UND Alumni Review Fall 2017

Fall 2017

INSIDE: Homecoming 2017: Live for Gameday. p. 12

DRU'S LASTING LEGACY

Photo: Sam Melquist

Sophomore Kelsey Cariveau is the latest recipient of the scholarship that honors the memory of Dru Sjodin p. 6

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.

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6

2 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

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ALUMNI REVIEW | VOL. 100 NO. 2 | FALL 2017

4 Message from DeAnna Leaders in Action

26 What’s New

News from around campus.

ts ten con

inside this issue

departments 40 Alumni News

Who’s doing what: News about your fellow classmates.

46 Additions & Celebrations 48 In Memoriam

CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86 Editor Milo Smith Associate Editor Alyssa Konickson, ’06 Designer Sam Melquist Contributing Writers Kaylee Cusack, ‘10, ‘12 David Dodds, ‘88 Gabriella Fundaro, ’15 Jan Orvik, '94 Contributing Photographers Tyler Ingham Jackie Lorentz Sam Melquist Shawna Noel Schill, ’06

UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Doug Podolak, ’72 Vice Chair Rick Lee, ’78 Directors: Cindy Blikre, ’91; Steve Burian, ’90, ’92; Kris Compton, ’77; Jody Feragen, ’78; Sara Garland, ’68, ’72; Phil Gisi, ’82; Dr. John Gray, ’87; Mike Hamerlik, ’84, ‘88; Marten Hoekstra, ’82; Linda Laskowski, ’72, ’73; Doug Mark, ’86; Rob Mitchell, ’74; Carrie McIntyre Panetta, ’88; Fernanda Philbrick, ’94, ’96; Jodi Rolland, ‘92; Cathy Rydell, ’88; Chad Wachter; and Terri Zimmerman, ’85; Dave Saggau, ’86, ’89.

Ex Officio: Laura Block, ’81, ’10; Alice Brekke, ’79, ’87; Mark Kennedy; DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86; Tom DiLorenzo and Dr. Joshua Wynne.

The University of North Dakota Alumni Review (USPS 018089: ISSN 0895-5409) is published three times a year 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.

your legacy

For inquiries about advertising, additional copies, reprints, submissions, or general comments, contact 800.543.8764, 701.777.0831 or alumnireview@UNDalumni.net.

34 Ignite the Future

UND Alumni Association & Foundation celebrates scholarship success in State of the Foundation address.

By David Dodds

36 Pay it Forward

Longtime UND Athletics supporter Dave Bender has found a unique way to rally support for the North Dakota Champions Club.

By Gabriella Fundaro

UNDalumni.org | 3

DEANNA’S

letter

LEADERS IN ACTION

Photo: Sam Melquist

Dear Alumni & Friends,

LEADERS IN ACTION I love the start of fall when students return to campus full of curiosity and enthusiasm for learning. You can’t help but get caught up in the renewed energy that pulses through Grand Forks. Speaking of energy, there has been quite a bit emanating from the office of UND President Mark Kennedy, who finished his first year in office this summer.

President Kennedy’s work ethic is already becoming legendary on campus. He has tackled budget cuts, strategic planning and more with focus and determination.

We have had many gatherings around the state, region and country in which our alumni and friends have had a chance to meet Mark and his wife, Debbie. We will continue to host these meet and greets in the months ahead, so keep an eye out for an email invitation.

Foundation Highlights

We had an excellent fiscal year that ended on June 30. One of the highlights was $40 million in gift commitments, $7 million more than fiscal year 2016. Thanks to a strong stock market and prudent investment strategy, our endowment has grown to $268 million, an all-time high.

The value of a strong endowment fund is the ability to continually generate revenue

4 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

for UND year in and year out. Growing our endowment means a bright future for UND. You can learn more about the end of the fiscal year and our plans for the current year by reading about my State of the Foundation Address on page 34.

UND Promise

One of our new initiatives has been to create a matching program to jumpstart recruitment scholarship funding. From now until the end of the year, your donation to the UND Promise Scholarship Fund will trigger an equal match. Every gift, no matter the size, will be matched dollar for dollar.

The UND Promise Scholarship Program will give UND the competitive edge to attract talented students and provide them with financial support to allow their focus to be on learning, growing and becoming our next generation of leaders in action.

So double your impact; make a gift to the UND Promise Scholarship Program at UNDalumni.org/promise. You can make a huge difference in the lives of UND students by donating today.

Homecoming

I hope you’ll be able to attend Homecoming October 2-7. Last year, we celebrated the 100th anniversary of the

very first Homecoming, so this year marks the start of the second century of this wonderful tradition! We want to kick off the new century of UND Homecomings in style. Check out the schedule on pages 12-13. You can also read the biographies of our impressive Sioux Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award recipients starting on page 14. The ceremony is one of the highlights of Homecoming and the entire year for me. It is just so special to hear the stories of some of our most successful and philanthropic alumni. They are prime examples of the value of a UND education. The Sioux Awards will be held on Wednesday, October 4, starting with a social at 5:30 p.m. Visit UNDalumni.org/ siouxawards to purchase your ticket.

Thank you for all that you do for the University of North Dakota.

Sincerely,

DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CFRE UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO deannac@UNDfoundation.org

Impact the lives of many by showing faith in one.

UND Promise Scholarship Program We’ll match your gift! Learn how at UNDalumni.org/promise.

Act today!

Your impact will multiply if you make a gift before December 31, 2017.

Contact Development at 701.777.2611 or giftplanning@UNDfoundation.org to learn more.

FEATURE

story

DRU’S LASTING LEGACY

Photo: Sam Melquist

6 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

DRU’S LASTING

Legacy Impacting the lives of many by showing faith in one, the Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship has created a lasting legacy at the University of North Dakota.

By Milo Smith, UND Alumni Review Editor

UNDalumni.org | 7

Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship recipients Morgan Devine, Breanna Egeland, Kelsey Cariveau, Rebecca Bahnmiller and Sonja (Collin) Murray at the 2017 reception for Cariveau.

I

t was a tragedy that ripped apart a family and a community. The abduction and death of UND student Dru Sjodin in November of 2003 shocked and wounded all who knew her and those who would come to know her through national media coverage of her disappearance.

Dru was abducted from the parking lot of Columbia Mall on November 22, 2003, while talking on the phone with her boyfriend. Her body would be found four months later in a ravine near Crookston, Minnesota. A Crookston man, Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., was arrested, tried in federal court, found guilty and sentenced to death.

Thousands took part in the search for Dru and millions of others learned of her passion for life and bright spirit through national media attention to her case.

Legacy

Despite her heartbreaking death at such a young age, Dru’s legacy has lived on in many ways.

In 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Registry, which established a national searchable registry of high-risk sex offenders.

At UND, a scholarship fund was created in 2004 in loving memory of Dru's vibrant spirit thanks to The Barry Foundation of Hastings, Minnesota.

Though she was only 6 years old when Sjodin was killed, the current recipient of the scholarship that bears her name knows all about her legacy. Kelsey Cariveau of Fargo is the 13th UND student to receive the Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship.

“I think it's a great honor, because obviously her passing was very tragic,” Cariveau said. “It’s incredible that I am put in the position to continue her legacy.”

8 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Cariveau is a sophomore studying pre-nursing. She is a member of Gamma Phi Beta, the same sorority Dru belonged to.

She says receiving the scholarship is a godsend for the child of a single-parent household.

“Money's kind of tight,” Cariveau said. “I was really applying for as many scholarships as I could just so that I wouldn't have to work so much and I could focus on school. When I signed up for the scholarship, I didn't know how much I was getting if I were to receive it, and then I didn't really know until the luncheon. Then they told me the amount, I was blown away. This scholarship almost pays for my entire year of school, so it just makes school so much less stressful knowing that I don't have to worry about the money aspect and I can focus strictly on the academics.”

Alyson Wilhelmi Downs, ’07, was the second recipient of the scholarship in 2005. She well remembers the moment she heard she would receive the scholarship named in memory of her friend.

“As Dru's sorority sister, winning the scholarship was one of the most bittersweet experiences of my life,” said Wilhelmi Downs. “I was walking into one of my graduate occupational therapy classes when I received the phone call congratulating me on receiving the scholarship. After many 'thank yous,' I cried both happy and sad tears. To have lived through the unimaginable tragedy alongside my sisters, friends, fellow UND students, the Grand Forks community, and the rest of the country, it humbled me immensely in that moment.”

Impacting Lives

After 13 years, the impact of the Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship is evident in the successful lives and careers of those who’ve received it. Wilhelmi Downs is director of Occupational Therapy and Activities at Dakota Alpha in Mandan, North Dakota, a skilled nursing facility specializing in traumatic brain injury.

Sarah Borgen, ’15, is a case manager at the Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Portland, Oregon. Other past recipients are nurses, work in the nonprofit sector, are pursuing advanced degrees, or work in higher education (see p. 10-11 for updates on past recipients).

DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, holds up the Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship as a prime example of how alumni and friends of the University can impact the lives of many by showing faith in one.

“The donor who created this scholarship had a dream that, through this scholarship, the memory of Dru would live on and they would impact the lives of many future UND students,” said Carlson Zink. “Every single one of those students has gone on to make a difference in the lives of the people around them.

Think of the ripple effect as these exceptional students go out into the world and use their UND education to touch others.

It’s incredibly rewarding to see it expand with each new award given.”

Dru Sjodin

Honoring Dru’s Memory

Scholarship applicants are asked how they plan to honor Dru’s memory by promoting women’s safety and violence prevention during the school year. Many volunteer with domestic violence groups in Grand Forks and speak to others about prevention and protection.

2013 recipient Borgen said the scholarship helped her realize her calling to advocate for victims and to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. “The Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship enabled me to achieve my dreams and to better understand that ‘our lives no longer belong to us alone; they belong to all those who need us desperately,’” said Borgen, quoting Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel.

Sonja (Collin) Murray, ’13, called receiving the scholarship “one of the most memorable and defining experiences” of her college career. She says it continues to have a profound impact on her life.

“Dru’s story and the way she affected those around her continues to inspire me daily,” said Murray, who lives in Grand Forks and works as a mortgage loan officer. “It has empowered me to learn more about self-defense and ways to protect myself and others in dangerous situations.

I hope to continue to be active in raising awareness on issues that affect North Dakota, Grand Forks and UND throughout my life.”

Cariveau, who suffered a childhood exposed to domestic violence, said she wants to spend her time speaking out.

“I want students to realize that violence does not only affect the person being assaulted, but can also have detrimental effects on their family members as well,” said Cariveau. “I want to empower women to have a voice and to be able to stand up for themselves, rather than thinking that they are inferior.” AR

UNDalumni.org | 9

FEATURE

story

DRU’S LASTING LEGACY

WHERE ARE THEY

Now?

There have been 13 Dru Sjodin Memorial Scholarship recipients since 2005. Here's what they're up to today.

2017

Kelsey Cariveau UND student studying nursing

2016

Breanna Egeland UND student studying communications

2015

Morgan Devine, ’16 UND graduate student in sociology

2014

Maggie O’Leary, ‘15 Cornell University doctoral student studying English language and literature

2013

Sarah Borgen, ‘15 Case manager at Americans Overseas Domestic Violence Crisis Center in Portland, Oregon

2012

Sonja (Collin) Murray, ‘13 Mortgage loan officer at Gate City Bank in Grand Forks Expecting first child in December

2011

2007

2010

2006

Grace (Torguson) Hauschild, ‘12 Worked in the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., before returning to Grand Forks to attend graduate school in Nursing Seinquis (Slater) Leinen, ’11 Associate Director of Admissions at NDSU Received a master’s degree in Educational Administration from University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2009

Tori Mauch, ‘10 Human Resources manager with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Minneapolis

2008

Rebecca Bahnmiller, ’09, ‘11 Director of Operations for Indigo Education, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting special education services in charter schools across Minnesota. Also runs a website and graphic design business, BeeGee Designs

Megan Towner, ’09 Senior Marketing Manager – Acquisition at Understood, a New York nonprofit aimed at supporting parents of children with learning and attention issues Alyson Wilhelmi Downs, ’07 Director of Occupational Therapy and Activities at Dakota Alpha in Mandan, a skilled nursing facility specializing in traumatic brain injury

2005

Leah (Hoffbeck) Tennefos, ‘07 Stay-at-home mom with two young boys Worked as a paralegal for a Fargo law firm for eight years

Web Extra: Find out more about the lives of the past recipients at UNDalumni.org/alumnireview

"Being a recipient of this award meant more to me than just the financial benefit. My personal experience with sexual assault in October 2008 affected my life so much that I isolated myself from people important to me. Interviewing for this scholarship was one of the first times I opened up about my personal experience, and becoming the recipient made me so proud and ultimately gave me the strength I needed to tell my story, help others, but also help myself. I am forever grateful for receiving this award because it positively impacted my life in more ways than one."

— Seinquis (Slater) Leinen, ’11

"To feel acknowledged for my hard work and to be chosen as someone who they believed could appropriately represent Dru’s Legacy was very rewarding."

— Grace (Torguson) Hauschild, ’12

"The scholarship empowered me as a student and as an activist, and reminded me that what I do at school and what I do because I feel it is right are not separate actions — in fact, they can never be so."

— Maggie O’Leary, ‘15

Linda Walker, Dru’s mother, Sonja (Collin) Murray, Sarah Borgen, Rebecca Bahnmiller, and then-UND First Lady Marcia Kelley at the 2013 reception.

UNDalumni.org | 11

und homecoming 2017

October 2-7 | UND.edu/homecoming

Homecoming Schedule

The University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation and the Student Ambassador Executive Board invite you to celebrate Homecoming 2017.

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WEDNESDAY Sioux Award Banquet Social 5:30 p.m.

Dinner and program 6:30 p.m.

Alerus Center Ballroom The Sioux Award is the highest honor given by the UND Alumni Association & Foundation for achievement, service and loyalty. $50/person Support a Student: $50 To register, go to UNDalumni.org/ siouxawards Questions? Email events@ UNDalumni.net or call 701.777.2611

THURSDAY Columbia Hall Open House 9:30 – 11 a.m.

The College of Arts & Sciences is hosting an open house in Columbia Hall (formerly the SMHS building). Refreshments will be provided and various departments will be open and offering tours of their new space.

Mellem Business Symposium 7 p.m.

Gorecki Alumni Center

FRIDAY SMHS New Building Tours 1 – 3 p.m.

Tour the new School of Medicine & Health Sciences building that had its grand opening during Homecoming 2016.

Physical Therapy Alumni Reception 2 – 4 p.m.

SMHS Therapy Lab E312 UND College of Business & Public Administration Alumni Social 4:30 – 6:30 p.m.

Gorecki Alumni Center Hyslop Alumni Lounge

UND School of Law Alumni Social 5 p.m.

UND School of Law SMHS Banquet 5 – 9 p.m.

Hilton Garden Inn Buchli/Bahl Banquet Room Business attire suggested.

RSVP to Kristen Peterson at 701.777.4305 or kristen.peterson@ med.UND.edu.

UND Athletics Letterwinner Association Hall of Fame Dinner and Induction Ceremony 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Alerus Center Ballroom Join us in recognizing the UND Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017 at the 43rd annual induction ceremony. Mary Dempster (volleyball, 1976-77), Robert Fransen (track & field, 1973-77), Steve Johnson (hockey, 1984-88) and Tracy Martin (football, 198486) will be inducted as individuals, while the 1992 women's cross country team will be inducted in the team category.

Register at ndchampionsclub.com/HOF Accounting Hall of Fame 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Gorecki Alumni Center American College of Norway 25th Anniversary Alumni Reception 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Center For Innovation All alumni, family and friends of the college are welcome!

SATURDAY UND Golden Grad Coffee | Class of '67 Reunion 8 – 10 a.m.

Gorecki Alumni Center Reunite, celebrate and reminisce with your classmates at the university you called "home" 50 years ago.

Coffee & Hot Chocolate Booth 9:30 a.m.

Corner of Centennial Drive and University Avenue Join the CoBPA for a hot beverage during the Parade!

UND School of Law Homecoming Parade Watch Party 10 – 11 a.m.

UND School of Law 2017 Homecoming Parade 10 – 11 a.m.

University Avenue UND School of Law Alumni Brunch 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.

UND School of Law Central Commons Fighting Hawks Live for Gameday Tailgate 11 a.m.

Alerus Center parking lot Join fellow Fighting Hawk Football fans for a great tailgating party before the big game!

Homecoming Football Game 2:30 p.m.

Cheer on UND in the Homecoming/Hall of Fame Game against Northern Colorado!

UNDalumni.org | 13

HOMECOMING

2017

SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENTS

Lucy Dalglish, ’80

L

ucy Dalglish, ’80, grew up three blocks from the UND campus. She says everything her family did seemed to be tied to the University of North Dakota in some way — from swimming lessons at Hyslop to sporting events to babysitting the children of faculty members. It’s those memories of childhood that make the Sioux Award such an honor for Lucy.

“I was astonished,” Dalglish said about the moment when she heard she would be recognized. “I am just truly humbled with this recognition.”

Dalglish is the dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland. Prior to taking that position in 2012, Dalglish spent 12 years as the executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She’s also been a media lawyer and started her career as a newspaper reporter.

While at UND in the late '70s, Lucy was managing editor of the Dakota Student campus newspaper. “That, for at least a couple of years, formed the basis of pretty much everything I did, having the opportunity to work for the Student,” said Dalglish. “And you grow up. You have the opportunity to run something. I learned how to run an organization by my experiences, and they can be endless if you allow them to be.”

After asking some pointed questions of Grand Forks Herald editor Tom Schumacher during a classroom visit, Schumacher called and offered her a summer job. Lucy credits Dr. Vernon Keel, head of the journalism department, with helping her land such opportunities.

“I was presented with one opportunity after another. And having gone to other universities and lived in other parts of the country, one thing about people in North Dakota is they're happy when someone they mentored or someone they knew does well, and they get a sense of pride in helping others. And I just found one mentor after another at UND.” Lucy graduated from UND in three years and started working at the St. Paul Dispatch (later merged with the St. Paul Pioneer Press). During her time at the paper, she took a fellowship at Yale Law School in which she completed the first year of studies. Upon returning to the newsroom, she was the paper’s federal courts and justice reporter.

Perhaps surprisingly, Lucy says it wasn’t a love of writing that drew her to journalism. “Writing's OK and I'm reasonably good at it; [but] I just wanted to know what was going on. And if they would send me out on a story, I would always try to figure out what made people tick, what made an organization function, how the news affected people, and I just loved getting it right and getting it first.”

After tackling several editor jobs at the paper, Lucy decided to pursue a law degree. She moved to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt

14 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Law School. She found part-time work at the nonprofit First Amendment Center, and upon graduation decided to become a litigator rather than return to the newsroom.

Lucy went to work for Dorsey and Whitney in Minneapolis doing general litigation, but also specialized in media and first amendment cases.

“It was libel cases and reporters’ privilege cases, freedom of information cases,” said Dalglish. “I really, really enjoyed that.”

When the Washington, D.C.-based Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press was looking for an executive director, Lucy was invited by the search committee to apply. In 2000, Dalglish took over as head of the organization, which provides pro bono legal representation and other resources to protect First Amendment freedoms and newsgathering rights for journalists.

“The First Amendment has been important to me since I was in sixth grade and I was writing editorials and we were selling the Lake Agassiz Hotline to people all over the neighborhood every Friday. Educating the public in an informed democracy is my passion, and I have been able to do things to further that interest in every job I've ever had. And that is really thrilling.”

In addition to her passion for the First Amendment, Lucy found that she also enjoyed mentoring interns that worked for the Reporters Committee. She figures she hired more than 150, and has followed their success. “To see them doing these things and furthering the cause just brings me enormous pleasure,” she said.

Dalglish, as the dean of the Philip Merrill College of Journalism at the University of Maryland, now gets the same thrill from seeing her students succeed.

With the fast-paced changes in journalism – some negative like the decline in newspaper jobs – Lucy says her college has had to rise to the challenge. That includes more skills classes to get students up to speed on the technology they’ll need to be multimedia journalists, while balancing the need for critical thinking classes. Overall, Lucy says she’s encouraged by what she sees in the attitudes of those entering the field.

“They're not concerned about the future of journalism because they know it's vibrant, and they're fearless, they're absolutely fearless,” said Dalglish.

That fearlessness is being instilled by the dean of their college, who has spent a career preserving the principles of free speech and an unfettered press. AR

Tim O’Keefe, ’71

W

hen someone shows uncommon loyalty for the University of North Dakota, it is said that they have UND in their blood. Sioux Award recipient Tim O’Keefe, ’71, no doubt bleeds Kelly green.

Tim’s UND roots are much deeper than just his own time on campus as a student-athlete or his second career as head of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation. Tim’s grandfather, Henry O’Keefe, graduated from UND in 1908, and still holds the record for most points scored in a single basketball game (56). His father and siblings attended as well, as have Tim’s own children.

O'Keefe was a four-year letterwinner with the UND hockey team. Following graduation in 1971, he was an educator and coached hockey at Fargo North High School. He then spent 23 years as a franchisee of McDonald’s restaurants and four years as a senior manager with Alerus Financial before being recruited to take over the Alumni Association & Foundation from the legendary Earl Strinden in 2002.

“I came and interviewed as a finalist and when I was offered the job it didn't take long to accept the opportunity,” O'Keefe said. “I have, from birth, been raised as a part of this institution.”

At the encouragement of the board of directors, O'Keefe said he was tasked with creating a more focused approach to fundraising. That direction led to the creation of North Dakota Spirit | The Campaign for UND, a $300 million fundraising campaign that was more than four times more ambitious than the largest campaign ever before attempted in North Dakota.

The campaign launched its silent phase in 2006, and by the time it ended in 2013 it had raise more than $324 million in support of UND. O'Keefe credits the hard work of his staff at the UND Foundation and the commitment of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Board of Directors and the National Campaign Steering Committee for the campaign’s success. But the people who really made it happen, of course, are the University’s passionate donors.

“To be involved in philanthropy, you have to have a heart.

You have to have passion for the cause. It was just so much fun to be in the center of the tornado, so to speak, that became the North Dakota Spirit Campaign and see the satisfaction that our staff achieved, that the University achieved, but especially that the donors achieved. It was just wonderful.”

A hallmark of the campaign and highlight of his time as Vice President and CEO was the fundraising for and construction of the Gorecki Alumni Center, the home of the UND Alumni Association and front door to campus for potential students thanks to the presence of UND Admissions.

“I smile every time I come here. It’s the same smile as when I go to Ralph Engelstad Arena,” he said. “I pinch myself every time I walk in either one of those places.”

O'Keefe is particularly proud of the team he built to handle the new emphasis on fundraising. He said he immediately began preaching the need to embrace change as his central philosophy.

“In order to be the best, you have to have that sort of embedded in your culture. It took time, but I think we accomplished that.”

Tim says working for the Alumni Association & Foundation was the “best time of my life.” He got to know so many accomplished people on and off campus, and helping alumni and friends of the University make an impact with their gifts was incredibly rewarding.

“At the end of day, it's all about the people,” O'Keefe said.

“The metrics are what they are and there's a great sense of accomplishment in that. But I don't reflect on the numbers, I reflect on the people and really take tremendous pleasure from that — especially in the great joy that donors have in giving back.” AR

UNDalumni.org | 15

HOMECOMING

2017

SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENTS

Jack Muhs, '87

A

college internship set up James “Jack” Muhs, '87, to work his entire career with one of the biggest companies in the world.

While an aviation major at the University of North Dakota in the mid-'80s, Jack interned with Federal Express and now, 35 years later, he is the president of FedEx Express’ Middle East, Indian subcontinent and Africa division.

Following his college internship, Jack worked part time loading planes on the FedEx ramp at Grand Forks International Airport. After graduation, he took a full-time job with the company in global management control, then came back to manage the ramp he once worked on as a college student.

After two years back in Grand Forks, Jack returned to global management control and worked his way up the corporate ladder. In 2014, he was named president of FedEx Trade Networks, considered among the top 23 leadership positions at the $60 billion a year, 400,000-employee company. Just this summer, he accepted his latest role with FedEx Express, which had him relocating to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

"For my 31-year career, 23 or 24 of it was heavily involved in the aviation side,” said Muhs. “What I learned from the University of North Dakota in aviation has served me extremely well."

Jack knew from an early age growing up in Towner, North Dakota, that he wanted to study aviation. His older brother Bob was one of the first students in UND’s new aviation program.

“My brother took me flying when I was 12 years old and I knew I wanted to be involved in aviation from that point. With a strong family history at the University of North Dakota [his parents and all but one sibling attended UND] and, besides, they had the best aviation program in the world — still do, in my opinion. So really it was easy for me to decide to go there.

John Odegard had done just such a wonderful job of setting up the program.”

Jack says he received a lot of encouragement from the faculty and others he crossed paths with at UND. “They all knew what you could do. They opened up your eyes to the possibilities.”

16 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

During his time at UND, Jack was active in Delta Tau Delta fraternity and served as president of the interfraternity council. One of his initiatives was to emphasize leadership as an important aspect of Greek life.

“Those times at UND when I got that opportunity to take leadership roles were invaluable to me later on when it came to managing people and just trying to find a way to create winwin solutions for all the people that were involved.”

Jack carried that “team” attitude into his career, saying he measures success by the fortunes of those who work with him.

“I hope I never define my success by my title or by the money I make, but hopefully more by the people I supported and families that I've supported. A lot of people that work for me have families and they want to send them to college and they want to take care of them. I get more excitement and joy about that; that we made good decisions to help them do things that could support their families and make them grow and become bigger. Those are the big successes.”

Jack’ s two sons followed in his footsteps and earned aviation degrees from the University of North Dakota. Oldest son James is a second lieutenant in the Air Force and works with the 177th Intelligence Squadron of the North Dakota Air National Guard in Fargo. Son Thomas is a ramp manager for Federal Express in Fargo.

“When they both decided that they wanted to go into aviation, then the decision became very easy for them. They had family up there, they knew the school, they met people that had gone to UND. They'd seen the success that they've had, not just with their aunts and uncles, but also with friends that I had when I was in school there.”

Jack says it is humbling to receive the Sioux Award from his alma mater. “You do a lot of things in your career, not so much for the notoriety of it, but for the love that you have for doing your job and taking care of your family and those sorts of things. Then to have this come up and to be recognized with such a prestigious award, it’s not expected, but it’s very humbling.” AR

Jeanne Pfeiffer, ’69

A

lva "Jeanne" (Kingzett) Pfeiffer, ’69, has served on international infectious disease response committees as an expert in infection control, but her greatest claim to fame may be a poster you've likely seen hanging in your doctor's office.

Back in 2003, during the worldwide SARS scare, Pfeiffer and a colleague came up with the Cover your Cough campaign. Working with a photographer/artist from the Minnesota Department of health under a tight deadline, Jeanne says they started on a Friday afternoon and had a poster and accompanying pamphlet nailed down by early the next week.

It quickly became ubiquitous in Minnesota and then took off beyond the state's borders.

"It was the Monday of Thanksgiving week in 2003," Pfeiffer recalled. "They did the press release at Hennepin County Medical Center, and that week 25 states and three Canadian provinces and Northwest Airlines picked it up. It's gone all over the world. It's still active today, and it's 13 years later. The beauty of it is it doesn't show sex, it doesn't show gender, it doesn't show race, it doesn't show age. It's easy to put your languages up there. I've had people send it back from Africa. Our soldiers in Kuwait saw it. It just took off because it was needed."

Jeanne could not have imagined having an international impact as a child growing up in the small northern North Dakota village of Sarles.

She loved to learn, but suspected the education she was receiving in her small school wasn't adequately preparing her for the rigors of college.

It was one reason that she didn't consider going to the University of North Dakota to pursue her dream of being a nurse. But her mother, who had a two-year teaching degree, encouraged her to dream a bigger dream, so she went to the "big city" to attend UND. "It was basically not because I got any counseling in school that way. It was because my mother had greater vision than I did at the time, and she wanted to see me there."

After getting her nursing degree from UND, Jeanne was recruited to work at Abbott Hospital and then Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was soon taking on additional responsibilities. One "life changing" opportunity was to fill a new position as hospital infection prevention and control practitioner.

"Every day was kind of an adventure, and for me I didn't get bored one minute."

Jeanne says infection control was a new field in the early '80s so she decided to obtain a master's degree in Public Health with an emphasis on environmental health including environmental

microbiology and toxicology. So while working full time and raising a young family, Jeanne spent the next five years earning that degree.

"Every course I took, Hennepin County Medical Center was like my field experience because I immediately applied every one of the courses to the work I was doing there."

Jeanne would spend the next 25 years as the director of the infection control program at Hennepin County Medical Center.

She would become known as an expert in her field, serving as national president of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, representing the U.S. on the International Federation of Infection Control and editing a series of textbooks on prevention and control of healthcareassociated infections that is used in almost every hospital in the country.

When Jeanne reached retirement eligibility from Hennepin County Medical Center in 2005 she decided to pursue a new challenge working on an emergency preparedness grant for the University of Minnesota. When the grant ran out in 2008, this lifelong learner pursued a doctoral degree in order to work with the University of Minnesota's School of Nursing, where she was recently promoted to Clinical Professor.

Despite all her accomplishments, Jeanne said she is surprised to be honored with the Sioux Award by the school she wasn't sure she was prepared to attend. "I would have never guessed in my lifetime. I realize that in order to receive it, you must have made a contribution [to society] and I said, 'Did I have a contribution?' I looked back over my history and I said, 'Yes, you made important contributions,' and I guess what it means to me is that the contributions were significant and it meant something and it's inspired others. I've lit the fires of other people who are carrying it on." AR UNDalumni.org | 17

HOMECOMING

2017

SIOUX AWARD RECIPIENTS

Al Royse, ’72, ’73, ’76

A

l Royse, ’72, ’73, ’76, was born to lead.

The retired partner from Deliotte & Touche and national chairman of the American Heart Association has an impressive resume.

But before he served as University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation Chair — even before he was elected to the North Dakota Legislature — he was selling fruits and vegetables at his family’s business, Royse’s Watermelon Kingdom (now Royse’s Twin Cities Produce) in Mandan, N.D. Al, the oldest of five siblings, has always done what needed to get done.

“I remember selling watermelons when I was 5 years old,” he said. “I’m not sure that’s leadership, but it taught me how to interact with people at an early age.”

When Al came to the University of North Dakota in 1970, he planned to join the wrestling team, but a knee injury derailed that plan. So it was time to put his people skills and work ethic to use. From 1972 to 1976, he finished up his Bachelor of Business Administration degree, his master’s, and a Juris Doctor at the UND School of Law. He also spent time as a graduate teaching assistant – and still teaches as a guest lecturer the past six years through UND’s Executive in Residence program at the University of Shanghai.

While on campus, Al was elected president of the SAE fraternity, State Chairman of College Republicans, and, at age 22, became the second-youngest lawmaker ever elected to the North Dakota Legislature “at a time when nobody got elected under the age of 30 in North Dakota” – and was selected as the Outstanding Freshman Representative. He was also honored as his hometown’s Citizen of the Year by the Mandan Jaycees, an impressive honor for someone so young.

“Having a number of leadership roles develops your ability to go beyond just the norm and gives you experience that’s invaluable later in life,” Royse said. “What I think is really unique about UND grads is we have grit. We're used to hard work. And you find that's a significant distinguishing attribute in professional life. If you’re prepared to do the work and go the extra mile, it gives you a big advantage.”

Al is proof of the advantage of North Dakota grit. Midway through his 34 years with accounting firm Deloitte, he served four years as the Managing Partner for the Tax Practice of Northern California (including the San Francisco Bay Area and the Silicon Valley) — in a position that, though not the highest he served, he called the most rewarding. During that time, the practice quadrupled its revenue, leading all Deloitte firms in revenue growth and overall quality. Later, when he served as the first national managing tax partner of its Clients and Markets Group, Deloitte Tax was named the highest-ranked tax service organization in the world by International Law and Tax Review.

He is still considered the godfather of many of Deloitte’s most innovative ideas and practices, and he is proud of his role in quadrupling the size of his practice, dropping the attrition rate

18 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

to the lowest in the country, and improving Deloitte’s national reputation.

“I had the opportunity to lead and develop a vision for a large number of professionals, and I found that really rewarding,” he said.

“There is very little more satisfying than helping people succeed.”

When Al retired as Senior Partner in 2010, a letter was sent to all of the firm’s partners, describing him as "a rare talent, a true leader, and an innovator.”

After retirement, Al dove into nonprofit work, making the decision to serve organizations with a history of getting results and directly impacting people.

He began by serving as board member and Chair of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation. During that time, the organization underwent its largest fundraising campaign ever (the $324 million North Dakota Spirit campaign), tackled a divisive nickname and logo issue, and opened the new Gorecki Alumni Center. “The University has given so much to so many people, and it was nice to have the opportunity to give back,” he said.

In 2015, Al was elected to serve a two-year term as national chairman of the American Heart Association, the largest health care nonprofit in the country with over 32 million volunteers and donors. “When you think of the impact this organization has made on saving lives and improving people’s quality of life — it is incredibly rewarding, satisfying, and humbling,” he said.

He’s proud of the fundraising work he’s led with the AHA, opening doors for transformational research initiatives on heart health and stroke prevention and care. “We changed our vision from being a dispenser of information to being a catalyst for change,” he said.

He still serves on the board, and recently accepted the position of chairman of Voices for Healthy Kids, an alliance between the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the AHA, with more than 30 national charities involved, designed to improve the health of all our children.

He also has found time to serve on his town’s city council, a number of other regional Bay Area boards and councils, and chair the Peninsula Family Services for Northern California.

Even in retirement, it doesn’t appear that Al Royse plans to step down from leadership anytime soon.

“I’m not a perfectionist, but I like to do things well. And when you do things well, leadership opportunities present themselves.”

As Gandhi once said, "You need to be the change you wish to see,” and there is no better way to impact change than to lead it.

Impact the lives of many by showing faith in one.

UND Promise Scholarship Program We’ll match your gift! Learn how at UNDalumni.org/promise.

Act now!

Through December 31, 2017, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation is offering a special program that will match a gift of any size to the UND Promise Scholarship Program. We want to give UND the competitive edge to attract talented students and provide them with financial support to allow their focus to be on learning, growing and becoming Leaders in Action.

Contact Development at 701.777.2611 or giftplanning@UNDfoundation.org to learn more.

Jules Kotrba, ’07

J

ulianne “Jules” Kotrba, ‘07, loves to travel and her job as Global Trade and Customs Manager with Pandora Jewelry allows her to scratch that itch to explore on a regular basis.

“Whether it is for work or personal travel, the more you go,” she said, “the more you want to go.” Even though I just got back [from a trip to Chile and Argentina], I’m like ‘Well, when’s my next trip?’"

Jules travels so much because she leads a team that handles all imports and exports for the company. Pandora Jewelry sells jewelry in more than 100 countries and has more than 22,000 employees worldwide.

Jules, who grew up in Grand Forks just 10 blocks from campus, says, though it took her five years to graduate from UND, that fifth year was crucial to helping her find her career path.

“In that fifth year I found what I really loved, which was international business and Chinese business and culture at the time. I had a really good relationship with Ken Mellem before he passed away. He was quite a big mentor of mine and took me under his wing when it came to the Chinese business program and his work that he did over there with the University of Shanghai.”

Jules also did work study all through college at the Center for Innovation. She says being around all those entrepreneurs was inspirational as well. When she finished her degree, she headed to China to teach English at the University of Shanghai.

With the thought that living abroad would “get it out of her system” and allow her to do a “regular” job, Jules returned to the U.S. to work for Target Corporation. The job of sourcing shoes from China for Target stores was a little too repetitive and basic though, so Jules was preparing to turn in her two-week notice when a coworker suggest she apply with the Global Trade Department.

“I fell in love with global trade and customs, I became a

20 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Licensed Customs Broker through them and through the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. I fell in love with the subject; I would read about it on the weekends. I even have Global Trade Magazine, something I read every month. I'm kind of a nerd.”

Jules was put on a team in charge of starting up a Canadian department for global trade, but then the company decided it couldn’t make the division profitable, so she was laid off. She says it was the best thing that ever happened to her, because she got a call from Pandora Jewelry to lead their trade and customs division for North and South America. It was exactly the international scope she dreamed about as a UND student.

“What is it that your brain trails off to think about?” Kotrba said. “What are you daydreaming about? Are you daydreaming that you're outside all the time, wearing a suit all the time, what space are you in? What are you doing? Because most often if you're going to be daydreaming about it, then you probably should be doing it.

"Take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. I did when I was sitting in a classroom at UND when someone came into the room to talk about the Chinese Summer Study Abroad Program. Again, when I was getting my MBA, I thought 'Heck, why not go on a consulting assignment in Nepal to work on a rabbit farm?' Go, and do something and gain experiences!"

Jules says receiving the Young Alumni Achievement award brings home to her that she has done just that in pursuing her dream job.

“I really didn't think I was doing anything out of the ordinary.

Even though I think my job is really cool, and I love what I do and I've had some really amazing experiences, I figured, everybody does. I guess I've been so lucky to find an industry that I love and that it has become a success for me.” AR

HOMECOMING

2017

YOUNG ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS

Eric Trueblood, ’06

O

ut of 16 million World War II veterans, only slightly more than 500,000 are still living. Eric Trueblood, ’06, is doing his part to help tell their stories and preserve the memories of those lost.

Eric is co-owner of AirCorps Aviation, which specializes in the restoration, maintenance, and rebuilding of WWII aircraft for clients worldwide.

“We are fortunate to have a wonderful team and to have found our niche working on some of the most historic aircraft in the world.

When an airplane flies away from our shop it is as if they were flying off of an airbase in service during WWII,” Eric said.

One long term restoration project currently in the AirCorps shop is a P-47 Thunderbolt WWII fighter, abandoned in 1944 by U.S. Forces and recovered from the jungles of Papua New Guinea.

Recently, upon inspecting the airframe for restoration, the names Eva and Edith were found written in grease pencil inside the wing.

When the company wrote a blog post titled “Who are Eva and Edith?,” their phones started ringing incessantly. Eva and Edith were certainly Rosie the Riveters. Were they sisters? Could they still be living? CNN and other news outlets picked up the story, sending AirCorps into the national media spotlight. While they haven’t yet confirmed the identities of Eva and Edith, the story of these “Rosies,” a symbol of a unified and committed nation that built these aircraft, has helped to spread and preserve a piece of World War II history and the example of those who served.

The craftsmen at AirCorps dedicate 20-30,000 hours on a single aircraft restoration and are passionate about the authentic restoration work — restoring, repairing, and fabricating required parts for aircraft. But what Eric loves most is interacting with veterans, listening to and connecting their stories with clients and helping them mutually share their stories.

“We’ve been so fortunate that our planes have had a unique story to tell, but more importantly we have been able to align our business with those we work to honor. When you drill down to the true motivation of our clients worldwide, it is to honor veterans, and

their service or sacrifice — that is a great honor and responsibility bestowed upon us,” Eric said.

At a manufacturing symposium several years ago, Eric happened to sit down next to a Duluth man named Hans Wronka, who told him the story of his grandfather, who had been shot down and killed in action during the waning days of World War II in the same variant P-47 Thunderbolt that AirCorps is restoring. Wronka was on a 12-year quest to find his grandfather, 1st. Lt. Loren E. Hintz, and Eric offered to support them as best they could. Eric was surprised, after a couple years of assisting, when he received a call announcing that ground scanners had found what they believed to be an aircraft matching the description of Hintz’s plane.

Eric was invited to travel to Italy and assist the archeology team with the excavation of the WWII fighter buried 18 feet down. The story broadcast worldwide as the search was successful in locating the airframe but more importantly located the remains of Loren Hintz, along with his dog tags. The remains will be interned in Florence, Italy, at the American Cemetery next summer.

“It was a really poignant story, and I was honored to be a part of it,” Eric said. “There are so few of those people that served our country during World War II left, and even fewer whose stories will be told. I think it's really important that we to honor them and preserve their legacy.”

When Trueblood and his three business partners started AirCorps, a main value of their business was to act as a steward of the World War II story, and they began building their client base: mainly collectors of vintage aircraft.

“Our story is not unlike the numerous entrepreneurial stories coming out of UND — we bootstrapped the development of our business from the ground up, and it wasn’t easy. When we started out, we were basically airplane roadies. We would travel for work on what people wanted when they wanted,” he said.

Eventually, the four partners had enough capital to move into a building, and today they’ve grown to 35 employees in three locations: Seattle, Bemidji, and Minneapolis.

Eric received his bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of North Dakota, and says that while the academic part of his college career was challenging and enjoyable, his extracurricular involvement that taught him softer fundamentals of business such as building a team, accountability, instilling ethics and values, and how they treat employees, clients and anyone enthusiastic about their work has served him best.

“I’ve had and continue to rely on wonderful mentors from UND,” Eric said, and credited his work with Student Government, Phi Delta Theta, and helping to open and develop the Student Wellness Center as major events that have helped shape him.

“I had these people who kind of took me under their wing and invested their time. It wasn't a curriculum that I was being tested on, but I think that they taught a lot of skills that are necessary outside of business operations.”

Eric uses those skills to serve his state and communities.

Recently, Governor Doug Burgum reappointed Eric to the North Dakota Economic Development Foundation, and he finished his term on the Bush Foundation a year ago.

After growing up in Minot, coming to UND as “just a regular North Dakota kid,” Eric has built a world-renowned business.

“I work daily with fascinating clients all over the world. And it has never seemed out of reach. Thanks in part to my experiences at UND, I never felt that I wasn’t prepared.”

UNDalumni.org | 21

FEATURE

story

SIGN OF LEGENDS

Sign legends of

Ambassadors and longtime servants to UND alumni, Earl and Jan Strinden, get street named in their honor

By David Dodds 22 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Jan Strinden helps her husband, Earl, unveil a new street sign at the corner of University Avenue and Strinden Road (formerly a section of Stanford Road). The road was renamed in the couple’s honor for their years of dedication to the alumni of UND.

H

Photo: Richard Larson.

ow do you get to Strinden Road?

According to Google Maps, it runs north-south through the heart of the University of North Dakota campus, off University Avenue and right next to the Gorecki Alumni Center. But to UND alumni, friends and family of Earl and Jan Strinden, it takes “dedication.”

That was the word on the street, almost literally, at a ceremony to change a former section of Stanford Road, south of University Avenue, to “Strinden Road” in honor of Earl, who served the University’s Alumni Association and Foundation for 31 years, 26 of those as the organization’s leader; and his wife, Jan, who quietly did as much behind the scenes.

“It is appropriate that we are calling this a dedication, because dedicated is what Earl and Jan have been to this great University,” said current UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink, who intimated for the crowd the mentorship that Earl has provided her over the past 30 years, from the time she was a student at UND. “He and Jan together changed the face of philanthropy for this campus,” Carlson Zink continued. “If you walk these paths, you will see what he made happen and the dreams that he had for this University.”

Earl Strinden officially retired from his post as executive vice president in 2000, but even today, some 17 years later, he is still regarded as one of the school’s greatest ambassadors.

In his time at UND, he built strong friendships with some of the University’s biggest donors: men and women whose names grace campus buildings and academic programs. These are people such as Ken Hyslop, Warren Hannah, Ralph and Betty Engelstad, and Grace and Lloyd Stone.

But when he stands before a large crowd and talks about his legacy at UND, as he did during the street dedication ceremony, Earl talks in terms of “we” and not “I.” He reminds people of the roots of the Alumni Association, started by the first eight graduates of UND in 1889. He also attributes alumni support for and allegiance to UND to the men and women that preceded him, worked with him, and succeeded him at the Alumni Association and Foundation.

“The University of North Dakota is pretty special — we all agree with that,” Earl said. “We are part of something that is very noble and that is the ongoing building of the University of North Dakota.”

Just before Earl and Jan pulled the strings to unveil their new road sign, they gave an example of their stage presence — with impeccable comedic timing some six decades in the making — when they each addressed the audience.

“Earl and I have had 45 wonderful years together, and that’s not bad out of 63,” Jan deadpanned, bringing the crowd to uproarious laughter and applause.

Not to be outdone, Earl nudged his wife aside and grabbed the mic, “not only that … but she steals my line.” His words elicited even more laughter.

Carlson Zink not only talked about Earl’s service to the University but also to the city of Grand Forks and the state of North Dakota. He served for 22 years in the North Dakota House of Representatives, much of that time as the chamber’s majority leader.

In 1988, when then President of the United States Ronald Reagan visited UND, the late commander in chief reserved a line in his speech for Earl.

“He’s recognized as one of the strongest and most respected legislative leaders in the state’s history,” Reagan said.

Carlson Zink says that line still resonates today.

Before the unveiling, UND President Mark Kennedy said he was interested to know what color the sign would be.

“Because we all know that Earl and Jan bleed green … but I also have been told regularly that everything Earl touches turns to gold,” Kennedy said.

Much of that gold has been to the benefit of UND, he added.

“This University is immeasurably better off today because of the things that have come from (Earl’s) hard work and dedication, and Jan’s as well,” Kennedy said. AR

UNDalumni.org | 23

FEATURE

story

SHE’S GOT SPIRIT

She’s Got Spirit

Longtime journalist and recent internet sensation Marilyn Hagerty receives UND Spirit Award

By Milo Smith

M

arilyn Hagerty has experienced many things in her 91 years, but it was a rare occasion in June when she was left “speechless” after being surprised with the UND Spirit Award from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation (AA&F).

The Grand Forks Herald newspaper columnist, who gained internet fame when her Olive Garden review went viral in 2012, has been a longtime supporter of the University, its athletic teams, and its students. AA&F CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink surprised Hagerty at the door to the Gransberg Community Room in the Gorecki Alumni Center; informing her that the business meeting Hagerty thought she was attending was instead a ceremony to give her the Spirit Award.

The award was established in 1985 and has been given to a select group of friends and alumni of the University, Carlson Zink explained.

“We couldn’t imagine going another day without recognizing you for all that you have done over the years to elevate the University of North Dakota, its students, its student-athletes, and its faculty,” Carlson Zink told Marilyn.

During the ceremony, Hagerty also received an honorary athletic letter and an honorary degree of Masters of Community Engagement.

“In thinking about a spirit award, we would be hard pressed to find an individual who is more spirited than Marilyn,” said

24 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Provost Tom DiLorenzo while presenting the honorary degree.

“She seems to be everywhere and to know everyone and certainly is our very own local celebrity. For years, Marilyn has been an incredible supporter of UND and the Greater Grand Forks community and continues to do so. Her name and reputation as a newspaper columnist, supporter of UND athletics, and local celebrity are far reaching.”

Women’s basketball coach Travis Brewster joked that Marilyn’s attention to detail forces him to dress better on the sidelines so she’ll notice him instead of the stiletto heels his assistants are sporting. He thanked Marilyn for supporting a women’s basketball scholarship and for backing the team from her regular seat in the Betty Engelstad Arena.

“Most importantly is the sentiment and the belief that you have in our student-athletes,” said Brewster. “That's truly amazing and I just want to thank you for everything that you do and it's just an honor to be up here.”

Carlson Zink noted that Marilyn’s response to the internet snark regarding her Olive Garden review five years ago endeared her to millions of people around the world and showed why she is so beloved in the Grand Forks Community. “Her ‘I don’t have time to care what strangers think of me’ attitude led to spots on national news and food network programs where her ‘North Dakota Nice’ outlook shone a positive light on Grand Forks.”

People were also impressed that this woman in her mid-80s

was still working, Carlson Zink said, while providing the update that, at 91, Hagerty still writes weekly for the Grand Forks Herald. Her son, Bob Hagerty, ‘78, said that his mom always loved her job and it allows her to stay active and involved in the community.

“She never wanted to be just sort of relegated to senior citizenry,” said Bob Hagerty. “She's always had friends, young and old, and that's important to her. I think that has kept her healthy, kept her active, and interested. I think that she recognized, more than most people do, how to age in a way that's interesting and engaging, rather than just fading away.”

“I'm just overwhelmed,” Hagerty said when it was her turn to address the crowd of friends and well-wishers. “I see faces of my friends here and I'm just nothing but happy. I'm nothing but amazed. I think my friends at the University of South Dakota [her alma mater] would forgive me for becoming a North Dakotan, but it's where you're planted. And I was planted in Grand Forks and I couldn't be happier. And I thank you. I just thank you.” AR

Romantic Rhine & Moselle June 12 - 27, 2018

Zurich to Amsterdam

On this luxury cruise on the Rhine, you’ll have the opportunity to not only marvel at fairy-tale landscapes, but also experience a unique and sublime classical concert in the Baroque Palace of Rastatt, tour the Hockenheim Formula 1 race track, explore the magnificent Rhine Gorge, and much more in our unforgettable, all-inclusive Enrich experiences.

TO BOOK YOUR TRIP Call 800.842.9023 or to view all UND alumni travel opportunities, visit UNDalumni.org/Travel

Hosted by: UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink and her husband, Wayne.

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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS

What’s New

News from around campus

Morgan Olson of Minot received a surprise at her high school graduation party this spring. A team from UND Admissions "crashed" her party in order to welcome her to the freshman class at UND. The team traveled around the region to welcome new students with a gift of a UND jersey. This is the second year that UND Admissions has crashed the graduation parties of incoming freshman.

26 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

President Mark Kennedy

DEAR ALUMNI & FRIENDS

Summertime is often thought to be associated with a lull in activity for educational institutions. It’s a time when campuses are a little quieter, fewer students are roaming around the walkways toward classes, and many already have their eyes set to the beginning of fall courses. It would be easy to imagine that progress on campuses can tend to become a bit lethargic in these months, but I believe it is safe to say that UND bucked that trend in the summer of 2017.

Many of the initiatives that were present during the spring have continued to make headway in these past months. First and foremost, the advancement in our Strategic Plan is at the center of the institution’s activities. Each of our plan’s seven goals now have captains, project managers, and team members dedicated to accomplishing their specific objectives. Leaders of the Strategic Plan have been receiving training in effectively developing and implementing their team’s goals to ensure that we achieve UND’s purpose as the Chief Opportunity Engine for North Dakota and our students.

Secondly, students returning to campus in August saw some noticeable changes in the blueprint of our campus. In an effort to not only address ongoing deferred maintenance costs and space utilization, but also to keep long neglected buildings from distracting from the intrinsic beauty of our campus, we razed eight buildings over the summer. Some of these buildings were located right on University Avenue, opening up some fairly prominent real estate. These actions are also being taken in concert with a larger plan that continues to gain steam over these past months.

Our Coulee to Columbia initiative’s objective is to invigorate the core of our campus, making this stretch of University Avenue as aesthetically beautiful as it is bustling with activity.

Speaking of the appearance of our college, the development of UND’s image does not end with our physical space. That is why we have been busy developing the final stages in our new marketing campaign. Our new branding slogan, Leaders in Action, will headline our push to show this state, the region, and the world the identity of the University of North Dakota. Over the next year, the casual observer will begin to see that the strength of UND’s brand will become more prevalent and consistent through a variety of mediums from clothing to digital advertising.

With fall’s arrival, I can’t help but notice the annual excitement beginning to stir as our athletics seasons approach. The unprecedented achievement of four conference championships last year (men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball, and football) leaves high expectations for our teams in 2017-18. UND Athletics is also undertaking a couple exciting initiatives of its own. We currently have our sights set on inking an apparel deal that will span across our entire athletics programs. An apparel deal such as this will not only produce a more consistent look, but it will also streamline our retail offerings and provide financial benefits to the University. Additionally, we have begun a committee dedicated to

the Game Day Experience that our football fans enjoy at the Alerus Center. Over the next few years, our goal is to offer our football fans the premier experience in the FCS. Even during this upcoming season’s games, fans will notice a new sound and light system at the stadium that will offer a preview of the improvements to come through this new effort.

Speaking of athletics, I would be remiss if I did not give a big congratulations to our student-athletes for achieving the 2017 Big Sky President’s Cup! This award is given out to the Big Sky Conference’s best member college in measures of both athletics and academics. It’s clear to see that the tireless efforts of our Fighting Hawks student-athletes extend far beyond the fields, rinks, and courts where they compete. My compliments to our entire athletics program for this wonderful achievement; they are truly Leaders in Action.

July 1 marked my first year as the President of the University of North Dakota. Before our arrival to Grand Forks, Debbie and I could not have imagined the incredible honor that has come from serving this college thus far. This past year certainly hasn’t seen a shortage of challenges, but through it all UND remains an institution that is held most dearly in our hearts. I know that, as alumni, you hold that same affection for this university. As some of our most important stakeholders, my hope is that I can assist in further instilling the pride you feel in your alma mater.

It is with this prideful mindset that we are approaching the next year. All of our major initiatives can ultimately be traced back to our newly created Strategic Plan and our vision of becoming the Premier Flagship University in the Northern Plains. Accomplishing this feat will require us to keep this plan at the forefront of our minds in every decision and every crucial moment. It is not by coincidence that alumni play a vital role in our Strategic Plan too; you all are an essential part of the UND family and we want to ensure that your voice continues to be heard at your alma mater.

Working with our alumni has become one of the most rewarding aspects of this position for me and it is only through a continued collaboration that we can fully realize the potential of the University of North Dakota. Only together can we achieve a true One UND. Sincerely, Mark Kennedy President

UNDalumni.org | 27

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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS

New Math

t

Photo: Tyler Ingham

UND USES SUMMER CLASSES TO TEST NOVEL WAY OF TEACHING THROUGH MATH ACTIVE LEARNING LAB

en minutes into a summer pre-calculus class in UND’s Witmer Hall, Graduate Teaching Assistant Jarod Olson hasn’t written anything on the whiteboard.

He hasn’t asked his small group of students to turn in homework, or even to open their textbooks.

When one of his students describes to the group how he came to a conclusion on a problem, Olson replies, “Sounds like a solid argument to me.”

He’s not lecturing. He’s guiding.

Olson, a mathematics graduate student from Lakeville, Minnesota, was testing a new style of teaching math that is now fully integrated in UND’s new Math Active Learning Lab (MALL) in O’Kelly Hall. The student-centered curriculum and learning space were developed to meet a growing challenge for undergrads.

28 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

UND data shows only 52 percent of pre-calculus students successfully completed the course with an A, B or C grade from Fall 2012 to Spring 2015 – a trend that is mirrored in pre-college credit developmental math classes and credit-bearing College Algebra, Trigonometry and Transition to Calculus.

“In the math department, we’ve known for a long time that students were not succeeding at the rate that we wanted them to succeed in these classes. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to make a significant change in the way we teach them,” said MALL Director Michele Iiams. “The research we’ve looked at for the learning model we’re implementing has shown that student success can increase, on average, 17 percent.”

That’s why College of Arts & Sciences Dean Debbie Storrs threw her support behind the development and funding of MALL.

Math Graduate Teaching Assistant Jarod Olson leads his summer pre-calculus focus group through a real-world math problem. Olson helped develop a new curriculum that will be integrated when UND’s Math Active Learning Lab (MALL) opens in O’Kelly Hall this fall.

“We had very high DFW (D, F or withdrawal) rates in courses in which, if students don’t do well, they can’t move to higher level math, which then prevents them from going into certain majors,” Storrs said.

“We needed to learn how to teach math differently to help students be successful, given that they come in with a range of skills.”

Learning to learn

Olson is very forward with how he feels about the new curriculum that he helped develop with Iiams and her team, MALL Data Manager Tim Prescott and MALL Tutor Supervisor Gwennie Byron.

When he was an undergrad, he learned math as most do – listening to a professor for three to four hours a week. Then it was a solo struggle to complete the homework.

“I’m very jealous,” he said. “I think this is a great system, and I think students will really like it.”

With the MALL, students attend one “focus group” a week, where they work collaboratively to solve real-world math problems.

Instructors are nearby to help direct thinking and discussion, but there’s no lecturing involved.

“You’re getting something out of coming to class, instead of tuning out and missing important pieces that will be on the test.

You’re forced to be interactive,” Olson explained. “I want them to take a standpoint and argue with their peers. Also, we want them to ask for help from their peers so they can learn by teaching each other.”

Before attending the focus groups, students log in to a webbased learning system called ALEKS to watch videos and read learning pages that walk them through how to absorb the content.

The system allows them to work on their own time and offers realworld practice problems.

“If there’s something I’m struggling with, I can do more practice on that specific thing, rather than just getting a sheet with a couple of questions,” said Nick Skinner, a junior computer science major enrolled in Olson’s Precalculus class. “It seems a lot easier to me.”

Outside of the focus groups, students will be required to spend time completing their ALEKS work in the MALL space, where tutors will be on hand to answer questions. Morning, evening and weekend

hours mean this work can be done when it makes sense for the individual.

If a student is more skilled in math or progresses through the learning modules faster, they don’t have to wait for others. Enrollees can speed up or slow down the pace based on their needs, which keeps them from giving up or tuning out.

“I think the most exciting thing is that it’s individualized,” Storrs said. “Rather than assume all students are starting from the same place, the MALL allows us to support student learning based on their specific knowledge base and abilities. That’s pretty unique.”

Storrs anticipates the first wave of students will be apprehensive about this new way of learning — it happened when biology and chemistry unveiled their SCALE-UP flipped classrooms. Olson said he noticed this initially, but as the students learned how to learn, that changed.

“There was a really big increase [in support] after the first exam when everybody did really well,” he said. “I think as they start going on to exam two, and especially the final, they’ll realize how much material they remember.”

Worthy investment

The MALL way of learning took time and money — including a complete renovation to the O’Kelly basement. Storrs said the return is worth it; students are going to learn math and graduate promptly.

“It should significantly help with retention, and it should significantly help people get through their math sequence and graduate on time. That’s one of the major reasons that not just the math department and the College, but the University invested in the MALL,” she said.

And as Olson points out, the returns go beyond retention and graduation.

“If we can get students to understand the math and remember the math better, and know how to apply the math to specific fields, then their fields will benefit from that knowledge,” he suggested. AR — Kaylee Cusack UND Today writer

UNDalumni.org | 29

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Photo: Tyler Ingham

Integration

UND STUDENT ASSISTS GRAND FORKS MAYOR IN BROADENING CONVERSATION ABOUT IMMIGRANT POPULATION

UND Social Work graduate student Laurie Freid (center) is using her research knowledge to assist Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown (right) and Community Relations Officer Pete Haga (left) in gathering data to support the City’s Immigrant Integration Initiative.

ND Social Work graduate student Laurie Freid isn’t one to follow a standard track.

While others in her class spent the summer gaining the required 500 hours of experience in direct practice and case management, Freid sought something more all-encompassing.

“I’ve learned on a personal level, through my undergraduate and graduate career, that I would like to do more macro social work,” she said. “I had a couple of policy classes in my undergrad and graduate levels, and they really sparked my curiosity.”

Grand Forks Community Relations Officer Pete Haga knew he could engage that policy knowledge and curiosity at City Hall. In Freid, he saw a perfect fit for an internship that would help support the City’s growing Immigrant Integration Initiative, a multi-year project that finds ways to assimilate New Americans into Grand Forks and open up communication between new populations and the community.

“We first noticed Laurie’s leadership when she was a UND Student Senator, so leadership must be in the blood,” Haga said.

“Leaders in Action, we have a poster child right here,” he added with a nod to Freid.

This data may prove crucial in North Dakota’s next legislative session. This spring, state lawmakers discussed a bill that would have given the government oversight to halt refugee resettlement. Legislators ultimately decided that the issue needed to be further studied over the interim.

“Grand Forks has had a history of trying to collect this data, but that was a pivotal moment in actually doing so, and at least being a lead city in setting [data collection] up,” Freid explained.

Freid has spoken with other communities with immigrant populations to learn how they have effectively gathered data on immigrant impacts on resources, workforce, taxes, etc. But it’s no easy job. She says social services providers are often very protective of that information, and Haga adds that sometimes it’s just not there.

“One of the things we’ve learned over the last couple of months is that we don’t have a lot of data yet,” Haga said. “But we’ve become smarter about how we do collect data, and why we collect data. The goal is to continue to work toward how best to integrate populations within the community, making sure we mitigate risks with the hurdles on both ends.”

Crucial data

Freid graduated at the end of the summer with a master’s degree in social work, and what she gained in the Mayor’s Office was a valuable complement to her degree plan.

“I’ve learned how to talk to businesses — I never thought I could do that,” she explained. “I’ve been in meetings with business and city government and social workers. It’s been fascinating to learn how these relationships and dynamics work.”

And although she likes to refer to herself as a “supportive intern” of the Immigrant Integration Initiative, Haga and Brown say that’s an understatement.

“We’ve had wonderful results with our UND interns, and Laurie is no exception,” Grand Forks Mayor Michael Brown said, as Freid timidly grinned across the table. “It’s been a joy, and we are much, much better for it.” AR

In her summer role with the City, Laurie worked closely with Haga and the Mayor to support the initiative. Her responsibilities include making and strengthening connections with social services partners and stakeholders within the community and across the state.

But the team leveraged most of Freid’s research capabilities as a trained social worker, as she worked to develop surveys and collect data examining the effects and benefits of immigrant integration in Grand Forks.

“She’s helped us identify research methods that work better when we’re looking at things from a social services perspective and the perspective of measuring people and not just data sets,” Haga said. “She’s been able to bring an expertise gained through her studies to give us a different lens.”

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More than an intern

— Kaylee Cusack, UND Today writer

The ‘distinguished’

Dr. Combs

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UND SCHOOL OF MEDICINE & HEALTH SCIENCES BIOMEDICAL RESEARCHER SURPRISED WITH LATEST CHESTER FRITZ PROFESSORSHIP AWARD

dmiring colleagues filled a room to witness a surprise presentation of the Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship to Colin Combs, chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

The Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship is the highest faculty honor bestowed by the University of North Dakota.

Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas DiLorenzo observed, “You’re what we consider a ‘triple threat.’

Not only do you publish a phenomenal amount of incredible work, your grants are unparalleled in this university.” In addition to this, he noted Combs’ numerous recognitions for teaching and his extensive service work on behalf of his colleagues and the University.

Combs is esteemed around the world for his research, noted Joshua Wynne, dean of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences and UND Vice President for Health Affairs. He added, “I think that an important component that we often forget has been called ‘citizenship' or contributing to the University, the community, and the world. You certainly do that, and one of the ways you do that is by your personality.

You are humble, and yet you have very high standards. We are all better for being in your presence.”

President Mark Kennedy said of Combs, “You’re someone we can hold up and say, this is the type of professor that makes the University of North Dakota the wonderful institution it is.”

Cross-disciplinary projects

Colin Combs joined the faculty of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences in 2000. In 2015, he was named chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences.

Combs is noted for his research work on neuroimmune interactions during aging and on neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. His research has been supported by the highest-level grant funding awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and private foundations such as the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research.

Photo: Tyler Ingham

Colin Combs, chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at UND’s School of Medicine & Health Sciences, accepts congratulations from UND President Mark Kennedy and Dr. Josh Wynne, dean of the SMHS, after Combs was surprised with the honor of being UND’s newest Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor — the highest academic honor UND can bestow.

One of Combs' research goals is to determine the mechanisms by which inflammatory activation of brain glial cells contributes to neurodegeneration. This includes the process by which a specific type of glia, microglia, contributes to the pathophysiology of Alzheimer’s disease.

Combs has also been involved in cross-disciplinary projects in biomedical engineering. He has collaborated with colleagues in the UND College of Engineering and Mines and at North Dakota State University to explore the potential for designing devices that could help physicians better monitor and manage patients, particularly in rural areas.

Medical students have honored Combs several times with Block Instructor Awards in recognition of his teaching and encouragement.

He has served on the editorial boards of scientific journals dedicated to research on Alzheimer’s and other neurodegenerative diseases, presented at numerous scientific conferences at all levels, and reviewed grant applications for the NIH, the Alzheimer’s Association, the Departments of Defense and Veteran Affairs, the National Science Foundation, and others.

“You’ve done wonderful things for the University of North Dakota, and we’re confident you will do more in the future,” said President Kennedy.

The Fritz Professorship

Combs is the 77th UND faculty member to be honored as a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor. The Fritz Professorships were established with an endowment gift from the late UND benefactor Chester Fritz (1892-1983). An international trader in precious metals, Fritz made numerous gifts to the University, including support for the library and auditorium that bear his name. He attended UND from 1908 to 1910. AR — Jan Orvik UND Today writer UNDalumni.org | 31

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Fly Right

Photo: Tyler Ingham

all it a match made on the highways and byways of North Dakota. The result of it all, however, just might go a long way in making the world’s skyways a lot safer.

But none of it would have taken off were it not for a fortuitous pairing of two newly hired UND professors from varied backgrounds on a recent New Faculty and Administrators Bus Tour.

In the summer of 2014, Nick Wilson, an assistant professor of aviation, and Kouhyar Tavakolian, assistant professor of electrical engineering, were seatmates on the annual tour that takes University faculty and administrators new to the state on a three-day bus tour of North Dakota.

It’s designed to get the new employees better acquainted with the state and its people.

Wilson, a UND grad who had worked as an airline manager, pilot trainer and within aerospace business development, and Tavakolian, fresh from a post-doc stint at the University of British Columbia where he specialized in biomedical engineering advances, spent the trip getting better acquainted with each other and how they might combine their expertise into something bigger.

The two, with the help of colleagues, students and private industry partner Rockwell Collins, are creeping toward aviation innovation gold with “Smartsealz,” a patentpending cockpit integration technology designed to alert pilots to dangerous situations by gauging an aircraft’s spatial orientation, the pilot’s physiological state, or both.

Skyway rumble strips

The innovative part derives from how the pilot is alerted, in this case, through signals and sensors working in parallel with an aircraft’s equipment, as well as in the pilot’s Smartsealz communication headset.

Sensors set within a plane’s control panel monitor deviations in altitude and navigation and send vibrating signals to the Smartsealz headset when necessary. Headset sensors are intended to monitor a pilot’s cardiac signals, and possibly in the future brain waves, for signs of fatigue or the onset of hypoxia, a serious condition brought on by a lack

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AVIATION AND ENGINEERING RESEARCHERS COMBINE FORCES ON PATENTPENDING TECHNOLOGY TO MAKE SKIES SAFER

of oxygen to the brain that causes pilots to lose consciousness.

Through UND’s unique setup of having a world-class aviation education and research center in the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences and the Biomedical Engineering Research Complex at the College of Engineering & Mines, Wilson and Tavakolian were able to develop a system that provides pilots with subtle but noticeable “haptic” feedback in the form of vibrations in the Smartsealz headset when a plane’s operation or pilot’s physiological state deviate from preset limits.

The researchers have described the alerts as a “highway rumble strip” embedded in the Smartsealz headset.

“We are quite ahead of the game when it comes to the navigation sensors on the plane because these are sensors that have no touch with the human body – you can get a very accurate signal recorded,” Tavakolian said. “But when it comes to cardiac signals from the head or brain signals from this little space (on the headset), that is where things get complicated.”

Wilson said the Smartsealz sensors could tap into either a plane’s flight-management system to monitor things such as altitude, desired course and other navigation metrics, or the physiological signals of the pilot for signs of fatigue and other problems. But the technology is stronger and more useful when the navigation and physiological signals are combined, reducing the chance for false-positive alerts.

“You don’t want to have a point where the headset becomes a chore or a distraction to wear, so you want to make sure that it is, in fact, the right amount of input,” Wilson said.

Tavakolian said the hope is that they will have a working prototype that monitors heart signals in 6-8 months.

Serendipitous seating

Wilson said he became interested in looking for ways to mitigate aircraft mishaps that result from fatigue or other physiological abnormalities when he worked in curriculum development for regional airlines. He said, at the time, FAA rules and regulations on pilot fatigue and rest in commercial aviation operations had undergone substantial changes.

He brought that interest to his new role as an aviation professor at UND and eventually launched the collaboration with Tavakolian, an expert on biological signal processing.

“We were seat neighbors on that tour. I just happened to see Nick as one of my first contacts at UND,” Tavakolian said. “We represent two strengths that exist here at this University.”

Expanded uses

Wilson and Tavakolian used $10,000 from the UND Office of Corporate Engagement & Commercialization as seed money to secure additional funding to continue research that led to the Smartsealz innovation. For example, they were awarded $100,000 in Venture grant funding from the North Dakota Department of Commerce and privatesector aerospace giant Rockwell Collins donated a Virtual Avionics Procedures Trainer, valued at more than $400,000, to, among other things, assist in the Smartsealz project.

Wilson and Tavakolian have worked closely on the project with colleagues, such as Reza Fazel-Razai, co-director of UND’s Biomedical Engineering Program, and about 10 aerospace and engineering students over the past three years.

“When you are having these crossdisciplinary opportunities, there is a lot of value in it for the general consumer, for safety, and obviously, the University has benefited from this as well.”

Wilson said that the Smartsealz technology may have more uses beyond the traditional aviation industry. The innovation may one day find uses in UAS and air traffic control applications, various military scenarios and train operations, he said.

He added that the technology also may impact insurance rates and reduce safety costs related to aviation and other fields.

“We look at this as simply an extra layer of safety blanket on top of existing technologies,” Wilson said. “We’re excited to keep pushing this forward, but as with anything, there’s always more work to do." AR — David Dodds, UND Today writer

College of Arts & Sciences

Dean’s Corner: Improving Student Spaces and Curricula Dear Alumni and Friends, The fall is my favorite time of year as I enjoy the renewed vitality and excitement accompanying the return of students. Among many other things over a busy summer, we have been preparing new learning spaces and curricula.

The Department of Communication debuted the DigiComm lab this fall in Columbia Hall (the former home to the School of Medicine and Health Sciences). This newly constructed environment is tied to a foundational speech course (Comm 110) revised by our new faculty member Dr. Bradley Serber, and taught to 2,000 students each year to develop their oral communication skills. The lab where this course will take place is excitingly innovative (and entirely wireless) and enables students to leverage their own various technologies (mobile devices, laptops, tablets, wearable/smart technologies) in dynamic and empowering ways. Going beyond past techniques of primarily giving speeches in small groups, students work both digitally and in-person to record and evaluate their and their peers' effectiveness in persuasion, small and large group presentations, and use of teleprompters and other telepresence environments. Members of the department, along with Dr. Serber, are also developing an open educational resource to replace expensive textbooks enabling a savings to students of more than $400,000 per year.

The College of Arts & Sciences is also embarking on our first learning community, which we call GoGlobal: a cohort-based learning community including faculty mentoring and designed to help students expand their global understanding and experiences. With more than 25 students, our first cohort will benefit from shared globally focused experiences, including taking an English composition course infused with a global curriculum, traveling together to Winnipeg to visit the Human Rights Museum, and learning about the many study abroad opportunities available at UND. To encourage students to take bigger leaps across the globe, the college will provide funding for passports for students, enabling their travel to both Winnipeg and other potential study abroad locations.

These few of many examples demonstrate how the College of Arts & Sciences invests in students and ensures they are developing skills employers demand. These skills also happen to be central components of what a liberal arts education is about and, I am pleased to report, are part of the UND Strategic Plan.

Goal One of the UND Strategic Plan is to ensure that each student who graduates from UND has a strong liberal arts education and the skills it develops including critical thinking, analytical reasoning, problem solving, and communication skills, among others. As dean of the College of Arts & Sciences, I am honored to help implement this goal in collaboration with a dynamic faculty and staff who are also committed to student success. Please stop by to visit our new learning spaces and contact Jeff Dodson, our development director, if you would like to help support the MALL (p. 28), GoGlobal, or the opportunities in the DigiComm Lab. Your gifts, and the opportunities they help create, ensure we will continue to graduate leaders in action!

Kind regards, Debbie Storrs, Dean College of Arts & Sciences

| 33 | 33 UNDalumni.org UNDalumni.org

THIS IS YOUR IGNITE THE FUTURE

Legacy

In her State of the Foundation address, DeAnna Carlson Zink announced that, during the Fiscal Year 2017 ending on June 30, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation rallied nearly 10,000 donors to help meet its $40 million fundraising goal.

Ignite the Future

UND Alumni Association & Foundation celebrates scholarship success in State of the Foundation address

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rittany Dvorak stood among dozens of UND staff, faculty, alumni and student representatives filling the Gransberg Community Room of the Gorecki Alumni Center, a walker placed before her.

Gripping the microphone, the UND Communication student and Grand Forks native spoke of her lifelong love of sports, and how a leukemia diagnosis shifted her involvement in athletics.

“I hope to fulfill a career in the sports industry once I finish my time here at the University, and I couldn’t be more excited,” she said. “But as cancer treatment is expensive, and with all that added stress, receiving a scholarship this academic year at the University has helped relieve that stress of the financial burden of college.

And I couldn’t be more thankful and grateful to my special donors for that scholarship.”

Brittany’s story of perseverance was one of many shared during the annual State of the Foundation Address in late August.

“These are the students that make UND so special,” said Alumni Association & Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink. “These are your Leaders in Action, and they are the spark that really is going to change the future for our world.”

In her address, Carlson Zink announced that, during the Fiscal Year 2017 ending on June 30, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation rallied nearly 10,000 donors to help meet its $40 million fundraising goal. An incredible $19 million of that has been earmarked for student scholarships, with another $6.6 million set aside for programs and faculty.

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Photo: Sam Melquist

Scholarship support from the Foundation increased by 8 percent from the previous year, a boost that UND President Mark Kennedy knows doesn’t come easily.

“We need to do a good job of helping people understand the impact of their gift and how it changes people’s lives,” President Kennedy said. “This team here at the Foundation did a phenomenal job and should be congratulated. We, at the University of North Dakota, benefit from their work.”

Celebrating impact

The Foundation is more interested in the impact than the dollars themselves.

With the money raised over the last year, it has passed along more than $7 million in donor support to Fighting Hawk studentathletes. Carlson Zink noted that these athletes returned the favor by setting a new GPA record of 3.279 for spring 2017.

The North Dakota State Legislature also played a role in enhancing scholarships through the Higher Education Challenge Fund. The State provided more than $3 million in match money, which was met with more than $6 million in donor gifts, creating a total scholarship impact of almost $10 million.

“So thank you, legislators and the State of North Dakota, and all of you as citizens, for funding this special initiative,” Carlson Zink said.

Additional funds raised by the Foundation helped kick off the Eye of the Hawk lecture series, which has already brought in two

Web Extra: To learn more about the financial health of the UND AA&F and to watch a video of the address, visit UNDalumni.org/alumnireview.

UND student Brittany Dvorak talks at the State of the Alumni Association & Foundation about the importance of her scholarship.

distinguished speakers to engage the UND community in important discussions on economics and diversity. Another is planned on September 25 with speaker Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

This year, the Foundation tapped into the power of crowdfunding by starting ACT. The platform helps units on campus with fundraising for specific initiatives. One major example of crowdfunding success was the UND Pride of the North marching band, which raised $88,000 for new uniforms.

“For this fiscal year, we already have four projects in the works, and I’m really looking forward to more exciting opportunities on how these are going to impact today’s students,” Carlson Zink said.

Looking ahead

But, as Carlson Zink told the audience, while it’s important to celebrate past successes, “that was last year.”

The Alumni Association & Foundation hopes to raise $52 million in the current fiscal year. The team also plans to redouble its efforts in supporting students, starting with the development of the UND Promise Scholarship Program.

“This year, when donors give to scholarships to attract or retain these outstanding students, we will match their gifts,” Carlson Zink said. “You can truly impact the lives of many by showing your faith in just one student.”

A student like Brittany Dvorak, who won’t let hardship keep them from their ultimate goals.

“This University is definitely a special place, and I’m so, so proud and honored to be a part of this legacy,” Dvorak said to the applause of the crowd. AR — Kaylee Cusack, UND Today writer UNDalumni.org | 35

THIS IS YOUR PAY IT FORWARD

Legacy

Zane McIntyre is one of the former UND athletes who will benefit from Dave Bender's generosity.

Pay it Forward

Longtime UND Athletics supporter Dave Bender has found a unique way to rally support for North Dakota Champions Club

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t’s been 43 years since Dave Bender graduated from the University of North Dakota, and three decades since he lived in the state. But starting this winter, he’ll be paying forward his love for UND to some of its most dedicated students: graduating student-athletes.

Bender will be sponsoring the first year of North Dakota Champions Club membership for every graduating student-athlete, going back to those who earned their degrees over the winter, as a way of saying thanks for their contributions while drawing their attention to Champions Club.

“I thought this would be a unique way of getting the attention of these young graduates who participated in athletics,” Bender said.

“Hopefully over the course of years to come, a decent percentage of them will continue to contribute to Champions Club.”

Bender, who played baseball briefly at UND, has been an avid fan of the school’s teams since he was a student, graduating in 1974.

He still tunes in to every athletics event that he can from his home in

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St. Augustine, Florida, whether it’s basketball, soccer or hockey.

He fondly remembers being there to cheer the football team’s 2001 national championship, as well as several of the women’s basketball team's Division II national titles and national championships in men’s hockey. And he also remembers traveling one year to watch Dave Gunther’s men’s basketball squad defeat SDSU and Augustana to go undefeated in the North Central Conference.

“Basketball was probably the number one reason that I got so involved, back in the Dave Gunther days,” Bender said. “I was very consumed by the team’s success year after year and that’s probably what really got me interested in assisting the program.”

As a proud North Dakotan, Bender understands the reality UND faces in trying to compete from a relatively remote location like Grand Forks and how this has played a role in travel and recruitment costs.

Diane and Dave Bender

Even though he’s been away from Grand Forks for so long, he’s gotten to know several Fighting Hawks coaches well over the years, and he’s run into UND players on the road and in airports quite a few times.

“It was really cool to see. Whether they were from Grand Forks Central or Minneapolis or California up there playing softball or soccer, they really enjoyed their experiences,” Bender said. “Their decision to go to UND and spend a few years in Grand Forks, they were thankful for that.”

2017-18 will be the first year for the Champions Club Pay it Forward program, so the priority so far has been reaching out to graduated student-athletes and getting them enrolled as Champions Club members.

“I’ve spoken to them and explained why I was doing this, kind of paying it forward, and to thank them for their involvement and contributions,” Bender said. “It’s a real positive conversation and it’s nice to hear their real appreciation for my doing this.”

Zane McIntyre, former men’s hockey goalie who graduated from UND last spring, says he was shocked when Bender reached out to him to explain what he would be doing.

“The gift of my first year’s contribution means a ton to me, because I grew up in the area and always dreamed of one day competing and attending UND,” McIntyre said. “Giving back and contributing to the Champions Club will more than likely allow one, or maybe even several other young persons in a similar upbringing as me to have that opportunity.”

Star men’s basketball player Quinton Hooker, also a spring graduate, explained that the gesture is so meaningful because Bender is setting the tone for all student-athletes to give back to UND. “It’s because of reasons like this that we were able to play the sports we love at the collegiate level, and to see the action being taken to support the athletes makes me want to do more already for the University that has done so much for me,” Hooker said. “He is starting, for what I hope and know for most will be, a lifelong trend of giving back to UND.” After the first year, it will be up to the former student-athletes to renew their membership. The hope is that they will continue to pay it forward as well and remain involved in the Champions Club.

“The majority of them indicated that they plan to do so, and just about everybody says they’ll give it serious consideration,” Bender said.

“The athletes I’ve talked to were very pleased about their time at UND, and they indicate that they will likely continue their Champions Club membership a year from now.”

Bender is hoping that his gift to graduating student-athletes will also provide some inspiration to others who are looking for ways to support the University of North Dakota, even from a distance.

“I don’t want this to come across as, ‘Look what Dave Bender’s doing,’” he said. “I want it to be, ‘Hey, look at what this guy who lives hundreds of miles away is doing. Maybe I can do more or do something.’That’s the primary reason, and hopefully others can get involved.” AR — Gabriella Fundaro, '15 UNDalumni.org | 37

THIS IS YOUR

Legacy

CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND

Meet a Student Nicole Polejewski

Hometown: Rogers, Minnesota Area(s) of Study: Marketing with a minor in international business Photo: Sam Melquist

Why UND? When visiting UND in the fall of my senior year of high school, I felt a feeling of home within the first 10 minutes of my campus tour. I went into my academic advisor meeting during my tour and she had a folder with my name on it, laying out what my four years would look like, and sheets that guided me to specific scholarships that were aimed for students like me. These scholarships and personalization proved that the University and alumni were there for support, to answer questions, and provide resources for student success. The staff, faculty, and community members’ genuine attitudes and helpful hands are what made UND such an easy choice, and proved that it was my home away from home.

Dream career No matter what I am doing, whether serving on my Student Ambassador Board, working on special events as a Gorecki Alumni Center intern, or answering questions for wandering potential students on campus, my goal is always to serve people. Looking ahead at my career, I want to do something where I am making a difference in someone’s life every day. Something that sparks my interest would be possibly working for a large nonprofit organization or a children’s hospital and working to put on benefits or events to help raise awareness for their cause.

How UND is helping me realize my dream A part of UND is its enormous alumni base, and I could not thank them enough for their gifts and donations for scholarships I have received. This has made all of the difference in my journey through UND. One way I have utilized my scholarships was to help fund my education abroad. Studying abroad last summer in Florence, Italy, was an eye opening and humbling experience. I was able to realize how much larger the world is and recognize that our world has a lot of good in it, when we tend to only hear about the bad. I gained experiences such as going to an internationally known fashion trade show and networked with some of the highest status designers in the world. Bringing my North Dakota “nice” attitude and being able to share it with the world is something I would never trade away.

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Who believed in you?

I am blessed to have a collection of supporters and people who believe in me. Like all things, my support starts at home. My family has been one of my biggest supporters through my life and my education. I also have a big support system at my job. My co-workers at the Alumni Association and Foundation have put a great deal of trust and responsibility in me, through giving me real life experience and tools for when my graduation time comes. DeAnna Carlson- Zink, the CEO of the Alumni Association and Foundation, has been one of my biggest supporters through my journey.

She provides encouragement and advice on how to navigate the turns and curves of college and starting life in the real world. My events team has been the greatest gift I have received at work. To have a group who are not only co-workers but friends has created one of the most fun, energetic, and comforting places for me to go on campus. Their smiles, support, and hands-lent are something I couldn’t be more thankful for.

This is my legacy I plan to graduate in May of 2018, with no final concrete plans on an occupation, but I am keeping my doors open to all of the options coming my way.

Since the beginning of my freshman year, I have been involved in Student Ambassadors on campus and have recently been added to the Executive Board of the Student Ambassadors group. This group has opened doors for me around campus and allowed me to truly make a difference and add to not only my UND experience, but my peers as well through planning signature events such as Homecoming. I love being a part of such a big event that involves current students while bringing back the alumni who want to revive their connection to UND and the community. Seeing alumni come back and feel so connected and proud of the University and its students is something that I strive to feel as my alumni status kicks in very soon.

thank you DONORS The UND Alumni Association & Foundation sincerely thanks all alumni and friends who have made gifts and commitments to support students, faculty, programs, and places at UND. Thank you for all that you do!

The following donors reached a new giving circle in the Eternal Flame Society between Feb. 1, 2017 to May 31, 2017. * indicates deceased For more information about the Eternal Flame Society, visit UNDalumni.org/EternalFlame

WILLIAM BUDGE

$1,000,000 - $4,999,999 Ruth H. Ralph*

Circle

THOMAS CLIFFORD

$100,000 - $999,999 Dr. Brad & Gayle Aafedt Timothy & Joellen Bohannon Paul & S. Gail Busch Drilling Systems (USA), Inc.

PRESIDENT’S $10,000 - $99,999

Circle

Alerus Center Dr. Elizabeth & Andrew Bjerke Dennis & Debra Bounds Marcia Cheney & Arthur Larsen* Theodore A. Clausen Exxon Mobil Glen Gonsorowski Arnie & Jane Gregory Charles W. Groth Jeffrey & Stacey Hammes

Amber L. Johnson Janelle & Kelly Kilgore Carol L. Miller John & Alree Mundy Nelson International Northdale Oil, Inc. Dr. James & Suzanne Rue Spitfire Bar & Grill Aloys P. Swanson Howard & Deborah Swanson

Circle

George & Barbara Eidsness Caryn & Louis Speizer Ronald & Carol Vantine Denise Wior & Bruce Glesby

The UND Promise Jeff Weatherly, Administrative Fellow for the College of Arts & Sciences and interim chair of the Department of Modern & Classical Languages & Literatures, does more for his students than teach. He invests in their future and the future of the University. Dr. Weatherly believes one of the best ways to strengthen the school is by increasing scholarship money for incoming freshman, and the best way to do this is through the UND Promise Scholarship Program, which increased the impact of his endowment gift by contributing an additional $1 for every $2 he gave. This way the money that is given can go further, help more students, and create a better UND. Thank you for your gift, Dr. Weatherly!

To learn more about the UND Promise, visit UNDalumni.org/promise.

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UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

1950s Remember when, in 1959, the

first doctor to benefit from the Medical Center Loan Fund returned to North Dakota to set up a medical practice? Dr. Jon Eylands, ’56, was the first doctor to take advantage of the loan forgiveness program set up by the 1957 state legislature.

Photo: Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections, Chester Fritz Library

1959 Daniel Jerome, '59, has been selected to the North Dakota Native American Hall of Fame. Jerome spent his career as an educator. He also is well known for his efforts to preserve Native American culture.

DO YOU REMEMBER‌ the solar eclipse of 1963? The Astronomy department set up a telescope with a filter to aid viewing of the July 20, 1963, eclipse. The sun was obscured 77 percent in Grand Forks that day. You had to travel up near Hudson Bay in Manitoba to experience a total eclipse.

40 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

1970s Remember when, in 1976, an

honorary degree was granted to U.S. Secretary of the Interior Thomas S. Kleppe? Kleppe, a native of Kintyre, was the first North Dakotan to serve as a member of the U.S. Cabinet.

1970 John Davenport, ..'70, has retired after 41 years in academia. For the past 16 years, Davenport was a Professor of History at North Central University in Minneapolis. Early in his career, he worked as the Assistant Curator of Special Collections at the Chester Fritz Library.

1972 Leigh Jeanotte, '72, '74, '81, director of American Indian Student Services at UND, has retired after more than 40 years with the University.

1973 Katherine (Chester) VerWeyst, '73, '79, retired after 14 years as counsel and code revisor with the North Dakota Legislative Council in Bismarck and 24 years as a legal editor with Thomson Reuters in the Twin Cities.

1974 Bruce Gjovig, '74, retired after 33 years as the leader of the UND Center for Innovation.

Wayne Sanstead, '74, has received the Distinguished Service Award from the North Dakota High School Activities Association. Sanstead served nearly 30 years as North Dakota's Superintendent of Public Instruction. During that time, he also served on the Activities Association's board of directors.

1977 Sandi Tabor, '77, '81, has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine. Tabor is the general counsel for KLJ, an engineering firm based in Bismarck, N.D. Tabor is also a member of the EmPower ND Commission, which works on energy policy and strategies for the state.

Dennis Vosgerau, '77, '11, is a validation engineer with Aldevron in Fargo.

1978 William Jahraus, '78, has retired after 47 years of teaching social studies in Grafton, N.D.

1980s Remember when, in

1989, Verna Mahrer, at age 73, was the oldest graduate that spring?

Mahrer drove from Park River, N.D., each day for eight years to earn a degree in history.

1980 Brenda (Collins) Renalls, '80, has retired as the Global Laboratory Manager in 3M's Renewable Energy Division after 36 years.

1982 Jay Bebertin, '82, is president and CEO of CHS Inc., a global energy, grains and foods company based in Inver Grove Heights, Minn.

Dale Lennon, '85, is the athletic director at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. Lennon coached the UND football team from 1999 until 2007.

Julie (Keller) Stavn, '82, has been inducted into the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Stavn has been the girls cross country coach at Century High School in Bismarck, N.D., for 34 years.

She has also coached track and field, swimming and diving, and volleyball in her career.

Daniel Orr, '85, is the acting U.S. Marshal for North Dakota.

He has served as the chief deputy of the U.S. Marshal's North Dakota District since 2010. He will act as U.S. Marshall until the Senate approves President Trump's nominee.

1983 Tom Alef, '83, retired from the FAA in January after working nearly 33 years as an air traffic controller, first in Salt Lake City and then in Chicago.

Janey (Golden) Blanchard, '83, is the superintendent of schools in Chisholm, Minn.

1984 Claudette (Richter) Reno, '84, '88, '92, a clinical psychologist, is a co-owner of Bismarck (N.D.) Psychological Associates.

Melanie (Paulson) Salava, '84, won the prestigious PBS Be More Award for the Tampa Bay, Fla., area. Last year, she walked 30 miles in one day to raise money for the Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation.

Jodie (Shores) Storhaug, '84, is a certified Neonatal Therapist with Altru Health System in Grand Forks.

1985 Peter Haines, '85, is CEO of GPM Inc., in Duluth, Minn. GPM manufactures pumps and other industrial equipment.

1986 Norman Dufault, '86, is chief operations officer with Cole Papers in Fargo.

1987 Chris Fleege, '87, is senior vice president with Minnesota Power. Fleege leads Minnesota Power in the areas of generation, transmission and distribution, customer service and support services. He has held a variety of positions since joining the company in 1991 as a civil engineer.

Beth (Johnson) Helgerson, '87, '94, is an OB/GYN with TriCounty Health Care in Wadena, Minn.

Charles Johnson, '87, is a general manager with AE2S Construction in Fargo.

Gary Petersen, '87, '93, has been appointed to the Community Depository Institutions Advisory Council for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Petersen is the chairman of Cornerstone Bank and Cornerstone Holding Company in Bismarck, N.D. Karrie (Pederson) Rage, '87, is the principal at Kennedy Elementary School in Fargo.

1990s Remember when, in

1990, the CoBPA’s MBA program received accreditation for the first time?

1992 Chad Peterson, '92, is a physical therapist with the Center for Muscle and Joint Therapy in Superior, Wisc.

David Saxberg, '92, '12, is the principal at Century Elementary School in Grand Forks.

Michael Thorson, '92, retired after 24 years as the men's and women’s track and field coach at the University of Mary.

Tanya Wrigley-Lingle, '92, is the Fargo School District's 2017 Administrator of the Year.

Wrigley-Lingle is the principal at Eagles Elementary School.

1993 Thomas Gerhardt, '93, is the director of public affairs in the Bismarck office of North Dakota United, the union that represents teachers and public employees in the state.

Maria Effertz Hanson, '93, is a communications strategist with AE2S Communications. Effertz Hanson will work out of her home office in Velva, N.D., and serve clients in western North Dakota and eastern Montana.

1994 Wayne Kazmierczak, '94, '98, is superintendent for the White Bear Lake Area School District in White Bear Lake, Minn.

ALUMNI

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UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Paul Loraas, '94, has been named a 2017 Minnesota Super Lawyer. Loraas is an attorney with Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith and Frederick in Duluth.

He practices in the areas of lender support, real estate, minerals and mining law.

1995 Jane Kurtz, '95, has written a new book, "Planet Jupiter." Kurtz has written more than 30 books for young readers.

1996 Luke Klefstad, '96, '99, has received the North Dakota Family Based Services Association's Lifetime Membership Award. Klefstad has been with the The Village Family Service Center since 1999.

Jody Olney, '96, '07, a financial advisor with Legacy Financial Partners, a financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. in Bismarck, N.D., recently obtained the certified financial planner certification.

1997 Michelle Anderson, '97, '01, has been appointed as a judge in Minnesota's Sixth District.

Anderson had been working in the St. Louis County Attorney's office.

Mark Roningen, '97, is an area manager in the Bismarck, N.D., office of Spherion Staffing.

1998 Mason Engstrom, '98, is vice president of On Premise-Global, for Ole Smoky Distilling, a

Gamma Phi Beta UND Experience Reunion

Gamma Phi Betas from the late ‘50s attended a summer reunion in Grand Forks which included a stay in their old sorority home.

Those in attendance included (front row, left to right): Barbara (Helgerson) Anderson, ’59; Marlys (Chally) Sorbo, ’59; Gwen (Sette) Schaeffer, ’59; Darlene Bender, ’59; (back row, l to r) Lori Doerr, ’58; Carolyn (Berkland) Myhra, ’59; Marlys (Waldon) Shafer, ’59; Alethe (Olson) Schlaefer, ..’58; and Mariam (Johnson) Donnan, ’59.

42 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Tennessee-based moonshine and whiskey company.

2000 Adam Schmidt, '00, is the head coach of the Mounds View (Minn.) boy's hockey team.

Stephanie (Schott) Myogeto, '98, is a site manager for Goldmark Property 2001 Marianne (Agre) Foldesi, '01, Management in Fargo. is a physician assistant on the primary care team at the Fargo VA 1999 Health Care System.

Joel Bird, '99, wealth advisor with Ameriprise Financial in Karl Goehring, '01, is the goalie Bismarck, N.D., has achieved and video coach for the Syracuse membership in the Million (N.Y.) Crunch, the AHL affiliate Dollar Round Table — The Premier Association of Financial of the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Goehring played for the Crunch Professionals. after his standout time in goal for UND. Leslie (Lapsitis) Bjelde, '99, '01, is the principal at Ben Tiffaney (Kihle) Holm, '01, is Franklin Elementary School in a talent development manager Grand Forks. with Sundog, a Fargo public relations firm.

Jody Fischer, '99, is director of flight operations for Weather Michael Ross, '01, is a master Modification International in data manager support lead Fargo. with Advanced Supply Chain International, LLC in Anchorage, Amy (Luber) Frericks, '99, Alaska. ’02, is an administrative intern for Lincoln Elementary School Dr. Grant Syverson, '01, '05, in Fargo. works at Sanford Broadway Clinic in Fargo. He specializes in Jason Kirchmeier, '99, wealth advisor with Ameriprise pediatric rheumatology.

Financial in Bismarck, N.D., has 2002 achieved membership in the Lindsey (Gallagher) Cramer, Million Dollar Round Table — '02, has opened I WILL Fitness & The Premier Association of Training in Jamestown, N.D. The Financial Professionals. focus of the fitness center is on instructor-led classes.

Chaminda Prelis, '99, '04, is the director of Aviation Michael Herzog, '02, is head Programs at the University of girls golf coach at St. Mary's High Dubuque (Iowa).

School in Bismarck, N.D.

2000s Remember when,

in 2004, the spring commencement address was given by former NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe? The address was highlighted by a live video linkup with the International Space Station.

Heith Janke, '02, is the chief of police in West Fargo.

2003 Tom Fogarty, '03, has been made a partner in Eide Bailly LLP, a certified public accounting and business advisory firm. Fogarty is a certified public accountant who works in the firm's Sioux Falls, S.D., office.

David Hoogsteen, '03, is the director of talent acquisition at Stratasys, a 3D printing and

additive manufacturing solutions company headquartered in Minneapolis.

Meg (Coffey-Lavecchia) Morley, '03, '11, has been named one of the Top 25 Women in Business by Prairie Business magazine. Morley is an attorney with Morley Legal Services LTD. in Grand Forks.

Morley is also a member of Rotary International and is a volunteer with the Community Violence Intervention Center.

Rhonda Schafer McLean, '03, '05, is an OB/GYN with Linton (N.D.) Hospital and Clinics.

2004 Brent Golke, '04, '08, is a web and database developer with Thysse Printing Service in Oregon, Wisc.

Kathryn (Hendrickson) Gray, '04, '14, is a physician assistant with Independent Family Doctors in Fargo.

Jonathan Shilling, '04, is president and CEO of General Equipment and Supplies in Fargo. Shilling has been with the company since 2003, holding roles in sales, service, parts, credit/finance and marketing. He is also a company pilot.

2005 Michael Hurly, '05, has been appointed to a judgeship in the Northeast Judicial District in Rugby, N.D. Kjersti Kittelson, '05, is a manager of contracts and proposals with L3 Commercial Training Solutions in Burnsville, Minn.

Michael Kjelshus, '05, is an ag and business banker at the Grand Forks sales office of American Federal Bank.

Josh Klug, '05, '07, is a commercial banking relationship manager for U.S. Bank in Grand Forks.

2006 Nathan Holewa, '06, is a mechanical engineer with Halberg Engineering in Duluth, Minn.

2009 Spencer Bauer, '09, is a manager with CoreLink Administrative Solutions in Fargo.

Tara (Hodny) Lacher, '06, is a medical records coordinator with Dakota Eye Institute in Bismarck, N.D.

Amy Oster, '09, is the assistant city attorney for Mandan, N.D. Oster is a partner in Crowley Fleck PLLP.

Leif Mattson, '06, is head boys hockey coach at Mandan (N.D.) High School.

Leah Schothorst, '09, is a content and social media strategist with Flint Group in Fargo.

Carise (Bork) O'Connell, '06, is a product manager with Best Buy at the company's headquarters in the Twin Cities.

2010s Remember when, in

Miriam (Brusven) Troitte, '06, '09, is an associate vice president/operations officer with Cornerstone Bank in Fargo.

2012, UND celebrated 30 years of the Women and Gender Studies program?

2007 Grant Bouley, '07, is a home mortgage consultant with Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck.

2010 Scott Boeser, '10, is a learning solutions architect with Management Concepts Inc. in Vienna, Va.

Joseph Elsberry, '07, is an outreach coordinator with Great Plains Food Bank in Bismarck, N.D. Jordan Grasser, '07, '08, is an operations manager in the Grand Forks office of AE2S.

Matthew Brown, '10, '12, is a system administrator with SUNY-Upstate Medical University in Syracuse, N.Y.

Amy (Holm) Lindquist, '07, is a marketing associate with Park Co. Realtors in Fargo.

Daniel Dixon, '10, is an orthopaedic spine surgeon with The Bone & Joint Center, which offers services in Bismarck, Minot and Williston, N.D.

2008 Rebecca Larson, '08, is manager of Sixth Floor Medical Surgery for Altru Health System of Grand Forks.

Scott Faehnrich, '10, has joined the North Dakota Insurance Reserve Fund in Bismarck, N.D., as an outside claims adjuster.

Jonathan Rentz, '08, is a relationship manager with Alerus in Grand Forks.

Joseph Field, '10, has authored the fictional thriller "Black Gold in North Dakota," a sequel to his debut book "Brown Sugar in Minnesota."

The books' protagonist is Cooper Smith, a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio.

Jerad Suess, '08, has been made a partner in Eide Bailly LLP, a regional certified public accounting and business advisory firm. Suess works in the firm's Williston, N.D., office and specializes in the needs of the oil and gas industry.

Scott Gavett, '10, '12, is a senior electrical design engineer with Banner Engineering in Plymouth, Minn.

Delrae (Becker) Haag, '10, is a chemist with AbbVie, a biopharmaceutical company with corporate headquarters in North Chicago, Ill. Alan Johnson, '10, is a physician assistant in Emergency Medicine at Regions Hospital in Olivia, Minn.

Travis Jung, '10, '13, is an associate attorney with Gjesdahl Law in Fargo. His practice focuses on estate planning, probate matters and elder law.

2011 Mallory Blumer, '11, is the head of integrated marketing and demand generation for Stackla in San Francisco.

Ryan Geltel, '11, is a member of the board of directors for the American State Bank & Trust Company of Williston. Geltel is a partner in the MacMaster Geltel and Siewert Law Firm in Williston, N.D. Holly (Forsness) Gruhlke, '11, was named Educator of the Year by her colleagues at Dickinson (N.D.) State University, where she is the chair of the Department of Business & Management and an Assistant Professor of Business.

Cody Klug, '11, has joined Liberty Business Systems in Fargo as a sales associate.

Jay Phillippi, '11, has joined the North Dakota Collaborative Divorce Group. Phillippi is a staff psychologist at the VA Medical Center in Fargo and has a private practice.

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UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

Anna (Van Erem) Schlecht, '11, has founded Zen BabyZzz Sleep Consulting, a company that aims to improve the sleep of infants and toddlers.

The company is based in Wimbledon, N.D., and offers services throughout North Dakota. Schlecht is a certified Sleep Sense consultant and a certified infant massage instructor.

Andrew Weiss, '11, is an associate attorney with Sadowsky and Wild in Bowman, N.D. 2012 Casey (Hodgin) Andrews, '12, is a physical therapist with Apex Physical Therapy & Wellness Center in Jamestown, N.D.

Bledsoe was a three-year starter and a Minnesota Mr. Basketball finalist for DeLaSalle.

He graduated from the school in 2005. He was a team captain and scored more than 1,000 points at UND. Keely Goter, '12, is a dentist with Joy Dental Design in Hazen, N.D. Jeff Harrie, '12, is a dentist with Designer Smiles in Fargo.

Along with general and cosmetic dentistry, his areas of interest include implants and sedation dentistry.

Pierre-Paul Lamoureux, '12, '15, is an associate head coach with the Fargo Force junior hockey team.

Travis Bledsoe, '12, is the boys' basketball coach at DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis.

Mark Laraway, '12, '16, is a physical therapist with Orthopedic & Sports Physical Therapy Inc. in Breckenridge, Minn.

Andrew Rodenburg, '13, is an ophthalmologist with Dakota Eye Institute in Bismarck.

Suksimaran Singh, '13, is a biomanufacturing operator with Aldevron in Fargo.

Jessika Myers, '12, is a financial analyst with Hilco Global in Boston.

Nic Wagner, '13, is a business banking relationship manager for the Northeastern North Dakota region for U.S. Bank in Grand Forks.

2013 Elise (Brunelle) Demarais, '13, is a benefits specialist with CoreLink in Fargo.

Michael Raich, '13, is a board member of Minnesota Diversified Industries, a nonprofit social enterprise that serves people with or without disabilities by offering inclusive employment opportunities and services. Raich is the provost of Hibbing Community College.

2014 Wade Davison, '14, is an associate attorney with Bakke Grinolds and Wiederholt in Bismarck, N.D. Demi DeYoung, '14, is a Specialty Pharmaceutical Sales Representative with AstraZeneca.

Love UND?

Carry the card that supports the UND Alumni Association. Earn 1 reward point per $1 spent on eligible net purchases1 and start redeeming at just 1,500 points! Plus, with every eligible net purchase, money goes back to the UND Alumni Association & Foundation!

There are two different UND Visa cards: the UND Visa SignatureÂŽ Card and the UND Select Rewards VisaÂŽ Card. You will first be considered for the Signature Card. If you do not qualify for the Signature Card, you will be considered for the Select Rewards Card. These cards have different terms set forth at usbank.com/UNDVisaTerms. The Select Rewards Card may not offer the same Visa Signature Benefits.

Apply today!

Visit: usbank.com/UND94125 Call: 888-327-2265 ext. 94125

Points earned on eligible net purchases (purchases minus credit and returns). Account must be open and in good standing to earn and redeem rewards and benefits. Upon approval please refer to your Rewards Program Rules for additional information.

1

The creditor and issuer of the UND Visa Card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc.

Anna (Flaten) Dyk, '14, is an occupational therapist with Pediatric Therapy Partners in Fargo.

Travis Farhar, '14, a certified physician assistant, has been awarded a Certificate of Added Qualifications from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. He is employed at Orthopaedic Associates in Evansville, Ind. Haley Hand, '14, is a senior benefits implementation manager with Discovery Benefits in Fargo.

Noah Mithrush, '14, is director of marketing for Evisions Inc. in Irvine, Calif.

Heidi (Johnson) Nielsen, '14, is a physical therapist with Mountrail County Medical Center in Stanley, N.D.

Melissa Olson, '14, is a family group decision-making facilitator with The Village Family Service Center. Olson will serve the Grand Forks and Devils Lake areas.

Callie Ronkowski, '14, '16, is Director of Business Development with WINNERSEDGE Consulting in Minneapolis.

2015 Noah Helgerson, '15, is a physical therapist with Northern Star Therapy in St. Cloud, Minn.

Brianna Jallo, '15, is a speech language pathologist with Pediatric Therapy Partners in Fargo.

Sarah Jordan, '15, is principal of Sunrise Elementary School in Bismarck, N.D.

Mason Mongeon, '15, is an associate casting director with Bunim Murray Productions in Los Angeles.

Matt Koken, '16, is an on-air promotions/programming assistant with Fox Sports in the Twin Cities.

Katie Ronkowski, '15, is a personal banker with Bank Forward in Grand Forks.

Celine Marx, '16, is a customer service representative with Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck, N.D.

Eric Weller, '15, is a civil engineer with Karvakko, P.A. in Bemidji, Minn.

Keaton Wolf, '15, is a service sales executive with Corporate Technologies in Fargo.

2016 Cindy Cogsdell, '16, is a member service representative at Northern Valley Federal Credit Union in Grand Forks.

Jared Hoff, '16, is the principal of Lisbon (N.D.) Middle School.

Matthew Menge, '16, is an associate attorney at Stebbins Mulloy Law Firm in Bismarck, N.D. Jared Vigen, '16, is an accountant with Vigen Construction, Inc. in East Grand Forks. 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.

ADDITIONS 1

Tucker Scott Freund was born November 18, 2016, to Danny Freund, ’08, ’11, and Ann (Arnason) Freund, ’11. The family, including big sister Jocelyn, lives in Grand Forks.

2

Sharra Pfeifer, ’11, and Nicholas Lang are the proud parents of Khloe Rae Lang, born February 23, 2017. The family lives in Bismarck, N.D.

3

Grady Norman Bonewell was born June 14, 2016, to Michael Bonewell, ’12, and Kayla (Hardy) Bonewell, ’14. They live in Grand Forks.

4

Sloane Everly Albaugh was born October 26, 2016, to Nathan Albaugh, ’09, and Jennifer (Keller) Albaugh, ’09, ’12. The family, along with big brother Hudson, lives in Fargo.

5

Sam Horak, ’09, and Ashley (Enerson) Horak, ’08, of Lakeville, Minn., are the proud parents of Mabel Grace Horak, born March 30, 2017. Mabel joins big brother, Carter, and sister, Rory.

6

James Francis was born on February 15, 2017, to Kelli (Erickson) Berry, ‘03, and husband, Neal. The Berrys live in Portland.

7

Ezekiel Owen was born August 23, 2016, to Jessica and Erik Larson, ’07. They currently reside in Fargo.

CELEBRATIONS 8

Karl Vigstol, ’04, and Danielle McWalter were married on September 10, 2016, in Little Falls, Minn. The couple lives in East Grand Forks. Karl is in sales with John Deere and Danielle is a teacher.

9

Tesa Hill, ’15, and Dan Halter, ’15, married on November 19, 2016, in Destin, Fla. Both are graduates of UND's Commercial Aviation program and currently fly for SkyWest Airlines.

10

Alisha (Larson) Lawson, ’05, ’10 and Brandon Lawson were married on August 4, 2017, in Minneapolis, Minn.

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!

46 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

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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.

Photo: Sam Melquist

1930s

Eleanore Langer, ’36, Casselton, N.D.

1940s

William Allen, ..’42, Walnut Creek, Calif.

Roger Crowell, ’43, Niagara Falls, N.Y. Charles Groves, ’43, Coral Springs, Fla. Donald Strand, MD, ’43, ’44, Lighthouse Point, Fla. Enid (Waydeman) Euno, ’44, Rockford, Ill. Ruth Petit, ’45, Modesto, Calif.

Cleo (Sorbo) Stenseth, ’45, Grand Forks Dr. Thomas Amberry, ..’46, Seal Beach, Calif.

Glen Everson, ’46, Sierra Vista, Ariz.

Helen (Hedin) Foughty, ’46, Devils Lake, N.D. Jack Cronquist, ..’47, Mesa, Ariz.

Beth (James) DeLano, ..’47, Northwood, N.D. Leo Martin, ’47, Oxnard, Calif.

The Honorable Vernon Pederson, ’47, ’49, ’69, Lakeville, Minn.

Dr. Francis Rosenberg, ..’47, Harlowton, Mont.

JoAnn (Tooley) Nelson, ’48, Bottineau, N.D. Alton Rau, ..’48, Linton, N.D. Thomas Scully, ..’48, Bloomington, Minn.

Ina (Malde) Squires, ’48, Wolf Point, Mont.

Phyllis (Indridson) Nedrud, ’49, Melbourne, Fla. Robert Paulson, ’49, Eugene, Ore.

1950s

Randall Bakken, ’50, Fargo Marlin Krenz, MD, ’50, ’52, Muskegon, Mich.

Donald Nelson, ’50, Huron, Ohio Maynard Nelson, ’50, Lakota, N.D. Donald Casement, ’51, Bemidji, Minn.

Paul Ellefson, ’51, Mesa, Ariz.

Margaret (Haugen) Garrett, ’51, Fair Oaks, Calif.

Mary (Matchie) Keyes, ..’51, Minneapolis Lois (Olsen) Kinney, ’51, Manvel, N.D. Donald Lindgren, ..’51, Grand Forks Curtis Pierce, ’51, Benson, Minn.

Dr. Gordon York, ’51, ’58, ’73, Grand Forks Winton E Bakke, ’52, Severna Park, Md. Otto Baumann, MD, ’52, Issaquah, Wash.

Lt. Col. Wesley Collins, ..’52, Haltom City, Texas

48 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Robert Morrow, ..’52, Spokane, Wash.

Miles Smart, ’52, Minneapolis Charles Stephens, ’52, Red Lake Falls, Minn.

Muriel (Einarson) Brandenburg, ’53, Medford, Ore. Ludmilla (Braxmeier) Cole, ’53, Rolla, Mo. Franklin Hackenberg, ’53, Silver Spring, Md. John Nepper, ’53, Omaha, Neb. Conrad Stai, ’53, Montevideo, Minn.

Donald Colbert, ’54, Houston Harold Nordness, ’54, Birmingham, Ala. Ruth (Nelson) Pedersen, ’54, Northwood, N.D. Norman Arneson, ’55, Park Rapids, Minn.

Ben Cherski, ’55, Nipomo, Calif.

Phyllis (Haugen) Loder, ’55, Grand Forks Dr. Gerald Norberg, ’55, ’70, Valley City, N.D. Beverly (Preusse) O’Connor, ..’55, Minnetonka, Minn.

Gordon Olson, ..’55, Sun City, Ariz.

Herbert Potter, Jr, ’55, Rockford, Ill. Robert Anderson, ’56, Minneapolis Dallas Bjerke, ’56, Bloomington, Minn.

Robert Lord, ..’56, Cando, N.D. Dr. Donald Lowe, ’56, Houston Connie Short McDonald, ’56, Colleyville, Texas Patrick O’Keefe, ’56, Emeryville, Calif.

Allan Babinski, ..’57, Minto, N.D. Dr. John Bernet, ’57, Fairbanks, Alaska Al Flaten, Jr.’57, ’61, Sun City Center, Fla. Thomas Gretter, MD, ’57, ’58, Cleveland Donald Tang, ’57, ’61, Murrieta, Calif.

Wesley Williams, ’57, Excelsior, Minn.

Ronald Beyers, ’58, Celina, Ohio James Bilden, ..’58, East Grand Forks, Minn.

Matthew Butler, ’58, Fargo Moody Farhart, ’58, ’59, Phoenix, Ariz.

Delton Gehring, MD, ’58, ’59, ’65, Davenport, Iowa John Gruden, ’58, Alpena, Mich.

Richard Hentges, ’58, Fargo Jack Kelly, ’58, Bloomington, Minn.

Kenneth Schnell, ’58, Houston Harlen Skavlem, ..’58, Tacoma, Wash.

Maurice Theroux, ’58, Eagan, Minn.

Peter Gilles, ’59, Underwood, Minn.

Dr. David Johnson, ’59, ’61, Carbondale, Ill. Michael Mahoney, ..’59, Grand Forks Kenneth Stelzmiller, ’59, Culbertson, Mont.

1960s

Lyle Foster, ’60, Brainerd, Minn.

Edwin Mellstrom, ’60, Mankato, Minn.

Thomas Murtha, ..’60, Dickinson, N.D. Gloria (McLeod) Sand, ..’60, Cambridge, Minn.

Ronald Ellingson, ’61, Thief River Falls, Minn.

Charles Graveline, ’61, Naperville, Ill. Dean Johnson, ’61, Belleair Bluffs, Fla. A. Wayne Melby, ’61, Alexandria, Minn.

Richard Pearson, MD, ’61, ’65, Bentonville, Ark. Dr. Eddie Brown, ’62, Port Huron, Mich.

Harry Franta, ’62, Salt Lake City Raymond Herman, ’62, ’64, Rosemount, Minn.

Dr. Dean Hillman, ’62, ’64, Manhasset, N.Y. Carol (Vaag) Johnson, ..’62, Sierra Vista, Ariz.

Cherlene (Ternes) Kelsch, ..’62, Bismarck Nancy (Hancock) Park, ..’62, Baldwin, Wis. Suzan (Webster) Rieke, ’62, Auburn, Ind. Gerald Duffy, ’63, Bloomington, Minn.

Dr. Michael Harris, ’63, Lexington, Ky. Barbara (Thompson) Olien, ’63, Mott, N.D. Gary Paulsen, ..’63, Fargo Norman Sage, ’63, ’64, Chicago Minnie (Hill) Smith, ’63, Valentine, Neb. Dorian Cordes, MD, ’64, Tucson, Ariz.

David Downs, ’64, Boise, Idaho John Geston, ’64, Bismarck Patricia (Fjalstad) Lane, ..’64, San Diego Dudley Otto, ’64, Owatonna, Minn.

Robert Belt, ..’65, Manvel, N.D. Neil Fleming, ’65, ’68, Cavalier, N.D. Mary (Monley) Fontaine, ’65, Newport, Wash.

Bonnie (Flach) Michaelson, ’65, ’73, Grand Forks William Milne, ’65, ’66, Minneapolis George Perry, ’65, River Falls, Wis. Bill Thorndal, ’65, Laurel, Mont.

Janet Urlaub, ’65, Wenatchee, Wash.

Joseph Dekker, ..’66, Finley, N.D. Rick Ettl, ..’66, Grand Forks George Osland, MD, ’66, ’68, Minneapolis Douglas Rerick, ’66, Grand Forks Shou-Yih Jean, ’67, Skokie, Ill. Donald Jorgensen, ’67, ’70, Bismarck William Reynolds, ’67, Lodi, Calif.

Steven Gregor, ..’68, Cooperstown, N.D. John Holter, ’68, Williston, N.D. Luella (Dockter) Boyer, ’69, Grand Forks Kenneth Ganzer, ’69, Phoenix, Ariz.

Christine Roszkowski, ’69, Bismarck Ronald Sandlie, ’69, Grand Forks

1970s

Gerald Baumann, ’70, Pine, Ariz.

Dennis Carter, ’70, Mandan, N.D. Elizabeth Stephan Dirlam, ’70, Baxter, Minn.

Dr. Douglas Hahn, ’70, ’72, ’74, White, Ga. Gordon Johnson, ’70, Grand Forks Thomas Keogh, ’70, Grand Forks Helen Leone (Flem) Rodningen, ’70, ’72, Grand Forks Barbara (Aslakson) Short, ’70, Fisher, Minn.

Patrick Uhrich, ..’70, Grand Forks Keith Bittenbinder, ’71, Stephenville, Texas Dennis Davidson, ..’71, Grand Forks Rudolph Majerle, ..’71, Esko, Minn.

Craig Murie, ..’71, Fargo Norma Schulz, ’71, Monument, Colo.

Dean Serr, ’71, Minot, N.D. Robert Van Dyken, MD, ’71, Wisconsin Rapids, Wis. Warren Albrecht, Jr.’72, Fargo Loretta (Swisher) Arneson, ’72, Park Rapids, Minn.

Suzanne DeLaPointe, ’72, Minneapolis Janice Charging Kerzmann, ’72, Garrison, N.D. Roger Veum, ’72, Gilbert, Ariz.

Vicki (Jorgenson) Flagg, ’73, ’83, Bismarck Gary Hanson, ’73, Ravenna, Ohio Beatrice Quill, ’73, Bismarck Carl Jensen, ’74, ’78, Minot, N.D. Marvin Naas, ’74, Devils Lake, N.D. John Sand, ..’74, Ellendale, N.D. Kay (Enno) Bercier, ’75, Belcourt, N.D. Rodney Iverson, ’75, Blooming Prairie, Minn.

John Klapp, ’75, Correctionville, Iowa

Joe Dickinson, ’76, Houston Dr. Dean Hermanson, ’76, ’83, ’95, Scottsdale, Ariz.

Michael McMorrow, ’76, Houston James Toso, ’76, Devils Lake, N.D. Kathleen Rutherford, ..’77, San Antonio, Texas Randy Slais, ’77, Watford City, N.D. Dr. Lori Kirschenmann, ’78, Osseo, Minn.

Gary Nupdal, ’78, ’81, Grand Forks Cynthia Rubbelke, (Smith) ’78, ’79, Minot, N.D. Mark Zacher, ’78, Rapid City, S.D.

2000s

1980s

Roy Brown, Grand Forks Randy Danner, Edina, Minn.

Marjorie (Keiser) Hagen, Grand Forks Charles Robertson, Grand Forks Thomas Robinson, Grand Forks Mildred (Trageton) Rudrud, Grand Forks Pamella (Schneider) West, Thompson, N.D.

Joyce Freuden, ’80, Farmington, N.M. Ronald Kanarr, ..’80, Fargo Audrey Nygaard, ’80, Austin, Texas Larry Stammen, ..’80, Grand Forks Orpha (Wahl) Bertsch, ..’81, Jamestown, N.D. J. Timothy Butler, ’81, Apple Valley, Minn.

Stephen Mulholland, ’81, Duluth, Minn.

Sherry Neal, ..’81, Minneapolis Barbara Ann Poitra, ..’81, Trenton, N.D. Pat Anderson, ’82, Minneapolis David Bowen, ..’82, Grand Forks Theodore Redlaczyk, ’82, Bella Vista, Ark. John Farris, MD, ’83, Tahlequah, Okla.

Darlene (Pich) Kovarik, ’85, Grand Forks Mechele Peterson, MD, ’86, ’91, Aberdeen, S.D. William Kowalski, ’87, Round Lake Beach, Ill. Shirley Stein, (Tatley) ’87, Devils Lake, N.D. John Kriegl, ’88, Woodbury, Minn.

Rev. Sandra (McCrowell) Rushing, ’88, Lexington, Va. Peggy Zogg Lengemann, ’89, Cedar Rapids, Iowa

1990s

Donna Haman, ’90, Broomfield, Colo.

Julie Johnson, (Borud) ’90, Grand Forks Robert Lunski, ’90, Grafton, N.D. Ryan Frost, ’94, Dell Rapids, S.D. Ryan Schaner, ’94, Austin, Texas Mark Farrell, ’96, Williamsburg, Va. Erika Bozich, (Larson) ’97, Grand Forks Beth (Innes) Johnson, ’97, West Fargo, N.D. Michael Marek, ’99, Clover, S.C.

Scott Vaupel, ’01, Shakopee, Minn.

Karla (Wynne) Grimes, ’03, Fisher, Minn.

Jayson Haugen, ’06, Bismarck Allison (Berg) Moline, ’06, Rockford, Minn.

Amy (Lewton) Shape, ’06, Litchville, N.D.

2010s

Jesse Economy, ..’17, Langdon, N.D.

Faculty/Staff

Friends

Beverly Bentz, Lodi, Calif.

LLoyd Boldt, Bismarck Donald Clute, Wahpeton, N.D. William Couchigian, Grand Forks Allen Eide, Mesa, Ariz.

Margaret (Morken) Ellertson, West Fargo, N.D. Kenneth Klabunde, Manhattan, Kan. Anita (Peterson) Larson, Fargo Glenn Larson, Fordville, N.D. Adelaide (Brakke) MacMillan, Fargo Norman Mandt, Northwood, N.D. Mary (McGurran) Molenaar, Grand Forks Shirley (Okeson) Myrvik, Edmore, N.D. Olga (Dorr) Neal, Grand Forks Ulla (Forsell) Olson, East Grand Forks, Minn.

William Purcell, Kent, Wash.

James Ray, Naples, Fla. Lorraine (Dech) Rudow, Brainerd, Minn.

Diane (Tway) Severson, Fairfax, Va. Helen (Freestad) Skavlem, Grand Forks Marion (Everson) Smith, Grand Forks Bertha (Deschamp) Thompson, Grand Forks

UNDalumni.org | 49

THE

wrap

TIDBITS, NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE UND AA&F

Spring 2017

INSIDE: UND alumna competes on NBC's "The Voice." p. 10

WHO BELIEVED IN YOU?

Former Alumni Association Executive Director and Foundation CEO Earl Strinden saw something in DeAnna Carlson Zink in 1986 and, 30 years later, she leads the organization P. 6

Find the Flame Successful Champions Ball

Thanks to the generosity of sponsors and guests, nearly $300,000 was raised to support University of North Dakota student-athletes at the North Dakota Champions Ball in April.

Held every two years, the Champions Ball is the largest single fundraiser for University of North Dakota Athletics and supports student-athlete scholarships.

More than 700 guests bid on 85 silent and 13 live auction items ranging from handcrafted, one-of-a-kind UND gear to destination vacations.

“Above all, the Champions Ball is a great way for fans of UND Athletics to directly make a huge impact on our student-athletes,” said DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CEO of the Alumni Association & Foundation. “Every time we have the pleasure of hosting the Champions Ball, seeing the passion of our fans, alumni, coaches, and student-athletes amazes and inspires me.”

50 | Alumni Review Fall 2017

Strinden Center Torn Down

The former home of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation had a date with the wrecking ball (or more accurately the wrecking backhoe) this summer.

The building, once a church, was the first of eight aging UND-owned structures demolished in order to reduce maintenance costs and right-size the University.

The Alumni Association & Foundation moved into the new Gorecki Alumni Center five years ago. The Strinden Center has been used sporadically as temporary office space since then.

The Find the Flame contest from the spring issue generated plenty of correct answers from our eagle-eyed readers.

Nearly 125 readers found the flame on the zipper pull of DeAnna’s green jacket (see above).

Our three winners, whose names were drawn at random from the correct entries, are Sue Bernard, Jessica Reule and Jerri Oines.

They will receive a prize package from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

Thanks for playing, and look for the hidden flame on the cover of this issue for your chance to win!

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UND Promise Scholarship Program We’ll match your gift! Learn how at UNDalumni.org/promise.

Act today!

Your impact will multiply if you make a gift before December 31, 2017.

Contact Development at 701.777.2611 or giftplanning@UNDfoundation.org to learn more.