St. Cloud State Magazine Spring/Summer 2023

ST. CLOUD STATE MAGAZINE

Share, showcase and celebrate with us the diversity and strength of our SCSU

MORE INSIDE:

SCSU'S COMMUNITY IMPACT SCSU Survey and QBR provide excellence in economic analysis and public opinion polling

AN ARTIST'S VIEW Isaiah Okongo is focused on his future in art in his own bold way

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#OurSCSU KICKS OFF CELEBRATING ST. CLOUD STATE COMMUNITY CHEERS FOR NIC & PAIGE DOWD AND DOWD'S CROWD

Thanks to SCSU alums Nic and Paige Dowd and their Dowd's Crowd sensory kits, children with autism and their families are now able to enjoy the thrill of attending a hockey game together. Photo courtesy of Nic and Paige Dowd.

W… have more to share. YOU have more to share. Learn more at scsu.mn/ourstory and help us share your story.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

F ROM THE PRESIDENT

4 President's message

NEWS

5 Unleash the Future: The Campaign for St. Cloud State University r aised a total of $39.8 million

6 SCSU Ranked as a Top Public School U.S. News & World Report

8 Grant Cruikshank ’23 played with Huskies during 2022-23 season 8-11 Huskies Athletics

C oaching milestones

10 SCSU Esports levels up with new facilities, leadership

F EATURES

12 SCSU's community impact: S CSU Survey (pg. 12); Quarterly Business Report (QBR) (pg. 16)

20 #OurSCSU – Celebrating St. Cloud State community: Nic & Paige

Dowd, Dowd's Crowd (pg. 22); Diane Nelson, Art & Textile C enter (pg. 24); Leah Neidecker, Medtronic program manager (pg. 26)

26 Visual impairment hasn't slowed down the success of Isaiah Okongo

A LUMNI NEWS

30 C lass notes are online at scsu.mn/ourscsu

32 A lumni gifts have positive impact f or students and community

34 Matt Cullen is honored with the r etirement of his #9 jersey

FOCUSED ON SCSU’S BRIGHT FUTURE

What an amazing year it’s been for St. Cloud State University — a time of building on our strengths, boldly facing challenges, and investing in bright futures for our University and those in our campus community.

Thousands of students from Minnesota and the world immersed themselves in the opportunities a St. Cloud State education offers. At the same time we continued to innovate and invest in areas of growth to provide a wide range of excellent academic and service options that help prepare students for successful careers.

Our It’s Time strategic framework is our guide as we focus on turning the financial challenges we are facing into opportunities to transform us into a new kind of university — a regional leader where current and future Huskies can access a high quality education in a range of distinctive academic programs led by teacher-scholars who are passionate about sharing their knowledge and mentoring learners.

We have accelerated our pace of adapting to a changing world. As a result, our students are thriving in classrooms and labs, in internships and field experiences, building focused portfolios and graduating to launch their chosen careers or enter

advanced degree programs. They are being mentored and empowered by faculty who include them as active partners in the teaching and learning process, helping them develop the skills and character to apply their education to real jobs and real life. Our sense of community is strengthening as we express our institutional pride. So many of us celebrate the academic success of our students and our Husky Athletes as they excelled in this year’s athletic competitions. Our Husky alumni demonstrated their pride in their St. Cloud State education with advocacy and support in a variety of ways — some with remarkable generosity. Most notably this year, alumni gifts funded It’s Time initiatives including our new Linda ’74 and Richard Offerdahl Autism Discovery Center and the dedication of The Judy C. Pearson Department of Communication Studies — both offer enhanced learning opportunities for our students and benefits for external partners and the community. Alumni support has also made possible a university speaker series, Herb Brooks National Hockey Center upgrades, faculty/staff professional development, and scholarships to support student success.

A major focus of our It’s Time framework is building and encouraging that kind of culture of pride in our community by expanding our reach and proactively marketing our University for what we are — an institution of distinctive programs and dedicated teacher-scholars who shine in their academic work and in their classrooms. Our impact is felt through the success of more than 131,000 alumni worldwide.

The stories in this magazine are reminders of how impactful SCSU can be for our students during their educational experience, and also as they go on into their lives as professionals, specialists, and citizens who make a difference in the lives of others.

We want to hear from our graduates to continue sharing your stories, and we encourage you to stay connected through #OurSCSU to share your milestones and successes. We are fiercely committed to building greater awareness and appreciation for the truly excellent people and programs we continue to offer our students and the tremendous benefits we bring to our many partners.

Dr. Robbyn Wacker President, St. Cloud State University

The start of 2023 brought with it the close of Unleash the Future: The Campaign for St. Cloud State University. The Campaign, which began in 2016, raised a total of $39.8 million from 10,133 individuals.

The impact of the Campaign and your support has been felt over the past six years including an increase in scholarships for students, enhanced student support through mentoring and career service programming, strengthened academic programs and faculty support, fostered a vibrant campus life and athletics programs and finally revamped living, learning and athletics facilities across campus. While we have made progress on many of our goals at SCSU thanks to your philanthropic support, there is more work to be done.

Higher education is changing rapidly, and philanthropic support is crucial to the continued success of SCSU. For years we have encouraged and promoted the importance of philanthropic support to individual programs, initiatives and projects. While this support is certainly welcome and does make an impact, it does not allow for the

CELEBRATING UNLEASH THE FUTURE AND BRINGING FLEXIBILITY TO PHILANTHROPY

greatest flexibility to address the rapidly changing needs of higher education. One lesson learned during the COVID-19 pandemic was that things can be quite unpredictable and the need to adapt quickly to address the unknown is paramount.

As we look ahead, we are focused on maximizing your philanthropy and fostering a bright future through our It’s Time strategic framework. To do this, we ask you to consider supporting the Husky Impact Fund. This Fund provides the flexibility to directly address emerging needs and deliver on our five key priority areas:

» Removing barriers to education through scholarship and financial aid

» Providing robust individualized student support to ensure success

» Advancing campus innovation and academic success

» Ensuring a vibrant campus life and athletics program

» Creating dynamic state-of-the-art living and learning spaces for our community

In order for St. Cloud State to grow and flourish we must increase philanthropic support. For those of you committed to the success of SCSU, our students and our community I ask for you to make a gift and support the Husky Impact Fundscsu.mn/give. For those of you with specific interests or passions, we look forward to learning more and working with you to make the most of your philanthropy. Please be in touch at 320-308-3984 or via email at advancement@stcloudstate.edu.

We are committed to working with you to enhance your connection to SCSU! There is much to be proud of and with your involvement we will do great things.

On behalf of everyone at St. Cloud State University, thank you for your support of #OurSCSU and the Unleash the Future Campaign. We look forward to your continued involvement.

Go Huskies!

Nicholas Katona Vice President, Advancement & Alumni Engagement

BUILDING ON OUR STRENGTHS AND RAISING THE BAR OF DISTINCTION

BY MITCHELL HANSEN ’17

131,000+ ALUMNI WORLDWIDE

St. Cloud State University is taking bold steps to raise the academic profile of the University –a core tenet of It’s Time, the University’s framework for the future.

Among many accolades highlighting the quality of the learning experience at SCSU is our Carnegie Classification. A highly regarded designation in the field of higher education, the Carnegie Classification is awarded to institutions with a demonstrated commitment to community and business partnerships. This honor aligns with SCSU’s strong history of community engagement as faculty-scholars teach course content while bringing students into a research project that is often tied to the needs of a community or industry partner. Many of our students, whether in their first year of study or pursuing a graduate degree, have the opportunity to engage in coursework that results in a solution or new discovery in the service of others.

We are also recognized for our efforts to support students as they build toward their success. The Colleges of Distinction is a ranking organization that takes into account what matters to students and their loved ones when choosing a college or university. This includes things like whether students can play an active role in shaping their education, if learning is personalized, whether a campus offers multiple ways for students to get involved, and if students are prepared for the workplace and life’s journey.

The Colleges of Distinction recognizes SCSU for its excellence in Nursing, Education, Business and Engineering. This includes recognition for affordability, for the support offered to students by our Career Center, and services for veterans.

Most recently, U.S. News and World Report rankings are coming in strong as SCSU is listed as a Top Public Schools and Regional University for the Midwest. These rankings are based on a school’s research activity, the academic excellence of their entering students and opinions on program quality from education school deans and hiring professionals. Other rankings include recognition for SCSU’s graduate online degree programs in engineering and in education, in areas such as rehabilitation counseling and speech-language pathology.

Our Husky experience involves making sure that we provide the right levels of individualized support and guidance for the unique needs and goals of all students. We are proud of our status as a Top 10 Military Friendly School — a result of the coordinated care and attention for our nation’s veterans provided by our Veteran’s Resource Center. In addition, we’ve earned the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Roll, a distinction that sets us apart from other universities as one that is transfer student friendly. We are investing in strategies that set a clear pathway for transfer students to enroll and hit the ground running with the right educational experiences for students who are midway through their programs of study or are seeking a new institution to grow and develop.

We are innovating and investing in areas of growth to meet the workforce needs of the region, the state, and the world. Our focus is on offering a strong portfolio of excellent programs for current and future Huskies.

LISTED AMONG FORBES’ TOP COLLEGES

Editor

Kathryn Kloby, Ph.D.

Content Producers

Zach Dwyer

Mitchell Hansen ’17 Colleen Harrison

Marsha Shoemaker

Design

Marie Madgwick ’91

Contact us: ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY 720 Fourth Ave. S. St. Cloud, MN 56301-4498

University Communications ucomm@stcloudstate.edu

320-308-3152 stcloudstate.edu/ucomm

Alumni Engagement alumni@stcloudstate.edu

320-308-3177 or 866-464-8759 stcloudstate.edu/advancement

St. Cloud State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regards to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or status as a U.S. veteran. For additional information, contact the Office for Institutional …quity & Access, (320) 308-5123, Admin. Services Bldg. Rm 121.

7

SCSU HOCKEY PLAYER GREW UP ON THE ICE THANKS TO OLYMPIC SPEEDSKATING PARENTS

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

The ice rink has pretty much always been home for the Cruikshank family.

Bonnie Blair Cruikshank and Dave Cruikshank grew up speedskating. Bonnie got an early start on the ice thanks to growing up in a family of speedskaters herself.

“They had me on skates almost before I could walk,” she said.

Dave Cruikshank started speedskating around 8 or 9 years old, after first trying hockey. The two grew up in Illinois — Bonnie in Champaign and Dave in the Chicago suburbs. Illinois was then home to one of the largest speedskating clubs in the United States, and different clubs would meet and compete with each other. That was how Bonnie and Dave met.

“We were just good buddies, and then it got to be better buddies,” Bonnie said. Both would go on to compete in four different Winter Olympics, with Bonnie bringing home five gold medals and one

HUSKIES ATHLETICS COACHING MILESTONES

by Mitchell Hansen

bronze throughout her Olympic career.

The couple has passed their love of the ice down to their children, Grant and Blair.

“Our lives have been really spent in an ice rink,” Bonnie said. “So for sure it’s a family thing.”

Blair is a speedskater like her parents, while Grant is a forward for the St. Cloud State University Men’s Hockey team. He was introduced to the ice just as early in life as his mother, pushing a bucket around as a toddler while getting his bearings on the ice.

“Whether it was hockey skates or speed skates, I think I just loved being on the ice,” Grant said.

Grant played three seasons for Colorado College and one for University of Minnesota before coming to St. Cloud State. In junior hockey he skated for the Penticton Vees of the British Columbia Hockey League for two seasons, also play-

ing for the Milwaukee Jr. Admirals and the U.S. National U17 Team.

While his parents certainly introduced him to the ice, Grant credits them for much more than that.

“They’ve been so supportive my whole life. I think it’s probably the stuff away from the rink that’s been the most important and the most influential for me. They just really know how to treat people, and that’s one of the things I hold very close to my heart,” Grant said.

“They know what it takes, both at the rink and away from the rink, to be successful in life,” he added. “The way that they treat people, their leadership qualities — that’s the stuff that I think people might not think about when they think about how successful my mom was on the ice. It really is both my parents — they’re really special people.”

» Win No. 100 at SCSU –Nov. 20, 2021 vs. Winona State, NSIC Championship Game (3-1)

» Career win No. 400 –Sept. 30, 2022 vs. Sioux Fall (3-1)

’17

Women's Soccer Head Coach

» Win No. 59 at SCSU, becomes alltime winningest coach – Sept. 16, 2022 vs. Winona State (2-0)

Volleyball Head Coach

GRETTA ARVESEN

CHAD BRAEGELMANN

» Dual Win streak extended to NCAA record (all divisions) 77 consecutive wins – Jan. 7, 2022 vs. Nebraska Kearney (19-14)

» NSIC dual win streak extended to 88 – Feb. 17, 2022 at Augustana (30-6)

» Career win No. 300 – Feb. 3, 2022 at Southwest Minnesota State (36-4)

» Win No. 250 at SCSU – Jan. 7, 2023 vs. Central Oklahoma in Louisville, Ky., for NWCA National Duals (19-16)

» Conference win No. 100 – Jan. 15, 2023 vs. Augustana (30-3)

Bonnie was with Grant the first time he visited St. Cloud State, where she said they both liked what head coach Brett Larson had to say.

“It just seemed like a great program. We heard a lot of positive things about it from the players that were there, and the connections that they’ve had,” she said. “You just felt good that when this opportunity arose for him to be able to go there, you just felt like it was going to be a good fit.”

For Grant, the Huskies were a perfect fit. “It’s been such a great experience,” he said. “We have such a special group and they’ve really welcomed me from day one. I’ve been really fortunate to be a part of this group and this culture.”

SCSU’s season included an NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship and a trip to the NCAA Regional Finals, with Cruikshank leading the team with 23 goals. Following the season, Cruikshank signed with the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey League in early April. His collegiate career may be complete, but he will always look back fondly on his time as a Husky.

“I wish I could somehow get another year of eligibility. ... If I could, I’d stay here forever. I’ve had so much fun here,” he said. “This place is just really special.”

» Win No. 543 at SCSU, becomes all-time winningest coach –May 6, 2022 vs. Minot State (3-1)

If I could, I'd stay here forever... This place (SCSU) is just really special.

– GRANT CRUIKSHANK, ON SCSU AND SKATING WITH THE HUSKIES

Wrestling Head Coach Baseball Head Coach

STEVE COSTANZO PAT DOLAN

Bonnie Blair Cruikshank Cruikshank family

SCSU ESPORTS LEVELS UP WITH NEW FACILITIES, LEADERSHIP

SCSU ESPORTS IS AN EMERGING SEGMENT OF CAMPUS LIFE AT ST. CLOUD STATE, WITH SOME BIG ADDITIONS IN THE PAST YEAR SPARKING FURTHER GROWTH.

BY ZACH DWYER

After opening the Huskies Esports Lounge in Atwood Memorial Center last year, further strides have been made after the Huskies Esports Arena had its grand opening on April 3 in the lower floor of Atwood.

The space, formerly known as “The Quarry”, has seen wide-ranging updates to make it a multi-purpose space for future SCSU Esports events.

It will enhance SCSU’s ability to host immersion camps and experiential learning opportunities, including camps for esports management and esports broadcasting in the summer. The University currently offers

an Esports Management minor and soon will be offering an Esports Broadcasting minor.

Huskies Esports Arena will also be a benefit to the community in hosting regional esports events in the coming months, while SCSU’s first Rocket League team has begun playing their varsity matches inside the new venue.

The demand for esports also brought about a new hire. Chase Neukam was named the first Director of Esports at SCSU on Feb. 1.

Neukam recently served as the Director of Esports at St. Ambrose University in

Davenport, Iowa, and he is actively engaged in the esports community.

He has a grassroots approach, seeking to build an authentic culture that aligns with student interest. Neukam said he’s already had students share excitement about esports in many areas that go beyond competitive gaming, including social media, marketing, event planning and broadcasting.

“We have a multi-directional approach to elevate our esports culture on campus through community engagement, club opportunities, expanding competitive teams, curriculum and experiential learning,”

LORI FISH

QUINCY HENDERSON BRIAN IDALSKI

Women's Basketball Head Coach » Career win No. 300 - Jan. 13, 2023 vs Winona State (58-43)

Women's Hockey Head Coach

Men's Basketball Head Coach » Career win No. 1 – Nov. 12, 2022 vs. Arkansas Monticello, in Kansas City, Mo. (92-60)

» Win No. 18 in first season as Head Coach –Feb. 18, 2023 vs. Minnesota State (5-2)

» Most wins in first season as a head coach in program history, matches program record for most wins in a season overall

Neukam said. “We’re also here to support new and existing student gaming clubs, communities, and events. Whether you are a casual or competitive gamer, or you just enjoy watching others play – there is a place for you in esports!”

Esports fits directly into the University’s “It’s Time” strategic framework, beginning with coaches and staff engaging with students to provide individualized support.

This includes adapting in market-relevant areas like esports, giving students the chance to incorporate individual interests

and passions into their SCSU experience.

“We welcome students to reach out with project ideas to incorporate holistic health, education, leadership and Engineering and Applied Science into esports venues and programming on campus,” said Chris Stanley, Director of Educational Technology Innovations at SCSU. “There are opportunities to connect with the broader community.”

Stanley said he has already received numerous thank you’s and recognition from students on SCSU’s investment in esports, allowing students to make new friends and feel a sense of belonging.

SCSU is also extending its regional reach with community events and outreach, highlighted by two successful “Best Buy After Dark” events this year. The first event had over 300 attendees, showing a clear desire and interest from the St. Cloud community about learning what esports has to offer.

Esports has the ability to bring together a diverse group of individuals in ways traditional sports can’t always offer.

Learn more about SCSU …sports at stcloudstate.edu/esports or join their Discord

»

win No. 100 –Feb. 24, 2023 at Omaha (6-2)

» Fastest to 100 in program history

SCSU Director of Esports Chase Neukam speaks with the SCSU Rocket League team as they practice in the newly-opened Huskies Esports Arena. Photos by Steve Woit.

Career

BRETT LARSON MITCH ROBERTS

Men's Hockey Head Coach

Softball Head Coach » Career win No. 1 –Feb. 11, 2022 vs. Mary (5-0)

SCSU'S COMMUNITY IMPACT

St. Cloud State University has an exceptionally strong reputation throughout Minnesota and beyond for excellence in economic analysis and public opinion polling, both of which provide significant value to businesses and community leaders in Central Minnesota. Whether it’s an economic impact analysis on a project or incident of significance, a public opinion survey, or the reoccurring assessment of key economic indicators in the region, these resources are a huge value add to our region.

– PATTI GARTLAND, PRESIDENT,

BY MARSHA SHOEMAKER

BOARD

GREATER ST. CLOUD DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, GRADUATE OF SCSU AND MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS ADVISORY

SCSU Survey provides service to campus, community

In the 43 years since the SCSU Survey was created primarily as a teaching tool by a political scientist and sociologist, its reputation for integrity and clean survey methodology has made it an in-demand regional research asset.

In recent years the scope of the Survey’s activities and the faculty leadership have become more diverse, with faculty co-directors currently representing Psychology and Sociology in addition to Political Science. Faculty from many departments are now involved, including Statistics Professor David Robinson and Economics Professor Monica Garcia-Perez.

“Student directors also have been from a wide range of disciplines,” said Sociology Professor Sandrine Zerbib, one of the four faculty co-directors. “Our surveys continue to bring political, social, and health issues together; we find common interest in our survey questions.”

“We had two active studies going on this past semester: our annual Spring Survey of Students and a sponsored research project with the Great River Regional Library,” added Jim Cottrill, Political Science Department Chair and another of the faculty co-directors. “We have also just begun discussions with Stearns County for a mail survey of residents to take place next fall. So, there are lots of important research projects in the works right now.”

“The Center is set up for traditional academic surveys and high-quality college research for non-profit and governmental entities,” said Psychology Professor and Survey Faculty Co-Director Amanda Hemmesch. “Besides working with the library system and local governments, the Survey has partnered with CentraCare, United Way and Central Minnesota Community Foundation to give direction for what they’re doing.”

For 30 years the Minnesota Lottery has partnered with the Survey – referring to it as the “gold standard” of gambling surveys – to gain useful information on the effects of gambling and on gambling addiction on its customers.

Photo: Steve Woit

“We have very intentionally grown this focus on the region, and with our expanding expertise we are building a greater depth of understanding about our local region,” said Sociology Professor Ann Finan, the fourth faculty co-director of the survey. “We’re a resource, an avenue for the non-profit partners we work with to learn and be more united.”

“We are kind of a go-to for those organizations,” said Cottrill of the survey’s external clients. “And the work is mutually beneficial. We can do high-quality surveys for them and give students invaluable experience at the same time.”

The Survey’s mission remains primarily educational, with students taking a lead role in the planning, execution and presentation of Survey research projects. “We can’t do this without the students,” Zerbib said. “They learn a lot of soft skills through their involvement with the Center and its partners.”

Hunter Tholkes and Sabina Scotti have shared the title of co-lead student director of the SCSU Survey for three semesters, and they can’t say enough about how well the experience has prepared them for the next big steps on their path to their dream careers.

“I just got accepted to a graduate program in the UK – King’s College London,” said Tholkes, a senior from Redwood Falls who has narrowed his educational aspirations to a doctorate in Clinical Psychology or MD in Psychiatry. Why London? “I love their education system,” he said. “It’s a different learning method – more hands-on like what I’ve become accustomed to. In the past few years at St. Cloud State, I have had more access to hands-on learning than I ever imagined I would have in college.”

Scotti, who grew up in California and chose St. Cloud State over larger universities in California and Oklahoma, plans to get into a Physician Assistant in Psychiatry master’s program, and she believes her work with the Survey will help her get into graduate school. “I went back and forth between research and analytics side or with

hands-on opportunities to work with families. Involvement with the Survey was the perfect starting place. The faculty really help you set up for what you want to go into.”

“I really like to see people join,” Scotti said of her Survey experience. “For me it was an added aspect to the academic experience of a liberal arts college, including hands-on experience and connecting with faculty in lab work.”

Other students besides lead student directors also benefit from getting involved with survey work. “Many of my students and colleagues have done independent studies/practicum via the SCSU Survey,” Sociology Professor Sandrine Zerbib said.

“Over 100 students each semester get hands-on experience with Survey,” Survey Faculty Co-Director Amanda Hemmesch said. “For some online students it’s the only thing that brings them to campus.”

Hemmesch came to SCSU in 2013 and was the conduit for both Tholkes and Scotti to enter “the flexible framework for student involvement” – her description of the SCSU Survey experience for students.

“I started when Steve Frank was still here,” she said of the Political Science Professor who created the SCSU Survey. “I so much appreciated his vision of how the survey helped students.”

Students work in the SCSU Survey lab alongside Jim Cottrill, Political Science Department Chair and co-diretor of SCSU Survey. Photos by Steve Woit.

The very first student director of the Survey, Debra Yerigan, said working with the Survey was a “unique, wonderful experience.” She started with the Survey in 1980 and stayed with it until she graduated in 1982 and went straight to law school at Hamline. She specialized in family law with Minneapolis firm Messerli & Kramer and is transitioning into retirement.

Yerigan recalls the ways the survey was a hands-on teaching tool. “In 1980 there were no personal computers to use.” Yerigan said. “We called people on the phone and filled out forms by hand, then had to take them to “the computer place” on campus, where you’d type in the information and the computer would spit out punch cards.

“That was my first exposure to doing something on a computer,” said Yerigan, who was a Political Science major. “The only thing we did at that time was political stuff.”

The Fall Survey of Minnesota Residents remains strongly focused on politics and political issues, but the annual Spring Survey of Students is more about issues relating to student life and educational issues. Recent

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

questions include attitudes about online versus in-person learning, campus involvement and service learning.

“It seems strange now, but I realize how different things were back then,” Yerigan said. “The Survey had an amazing impact on me – to have that familiarity with working with data.”

As a student director, Yerigan gained analytical skills and leadership skills. “That was extremely helpful to me in my career.” Yerigan has remained connected with SCSU and currently is the Chair of the School of Public Affairs Advisory Council. “After I got a job, I always had a regular pattern of donating to St. Cloud State because I was fortunate enough to have financial assistance.

I feel if we are able, we should give back. I met with Steve Frank and established a scholarship for student directors.”

And like Yerigan, many student directors have put their experience to good use in graduate school and successful careers.

“We have launched a lot of students into high quality programs,” Political Science Department Chair Jim Cottrill said.

Previous student directors include:

Kyle Janssen ’22

Kyle is a Research Associate for Deft Research in Minneapolis, focusing on healthcare research. He earned an internship with Deft Research when he was a lead student director with in 2020-22, and he was hired full-time when he graduated in Spring ’22.

Emily Herne ’17

Emily is Research Director for NORC at the University of Chicago, specializing in survey research projects in her role as director.

Margaret Oliver ’22

Margaret is a master’s student at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota with an emphasis in survey research as it applies to public policy.

Jonathan Wong ’20

Jonathan is a PhD student at University of Nebraska Omaha.

We can do high-quality survey for (organizations) and give students invaluable experience at the same time.

– JIM COTTRILL, POLITICAL SCIENCE DEPARTMENT CHAIR

QBR continues to be an industry leader in St. Cloud economics

King Banaian and his fellow St. Cloud State University economists have been making sense of ups and downs in the local business climate for a quarter of a century via their much-anticipated St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report (QBR).

As translators of academic, economic and complex business data, Banaian and his partners in the QBRs have a reputation for being accessible, credible experts tapped by the media and the public for helping them sort out how current economic circumstances will impact their bottom line.

Banaian is the Dean of the School of Public Affairs at SCSU. He said his predecessor, former Dean Orn Bodvarrson, put it well when he called the School of Public Affairs’ world-class research that benefits students and community partners “the window in the door through which the community sees SCSU.”

“Forecasting is not what we economists do best, but it’s what the audience wants to hear,” Banaian said. “The old joke is that God put economists on the earth to make meteorologists feel better.”

As an example of how quickly economic circumstances can change, the QBR of 2022, which came out in December, stated: “We predict the St. Cloud metro area will be in recession within the next four to six months, based on results of the St. Cloud Area

Quarterly Business Survey as well as data on professional employment and the stock prices of area publicly-traded corporations.”

But fast forward three months and Banaian and his current partner in producing the QBRs, Economics Professor Mana Komai Molle, are predicting a better scenario, that the “sort of predicted” recession may not happen. “We may have dodged the real crash landing,” Molle said. “It looks like St. Cloud is in a good place.”

While the pulse of the local economy or any economy may be unpredictable and subject to unforeseen occurrences, the reports are welcome and highly respected. Their contents are based on information gathered through a prudent system that begins with timely, carefully crafted questions put to regional business leaders, and the results of their responses are shared along with a careful analysis of leading economic indicators.

All this data is gathered and condensed every three months into a concise report welcomed by regional business and government leaders as well as local folks at their kitchen tables.

The local recession probability index was added as a permanent feature of the report in October 2007, when the deteriorating circumstances of the global recession of 2007-2009 made the public sit up and take greater notice of economic news and the information Banaian and the QBRs were sharing.

King Banaian is Dean of the School of Public Affairs at SCSU.

QBR provides the finger on the pulse of our local economy. We are so fortunate to have such expertise and commitment to community vitality in our own backyard.

– PATTI GARTLAND

Recently retired Economics Professor Rich MacDonald, who with former Professor Mark Partridge started working on a local business report that became the QBR in 1998, welcomed Banaian as the partner who would do data analysis and presentation for the report. “King’s data skills are better than anybody I know, and he’s made a big difference.”

“As a colleague, I always have looked up to King,” Molle said. “He’s done so much for the community.”

Local business and community leaders value the QBRs and the insights they bring. “Through the passionate leadership of King Banaian and over the course of nearly 25 years, our community has had the benefit of economic research, data analysis and a survey of business leaders to help inform and provide local insight into our local economy,” said Patti Gartland, president of the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation, a graduate of St. Cloud State and a member of the SCSU School of Public Affairs Advisory Board.

The QBRs include a significant number of quotes throughout from leaders of the business community who answer questions and offer insight into what’s happening to them personally and delving deeper into topics of interest to businesses, households and governments. “I think those responses still are one of the best parts of the reports,” Banaian said.

“King and his team then translate the research, analysis and survey responses into an easy-to-consume publication, the St. Cloud Area Quarterly Business Report, and give an oral presentation that showcases key takeaways, insights, and predictions,” said Gartland. “QBR provides the finger on the pulse of our local economy. We are so fortunate to have such expertise and commitment to community vitality in our own backyard.”

For years that expertise was shared through a partnership with Times Media, which every three months had a front-page news story heralding the latest findings and inserted the full Quarterly Business Report into the back pages. When the pandemic hit and the paper no longer had the staff or budget to include the report, Banaian and

his partners quickly transitioned to sharing the information online and through community presentations.

“The impact is that we’ve probably doubled the audience,” Banaian said.

The entire archive of current and past reports can be found in the SCSU Repository, which houses a treasure trove of research assembled over the years by faculty and students.

Molle, who joined Banaian on the QBRs after MacDonald decided to retire, said she is enjoying the work on policy issues and macroeconomics. “It’s inspired me to care more about the community,” she said.

“The way I teach my classes has changed,” Molle said of her involvement with QBRs. “I have good examples for my students, and they seem to be more interested because of the connections to what’s happening around them. It’s not just some model. It’s more personal.”

Banaian is proud of the impact the work with the QBRs has had on the academic side of his work. “It’s a teaching tool, the mechanics of which help students learn about forecasting.

“It makes us unusual,” he added. “Less than 20 percent of business schools across the country have this tool to show how economics can really make an impact by looking at basic data and looking at it in a systematic way.”

IT’S TIM… IN ACTION

St. Cloud State supports faculty as they integrate research, scholarship and creative work with instruction as part of the institution's culture of innovation. Learn more at scsu.mn/itstime

SCSU'S COMMUNITY IMPACT

Economics Professor Mana Komai Molle teams with King Banaian to produce the QBR.

CELEBRATING ST. CLOUD STATE COMMUNITY

SCSU alumni, staff, students and friends are bold thinkers, influencers, change makers, and leaders in the region, around the country and the globe. We are Huskies proud to be part of your journey in life and through your career success.

#OurSCSU is a symbol of the strength of our community and a new platform to share life’s milestones, professional advancements, and impact. Whether you are making a difference in your community, advancing your profession, or shaping the lives of those around you — we want to hear from you.

Through your stories, we invite you to join us in celebrating the diversity and strength of our SCSU.

Go to scsu.mn/ourscsu to learn more and help us share your story. Show your pride and use the hashstag #OurSCSU in your social media messaging.

#OurSCSU

Alumni worldwide

Staff, students & friends

131,000+ 10,000+

BY MARSHA SHOEMAKER

NIC & PAIGE DOWD

SCSU alums use hockey platform to give back to autism community with Dowd's Crowd kits

The intense sights and sounds of a packed hockey arena are part of the fun for most fans.

But for children with autism, that heightened sensory excitement can be so daunting it prevents them and their families from going to games.

Thanks to SCSU alums Nic and Paige Dowd and their Dowd’s Crowd sensory kits, many of those families are now able to enjoy the thrill of attending a hockey game together.

Nic was a Husky hockey standout from 2010-2014 and is now a forward on the Washington Capitals NHL team, while Paige graduated in 2015 from SCSU’s Communication Sciences and Disorders program. They have applied their skills, education and passion for helping kids with autism to make a real difference in the lives of families of those with sensory needs.

Paige came up with the idea of creating sensory kits with items to help tone down the loud noise and brightness of the energetic atmosphere of a hockey game for kids with sensory sensitivities while Nic was playing with the Vancouver Canucks. When they moved to Washington five hockey seasons ago, she went into action, approaching the Capitals. They became willing partners in supporting what became Dowd’s Crowd.

Nic gives Paige the credit for the success of their charity. She creates the Dowd’s Crowd brand sensory kits, which include noise-cancelling headphones, sunglasses, a foam puck and conversation card. Together they enlist other players and friends to help

Nic exemplifies what it means to be a Husky.

– HOLLY SCHREINER, SCSU DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS

Nic Dowd played for SCSU hockey from 2010-2014

support their work through fundraising and other forms of promotion.

“She’s the brains behind the operation, I’m just the platform,” said Nic. Because of his connections, the families who apply to become a recipient of a Dowd’s Crowd game package receive tickets to the game and a personal visit with Nic after the game.

“We appreciate how excited they are,” Nic said of the families they interact with during the unique game experience the Dowds and their partners have created for children with autism and their families.

The Dowd’s successful personal partnership began when Nic and Paige met at St. Cloud State. He was a hockey star from Huntsville, Ala., and she was a Speech Pathology major from St. Cloud who had transferred in her sophomore year from North Dakota State. Both were working toward a future of making a difference in their separate fields.

“I knew I wanted to work with kids,” said Paige, who was attracted to her career field in part because a family friend was a

speech pathologist. By her senior year she demonstrated her commitment to her field by serving as president of the St. Cloud State chapter of the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, gaining experience in fundraising and learning about the effects of autism on children and their families.

HUSKY PRIDE

Nic was recently in the Twin Cities in March for a Capitals-Minnesota Wild game the same weekend the Huskies won the 2023 National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) Frozen Faceoff Championship. He had his own fair share of success at SCSU, playing on the 2013 team that was the first to skate its way to a shot at a Frozen Four championship.

Nic said his SCSU years helped him develop the ability to manage time and build relationships. “People depend on you,” he said. “To be a successful athlete and a good student, you have to be accountable to professors and coaches.”

Like many athletes offered jobs before

graduation, he is still working toward his degree and is just five credits short with a 3.8 grade point average. “I was really proud of what I did at St. Cloud.”

“Nic exemplifies what it means to be a Husky,” said SCSU Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner.  “He has always been a great example of what it means to give back. He was one of those students that made time to help in any way that he could and made people feel like they mattered. His hard work and commitment to making the community around him a better place is something that everyone at St. Cloud State University can be proud of.

“Nic and Paige’s work with Dowd’s Crowd shows what it means to be passionate about something and to give back in ways that are unmeasurable,” Schreiner added. Herb Brooks National Hockey Center has Dowd’s Crowd kits available for children with autism and their families at Husky hockey games.

Photo courtesy of Nic and Paige Dowd.

Since their years at SCSU, the Dowds have achieved success in both their personal lives and their career fields. And they have added their 3-year-old son, Louie, and Ruby, born in January of 2023, to the Dowd team roster.

“It’s hard to explain the love you have for your kids and how you’d do anything for them,” Paige said. “We’re glad to be able to help other families do this for their children.”

The Dowd team roster: Nic, Paige, son Louie and daughter Ruby.

It’s hard to explain the love you have for your kids and how you’d do anything for them ... We’re glad to be able to help other families do this for their children.

– PAIGE DOWD

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

DIANE NELSON

Alumna helps adults reach milestones through weaving

Something incredible is going on at Annandale Art & Textile Center, and a St. Cloud State University alumna is helping to facilitate it.

Diane Nelson teaches weaving at the Center and supervises the Heart of the Lakes Weavers — a vocational weaving program for people with social or developmental disabilities and alternate learning styles. The Center, started by Elizabeth and Joe Bayer, currently employs 10 weavers, who range in age from 18 to 60 years old. The weavers make more than minimum wage for their time at the Center, and proceeds from items sold go right back into the nonprofit. While weaving is a job for the adults in the program, Nelson said it has provided much more than money.

“There’s a magic that happens here,” she said. “I wish we could have somebody study it.”

A number of the weavers were either non-verbal or minimally verbal when they first started working for the Art & Textile Center. But as they’ve worked on projects and started interacting more with their peers, they’ve started to reach personal milestones.

“Here’s what happens: they start talking. Because of weaving, I believe because it’s a right, left, right, left, crossing midline, they start having a conversation,” she said. “I believe cognitively there’s something that’s happening. That all of a sudden they make a synapse and it’s there.”

One weaver, Michael, lives with echolalia — he repeats words or phrases he hears. When he first started working at the Center, if someone asked him a question, he’d repeat the question back instead of answering. He has since started responding, even bringing his grandfather to tears by responding to him with a full sentence.

“It changes their families,” Nelson said. “We’ve had grandparents and parents, cousins, sisters come in and say for them, as a family, it’s opened their eyes to see their adult in different ways.”

Michael’s not the only one to have a personal breakthrough. Weavers who were previously silent now gather to talk during their breaks, ring bells and sing “Another One Bites the Dust” when a bobbin has been used up, and all collectively dance to “Celebration” when a weaving project is cut off from a loom. The

Once I walked into Merle Sykora’s class in weaving, I don’t think I ever dreamed there would be this place available for me ... I honestly believe Merle Sykora doesn’t know the gift that he gave me.

– DIANE NELSON

Diane Nelson is the weaving instructor at Annandale Art & Textile Center.

adults are doing all of this without the assistance of paraprofessionals.

“We celebrate a lot,” Nelson said. “They’re independent, which is what we strive to have any adult do or young adult do. They thrive on that, given that opportunity.”

Annandale Art & Textile Center has helped Nelson to thrive as well, combining her education from SCSU with her work experience.

“I never would have believed that I’d find a weaving job, or a job in something that I love doing, that would help this group of adults,” she said.

Nelson first learned weaving from now-retired professor Merle Sykora, and took weaving classes every quarter. She then spent about 14 years working with special education students in the Annandale school system before starting with the Art & Textile Center about two years ago.

“Once I walked into Merle Sykora’s class in weaving, I don’t think I ever dreamed there would be this place available for me; I fell in love with weaving,” she said. “If anyone would’ve told me I would’ve taken that degree 20 to 30 years later and transformed it here, if he knew that his skill in teaching me has transferred on to change their lives, but also their

families’ lives ... I honestly believe Merle Sykora doesn’t know the gift that he gave me.”

Nelson credits her education at St. Cloud State with where she is today.

“I had a great education there,” she said. “I think it’s important for people to realize that whatever they get their degree in, it can morph into something so totally different. The gifts and the skills they have after that degree, also their life experience, can lead to so many different possibilities.”

Michael Millner is one of the Heart of the Lakes Weavers at Annandale Art & Textile Center.

A project is cut off from a loom as the Heart of the Lakes Weavers sing and dance to "Celebration."

Photos: Courtesy of Diane Nelson

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

LEAH NEIDECKER

COSE education prepared alumna for a career in helping doctors save lives

For alumna Leah Neidecker, St. Cloud State University served as a launching pad for her career in helping physicians save lives. While it wasn’t the first university she attended, she’s thankful it’s where she ended up.

“At the beginning of my undergraduate journey, I was enrolled at a different university. It was not a perfect fit, so after some considerations, I selected SCSU,” she said. “My academic performance significantly improved in my new environment and my social life thrived. My overall experience as a student was exceptional.”

Neidecker, who earned her Bachelor of Science in Ecology in 2013, is a program manager in aortic medical science with Medtronic. She collaborates with key opinion leaders in the vascular and cardiothoracic surgery specialties to deliver the most relevant, accurate and data-driven training to health care professionals. The training is offered at no cost to attendees, enabling surgeons to make the best decisions in the treatment of their patients without barriers.

“Advances in patient care are continuously occurring thanks to the physicians who are hands-on, screening and treating sick patients every day,” Neidecker said. “Being an industry partner to surgeons at the forefront of patient care and medical device innovation is the most rewarding part of my job, as I have visibility to the improvement it has on the lives of those we treat.”

She said aortic disease can be life-threatening without treatment and oftentimes does not show symptoms, making it easy to miss. Through her role, Neidecker said she has become acutely aware of just how many people are affected by aortic disease, and her mission is to limit the impact of the disease on patients’ lives.

“My line of work positively influences patient outcomes, as we see cases where patients receive critical care that can extend and improve their lives,” she said. “This has an incredible impact on not only the patient, but their families and loved ones as well.”

Neidecker is passionate about the work she does, and credits St. Cloud State for where she is today.

“Upon my graduation 10 years ago, I applied at Medtronic and have stayed ever since. While my career has evolved here, I started in a lab, which was a natural transition from my studies and would not have been possible without my degree,” she said. “Being an undergrad in the College of Science and Engineering taught me real-world skills like focus, dedication, teamwork, critical thinking and learning through trial and error. My academic experience at SCSU enabled me to thrive in my studies and further my education with an MBA, leading me to where I am today.”

My line of work positively influences patients outcomes, as we see cases where patients receive critical care that can extend and improve their lives.

– LEAH NEIDECKER ’13

Photos: Courtesy of Leah Neidecker

Being an undergrad in the College of Science and Engineering taught me real-world skills like focus, dedication, teamwork, critical thinking and learning through trial and error.

– LEAH NEIDECKER ’13

St. Cloud State University is offering transformative learning opportunities in engineering and applied science. Through engaged and applied learning, students are gaining knowledge of the wider world and confronting complex questions to develop their intellectual, civic, artistic and problem-solving skills. Learn more at scsu.mn/itstime

BY ZACH DWYER

AN ARTIST'S VIEW

Visual impairment hasn't slowed down the success of Isaiah Okongo

St. Cloud State senior Isaiah Okongo pulls out his phone, scrolling through dozens and dozens of photos of art in his camera roll.

He finally clicks on what he desired: a sketch drawing of the way he sees the world.

“Pictures are better at describing than just seeing, so it gives more context to what it’s like,” Okongo said. “I can’t see out of my right eye other than light; I can see really close-up movement, but it’s really weak in that eye. My left eye is the strongest eye, but I can’t see things at a distance very well … anything really close up is my best bet.”

This visual aid is much easier than describing his condition in casual conversation with friends or family. Okongo was born with Optic Nerve Hypoplasia, where his optic nerves are too small to see properly. His optic nerves grew until he was 3 years old, and his vision has been stable since.

His visual impairment has had no effect on his budding art career, where his attention to detail and passion for architecture have been transformed into works of art that people are already clamoring to buy.

Take a previous summer for example. During Art Crawl St. Cloud, Art Professor Peter Happel Christian saw Okongo set up outside near Falcon National Bank. Happel Christian approached with his family, but he couldn’t even get close to his student: Okongo was engrossed with a crowd of customers discussing and admiring his drawings.

This came as no surprise to his professor.

“It has a lot to do with the nature of his work and who he is; he’s so easy to have a conversation with,” Happel Christian said. “He’s also really genuine in the feedback he gives his peers. He’s good at being complimentary but isn’t shy about being constructive. He’s genuine and honest.

“He’s a presence in the Art building.”

Okongo won first prize in the Miller Center Student Art Show this fall, the first time it had been held since 2019.

Photo: Steve Woit

He received a $100 purchase prize for finishing in first place, with the Miller Center purchasing “Granite Exchange Building”.

His ink drawing of the historic building in downtown St. Cloud is just one piece of a larger series that is his greatest collection to date.

PERSPECTIVE DRAWING

Okongo grew up in Sauk Rapids and has lived in the St. Cloud area his whole life. The 22-year-old didn’t always strive to be an artist, instead envisioning himself as an architect growing up. That fascination with buildings and attention to detail is abundantly clear in his perspective drawings.

“I capture places in a way I can’t see them,” Okongo said. “A lot of the details in my drawings I can’t see in real life, they’re just too far away. It’s a way to understand the world around me.”

He relies heavily on a technique called armatures of a rectangle in his work, something he learned from SCSU Art Professor Justin Quinn in 2019.

“I learned something I didn’t know, and now I can build on that,” Okongo said. “In art you really have to have the idea of what you want to do … you also have to push yourself, it’s a two-way thing.

“That’s with any subject, professors can give you the stepping stones that you need, but it also takes work on the student’s part to really branch off from there … A lot of my recent success has come since I came to St. Cloud State.”

If you draw diagonal lines in a rectangle and divide them in half, it will give you the exact center. If you further split with diagonal lines, it will create a fourth, and other designs can create thirds, fifths, whatever fraction you desire.

“That process really makes it the most accurate, and it means I don’t have to measure it with a ruler, which I can’t really see the measurements on a ruler anyway,” Okongo said. “It’s really instrumental in being accurate … sometimes when I’m dealing with really tiny details on the drawing itself, I have a headset magnifier known as the IrisVision goggles.”

Professor Justin Quinn has been impressed with Okongo since he had him in the first foundational drawing class that Art majors take at SCSU.

“He’s working all the time: he’s so dedicated to his craft and to making and exhibiting,” Quinn said. “He’s taking the steps to being a professional artist.

“He blew me away with his maturity and his outlook and plans … it wasn’t only the work, but the way he talked about the work and what he wanted to do as a professional,” he added. “He’s the real deal.”

Quinn described Okongo’s building series as very mathematical, where the illusion of depth is created by lines that recede back into space. Layering on perspective creates elegant, three-dimensional blueprints of space.

Okongo estimates he’s done about 30 of these perspective drawings of buildings since 2020. He began close to home with St. Cloud buildings, now expanding throughout the state to visit places like Minneapolis or Stillwater. Sometimes he will even stumble across his next drawing focus by accident.

His simplest piece took only about 2-3 weeks, while his largest took about three

Above: Granite …xchange Building by Okongo, is a drawing of the historic building in downtown St. Cloud.

months. He often works 2-3 hours a day on drawings, which he uses as an effective way to unwind late in the day.

Okongo uses pen for the drawings, with pencil being too light for him to accurately see. He shades in pen too, which isn’t a skill many take advantage of.

SCSU professor Peter Happel Christian said Okongo also has shown an openness to developing his photographic skills, finding ways to weave it into his main artistic focus.

“Working with a camera fed into his interest in architecture and drawing buildings,” Happel Christian said. “He finds way to make the materials connect to making as he understands it.”

Okongo will use photographs of the building to see the finer details of the structure, always striving to complete more complex drawings in a further goal of hyper-realism. He’s not burning out on the project any time soon, and he even has larger goals for the future.

ADVOCACY

Dreams of being an architect have been replaced by a desire to be an art director or art professor in the future. The process of selecting and judging art or helping others create is a passion, and he wants to encourage students to think about accessible art for visually impaired people and those with other sensory needs.

“I have many visually impaired friends that can’t experience what I do,” Okongo said. “I really want to start making the art world more inclusive.”

This past August he helped create an exhibition at Art in Motion in Holdingford, Minn., with his own piece comprising of wood blocks with multiple carvings he’d made in his multimedia class.

The carvings were based on hand drawings and put into a box. Anyone that came could reach into the box and feel the art, experiencing the sensation of feeling without seeing.

“I wanted to really explore this idea of doing art that’s not the traditional picture hanging on a gallery wall,” Okongo said. “For people who had sight, they could also add another element where they could draw what they felt without looking at it to see what they’d interpret out of it. There’s no right or no wrong (answer), I just wanted to see what people would interpret when they felt things.

“I have all the drawings people made from that in my studio now. It’s really interesting to see what people came up with, and it was a really major hit at that exhibition.”

Professor Justin Quinn admires Okongo’s community-driven plans and connections he’s already made as he begins to sell his work and appear in shows.

“He knows who he is and what he’s making: he’s taking the first step into being a professional beyond school.”

Okongo’s college experience has allowed him to see his art flourish and resonate in the community he’s known his whole life. It’s allowed him to further experience his favorite part about art: how people can connect to his work.

“You really start to look at things from different angles than you would beforehand,” Okongo said about his time at SCSU. “Here they really try to make you think deeper about all kinds of things, whether it’s Ethnic Studies, Anthropology, History, it’s all connected. If you think deeper of it, you can express yourself in different ways.

“A lot of people do that in their written essays: I do so through my art.”

SCSU prioritizes Diversity, …quity and Inclusion as foundational to the university. Learn more at scsu.mn/itstime

He's a presence in the Art building.

– PETER HAPPEL CHRISTIAN, PROFESSOR

He’s working all the time: he’s so dedicated to his craft and to making and exhibiting. He’s taking the steps to being a professional artist.

– JUSTIN QUINN, ART PROFESSOR, ON OKONGO AND HIS ART

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SAVE THE DATE, HUSKIES!

OCT. 2-7

Make sure to follow us on social media leading up to Homecoming as details are finalized and announced.

St. Cloud State's Homecoming is the University's biggest red and black celebration of the year, with special events for students, families, prospective students, alumni, community members and more!

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Homecoming is for every Husky!

THREE SCSU ALUMNI HAVE PUT THEIR EDUCATIONS INTO ACTION IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CAREER FIELDS.

Tony Abfalter, a corporate engineer and Director of Engineering and IT with Leighton Broadcasting in Minnesota, initially studied Meteorology at SCSU before moving to radio engineering. From February to September 2022, he handled most of the communications systems at McMurdo Station in Antarctica. Dr. David Novak ’00 studied Meteorology as well, later earning his doctorate from Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. He now serves as Director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Weather Prediction Center in Maryland. Gordon Severson ’10 earned his degree in Mass Communications from SCSU and works as a reporter with KARE 11 out of Minneapolis. In September 2022 he covered Hurricane Ian’s devastation on the ground from Florida for sister station WTSP.

#OurSCSU is an initiative to share, showcase and celebrate the impact members of the St. Cloud State community are having around the world.

Whether you are making a difference in your community, bringing about change to your industry or shaping the lives of those around you, we want to hear from you.

Be part of #OurSCSU and share your story today at scsu.mn/ourscsu, where you can alumni class notes and alumni we remember.

CONNECT WITH US

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THE JUDY C. PEARSON DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATION STUDIES

The announcement and dedication of The Judy C. Pearson Department of Communication Studies took place Sept. 22 in the lobby of Riverview at St. Cloud State University. Dr. Judy Pearson endowed the University’s Communication Studies department with a $1 million gift, resulting in the first named department on campus.

Pearson’s gift will provide resources to support the advancement of the Communication Studies department. It has already provided four scholarships to first-year and transfer students, and will provide for the department’s first diversity scholarships. It will also provide funding for conference grants so students can travel to academic conferences. Additional goals for the endowment are to encourage undergraduate research, bring scholars to campus and encourage global thinking and understanding by providing more study abroad opportunities for students.

“It’s geared directly toward student development,” said Dr. Marla KanengieterWildeson, Communication Studies Department Chair. “Dr. Pearson is a prolific researcher in Communication Studies, her legacy is one of leadership within the discipline … she’s contributed much to the life and well-being of students throughout her tenure as a faculty member.”

Pearson earned her bachelor’s in Communication Studies from SCSU before earning her master’s in Rhetoric and Public Address and a doctorate in Speech Communication from Indiana University. She then began an esteemed career in higher education, working as a professor in Communication Studies at Bradley University, Iowa State, Ohio University, Virginia Tech and North Dakota State. Pearson said she chose the field because she wanted to teach the complexity and development of communication.

“‘A communication problem’ is too much of a catch-all phrase,” she said. “Communication is complicated, that’s why there’s so many disputes and conflicts.”

Pearson’s body of professional research and publication has earned her international recognition as a leading voice in the field of communication studies. She

If we can help students, I think it's an obligation that we do that.

– DR. JUDY C. PEARSON

ALUMNI GIFTS HAVE POSITIVE IMPACT FOR STUDENTS AND COMMUNITY

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

THE LINDA ’74 AND RICHARD OFFERDAHL AUTISM DISCOVERY CENTER

A St. Cloud State University alumna and her husband have made a gift that will benefit not just SCSU, but the regional community as well.

The Linda ’74 and Richard Offerdahl Autism Discovery Center was publicly announced April 26 inside St. Cloud State University’s Brown Hall. The Autism Discovery Center aims to teach clinicians of all levels and backgrounds proper treatments for clients and their families in central Minnesota and beyond. Students of Applied Behavior Analysis at SCSU will be involved in all services provided at the Center, supervised by doctoral-level and nationally certified faculty. Students will receive hands-on training in running sessions, developing programs, collecting data, evaluating progress, meeting with families and training other student clinicians.

was a sought after keynote speaker, delivering addresses at over 30 universities during the course of her career. Her work in the field is used widely in university coursework through textbooks she wrote, and Pearson has also been featured on national and local television and radio programming as well as newspapers and magazines.

Pearson said that, while having a department at her alma mater named after her is “the cherry on top of the sundae,” it’s important that higher education continues to be supported, and that it takes a village to do so.

“If we can help students, I think it’s an obligation that we do that,” she said. “It’s like being an older child in a family; you help the younger ones behind you.”

“Most importantly, the OADC is here for families and autistic children,” said Dr. Odessa Luna, Assistant Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis at SCSU. “The OADC will be a source of relief for families in the St. Cloud area who have been waiting desperately for services. With time, the OADC will build through its graduates more service opportunities for autistic children in the region and the state, extending its reach well beyond its walls.”

St. Cloud State University is dedicated to offering individualized student support that meets students where they are and engages them in achieving their personal and professional aspirations. Learn more at scsu.mn/itstime

Pictured, from left, is Communication Studies Department Chair Dr. Marla KanengieterWildeson, SCSU President Dr. Robbyn Wacker, Dr. Judy Pearson, Communication Studies Professor Dr. Jeff Ringer and Dr. Mark Springer, Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and the School of the Arts.

HONORING A LEGEND SCSU HONORS MATT CULLEN WITH JERSEY RETIREMENT

SCSU HONORED ONE OF THE BEST TO EVER TAKE THE ICE FOR THE HUSKIES WHEN THEY RETIRED THE JERSEY OF 21-YEAR NHL VETERAN AND THREETIME STANLEY CUP CHAMPION MATT CULLEN.

BY MITCHELL HANSEN ’17

The Huskies retired Cullen’s No. 9 jersey during a pregame ceremony ahead of SCSU’s game against Colorado College on Jan. 14 at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center. Former Husky and NHL player Mark Parrish, who played two seasons in college with Cullen, was the emcee during the ceremony. Cullen was joined at center ice by his wife Bridget, sons Wyatt and Joey, and parents Nancy and Terry.

Following a video shown from Cullen’s former coaches, teammates and friends congratulating him, SCSU President Robbyn Wacker, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Nic Katona and Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner presented Cullen with his No. 9 jersey. Cullen is the second Husky in program history to have his number retired, joining fellow 2006 U.S. Olympian Bret Hedican (No. 24).

“The journey for No. 9 has been unfolding for many years and St. Cloud State University is excited to honor one of its most distinguished alumni,” Parrish said during the ceremony. “His character and passion for the game came through in everything he did. You don’t last 21 years in the NHL and win three Stanley Cup’s without a ton of passion and character.”

Cullen spent two seasons with the Huskies (1995-97) before joining the NHL. During his time at SCSU, Cullen led the team in assists and points (12-29-41 in 1995-96 and 15-3045 in 1996-97) in both seasons in red and black, and currently ranks 51st all-time on the Division-I all-time scoring list with 86 points (27-59-86). He was also one of three Huskies to

His (Matt) character and passion for the game came through in everything he did. You don’t last 21 years in the NHL and win three Stanley Cup’s without a ton of passion and character.

– MARK PARISH, FORMER HUSKY AND NHL

PLAYER

Above: From left, Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement Nic Katona, President Robbyn Wacker, Matt Cullen and Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner smile for a picture during Cullen's jersey retirement ceremony on Jan. 14 at Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

Right: Representing the USA in the 2006 Olympics were, from left, Bret Hedican, Matt Cullen and Mark Parish; all former SCSU Huskies Hockey players.

represent the United States in the 2006 Olympics along with Hedican and Parrish. At the national level, Cullen was named a six-time National Junior Team or National Team selection and helped the United States capture bronze at the 2004 World Championships.

“When I think back on my time here at St. Cloud, I’m overfilled with gratitude. I had a lot of fun playing here with these guys, and I don’t know that there is a better place to play than (at SCSU),” Cullen said during the ceremony. “Spending a few years here in St. Cloud with this group of people, I don’t know if I would have the NHL career that I was blessed to have without these guys here.”

Cullen appeared in over 1,500 games during 21 NHL seasons, suiting up for the Anaheim Ducks (1997-03), Florida Panthers (2003-04), Carolina Hurricanes (2005-06, 0710), New York Rangers (2006-07), Ottawa Senators (2010), Minnesota Wild (2010-13), Nashville Predators (2013-15) and Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-17, 18-19). While registering 266 goals, 465 assists and 731 points over his career, Cullen hoisted the Stanley Cup Trophy with Carolina in 2006 and Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017.

Cullen was impressive off the ice as well, founding the “Cullen’s Children’s Foundation” (also known as “Cully’s Kids”) in 2003. The foundation provides financial resources to organizations that support children’s healthcare needs, with an emphasis on cancer. Cullen remains active in his hometown of Moorhead, and he recently purchased the Fargo Force of the USHL in 2020.

“I don’t think of this as a celebration of my own accomplishments, but I honestly think of it as a celebration of how far our hockey program has come here and what a special program we have,” Cullen said. “It fills me with a lot of pride to come here and see what a quality program we have, the quality young men we have coming out of here, and the teams we are producing. I’m really proud to be a small part of that. It’s an honor to come back here to join in this.”

To view the full jersey retirement ceremony, visit vimeo.com/utvs/mattcullen.

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