The Honors Program at Minnesota State University, Mankato is proud to host the 2015
Upper Midwest Regional Honors Conference. The theme of this year’s conference is
“Confluence and Conflict.” Though the conference organizers encourage proposals about
all topics, proposals that engage this theme will be especially welcome. Minnesota State
Mankato faculty members Dr. Shannon Fisher (Director of the Water Resources Center)
and Dr. Gwen Westerman (English and Humanities) will give public lectures on the
regional river systems and Dakota culture and history, respectively.
Located at the confluence of the Blue Earth and Minnesota Rivers, Mankato has a long
history of peoples coming together to exchange goods, resources, and ideas. The Dakota
called the region home, and French fur traders first visited in the early eighteenth century.
The nineteenth century witnessed a series of treaties and conflicts between settlers and
the Dakota which eventually erupted into the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862. In the wake of
the war, the Dakota were expelled from their lands, and the region received an influx of
settlers. The modern metropolitan area has since developed as a significant economic,
education, and health care hub for southern Minnesota and Northern Iowa.
Join us for the 2015 UMRHC and visit the city that Sinclair Lewis once described in
Main Street (1920) as “New England reborn.” Mankato is centrally located within the
Upper Midwest Region, with easy access to major interstates and state highways. The
city is 78 miles southwest of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
Please see the reverse side for logistical information.
When: The event will take place on March 26 – 28, 2015.
Where: Centennial Student Union at Minnesota State University, Mankato
Hotel Information: We have reserved hotel rooms at the following locations:
Hotel
AmericInn
Hotel &
Conference
Center
Hilton Garden
Inn
Mankato City
Center Hotel
Phone
(507) 345-8011
Address
240 Stadium
Road
Price
$89.99
Rooms
60
(507) 344-1111
20 Civic Center
Plaza
101 E Main St.
$104.00
40
$110.00
30
(507) 345-1234
The AmericInn is within walking distance of the university campus. The Hilton and City
Center options require transportation to and from campus. We are working to make city
and/or campus transit accessible for you.
Website: We will develop a specific tab on our website for the 2015 UMRHC. In the
meantime, please feel free to explore the Honors Program website at:
http://www.mnsu.edu/honors/.
Contact Information: Contact us at any time with questions regarding next year’s
conference. We look forward to seeing you in Mankato!
Dr. Christopher R. Corley
Honors Program Director
christopher.corley@mnsu.edu
(507) 389-6374
Ginny Walters, M.Ed.
Honors Program Assistant Director
giovanna.walters@mnsu.edu
(507) 389-1262
We would like to thank our conference sponsors for dedicating funds and resources
to make UMRHC 2015 a success!