Summer 2015
INSIDE: Look for a special Arts & Sciences section starting on page 18.
CHANGE AT THE TOP
A big opportunity for Dave Hakstol, ‘96, leads to a promotion for popular assistant coach Brad Berry, ‘02. P. 6
6
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fea tur es
52 Alumni News
Who’s doing what: News about your fellow classmates.
24 ‘Go see Tom Rand.’
Find the Flame: We’ve cleverly hidden the UND flame somewhere on our cover (hint: it’s not the one in the Alumni Association logo). Find it for a chance to win a prize! Simply e-mail AlumniReview@undalumni.net and give a detailed description of the flame’s location. Subject line: Found the flame. We’ll let you know if you’ve won.
4 Message from DeAnna Women for Philanthropy.
34 What’s New
News from around campus.
ts ten con
After four decades, the man who has helped countless students navigate the UND experience is set to retire.
2 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
44 UND Proud
Points of pride on the UND campus.
a&s
30 Alumni Spotlight
ALUMNI REVIEW | VOL. 98 NO. 2 | SUMMER 2015
64 In Memoriam Denny Bounds, ‘74, anchors the evening news for the NBC affiliate in Seattle.
inside this issue
departments
CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86 Editor Milo Smith Associate Editor Alyssa Konickson, ’06 Designer Sam Melquist Contributing Writers Alyssa Konickson, ’06 Amy Halvorson, ’15 David Dodds, ’88 Milo Smith Teresa DiGregorio Brian Johnson, ’08 Juan Miguel Pedraza, ’02 Craig Garaas-Johnson
Be the Impact
Contributing Photography Jackie Lorentz Sam Melquist Shawna Noel Schill, ’06 Craig Garaas-Johnson
UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Kris Compton, ’77 Vice Chair Jody Feragen, ’78 Directors: Dean Beckstead, ‘65; Cindy Blikre, ‘91; Steve Burian, ’90, ’92; Marc Chorney, ’81; Sara Garland, ‘68, ‘72; Phil Gisi, ‘82; Dr. John Gray, ‘87; Marten Hoekstra, ‘82; Chuck Kluenker; Linda Laskowski, ’72, ’73; Rick Lee, ‘78; Doug Mark, ’86; Rob Mitchell, ‘74; Jennifer Neppel, ’86; Carrie McIntyre Panetta, ’88; Fernanda Philbrick, ’94, ‘96; Doug Podolak, ’72; Cathy Rydell, ’88; Lisa Wheeler, ’75, ’82; and Terri Zimmerman, ’85. Ex Officio: Laura Block, ’81, ’10; Alice Brekke, ’79, ’87; Robert O. Kelley; DeAnna Carlson Zink, ‘86; Tom DiLorenzo; Lori Reesor; Susan Walton and Dr. Joshua Wynne. The University of North Dakota Alumni Review (USPS 018089: ISSN 0895-5409) is published quarterly by the University of North Dakota Alumni Association, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157. Periodical postage paid at Grand Forks, ND 58201 and other offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Alumni Review, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157. For inquiries about advertising, additional copies, reprints, submissions, or general comments, contact 800.543.8764, 701.777.0831 or alumnireview@undalumni.net.
48 Capitalizing on a Vision
North Dakota’s Higher Education Challenge Fund will help UND reach its fundraising goals. By Alyssa Konickson
50 Meet a Student
Emily Germolus is one of many students impacted by the generosity of alumni and friends of UND.
www.UNDalumni.org | 3
DEANNA’S
letter
WOMEN FOR PHILANTHROPY
Dear Alumni & Friends,
WOMEN FOR PHILANTHROPY It has been a busy spring on the UND campus and, as always, I’m sorry to see another school year end. The energy of a vibrant, diverse student body is hard to beat, but lucky for me and all the others who enjoy the vitality students bring to campus, we only have to wait until fall to see it return. A couple of highlights of the spring stand out to me, and I want to share them with you.
Women for Philanthropy
We accomplished one of my long-time goals in April when we hosted the first-ever Women for Philanthropy event at the Gorecki Alumni Center. The gathering was a chance to celebrate the role women play in nonprofit agencies and as philanthropists and to encourage and inspire greater participation in those areas. Our panel discussion highlighted four wonderful women who shared their experiences as philanthropists and fundraisers. The panel included Marty Hoffmann, Executive Director of The Barry Foundation; Sally Opp, ’01, ’08, Vice President of Opp Construction and co-founder of The Art of Giving (TAG); MJ Bobyock, Director of the SEI Nonprofit Advisory Team; and Jo-Anne Yearwood, Director of the UND Children’s Learning Center. Our keynote address was given by a dear friend of mine and a dear friend to the University of North Dakota, Linda Pancratz, ’76. Linda has not only had a very successful career in telecommunications and running an investment company, but she has been a generous supporter of her alma mater and other charitable causes. Not only was she a co-chair of North Dakota Spirit | The Campaign for UND, but the career center in the College of Business and Public Administration is named for her and her late husband, Mark. She offered five lessons she has learned from a lifetime of philanthropy: 1. Role-model a charitable, giving disposition toward others. 2. Be a student of philanthropy by learning from others. 3. Remember that you can give of your time, talent or treasure. 4. Do it. It is incredibly satisfying to see what your giving can do. 5. The good life is a life lived for others. A life devoted to the common good can make a real difference. Other lives can be enriched by their encounters with you. I was greatly inspired by Linda’s keynote address and the panelists, and it was a special event for me as my philanthropic role model, my mother, Marlene, was in the audience. And it was her birthday! A special thanks to our lead sponsor of Women for Philanthropy, SEI, and our other sponsors, Dakota Medical Foundation and the University of North Dakota. Proceeds from the event will be used to fund a scholarship for a deserving UND student.
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Honorary Degrees
The school year ended with another commencement in which more than 2,000 students joined our alumni family. Two members of that family were recognized at the ceremony with honorary degrees, North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle, ’55, ’58, and Bill Gross, ’88, founder of the nonprofit Farm Rescue. Chief Justice VandeWalle, recipient of the state’s highest honor, the North Dakota Rough Rider Award, earlier this year, has served on the state’s highest court for more than 36 years and was recently re-elected to his fourth 10-year term. Gross has marshaled volunteers and corporate partners to help farmers in the upper Midwest who are unable to plant or harvest their crops due to a debilitating injury or disease. Both of these alumni are shining examples of what a UND graduate can accomplish in life, and I congratulate them on the well-deserved recognition.
Sioux Awards
I have one additional group of exceptional alumni to tell you about. The recipients of this year’s Sioux Awards and Young Alumni Achievement Awards have been selected. The Sioux Award will go to Henry Herr, ’68, ’71; Dave Veeder, ’61; Patrick Dirk, ’71, ’72; and Jill (Keena) Cholewa, ’77. The Young Alumni Achievement award recipients are Greg Pinski, ’96, ’99, and Kayla Effertz, ’05, ’07. We look forward to recognizing these outstanding alumni at the Sioux Awards banquet on Oct. 8 during Homecoming. Look for the biographies of the recipients and a complete rundown of Homecoming 2015 in the next issue of the Alumni Review. You may notice that the donor listings are missing from this issue of the Alumni Review. Donors to this University are more important than ever, and we want to make sure they are recognized properly, so we are revamping how we honor them. The section is currently under construction and will return in the next issue. There are so many wonderful things happening on campus and among our alumni community. You’ll find some of those stories in the pages of this magazine. If you want to visit UND in person, please make sure you stop by your home on campus, the Gorecki Alumni Center. We are always happy to reminisce with our incredible alumni! See you soon,
DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CFRE UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO E-mail: deannac@undfoundation.org
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FEATURE
story
A FAMILIAR FACE ON THE BENCH
A CHANGE AT THE TOP After more than a decade, the Hakstol Era ends and Brad Berry gets his chance to lead the number one men’s hockey program in the country.
M
By Milo Smith Photo: Shawna Schill
ay 18 was a head-spinning day for fans of the University of North Dakota’s Men’s Hockey team. First came news that caught many hockey fans off guard: Dave Hakstol, ’96, was introduced as head coach of the National Hockey League’s Philadelphia Flyers. Within hours, the head coaching vacancy was filled with another UND alum as assistant coach Brad Berry, ’02, was tapped as the sixteenth head coach in the program’s history.
Hakstol on the Move
A college hockey coach had not made the jump to a professional head coaching job in more than 20 years, but that changed when the Philadelphia Flyers plucked their new leader from UND. After leading the UND Men’s Hockey program to seven NCAA Frozen Four appearances in 11 seasons, Hakstol was the top choice of Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall, whose son, Brett, played at UND. “To have the opportunity to join the Philadelphia Flyers organization is an extremely proud moment for me,” Hakstol said at a Philadelphia news conference. “Obviously it’s a special moment for our family. I really want to mention the University of North Dakota as well. So many great people back in Grand Forks, North Dakota, that have had a huge influence, not just on my professional life, but overall on my life over the past 15 to 20 years. I want to say thanks to an awful lot of people there.” Hakstol, appointed head coach at UND in 2004 after four seasons as an assistant coach to Dean Blais, amassed a 289-14343 (.654) overall record in his 11 seasons behind the bench of his alma mater and leaves as the second-winningest coach in program history. The Warburg, Alberta, native led UND to the NCAA postseason in each of his 11 seasons, including seven appearances in the NCAA Frozen Four, most of any program in the country during that span.
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“I have spent the better part of my professional life with the University of North Dakota hockey program and every day of it has been a privilege,” said Hakstol. “I’ve had the chance to work with and learn from some of the best people in hockey and I’m lucky to be able to call them my friends. I want to thank the staff, players and fans who have helped make this such a special place for our family.” Forty-six of Hakstol’s players at UND played professionally in 2014-15 and 20 reached the National Hockey League. Two of his former players, Matt Greene of the Los Angeles Kings and Jonathan Toews of the Chicago Blackhawks, have each won a pair of Stanley Cup championships. Many of his former players took to social media and the airwaves to voice their support for their former coach. Flyers center Chris VandeVelde, ’10, a free agent this summer, said he understood that there was some skepticism about a college coach making the move to the NHL, but “I have no doubt he’ll have success with Philly.” “I don’t have experience at this level so I am not going to pretend that I do,” Hakstol said at his Philadelphia news conference. “I have a great deal of confidence in what we do and what my philosophies are and the fact they are going to be successful here. You have to go out and do the work. That starts as we walk out of this room today.”
Popular Choice to Lead UND
Within hours of the Hakstol hiring hitting the news, UND held a news conference to promote Brad Berry, ’02, to head coach. The longtime assistant becomes the sixth former UND player to take over the program. “We are excited to have Brad take leadership of the UND men’s hockey program,” said Brian Faison, UND Director of Athletics. “He is an effective recruiter, has an outstanding reputation as a teacher of the game, and brings a tremendous energy and passion to the position. His core values and his
understanding of the unique culture that has made UND hockey so successful are the traits that make him the right coach to carry the program forward.” Possessing a wealth of professional and collegiate coaching and playing experience, Berry recently completed his ninth season as an assistant coach at UND. He served two stints in that role, first from 2000 through 2006 and again from 2012 through this past season. The former NHL defenseman has also spent time as an assistant coach with the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets and the American Hockey League’s Manitoba Moose. “I’m deeply humbled and honored to be the next head coach at the University of North Dakota,” said Berry. “Men like Dave Hakstol, Dean Blais and Gino Gasparini have put that foundation in place for the program to be as successful as it has been. Myself, as well as Coach (Dane) Jackson and the rest of our staff, plan on carrying that torch to keep the program at the highest level.” In his nine years as a UND assistant coach, Berry helped lead the program to eight NCAA Tournament appearances, five NCAA Frozen Four berths, three regularseason conference titles and one conference tournament championship. Berry oversaw the team’s defensemen during both of his stints at UND and routinely produced one of the top defensive units in Division I hockey. In each of the last two seasons, UND led the nation in points and points per game by defensemen. At the other end of the ice, UND allowed a league-low 2.24 goals against per game in 2014-15 and has ranked among the top three in the conference in that category in five of Berry’s last six seasons with the program. Nine of Berry’s former UND defensemen have gone on to play in the NHL, including 2004-05 UND captain and twotime Stanley Cup champion Matt Greene. Berry was a standout defenseman at UND from 1983-86, collecting 74 points (12 goals, 62 assists) in 112 collegiate games under head coach John “Gino” Gasparini. Berry also won a gold medal with Canada at the 1985 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship. A second-round draft pick (29th overall) of the Winnipeg Jets in 1983, Berry went on to play in 241 NHL games over eight years, including stints with Winnipeg, Minnesota and Dallas. His professional playing career also included stops in the Swedish Elite League and the International Hockey League (IHL). While with the IHL’s Michigan K-Wings, Berry was a three-time IHL All-Star and was named the K-Wings’ Defenseman of the Year three times.
All In
Berry says he got 100 percent buy-in from the current players and those who’ve already committed to play in Grand Forks. When asked how players and recruits had responded to the change, Berry said, “They are all in.” Berry says he sees his job as maintaining the culture that is embedded in the program. “The real face of the program is the players. We have certain value and standards we expected, and it’s about keeping that tradition going. They are an outstanding representation of what we are.”
As for changes in game strategy under a new coach, Berry says there won’t be a lot of change from what has made the program such a success over the past eleven years. “I don’t think there will be a huge difference,” Berry said. “The biggest thing that we preach is nobody is bigger than the program. As far as mentality and pace of play, I don’t think we’ll deviate from that. There might be a tweak or two. We’ll play a fast-paced game and we are going to get after it.” AR — Additional reporting by Jayson Hajdu, UND Athletics www.UNDalumni.org | 7
FEATURE JERSEY BOY
story
Jersey Boy Marv Leier credits his alma mater with his three greatest loves — his wife, broadcasting and hockey.
Photo: Shawna Schill
By Amy Halvorson
“T
he man between the benches.” You may have noticed him at University of North Dakota hockey games, the cameraman sporting different, often flamboyant, hockey jerseys at each game. The man, Marvin “Marv” Leier, ’82, truly bleeds green and white for UND and its hockey team. And believe it or not, this hockey super fan didn’t know much about the sport before stepping foot on campus as a student back in the late 1970s. Leier hailed from Linton, a small south-central North Dakota town primarily focused on basketball, wrestling and football. “It took a while to get used to the sport, but it was here, at UND, that I fell in love with hockey,” Leier said. He attended UND from 1978-82, a time when UND hockey won two national championships. “When you’re a part of that kind of atmosphere, it’s hard to not fall in love,” he said.
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“At UND, I met a bunch of really cool people in Smith Hall and started going to hockey games,” Leier continued. “Then I became involved in THE FARCE, and that was when I became a real hockey fanatic.” THE FARCE was a group of students who were, perhaps, the most avid UND hockey fans in school history. The group’s name was spun from the famous “Star Wars” movie quote, “May the force be with you.” This group of about 30 students attended every home game and made many road trips to away games across the Midwest. “It was all about crazy antics,” Leier said. “Our goal was to have fun and to torture the other team, to get under their skin to create the home ice advantage.” THE FARCE became famous for its matching yellow helmets with sirens with red flashing lights, one of which Leier still has sitting proudly in his office. They also had a mascot, Kermit the Frog, as they were all
Muppets fans. Kermit even had a miniature matching helmet crafted just for him by a couple of the engineering students involved in the group. “I work in a creative field, but those guys were probably some of the most creative people I’ve ever been associated with,” said Leier, who serves as the director of broadcasting at UND’s Television Center. “It was crazy fun.” Leier started working with the UND Television Center in 1991, making this his 24th year at UND. On the side, Leier has been broadcasting UND hockey games as a freelance camera operator from his post between the benches ever since the new Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) opened in 2001. His first game was the Hall of Fame game against the University of Minnesota. Ralph Engelstad also attended and came out on the ice and spoke, a moment forever etched into Leier’s memory. When Leier first started, his little broadcasting area was enclosed and protected by Plexiglas and he wasn’t very visible to the public. His claim to fame came as a result of alterations that were made to the rink. His protective enclosure was taken down for the “hockey players’ safety,” he said, leaving him unprotected from flying hockey pucks, sticks and whatever else came his way. So Leier did what any sensible hockey player might do; he “padded up.” With his new padding and visibility to the public, a hockey jersey just made sense to Leier to complete his outfit. Leier added a helmet to his wardrobe after a few close calls with stray pucks, which were fortunately saved by back-up goalies — once by former UND goalie Jordan Parise and once by an opposing team’s net minder. “I’m in the action; almost every game I get hit,” said Leier, who, so far, has been able to avoid serious injuries. Leier started out with about 15 jerseys in his closet, but that number has now grown to around 35, ranging from National Hockey League (NHL) jerseys to his local men’s league jerseys. His criterion for the jerseys he wears is simple: avoid wearing opponents’ school colors. Fans eventually began noticing Leier and his ever-changing jerseys and he’s become somewhat of an icon at games because of it. Complete strangers will now approach Leier and request that he wear their jersey; sometimes they’re brand new and sometimes he’s allowed to keep them. He’s become so popular that game referees, coaches and even former NHL player and current CBS Sports Network color commentator Dave Starman have requested that Leier wear their old sweaters. “I never expected that it would become this big of a deal,” Leier said.
To keep things interesting, Leier has even started to do “theme weekends,” such as one that he devoted to Ivy League school jerseys. But Halloween games have always been Leier’s favorites. “People have so much fun at them just being crazy and having a good time,” he said. At a Halloween game a few years back, Leier glanced up at the Jumbotron and noticed a student fan wearing a hockey jersey, holding a cardboard camera and a helmet like his. The Jumbotron switched back and forth, showing the student and then Leier. Leier also has been known to join in on the Halloween fun. One year he dressed up as a coach, just to see how the actual coaches would react. Leier says he’s living his dream by working at the University he loves, doing two of his true passions in life — television and hockey. “I’m lucky that I work with so many good people; it’s just by chance that I’m the guy people notice,” Leier said. “Everyone with Midcontinent and CBS Sports is passionate about the game and about doing good work.” Leier’s job also gives him the chance to work with students. “I work to make sure they have as good of an experience at UND as I did,” he said. “I can’t imagine having went anywhere else. I don’t think I would’ve had nearly as much fun.” Leier says he is often blown away by what UND alumni have accomplished, both professionally and personally, and seeing how UND changed their lives and how many incredible people passed through the school. Leier hasn’t turned in his skates yet, as he still plays in local leagues twice a week and now has the pleasure of watching his grandson learn to skate. “Outside of my parents, UND has had the biggest impact on my life.” Leier said. “And that is because it was here that I met my wife, Cindy, fell in love with both her and hockey, and found my passion for television.” AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 9
FEATURE
story
COUNTRY CONNECTIONS
Chris Semrau, ’00, and UND student Landon Bahl at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards show in Dallas.
Landon Bahl’s knack for networking lands him a job backstage at the Academy of Country Music Awards. By Amy Halvorson
Country Connections N etworking. Networking. Networking. If you’re a student, that’s one of the most repeated things you hear when it comes to career advice. But how beneficial is it really? Who has gotten anywhere exciting through networking? Landon Bahl, that’s who. You may recognize Bahl from the Jumbotron at hockey games in the Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA) this past winter where he entertained the crowd as master of ceremonies. Bahl, a native of Minot, N.D., recently headed to Texas to work behind the scenes at the Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards show, where he was surrounded by a who’s who of country music. “It’s pretty close to what I can envision my dream job being; it’s a huge step in the right direction,” said Bahl. The ACM Awards show, which aired Sunday, April 19, was
10 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
hosted by country music stars Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan, and included performances by some of the biggest names in country music, from Brooks & Dunn to Garth Brooks to Martina McBride. According to Bahl, his networking connection to a UND alumnus was key to getting the job.
Networking
Working for UND Athletics greatly expanded Bahl’s personal network to include UND alumnus and former REA events manager Chris Semrau, ’00, who now is the Assistant General Manager/Booking for the Denny Sanford Premier Center in Sioux Falls, S.D. Last fall, Bahl told Semrau he was going to apply to be a volunteer worker at the ACMs. Semrau, also a Minot native and veteran of several ACMs, instead asked Bahl for his paperwork and personally sent it in. Before Bahl knew it, he was going through two hours of
Garth Brooks performs at the 2015 Academy of Country Music Awards show. Courtesy: ACM
conference calls, ultimately resulting in Bahl getting a paying job as Back of House Assistant. “It’s shocking how knowing someone who knows someone can be that big of a benefit for you,” said Bahl. “If I hadn’t known Chris, I would maybe get to be a volunteer, but definitely not a staff member.” In addition to earning a salary, Bahl’s travel and other expenses were paid. His responsibilities included monitoring the red and green rooms, where stars and their entourages hang out, coordinating an appearance by Clint Black on the shopping channel QVC, and organizing a meet-and-greet with Miranda Lambert. “It was so much more than I had hoped for,” said Bahl. “You are emailing all the time. You have to confirm everything. You can’t let anything go wrong. It’s so detailed and you can’t mess up.” Bahl says friends and family ask him if he was star-struck being backstage in close proximity to the biggest stars in country music, but he says, while he was aware of the uniqueness of his situation, there was no time for star-gazing. “After a while, there are so many of them that you get used to it. And you have to be professional. It’s your job. People ask if I took photos (of the stars). If I would have, I would have been flying home the next day.” The experience, Bahl said, which included leading two weather-related evacuations of an outdoor pre-awards show concert, will make a nice addition to his resume.
Find Your Passion
Bahl’s journey to the ACMs started his sophomore year of high school when he worked as a stagehand at the North Dakota State Fair. He realized that the entertainment industry could offer him a fun and exciting career. “I love the ‘on your feet, on the go’ mentality you have to have,” said Bahl.
When Bahl got to college, he hit the ground running. He joined numerous student organizations to expand his network and is currently involved in at least nine organizations and holds various executive positions in each. “Networking enhances your college experience,” Bahl says. “I don’t think many students understand just how important networking will be for them. If I could major in involvement, I’d be a 4.0 student.” Bahl started working for UND Athletics his freshman year, first as an intern in media relations, then as marketing intern for two years. “I had always thought, ‘Gosh, that would be cool to be the announcer,’” said Bahl. “I eventually approached my boss and asked what I would have to do to get that job.” And that’s how Bahl landed the announcing position at UND men’s hockey games. “It never hurts to ask,” Bahl said, “Yeah, it’s intimidating; yeah, it’s scary; but not many can say no to a student wanting to volunteer for free in exchange for experience.” Bahl’s story proves that networking truly can play a major role in making career dreams come true — especially when there are UND alumni willing to play an active role helping students succeed. “The Alumni Association and Foundation often talks about donations of time, talent or treasure,” said Bahl. “Chris gave me his time and his talent – his connections. It was cool of him to reach out. He didn’t have to take the time to help me out.” “It is very important to assist students like Landon by introducing them to other potential mentors in the industry and creating career-related experiences when possible,” said Semrau. “I am so fortunate to have great mentors across the country and I will always try to provide others with the same support.” “You really have to start networking right when you get to college,” said Bahl. “You can never network too much.” AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 11
FEATURE
story
SEALING THE DEAL
Sealing the Deal UND alum secures deal to license his paint can sealer invention. By David Dodds
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W
hile working in a hardware store in 2008, Michael Lupelow, ’13, knew there had to be an easier way to seal paint cans. As part of a class project and with the assistance of a UND professor, Lupelow eventually turned his solution into reality. And now that invention could start paying off thanks to some assistance from the UND Intellectual Property Commercialization & Economic Development Office (IPCED). IPCED was able to help Lupelow in his dealings with Progressive Paint Solutions, Inc., which licensed the rights to market and sell the UND-developed technology under the name “OnePunch & No-Mess Paint Can Sealer.” Lupelow initially dubbed his invention simply “The Paint Can Sealer,” a cone-shaped design that fits within the lip of both quart and gallon-sized can lids. The simple design allows the impact from a hammer or a rubber mallet to be distributed evenly around the entire edge of the lid, allowing for a quick and secure seal. On the top of the cone is a storage space for a generic paint can lid opener. A magnet at the base keeps the opener inside when it is carried or stored. Lupelow said, at first, he didn’t know much about UND’s IPCED office, but after one visit he was excited about what he learned. “To my surprise they handle more than just patents, they also deal with commercialization and licensing,” Lupelow said. “It was an obvious choice from there, not only did the IPCED file a patent application on my behalf, they also secured a licensing deal with Progressive Paint Solutions to bring my invention to market.” “The paint can sealer is a neat story,” said Michael Moore, UND associate vice president of IPCED, “Mike discussed the invention with us and even though UND doesn’t own most student intellectual property, he agreed that we would be a good commercialization partner for his invention. “Tara Kopplin, our licensing associate in Physical Sciences, did a terrific job of finding a partner who saw the same opportunity we did. The team at Progressive Paint
Michael Lupelow’s simple invention helps to seal open paint cans.
Solutions has been nothing but an enthusiastic partner and we look forward to a long relationship with them.” Jason Pottinger, CEO of Progressive Paint Solutions, was surprised to learn that this product is the first of its kind. The company estimates that there are more than 100 million paint cans sold by 27,000 retail paint distributors across the country each year. “We’re looking forward to seeing it carried in paint departments and at hardware stores across the country,” Pottinger said. “It’s a product that will receive a lot of attention when paint customers watch it in action at the counters.” In spring 2012, Lupelow enrolled in the Machine Component Design Laboratory, part of the UND College of Engineering’s mechanical engineering program. There he created a prototype of the novel paint-can sealer under the guidance of Professor Ralph Johnson, who led the course. Lupelow graduated from UND in the spring of 2013. He currently works as an ATV design engineer at Arctic Cat in Thief River Falls, Minn. Corey Park, strategy advisor for Progressive Paint Solutions, said he’s impressed by the wide-spread attention the product is gaining from paint distributors and hardware stores. “After launching this product, we immediately started receiving order requests from large companies in the paint industry,” Park said. “We knew we had a unique product, but the buzz it has created has exceeded our expectations.” AR www.UNDalumni.org | 13
FEATURE
story
A Team Player Dr. Julie Blehm, ’81, wasn’t even sure she wanted to be a doctor. By Juan Miguel Pedraza
U
nless you read medical acronyms fluently, the letters after her name don’t say much about Julie Blehm, MD, FACP. An accomplished physician, teacher, and administrator, Blehm, who graduated from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 1981, recently announced her retirement, after more than three decades putting all those letters to very good use.
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The associate dean since 2007 of the SMHS Southeast Campus, Fargo, is also clinical director of Sanford Health’s internal medicine residency outpatient clinic in Fargo. Blehm is a boardcertified internist and geriatrics specialist. She has the certificate of added qualifications in geriatric medicine. She is also certified by the American College of Medical Practice Executives. About those letters: besides the universally recognized “MD,” FACP stands for Fellow of the American College of Physicians,
an organization she also served as North Dakota region governor. Fellowship in the College is a coveted honor bestowed by peers. Being an FACP is a distinction earned from colleagues who recognize your accomplishments and achievements over and above the practice of medicine.
Retirement
About retirement: let’s just say “sort of.” “Yes, I’m retiring from my position as associate dean, and I’m retiring from my position as director of internal medicine residency outpatient clinic,” Blehm said in an hour-long, good-natured interview about her momentous decisions. “But I’m going to go per diem, so I will be working in the resident clinic when they need me and I’m going to work on several projects for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota that they’re going to want physician input on,” said Blehm, a native of Hatton, N.D. The difference now is that she’ll be working flexibly, “kind of on my time,” she said. “I’ll do that as long as I enjoy it.”
Becoming a Doctor
Blehm says a brilliant flash of medical inspiration as a child wasn’t what got her into medicine (even though, her mother reminded her, Julie chose brain surgery for her future in a sixth grade composition). Nor did she always want to be a doctor. “That’s really not my story,” said Blehm, who got a degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn. “Even when I was in college I didn’t really know what I wanted to do with my life. I was diagnosed in college with Type I diabetes, but that didn’t drive me to medical school, either. After college I applied to MBA and MPH programs and to medical school and chose med school because, in part, I knew that I wanted to work with people. “What eventually drew me into internal medicine was the potential to develop long-term relationships with patients,” Blehm said. “I enjoyed getting to know my patients and their families, and I appreciated the complexity of chronic disease and long-term care. I especially enjoyed helping patients learn to manage their own diseases, like diabetes.” As a medical and academic administrator, Blehm runs the SMHS Southeast Campus in Fargo,
a key part of UND’s statewide program of medical education, administered through four regional campuses. The Southeast Campus is home to about 30 third-year and 15 fourth-year medical students, as well as about 60 residents specializing in internal medicine, psychiatry, surgery, or in a preparatory transitional year. The campus also hosts students from other institutions about once a month. “We’re at the forefront of educating future physicians,” said Blehm, who works part-time for UND while holding down an appointment as a practicing physician and administrator with Sanford Health.
Teamwork
Now, as she winds down her career in medicine, Blehm notes that today’s physicians are working in medical teams, much more so than they did when she started her medical education. “That’s critically important because no physician can take care of patients alone anymore,” said Blehm. “It’d be nice if there was a way to figure out beforehand if a prospective candidate for medical school or other health care professions was a good team player.”
Changes
Blehm says a big change she’s observed since her start in medicine is the increasing regulatory burden. “We all see more and more rules and regulations, with more and more paperwork,” Blehm said. “Nobody ever thought we’d have to deal with this flood of forms.” During her career, Blehm has served in various capacities in a variety of roles, some as a physician and many not directly involving medicine: she’s supported diabetes care and education, including as director on the boards of the state, regional and national American Diabetes Association; she took vacation time to work as camp physician at Camp Sioux for children with diabetes. She has also served on the board of directors for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. She’s particularly enjoyed — and valued — that kind of variety. At heart, she says, medicine and health care are globally challenging and interesting professions. “I’ve never been bored,” she says. AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 15
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FROM THE DEAN
Dean Debbie Storrs
FROM THE DEAN As we write the College of Arts & Sciences edition of the Alumni Review, we look forward to graduating more than 500 students from our college during May Commencement. These new graduates, becoming UND alumni, embark on the next chapter of their lives in possession of a strong foundation in the skills, talents, and creative thinking our liberal arts education offers along with the expertise in their major program. Creative, adaptive, and resilient, our graduating students are prepared to strive for personal goals and positively impact the world with University of North Dakota excellence. These students, and the faculty and staff who helped prepare them, inspire me. Our students’ career paths will take unanticipated twists and turns as they build upon their education and pursue new opportunities. As you read the stories in this section, you will see that our alumni have relied on the skills they learned at the University of North Dakota and seized opportunities. For example, Ginny Murphy, one of our younger alumni, changed her major in chemical engineering to mathematics, though she was not certain of her career trajectory. Today, Ginny provides critical insight to engineers and designers of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. Dennis “Denny” Bounds may be familiar to those of you in the KING 5 News viewing region in Washington state. Denny has been a part of “Western Washington’s Home Team” for more than 20 years. He credits his background in sociology and philosophy for making him a more critical thinker and a better journalist. These friends of the College know their liberal arts education has helped ready them for a bright future, although, at the outset, they were unclear exactly what incredible things would lie ahead in their careers. In this issue we are proud to update you on many successes and new programs as we continue to build on the educational foundations for our students. We celebrate the career of excellence and service of Tom Rand, who will be retiring this spring as one of the College’s longest-serving
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faculty. We will tell you about our new Undergraduate Research/ Creative Activity Fund, which is enhancing experiential learning opportunities for our students. We will share our excitement about the rejuvenation of the Communications Program. We’re also kicking off a new campaign for our younger alumni called “Coffee for the College,” but I will let two of our alums, Corey and Katie, tell you more about that. Your financial gifts are always appreciated, of course, but we invite you to support the College and UND in other ways as well. You might consider hosting an alumni event, creating an internship opportunity for students, or visiting the campus and speaking to students in classes about your life’s work. I assure you we will be good stewards of your gift no matter what form it takes. I look forward to meeting many more of you and hearing your UND stories. Enjoy your summer. Kind regards,
Debbie Storrs
‘The Other Half’
Distinguishes the UND Writers Conference Powerful. Inspiring. Timely. These are just a few of the words audience members used to describe the most recent Writers Conference.
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ND’s proud tradition of a free and open literary festival on the prairie continues. Over 46 years, the UND Writers Conference has earned national recognition for putting on a high-quality literary conference, featuring 33 Pulitzer Prize winners and four Nobel Laureates — all without charging admission to a single audience member. The 46th Annual UND Writers Conference featured only women authors and artists for the first time since 1973. Around 50 percent of the world’s population is female, yet data indicate vast underrepresentation of women in the literary world. In 2009, poets Erin Belieu and Cate Marvin started the VIDA Count project, an annual inventory of women represented in literary journals and book reviews. The data they have collected since 2010 indicate unequal representation between men and women in the literary world. A quick VIDA Count of the UND Writers Conference’s own history shows that of the 325 authors who have participated in the past 46 years, only 128 have been women, or about 40 percent. Answering recurring requests for more women authors, this year’s Writers Conference featured National Book Critics Circle Award finalist and novelist Gish Jen; visual artist and translator Alexandra Grant; best-selling writer Bonnie Jo Campbell; poet and author of Wyndmere, Carol Muske-Dukes; documentarian and director of Litteraturuka Sarpsborg, Torill Stokkan; and international phenomenon, Roxane Gay. The goal with this year’s theme was to complicate
Author Gish Jen delights the crowd at the 46th Annual UND Writers Conference.
Photo: Kristen Ellwanger
the discussion of “women’s writing.” Invited authors spoke to how “the other half” lives, in a variety of contexts, including perspectives on class, race, and life on the margins of society. Over the course of the three-day event, nearly 1,700 people attended readings, panel discussions, writing workshops, and film showings. Lovers of literature traveled from as far away as Iowa, Washington state, and California to be a part of this year’s event. I’m proud to be a part of an event that provides such a unique opportunity for students, alumni, and the community to gather. Like many of you, through the Writers Conference I’ve learned, laughed, and made lifelong friends. As you can imagine, maintaining the quality of such an event takes significant funding on an annual basis. Your gift to the Writers Conference, in any amount, is a declaration of support for the arts at UND, and across North Dakota. Thanks to the generous support of the College of Arts & Sciences and UND, the Writers Conference has survived for nearly half a century, and for that I am supremely grateful. Now is the time for all of us to stand up for writing, for arts, and for creative expression in our community. I’ll see you at the Writers Conference! A&S — Crystal Alberts, Director, UND Writers Conference Assistant Professor of English
We hope you can join us for the 47th Annual UND Writers Conference, “The Art of Science,” which will take place April 6-8, 2016, at UND’s Memorial Union. www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 19
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Communication Renaissance on Campus
n this world of near-instantaneous and sometimes overwhelming data transmission, it is often the digital journalists and communication professionals from across the world who interpret, relay, and make sense of new information. “This is a really exciting time to be talking about journalism,” says Mark Trahant, an award-winning journalist and the current Atwood Chair of Journalism at the University of Alaska Anchorage. “It’s a whole new era.” The UND Communication Program recently hired Trahant as the new Charles R. Johnson Endowed Professor of Journalism to help establish their new journalism track. Trahant is former columnist at The Seattle Times, was publisher of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News in Moscow, Idaho; executive news editor of The Salt Lake Tribune; reporter for the Arizona Republic in Phoenix; and has worked at several tribal newspapers.
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Trahant is also extremely active in social media, with thousands of followers: he is truly a journalist comfortable in both print and digital media, and he’s looking forward to sharing these perspectives in the classroom this coming fall semester. “The changes in the digital world happened a lot faster than anyone imagined,” says Trahant. “Now we’re going through a separate transition into the mobile world.” Today, information is omnipresent, and many students indicate that “unplugging” their data connection (even for a day) is nearly unthinkable. Instead of reading the news at the end of the day, it is more common for many to reach for a mobile device to check news and communications immediately upon waking up in the morning. “The advantage of this new world is that we all know information is much stronger when people share it,
Photo: University of Alaska Anchoarage
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In an era when public access to information has never been faster, strategic communicators and digital journalists are the guides who help us make sense of news and critically engage the world.
The UND Communication Program hired Mark Trahant as the new Charles R. Johnson Endowed Professor of Journalism.
communicate, and are part of it,” says Trahant. “People are consuming [more news], but they’re also participating.” “We’re so excited about Mark joining UND,” says Debbie Storrs, dean
New Curriculum—New Focus
Successful graduates of the Communication program already work at local, regional, and national advertising and public relations companies, at mass media outlets, in newspaper rooms, at universities, and in TV and radio stations across the country. For the Communication program, adapting to the changing media landscape is always a goal. In the last two years, the Communication Program has undergone an extensive undergraduate curriculum redesign including new courses, new paths through the major, and new opportunities for students. The result is a strategic alignment of courses that will distinguish UND’s future communications graduates. A student entering the Communication Program in the fall of 2015 can now choose one of two options for their major: a strategic communications track or a journalism track. Students can, of course, still major in communications generally, but the realigned curriculum offers them an opportunity to develop specialized skills that will make them even more competitive in the job market. This change meant rethinking the course offerings with the goal of a leaner curriculum able to deliver what students want and need. “The value of the new courses, and new teaching methods, is in the fusion of strong digital technology and theoretical components with focused experiential learning opportunities,” says Slavka Antonova, Director of the Graduate Program in Communication. “All of these pertain to real-life issues that public
Building a Team
In addition to Trahant, the department made two other significant hires for 2015. Last fall, the program hired Soojung Kim, a tenure-track assistant professor in Strategic Communication. Kim is scheduled to defend her Ph.D. in May from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota and will provide expertise in online and social media strategies. In the spring semester, the program hired its second dedicated full-time online instructor, Joonghwa Lee. Lee earned his Ph.D. at the Missouri School of Journalism in 2012 with his research area in advertising. Both Kim and Lee will join UND beginning in the fall of 2015. “Currently, the Communication Program is in the midst of a very dynamic and exciting renewal/renaissance,” says Timothy Pasch, associate professor of Communication. “This is a great time to be a Comm major! I see our discipline as existing at a dynamic intersection between digital and traditional technologies: seamlessly incorporating social media and critical/cultural communication research, journalism, strategic communication and creative technological outreach.”
Looking Forward
Adding new voices and expertise, like those of Trahant, Lee, and Kim, to the quality faculty already in place indicates the College’s commitment to the Communication Program. Providing students with a strong foundational understanding of media will prepare them for careers where they will be forced to adapt, and be able to understand the forces affecting their field.
Photo: Joonghwa Lee
relations professionals and journalists tackle in their organizations.” The new, streamlined curriculum in the Communication Program is designed with employers in mind, emphasizing writing, experiential, and applied learning in many of their courses. “Knowledge and skills in interpersonal communication, working with digital technologies and global communication are in high demand by business and nonprofit organizations in the U.S. and around the world,” says Antonova. “Our program provides a curriculum that emphasizes these areas.”
Soojung Kim, a scholar in online and social media strategies, will join the Communication Program faculty in the fall of 2015.
Photo: Seungah Lee
of the College of Arts & Sciences. “Mark will be a great addition to the Communication Program, given his professional experience, and will help develop a Native American student journalism program.” “The goal to develop such a program is tied to our commitment to diversity and builds on existing strengths including the Native Media Center that was previously created by committed faculty,” Storrs says. “We also expect that Mark will help strengthen collaborative relationships with tribal community colleges.” Trahant has won numerous journalism awards and was a finalist for the 1989 Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting as coauthor of a series on federal-Indian policy.
Joonghwa Lee brings his expertise in advertising to UND as a full-time online instructor in the fall.
Studies in Communication at UND can provide a pathway towards interpreting this information critically; and rather than being overwhelmed by the wave of information, students learn to leverage it — providing them with a significant competitive advantage in the rapidlyevolving world of media industries and beyond. While the format and ubiquity of information will continue to change, there will always be a need to curate the quantity of messaging directed at us every day. To learn more about the Communication Program or to support Communication students at UND, contact Brandy Chaffee, Director of Development for the College of Arts & Sciences at brandyc@UNDfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson & University and Public Affairs www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 21
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Enhancing
e
Photo: Jay Boulanger
Undergraduate Research
Jason “Jay” Boulanger poses with the subject of his study. Antlers can tell scientists a lot about the life of deer.
very aspect of a college education involves learning, synthesizing, and applying aspects of theory that inform our understanding of the world. These theories provide a framework for considering new ideas and confronting the world as we find it, instead of how we wish it to be. One of the most stimulating challenges students experience during their years in college is taking their understanding of a theory and applying it to their area of study. Often students find it is in these moments, when they are forced to deal with real scenarios in their work, that their understanding of a subject expands rapidly. In an effort to produce more of those experiences, a new program designed to encourage imaginative projects and innovative research in the College of Arts & Sciences kicked off this spring. The A&S Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fund (URCAF) was created to provide students with the kinds of experiences that enhance their learning. The application process is competitive, with students and faculty members collaborating to write up a proposal and submit it to the college. This year’s projects include research on the evolution of galaxy alignment, college student stress and health, and analysis of poetry by Simone Weil and Gustavo Gutierrez, to name a few.
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The new Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fund provides support for student and faculty teams with fresh ideas. The program is a welcome encouragement for liberal arts students to explore and discover.
Research in Action
Jason “Jay” Boulanger, an Assistant Professor of Biology, is leading a project titled Factors Related to Deer Health in North Dakota. Many hunters may already be aware of dramatic changes in the number of available hunting licenses in North Dakota in recent years. In 2009, the state made more than 144,000 total deer licenses available to hunters. By 2014, the number of available licenses dropped to 48,000 — the lowest level since 1980. At the same time, interest in hunting remained constant. In 2014, for example, more than 68,000 deer gun hunters applied for licenses, with many of those requesting one of the 18,700 antlered deer licenses. “Anecdotally, I am hearing disappointment among deer hunters regarding fewer deer seen on the landscape and low numbers of available deer licenses,” says Boulanger. According to Marty Egeland, an Outreach Biologist with the North Dakota Game and Fish (NDGF) Department, deer populations in North Dakota have fluctuated intensely in the last several years for a few reasons. “We had unprecedented deer populations up to 2008 and 2009. There was a lot of habitat available, and millions of acres of [Conservation Reserve Program] land, out there.”
Where had all these deer come from? According to Egeland, a batch of positive environmental factors created the right conditions for a population explosion. “There were two perfect storms that occurred inside of a decade,” says Egeland. “Everything lined up to have big deer populations, but when it crashed — it crashed.” With lots of available land to roam, food plentiful, and moderate winters, the deer population grew until it threatened to get out of hand. There were so many deer, in fact, they presented a problem with degradation of farms and businesses. In response, NDGF had to thin the herd. “We increased license numbers tremendously,” says Egeland. Predictably, what followed was the inherent unpredictability of three harsh North Dakota winters. The deer population crashed, and the economic ripples continue to play out across the state. Understanding these cycles is an important part of what the NDGF does, continually evaluating the deer population and looking for trends. NDGF big game biologists are always involved in planning, research, data analysis and outreach to better inform management of the state’s deer — charismatic animals cherished by many North Dakotans. Since 2000, NDGF has been collecting deer heads in an effort to monitor chronic wasting disease (CWD), a contagious disease of the central nervous system that is always fatal to members of the deer family. CWD was diagnosed in a southwestern North Dakota mule deer buck in 2009. With heads in hand, NDGF staff collected biological data, including antler beam measurements, from just under 1,000 North Dakota white-tailed deer and mule deer bucks. Deer antler metrics have been used as an index of deer and herd health. In general, larger beam diameters are associated with healthier deer. Recently, Shay Erickson, a senior from Thief River Falls, Minn., was selected as a student assistant for the project. His first task will be to help review current
In 2012, North Dakota Game and Fish made 100,000 deer licenses available for North Dakota residents. In 2014, because of smaller deer populations, only 48,000 resident licenses were made available.
research on the subject, then analyze the data to determine if there are applications for North Dakota deer management. “If we can discern a relationship between winter severity, geographic area, and deer health,” says Boulanger, “these data could be used, in part, to prioritize management efforts in areas of most need across North Dakota.” Boulanger and Erickson’s work on the project could lead to a poster at a conference or a published article in a peer-reviewed journal. As well as providing valuable networking opportunities, these experiences will give Erickson, a Fisheries & Wildlife biology major, an advantage in a competitive job market. “This is a remarkable research opportunity for this student to work with NDGF professionals outside the classroom on a real-world, high profile wildlife issue that has potential to inform better management,” says Boulanger.
A Culture of Exploration
Funding undergraduate research and creative projects is one way the College of Arts & Sciences intends to develop a supportive teaching environment, and be a model of exemplary practices for students. Doing so will not only improve undergraduate education, but can inspire learning and exploration from all corners of the college. The College of Arts & Sciences asks you to consider supporting programs like the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fund. It is one more way alumni can make a significant impact on student success. For more information on the Undergraduate Research/Creative Activity Fund contact Brandy Chaffee, Development Director for the College of Arts & Sciences at brandyc@undfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 23
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‘Go see
Tom Rand.’
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For more than 40 years, Tom Rand has been a part of life at UND. As he prepares to retire, we take a moment to reflect on a career spent blazing his own trail, and helping others find their way.
Tom shows off the front page of the newspaper announcing he had failed his classes at Macalester. Photo: Craig Garaas-Johnson
ND students face unique challenges at a singular time in their lives. As they take on the responsibilities of being young adults, being accountable for their education, and ultimately finding their place in society, each takes a different path. On campus, faculty and advisors regularly help students successfully deal with puzzling issues and complex problems. But when an advisor confronts a new situation, or does not see a clear solution to a thorny problem, they sometimes tell their student to “Go see Tom Rand.” Since 1969, Associate Dean Tom Rand has been a part of the UND family and a mainstay in the College of Arts & Sciences. In that time he’s served in the faculty under five different university presidents, seen the establishment of the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences, and he even predates the UND Writers Conference. This year, at the end of June, he will retire after a successful career spent helping students navigate some of the hurdles they face during their college careers. Success encourages us, but we often learn the most when we examine our failures. Over the course of his career, Tom has seen many students come in with what they believe to be insurmountable problems, then go on to learn from their situation, and grow because of it. As an advisor, Tom sees a big part of his job as helping these students put their challenges in perspective. “Many of the academic problems are solvable,” he says. “Four-fifths are relatively satisfied with the outcome. That’s the nice part of the job: when you can make people happy.”
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Finding His Way
Since starting as an advisor in 1969, Tom eventually reached the level of Associate Dean. A deep reservoir of information, he has the University catalog and the institution’s history of policy and practice at his fingertips. He often solves issues for both students and faculty using his knowledge, skills and reason. Tom’s sympathetic perspective on student issues, and his nuanced understanding of the challenges students face, comes from his own academic experience. While an undergraduate at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota in 1960, Tom, a former class valedictorian at East Grand Forks High, “abandoned” several of his classes, and the school flunked him for the semester. All of this might be lost to history but for a two page article that began on the front page of the Minneapolis Morning Tribune, February 19, 1960. Tom and his future wife, Alice Jean (AJ), were engaged at the time. As it happened, the first person Tom knew who read the story was his future father-in-law. “I knew it would be in the paper,” Tom says with a smile, “but I didn’t know it would be on the front page!” Most students never experience this kind of public shaming, and indeed, with few exceptions, flunking a student does not become statewide news. Tom eventually went on to receive a B.A. degree in Philosophy from the University of Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Divinity from Harvard University. And things did work out for Tom and AJ, who have been happily married for 53 years. They raised a family
in East Grand Forks, with their daughter, Kathryn, going on to serve as Dean of the UND Law School. “We’ve been lucky with all three of our kids,” Tom says. “The other two decided not to be Deans [at UND],” he laughs.
Window on the Institution
In his more than four decades at UND, Tom has seen many changes. When he came to UND, many more students had the time to explore their interests. One of the biggest changes he’s seen is an emphasis on job readiness, coupled with the desire to get students to graduate in four years. “The current push… to finish in four years ready for a job, overlooks the value of taking the time during your college years to get breadth, follow various interests, things that later in life you will be glad that you’ve done, rather than just take the fastest track to a job-ready degree.” Like many students in the liberal arts, Tom’s own career reveals a trajectory that’s relied on perseverance, but was always open to possibilities. During his career he’s seen a number of faculty who pursued a career with confidence, and not with a narrow focus on technical skills or a paycheck. “Many of [the faculty] started doing things other than what they ended up doing. This would certainly be true of me. And if you asked them were those wasted times, wasted years, and wasted money for you, the answer would be no. That was not wasted time nor money.”
Honoring His Contribution
In his more than 45 years at the University, Tom has left an indelible mark on those fortunate enough to know him, work with him, and come to call him a friend. We can honestly say that he will be impossible to replace. As we prepare for his retirement this summer, we wanted to share our vision for honoring his commitment to the University, and do our best to describe the legacy he leaves for us. In honor of Tom’s contributions to the College, University, and countless numbers of students, we are pleased to announce the establishment of the Tom Rand Student Scholarship Endowment. This scholarship will provide support for an undergraduate majoring in one of the majors within Tom’s beloved College of Arts & Sciences.
Tom and his wife AJ kicking up their heels during their college days.
In alignment with Tom Rand’s own personal educational journey, and his belief in students’ capacities, the scholarship will be awarded to students who show promise, despite academic challenges or difficulties they may have had in the past. Like Tom, we believe in students and the scholarship is evidence of such belief. We ask that you consider donating to the endowment in honor of his work, the life he has lived, and his commitment to intellectual curiosity. This endowment will ensure that Tom’s legacy, and the measure of his impact on our culture at UND will carry on in perpetuity. For more information on the Tom Rand Student Scholarship Endowment contact Brandy Chaffee, Development Director for the College of Arts & Sciences at brandyc@undfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson
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A Coffee for
the College A little can go a long way and, for two UND alumni, giving up a little can give a lot back to the College of Arts & Sciences. Katie and Corey share a simple way for young alumni to make a positive impact on the lives of current students.
Corey Mock, ‘08, finds time to enjoy a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, Corey. The usual?” asks the barista. “Throw some ice in that espresso; it’s a beautiful day!” I exclaim.
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f you are anything like us — two Arts and Sciences graduates in their late 20s or early 30s, your day doesn’t really begin until you have that first sip of coffee. For some it’s a simple cup of joe. Others may count on their triple venti half sweet non-fat caramel macchiato to get them through. Whatever your preference, if you think about it, that coffee is really an investment in yourself. For just a few dollars we feel rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. This semi-regular morning ritual kicks our day into high gear and only sets us back a few dollars. In fact, getting our morning java buzz has become such an automatic practice that we don’t even think about it. But chances are you are buying coffee on a
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consistent basis and not thinking about the couple of dollars you invest in it each day. How many of us started drinking coffee while reading a novel for an English class? Or powering through a complex new theory in Physics? Who didn’t while away a few hours at the Tabula Café, Urban Stampede, the Coffee Company, or Archives, over a few lattes with friends? All of these moments contributed to our education, and they are one part of the reason we like to give back — so more students can experience UND and the College of Arts & Sciences. At any given moment, nearly 3,000 undergraduate students are investing in their futures as students in the College of Arts & Sciences — just as we did not
of $25, $50 or $100 each year can really make a difference. The truth is — absolutely! You’ll be surprised at how quickly your coffee money becomes a meaningful gift to your alma mater. As alumni, imagine the impact we could have if all of us donated the equivalent of one cup of coffee each month to support current students following in our footsteps. A donation of $3 each month, roughly $35 a year, goes a long way to fund much-needed scholarships and programs for the next generation.
It’s time to do our part.
For us, developing a habit of giving to the College of Arts & Sciences is important because it reminds us not only of an exciting period of change in our lives, but of the critical importance of a liberal arts education. We think back to professors, students, and the high-quality instruction we didn’t fully appreciate until we graduated. We are so grateful for these experiences and changes they encouraged in our academic and personal development. Each month we’ll send the equivalent of a cup of coffee — at least $3 — to the College of Arts & Sciences in support of today’s students. Together, we will plant a seed that can grow over the years and develop into a legacy of giving of which we can be proud. Please join us in sending your own “Coffee to the College,” and a small message that together we can make a big difference. A&S To join us in giving back a Coffee for the College, follow this handy link: www.undalumni.org/Coffee — Katie Itterman, ’03, & Corey Mock, ’08
Katie Itterman, ‘03, sees giving the equivalent of a cup of coffee a month to the college as a great way to start a habit of giving. Photo: Katie Itterman
that long ago. For relatively young alumni like us, if we were to imagine a painting depicting a hardworking UND student working long hours on her project (surely one of Goya’s greatest scenes) that image must include headphones, a laptop, and the ubiquitous mug of coffee. College and coffee go together like bacon and eggs, like peanut butter and jelly. That’s why when we thought about a way to give back to the College of Arts & Sciences, we thought of this iconic beverage that’s fueled so much of our learning. We want you to join us by giving a “Coffee for the College.” All we ask is that you forgo one cup of coffee per month and instead make a contribution to UND College of Arts and Sciences. Doesn’t sound like much? You might wonder if giving a gift
Katie serves as an Associate at Iris Krieg & Associates, Inc., a professional advising firm committed to assisting individuals, foundations and other donors in achieving their philanthropic goals. Prior to joining Iris Krieg & Associates, she gained experience in a variety of sectors, working at family and university foundations and in the legal field. Katie received an undergraduate degree from the University of North Dakota and a J.D. from William Mitchell College of Law. Katie is active in various professional and community organizations in Chicago. Corey has served in the North Dakota House of Representatives, proudly representing north Grand Forks since 2009, and has been the House assistant minority leader since 2012. He is a member of the Education and Energy & Natural Resources committees, which allows him to work closely with K-12 schools, universities, and North Dakota’s rapidly growing energy sector. A non-profit administrator, Corey also serves as the Executive Director of Greater Grand Forks Young Professionals, an economic and membership development organization, which serves to enrich the personal and professional quality of life for young families in the Grand Forks area. Corey and his wife, Jeannie Schultz Mock, ‘08, are both graduates of the University of North Dakota and continue to make Grand Forks their home.
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Ginny (Rains) Murphy, ’01, and her family on a recent trip to Iceland, discovered her math degree could take her places she never imagined.
The Language of
Science Photo:Ginny Murphy
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Louis Pasteur said “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Few fields ‘prepare’ a mind like Mathematics, the language of the sciences. istening to popular media, we sometimes forget the liberal arts embody more than the fine arts. The so-called STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) originate from fundamental applications of liberal arts disciplines — except for mathematics, which has been an essential liberal arts discipline since classical antiquity. “The tie between math and the sciences is a much more natural tie than most people make,” says Joel Iiams, chair of the Department of Mathematics at UND. “Since almost all scientists and engineers use mathematics — essentially as a language — it is easier to make the connection [of STEM fields] with math.” Although math finds itself at the center of debates over STEM funding, many of us don’t fully appreciate the opportunities available to students who learn this “language.” What kinds of careers are open to math
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majors? Well, you might need a mathematician to calculate the answer. “About 50 percent of our majors are secondary education math majors. Their intention is to go to teach middle school or high school,” says Iiams. “There are some that know exactly what they want to be. There are others that just really enjoy math, and they don’t know yet what they will do with a math degree.” Graduates with math degrees find there are significant opportunities available to them, including actuarial science, operations research, and of course teaching. According to the Association of American Colleges and Universities, in a survey of more than 400 employers, 70 percent rated analyzing and solving complex problems as very important for recent college graduates. Further, 56 percent of those surveyed said working with numbers and statistics was very
important. Clearly, even for non-math majors, an essential understanding of mathematic principles is helpful on the job hunt. For Ginny Murphy, ’01, earning a degree in math wasn’t her first choice. Starting out in chemical engineering, she came to realize she wasn’t interested in the options for graduates in her field. After talking to a consultant at a Society for Women Engineers (SWE) conference, she made the decision to pursue mathematics over engineering. “Math was always one of my strengths and it just made sense to pursue a degree in something that I enjoyed.” Murphy didn’t know exactly where a math degree might take her, and she almost certainly didn’t expect it to be the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, in Keyport, Washington. Working alongside engineers and technicians as a project manager, Murphy has spent the last 14 years working with other mathematicians providing critical support for Navy systems. She compares her current projects to writing mathematical proofs, a deductive argument that teaches students rigor, and persuasion — skills valuable in any field. “I use a lot of the same processes that I used in math to get from A to B,” says Murphy, “delivering a project to the customer within the budget and within the scope, taking into account all these different moving pieces. This is the same process I used in writing a proof.” And while her degree prepared her for the challenges in her career, Murphy cites scholarship support while she was a student as instrumental in her success at UND. “I received scholarships from UND and from activities I participated in (Society of Women Engineers and Delta Gamma). The scholarships were very important and ensured that I was able to pursue my education and focus on studying and activities, without needing to work during the school year,” says Murphy. “These scholarships allowed me to enjoy my time at UND and improved my overall experience.” For this reason, Murphy has looked for ways she can make a difference in the lives of students, as others did for her. “I have found it very important to reciprocate and donate
to the Alumni Association and Foundation so that current students have the same opportunities that I had,” she says. “I had such a great experience at UND, I think it’s important to give back!” Like many liberal arts disciplines, the purpose of a math degree is not to prepare graduates with a technical skill, but to build a foundation upon which they can understand new concepts and new ideas in an evolving world. “Studying math is a process of discovery,” says Iiams, “and our job is to have the right structure to get them where they want to go.” Speaking bluntly about the need to learn and understand math, he continues, “We tell all our students it is better to take more math than less math. Chance favors the prepared mind, and mathematics prepares the mind.” To learn more about the Department of Mathematics at UND, or to discover ways to give, contact Brandy Chaffee, Development Director for the College of Arts & Sciences at brandyc@undfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 29
ARTS &
sciences Dennis “Denny” Bounds, ‘74, shakes hands with the Dalai Lama after an interview — the only one granted in the Seattle region — in 2008.
Photo: KING 5 News
From the Northern Plains to the edge of the Pacific, Dennis “Denny” Bounds’ career in broadcast journalism has taken him across the country and back again.
Alumni Spotlight:
Dennis “Denny” Bounds,’74
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or many students in the liberal arts, their time spent in college is a process of investigation and discovery, exploration and challenge. In some fields, students do their work, graduate, and get a job doing exactly that for which they were trained. For liberal arts graduates, this is the exception rather than the rule. Charting their own course takes grit and determination — qualities liberal arts graduates have in abundance. For Dennis “Denny” Bounds, North Dakota was not an automatic choice for his college education. Growing up in Northern Virginia, near Washington D.C., Denny had never traveled to the Upper Midwest, nor had he any family in the area. In fact, Denny spent his first year at George Mason College (now George Mason University) before trying to transfer to Virginia Tech. When he wasn’t admitted, he began looking to northern schools so he could, in his words, “experience winter.” Denny initially came to UND expecting to pursue a teaching degree. When the sequence of education courses presented a bigger obstacle than he expected, he started to look at other options. “A friend in the dorm was studying sociology, and I got interested in that, and it’s where my educational path took me,” he says. Denny graduated in 1974 with a degree in sociology and a
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concentration in philosophy after three years. During his senior year, Denny became interested in media, and asked if he could do something with KFJM, the campus radio station. A very shy young person, he challenged himself, asking, “Why don’t I give this a shot? What can it hurt?” For the first semester, he produced morning sports reports for the radio. At the beginning of the second semester, former UND professor Myron Curry asked Denny to anchor the morning program. “As a youngster, I was fascinated with listening to far-away radio stations,” says Denny. “Listening to people’s voices, and the fact they were able to talk to many thousands of people interested me.”
Finding a Home on the Air
After graduating from UND, Denny moved back to Virginia and took a year to figure out his next step. He worked for an airline, did some construction work, until finally making the decision to get back into radio. His first professional job was with a small radio station in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, for $2.10 an hour. His father served as head of security of the iconic Greenbrier Resort.
In the end, the call of the Midwest — and his college sweetheart — were too great, and Denny returned to North Dakota, eventually being hired as the main anchor at Channel 11, KTHI, in Fargo. “They were the number three station (out of three) in Fargo at the time, and they hired someone who had absolutely no television experience at all,” says Denny. “I was scared to death,” he says, laughing. As it turned out, Fargo was only a temporary stop on his journey. After a year and a half, Denny and his wife moved and he took a job at the ABC affiliate in Orlando. When he was offered a job doing the weekend news at the NBC affiliate in Minneapolis, they moved again. A short time later, Denny took another job, this time across the street at the ABC affiliate, to anchor the news, staying for about five years. “[Management at the ABC affiliate] said I had no anchor future at that particular station,” Denny says, smiling. So, after a few months, he left to take a main anchor position at the CBS affiliate in Shreveport, La. In March of 1991, Denny was hired as the morning and noon anchor at KING 5 News in Seattle. On December 14th, 1994 he was promoted to the evening anchor where he’s been ever since.
The Real News Business
Public speaking is often listed as our number one fear — that we will be put in front of our peers and subjected to their criticism in a situation for which we aren’t entirely prepared. In broadcast journalism, there is no place to hide. On air, in front of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of people, making split second decisions about what to report in a breaking news story is a skill developed over years, and not for the faint of heart. For Denny, reporting on a breaking story could be a part of his job any day of the week. In those moments, the most important thing is keeping perspective, and staying professional. “If there’s a big story that occurs, we’ll go on the air and cover it wall-to-wall.” In 2009, on a clear Sunday morning in November, a man entered the Forza Coffee Co. coffee shop, in Lakewood, Washington, and opened fire on four police officers as they prepared for their shift. Denny, and others, were brought in to cover much of the two-day manhunt. “It turned out to be a fairly extensive search.” As shocking as the events of that day were, says Denny, covering the memorial service was even harder. More than 20,000 people attended a service for the officers, with more than 1,000 emergency vehicles and police cruisers following the family to the Tacoma Dome. “We were on the air for seven or eight hours. It was a particularly emotional memorial service, emotionally draining.” At the end of the broadcast, at home, thinking about the service and the magnitude of loss, Denny says, brought him as close as ever to leaving the business. However, there are other moments, Denny says, that will stay with him the rest of his life. In 1996, Denny reported from the summer Olympic games in Atlanta, and again from the winter Olympic Games in Vancouver in 2010. He’s flown with both the Thunderbirds and Blue Angels, and even traveled to Bosnia after
the implementation of the Dayton Peace Accord, to report on western Washingtonians’ involvement in that part of the world. In 2008, his was the only local interview granted during the Dalai Lama’s visit to Seattle. “Here’s this guy with a world-wide reputation and he walks into a small room with me. I talked to him for about 20 minutes about life, and philosophy, and how to make the world better. It was pretty impressive,” says Denny. “You can’t help but think ‘here’s this man who’s important to millions of people around the world.’ You’re awestruck, sure, but perhaps not as awestruck as I would have been when I was younger.” One of the most common reasons the news team stays on air, he says, is to cover breaking weather news. “It is amazing, when it snows a couple of inches in Seattle, the whole world stops,” he says with a smile. “We don’t know how to deal with snow the way folks in North Dakota do.” In perhaps one of his most memorable on-air moments, a KING 5 reporter was doing a live shot from Queen Anne Hill, a popular, though not necessarily legal, spot for sledding in the city. When the reporter was accosted by a passerby, and called a “killjoy,” Denny, back in the studio, said “Wah, Wah, Wah!” The video has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times, and has endeared him to many in the Seattle area.
The Right Approach
It is a fallacy, for an outsider, to look at the story of one’s career and assume that many of the choices made were obvious — that some of us set ourselves on a natural trajectory that makes past decisions look easy. For Denny, his confidence to pursue the path on which he set himself has been rewarding, but the choices weren’t always so obvious. “In my life I thought I wanted to be in law enforcement or like my father, a teacher…. I graduated when I was 21 years old. I was a young single man and didn’t know where my life might take me.” More than 30 years later, considering the lessons he’s learned, Denny sees his education as integral to his success. “Those four years in college allowed me to develop the kinds of habits that would pay off in any business down the road,” he says of the rigor required to earn a degree. “I learned to become interested in a lot more subjects in life, and become more well-read. All of that I acquired in my years at UND.” In fact, Denny credits skills he developed in his liberal arts disciplines (sociology and philosophy) with providing a basis for his career in journalism. “If you’re in the liberal arts, you’re not studying a specific technical subject, but it teaches you to approach a variety of subjects with great interest and an open mind, and to critically challenge some of the things you read and talk about,” he says. “My college experience, as a whole, allowed me to become a more critical thinker.” Denny certainly isn’t ready to hang up his microphone just yet, and with his critical eye, he’s prepared for the future of journalism, whatever may come. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 31
ARTS &
sciences
Celebrities and
Scholarships The Frank White and Roger Snortland Golf Tournament provides funds for scholarships and a venue for some famous alumni to reunite.
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July 2014 was the third Frank White and Roger Snortland Golf Tournament. Who knew having so much fun could do so much good?
Photo: Elena Longtin
oger Snortland taught history for 28 years at Langdon High School, in Langdon, North Dakota. There, he and his wife Kathy raised two sons, and lived a pretty quiet life. When Snortland passed away in 2001, many in the area lost a longtime friend. That might be the end of the story, but for a conversation a few years later between Roger Snortland’s son Chris, and Frank White, an assistant professor of Sociology at UND. The two discussed funding a scholarship in Roger’s name at Mayville State University, his alma mater. Eventually the idea grew into a fundraising golf tournament in Roger’s honor, raising money for scholarships at UND and Mayville State University. Frank White is a familiar face to many UND students and alumni. Some might go so far as to say unforgettable. He has been recognized with the UND Foundation Award for Individual Excellence in Teaching in 1997, and the UND Foundation Award for Excellence in Academic Advising in 2007, and in the “Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers” throughout his career at UND. In 2010, he became only the second UND faculty member immortalized as a “bobblehead.” During White’s career, he taught a number of UND hockey players in his Introduction to Sociology class or his Sports Sociology class, and many have kept in touch. In fact, White left such an impression on one former student, Mike Commodore, that when he returned to campus in 2006 to see his old professor, he brought him something special: the Stanley Cup. This single connection to hockey royalty might be exceptional for most of us, but it was one of many such connections. Chris Snortland’s former roommate, Matt Greene, also hoisted Lord Stanley’s Cup, and years later brought it with him to UND. It occurred to White and Chris to invite former students and NHL players to join their event, and the Frank White and Roger Snortland Golf Tournament was born.
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White says he wasn’t sure what to expect, at first, when they began planning a golf tournament to raise money for student scholarships. “We asked all our friends who had been associated with UND Hockey, and they asked all their friends…. It was such a success,” says White. The tournament is held each year at the Walhalla (N.D.) Country Club, where White grew up, and just a few miles from where Snortland taught. “We have a lot of mutual friends who support the event from those two communities,” says White. As the tournament has grown, so have the number of tasks others have taken on to keep everything running smoothly. Player schedules, fees, and motel rooms — all need to be prearranged, and all take significant effort. “It’s fun. Definitely a labor of love,” says White. White says the tournament serves a few purposes. “First we want to recognize Roger Snortland as someone who committed his life to teaching in the community. And second, how much we appreciate these former athletes who have taken time out of their summer to come back every year, on a volunteer basis, to spend time with the community and raise money for scholarships.” Former UND hockey players literally come from around the world to attend the tournament. “I think they enjoy coming back — it’s almost like a reunion,” says White. “They know we have a project that’s worthwhile and they make the incredible effort to help us multiply our impact for the students,” he says, smiling. The UND Alumni Association and Foundation has established a Frank White Endowed Scholarship as a tribute to his 27 years of teaching and service at UND. If you wish to lend your support to his Endowment please contact Brandy Chaffee, Director of Development for the UND Foundation at brandyc@undfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson
Classroom renovations facilitate learning and lead to student success.
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Building Better
Classrooms
everal years ago, the University began investing in SCALE-UP (Student-Centered Active Learning Environment for Undergraduate Programs) classrooms, allowing students to experience an interactive, team-based learning environment. Next Generation Learning Spaces like these are popular with students and faculty, and have been shown to produce stronger learning outcomes than traditional lecture-based classes. In August 2014, Merrifield 312 became the latest upgraded classroom in Arts & Sciences. Transforming an existing classroom into an energetic, engaging, and collaborative learning space like Merrifield 312 dedicates resources to student research and facilitates their achievement. One of the College of Arts & Sciences’ longterm goals is to provide technologically rich, collaborative, and active learning spaces to facilitate student learning and student success.
Collaborative learning and teaching spaces take the best of what we know about delivering instruction and combine it with the best of what we know about teamwork and leadership. In the “real world” students find that the skills they develop in collaborative learning spaces build leadership and team-building skills they need in the modern workplace. Students work in teams to analyze a problem, consider challenges, and discover their own solutions. The concept is bold, founded in research, and already produces better, more engaged learners. For more information, or to lend your support to classroom upgrades across the college, contact Brandy Chaffee, Director of Development for the College of Arts & Sciences at brandyc@undfoundation.org. A&S — Craig Garaas-Johnson
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CAMPUS
news
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
What’s New
News from around campus A Partnership with the Division of University and Public Affairs
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
Women for Philanthropy brought together a diverse group of students, alumni and nonprofit sector professionals. This first-time event featured a keynote address from noted philanthropist Linda Pancratz, ’76, HON ’14, CEO of Mountain Capital and president of the ELM Family Foundation.
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President Robert Kelley
DEAR ALUMNI & FRIENDS
Two of my favorite events of the year are Convocation, when we welcome our newest students to the University family, and Commencement, when we celebrate academic achievement and welcome the newest members of the alumni family. During the course of the year, we hold six Commencement ceremonies and graduate more than 3,500 students. This spring, the alumni ranks grew by more than 2,000 students, including 1,451 undergraduates, 485 graduate-degree candidates, 59 law students and 55 medical students. We also honored two distinguished alumni with honorary degrees during the General Commencement ceremony: North Dakota Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerald VandeWalle, North Dakota’s longest-serving Supreme Court Justice and currently the longest current serving Supreme Court Justice in the country, and Farm Rescue President and founder Bill Gross. And we awarded Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorships, the University’s highest honor for faculty, to Cindy Juntunen, College of Education and Human Development, and Sharon Carson, Department of English (story on p. 36). Commencement, of course, is about students, and they remain our top priority. Students are also ultimately at the core of our five institutional goals and metrics that chart our course for the next five years: • Equipping students for success. For example, we will increase the retention of first-year freshmen to 90 percent and increase the percentage of students who graduate in four years. • Providing programs that people need and want, where and when they want them, which will help us increase the overall enrollment to 16,000 students. • Building a world-class research institution. We will move up in the Carnegie rankings and become a Very High Research University, and we will increase our annual sponsored program expenditures to $125 million (compared to $99.1 million in FY14). • With the help of the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, we’ll add $100 million to the endowment for scholarships and named chairs. • And, renovating 100 classrooms by 2020. These are stretch goals, but we are on the right trajectory, thanks to support from our alumni, friends, the business community, foundations, and federal, state and local governments. I want to take a moment to thank the North Dakota State Board of Higher Education and Gov. Jack Dalrymple for supporting UND priorities in their budgets, and I want to thank the North Dakota Legislature for appropriating the funds
necessary to help us create an Exceptional UND. For example, we have five major building projects in process, two of which received direct funding from the North Dakota Legislature in the past two sessions (and some of which have received very generous support from alumni). The School of Law and School of Medicine and Health Sciences buildings are on track, on time, and on budget. The High Performance Athletics Center will open this summer. The Wilkerson Commons addition and remodel are in full gear, and Robin Hall is in process on the west edge of campus. A sixth building, the Collaborative Energy Complex, which has received funding through the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund, is being planned. I’d also like to provide a quick update on the search for a UND nickname. Earlier this year I appointed a broad-based Nickname Committee, representing a number of constituency groups and based on input from entities such as the UND Alumni Association and Foundation. In fact, UND alumni are well-represented on the committee, whose membership and work are described in more detail at und.edu/university-public-affairs/nickname. As part of its work, the committee solicited nickname suggestions from the public through an online process and through newspaper ads during the month of April. The committee received thousands of unique suggestions. At the time of this writing, the committee had narrowed a list of 1,172 names recommended for consideration down to 64. You can follow their work, including minutes from their meetings, at the link above. I want to thank committee members for their excellent and tireless work on behalf of the University and our Athletics teams. And to you, alumni and friends, I want to say ‘Thank You!’ for all that you do to help us create an Exceptional UND. Best wishes,
Robert O. Kelley President
www.UNDalumni.org | 35
Cindy Juntenen, ‘87, is surprised with the announcement she has been named a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor.
Sharon Carson with President Robert Kelley and Provost Thomas DiLorenzo.
Putt’n on the ‘Fritz’
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CINDY JUNTUNEN AND SHARON CARSON NAMED NEWEST AWARDEES OF UND’S HIGHEST ACADEMIC HONOR
niversity of North Dakota faculty members Cindy Juntunen, ‘87, and Sharon Carson recently were greeted with the surprise of their academic careers. In separate moments, the longtime UND professors learned that they had been selected as the school’s newest Chester Fritz Distinguished Professors. The professorship is the highest academic honor that is bestowed at UND.
Surprise!
At the College of Education & Human Development, where Juntunen serves as a full professor and training director for the counseling psychology doctoral program, UND President Robert Kelley and Provost Thomas DiLorenzo approached her unannounced while she was in the middle of a planning session. Suddenly Juntunen was swarmed by a mob of wellwishing friends and colleagues, many of whom knew little about what the big announcement would entail. “This is such a special moment here at UND,” DiLorenzo said to Juntunen, as he broke the news. “The Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship Award recognizes demonstrated achievement across research, teaching and service among other things, and your vitae speaks volumes as to these achievements. Some said you will be the last to speak about [your] accomplishments, but today you can brag all you want.” Juntunen, still moved by the unexpected good news, thanked the crowd of about 50 people for their support.
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Photos: Shawna Noel Schill
“I am a little overwhelmed and clearly quite surprised,” she said, holding back tears of joy. “This means an awful lot to me. I am a graduate of UND, and Chester Fritz is somebody that North Dakotans hear about from a very young age, so it’s a pretty big deal.”
‘Vague vibe’
For Carson’s surprise announcement, there was excitement in the air as people crowded into the entrance of the English Department office suite in Merrifield Hall. “I had a sense that today something just wasn’t the same — it felt a little different,” said Carson, who has been at UND since 1990. “There was just a vague vibe. (This award) means a lot to me, especially since I know it involves people speaking for me, and that’s very moving.” Said DiLorenzo, who, again, made the announcement with President Kelley, “People came out of the woodwork saying how wonderful you are, and students cherish you. I want to take a class from you!” Carson’s academic specialties include American literature, black literature and interdisciplinary black studies, comparative religions and literatures, Bibles as literature, cross-national and comparative study, literature of the American Left, Homeric epic, narrative journalism, audio documentary and audio drama.
Joining the club
Juntunen and Carson join the 73 other UND faculty members, who, over the years, have received the Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship Award. The provost appoints a selection committee to make recommendations for the professorship award based on specific selection criteria. AR — Amy Halvorson & David Dodds, University & Public Affairs writers
Born to
Teach
NIKOLAUS BUTZ WANTS TO MAKE DISTANCE LEARNING AS SEAMLESS AND VIVID AS FACETO-FACE CLASSROOMS.
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eaching is in Nikolaus Butz’s genes. The son of college teachers got his first shot at carrying on the family legacy before he even graduated from high school as an instructor of an elective business course in desktop publishing. “This experience was my first memorable teaching moment, which laid the foundation for my future career path,” Butz said. He went on to receive his bachelor’s degree in secondary business education, with a minor in computer science, from Dickinson (N.D.) State University, where his father is a professor of business and where his mother once taught math. His undergraduate years, he says, were a bit of a feeling-out process. Butz graduated from UND this spring with his Ph.D. from the College of Education and Human Development. He successfully defended his Ph.D. dissertation in March. “I spent my first two years as a computer science major,” Butz said. “I loved the technical aspect of working with computers and writing code; however, I became dissatisfied with some of the solitary aspects of being a programmer. As the child of two teachers, I decided to try education.” Next, after some encouragement from his father, Butz decided to pursue his MBA at UND, which was his father’s alma mater. “He has always spoken with great pride of the education he received at UND,” said Butz, who grew up in a bilingual household in Dickinson. His father, a native of Mainz, Germany, spoke German to him until Butz was in high school. His mother is a native English speaker. The family also summered each year in Germany.
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
At UND, Butz began working as a teaching assistant in the Department of Management — a position he still holds today. This experience only reinforced his ambition to one day become a university educator. In 2012, he taught a summer management course at UND’s sister school in China, The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, where he received positive feedback from students. Butz eventually enrolled in the Ph.D. program in UND’s Teaching & Learning Department. He said his previous studies in computer science helped him in his research at UND. His current research focuses on “synchronous, web conferencing course delivery systems. “This modern means of teaching provides the pedagogical freedom to reach learners around the world, increasing societal access to education, he says. But Butz is interested in making this technological interface between teacher and students even better by making it as vivid and seamless as if they shared the same classroom. “In contrast to the asynchronous discussion board systems that most people think of,” Butz said, “synchronous formats offer a two-way, live audio and video feed that does not sacrifice the affective features of face-to-face instruction, such as body language, facial expressions and voice inflection.” Butz credits a number of mentors and advisors at UND for helping him get to where he is today, including Robert Stupnisky in the Department of Educational Foundation & Research, Kathy Smart in the Department of Teaching & Learning and Dennis Elbert and John Vitton from the College of Business & Public Administration. AR — David Dodds, University & Public Affairs writer
www.UNDalumni.org | 37
CAMPUS
Carrying on a
news
Literary legacy
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
y
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
CRYSTAL ALBERTS IS THE LATEST IN A LONG LINE OF SCHOLARS WHO HAVE NURTURED AND TRANSFORMED THE ANNUAL UND WRITERS CONFERENCE INTO ONE OF THE REGION’S SIGNATURE EVENTS.
ou’ll most likely find Crystal Alberts standing or sitting along the back wall of the Memorial Union Ballroom during any given session of the University of North Dakota’s annual Writers Conference. Don’t mistake that for disinterest or apathy – no, quite the contrary. As director of this year’s conference, which took place March 25-27, and director or co-director of four of the past five events, Alberts, an assistant professor of English, lives and breathes the Writers Conference year round. But during the week of the event, she likes to blend into the background and let the featured authors and their work take center stage. “Because it’s not about me as an individual director; it’s about the conference and the amazing opportunities that it has been creating for 46 years and counting,” said Alberts. Although the Writers Conference is quite well known by the public and among authors, Alberts admits she didn’t know anything about it when she arrived at UND as a senior lecturer in 2007 — despite growing up in Clearbrook, Minn., not far from Grand Forks. While photocopying handouts for a class, she noticed the framed posters hanging around the English Department of past Writers Conferences, and several names got her attention: William H. Gass, Allen Ginsberg, Tom Wolfe, Norman Mailer, N. Scott Momaday, Joseph Brodsky and Tim O’Brien, among many others. “My area of specialization is post-1945 American literature and culture, so I was floored to discover that
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many of the people that I read, study and teach had been here at UND,” Alberts said. “I almost immediately went over to (UND) Special Collections to find out whether or not there was an archive of the conference, only to discover that, through the foresight of past conference directors, presentations and panel discussions were recorded, basically, since the beginning.” Alberts, a digital humanist, started collaborating with UND’s Chester Fritz Library in building the UND Writers Conference Digital Collection. With the help of National Endowment for the Arts grants and internal funding, she and library staff members have preserved about half of the estimated 600 hours of past conference footage, of which around 117 hours are freely available online for scholarly, educational and historical use. Eventually, Alberts took on the role of co-director of the 41st UND Writers Conference in 2010 with Kathleen Coudle-King serving as co-director and English Department colleague Heidi Czerwiec, who had led previous conferences, providing advice along the way. Alberts is the latest in a line of UND scholars, dating back to event founder John Little, who have taken on the arduous, but rewarding, task of shepherding the Writers Conference each year since 1970. It has evolved into one of the region’s signature literary events. “For me, directing the UND Writers Conference is an opportunity to link my research and my teaching, all while making literary history, being part of an incredible tradition and giving back to the community,” Alberts said. “I take great joy and satisfaction from seeing the crowds gather at readings, hearing old and new friends exchange stories about the conference, watching students get excited about meeting an author they studied in class, and enabling students and community members to work with these authors to improve their own art.” For Alberts, organizing a Writers Conference begins about 20 months prior to the actual event when her first
College of Business and Public Administration grant application is due. It’s at that point that she settles on a theme. She constantly surveys the literary landscape and reads works by emerging and exciting authors as she envisions future conference lineups. She also listens to others who might have writer suggestions. Late spring through the summer months, she starts contacting writers and agents, and negotiating contracts. The fall is spent writing grant applications, averaging one a month from September to January, and finalizing the lineups as money is secured. January through March is spent on scheduling, travel logistics and marketing. “Then, it’s the week of the conference,” she says. “The month after the conference is spent writing final grant reports and ‘Thank Yous.’ And by May, I start the process all over again. It’s a year-round thing, twoto-three-conferences-ahead type job.” In recent years, the Writers Conference has received an outpouring of support from many alumni, community members and people on campus, including gifts to the John Little Memorial Endowment and a “Match Challenge,” which has generated about $20,000. New funding sources also have been established, such as the Kemen/Randall Family Writers Conference Endowment, the Jackie McElroy-Edwards and Tom Edwards Writers Conference Endowment, and an annual gift from the Estate of Alice Lillian Carlson. “This is great because endowments are what the UND Writers Conference needs to ensure that the organization is financially sustainable for years to come,” Alberts said. “We know that there is still work to be done, and we continue to do it.” Alberts also appreciates UND Arts & Sciences Dean Debbie Storrs and longtime Writers Conference supporters, such as the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, for their commitment to ensuring the tradition of the conference continues. Through all the hard work and challenges that come with organizing the Writers Conference each year, Alberts’ passion and enthusiasm is summed up in her one-word response when asked whether she plans to continue her involvement with the event. “Absolutely.” AR — David Dodds, University & Public Affairs writer
Dean’s Corner: New Dean Attends Her First UND Commencement Dear Alumni and Friends, On May 16, I had the distinct honor to participate in my first spring commencement as the Dean of the College of Business and Public Administration here at UND. I echo the sentiment of many of my colleagues that commencement is our “favorite day of the year” as we watch so many outstanding young men and women begin the next phase of their lives with such energy and enthusiasm. Our future is, indeed, in good hands. In the College, we are proud of the fact that 329 students graduated this past academic year with degrees ranging from accountancy to human resources to economics. These students join our more than 20,000 CoBPA alumni, 74 percent of whom are working in our state and region. We need these new entrants in our workforce to achieve the promise provided by our North Dakota and regional economies. On a personal note, I am grateful to Dean Emeritus Dennis Elbert who helped establish such a strong foundation within the College during his 17 years of service as dean. His leadership contributed to some outstanding events of the past year including the formation of our new School of Entrepreneurship (which celebrated its 1-year anniversary in May); the recognition of our 13th Elijah Watt Sells Award winner, Chelsey Enderle, for her performance on the CPA Exam; another first place finish by our Student Managed Investment Fund (for Best Fixed Income Portfolio); and the recent ranking of our online MBA program by The Princeton Review as 13th best in the country. Our faculty and staff continue to do great work with students and for the College to achieve these highlights, and I thank them for their commitment and dedication. Looking forward, we are pleased to offer our first Personal Retirement Institute in partnership with the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and Department of Psychology on June 23 on the UND campus. This seminar will provide information related to financial, psychological, and health issues faced when thinking about retirement. For more information on the seminar please visit: business.und.edu/aboutcobpa/personal-retirement-institute-2015-summer.cfm. As a new North Dakotan, I am appreciative of all that our region, state, city, and University have to offer. The rich resources of North Dakota provide exciting opportunities for existing business owners and employees, those who are developing business models related to new opportunities in energy and UAS, and those entrepreneurs among us who will be diversifying the future economy of North Dakota. We in the College of Business and Public Administration are thrilled that we are leading the way in creating learning environments that prepare our students not only for their futures but the future of our state, region, and world.
Margaret Williams, PH.D. Dean www.UNDalumni.org | 39
CAMPUS
Front row (L-R): Lindsey Becker, Carrie Sandstrom, Mariah DeGusseme, Katie Johnson, Samantha Schultz, Emina Mujcic and Morgan Swalve. Middle row (L-R): Karen Flaig, Tracy Enger, Melanie Sopp and Stacie Olson. Bback row (L-R): Wendy Miller, Joni Tweeten, Sadie Rivard, Claire Fenske, Justine Erickson and Hannah Stende.
news
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
“ s
‘Never Give Up’ UND VOLUNTEERS SPEND SPRING BREAK IN GUATEMALA LEARNING ABOUT HEALTH CARE IN THE FACE OF POVERTY
eventeen University of North Dakota faculty members and students from the College of Nursing & Professional Disciplines and Christus Rex Lutheran Campus Center recently traveled thousands of miles to provide nursing care and assistance to the people of Guatemala through The GOD’S CHILD Project (GCP). The service trip took place during spring break. The UND team worked at GCP’s Dreamer Center School, Casa Jackson Malnutrition Center, Santa Madre Homeless Shelter, and area hospitals, and performed home visits with GCP’s social work department. Joni Tweeten, a UND Nursing clinical instructor and a GCP veteran, led the volunteers on the trip and hopes to establish a course at UND which includes a GCP service trip. The UND
40 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
students are now part of a large group of volunteers who have joined GCP’s Service Team Experience to help change the face of poverty. Team members stayed with Guatemalan host families during their trip so they could be completely immersed in the culture. “I feel humbled to see what GCP provides to the Guatemalan people and children,” said one of the volunteers. “By learning about the little resources these organizations have to help these individuals has taught me to never give up on trying to help someone.” AR — Teresa DiGregorio, University & Public Affairs student writer
Mandarin Rising UND CHINESE STUDIES DIRECTOR MIN WANG LOOKS TO EXPAND PROGRAM
“m
in” is Chinese for smart. It’s a safe bet that Min (Leslie) Wang’s parents didn’t know she would teach as an adult. They just serendipitously gave her a name that stands out on an academic’s resume. After finishing her Ph.D. dissertation at Harvard in 2013, and spending two years on her post-doc there, Wang was hired by the University of North Dakota to run the Chinese Studies program. UND already had strong ties to China. Chinese students are the most populous international student demographic on campus, according to the International Centre. Also, UND Aerospace trains Air China pilots year-round, there is a Chinese Student and Scholars Association on campus, and, in March, UND Music faculty visited the University of Shanghai Science and Technology (USST) in Wang’s native Shanghai for a one-week musical and goodwill tour. The visit strengthened longstanding connections that have existed between UND and USST. For her part, Wang is looking to strengthen the cultural bridge between the U.S. and China even more through the conduit of language. “The Chinese programs at universities are expanding,” said Wang. “When I was at Harvard, the classes were getting bigger and getting more popular.” The reason behind the growing popularity of Chinese isn’t mysterious. It’s one of the oldest languages and has roughly 1 billion native speakers — more than any other language. Furthermore, according to the International Monetary Fund, China surpassed the United States to become the world’s largest economy in 2014. Wang is trying to mimic China’s economic ascension with Mandarin Chinese in UND’s Chinese Studies program. Her personality and passion for teaching make her a natural for program building. Outgoing, energetic and “min,” Wang is quick to chat up anyone interested in taking Chinese courses. Since arriving on campus, she has developed the Chinese Studies Facebook page, hosted dinners at China Garden restaurant and organized free movie nights throughout the spring semester. After one semester in Grand Forks, Wang has learned a lot about the local culture, and plans to adjust next year’s events accordingly.
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
“I’ll try to avoid scheduling events on hockey nights,” Wang laughs. While Wang has noticed some community interest in learning Chinese among youth, she also senses a hesitation to study a language that doesn’t use the 26-letter modern English alphabet. “If you learn 1,000 Chinese characters, the coverage rate is 92 percent,” said Wang. “If you only learn 160 characters, you’ve conquered 50 percent of all characters. You don’t have to wait for too long. “Chinese characters are like Legos — you can snap them together,” said Wang. The grammar is easy and relaxed as well, said Wang. The order of words doesn’t change when you turn a statement into a question like it does for English. In Chinese, you don’t have to worry about conjugating words, gender, tense, aspect, inflections, prefixes and postfixes. “After one year, you can accumulate your Chinese vocabulary quickly and read characters easily,” said Wang. She is also aware there are students interested in taking her classes that don’t have the time or the means. Recently, Chinese Studies partnered with UND Online & Distance Education to offer two online Chinese language courses, a first for North Dakota. “I just had a student that wanted to come to my class, but couldn’t because of a scheduling conflict throughout the semester,” said Wang. “She just signed up for the online course.” Online Chinese 101 starts in the fall semester of 2015 and Chinese 102 is in the spring semester of 2016. Wang will continue to build a platform for UND’s Chinese program, but teaching is constantly on her mind. There are dinner mats in her office that she picked up from a restaurant with Chinese zodiac characters in the design. They’ll be interesting visuals for classroom lectures. AR — Brian Johnson University & Public Affairs student writer www.UNDalumni.org | 41
CAMPUS
news
Art and Craft
s
NATHAN REES DELIVERS A COURSE THAT INSPIRES STUDENTS TO INVESTIGATE ARTWORK ORIGINS AND TO ASSEMBLE THEM INTO COMPELLING STORIES. torytelling can be difficult — whether it’s by word of mouth or on paper. The Museum Practicum class at the University of North Dakota has taken storytelling to another level by striving to tell stories about works of art. These stories are sprinkled throughout the UND Art Collections on campus and elsewhere in Grand forks. The class is taught by Nathan Rees, an art historian specializing in museum studies and a relative newbie to UND. “I had never set foot in North Dakota before,” said Rees, a native of Utah and New Mexico. “I came in April for an interview and there was still snow on the ground, so that was a bit of a wake-up call.” A glowing sample of Rees’ works is on display at the UND Art Collections Gallery at the Empire Arts Center in downtown Grand Forks. It’s a new exhibition titled “Honoré Daumier: Encore! The Quest for Freedom of Expression through Political and Social Commentary.” The exhibition, which runs through July 14, features works by famed French satirical artist Honoré Daumier and is devoted to people such as Daumier and others who have used their talents to promote freedom of the press. Rees curated the new exhibition with professors from UND Departments of Languages, Music, and Art & Design, including Sarah Mosher, Gary Towne and Arthur Jones.
Bringing History to Life
Rees had always been interested in museums, but thanks to an art history class he took as an undergraduate, he discovered his true passion. “I was excited how art brought history to life in such a bright, tangible way,” said Rees. “You don’t just have words about history, but an actual object instead.” As an art historian, Rees works to “investigate” art pieces and determine everything from when and where the piece is from
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Photo: Jackie Lorentz
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
to what the piece says about the culture and era that produced it. “It’s almost like a riddle or a mystery,” said Rees. “You have to try and connect the dots of how the artwork reflects not only the artist’s own intent, but the culture they come from too. “It’s a very creative field. It depends not only on the facts you find about the past, but also you have to actually look carefully at artworks and come up with creative answers through your own reasoning,” Rees said. Rees is grateful for the undergraduate opportunities he had, as he was able to work with collections and arrange educational material at a museum. “That was such a great opportunity for me that I try and find similar opportunities for my students now,” said Rees.
Hands-on Students
One of these opportunities, as well as a particular highlight of his teaching, is the Museum Practicum class. “It involves students in the day-to-day operations of collections management, while giving them hands-on experience curating exhibitions and contributing to a variety of display projects around the campus,” said Rees. This forces the students to come up with a concept, or thesis, for the exhibit to demonstrate, find art that fits the theme, research the chosen art, write short captions for each piece, and design the arrangement to complement the theme. “I love how we get to go behind the scenes and work on different projects around campus. It’s a very hands-on kind of learning experience, and I enjoy that as much as the students do,” said Rees. “The students here are very hardworking; their care and dedication really shows.” Each time a new art exhibit is set up, pieces are drawn from the UND Art Collections. “We try to demonstrate the breadth of our collection,” said Rees.
Home to Art
The UND Art Collections repository is located on the top floor of Ireland Hall. It is a secure site that is climate controlled and home to hundreds, if not thousands, of pieces of art, ranging from sculptures, to framed works, all stored in proper archival conditions. Different departments across the campus will come forward and request a project for the class to work on. This provides a realistic setting for the students to work by giving them constraints, such as a budget, departmental approval and size restrictions. The students then provide both the vision and the so-called “grunt work.” “This class has really helped me with the practical side and given us the tools to properly display our art,” said Matt Jones, a UND studio art major in Rees’ Museum Practicum class. “It gives us a tangible way to affect this campus.” AR — Amy Halvorson, University & Public Affairs student writer
Feeding
UND Executive Chef Greg Gefroh shows off one of his dining hall creations.
the Masses
CAMPUS FOOD MAESTROS PLAN AND SERVE THOUSANDS OF HEALTHY AND DELICIOUS MEALS DAILY
w
ith a pinch of knowledge, a dash of passion, a teaspoon of diversity, seasoned with excellence, mixed together and garnished with flavor, you have the recipe for the University of North Dakota’s chef team. The UND chefs cook up a storm to feed more than 3,000 students each day. They work together to create new and exciting dishes for students to try and prove they’re worth their salt.
Gregory Gefroh
Gregory Gefroh has the pleasure of being the executive chef at UND — or in other words, the big enchilada. Gefroh attended Northwestern Technical College (now Minnesota State Technical College) Culinary Arts Program and was French classically trained, but baking is where his heart truly lies. “I just love the science of baking,” said Gefroh. His father once gave him some food for thought by telling him, “If you can cook, you’ll never starve.” Variety is the spice of life, and Gefroh gets inspiration from the people he serves. “We have students from all over the world that come here, and they all want a taste of home,” he said. Gefroh is responsible for all culinary units at UND, including three dining centers, two snack bars, three convenience stores, two coffee shops, a food court and a central bakery. “I’m a firm believer in doing everything from scratch,” he said. “And by doing that, you can control everything that goes into a dish and make it healthier.” Gefroh has worked at UND for 11 years. Currently, he’s also a student, going for a bachelor’s degree in community nutrition.
Molly Christianson
Molly Christianson works as a sous chef in the Wilkerson and Squires Dining Centers. She attended Le Cordon Bleu, where she received an applied associate’s degree in culinary art. Baking, along with decorating and garnishing, are Christianson’s bread and butter.
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
Before coming to UND, Christianson, who’s originally from Minneapolis, helped prepare meals for the Minnesota Wild hockey team. Christianson has worked at UND for more than five years, starting as a baker and working her way to sous chef. Cooking started at a young age for her. She enjoyed watching her father, who also was a chef, prepare meals. “I started cooking and it became such a bond between my dad and I,” said Christianson. “It went from being a hobby to a passion.” Christianson takes the cake when it comes to interacting with students. “Work is never repetitive, and that’s what I like about it,” Christianson said.
James DeHaan
James DeHaan is a UND alumnus. He graduated in 2004 with a degree in theoretical mathematics. However, a month before graduation, DeHaan decided that he could have his cake and eat it too, and made the decision to go to culinary school. DeHaan attended Le Cordon Bleu and is French classically trained, specializing in southern French Cajun cuisine. He’s currently the sous chef at Terrace Dining Center at UND. “Just about everyone in my family works with food,” said DeHaan. “It was what I grew up with.” DeHaan started his culinary career by wanting to alter recipes to make things more convenient, but in more recent years, he has switched over to long-term cooking. He particularly enjoys smoking meats and vegetables. “I always want to try new things and make them better,” he said. He also tries to create a fun environment for student employees in the dining centers. “Being a chef has changed a lot over the past 10 years,” he said. “Due to the Food Network, people have more of a general knowledge of cooking,” DeHaan said. “I strive to be able to explain what’s going wrong and how to do it better.” AR — Amy Halvorson, University & Public Affairs student writer www.UNDalumni.org | 43
UND
Proud
OF NORTH ITY D S R
A OT AK
UN IV E
HONORING THE EXCEPTIONAL
d u o r P We’re proud of the faculty, staff, and students at the University of North Dakota for all they do to make UND an exceptional public research university. Take pride in your alma mater when you see how it’s being recognized regionally, nationally, and globally.
A UND Aerospace quality inspector received $414 from the State Employee Suggestion Incentive Program for saving the state thousands of dollars. Scott Baker, a nearly 20-year employee, suggested that money could be saved by turning off the heat when hangar doors were opened to move aircraft and other equipment in and out of UND hangars. By implementing Baker’s suggestion on one of the school’s big hangars, a cost savings of $2,000 was realized. The state incentive program awards a state employee 20 percent of the first year’s savings if their suggestion works. Scott Baker, right, receives congratulations from Randall Bohlman of UND Facilities Management.
13th
UND has the best online MBA program in the country as ranked by The Princeton Review.
The UND Wellness Center was ranked one of the Top Ten college recreation centers in the country by website College Raptor. 44 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
1,000,000 800,000 600,000 400,000 200,000 100,000 0
2005
2015
The Student Managed Investment Fund team took first place for their fixed income portfolio in the undergraduate division of the Quinnipiac G.A.M.E. V Forum. With 140 schools from 40 countries competing, coming out on top is a huge achievement for UND. The student group was founded in the fall of 2005 with a gift from generous alumni in the amount of $100,000 to provide students with hands-on experience in the field of business. Today, the students manage every aspect of the fund that has grown to over $1,000,000.
CEM to Take on Grand Challenges The UND College of Engineering and Mines is part of a national engineering education initiative called “Grand Challenges.” The initiative was announced at the White House in March with 120 U.S. engineering schools signing on to the movement. The goal is to design special programs to prepare undergraduates to solve complex, yet achievable, goals to improve national and international health, security, sustainability and quality of life in the 21st century.
The UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences received the American Academy of Family Physicians Top-10 Award for its consistent contributions to building the family physician workforce. It’s the fifth consecutive year the school has received the honor.
The National Institutes of Health has granted $1.4 million to Associate Professor Othman Ghribi, Ph.D., in the Department of Basic Sciences at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences, to pursue research on a possible dietary link to Alzheimer’s disease (AD). “The cause of Alzheimer’s is not well defined,” Ghribi said. “But it is likely that the interplay between environmental (chemical and dietary) factors and genetic susceptibilities plays a key role in the origin and development of this disease.” Ghribi’s work examines the link between a specific dietary agent — palmitate — and a specific transcription factor that may affect the development of AD. Transcription factors are proteins — the building blocks that make all organisms function — that control which genes are turned on or off in the genome.
James Popejoy, director of bands and professor of music at the University of North Dakota, has advanced to the presidency for the North Central Division of the College Band Directors National Association (CBDNA). The members of CBDNA are devoted to the teaching, performance, study and cultivation of music, with particular focus on the wind band medium. www.UNDalumni.org | 45
BE THE
impact
CAPITALIZING ON A VISION
Capitalizing on a Vision N.D. Higher Education Challenge Fund will help reach fundraising goals to benefit the University of North Dakota
“With the help of the Burgum Endowment, I was able to expand my research activities, to bring UND’s name to Europe, Asia and other parts of United States, and to enhance the quality of UND students by bringing world-renowned artists to do workshops with our students and perform for the UND community.” — Simona Barbu Burgum Endowed Chair of Cello
By Alyssa Konickson During the 2013-14 legislative session, the North Dakota Legislature OK’d an initiative that ultimately contributed $30 million in public/ private funds to UND. In 2015, the legislature once again approved the Higher Education Challenge Fund, this time narrowing its focus to scholarships and faculty. The State of North Dakota is committed to enhancing scholarship and faculty support in the state’s universities. $7 million has been allocated to the University of North Dakota: the first $2 million must be used for scholarships; when that has been fulfilled, $5 million can be used for scholarships and faculty academic positions. From July 1, 2015, through December 31, 2016, the state will match $1 for every $2 raised by the UND Foundation on gifts over $50,000 to endowments supporting scholarships and faculty academic positions. Pledges can be made over a period of seven years.
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Fund in 2013-14 provided $10 million The initiative helps catalyze the in the same $1-to-$2 construct that this University of North Dakota’s Vision 2020, model will provide. It supported 52 funds which is to raise $100 million for endowed and projects, including 34 scholarship scholarships and faculty positions by the funds. year 2020. One new fund was the Judy L. “The Higher Education Challenge DeMers Scholarship Endowment at the Fund will allow us to recruit and retain the area’s best and brightest Through the North Dakota Challenge students by gift to increasing our Fund, a scholarship scholarships would multiply to an pool,” said UND Alumni endowment of . Association & School of Medicine & Health Sciences, Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink. “At the same time, we will expand the number established by former Associate Dean for of endowed faculty positions, allowing the Student Affairs Judy DeMers, ’66. “During my time at UND, I just totally University to attract high-profile, talented loved my job and loved the students so educators and researchers. Because of much. I worked with the group that gave the North Dakota Legislature’s support of out scholarships at the medical school this fund, we will make a huge impact on and I saw an area where there was a the University of North Dakota and the need,” Judy said. “The Higher Education worldwide workforce of the future.” Challenge Fund was a terrific opportunity The first Higher Education Challenge
$50,000
$75,000
The North Dakota Challenge Fund would
$2 million gift to faculty to grow into a $3 million allow a
endowed chair.
to increase the amount I was able to give. It made my gift go that much further.”
Vision 20/20
UND’s Vision 20/20 is to raise $100 million to support endowed faculty positions and scholarships, which would enable the University to recruit and retain top faculty members and students while redefining the student experience. Achieving this goal will require the support of dozens of committed and visionary donors.
Endowed Scholarships
The University of North Dakota already makes a strong institutional commitment to scholarship support by investing $1 million annually in student scholarships from its unrestricted budget. Our students need both more scholarships and scholarships of higher value. An expanded scholarship program will: • Attract more and better students through freshmen or incoming scholarships • Provide scholarships at multiple levels of academic achievement • Invest in students who not only show academic promise, but well-rounded interests, skills and activities • Allow more students to focus on academic achievement, extracurricular activities and community involvement instead of finances • Contribute to student success as measured by first-year retention and graduation rates • Provide flexibility and agility to UND leadership so the scholarship program can respond to opportunities and trends in admissions
Endowed Professorships
Building a strong team of professors is a complex process. More than any other factor, the quality and dedication of the University’s faculty shape the UND student experience and research results. Dramatic growth and diversification in UND’s endowed chair program will give the University the ability to: • Compete nationally for outstanding teaching and research faculty • Bring additional expertise to campus • Increase the capacity to attract external funding, particularly research funding • Enhance research leadership and credibility in strategic areas • Expand the University’s profile and participation in national/international networks • Reward and recognize prominent faculty members • Attract more top-flight students who want to work with leading scholars AR To learn more about the North Dakota Challenge Fund, visit undfoundation. org/NDChallenge, email donorrelations@ undfoundation.org, or call 701.777.2611.
The scholarship that I was given has made so many things possible for me, in that it’s given me the freedom to be involved in various organizations. I know that had I not received the scholarship, I would have had to work a second job. Because of the scholarship, I’ve been able to focus on my studies, be involved in organizations and have fun. I’ve been able to truly enjoy my college experience, something I don’t think you can put a price tag on. — Brianne Schuler, Senior, Nursing
www.UNDalumni.org | 47
Change Lives
by giving an estate gift
Estate gifts are among the simplest and most popular methods of supporting education at the University of North Dakota. More importantly, your estate gift can change lives. The University of North Dakota and the UND Foundation are focusing on many areas to make the University exceptional. Three areas of emphasis are:
• Supporting students so that education is accessible and affordable • Supporting faculty and academic programs to enhance and maintain excellence • Supporting the priority needs of the University Please join us in this important endeavor. It’s as simple as using the language below on an IRA, life insurance or other beneficiary designation form; or providing it to your attorney for inclusion in your will or living trust. Then, we encourage you to contact us to confidentially record your intent for a Legacy Gift or to further specify the use of your future gift to a particular academic program or other specific purpose. You can use the language below in your estate will or trust: I give, devise and bequeath (% of your estate, $ amount, residue) to the University of North Dakota Foundation (Tax ID #45-0348296), a North Dakota nonprofit charitable corporation under the laws of the State of North Dakota, to support higher education at the University of North Dakota.
University of North Dakota Foundation 3501 University Ave. Stop 8157 | Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157 | 800.543.8764 giftplanning@undfoundation.org | und.giftlegacy.com
BE THE
impact
CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND
Emily Germolus
Hawley, Minn. M.S. Occupational Therapy, ’17 Why UND?
I chose UND because of the reputation of the medical programs. Coming from a small town, UND was also the perfectsized university for the transition to college.
What’s your dream for after graduation?
My goal is to work as a pediatric occupational therapist in a hospital setting.
Emily Germolus has traveled to France and England while earning class credit through UND’s Honors Program. Here she is pictured with an English Royal Guard in London.
How is UND helping you realize that dream?
I have had the opportunity to learn both in and out of the classroom through a variety of student organizations. I also have the privilege of being enrolled in one of the best occupational therapy programs in the nation. The faculty and staff are always challenging us to be the best, and offer us amazing fieldwork opportunities around the country. When I graduate I will be proud to say I graduated from the UND Occupational Therapy program. What else have you been involved with as a student? In the fall of my freshman year I joined Student Ambassadors because of the positive impact they had on me during Welcome Weekend. I was so nervous to begin my journey at UND and having current students around was helpful. I also loved how being a Student Ambassador connected me to other
50 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
opportunities on campus so quickly. During my sophomore year I became an Executive Board member, which is a group of students who organize our Student Ambassador meetings and events as well as planning and overseeing Welcome Weekend and Homecoming events. I am also a member of the planning committee for The Big Event, which is a day where UND students give back to the greater Grand Forks community as a way to say “Thank You” for their support of UND. Other organizations include the Student Occupational Therapy Association and Mortar Board. Through all these organizations I have had the opportunity to grow as not only a leader, but also a person, while making valuable connections with UND alumni. Through the Honors Program here at UND I have also been given the opportunity to travel the world. I have had the opportunity to travel France and England while earning class credit. I will never forget the opportunity to learn and experience the culture of both these countries.
Be the
impact. Change the life of a student like Shannah by supporting scholarships. By investing in the University of North Dakota’s students, you shape the future.
“My scholarships have allowed me to be involved at UND so that I can network and practice all of the skills I have been learning. Scholarships are enhancing the student experience here at UND and they truly make a difference for every student who receives them.” — Shannah Henk, Junior, Management
To learn more, visit www.undfoundation.org/scholarships or call the UND Foundation at 701.777.2611.
ALUMNI
news
UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
DO YOU REMEMBER…
Margaret Heyse Cory, the first dean of the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines? Heyse Cory was appointed Director of the Division of Nursing in 1958 and was later named Dean when the program was designated as the College of Nursing. She served until she retired in 1978.
1940s Remember when, in
1946, Coach Red Jarrett wrote an open letter to alumni decrying the sorry state of athletic facilities on campus? Hyslop Sports Center was built in 1951. 1948 Lynn Aas, ‘48, ‘49, was the official representative of the 17th Airborne Division at the 70th annual reenactment of the Battle of the Bulge in the town of Bastogne, Belgium. Aas, who turns 94 in June, fought in the European Theatre from 1943-45.
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1950s Remember when, in
1959, long-time band director John E. Howard retired? 1953 Robert “Bob” Hale, ’53, has published two books, “Honeymoon Parish” and “Jesus and His Friends.” Both are available as e-books and paperbacks on Amazon. Hale lives in Baltimore, Md.
1959 Harold “Jim” Anderson, ‘59, has been an active member of the National Ski Patrol for 55 years. He is an adjunct faculty member in the College of Business and Management at Cardinal Stritch University in Milwaukee, Wis.
1960s Remember when, in
1962, Raymond Richards, 1906, donated land for a nine-hole golf course? 1967 Terrance Hjelmstad, ‘67, ‘82, ‘86, has been appointed chairman of the North Dakota Board of Higher Education.
1970s Remember when, in
1975, UND grad Elton Ringsak, ’37, attended a White House ceremony in which President Ford recognized him with a President’s Trophy as the 1974 Handicapped American? 1970 John Marks, ‘70, has retired from a long career as a hockey coach. The Fargo Force coach stepped down after three decades of coaching that followed nine years of playing professional hockey.
1971 Robert Giacomelli, ‘71, is a member of the board of Silver West Airport - Butler Field in Westcliffe, Colo. 1972 Lance Lord, ‘72, HON ‘06, has joined the board of directors of GenCorp Inc. Lord is a retired U.S. Air Force four-star general. Before retiring in 2006, he served as commander, Air Force Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado. 1973 Betty (Darr) Hanson, ‘73, school principal at Clayton A. Lodoen Kindergarten Center in West Fargo, retired after 41 years in education. 1975 Pamela Moret, ‘75, is a member of the board of trustees of Investors Real Estate Trust. Moret is a senior vice president, Strategic Development, of Thrivent Financial in Minneapolis. 1977 William Robb, ‘77, is a development officer with the University of Minnesota - Morris. 1978 Joseph Messmer, ‘78, is the interim president of CHI St. Alexius Health in Bismarck, N.D. Kevin Powers, ‘78, is president and CEO of the Bank of Edwardsville in St. Louis, Mo. He’d previously spent 24 years with Grand Forks-based Bremer Bank. 1979 Steve Wangler, ‘79, is a senior vice president/business banking officer with Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck, N.D. JuLann (Peterson) Wiseman, ‘79, a registered nurse, is the coordinator of the stroke program at CHI St. Alexius in Bismarck, N.D.
1980s Remember when, in
1980, a bust of UND’s most famous dropout, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, was dedicated during a Homecoming ceremony? Stefansson’s antics got him expelled from UND in 1902, but the world-renowned Arctic explorer was a loyal booster. 1981 Elizabeth (McDonald) Gibb, ‘81, is a member of the community board of trustees for the Jeremiah Program FargoMoorhead. Gibb is an associate attorney with Serkland Law Office. Doug Restemayer, ‘81, is the board chairman of the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce. Restemayer is the president and owner of D-S Beverages. 1982 Laurie Bakke, ‘82, has been elected to the Western State Agency board of directors. Bakke is the president of Western Equipment Finance. She lives in Kirkland, Wash. Alan Fehr, ‘82, ‘85, ‘88, has been promoted to colonel with the North Dakota Army National Guard. Fehr is a behavioral health officer with the National Guard. He is a clinical psychologist in Dickinson, N.D. 1983 Carol (Luptak) Rogne, ‘83, has been named by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Rogne is president and CEO of DFC Consultants. She lives in Fargo.
Smart Delivers Lecture
Kidnapping survivor speaks at Delta Gamma Lectureship on Values and Ethics.
Elizabeth Smart, a kidnapping survivor and public speaker, traveled to Grand Forks in April to share her nationally followed story of abduction and escape, and the Chester Fritz Auditorium was over capacity as thousands of people eagerly waited to hear about her hardship. Smart’s appearance was part of the Delta Gamma Lectureship Series on Values and Ethics, and organizers Stephanie LaDue and Sonja Collin were pleased with how the event turned out. “She couldn’t have been more wonderful,” LaDue said. “We wanted to bring a speaker in to talk about values, ethics and doing good things, and (Smart) certainly met that goal. We hope everyone gained something from this lectureship and the ones moving forward.” Smart, a Salt Lake City, Utah, native, began her speech by talking a little bit about her large and loving family. The second-eldest of five kids, she had a busy and loud life. She told the audience, which she said was one of the largest she’s ever spoken to, how, when she was 14, she was lying in bed on a normal night at home when a man appeared and held a knife to her throat, threatening to kill her. He proceeded to lead her out of the house and take her to his remote campsite in the mountains, where he abused her. Smart said she wanted to die after the nine months of hell, but thoughts of her family made her promise herself she would do whatever it took to get back home alive, which she did. After moving to California with her captors, Brian Mitchell and Wanda Barzee, Smart told the two she had been praying and God told her they needed to go back to Utah. Mitchell claimed to be very religious and wanted Smart to really see God, so he took this as a sign and returned to her home state, where three people called the police within minutes of each other to report suspicions about seeing Smart. After police found them and she finally admitted her identity, Smart went back to a fairly normal life at home, but she said her experience got her to look further into trafficking and slavery around the world and the staggering statistics drove her to share her story and advocate for those without voices. “Today there are 18 million people in slavery — more than ever,” Smart said. “If you asked me 14 years ago where I’d be, I never would have dreamed that I would be here.” Smart, now 27, has been very involved politically, advocating for the AMBER Alert system and then starting the Elizabeth Smart Foundation, which works to educate citizens and prevent abductions from occurring. The foundation is now partnering with Operation Underground Railroad, which sends out sting operations to rescue trafficked people around the world. Smart said her story has allowed her to connect with thousands of other people, and there is still a lot more work to be done. — Marie Monson, Dakota Student Staff Writer www.UNDalumni.org | 53
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Mark Waind, ‘83, has achieved professional recognition as a Certified Health care Chief Information Officer from the College of Health care Information Management Executives. Waind is the administrative director of Information Services at Altru Health System in Grand Forks. 1984 Pam Belgard, ‘84, has opened a health and beauty studio called Beauty and Balance in New Town, N.D. Marcia (Olson) Gums, ‘84, ‘98, has retired as the chief operating officer of the Anne Carlsen Center in Jamestown, N.D. Gums began working with the center in 1992. Thomas Irsfeld, ‘84, is a software consultant with Stoneridge Software in Barnesville, Minn. He specializes in finance. Laurel (Evenson) Nelson, ‘84, has been recognized by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Nelson is co-owner and general manager of Nelson Auto Center and Abra Collision Center in Fergus Falls, Minn. 1985 Richard Blake, ‘85, has been appointed to the Grand Rapids, Minn., city council.
UND Quilt Brad Wilson, ’96, has a wonderful keepsake thanks to his friendship with Teresa (Dessellier) Lanenberg, ’91, and her love of quilting. Brad and Teresa work in the same department at Best Buy corporate headquarters in the Twin Cities. When Brad discovered that Teresa was a sewing and quilting enthusiast (threadsandsuchbyteresa.blogspot.com), he asked her to turn some of his old UND clothing into a keepsake quilt. Brad was also on the UND diving team, so a couple of pictures from those days are incorporated into the quilt.
54 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
Jamie Kuntz, ‘85, has been elected president of the Grand Forks Builders & Traders Exchange for 2015. Kuntz is a CPA and shareholder with Brady Martz & Associates in Grand Forks. 1986 Karen Aarestad, ’86, has joined Trinity Health in Minot as a member of the primary care team. Aarestad is board certified in Internal Medicine.
1987 Jeffrey Thomas, ‘87, is market president for Cornerstone Bank for Fargo, Moorhead and West Fargo. 1988 Sheri Haugen-Hoffart, ‘88, has been appointed Deputy State Treasurer of North Dakota. Erin O’Leary, ‘88, is the associate director for business and operations at UND’s Energy and Environmental Research Center. 1989 Carla Christofferson, ‘89, is executive vice president and general counsel for global engineering design firm AECOM in Los Angeles. Felicia Felix, ‘89, is a right-of-way agent with KLJ, an engineering firm in Bismarck, N.D. Linda (Schwab) Massman, ‘89, has been elected to the board of directors of Black Hills Corp., a Rapid City, S.D., energy company. Massman is chief executive officer of Clearwater Paper Corporation in Spokane, Wash.
1990 Remember when, in
1994, two long-time administrators, Jerry Hamerlik and George Schubert retired? Hamerlik had worked at UND for 37 years, while Schubert spent 29 years on campus. 1990 Betsy (Stafford) Delgado, ‘90, has been selected to join the Aspen Institute Ascend Fellowship, an educational and policy studies organization. Delgado is the vice president of mission advancement for Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana.
Linda (Lamoreux) Girgis, ‘90, has written a book, “Inside Our Broken Healthcare System.” Girgis is a family physician in South River, N.J. You can purchase the book on Amazon. Dawn (Vetter) Lahlum, ‘90, ‘91, has been named by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Lahlum is the president and owner of Park Co. Realtors in Fargo. Raymond Ridl, ‘90, is a user experience designer with Intelligent InSites in Fargo. Arthur Rosenberg, ‘90, is a managing partner with Capital Commercial Realty, a new commercial real estate brokerage firm in Fargo. He is also the coowner of Sunbelt of North Dakota, a firm that specializes in selling businesses. 1991 Michelle Donarski, ‘91, is the municipal judge for the city of West Fargo. Carolyn (Malsom) Mallory, ‘91, has been appointed to serve on the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Financial Aid Advisory Committee. Mallory is a financial aid director at the University of Houston-Victoria. Shawn Mechlke, ‘91, is vice president Software-as-a-Service and Business Development for Navtech. Mechlke is based in Minneapolis. 1992 Alisha (Kauk) Ankers, ‘92, has achieved board certification as a family law trial advocate. Ankers owns her own law office in Fargo. Michael Bannach, ‘92, is market president at Western State Bank in Fargo.
Russell Carignan, ‘92, is a market manager with Bremer Bank in Grafton, N.D. Colleen Swank, ‘92, ‘97, is chief medical executive with Altru Health System in Grand Forks. 1994 Stephanie (Lauer) Barth, ‘94, is vice president, treasurer and chief accounting officer with WBI Energy in Bismarck, N.D. John Dahl, ‘94, ‘95, is a patent and trademark attorney with Westman, Champlin & Koehler, an intellectual property law firm in Minneapolis.
1996 Cory Ash, ‘96, ‘97, is a physical therapist and assistant manager with Rehab Visions outpatient clinic in Dickinson, N.D. Tammy (Arndt) Peterson, ‘96, has been named by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Peterson is the president/CEO of Bremer Bank in Grand Forks.
Kathryn (Radel) Woerner, ‘96, was a 2013 recipient of the California Casualty Award and participated in the National Education Association’s 2014 Global Leadership program. Woerner teaches U.S. history at Lin-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa. 1997 Toby Aeilts, ‘97, is a senior credit officer with BNC National Bank in downtown Bismarck, N.D.
Reed Endersbe, ‘94, is a service leader at Louis Vuitton in Boston. Yvonne Gomez, ‘94, is medical director, Quality and Care Management, with Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Eva (Spindler) Keiser, ‘94, is Secretary of the Minnesota chapter of the Public Relations Society of America for 2015. Keiser is the principal of an integrated communications agency in Minneapolis, the plural i. 1995 Robert Cunningham, ‘95, is a senior vice president of operations for Essentia’s West Region. He is based in Fargo. Travis Koch, ‘95, is a member of the board of directors of the Downtown Community Partnership in Fargo. He is a vice president with U.S. Bank. Brock Larson, ‘95, has been promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel with the North Dakota National Guard. He lives in Devils Lake.
High School Track Named for UND Alum Jerry Anstett The track at Oak Creek High School in Wisconsin has been named for Jerry Anstett, ’51, the school’s first athletic director and track coach. Anstett started the track team at Oak Creek in 1958. He coached the team for the next 15 years and served as athletic director and taught at the high school until he retired in 1986. The 90-year-old spoke at the track’s dedication ceremony in April along with several of his former track athletes.
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Laura Lizakowski, ‘97, ‘05, is medical director, Cancer and Medical Specialty Care, with Altru Health System in Grand Forks. 1998 Annie Claesson-Huseby, ‘98, ‘01, ‘05, is the Beltrami County (Minn.) Attorney. Jason Markusen, ‘98, is the principal for West Fargo’s new school, Legacy Elementary. Todd Olson, ‘98, is a vice president with Gate City Bank in Fargo. Rachel (Blumhagen) Weshnevski, ‘98, is a risk analyst with InterceptEFT in Fargo. Audrey Jaeger, ‘91, (left) with UND Vice President for Student Affairs Lori Reesor at the 2015 NASPA Annual Conference in New Orleans in March.
Alum Receives National Award Audrey Jaeger, ‘91, has been recognized for her work with graduate students at North Carolina State University, where she is a professor of higher education and an alumni distinguished graduate professor. NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education awarded Jaeger its 2015 Robert H. Shaffer Award for Academic Excellence as a Graduate Faculty Member. Award winners must be a personal inspiration to graduate students, have served on doctoral committees and have distinguished records of scholarly achievement themselves. Jaeger has graduated 22 doctoral students and co-authored with her students and former students 60 publications and more than 77 research presentations. Her doctoral students have won the most prestigious dissertation awards in the field of higher education. “Her ability to work successfully with young people is unlike anything I have seen before or since,” said Sean Jenkins, senior assistant to the president at the University of Virginia. Jaeger said she gets her greatest satisfaction from working with doctoral students. “One of the most joyous experiences is that of helping students through their dissertation process,” Jaeger told the NC State Alumni Association last year. “At that moment when a student successfully defends her or his proposal, and I can call the student by their name and add Dr. to their title — there is nothing better.”
56 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
Mark Wilson, ‘98, is the president of Mitchell Technical Institute in Mitchell, S.D. Justin Zimmer, ‘98, assumed command of the 296th Brigade Support Battalion at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. Lt. Col. Zimmer was commissioned at the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps at UND, and is in his 17th year of active duty. 1999 Joel Bird, ‘99, is an Ameriprise Financial private wealth advisor in Bismarck, N.D. Only about 10 percent of Ameriprise financial advisors achieve the status. Shawn Carlson, ‘99, is an assistant vice president with Gate City Bank in Fargo. Janelle (Huus) Griggs, ‘99, is the program manager of the Customer Contact Center at Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
2000s Remember when, in
2006, Law Dean Paul LeBel threw out the first pitch at a Twins game? LeBel earned the opportunity by bidding on the item at the 2005 Art Auction conducted by the third-year law class. 2001 Jason Bernhardt, ‘01, has been elected a shareholder in Winstead PC, a Texas law firm. Bernhardt works in commercial litigation at the firm’s Houston office. Amanda (Ode) Gienger, ‘01, is a retail banking manager with American Bank Center in Bismarck, N.D. Jon Huseby, ‘01, has been appointed a part-time U.S. magistrate judge by the U.S. District Court. Huseby is a partner with Fuller, Wallner, Cayko & Huseby in Bemidji, Minn. Thomas Moyer, ‘01, is the regional sales manager with Bell Helicopter North America. He lives in the Twin Cities. Coley Schuler, ‘01, is a vice president of Credit Administration with First Westroads Bank in Omaha, Neb. 2002 Megan (Fiskum) Erovick, ‘02, is a manager of business solutions and project management at Gate City Bank in Fargo. Keven Kercher, ‘02, is an associate attorney with the Ohnstad Twichell law firm in West Fargo.
Chris Pike, ‘02, is a business intelligence solutions architect with Intelligent InSites in Fargo. Heather (Ness) Rye, ‘02, is an assistant vice president with Gate City Bank in Fargo. 2003 Nick Aberlee, ‘03, ‘07, is an orthopedic surgeon with Providence Medical Group Orthopedics in Kansas City, Kan. He has expertise in sports medicine and shoulder surgery. Laura (Mittet) Lesoine, ‘03, is the manager of Heirlooms, an upscale resale store in Fargo that benefits Hospice of the Red River Valley. Ryan Moe, ‘03, is a packaging and warehouse supervisor at the East Grand Forks American Crystal Sugar factory. Dustin Senger, ‘03, is a financial analyst with MDU Resources Group Inc. in Bismarck, N.D. 2004 Michael Schepp, ‘04, has opened a wine bar, Helix wine & bites, in downtown Grand Forks. Kristin (Farbo) Syverson, ‘04, is chief financial officer with Interstate Engineering in Jamestown, N.D.
Nick Stattelman, ‘05, is a survey practice leader with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services in Fargo. Loren Tollefson, ‘05, is a branch manager with Capital Credit Union in Bismarck, N.D. Marie Vetter, ‘05, was recently awarded the Illinois Academy of Audiology President’s Award. She is a private practice audiologist at Chicago Hearing Services. 2006 Joshua Deere, ‘06, is medical director, Primary Care for Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Nicholas Hacker, ‘06, has been appointed by Gov. Jack Dalrymple to the North Dakota Board of Higher Education. Hacker is president of North Dakota Guaranty and Title Co. in Bismarck, N.D. Alisha Johnston, ‘06, is a podiatrist with Altru Clinic in Devils Lake, N.D. Justin Klabo, ‘06, is a water resources project manager with Advance Engineering and Environmental Services in the Maple Grove, Minn., office.
Karl Vigstol, ‘04, is a salesman for Evergreen Implement Company in Warren, Minn.
Rebecca Salinas, ‘06, ‘07, ‘09, has opened a store called The Art of Bathing in West Fargo, N.D. The store specializes in handmade skin care items like bath salts, soaps and shampoos.
2005 Tyler Artlip, ‘05, is a branch manager with Capital Credit Union in Bismarck, N.D.
2007 John Evans, ‘07, is an ag sales support specialist with Appareo Systems in Fargo.
Toni (Bullinger) Sandin, ‘05, has been named by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Sandin opened Sandin Law in 2009, a boutique estate and business planning practice in Fargo.
Michelle (Worner) Kommer, ‘07, has been named by Prairie Business Magazine as one of the top 25 businesswomen in the northern Plains. Kommer is chief administrative officer/ general counsel for Western State Bank in Fargo.
Accounting Grad Aces Exam Chelsey Enderle, ’13, has been recognized by the American Institute of CPAs for the exceptional results she achieved on the CPA exam. Enderle is one of only 60 people to earn an Elijah Watts Sells Award for achieving high marks on all four sections of the 2014 CPA Examination. More than 91,000 people took the test last year. Over the last 27 years, a UND Department of Accountancy grad has earned an Elijah Watts Sells Award 10 times. The prestigious award was created in 1923 and is named after one of New York’s first CPAs and the catalyst behind the establishment of what is now the American Institute of CPAs.
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Brandon Pittenger, ‘07, ‘11, is the in-house real estate attorney with FM Title in Fargo. Kurt Porter, ‘07, ‘10, is an associate attorney with Thomas & Severson, P.A. in Crosslake, Minn. 2008 Cole Benz, ‘08, has been named editor at the Adams County Record in Hettinger, N.D. Jared Bye, ‘08, is branch manager with Patterson Dental in Fargo.
Jacob Franklin, ‘08, is a manager with Brady Martz & Assoc. in Grand Forks. He works in the accounting firm’s tax department. Erin Grahn, ‘08, ‘11, is a licensed addiction counselor with ShareHouse in Fargo. Kayla (Mattfeld) Hagfors, ‘08, ‘10, is a senior accountant with Vanity at its corporate office in Fargo. Camille (Bruggeman) Ingle, ‘08, ‘10, is a physician assistant with St. Luke’s Q Care in Duluth, Minn.
CHRISTUS REX HOMECOMING REUNION
October 9-11, 2015 50 Years of Deacon Ministry 25 Years of Kathy Fick’s Ministry For full details and registration:
www.christus-rex.org 701.775.5581
Friday Concert ● Parade ● Tailgating Banquet ● Worship 3012 University Avenue Grand Forks, ND 58203 ● 701.775.5581 und.christusrex@und.edu www.christus-rex.org
Joshua Jeffers, ‘08, is a treasury and risk analyst with MDU Resources Group Inc. in Bismarck, N.D.
David Sundberg, ‘08, ‘10, is an FNP-C with the orthopedics team at Altru Heath System in Grand Forks.
Amanda Jewell, ‘08, is a member of the administrative support team for InterceptEFT in Fargo.
Justin Weninger, ‘08, is a business banking officer at American Bank Center in Bismarck, N.D.
Jade Rosenfeldt, ‘08, is a shareholder in Vogel Law Firm in Moorhead, Minn.
Will Young, ‘08, is a manager with Brady Martz & Assoc. in Grand Forks.
Robert Shepard, ‘08, has been appointed by Monarch American, Inc. as Native American tribal relations officer. Shepard just finished terms as the chairman of the Great Sioux Nation of South Dakota and as the chairman of the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate.
2009 Paul Campbell, ‘09, ‘12, has opened Campbell Law in Fargo. Nathan Enderle, ‘09, is web acquisition and marketing manager within the ecommerce department at Swanson Health Products in Fargo.
Andrew Fritz, ‘09, is an associate attorney with Gjesdal Law Firm in Fargo. Meredith Gilroy, ‘09, ‘11, is the executive director of the North Dakota 4-H Foundation. The Foundation is a nonprofit volunteer organization that secures and manages private funding to support 4-H programming. Katie Nechiporenko, ‘09, ‘13, has been promoted to the rank of corporal with the Cass County (N.D.) Sheriff’s Department. Amanda (Miller) Scanson, ‘09, is a manager with Brady Martz & Assoc. in Grand Forks.
2010s Remember when, in
2012, the School of Engineering and Mines became the College of Engineering and Mines? Also that year, the College of Nursing became the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines. 2010 Lacey Armstrong, ‘10, is a board-certified psychiatrist with Sanford Behavioral Health Clinic in Bismarck, N.D.
David Carlson, ‘10, has earned registration as a Professional Engineer by passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam. Carlson is an engineer with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services in Great Falls, Mont. Kara Cline, ‘10, ‘13, is a psychologist with the pain management department at Essentia Health Clinic in Moorhead, Minn. Samantha Gust, ‘10, is a professional development coordinator with the Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber. She will be responsible for the organization’s leadership program and Young Professionals Network.
Brady Johs, ‘10, is a manager with Brady Martz & Assoc. in Grand Forks. Grant Wosick, ‘10, completed basic training at the highway patrol academy and has been stationed in the North Dakota Highway Patrol northeast region. Adam Zach, ‘10, ‘11, has earned his registration as a Professional Engineer after passing the Principles and Practice of Engineering Exam. He is a project engineer with Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services in Grand Forks.
Over 80 programs and events! There’s a lot happening at UND this summer! Come and explore new things, test the limits of your imagination, make new friends and have FUN! We hope to see you soon! Visit our website for a full listing of what the University of North Dakota has to offer.
May 15 - August 15
www.summer.UND.edu
701.777.0841 www.UNDalumni.org | 59
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2011 Alexa (Skjold) Ducioame, ‘11, has passed the exam to become a certified flood plain manager. Ducioame is a graduate engineer with Moore Engineering in West Fargo.
Asa Burck, ‘12, is an attorney with Kaler Doeling law office in Fargo.
Patrick Joyce, ‘11, is a credit officer with Western State Bank in West Fargo.
Matthew Massmann, ‘12, is a physician assistant with the emergency department at Essentia Health St. Mary’s in Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Tyler Modlin, ‘11, is the park manager at Fort Ransom State Park near Lisbon, N.D. 2012 Kylie Oversen, ‘12, has been named chair for North Dakota’s Democratic Party. Oversen is a member of the state House of Representatives. She is studying law at UND. Keaton Arneson, ‘12, is a civil engineer with Houston Engineering in West Fargo.
Stephenie Davis, ‘12, is an assistant state’s attorney in McKenzie County (N.D.).
Jenessa Reinisch, ‘12, was named Dispatcher of the Year by the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. Reinisch is a communications specialist II with the department. Kory Rude, ‘12, is an environmental planner in KLJ’s Bismarck, N.D., office. John Tompkins, ‘12, is an accountant with Schauer & Associates PC in Jamestown, N.D.
2013 Thomas Komkven, ‘13, is a civil engineer with Houston Engineering in Fargo.
Cody Oss, ‘14, is a software engineer with Intelligent InSites in Fargo.
Michael Raich, ‘13, is interim provost of Hibbing Community College in Hibbing, Minn. Alyssa Wiebe, ‘13, is a college relations officer for the University of Saskatchewan. She works in the areas of alumni/ donor relations and marketing for the College of Education. 2014 Andrew Huus, ‘14, is a staff accountant with Widmer Roel, Fargo. Alyson Leas, ‘14, is the director of the Museum of the Fur Trade in Chadron, Neb. Jordan Lee, ‘14, is a funding specialist with Wideth Smith Nolting, a Grand Forks engineering firm.
Joshua Page, ‘14, is a trooper with the North Dakota Highway Patrol, stationed in Rolla, N.D. Taylor Peterson, ‘14, is a member of the coaching staff for the University of MinnesotaDuluth baseball team. He was an all-conference catcher for UND. Sean Thorfinnson, ‘14, is a solutions specialist with Intelligent InSites, Fargo. Lauren Zimmerman, ‘14, is a member of the adult services team at Lakeland Mental Health Center in Fergus Falls, Minn. AR The information for Class News is compiled from newspapers, online postings, reader submissions, and the UND AA&F database. If you spot an error, please email alumnireview@ undalumni.net.
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1 ADDITIONS 1
Tucker James Narlock was born Nov. 6, 2014, to proud parents Stacy (McGill) Narlock, ’08, and Joe Narlock. The family lives in Grand Forks.
2
Devin Claus, ’10, and his wife, Jennifer, welcomed Christian James on Nov. 13, 2014. The family resides in Omaha, Neb.
3
Thomas James Haley was born on Feb. 22, 2015, to Chelsea Haley, ’10, ’14, and James Haley, ’08. The family lives in Fargo.
4
August Zeke Huener was born Jan. 8, 2015, to Benjamin Huener, ’06, and Amber (Becker) Huener, ’09. The family, including Abram and Avril, live in Roseau, Minn.
5
Bo Stanley, ’07, and his wife, Brittany, welcomed Bryke James Stanley on March 23, 2015. The family lives in Northfield, Minn.
6
Shawn Hanson, ’92, and his wife, Jennifer, are the proud parents of twin sons, Shawn Robin II and Gustavus ‘Gus’ Edgar Hanson, born Feb. 26, 2015. The family lives in Phoenix.
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4
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5
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If you would like your addition or celebration to be included in the next Alumni Review, send a high resolution photo to alumnireview@ undalumni.net. We do not accept Facebook or mobile uploads. Photos will be published in the order in which they were received, space permitting, and at the discretion of Alumni Review staff. We look forward to helping you celebrate!
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Darcy (Satermo) VerDouw, ’05, and Brian VerDouw, ’05, ’13, welcomed Nolan James to their family on July 18, 2014. James is pictured with his big sister, Maddie, and big brother, Charlie, at their first UND hockey game. The VerDouws live in Bismarck, N.D.
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Jeremy Olson, ’06, and his wife, Cassie, are the proud parents of triplets, (pictured left to right) Carter, Cole and Cora, born May 31, 2014. The family lives in East Grand Forks.
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Reagan Marie Wangen was born on April 3, 2015, to Jasmine and Jeff Wangen, ’05, of Grand Forks. Reagan is pictured with big brother, Gavin.
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In Memoriam
It is with great honor we dedicate these pages to alumni and friends of the University of North Dakota who have recently passed away. These members of the alumni family helped ignite the spirit of UND, paving the way for a bright future.
1933 Kenneth Kroll, ..’33, Hopkins, Minn. Marie (Coman) Boyd, ‘39, Phoenix, Ariz. Ellen Jean (Hatt) Geisen, ..’39, Chandler, Ariz. Robert Gunderson, MD, ‘39, ‘41, Sugarloaf, Pa. Milton Nugent, MD, ‘39, ’40, Triadelphia, W.Va. Lenora (Baukol)Rovelstad, ’39, Sioux Falls, S.D.
1940s Elizabeth (Hartman) Moritz, ‘40, Downey, Calif. Lorna (Sande) Ames, ‘41, Billings, Mont. Richard Bjorklund, ..’43, Saint Paul, Minn. Frances (Krefting) Hall, ..’43, Grand Forks Thomas Buchanan, ..’46, Ogden, Utah Kathryn (Lunde) Erickson, ’46, Austin, Minn. Jeanne (Thompson) Bibb, ..’47, Woodland, Calif.
John Samuelson, ‘56, Minot, N.D.
James Cook, ..’66, Jamestown, N.D.
Jerome Culbertson, ‘57, Honolulu, Hawaii
Brian Kennelly, ..’66, Park River, N.D.
Gerald Jukkala, ‘57, ‘59, Mesa, Ariz.
Sister Mary Sand, ..’66, Hankinson, N.D.
Mabel (Hyde) Curry, ..’58, Apple Valley, Minn.
John Burckhard, ‘67, ‘72, Devils Lake, N.D. Capt. Michael Hodges, ..’67,
Howard Grumbo, ‘58, Lidgerwood, N.D. Darlene (Doherty) Montgomery, ‘58,
Colorado Springs, Colo.
Bethesda, Md.
Robert Johnson, ‘67, Sherwood, N.D.
Jay Schultz, ‘58, Bismarck
Barbara (Lee) Thompson, ..’67, Alliance, Neb.
Rick Gray, ‘59, Saint Cloud, Minn.
Theodore Carson Jr., ‘68, Valrico, Fla.
Harvey Haugen, ‘59, Hibbing, Minn.
Larry Jones, ‘68, Rapid City, S.D.
Donald Peterson, ..’59, Brighton, Colo.
Kay (Jensen) Moon, ‘68, ‘69, Fargo
Darlyne (Iverson) Sommerfeld, ..’59, Grand Forks
Dr. Ronald Stammen, ‘68, Fargo
1960s
Roger Burns, ‘69, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Edward Agre, ..’60, Wibaux, Mont.
Dr. Frank Wang, ‘69, Seattle, Wash.
Rodney Burwell, ’60, ‘61, Wayzata, Minn.
Philip Weber, ‘69, ’71, Jacksonville, Fla.
Dr. Jerry Gasser, ‘60, Gardnerville, Nev.
Mary Ann (Greicar) Sommer, ..’69, Park River, N.D.
Duane Gustafson, ..’60, Hartford, Ky.
1970s
Steven Jablonsky, ’60, Roseville, Calif.
Wayne Bachinski, ..’70, Fargo
Burton L Nypen, ’60, Ortonville, Minn.
Doug Corbett, ..’70, Minot, N.D.
Ruth (Blakemore) Ralston, ..’60, Grand Forks
John Elsperger, ‘70, Cando, N.D.
Ernest Bundhund Jr., ..’61, Whitefish, Mont.
Gary Emerson, ‘70, East Grand Forks
Patricia (Hughes) Courville, ..’61, Madison, Ala.
W. Robert Gehring, MD, ‘70, Rockwall, Texas
David Kraft, ‘61, Ryder, N.D.
Larry Laschkewitsch, ‘70, Bismarck
Robert Lipsiea, ‘61, Gresham, Ore.
Carol Nordvold-Burnham, ‘70, West Fargo, N.D.
Joseph Westby, ’61, ’65, Bismarck
Avis (Brustuen) Skinner, ..’70, Grand Forks
Norval Gillies, ..’62, Grand Forks
Roberta (Ronning) Soper, ‘70, Webster, N.D.
Shabel Freije Jr., ..’63, Steele, N.D.
Diane (Schumacher) Weber, ‘70, Bismarck
Francia Luessen, ’63, ’64, Everett, Wash.
Max Danner, ..’71, Gilby, N.D.
Dr. Marvin Schrader, ‘63, Sheboygan, Wis.
Glen Goulet, ..’71, Grand Forks
Agnes Shurr, ..’63, Grand Forks
Karen Fischer, ‘72, Westminster, Colo.
L. James Sundby, ’63, East Grand Forks
Ronald Kalainov, ..’72, Peoria, Ariz.
Loal (Johnson) Tufte, ..’63, Fargo
Glen Symons, ..’72, Langdon, N.D.
Mary Cay (Bondy) Devine, ..’64, Fargo
Donald Kuk, ‘73, Phoenix, Ariz.
Waldemar Maas, ‘65, Bismarck
Mary Ann (McClure) Anthony, ‘74, Douglas, Wyo.
A. Robert Pederson, ‘52, Fargo
Delores (Kuntz) McCormack, ..’65, Bismarck Joan (Marshall) McMillen, ..’65,
Dr. Jayne (Simons) Kiner, ‘74, ’10, Mandan, N.D.
Dayton Scherer, ..’52, Conifer, Colo.
Pelican Rapids, Minn.
John Plum, ‘55, Littleton, Colo.
Sister Susan Neisen, ‘74, Saint Paul, Minn.
Delvin Menge, ‘65, Rosemount, Minn.
Francis Flaa, ’56, East Grand Forks
Randall Nelson, ’74, Grand Junction, Colo.
Pamela (Johnson) Raymond, ‘65, Brainerd, Minn.
Janet (Cyrus) Knihnisky, ’56, Phoenix, Ariz.
Carol (Homstad) Stark, ‘74, Grand Forks
Major Richard Starke Sr., ‘65, Helena, Mont.
Delano Pfeifle, MD, ‘56, ‘57, Riverside, Calif.
Linda Horne, ‘75, Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Dennis Wegner, ..’65, Edina, Minn.
Diane (Downing) Marshall, ‘77, Eagle Butte, S.D.
Helen (Hornig) Sayer, ’47, Cooperstown, N.D. Robert Hankins, MD, ‘48, Minot, N.D. Darlyne (Simon) King, ‘48, Moraga, Calif. RJ Osmundson, MD, ..’48, East Grand Forks Bonnie (Rennie) Hamer, ’49, Melbourne, Fla. Ronald Hausmann, ..’49, Grand Forks
1950s William Allen, ..’50, Grand Forks Dorothy Burkhard, ‘50, South Bend, Ind. Lucille (Knuth) Gaughan, ‘50, Minneapolis Arlyn Rudel, ..’50, Rapid City, S.D. Ralph Rudrud, ‘50, Fargo Jean (Brazell) Selbo, ‘50, Fargo Marian (Olson) Becker, ‘51, Faribault, Minn. Wayne Fontaine, ..’51, Escondido, Calif. Orval Johnson, ’51, Arvada, Colo. Janet (Keisacker) Nelson, ..’52, Salem, Ore. Fabian Noack, ‘52, ‘57, Carrington, N.D.
64 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
Allen McKay, ‘74, Fort Totten, N.D.
John McKenzie, ’77, Olympic Valley, Calif.
Steven Wiley, ‘87, Tempe, Ariz.
Joyce (Amundson) Hollevoet, Grand Forks
Rev. Katharine Olson, ‘77, Dryden, N.Y.
Marcia (Martin) Cofield, ‘88, Jamestown, N.D.
Jean Oberpriller, Eagan, Minn.
Ralph Wood, ‘77, Bismarck
Kary (Corbett) Garvey, ‘88, Mantorville, Minn.
John Oberpriller, Eagan, Minn.
Jeffre Leatherberry, ..’78, Leander, Texas
Dr. Julie (Brunsberg) Larson, ’88, Thompson, N.D.
Garrie Etherton, Larimore, N.D.
Mitchell Green, ‘79, Union, N.J.
1990s
Friends
Holly Bergo, ..’90, Moorhead, Minn.
Howard Berg, Grand Forks
Mary (Anderson) Linder, ..’79, Park Rapids, Minn.
1980s
Julianne Lee, ‘90, ’96, St. Paul, Minn.
Russ Burfening, Grand Forks
June (Lageson) Almen, ..’80, Park River, N.D.
Steven Shepard, ‘91, Chanhassen, Minn.
Harriet (Quanrud) Dickson, Grand Forks
Olive (Rydland) Beine, ..’81, Thompson, N.D.
Terri Grzebielski, ‘98, Moscow, Idaho
Alma (Schaefer) Hammond, Simpsonville, S.C.
Susan (Freeland) Carlson, ‘81, Fargo
Lola Mae (Sevigny) Houdek, Grafton, N.D.
Nadine (Peters) Kotowicz, ..’81, East Grand Forks
2010s
Amelia Bergley, ‘82, Hastings, Minn.
Jennifer Vacura, ‘04, ’07, International Falls, Minn.
Gwenn LaFleur, Devils Lake, N.D.
Lorraine (Haug) Quale, ..’82, Grand Forks
Edith (Bjorge) Lenertz, Waite Park, Minn.
Lori (Smith) Tollefson, ‘82, ‘83, Minot, N.D.
Brian Barclay, ‘06, Buxton, N.D. Manuel Hernandez II, ‘06, Grand Forks
Linda (Farhart) Varberg, ’82, Lawrence, Kan. Laura (Parriott) Dunning, ‘83,
2015s
Carolyn (Garner) Odegard, Rochester, Minn.
Colorado Springs, Colo. Sue (Weber) Griess, ‘83, Cheyenne, Wyo.
Parker Adams, ..’15, Napa, Calif.
John Sawchuk, MD, Cando, N.D.
Paul Hoag, ’84, Liberal, Kan. Rhonda (Jordheim) Macdonald, ‘85, Washington, D.C.
Former Faculty/Staff Wayne Carl, Grand Forks Donald Dahl, East Grand Forks
Dr. Wallace King, Manhattan, Mont.
Janet (Seiberlich) Marwin, Grand Forks Truman Reed Jr., Grand Forks Letitia Schlasinger, Minnetonka, Minn. James Skelly, Grand Forks Ida Swenson, East Grand Forks
www.UNDalumni.org | 65
THE
wrap
TIDBITS, NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE UND AA&F
Spring 2015
INSIDE: Maxwell Anderson: From high school teacher to Broadway. See page 10.
AIM HIGH
Capt. Nicholas Eberling, ‘06, is flying high as a new member of the elite U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds. P. 6
Grad Publishes Book
Maggie Lowery, ’79, has published a book about growing up in the South and her travels and experiences around the country. Lowery teaches a class at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at UND on how her home state of Mississippi was at the center of the Civil Rights Movement. She was featured in the last issue of the Alumni Review. Her book, “Pressing My Way Throughout America,” is available on Amazon.com.
66 | Alumni Review Summer 2015
Find the Flame Winners!
The flame was well-hidden on the cover of the spring issue. Readers were seeing it all over the Thunderbird jet, but it was actually added to the stars on the vertical stabilizer of the plane (see image above). We had nearly 100 correct entries for the contest. Our three winners, whose names were drawn at random, are Stephanie Diaz, Verna Thon, and Kathy Ward. If you find the flame on this issue’s cover, email your guess to alumnireview@ undalumni.net and you could a prize package from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.
Homecoming 2015 Paint the Town Green
Paint the Town Green in 2015! That’s the rallying cry for UND’s Homecoming Celebration Oct. 5 – 11. Make plans now to attend Homecoming on the UND campus. A number of colleges and programs are planning alumni gatherings and students are planning new events to go along with the traditional Homecoming Parade. Thursday night, the Sioux Awards Banquet will honor this year’s recipients: Henry Herr, ’68, ’71; Dave Veeder, ’61; Patrick Dirk, ’71, ’72; and Jill (Keena) Cholewa, ’77. Young Alumni Achievement Awards will be presented to Greg Pinski, ’96, ’99, and Kayla Effertz, ’05, ’07. Visit www.undalumni.org/homecoming for the latest information on Homecoming 2015: Paint the Town Green!
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University of North Dakota Alumni Association 3501 University Ave Stop 8157 Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157
Cuban Discovery
October 15 – 23, 2015
With only enough space for 25 travelers, this trip will fill up quickly. Don’t miss the chance to immerse yourself in the fascinating heritage of Cuba, one of the world’s most complex and vibrant nations. In Havana, Cienfuegos, Trinidad, and Santa Clara, meet with locals from artists to teachers, and discover the fascinating history and culture of this captivating nation. $5,399 per person, does not include airfare to Miami and additional fees.
Jewels of Central America
San Jose to Cartagena January 22 – 31, 2016
Take in Central America’s unparalleled ecological majesty, with its incredible wildlife, secluded white-sand beaches and pristine emerald-green forests. From San José to Cartagena, encounter the remote natural riches of Costa Rica and Panama aboard the new 210-guest MS Saint Laurent. From $4,499 per person (includes $1,000 early booking savings if booked by July 15, 2015).
TO BOOK YOUR TRIP Call 800.842.9023 or to view all UND alumni travel opportunities, visit www.undalumni.org/alumnitours.