with all these strategies and techniques. Now imagine you’re a refugee student who doesn’t know English. What are you going to do?’”
“Diversity is modulated by the discipline,” Houts-Smith said. “In business, students learn how people interact with individuals from different cultures or companies based in other countries. It’s addressed in the English department through composition or reading literature written by people with diverse backgrounds.” Ruth Lumb ’78 and ’82 (individualized studies and MBA), marketing professor in the Paseka School of Business, stresses the importance of global interdependence to her students. “With globalization, connections across the world in economic, social and political aspects of life have been deepening, widening and speeding up,” Lumb said. “Economies across the world have been integrated, and there are ever-increasing interconnections among all countries in the world. An immediate consequence of the movement toward an integrated world economy is that students from MSUM will face competition from people other than from their own country, either for admission to graduate school and/or for jobs.”
Jeremy Carney with Bou Meng, a survivor of the Tuol Sleng (S-21) prison. (2014)
While most jobs interact with people of varied backgrounds, social workers routinely work with vulnerable populations. Social work professor Jeremy Carney ’94 (social work) recognizes the need to understand the many facets that go into addressing individuals’ and families’ needs.
“If you do a good assessment with people, you learn there’s so much more to diversity than just race,” Carney said. “Our students will work with people who are marginalized or have hit a difficult patch in their life, so they need to be particularly sensitive.” Carney works with MSUM’s global education committee and they are creating a strategic plan that weaves more global education throughout the curriculum, events and activities.
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Lessons in understanding
Associate professor and ESL program coordinator Linda Houts-Smith teaches in the department of History, Languages, Critical Race and Women’s Studies. She helped bring back and revitalize the teaching English as a second language program.
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This exercise helps teachers-in-training become aware of potential learning environments and brings a heightened sense of compassion and patience. “Human beings are three-dimensional,” Houts-Smith said. “You have the individual personality, the cultural group characteristics, and the universal human characteristics. Your job is to interact with all and to remember that all human beings need many of the same things.” As the world gets smaller, global connections are essential. Carney is well versed in the importance of broadening students’ perspectives and experiences to prepare them for the future. “We work hard with students to first get an understanding of diversity and then cultural competency. I impress upon them that they are going to be working in a very diverse world, regardless of their occupation,” Carney said. “They must navigate cultural differences and that takes skill, an open mind and understanding. They have to be comfortable with the idea that things are done differently in other places and go with it.” Through internships, study abroad or other avenues, many students dive into world communications before they graduate. “I am continually amazed at how truly global our society is becoming,” Carney said. “One example is how we’ve had a number of grads and interns work for a local organization called Unseen. They do work all over the world out of Fargo, N.D. One student interned there last semester and spent a week in Rwanda and Haiti as part of her duties.” In the last nine years, Carney has organized and led study abroad tours to Ireland, Spain, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Thailand, Argentina, Norway and Denmark, to show his students how how other social work programs run. “I strongly believe in providing opportunities for students to broaden their cultural horizons,” Carney said. “MSUM talks about transforming lives, and this is one element I can put my finger on that clearly demonstrates that. Students come back from study abroad and say, ‘I came back from this experience a different person.’”
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Paige Weston, Switzerland (20
Competency in practice
Fargo native Paige Weston ’16 (elementary inclusive education) embraces life’s adventures with grace and awe, ready to include everyone in her classroom as she begins her teaching career subbing in Fargo Public Schools. At MSUM, she was encouraged and exposed to a variety of experiences that forever changed her life, and those lessons reached far beyond Moorhead. Feeling guided by God and willing to go wherever He led her, she stepped outside her comfort zone and did her student teaching abroad in Lugano, Switzerland. “That was a way I felt I could really discover and learn about myself and the people around me and serve a different population I hadn’t worked with before,” Weston said. Enfolded by the beauty of the mountains, she thrived in a culture much different than her own and recounted many of the lessons learned in class as she interacted with others and navigated her way in bordering European countries—all without phone data and the safety blanket of familiar surroundings and faces. “I’ve been really vocal about how well prepared I felt MSUM made me for this opportunity,” Weston said. “We were in the classroom every semester with real-life applications. I knew how to handle children’s behavior, and I knew how to teach English using a certain curriculum. So when I got to Switzerland, I already had experience and the support from my professors to ask questions. I believed I could thrive.”
y bilit aina 14) t s u d S r (20 u s an ight class /to R man entina u H Arg
in
I’ve been really vocal about how well prepared I felt MSUM made me for this opportunity. – Paige Weston
From learning extensively about literacy development to having someone by her side to give her input and support, Weston’s education professors encouraged her to consider teaching in places she’d never imagined. “Dr. Erin Gillett taught things that were applicable anywhere, any place. She cared so deeply for us, it made learning incredible,” Weston said. “It’s exciting to still have favorite teachers, even when you’re in college.” But before student teaching and the trip an ocean away, Weston’s first exposure to becoming culturally competent began in her first semester of college at MSUM in a class led by Dr. Steve Grineski. “We learned about ways to fit into society, no matter where you are, how to help someone who’s impoverished, persecuted or oppressed, and how to be an effective teacher in those ways. That really inspired me to reach out.” Although her student teaching venture is over, Weston is applying for jobs around the globe with maturity, empathy and a sense of adventure. “Everyone is basically the same,” Weston said. “We all want to be loved, and we all want to have strong relationships and friendships. Whether you speak the same language, look the same, believe exactly the same things or not, we all have those desires in common, and that’s something really beautiful you can take away from any place when you go with an open mind and heart.” ■
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WE CAN DO BETTER
BY KRISTI MONSON
Designer Shows Girls’ Life How To Get Real t started when Katherine Young ’09 (BFA graphic design) saw a Facebook post comparing the covers of the September 2016 Girls’ Life and Boys’ Life magazines, demonstrating the differences of what is communicated to young tween boys and girls via the media.
WAKE UP PRETTY YOUR DREAM HAIR MY FIRST KISS FALL FASHION YOU’LL LOVE
Boys’ Life promoted exploring the future and reaching career goals with images of a microscope, satellite and computer, while the Girls’ Life magazine headlines read: Wake up pretty, Your dream hair, My first kiss, and Fall fashion you’ll love, accompanied, of course, by a photo of a blonde-haired beauty – actress and model Olivia Holt. Young’s first impression of the side-by-side comparison was that society is letting down the next generation of girls. “When you see magazines at point of purchase areas they are grouped by interest. This creates a homogenous view and camouflages the validity of the headlines. ‘Your Best Body’ doesn’t look so bad next to ‘The Little Black Dress You Need Now.’ But when you put ‘Wake Up Pretty’ next to ‘Explore Your Future,’ all of a sudden it is blatantly obvious that we need to do better,” Young said. –>
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As a graphic designer, changing the design is an easy way for me to get my voice heard. – Katherine Young interviewed by magazines, websites, radio and TV, including the Today Show, MPR and Huffington Post. Reactions to Young’s post have been overwhelmingly positive and heartwarming. In an MPR interview she said, “I’ve heard from people who are girls’ advocates to the U.N., from women who are front line in the military, and even from a dad saying, ‘You know, I realize I tell my son I’m proud of him and his accomplishments, and I always tell my daughter she’s pretty. I have to be mindful to tell her: Wow, you did a great on this test. Wow, you did great kicking that goal.’” Young experienced her own mixed bag of empowerment at MSUM. She says it was often female classmates or professors who discouraged her, including trying to pursue her dream of working for Disney.
Young quickly redesigned her version of Girls’ Life to better represent real girls. She replaced Holt’s picture with Olivia Hallisey, the 2015 Google Science Fair grand prizewinner. Playing off the real headlines, she wrote similar headlines to appeal to girls with well-rounded interests – Girls doing good, Your dream career, and Are you ready for AP class? “As a graphic designer, changing the design is an easy way for me to get my voice heard,” she said. “Fixing that cover was an instant, ‘I can do better’ in my mind.” She showed how to do it better and caused a social media firestorm in the process. Celebrities Blake Lively and Amy Schumer chimed in; the post trended on Twitter and monopolized Facebook; and she was
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I am going to do my best to encourage every girl and every woman around me to pursue their goals and dreams. – Katherine Young
“And unfortunately, after graduating it has also been women in the work place who have tried to sabotage me in my career,” Young said. Women not supporting one another is a reflection on our society, whether it’s criticizing women for delaying careers to raise children or sabotaging female colleagues in positions of power. However, there were many other MSUM faculty and staff who encouraged and supported Young, including Professors Allen Sheets and Thomas Anstadt and the late university graphic designer Dave Wallace. “They never cast doubt on my goals. I tried for seven semesters to get a professional internship with Disney and they were behind me the entire way. I applied over and over and over and over again and failure after failure didn’t deter me,” Young said. “That work ethic I learned got me to Disney where I spent four years in Communications and Marketing. That same work ethic
is the reason I was set up for this post to go viral. I have over 180 blog posts at this point and only one went viral. But if I hadn’t learned to work consistently, it never would have happened.” It doesn’t take a lot of time or effort to make an impact and challenge long-held norms. Young spent only 10 minutes on re-creating the Girls’ Life cover before and after comparison. It simply takes the desire to make the world a better place. “I am going to do my best to encourage every girl and every woman around me to pursue their goals and dreams. No matter how lofty,” Young said. “Because I can do better.” ■
Read more of the press coverage of this story and Young’s blog at katherineyoungcreative.com.
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Pictured (L to R) are: Mike Smith ’97 (management), Kelsey Knutson, Tara Andresen ’15 (business administration), Karen (Thompson) Oberg ’02 (liberal arts), Cassidy Mercil, Mary Jo Foster, Teresa Lundberg, Lavonne (Heupel) Horton ’81 (elementary education), Lisa Hopperstad, Kari Dunn ’06 (business management), Paula Wilson, and Kevin Mjelstad ’89 (finance).
DRAGONS
at Northwestern Mutual
he Northwestern Mutual Fargo Network Office goes above and beyond its commitment to “promote social responsibility, encourage active participation and embrace positive change.” These employees work to make a lasting difference in their community. They do so by volunteering their time and resources to various causes in Fargo-Moorhead, including enthusiastic participation in MSUM’s Dragons Give campaign during Homecoming 2016. A table set up in the office lobby was soon overflowing with donated food and supplies for Dragons Give, which benefitted the Great Plains Food Bank and Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. With Northwestern Mutual’s dedicated commitment to the cause, MSUM exceeded its goal, collecting 2,114 pounds of nonperishable food and personal care items during the weeklong Dragons Give campaign. Dragon alumni or not, the team readily jumped in, offering what they could to the cause. “We had success there so we want to see [MSUM] continue to succeed,” said Lavonne (Heupel) Horton ’81 (elementary education). “And by us giving back we’re kind of keeping things going and rolling for the next generation.” “Not only do we care about our clients and the people in our hallways, but we also care about the community,” said Kelsey Knutson, director of recruitment and selection.
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BY DANIELLE PAGE
OF THE ALUMNI WHO RESPONDED, HERE’S WHAT WE KNOW: 1 in 5 employees are Dragon alumni
80
%
80% graduated from MSUM’s College of Business & Innovation (finance, management, business administration and marketing) Northwestern Mutual employees have supported these organizations and causes: ▸ Alex’s Lemonade Stand ▸ Dragons Give ▸ Fargo Park District ▸ Giving Hearts Day ▸ MSUM & NDSU Athletics ▸ Operation Christmas Child ▸ Salvation Army ▸ Unseen
EMAIL YOUR CLASS NOTES TO ALUMNI@MNSTATE.EDU
Class Notes Share your news here—new job, volunteer experience, interesting hobby, recent travel, etc. If we don’t get it in this issue, we’ll save it for next time! All towns are in Minnesota unless otherwise noted. Fargo and West Fargo are in North Dakota.
Mikkelson inducted into Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame Bob Mikkelson ’72 (mass communications) was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in December. Each year, this prestigious industry body honors sports-broadcasting legends who represent the wide range of skill sets and professions that helped create today’s sports and media industry. Mikkelson singlehandedly changed the way golf is covered, with the use of one blimp shot. He has the uncanny and notto-be-duplicated ability to follow a golf ball from a moving platform, operating a pan, tilt, and zoom camera while telling the pilot where to fly so that his shadow isn’t in the shot. As a result, he captures a shot no one else can, giving the viewer the perspective of where the ball is relative to the hole. But capturing golf is not his only primary skill; he has provided a template for covering college and NFL football from above. He has more than 12,000 hours of aerial shooting experience for the likes of the World Cup, Olympics, Super Bowls, World Series, NHL, NBA, NASCAR and more.
See his work at wingedvision.com.
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Kay Stratman ’78 (art) was featured in Travel Dreams Magazine and on jonimitchell.com in an article by Tim Cotroneo ’77 (mass communications). Stratman channeled her inner Joni Mitchell with her three paintings, “We are Stardust,” “We are Golden,” and “We’ve Got to Get Ourselves Back to the Garden.” Helen Wussow ’82 (English and individualized studies) is the dean of the College of Continuing Education at Sacramento State. Previously, Wussow was the dean of Lifelong Learning at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she oversaw online course offerings, evening and weekend degree completion programs, and education outreach initiatives, including assistance for aboriginal students to enter the health care professions.
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Lisa Johnson ’83 (mass communications) received the 2016 Broadcaster of the Year Award from the Association of Minnesota Public Educational Radio Stations (Ampers). Johnson was honored for her accomplishments as KUMD’s Northland Morning host and producer, the job she has held since 1991. During her 25 years with KUMD, Johnson has had a major impact on the success of the station. Through her reporting, she has connected the community with important information on local issues and created a greater understanding of the community, preservation of the arts and our environment. Johnson's ability to immerse herself in the topics she covers has allowed KUMD to develop, produce and air a variety of locally relevant and interesting public affairs programming, including Community Conversations, MN Reads and a series on homelessness in the Northland entitled “Finding Home.”
Scott Green ’84 (finance) joined Starion Bank as the Fargo market president, where he will be responsible for the overall management of Starion’s staff, financial and sales performance in Fargo. With a banking career spanning more than 30 years, Green has served in roles ranging from relationship manager to business banker to market president. He was a three-time recipient of the top-performing manager award at his previous financial institution. Green and his wife, Judy, were recently named the 2016 L.B. Hartz Professional Achievement Award recipients from MSUM for creating economic opportunities for others through innovation, entrepreneurship and community service. Thorvald Dahle ’86 (criminal justice) and ’98 (public, human services) is the newest faculty at Minnesota State University, Mankato teaching in the law enforcement program. Colleen Geffe-Dahle ’88 (elementary education) and ’02 (curriculum and instruction) is a first grade teacher in Mankato public schools. Timothy Nokken ’92 (political science) is an associate professor of political science at Texas Tech University. This upcoming year he will serve as the political science program director in the Division of Social and Economic Sciences at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, Va.
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Steven Nyhus ’96 (political science) is the director of compliance and public affairs at Rochester Public Utilities. Nyhus has over 15 years of experience assisting local governments and industries with water quality and energy compliance matters. He has represented large and small communities and corporate entities with environmental permitting
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CLASS NOTES
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matters and served as Minnesota regulatory counsel for a municipal power agency.
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Stephanie (Binger) Rasmussen ’98 (finance) was promoted to associate professor of accounting with tenure at the University of Texas at Arlington. Shane Raymond ’98 (history) is the senior vice president and director of learning and development at Hilliard Lyons in Louisville, Ky. He is responsible for the direction, strategy and execution of professional development and training programs within the firm. “Shane’s experience with change management will be invaluable as we manage both corporate and regulatory changes in the coming months,” said Jim Allen, CEO of Hilliard Lyons.
Kathlyn Scott ’00 (curriculum and instruction) was inducted into the West Fargo High School Hall of Fame.
Jescia Hoffman Hopper ’09 (art) and ’11 (art teacher education) is the recipient of the inaugural “Outstanding Master's Thesis Award” from the United States Society for Education through Art (USSEA). The award is based on Hopper’s thesis, “Learning at My Own Pace: A Qualitative Investigation on the Impact of Tutorial Videos on Student Learning in an Eighth Grade Art Classroom,” and the extensive interdisciplinary literature review that supported her research. Hopper received the award at the National Art Education Association convention in Chicago in March 2016, where she also presented on creating tutorial videos for classroom use.
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Sonia DeBenetti-Carlisle ’11 (art) opened her own business, The Tattooed Lady LLC—a tattoo parlor, fine art gallery, fine art studio and retail shop. The business offers photography, graphic design and website services, holds art classes, offers tattoo education, and hosts benefits and events to raise awareness for many causes.
Alumnus to be inducted into Minnesota Hall of Fame (This is an except from a Forum story by Chris Murphy. Read the full Forum article at inforum.com – “Local broadcast legend Larry Knutson has dedicated his life to Moorhead and Concordia athletics”)
The man who has the words to explain everything, had none when he was called with the news. “I knew my name had been submitted, but to actually find out about it was...I don't even know the words to say,” Knutson said. For once, let your voice rest, Larry. Let others speak for you.
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Keith Clark ’15 (construction management), who grew up on White Earth Reservation, defied the odds by not only graduating from a four-year university, but exceling in his field. According to the Minnesota Department of Education, the on-time graduation rates for Native American high school students is 56 percent, lower than any other race in the state. Clark chose MSUM because of the outstanding reputation of its construction management program and the multicultural clubs and student organizations. Through joining both the American Indian Student Association and the Construction Management Organization he formed connections to campus that helped him persist to graduation.
There's a rare kind of voice floating in the area’s airwaves that has the ability to talk the Moorhead faithful through seven losses in the state hockey championship. The voice is calming, while at the same time doing its job and explaining the scene that is tearing hearts apart. It takes a rare voice to explain to Moorhead scenes that will break hearts and fill hearts with excitement, acting as the conscious to the Moorhead High School and Concordia College sports scene. The voice belongs to Larry Knutson ’73 (health and physical education). On April 1 in Minneapolis, Knutson will be inducted into the Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Defying the odds
> Photo credit: Dave Samson
“There are no better guys in the business,” Moorhead athletic director Dean Haugo said. “It doesn’t matter what the sport is, he finds a way to put that human touch into whatever he’s doing,” Moorhead volleyball coach Char Lien said. “He always makes everyone feel special.” “This was a calling,” Knutson said. “I care about people and the way they go about their lives. They always say you never work a day in your life when you do what you love. Well, I’ve never worked a day in my life.”
Upon graduating, Clark was hired as an intern at RJM Construction, the ninth largest general contractor in Minnesota. After a successful internship he was offered a full-time position as a project engineer, where he’s working on a variety of projects related to education, healthcare and athletics. Clark plans to continue working his way up at RJM and hopes to become a project manager for the company in the future.
DRAGON BABIES
Moorhead honors alumna by naming school after her The Moorhead School District will honor Dorothy Dodds ’45 (elementary education), a Moorhead High School and MSUM graduate and educator, by naming the district’s newest kindergarten through fourth-grade school Dorothy Dodds Elementary. Dodds’ name topped nearly 70 names suggested for the district’s schools. The school will open in fall 2017.
Emma Georgene (Getz) ’01 & Matthew ’02 Kelly
Dodds was a pioneer in early childhood education in Minnesota over a long and distinguished career. After earning her elementary education degree at then Moorhead State Teachers College (MSTC), she earned a master’s degree in education. She taught kindergarten at the MSTC Campus School from 1949 until 1972, when it closed, She then joined MSUM’s education department until retiring in 1986. She died in December 2012.
“What is a legacy? A legacy is planting seeds in a garden you won’t see,” said Brian Cole, a committee member and teacher at Horizon Middle School. “We thought it important to honor the work of somebody who spent their life working in that K-4 sector. We were just blown away by the legacy she has left.”
Inga Marie Tessa (Frieze) ’15 & Adam ’06 Rasmussen
Madison Jo Emma (Holo)’13 & Derek Schreiber
Dragon alumni give back Marshall Peter Brittany (Thompson) ’08 & Nathan Aakre
Oakley Alexander Laura (DeSutter) ’08 & Anthony Bengston
Danielle (Rebel) ’15 (advertising and public relations) and Zach Page ’16 (math education) met and fell in love at MSUM. They were introduced through their shared interest in volunteerism by participating in a 2012 Students Today Leaders Forever service trip to Washington, D.C. Flash forward to Oct. 8, 2016, when they tied the knot at St. Joseph’s Church in Moorhead. Both are enthusiastic alumni; Zach is a math teacher at West Fargo High School and Danielle is the digital marketing specialist at MSUM. Their commitment to service and community not only brought them together, but became a special part of their wedding day as well. You see, Oct. 8 was also MSUM’s homecoming and the finale of the weeklong Dragons Give food and toiletry drive for the Great Plains Food Bank and Rape and Abuse Crisis Center. They didn’t want to miss the opportunity to serve and participate. So, right after the wedding ceremony, their limousine drove them straight to the collection site where Danielle and Zach brought donated items from their wedding party. That is the heart of a Dragon. SPRING 2017
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IN MEMORIAM
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William Borgen Treumann, or “Bill” to friends and family, passed away at Regions Hospital in St. Paul Aug. 2, 2016. Born in Grafton, N.D., he was known to be an intelligent man who was able to recall life stories and facts up to his death at 100 years of age. After nine years as a professor at North Dakota Agricultural College, he built houses and ran a gas and heating company until he received a call from John Neumaier and joined the faculty as an associate professor of chemistry in 1960. Bill became the dean of mathematics and natural sciences until he retired in 1981.
Dennis Yell Dennis Floyd Yell, 71, passed away July 29, 2016 at his home in Mentor under the care of his family and Hospice. Dennis grew up on the family farm in Parkers Prairie. He attended MSUM where he earned a bachelor’s degree in teaching and coaching. In 1968, he became the first MSUM football player to be drafted by the National Football League to the Los Angeles Rams. After a back injury, he taught and coached in many Minnesota towns. His love for deer hunting inspired him to learn the art of taxidermy, and he maintained a part-time taxidermy business for many years. In 2004, Dennis was inducted into the Dragon Hall of Fame.
Memorial gifts may be directed to the MSUM Alumni Foundation, 1104 7th Ave. S., Moorhead, MN 56563 or donate.mnstate.edu.
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In Memoriam
Alumni & Friends
Bill Treumann
Alumni, Faculty & Friends Marlene (Melby) Bekkerus ’74 Angela (Erickson) Brady ’74 Vickie (Vanwechel) Cleveland ’80 Kenneth Covey Ethel Dahl Hans Dahl ’69 Donna Dittberner Rebecca (Walsh) Emerson ’75 Terry Erickson ’68 David Grosz John Gwyther ’42 Phyllis Harber Michael Heflin ’05 Beverly Hicks ’46 Joyce (Nelson) Howard ’78 Edith (Trana) Iverson ’42 Lisa (Trieglaff) Jahnke ’88 Justin Kaufenberg ’14 Thomas Kenny ’70 Matthew Kjelland ’08 John Klassen ’67 Kristi Larson ’92 Lyla Larson ’48 Mark Lehman ’82 Steven Leibfried Wayne Lilleberg ’74 Gerald Machacek ’91 Kristin (Anderson) McCoy ’83 B. Spencer Meeks Gordon Mortrude ’57 Annie Motschenbacher ’78 Duane Nelson ’60 Jeanette (Lavely) Nelson ’55 Carol Neys ’81 Gisela Nobel Gary Nygaard ’91 Morris Nystrom ’55 Rae Offutt ’81 Cleo Olsen ’40 Judy Peterson ’79 Shirley (Fischer) Peterson ’64 Larry Potter ’76 Paul Pratt Louis Remark Duane Roessler ’72 Ruth (Glawe) Rosentreter ’38 Helen (Schoberg) Rudie ’62 Donald Setter ’59 Margaret (Baller) Sillers ’35 James Steinke ’79 Mildred Stenslie Garylle Stewart ’67 Nancy Stuart ’88 Dolores (Strock) Sundet ’53 Sharon (Swanson) Teschendorf ’56 Ronald Thompson ’56 David Torson William Treumann Helen (Pfeilsticker) Williams ’42 Ramona Wohlwend ’58 Lorraine (Chilton) Wright ’60 Dennis Yell ’68
Badlands National Park, South Dakota
Door Trail Cloud Burst, 2010
1972 (Mass Communications)
Bruce Ellingson
Bruce Ellingson’s American Landscapes can be viewed here: bruceellingson.com
The image was taken on July 10, 2010 as a cloudburst slowly traversed the eastern edge of the Badlands forcing visitors to scurry for their cars. My wife Marge and I have returned twice since this expedition to photograph the raw beauty of this yellow and orange moonscape, never quite so lucky to confront weather like this again.
We'd like to see your creative work included in a future issue. Please send a high-resolution (300 dpi) digital image and short description to Editor Kristi Monson at kristi.monson@mnstate.edu.
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THEN AND NOW
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