Winter 2015
INSIDE: Look for a special Arts & Sciences section starting on page 18.
THE KELLEY
YEARS
A look back at the tenure of UND’s 11th
president as Robert and Marcia Kelley
prepare to leave Grand Forks.
P. 6
ts
ten
con
departments
Farewell to the Kelleys.
34 What’s New
News from around campus.
46 UND Proud
Points of pride on the
UND campus.
20 When Galaxies Collide
56 Alumni News
Who’s doing what: News
about your fellow classmates.
A UND professor and his students
have begun an investigation of
universal importance. 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.
e
m the
ALUMNI REVIEW | VOL. 98 NO. 4 | WINTER 2015
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12 Th from uenc cky Ja
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64 In Memoriam
6
Sasha Heath, ‘05, focused on a liberal
arts education before taking to the skies.
22 Alumni Spotlight
a&s
2 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
4 Message from DeAnna
CEO
DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86
Editor
Milo Smith
Associate Editor
Alyssa Konickson, ’06
Designers
Sam Melquist
Sophia Lawler
Contributing Writers
Chuck Haga, ‘76, ‘78
Alyssa Konickson, ’06
David Dodds, ’88
Milo Smith
Carrie Sandstrom
Peter B. Johnson, ’81, ‘82
Emily Aasand, ‘14
Craig Garaas-Johnson
Be the Impact
Contributing Photography
Jackie Lorentz
Milo Smith
Shawna Noel Schill, ’06
Craig Garaas-Johnson
UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Chair
Jody Feragen, ’78
Vice Chair
Doug Podolak, ’72;
Directors: Dean Beckstead, ‘65; Cindy Blikre,
‘91; Steve Burian, ’90, ’92; Marc Chorney, ’81; Kris
Compton, ’77; Sara Garland, ‘68, ‘72; Phil Gisi, ‘82;
Dr. John Gray, ‘87; Marten Hoekstra, ‘82; Chuck
Kluenker; Linda Laskowski, ’72, ’73; Rick Lee,
‘78; Doug Mark, ’86; Rob Mitchell, ‘74; Jennifer
Neppel, ’86; Carrie McIntyre Panetta, ’88; Fernanda
Philbrick, ’94, ‘96; Cathy Rydell, ’88; Lisa Wheeler,
’75, ’82; and Terri Zimmerman, ’85.
Ex Officio: Laura Block, ’81, ’10; Alice Brekke, ’79,
’87; Robert O. Kelley; DeAnna Carlson Zink, ‘86;
Tom DiLorenzo; Lori Reesor; Susan Walton and Dr.
Joshua Wynne.
The University of North Dakota Alumni Review
(USPS 018089: ISSN 0895-5409) is published
quarterly by the University of North Dakota
Alumni Association, 3501 University Avenue, Stop
8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157.
Periodical postage paid at Grand Forks, ND 58201
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For inquiries about advertising, additional copies,
reprints, submissions, or general comments,
contact 800.543.8764, 701.777.0831 or
alumnireview@undalumni.net.
48 A Quarter-Century of Support
Celebrating 25 years of the Champions Club.
By Alyssa Konickson
50 Meet a Student
Tatiana Hamilton is one of the many
students impacted by the generosity
of alumni and friends of UND.
www.UNDalumni.org | 3
DEANNA’S
END OF AN ERA
letter
Dear Alumni & Friends,
END OF AN ERA
Bob and Marcia Kelley will celebrate
their final holiday season in the President’s
home this month. It will be a peaceful time
before the hustle and bustle of moving
following President Kelley’s last day in
mid-January.
It has been my privilege to work very
closely with Bob and Marcia since they
arrived on campus in 2008. They have
been great partners in our quest to foster
connections, inspire generosity and advance
the University.
President Kelley deserves credit for
helping cultivate some very high profile
gifts, especially for the Collaborative Energy
Complex, Petroleum Engineering and
Geology. Bob and Marcia have been strong
team players across the University and with
our alumni and friends. He is great at talking
about all the exceptional things happening
at UND and explaining how private support
improves the student experience. Part
of improving the student experience is
providing them new facilities. During the
past two years under Bob’s leadership, the
University has undergone $200 million
worth of renovation and new construction.
And the Kelleys have truly enjoyed
working with students and helping find
ways to improve their lives. They have forged
terrific relationships with students over the
years. Some of their interactions are very
public like attending games or playing
in the Pride of the North band or Marcia
taking pottery classes and teaching classes
within the College of Arts & Sciences; others
happen privately as when the Kelleys hosted
4 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
students in their home for dinner.
One of the most impactful stories
I’ve heard came from one of our female
student-athletes who came to UND from a
small town halfway across the country. She
says it was difficult and she felt very alone
at the beginning. But then she met Bob and
Marcia and they were so welcoming and so
interested in her and concerned about her.
She said she never felt alone after that and
she thought it was so wonderful to see the
Kelleys in the stands during games.
Thank you Bob and Marcia, for your
leadership and for making a difference at the
University of North Dakota.
1969 graduate of this great University, but
he received an honorary degree in 2008 and
was named a recipient of the Sioux Award
in 2009. Ed also served on the UND Alumni
Association & Foundation Board of Directors.
In addition to eight years as governor of
the great state of North Dakota, Ed also
served as U.S. Secretary of Agriculture in
2008. He is an outstanding North Dakotan
and is the right person to guide UND
during this interim period. We look forward
to welcoming Ed and Nancy to the UND
campus in this new role.
Welcome home, Ed and Nancy! We look
forward to working with you.
A New Beginning
Presidential Search
As we bid farewell to the Kelleys, I am
excited about the groundwork they have put
in place to take UND to even greater heights.
As we await the naming and arrival of a new
president on campus, I’m pleased to be able
to work with former Governor Ed Schafer,
who has been appointed to the presidency
of UND during the interim. Ed is not only a
As Ed takes over in the interim,
a committee headed by College of
Engineering and Mines Dean Hesham
El-Rewini and attorney Grant Shaft, ’86, is
deep into the process of finding UND’s
next president. Several alumni serve on
the committee and I have the greatest
confidence that they will forward a list of
President Kelley and DeAnna Carlson Zink
pose with Young Alumni Achievement Award
recipients Kayla Kleven, ‘05, ‘07, and
Greg Pinski, ‘96, during Homecoming 2015.
Photo: Shawna Schill
highly qualified candidates for final selection
by the State Board of Higher Education. As
UND starts building the pool of applicants,
we invite you to be actively engaged in the
search as well. You might want to make
potential applicants aware of this great
opportunity and you may also send in
names of people that you’d like the search
firm to contact. UND has established a
search website, www.und.edu/presidentsearch, to keep everyone updated on the
process. We will also continue to keep you
updated on the search on our website at
undalumni.org.
Nickname
As you have most likely heard, UND
announced on November 18 that UND’s
new nickname will be Fighting Hawks. We
greatly appreciate alumni participation in
this process: whether it was as a committee
member, sharing your thoughts and
comments, or casting a vote for the new
nickname.
For many of our alumni, the end of the
Fighting Sioux name is a painful time. As
a 1986 alumnus and a long-time member
of the Alumni Association and Foundation
team, I have spent many years cheering for
the Fighting Sioux. I share your pain. We will
continue to honor and respect our legacy as
the Flickertails and the Fighting Sioux as we
now create new traditions together as the
Fighting Hawks.
always happy to spend time visiting with
our alumni and friends, especially during the
holiday season when warm memories help
chase away the chill of winter.
Here’s hoping you will enjoy the
company of friends and family this holiday
season.
Sincerely,
Homecoming
As I look back at the fun time had by all
during Homecoming 2015, I can’t help but
be excited for next year when we’ll celebrate
the 100th anniversary of the very first UND
Homecoming! Just think of everything that
has changed since the first time alumni
were invited to return for Homecoming in
1916! We have some special events planned
to celebrate this milestone, so mark your
calendars and plan on returning to campus
October 10-15, 2016.
Of course, you are welcome to stop by
your alumni home on campus, the Gorecki
Alumni Center, any time of the year. We are
DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CFRE
UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO
E-mail: deannac@UNDfoundation.org
www.UNDalumni.org | 5
FEATURE
story
THE KELLEY YEARS
y
e
ll
e
K YEARS
THE
President Robert Kelley reflects on his time as
the head of the state’s flagship university.
By Chuck Haga, ’76, ‘78
Photos by Shawna Noel Schill, ’06
6 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
I
n his inaugural address as the University of North
Dakota’s 11th president, Dr. Robert Kelley spoke of
reading about William Blackburn, the first president,
who lasted only a year after squabbling with faculty,
staff and regents.
The lesson he took from Blackburn’s experience more than
130 years ago? “Listen to your faculty and staff,” Kelley said in 2008.
“Respect the core academic values and abilities that are vested in
them and their roles in the university. They have a dedication and
commitment to learning and to the university that exceeds your
authority.”
As his January 14 retirement approaches, Kelley was
reminded of those remarks, and was asked how he thought he
measured up.
“I think I’ve earned an A in that category,” he said.
Governing
His administration has worked toward “shared governance”
with faculty and staff, he said, better defining the roles of the
senates and improving the University’s relationship with the State
Board of Higher Education. While he acknowledges there have
been critics on and off campus, especially with regard to his role
in the long-running fight over the Fighting Sioux nickname, he
gives himself top marks on leadership.
“We’ve accomplished a great deal here,” Kelley said. “We’ve
done that by pulling the right people together, working with
them and establishing agreed-upon goals.” He sought to set a
“strong, productive tone” on campus, he said, and he believes
that in large measure he succeeded — as evidenced by strides in
enrollment, student and faculty quality and major building and
program advances (see pp. 8-9).
Again, he acknowledges the critics. “I’m not sure what the
reason is, but there are some not too happy with the tone on
campus,” he said. “So I guess I’d give myself an ‘incomplete’ on that
one.”
Continued on page 10
www.UNDalumni.org | 7
FEATURE
story
THE KELLEY YEARS
THE KELLEY FILE
The University has seen a number of exceptional achievements
and points of distinction added during President Kelley’s tenure
Exceptional Achievements
• UND surpassed the 15,000
mark in the fall of 2012 with an alltime record enrollment of 15,250.
Currently the enrollment is 14,951.
• The University recruited
its most academically prepared
freshman class in 2015, with
an average ACT of 23.9 and an
average GPA of 3.42.
• North Dakota Spirit | The
Campaign for UND raised
nearly $325 million for student
scholarships, faculty endowments,
and other support for the
University. It was the largest capital
campaign in North Dakota history.
• UND’s Unmanned Aircraft
Systems (UAS) reached new
heights over the last four years,
and holds great promise for
agriculture and other industries.
A UND UAS Training Center at
the Grand Forks Air Force Base
is an example of how creative
innovation and partnerships help
build an Exceptional UND.
• The first students in the nation
to graduate with UAS degrees
received their diplomas in spring
2011. UND offered the first — and
only, at that time — UAS program
in the country.
• The School of Medicine and
Health Sciences conferred the first
Master of Public Health degrees
in 2014. This unique graduate
program serves North Dakota and
the Northern Plains.
8 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
• The Harold Hamm School of
Geology & Geological Engineering
was established in the College of
Engineering & Mines, following a
$10 million gift from Harold Hamm
and Continental Resources, and $4
million from the State Industrial
Commission.
• The new Department of
Petroleum Engineering was
approved by the State Board
of Higher Education in 2012.
UND offers the only petroleum
engineering degree program in
North Dakota. The program now
enrolls more than 300 students.
• The School of
Entrepreneurship was established
in 2014.
Exceptional Spaces
During the summer of 2015,
the University saw nearly $250
million worth of construction,
including the following projects:
• The new home of the School
of Medicine and Health Sciences is
due for completion in the summer
of 2016. The $124 million project
was approved by the North Dakota
Legislature.
• The School of Law addition
and renovation was completed for
the 2015 fall semester with funding
from the North Dakota Legislature
and donors.
• Wilkerson Commons,
completed early in the 2015 fall
semester through internal funding,
is the region’s premier dining,
gathering and service facility for
students.
• The UND Athletics HighPerformance Center, completed
during the 2015 fall semester, is
an indoor training center for all
UND sports programs and features
a football field and an eight-lane,
300-meter track.
• Robin Hall, the new home for
the Center for Unmanned Aircraft
Systems Research, Education,
and Training, is funded primarily
through private gifts, led by major
donors Si and Betty Robin, and the
North Dakota Higher Education
Challenge Fund.
• The Collaborative Energy
Complex, the new “front door”
to the College of Engineering
& Mines, will provide space for
interdisciplinary collaboration
and innovation among students,
faculty and industry. Funded
primarily by donors, support for
the project also came from the
state’s Higher Education Challenge
Fund and a $5 million gift from the
Hess Corporation.
• The Memorial Union has
undergone renovation, including
the establishment of One-Stop
Student Services, a central point
for information and services that
enables students to register for
classes, review grades, accept
financial aid, pay bills, and more.
President Kelley speaks at a June 2014 news conference announcing a $5 million gift from Hess
Corporation for the Collaborative Energy Complex. The gift was matched with $2.5 million from the
North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund.
• Classrooms have also
been renovated into SCALE-UP
(Student-Centered Active Learning
Environment for Undergraduate
Programs) classrooms, which
help produce stronger learning
outcomes, expose students to
cutting-edge technology, and
improve student retention.
• Dedicated in 2012, the
Gorecki Alumni Center serves as
a “front door” to the University
not only for alumni but also
new students and their parents.
It is home to the UND Alumni
Association & Foundation and the
Office of Admissions.
• The expanded and renovated
Education Building was dedicated
in 2011. Emphasizing UND’s green
initiative and good stewardship
of resources, it was built to “Silver”
LEED standards.
Exceptional Recognition
• Top 100 Public Schools – U.S.
News & World Report
• Top 200 National Universities
– U.S. News & World Report
• The Best 380 Colleges –
Princeton Review
• Best National Universities –
Washington Monthly
• Top 200 Research Universities
– Forbes
• The Best 296 Business Schools
– Princeton Review
• Top 100 Programs for rural
medicine, occupational therapy,
physical therapy, physician
assistant training and social work –
U.S. News & World Report
• #1 in the nation for the
percentage of medical students
going into family medicine –
American Academy of Family
Physicians
• #2 in the nation for rural
medicine – U.S. News & World
Report
• Top 30 Best Online Colleges –
TheBestSchools.org
• Top 70 “Best Bang for
the Buck” Midwest Schools –
Washington Monthly’s The Other
College Guide
• Ranked #14 for Lowest
Student Loan Default Rates –
BestColleges.com
• Ranked #2 for Best College
Rec Centers – Plexuss
• Top 16 College Rec Centers –
College Raptor
• Military Friendly School –
GI Jobs and Military Advanced
Education magazines
• Top 100 Best Colleges for
Veterans – U.S. News & World
Report
• Top 100 Undergraduate
and Graduate Degree Producers
for Minorities (American Indian
students) in the nation – Diverse
Issues in Higher Education
magazine
• Top 200 Schools for American
Indians pursuing STEM Degrees
– American Indian Science &
Engineering’s Winds of Change
magazine
• Law School is sixth out of
10 law schools whose students
graduate with the least amount of
debt – U.S. News & World Report
• Top 25 Best Online Colleges –
Affordable Colleges Online
• Top 30 Best Online Master’s
Programs – Affordable Colleges
Online
www.UNDalumni.org | 9
FEATURE
story
THE KELLEY YEARS
The Kelleys enjoyed taking their annual holiday photo with students.
Continued from page 7
Leadership Traits
Curt Stofferahn, professor of sociology
and a former leader of the University Senate,
saluted Kelley’s support for true faculty
involvement in university governance.
“What has really impressed me,” he said, “is
the dignity, grace and civility that he has
displayed even during the height of the
nickname and logo controversy when he
was made the scapegoat of an often vitriolic
and uncivil discourse. Through it all, he
remained a gentleman.”
Kelley also receives high marks from
Melissa Gjellstad, who teaches Norwegian
and served as University Senate chair.
“His leadership has carried the University
through the highs and lows of the past eight
academic years,” she said. He has “positioned
our university to fulfill its mission as a public
research institution at a unique time in North
Dakota’s history.”
Gjellstad arrived on campus in 2008,
at the same time as the Kelleys. “I will miss
President Robert and First Lady Marcia Kelley
as the presidential pair who bled green to
do their best for UND, and I commend the
legacy they graciously have shared with us.”
10 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Accomplishments
Bob and Marcia love cross-country skiing near the
Student Wellness Center. A trail along the coulee is
named “Marcia Made Me” in honor of Marcia, who
created the loop when she ventured off-trail.
Kelley said he is most proud of his
“Exceptional UND” campaign to enrich the
student learning experience, encourage
“gathering” and collaboration, expand the
University’s presence in the community and
beyond, and enhance the quality of life for
all. “I’m very proud of the increased attention
to academic programs on our campus, and
we’ve done very well at bringing research to
another level,” he said.
The campus has added major new
programs and schools like Petroleum
Engineering, Unmanned Aircraft Systems,
the Harold Hamm School of Geology and
Geological Engineering and the School of
Entrepreneurship. The new home of the
School of Medicine and Health Sciences,
with $124 million in funding approved by
the 2013 North Dakota Legislature, should
be completed next summer.
Kelley points to the UND Alumni
Association & Foundation raising $324
million in a campaign that concluded in
2013. It was the largest capital campaign in
state history. The money will fund student
scholarships, faculty endowments and
provide other support.
“I’m very proud of that,” Kelley said.
“Marcia and I traveled all over North America
working with donors, talking about the
various programs at the University that
needed attention. We are improving our
College of Engineering & Mines through
philanthropy as an outgrowth of that
campaign. Our athletic training facility (the
UND Athletics High Performance Center) is
an outgrowth of that campaign.
“I’m also very proud of the work we’ve
done with the Legislature,” he said. “It shows
in the appropriations for our medical and
law schools, the College of Education and
Human Development, and others.” Kelley
also praised the North Dakota Higher
Education Challenge Fund program as an
initiative that has helped UND achieve its
goals.
Has UND reached “exceptional” status?
“We’re getting there,” Kelley said. “This is
going to be a work in progress for quite
a while. We have focused on the primary
mission of the University, seeking excellence
in teaching and learning.”
Nickname Controversy
With a final vote in November identifying
Fighting Hawks as UND’s new sports nickname,
Kelley said he hopes the university can move
forward. “It’s been one of many issues during
my tenure here,” he said. “What we’ve had to do
is follow a lengthy road with individuals and
groups expressing their views, sometimes very
powerfully.”
There have been other challenges over
the past eight years involving personnel and
policies, including work on new tuition models,
a new approach to budgeting, and a new
approach to making decisions about how to
allocate resources.
“It’s a difficult time to be a university
president,” he said. “It’s certainly challenging to
deal with social issues on your campus. But I feel
that this is part of the mission of the University
of North Dakota, to provide the environment to
try to work through some of these issues.”
One such issue, he said, is the “need
to walk the line between free speech and
protecting the vulnerable.” Some critics allege
the university has become too “politically
correct” in its empathy for groups and
individuals who feel discriminated against
or stereotyped, but Kelley disagrees. “Some
actions are hurtful to other people,” he said. “We
have to, as individuals, take on a great deal of
responsibility … When we make the choice
to say something or do something, will it be
helpful, constructive? Will it contribute to the
common good?
“There is a great deal of diversity across
our country. The mark of an educated, sensitive
person is being able to thread the way through
that social complexity and come out on the
other end in a positive and constructive way.”
Kelley said he looks forward to working
with former Gov. Ed Schafer, who will take
over in mid-January as interim president until
a new president is named later next year. In
that conversation, he will be “bullish” about the
institution he leaves.
“I’m very pleased with what this university
is becoming,” he said. “And the University will
continue to grow. Students will be better
prepared. Research and scholarship will
continue to develop. The athletic programs will
continue to be competitive at championship
levels.
“We’re on a very positive trajectory.” AR
Marcia Kelley,
First Lady:
First Hostess,
First Fan, First Friend
Marcia Kelley is not one for titles. A few years ago, a candidate for a position
asked Marcia about her role at UND. Marcia said she was a speech-language
pathologist. It took another individual to later point out her role as First Lady of the
University.
Marcia has learned to wear the title with grace and aplomb — and infectious
good humor. She also learned that she had a role to play at UND, one which
included being the First Hostess, the First Fan, and the First Friend of all. “In any
group, large or small, Marcia is the person most genuinely interested in other
people and what is important to them,” said Susan Walton, UND vice president for
University and Public Affairs.
During the past seven and a half years, Marcia has been an integral part of the
campus and community scene. She takes in every athletic, musical, theatre, and
arts and cultural event her calendar allows. She has judged competitions, given
speeches to promote events, and helped celebrate students, faculty, programs,
disciplines, new buildings, and special activities.
In the community, Marcia is most identified with the Community Violence
Intervention Center (CVIC), serving this year as president of the board and lending
her time, talent and treasure to help make Greater Grand Forks a safer community
for all. She has engaged in other community activities as well, such as this past
April when she helped kick off a fundraiser for the North Dakota School for the
Blind.
But Marcia is probably best known for her focus on healthy activities.
Cross-country skiing remains one of her favorite pastimes. During the past
seven winters, she has cut trails along the English Coulee that gracefully bisects the
campus. And she has helped lead cross-country skiing outings, as well as many
walks, designed to help students, faculty and staff get active and to enjoy the
outdoors.
That activism has earned her accolades. “She is a role model for healthy active
living. Most importantly, students love her,” said Laurie Betting, UND associate vice
president for health and wellness.
“I think it is important to recognize that Marcia Kelley has made very
important contributions to the University of North Dakota during her time here,”
said Dr. Thomas DiLorenzo, UND provost and vice president for academic affairs.
“President Kelley often introduces her as UND’s First Volunteer, and that is a very
apt description. She has represented UND in the community, the state, nationally,
and internationally with grace, intelligence, and a good-natured spirit and downto-earth approach that has served the University very well.”
Perhaps Robert Boyd, who served as President Kelley’s first vice president for
student affairs, said it best in a letter to the Grand Forks Herald:
“Last but not least, no leader is successful without help, and Bob Kelley would
be the first to say his wife, Marcia, primarily played that role. Together they are a
team. It is not uncommon for them to host or attend hundreds of events and
occasions each year. In each case, their smiles and graciousness are always present.
“Thank you, Bob and Marcia, for all you have done and will do for UND.”
www.UNDalumni.org | 11
FEATURE
story
BROTHERS THROUGH THE YEARS
Brothers
Through the
Years
UND fraternity reunites prominent trio from 1950s.
By Becky Jacobs, Grand Forks Herald
12 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
A
Supreme Court justice, a governor
and the head of media chain walk
into a fraternity house.
No, this isn’t a joke.
North Dakota Chief Justice
Gerald VandeWalle, former Gov. Allen Olson and Forum
Communications Chairman William Marcil attended UND
together in the 1950s and were all fraternity brothers at Lambda
Chi Alpha. The three were honored at a banquet held during
Homecoming to mark fifty years in the current Lambda Chi Alpha
house.
“It’s a way for the group to highlight the history of the chapter
and to recognize some of us,” Olson said. “It just happened that the
three of us had made a fairly significant mark in North Dakota.”
Back in their college days, they said they had no idea that they would
aspire to such prominent roles in North Dakota as governor, chief justice
and the head of the state’s biggest media company.
“It’s always disconcerting to say, wait, how’d they get there?” VandeWalle
joked.
The three men laugh about themselves 60 years ago and their memories
as fraternity brothers. Marcil was often found in the living room of the fraternity
reading a newspaper. And VandeWalle remembers a photo of himself dressed in a
Little Red Riding Hood costume, dancing in the Flickertail Follies at the Central High
School auditorium.
“The unique thing about this with the fraternal system is all these people grew up
and spent their early formative years as fraternity members,” said Duane Littlejohn, who
helped plan the banquet.
“But how often does it happen that three very important people in business, law and
government would be living in the same frat?”
Campus memories
However, the three men didn’t live in the same house Lambda Chi Alpha has now. The
fraternity used to have a three-story house at 303 Oxford St. That house was torn down in the early
1960s.
Some of the trio’s old hangouts are gone, too. Marcil and VandeWalle remember going to the
Belmont and Riviera, which were bars in downtown Grand Forks. Olson said they were all “hockey freaks”
and went to hockey games when the games were held at “the Barn.” Olson said the players didn’t wear
helmets back then, and even though they played inside a shelter, it felt like they were playing outside. And
VandeWalle said he always visits the law school when he’s back at UND.
Olson said what partly bonded the three of them in college was that they were all from small towns.
VandeWalle is from Noonan, Marcil from Sherwood and Olson from Sarles, all in North Dakota. Because they were
from small towns, they were able to become actively involved in their high schools and continued to be involved
at UND, he said.
“The membership of Lambda Chi Alpha when we were there had a small-town flavor,” Olson said.
VandeWalle attended UND from 1951 to 1958, majoring in accounting in his undergraduate studies before
attending law school. Olson attended from 1956 to 1963, majoring in business and public administration before also
going to law school. Marcil attended from 1954 to 1958, majoring in business administration.
“It seemed at that time that everybody was dedicated to making something of themselves,” Littlejohn said, who was
also a member of the fraternity in the 1950s. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean riches, but that means that they wanted to
be a success.”
www.UNDalumni.org | 13
One of the last photos, taken in 1961, of the original Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity house. Fraternity members gathered during Homecoming 2015
to celebrate 50 years in their current house.
But Littlejohn said the building the
men lived in was a “really dilapidated old
house.”
“People asked, ‘Why do you have to
paint the house every year?’ To keep it
standing,” Littlejohn joked.
VandeWalle said he has “fond
memories” of the fraternity and attending
football games in Fargo with his fraternity
brothers. Olson lived in the house all four
years of his studies, and he said he “had
the best years of my life at the University of
North Dakota.”
But it was also “a different time then.”
In the 1950s, the fraternity had a TV
only tuned into one station. They held a
formal dinner every Monday night before
the fraternity meeting where everybody
was expected to wear suits. And Littlejohn
said they had a spring formal where they
dressed up in “prom attire” and danced to
live band music.
14 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Long friendships
After graduation, VandeWalle, Olson
and Marcil remained close friends their
whole lives.
“In a small state like North Dakota,
people see each other frequently,” Olson
said. “There are opportunities frequently to
continue friendships and acquaintances.”
They even worked together. When
Olson was attorney general in North
Dakota, VandeWalle was the first assistant
attorney general.
“It was fun to have him,” VandeWalle
said, but he also said he “tried not to
emphasize the fact that we were fraternity
brothers.”
Marcil’s newspapers covered
VandeWalle’s and Olson’s progress in
their careers, as Marcil’s company grew.
Marcil said VandeWalle and Olson didn’t
get special treatment in his newspapers’
reporting, but he enjoyed watching them
in their careers.
The three refer to each other in much
more casual way than their official titles.
Vandewalle is “Gerry,” Marcil is “Bill” and
Allen is “Al.”
And they are quick to compliment
each other. Olson commented that “there
was no doubt that Bill Marcil was going
to be successful in whatever he did.”
VandeWalle noted that “you could tell
[Olson and Marcil] were leaders.” And Marcil
said he always “thought that Allen Olson
would get into politics.”
Even though the three rose to big
careers in the state, with VandeWalle
and Marcil even receiving the Theodore
Roosevelt Rough Rider Award, Littlejohn
said that “when they get back to the
fraternity, they are the same guys that they
were back in 1956.” AR
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FEATURE
story
FIGHTING HAWKS
President Kelley reveals the results of the final round of
nickname voting at a November news conference.
Fighting Hawks
UND unveils new nickname for UND after extensive public input.
By Milo Smith
T
he University of North Dakota has a new
nickname — Fighting Hawks.
The name was the final one standing after three
online votes in October and November.
Said UND President Robert Kelley, “We are pleased
to be able to announce the selection of a new nickname —
Fighting Hawks — and bring this process, in which so many
people have participated, to a successful conclusion. We
16 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
especially appreciate the two nickname committees who worked
so hard during this past year to make this a transparent, inclusive
process that led to a short list of potential nicknames. Now, the
voters have spoken, and they have told us that Fighting Hawks
should be that new nickname. This is an appropriate choice, as
Fighting Hawks symbolizes the competitive spirit of our athletes,
the perseverance of the North Dakota spirit, and the continual
ascendancy of the University and the state.”
The nickname vote was launched following
a year-long effort by the UND Nickname Process
Recommendation Task Force and, subsequently,
the UND Nickname Committee. The groups were
charged with developing a process for nickname
selection, and then with developing a short list
of potential nicknames for a vote. They facilitated
broad public input along the way, including
an online survey, a series of regional town hall
meetings, and a 30-day nickname suggestion
period.
More than 1,100 unique, acceptable
nicknames were considered by the UND Nickname
Committee. The committee eventually whittled the
list to five finalists:
•Nodaks
•Sundogs
• North Stars
•Roughriders
• Fighting Hawks
The final vote, held Nov. 12 through Nov. 16,
pitted Roughriders against Fighting Hawks. Out of
the 27,378 votes cast, Fighting Hawks received 57
percent.
“The name underscores the tremendous
competitive spirit of our athletic teams, our
student-athletes, and the entirety of the University
of North Dakota,” said President Kelley, “while
expressing our state spirit and the fact that UND
continues to aspire to new heights on a daily basis.”
“Today’s announcement allows us to build
on our North Dakota heritage,” said Brian Faison,
Director of Athletics. “We are ‘North Dakota,’
as we’ve always been. Our new nickname is a
representation that our student-athletes can carry
forward with pride as they compete for our school
and our state.”
The name was immediately put into use in
game notes, game broadcasts and on the UND
sports website. Faison says it is gradually being
added to public address announcements at games.
In 2005, the NCAA placed UND on a list of
universities required to stop using Native American
nicknames and images. The Fighting Sioux name
was retired in 2012. UND teams have played
without a nickname since.
DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni
Association & Foundation, said she knows that
acceptance of the name will require some time.
“I understand people’s resistance,” said Carlson
Zink. “As an alum and long-time fan of the Fighting
Sioux, I know that many hold on to that memory
as a part of their passion for the university.
“But this really is a historic moment,” Zink
said. “It’s only our third nickname in history and
now we move forward. We move forward with
respect for the legacy and tradition of the
Fighting Sioux and even the Flickertails, and
look forward to creating new traditions as
Fighting Hawks.”
Now that UND’s new nickname has
been selected, the University will begin
the process of developing, selecting
and implementing a visual identity to
accompany the name.
The goal is to have a final logo
designed by midsummer. AR
— Additional reporting by
University & Public Affairs
ARTS &
sciences
FROM THE DEAN
Dean Debbie Storrs
FROM THE DEAN
As summer turns into fall across the region, we
welcome the beginning of another exciting year of
opportunities for students at the University of North Dakota.
The flowers and trees change making way for renewed
potential in what, at the moment, seems like a distant spring.
I think of the seasonal cycle as a metaphor for our students
as they engage another year of learning from which they
will emerge transformed in the warmth of spring. I was
reminded of this transformative experience this fall when I
traveled to Winnipeg with a group of remarkable students.
Sponsored by the college and the Center for Human Rights
and Genocide Studies, the students toured the Canadian
Museum of Human Rights. I shared with students their
moments of discovery as they connected their classroom
learning with the lived experience of those who faced
challenges, unfathomable suffering, demonstrated
astounding resilience, and displayed profound courage in
the struggle for human rights.
Enjoying the day with these students, I was inspired
by their curiosity to learn and their maturity in grasping
the significance of those lives and experiences represented
in the museum. They embrace and exemplify the liberal
arts educational experience of challenging oneself,
striving to understand, and enduring to learn, leading to
personal transformation and lifelong discovery. In them,
and in so many other students across campus, one can
see the influence of the preparation and guidance of our
outstanding faculty and the inspiration and hope for the
future of the state and every other place these students will
impact throughout their lives.
In the feature stories in this section, you will see many
examples of the impact of our students and alumni on
the world as they build on and act through the liberal
arts transformation they experienced while students at
UND. They are noble, courageous, creative and innovative
ambassadors for the University of North Dakota and liberal
education more generally.
You’ll read about Stacy Meester, the first recipient of
the Tom Rand Student Scholarship. After a slow start, Stacy
was unsure if she would continue her studies. Today, she
is nearing the completion of a Bachelor of Arts degree in
Psychology pursuing her dream of becoming a school
psychologist. You will learn about how Professor Wayne
Barkhouse, an Associate Professor in the Department of
18 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Physics and Astrophysics, is
working with a dedicated
team of students to conduct
research on dwarf galaxy
clusters to help astronomers
and physicists across the
world better understand our
universe. Sasha Heath ‘05, a
young alumna and Air Force pilot, recalls how her UND
education and friendships with international students were
in her thoughts flying six miles above Egypt. With seven
deployments to the United Arab Emirates, and two to
Afghanistan, Sasha says she has never lost her appreciation
of our planet’s diversity, in part because of the friends and
faculty she encountered at UND.
Along with these stories, we take a moment to highlight
the important role our professional advisors play in student
success. We also explore the Oakville Prairie Field Station,
which, with several new partnerships and designations,
is being transformed from only an educational facility for
the Biology Department to a community resource and
important bird sanctuary.
These students and the entire liberal arts mission of
the college are supported by the generous participation
of our alumni throughout the year. Many of you support
our mission and our students in spirit and in conversations
across your communities. Many contribute through
providing internship and employment opportunities for
our students, and many of you support us through financial
contributions. We depend on and sincerely appreciate the
myriad ways all of you help us continue to serve the state as
the foundation for liberal arts education.
I look forward to meeting many more of you and wish
you health and happiness in the New Year!
Warm regards,
Debbie Storrs
Photo: Craig Garaas-Johnson
Tom Rand
Student Scholarship
For 45 years, Tom Rand helped
UND students find their way.
Now a scholarship in his name
continues his legacy.
inning’ is most often conceived of as a victory,
as when a team wins a game. Strictly speaking, no
one wins a scholarship. By definition, students earn
scholarship awards through hard work, dedication,
and sacrifice. Stacy Meester, the first recipient of the
Tom Rand Student Scholarship, won nothing — she
earned the award with her persistence and heart.
In 1997, Stacy came to UND just like hundreds
of other students in the entering freshman class.
She didn’t have a major, and hoped, somehow, the
experience of being in college and taking classes
would encourage her to commit to her studies.
“I didn’t take it seriously,” says Stacy. Things did
not go as planned. By the end of the first semester,
Stacy was failing all of her classes, except psychology,
and felt rudderless. Halfway through her second
semester, she left school.
This might have been the last UND heard from
Stacy. Years later, her husband, Brandin, decided
to go back to school for his bachelor’s degree, and
watching him, Stacy felt the urge to give college
another try. Working as a certified nursing assistant
(CNA) at the Sanford Children’s Hospital in Bismarck,
North Dakota, she had a chance conversation with
a pediatric oncologist. They talked about college
and the doctor said to her, “In 10 years, you could
be doing what you’re doing now, or you could be a
doctor.”
Her words lit a fire under Stacy. Life was different
now, with three kids, a marriage, and a home, but
she saw that changing her life was possible. “Those
10 years are going to pass,” says Stacy, “It’s just what
you’re going to do with them.”
Stacy Meester, first recipient
of the Tom Rand Student
Scholarship, and Tom Rand.
Taking the initiative, and with Brandin’s support,
she applied to UND and was readmitted. Stacy
intends to graduate with a bachelor’s degree in
psychology in the spring of 2016.
As an online student she has been able to serve
as a research assistant, an undergraduate teaching
assistant, and even co-authored a poster for a
conference. She was also selected as a Student Honor
Marshall for the 2015 Summer Commencement. “I
never in a million years thought I could accomplish
this,” says Stacy. “I didn’t think someone like me would
be able to get there.”
The Tom Rand Student Scholarship, named for
Tom Rand, a former Associate Dean in the College
of Arts & Sciences, is awarded to students who show
promise, despite past academic challenges. As a
young man, while an undergraduate at Macalester
College in St. Paul, Minnesota, Tom flunked an entire
semester. He eventually went on to receive a Bachelor
of Arts degree in philosophy from the University of
Minnesota, and a Bachelor of Divinity from Harvard
University. In 1969, Tom joined the faculty of UND and
spent much of the next 45 years advising students
and helping them navigate the university system.
Stacy found Tom’s story inspiring. “He didn’t start
out at the top, but he got to the top by working hard,”
she says. “I thought, ‘I can do that!’ ” Stacy intends
to apply to graduate school in psychology, and is
determined to be a school psychologist. A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 19
ARTS &
Barkhouse and a team of students
observed night skies at Kitt Peak National
Observatory, just outside Tucson, Arizona.
sciences
When Galaxies Collide
s
What happens when two dynamic galaxies come together?
Professor Wayne Barkhouse and a team of student researchers
have begun an investigation of universal importance.
ome may find it difficult to
comprehend that many of the
elements in their bodies come
from the hearts of stars. From
the nitrogen that allows the body
to produce amino acids to the
potassium that carries electrical
signals, triggering the heart to beat,
nuclear fusion in generations of stars,
over billions of years, has produced
every element between helium and
iron on the periodic table.
Our intimate relationship with
the stars may explain some of
our curiosity about the universe.
For Wayne Barkhouse, Associate
Professor in the Department of
Physics and Astrophysics, the love
affair began early. “I can’t remember
being interested in anything else,”
says Barkhouse. Before he ever
attended school, he recalls an
early fascination with space and
astronomy. This lifelong interest
20 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
eventually brought him to UND
where Barkhouse studies dark
energy, astronomical surveying,
and galaxy clusters. Not much is
known about how galaxies form into
clusters, so in 2014 Barkhouse and a
team of student researchers began a
unique project aimed at increasing
our knowledge of galaxy cluster
formation.
The Unknown
Galaxies are groups of stars,
gas, dust, and interstellar debris,
gravitationally bound together.
As with most astronomical
measurements, the enormity of the
objects being observed is almost
unimaginable. Some galaxies might
contain a few million stars; others
could run into the trillions. The
Milky Way, the galaxy of which our
solar system is a part, is itself more
than 100,000 light years across,
and contains around 200 billion
stars. Scientists estimate the known
universe contains as many as one
hundred billion galaxies.
Variation between types
of galaxies complicates our
understanding of exactly how
they form. Galaxies come in many
different types, and each type
probably has its own way of forming.
Not all the variables are known.
“It’s an ongoing problem. We
don’t know all the physical laws
and details at work,” says Barkhouse.
“You have material in space that
collapses under gravity, there is
an associated rotation, and within
that material, smaller clumps form
and turn into stars.” Astronomers
and astrophysicists seek a better
understanding of the process
leading to galaxy formation, which
could then answer further questions
about our universe.
Photo: Wayne Barkhouse
Star formation can occur in highdensity regions of space, and these are
the areas Barkhouse and his students
chose for further investigation. The denser
the region, the more heat it generates.
In a galaxy cluster, the gas between
objects may reach temperatures of 10
million degrees or more. As galaxies
come together, over thousands of years,
the area where they combine begins to
illume.
“What we found was when these
galaxies in dense regions interact with
one another, this hot gas acts like a
trigger for star formation,” says Barkhouse.
“Stars begin to form and the area lights
up like a Christmas tree.”
The Team
The research team, led by Barkhouse,
includes: Cody Rude ’15, a former
graduate student researching star
formation in cluster dwarf galaxies;
Prasadh Kalawila, a Ph.D. candidate who
is leading the team in the collection and
analysis of images of galaxy clusters;
Madina Sultanova, a Ph.D. candidate, is
developing galaxy morphology software
and will use data from the dwarf galaxy
survey to create a classificatory system for
galaxies.
Undergraduate student team
members Haylee Archer and Gregory
Foote are measuring the alignment of
dwarf galaxies in a sample of low-redshift
Abell galaxy clusters. Galaxy alignment
provides a direct linkage to computer
simulations of how galaxy clusters form
and evolve. By tracing the impact of a
cluster’s gravitational field on galaxies
as they fall into the cluster environment,
overall understanding of the interaction
grows.
Students on the team gain valuable
experience as they analyze data collected
during observations, and also insight
into the competitive process of applying
for observing time on professional
telescopes.
The Research
Astronomers have studied these
“collisions” in the bigger and brighter
galaxies, so Barkhouse and his team
chose to look at smaller galaxies. Dwarf
galaxies, as the name implies, are
smaller and dimmer than others, and
cannot be seen without high-powered
telescopes with long exposure times.
Even then, researchers still must limit their
observations to nearby galaxies.
The team’s theory is as the low mass
galaxies fall into galaxy clusters, they
experience squeezing of their interior gas
due to the pressure of the hot cluster gas.
As the interior gas compresses, it triggers
star formation. As dwarf galaxies fall into
the cluster, this star-forming gas can also
be swept out of individual dwarf galaxies,
in this case quenching star formation. In
order to find examples, the team needed
telescope time.
Receiving time to use large
telescopes is competitive and extremely
difficult to come by. Barkhouse and his
team applied for and received viewing
nights on the 4-meter Mayall Telescope
at the Kitt Peak National Observatory,
just outside Tucson, Arizona. In fact,
their application proved compelling
enough that the team received time in
both February and June, and a second
proposal was awarded additional time
in January 2016. This allowed them to
divide their sample into groups that could
be better observed at different times of
the year. Barkhouse, Kalawila, and Archer
went to Arizona for the February nights;
Barkhouse, Kalawila and Rude observed in
June.
“We created a sample of 15 galaxy
clusters we will observe for star formation
through an imaging survey,” says
Barkhouse. Here the process becomes
even more technical as the team needed
to locate specific emissions, known as
H-alpha (Hα) light, which would serve
as the fingerprint of star formation in
galaxies for these clusters. Calculating and
analyzing the ultraviolet light emitted by
these galaxies, the team’s results so far
indicate that star formation is enhanced
in the outskirts of clusters as the dwarf
galaxies fall toward the central regions.
Despite poor weather for part of
the observing time, a total of four galaxy
clusters and a background “control field”
were observed during the February and
June observing runs to a sufficient depth
that allows the researchers to measure
the star formation activity of the dwarf
cluster galaxies.
At present, the team is busy analyzing
the acquired data and preparing for their
next observations in January 2016. A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 21
ARTS &
sciences
Alumni Spotlight:
Sasha Heath ’05
s
Photo: Sasha Heath
A liberal arts education can prepare
students for anything — even a
career in the wide blue yonder.
asha Heath ’05, always wanted to be a pilot. Her
father was a Navy pilot, who also flew commercial
planes, and seeing his example and being around
the aviation industry only fueled her dreams of
flying. At 18, she made the decision to pursue her
dream in the U.S. Air Force.
Sasha applied to UND with the intent of enrolling in
classes through the School of Aerospace, but her ROTC
scholarship did not cover the additional cost of flighttraining classes. The Air Force had no requirement for
pilots that their degree had to be technical, only that
pilots must complete a bachelor’s degree. Sasha made
the decision to go for ‘depth’, double majoring in french
and history and earning a minor in psychology. “It gave
me a lot of freedom,” says Sasha. “I didn’t fit the mold of
something more technical, and being able to study what
I wanted gave me the freedom to explore ideas.”
Sasha’s dream of becoming a pilot persisted, and
22 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
she applied and was admitted into Air Force pilot
training after graduation. “Most of the slots go to Air
Force Academy graduates, then to ROTC students. I now
know it is much more difficult to be accepted into pilot
training with a non-technical degree.”
After graduation, Sasha was commissioned as a
second lieutenant, and reported to Moody Air Force Base
in Georgia for Undergraduate Pilot Training.
Training & Flying
Arriving in Georgia, Sasha embarked on a year of
constant, challenging work. Undergraduate Pilot Training
is regarded as some of the toughest in the military.
And for good reason — when a pilot gets behind the
controls of an aircraft costing millions of taxpayer dollars,
they need to be prepared for almost anything. Without
a technical degree, Sasha might be thought to be at
a disadvantage, but she persisted. “You know, if
you try hard enough, you can make most things
happen.”
For the first six months students learn
about aerospace physiology, aircraft systems,
instrumentation, mission planning, and weather.
After six months, Sasha transferred to Mississippi
where she completed her training.
After training, Sasha received her wings and
moved to New Jersey to begin training on the
KC-10 aerial refueling tanker. The KC-10 is a military
version of the DC-10 (no longer in use by civilian
airlines), capable of carrying more than 300,000 lbs.
of fuel, with a range of over 4,000 miles on a single
flight. “They go everywhere, and have many uses,”
says Sasha.
While stationed in the Garden State, Sasha
enjoyed a singular experience when she had to take
her tanker to Europe. Growing up, she never had the
means to travel abroad, and had never left the U.S.
“My first trip out of the country was in the cockpit of
my tanker, and I flew to Spain. I was 24.”
During that flight, she could not help but
think of the things she had learned as a french
and history major. “I flew over Egypt and saw the
pyramids, and the Nile River, six miles below me.
Later, we flew through the Strait of Gibraltar. We
were very low and I could see the Rock of Gibraltar.
I thought, ‘I’ve studied these things my whole life,
and now I’m looking at them from my office.’ I’ve
never lost that appreciation.”
‘Seeing’ the World
There is truth in the cliché that many young
people join the military to “see the world,” to
discover new challenges, and test their mettle.
Sasha was such a student growing up in Virginia,
both enjoying her beautiful state and feeling the
urge to see what else was out there. “I wanted an
adventure — to do something different. That’s part
of the reason I chose UND,” says Sasha. “It was my
experience here that prepared me for what was
to come. I had no idea that going to North Dakota
would give me the world.”
When she arrived at UND, Sasha looked for
ways to get involved and happily discovered the
International Centre. “I participated in a lot of events
and met people from all over the world. Many of
them are still my friends.” As a pilot, Sasha now
travels the world, and sees some of the places her
international friends call home.
According to Sasha, her experiences with
international students gave her a unique
appreciation for the places she sees and the people
The view from Sasha’s “office” as a
member of the flight crew for the
KC-10 aerial refueling tanker.
Photo: Sasha Heath
she meets. “I get to travel the world, and see things most people never
see,” she says. “My experience at UND helped me appreciate these places,
and people, in ways I’m not sure others do.”
UND Equipped
Liberal arts graduates prepare themselves for a lifetime of learning.
This kind of education goes way beyond job training, providing individuals
with skills that make them flexible thinkers, capable of teaching
themselves new things. Often these graduates find themselves using the
skills they developed in pursuit of their degree in unexpected places.
“I’m glad I had the opportunity to be a liberal arts student,” says Sasha.
“I can’t express how thankful I am for my experience at UND, which has
given me this amazing career. I’ll never stop coming back so long as the
people I love are still here.”
Since earning her wings, Sasha has been deployed nine times, seven
to the United Arab Emirates, and twice to Afghanistan. During the latter
deployments she flew reconnaissance missions over Afghanistan in a
smaller aircraft called the MC-12. She is now beginning a new chapter in
her life as a pilot for Delta Airlines. A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 23
ARTS &
sciences
Coffee for the
College
A new approach to
supporting Arts & Sciences
students asks young alumni to
give up a little to make a big
difference.
Corey Mock ‘05, “takes one
for the team” in his role as
spokesperson for the Coffee with
the College campaign video.
d
Photo: Craig Garaas-Johnson
owning more than 400 million cups of coffee each
day — 146 billion cups per year — the U.S. is the
leading consumer of coffee in the world. And while
UND students only account for an infinitesimal fraction
of a percent of that intake, there is no question coffee
fuels today’s college students much the way it fuels the
workplace.
If only there were a way to harness this
consumption for the public good.
Early in 2015, the College of Arts & Sciences
reached out to a few alumni asking them for creative
ideas to help raise funds and connect with younger
alums. Corey Mock ‘08, a member of the North Dakota
House of Representatives, came up with a superb
solution: a cup of coffee for the College.
The plan is simple: ask our newest alums to give
what they might otherwise spend on one cup of coffee
per month to the College. If each gave a small amount,
the combined effect would be stunning.
“Our younger alumni remember their UND
experience, and know that what happens outside of
the classroom can complement what happens inside
the classroom,” says Debbie Storrs, Dean of the College
of Arts & Sciences. “When alumni give up a cup of
coffee a month, they ensure opportunities to learn
outside of the classroom are possible.”
According to Corey, no one should underestimate
the power of coffee. “Studying always seemed easier
with a cup of coffee and a friend nearby,” he says. “My
textbook days may be behind me, but there’s always
room on my tab for an underclassman working long
into the night.”
Corey’s contribution to the project also deserves
24 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
special recognition. Serving as the spokesperson for
the campaign, he agreed to host “A Coffee for the
College with Corey,” a video released on YouTube and
the UND home page. In the video, Corey also explains
that people can also choose the alternative: “the iced
coffee challenge.” Coffee for the College is a small but
significant way of supporting fellow Arts & Sciences
students following in our footsteps,” says Corey. “And
like espresso, a little goes a long way.”
As students reach the end of the fall semester,
and prepare for finals, coffee consumption is sure to
rise. To show our support for those joining the alumni
the soonest, Arts & Sciences will send students nearing
graduation in December a postcard entitling them to a
free cup of coffee on us.
While the campaign is aimed at younger alumni,
all graduates of the College of Arts & Sciences are
asked for their support. Gifts to the College of Arts and
Sciences support student scholarships, undergraduate
research grants, and allow the college to bring national
scholars and speakers to campus. “Your monthly gift
matters,” says Storrs. “While you lower your caffeine
intake, you can also enable students to participate in
field trips, engage in research, present at conferences,
and listen to dynamic speakers.” A&S
Follow the link below to see Corey in “A Coffee for
the College with Corey,” and look for a surprise cameo
with one of Grand Forks’ most distinguished celebrities!
www.UNDalumni.org/Coffee
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
Promoting
Advisors are critical members of
the team supporting successful
educational outcomes for
Arts & Sciences students.
s
Photo: Craig Garaas-Johnson
Student Success
tudents in the College of Arts & Sciences learn more
than how to apply field-specific knowledge to an
anticipated career path. In fact, for most students, the four
years they spend in college are a time of significant, personal
growth. To a person, the faculty and staff at UND support
students as they adjust to the responsibilities of participating
in a higher education community, and one of the most vital
members of that team is the College Advisor.
As part of a broad effort to continually enhance student
success, the College of Arts & Sciences currently has five
professional advisors. Two advise students across a spectrum
of academic interests, one is devoted entirely to pre-medical
students, and two others serve students in the Department of
Psychology and the Communication Program.
In January of 2015, Karyn Plumm, an associate professor
of Psychology, joined the Dean’s Office as Administrative
Fellow for Academic Success to provide leadership and
coordination in matters relating to student recruitment,
advising, and retention. In addition, the College also hired
Kayla Hotvedt, an academic advisor with previous experience
in the College of Education and Human Development. Both
see student success as their mission.
Part of this approach involves identifying which
departments and programs need the help. “I’m looking at
where we need more professional advisors,” says Plumm, “as
well as which departments and programs have good faculty
advisors and how can we provide better support to them.”
Much of the advising students receive comes from faculty
members for whom this is an addition to their scholarly
obligations. At some institutions this creates a dilemma for
faculty balancing teaching requirements and a demanding
research agenda. According to Hotvedt, this isn’t as common
at UND. “There are more faculty who are truly passionate
about advising than I ever imagined. When they’re working
with a student they will call, ask questions, and genuinely do
their absolute best to help the student in front of them.”
Karyn Plumm (left) and Kayla Hotvedt, provide crucial institutional
knowledge and thoughtful guidance to support student success.
Supporting Student Success
Attending any university involves a learning curve, from
managing personal responsibilities to adjusting to higher
education’s unique terminology. According to Hotvedt, one of
the many hats an academic advisor wears is that of a translator
or interpreter of higher education. “We can support student
success by helping students understand the policies and
procedures for a major, by helping them navigate campus,
and connect with the right people to answer their questions.
Advisors often connect the dots for students, which ultimately
helps them persevere.”
Research shows students’ first year experiences are crucial
to determining whether or not they will return to college the
next year or continue their education at all. Academic advisors
often become a personal connection for students, an ally, and
a key point of contact for academic issues.
“Students benefit from having a combination of
professional advisors to help students understand academic
requirements and faculty advisors to provide mentorship and
help students understand potential career paths,” says Plumm.
UND students are complex individuals with complex
needs, requiring a nuanced understanding of what it means
to help sustain them on their academic journeys. This blend of
general institutional knowledge and support from academic
advisors and in-depth career and field-specific advising from
faculty provides a strong base from which students can
achieve.
The College of Arts & Sciences supports professional
academic advisors as part of an overall commitment to
student success. As vital members of the student support
network in the college, academic advisors serve an integral
role in fulfilling the teaching and learning mission of UND, and
provide graduates with the best preparation for a lifetime of
accomplishments. A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 25
ARTS &
sciences
1979
Looking
Back…
Times have changed for the
College of Arts & Sciences.
How many places, spaces, and
faces do you recall?
A student rests on a temporary dike, taking a breather from fighting the English Coulee Flood of 1979. This was the third largest flood (after the floods of 1997
and 1897) in Grand Forks history.
1973
1996
CJ Hosier prepares for his role as Feer in the Theatre Department’s 1996 production of
“The Cherry Orchard.” Hosier died suddenly in 2009, but his contributions to Denver’s
theatre community left a lasting impression on those who knew him.
26 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
In 1973, the History Department met with the special guest seated at the
head of the table, Lawrence Welk. The famous bandleader was given the
Sioux Award, the Alumni Association’s highest award, in 1959.
1952
1990s
Canoeing on the English Coulee? UND students in 1952 dip their paddles for a leisurely glide
through campus.
A biology student uses an electrophoresis unit to
separate molecules in a solution.
1995
Dr. Kevin M. Fire, professor emeritus in Communication Sciences and Disorders, checks out a young patient in the Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic in
1995. Dr. Fire is currently in private practice at Fire Audiology in Grand Forks.
1960s
Students attend class in the brand new Witmer Hall in the late
1960s. The building was the first on campus named for a living
member of the faculty, Robert B. Witmer, Dean of the College
of Science, Literature & Arts from 1948 to 1965.
1980s
Do you have a UND
Memory you’d like
to share?
Digital photos can
be emailed to Craig
Garaas-Johnson at
craig.garaasjohnson@
UND.edu
A clarinetist’s perspective from the Wind
Ensemble in the 1980s. UND music students
learn to play solo, as part of an ensemble, and
always strive for excellence.
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 27
ARTS &
sciences
President Kelley shakes hands
with Terry Steinwand, North
Dakota Game and Fish Director,
at the dedication event.
Prairie
Partnership
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
j
The Oakville Prairie Field Station provides a
unique educational environment for students
and now a public space for recreation.
ust west of Grand Forks is one of the largest
patches of tallgrass prairie in the Northern Great
Plains. In fact, most of the 960-acre Oakville Prairie Field
Station has never seen a plow. Walking through the long
grasses, there’s a sensation of floating, so thick is the bed
of vegetation. From a distance the dominant color is a
featureless green, ordinary and uninspiring. But up close,
when one kneels in the long grass, they discover brilliant
colors, bluebells, white clover, against a backdrop of
bluestem and buffalo grasses. Every acre is a world
beneath one’s feet.
Tallgrass prairie was once ubiquitous across the
Northern Great Plains. During the 19th and 20th
centuries, much of the prairie was transformed into
farmland, altering an ecosystem that had flourished for
millennia. Today, few examples of untouched tallgrass
prairie exist, and many are under the care and protection
28 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
of educational and environmental groups.
The Oakville Prairie Field Station represents an
exceptional part of the heritage of North Dakota,
according to Isaac Schlosser, Chester Fritz Distinguished
Professor of Biology and Field Station Director. “These
soils and the ecosystem out there support a key part of
the North Dakota economy, including agriculture, cattle
ranching, and hunting.”
About 9,300 years ago, Glacial Lake Agassiz, an
inland lake of glacial runoff larger in area than all the
Great Lakes combined, receded. So great was the
volume of water entering the world’s oceans, geologists
estimate sea levels rose between three and nine feet.
Left behind were beach ridges. Most of these ridges
have disappeared, but two of the Ojata Beach Ridges
can be observed at the Oakville Prairie. Also unique
to the Oakville Prairie are eight saline seeps, a feature
Professor Kathryn Yurkonis
and a biology student caught in
a moment of discovery.
of soils with higher concentrations of soluble salts that
adversely affect crop plants.
The nearly pristine prairie ecology has been the site of
research by the Biology Department and others for several
decades. “Insights gained from research at this site help us
better understand and manage North Dakota’s grassland
and agricultural areas now and into the future,” said Kathryn
Yurkonis, a Professor of Biology and UND’s Grassland
Ecologist.
Celebrating a New Era
In September, more than 100 spectators and guests
joined the UND Biology Department and the College of Arts
& Sciences to celebrate a fresh chapter in the history of the
Oakville Prairie Field Station. The event titled “A New Era for
the Grand Forks County Prairie” highlighted several important
changes that will provide educational opportunities to
generations of students and further preserve its integrity
for years to come. “As we understand better the interactions
between the systems within our plant and animal worlds,”
said President Robert Kelley, who spoke at the event, “it
helps us as human beings understand our role in managing
and helping to sustain these systems for the benefit of the
generations to come.”
Going forward, the field station will be defined by a
cooperative conservation effort between UND, Audubon
Dakota, the North Dakota Game and Fish Department, Grand
Forks County Prairie Partners, the North Dakota Natural
Resources Trust, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USDA’s
Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Pheasants
Forever. According to Schlosser, such partner-driven
management efforts will enhance the prairie habitat. “The
system, in fact, supports our society today. One of the key
things we’re talking about is not only the natural heritage
we have, but how we can use that natural heritage to better
support North Dakota society,” says Schlosser.
Remembrance
The Biology Department and the College of Arts
& Sciences also took the opportunity to dedicate the
event to the memories of Vera Facey and Paul Kannowski,
longtime members of the Biology Department. Schlosser
acknowledged each for making important contributions to
the Oakville Prairie Field Station.
“Professor Facey was far ahead of her time” said
Schlosser, “because she was the one who said this is a unique
piece of the heritage of North Dakota and this needs to be
protected.” Facey served at UND from 1947 to 1979, and died
in 1985.
“Paul Kannowski made multiple and very significant
contributions to UND and the Biology Department, including
a vital role in securing and protecting Oakville Prairie for
future generations,” said Schlosser. Kannowski served at UND
from 1957 to 1990, and died on September 3.
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
Managing Wildlife
One of the changes to the Oakville Prairie Field Station
is its designation as one of the newest wildlife management
areas (WMA) in the state. According to Terry Steinwand,
North Dakota Game and Fish Director, partnering with
UND on the new WMA offers outdoor opportunities the
agency couldn’t provide on its own. “We can always do more
together than you can do separately. We just have to keep
those kinds of partnerships going, and educate ourselves in
the process,” said Steinwand.
The North Dakota Game and Fish Department’s
designation opens the Oakville Prairie to hunting, fishing,
and trapping, as well as nature study, hiking, and primitive
camping. In addition, the Oakville Prairie will also be
identified as a Prairie Chicken Wildlife Management Area.
Audubon Dakota also designated the field station site
as an Important Bird Area. These areas are identified as those
which “provide essential habitat to one or more species of
birds during some portion of the year” and include “nesting
areas, crucial migration stop-over sites, or wintering grounds,”
according to their website.
“Currently, there are over 3,000 Important Bird Areas
in the U.S.,” said Marshall Johnson, Executive Director of
Audubon Dakota. “Important Bird Areas do not offer legal
protection, but are meant to become a rallying point for
additional conservation.
“The sheer volume of songbirds, waterfowl, and other
avian species that use this area is just incredible,” said
Johnson. “The presence of such abundant bird life speaks
volumes about the on-going management and partnerships
with private cooperators that make these areas so vibrant.”
Thanks to these continuing and evolving partnerships,
the Oakville Prairie Field Station can continue to serve as an
educational resource for UND, and now a public resource, for
years to come. A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 29
ARTS &
sciences
Gaining a
Human Rights
Perspective
UND students visited the
Canadian Museum for
Human Rights in Winnipeg,
Manitoba, in October.
Photo: Aaron Cohen/CMHR
o
The UND Center for Human Rights & Genocide
Studies provides students and the community
with international context on genocide and
human rights violations across the world.
n the morning of January 7,
2015, in Paris, two brothers,
Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced
their way into the headquarters
of satirical weekly newspaper
Charlie Hebdo. Armed with assault
rifles, the brothers killed 11 people
and wounded 11 others after
the magazine published cartoon
30 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
images of Muhammad. The attack
was shocking for its audacity, but
for Americans, it also appeared to
be an outrageous assault on one of
our most cherished liberties — the
freedom of speech.
In the U.S., understanding the
gunmen’s rationale for violence
is difficult. The media can make
comparisons between familiar
publications and content we find
objectionable in our culture, but
the media’s interpretation may lack
context that allows us to appreciate a
situation’s complexity.
In response, on January 29, the
UND Center for Human Rights and
Genocide Studies (CHARGES) hosted
‘By and large,
international
events don’t
receive a lot of
attention in the
newspaper.’
Photo: Aaron Cohen/CMHR
a community panel to discuss human
rights, religion, and freedom of speech
and the press in light of the Charlie Hebdo
attacks.
Grand Forks may not be an obvious
setting for an in-depth public discussion
of French blasphemy laws and Islamic
terrorism, but for CHARGES it was an
occasion for education and thoughtful
reflection. Nearly 100 members of the
Grand Forks community attended the panel
discussion, with many asking questions of
the panelists, and staying behind to learn
more.
“A lot of the things we do are
opportunistic,” says Rebecca WeaverHightower, an Associate Professor of English
and one of the co-directors of CHARGES.
“We’re really trying to keep our finger on the
pulse of current events, and if we see a gap
in education we can do something quickly.
With the Charlie Hebdo event and recent
events in Ferguson, Missouri (where Michael
Brown was shot and killed by police officer
Darren Wilson, setting off weeks of protests),
we thought, ‘people aren’t talking about this
and they should be.’”
Along with Weaver-Hightower,
CHARGES is co-led by Brian Urlacher, an
associate professor of Political Science in the
College of Business & Public Administration.
“By and large, international events don’t
receive a lot of attention in the newspaper,”
says Urlacher. “The kind of coverage that
does happen is focused on some pretty
specific things. People are understandably
more focused on their everyday lives.”
Founded in 2007 by Gregory S. Gordon,
a former UND associate professor of Law,
CHARGES was initially created to assist Hirut
Abebe-Jiri, an Ethiopian Red Terror torture
survivor, create an archive documenting
Red Terror crimes. The documents came
from the Ethiopian Special Prosecutor’s
office, and had been used to try former
Ethiopian dictator Mengistu, who oversaw
the Red Terror regime’s crimes. While still
associated with this project, CHARGES
has significantly broadened its range of
activities in the last several years.
What are Human Rights?
The question is deceptively simple.
Unlike genocide, which has a legal
definition, human rights are standards
of human behavior enshrined in law, yet
variable to the extent that they evolve
over time. “Human rights spills into many
different areas,” says Urlacher.
The Universal Declaration of Human
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 31
If you would like to learn how you can
support the Center for Human Rights &
Genocide Studies at UND, contact the
Center’s co-directors.
Rebecca Weaver-Hightower
rwh@und.edu
Brian Urlacher
brian.urlacher@business.und.edu
Photo: Aaron Cohen/CMHR
Rights (UDHR), adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly in 1948, is the
first global attempt to codify inherent
rights to which all human beings are
entitled. Though not legally binding, the
Declaration outlines progressive measures
that have influenced national constitutions
and informed aspects of customary
international law across the world.
“With human rights, there are also
issues of cultural traditions. For example,
is it a human right to be educated?” asks
Weaver-Hightower. “There are lots of places
where girls are not considered being
worthy of educating. Or is it a human right
to have determination over your own
body, as in the case with female genital
mutilation? Or wearing a veil to express
your religion? Some feminists might say
that that’s a problem, too.”
It might seem a simple thing to define
human rights, but criticism of the UDHR by
other countries reveals the culture-bound
character of the definitional problem. Some
countries have argued the Declaration
imposes a Western bias and conflicts
with aspects of religion that cannot be
unraveled.
“Because of the way the international
law on human rights works, it is so broad,
covering social, cultural, economic, and
political rights. It runs the gamut from ‘you
have the right not to be tortured,’ to ‘you
have the right to do artwork.’” says Urlacher.
Challenges to human rights can also
have a less obstinate origin, says Urlacher.
“There are issues like the right to decent
healthcare. A government might argue they
have economic problems and logistical
problems that might complicate delivery
of decent healthcare for their population.
32 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
In the end, a government can look to the
UDHR and say, ‘these are the goals we’re
striving for. These are goals we are trying to
realize as we make progress,’” according to
Urlacher.
Beyond the Classroom
On October 30, nine students and the
CHARGES co-directors boarded a van and
left the UND campus for Winnipeg and
the newly-opened Canadian Museum for
Human Rights. The museum is recognized
for its inspiring architecture, taking visitors
on a “journey from darkness to light,” as
they experience six levels of exhibits and 11
galleries.
The stunning construction is designed
as a physical metaphor for the progress
civilization has made toward greater
freedom and increased recognition of
human rights around the world. Internally
lit alabaster-covered ramps are not only
beautiful, but provide access to the entire
building for people with disabilities.
The subject of human rights could be
one that people find challenging. Certainly
some of the exhibits take an emotional
toll, but this is part of what makes the
experience valuable for students.
“The scope of what’s covered here is so
expansive,” says Urlacher. “There are so many
challenges and crises that human beings
have wrestled with over the centuries.
But there’s also an element of hope
and optimism in terms of progress and
responding and pushing back. It has this
simultaneous overwhelming feel to it, but
at the same time, a feeling of hopefulness.”
American students do not often see
the parallels between U.S. and Canadian
culture. In fact, there are many instances
where both countries have struggled with
the same issues, sometimes with very
different responses. Presenting human
rights issues from a Canadian perspective
was, for some, an important feature of the
museum,. “It’s really interesting to see the
Canadian side of human rights,” says Ashley
Lushinsky, a senior studying psychology.
“They went through a lot of the same things
that we went through at the same time, but
we don’t often hear about that. To see how
a different country handled [these issues]
has been really interesting to me.”
According to Kaylee Smith, visiting the
museum with CHARGES was an extension
of the topics she finds interesting in her
courses. “In my honors class we talk a lot
about diversity issues and oppression that
people experience. It’s amazing to see how
far we’ve come.”
Students spent several hours touring
the museum on their own before rejoining
the group and boarding the van for Grand
Forks.
For most of the students, their journey
through the Canadian Museum of Human
Rights culminated high in the Tower of
Hope, a seemingly unfinished space of
glass and steel featuring some of the best
views of Winnipeg. According to museum
staff, the Tower of Hope is intentionally
unfinished, just as the work of ensuring
human rights is always a work in progress.
“Whatever our aspirations are,” says
Urlacher, describing the challenges of
sustaining momentum in achieving
progress in international human rights, “we
still have to figure out how to make that
work in a real world with real constraints
and tensions and fights and differences of
views.” A&S
— Craig Garaas-Johnson
Alumni Reflection:
Bill Harwood,’68
i
From the Northern Plains to a
career in the diplomatic service, Bill
Harwood now looks to write about
North Dakota success stories.
n September 1993, I started work as a press officer for
the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Political upheavals roiled
the country, with daily demonstrations by anti-government
agitators near our living and working compound in the
city. One Sunday afternoon the Russian security forces
abandoned their perimeter and left us to the mercy
of violent street mobs and of snipers in the apartment
overlooking our apartments. About 300 of us Americans and
our families took refuge in our underground gymnasium and
swimming pool.
For three days we feared whether our 12-man Marine
contingent could repel an armed attack. One Marine
corporal took a bullet next to a carotid artery. Would these
rebels end my 16 years as a Foreign Service Officer? When
we emerged unharmed three days later, the blue sky sure
looked great, and the Marine went home to Philadelphia.
Each life-threatening situation in 22 years of living
and working in Third World and Soviet Bloc posts recalled
the skills and knowledge UND provided me. They helped
me thrive in the Army, complete a doctorate in Polish
history at the University of Illinois, and pass the qualifying
exams for the Foreign Service. There I adapted to a working
environment with American diplomats of a mindset quite
different from a North Dakota boy’s.
What saw me through it all? The UND Honors Program,
as well as sensible Midwestern values and a strong work
ethic.
Small Honors classes and the freedom to choose
challenging philosophy and history courses taught me
to think and write. Glen Smith guided my senior Honors
thesis on the Ku Klux Klan in Grand Forks to my graduation
in 1968. Its publication and my Polish fluency led to annual
fellowships at Illinois between 1971 and 1977 and a study
year in Krakow, Poland, 1974-1975. Hours of researching in
three languages came naturally.
My trainee classmates for the U.S. Information Agency,
the press and cultural division of our Foreign Service, came
mainly from the East Coast elites. I didn’t quite fit. How did I
overcome the anti-Midwest bias and thrive?
At my first post in Bangladesh, the senior officers
generally took class, education at the right schools, and
pedigree distinctions quite seriously. Caring more for getting
to know Bengalis rather than tennis at “The Club,” I didn’t fully
appreciate what values separated me from them. Over the
next five years I adapted to new living and working norms,
learning the rules of the game in Washington as well as
keeping my grounded sense of self.
I could not have asked for a better career, tailored
to my enjoyments and abilities, in Bangladesh, Nepal,
India, Pakistan, Russia, Poland, and Somalia. I worked with
American and local universities, cultural groups, and media,
all of which I had experienced in full at UND and in Grand
Forks. Imagine escorting Kurt Vonnegut and William Styron
through Auschwitz.
Since 1999 I have performed music and worked with
writing coaches to learn to read and write again, leading
to my current project to describe my transition from Grand
Forks to a bigger stage.
Accordingly, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation
and dean offices have offered to help me contact you folks
to ask how experiences at UND helped you in your lives and
careers, to put mine into perspective.
Do you have a story, or reflection you want to share
on these topics? The skills and attitudes we learned at UND
will help flesh out my account of how North Dakotans like
Maxwell Anderson, Phil Jackson, Peggy Lee, and Roger Maris
prospered elsewhere. How did we adjust? What kind of
persons did we become in our working years? A&S
— Bill Harwood
Contact Bill at:
Bill Harwood
61 Chipman Street
Burlington, VT 05403
wharw32487@aol.com
Williamlharwood.com
www.arts-sciences.und.edu | 33
CAMPUS
news
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
What’s New
News from around campus A Partnership with the Division of University and Public Affairs
Photo: Jackie Lorentz
Lead donors Mary E. Bazar and Si Robin sign a construction beam at the Topping Off Ceremony
for Robin Hall on Oct. 15 as Gov. Jack Dalrymple, President Robert Kelley, Dean Bruce Smith, Sen. John
Hoeven and UND Aerospace Foundation Chairman Larry Martin look on.
Robin Hall, future home of UND’s ultra-successful and growing Unmanned Aircraft Systems
enterprise, is being funded largely by private donations and $1.5 million in matching funds from the
North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund.
34 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
President Robert Kelley
DEAR
ALUMNI & FRIENDS
It is with a mixture of sadness and optimism that I write my
last letter for the Alumni Review before I retire on January 14:
sadness because Marcia and I have enjoyed our time here at UND
and optimism because this great University is poised to become
even more exceptional.
I want to thank some wonderful people for making
this possible. Our students are simply outstanding. Their
achievements, spirit and vigor have brought fame to the
University and contributed so much to the vitality of our
community. Our faculty — the very soul of the University —
are widely recognized for their teaching, their scholarship and
research, and their involvement. Speaking of involvement, I can’t
say enough about our alumni. Their incredible support is fueling
efforts to move the University of North Dakota to even higher
levels of distinction.
I am indebted to the talent and vision of an exceptional team
of leaders: Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Tom
DiLorenzo, Vice President for Health Affairs and Dean of the School
of Medicine Joshua Wynne, Vice President for Student Affairs Lori
Reesor, Vice President for Finance and Operations Alice Brekke,
and Vice President for University and Public Affairs Susan Walton.
Together with the deans, department chairs and the unit
directors, they have implemented the goals of our Exceptional
UND strategic blueprint and are leading us into its next phase,
Vision 2020. They have been supported by the remarkable
dedication and spirit of our hardworking staff.
Consider just a few examples of what we have achieved in
our Exceptional UND initiative: petroleum engineering degree
programs, a Doctor of Nursing Practice program, the Healthcare
Workforce Initiative, eight new buildings or major additions and
renovations, improved student services, programs in Unmanned
Aircraft Systems (UAS) that have drawn worldwide attention, a
School of Entrepreneurship, full transition into Division I athletics,
and much, much more (see pp. 8-9).
I am proud to acknowledge our leaders in government for
their support: members of the North Dakota Legislature, Gov. Jack
Dalrymple and Lt. Gov. Drew Wrigley; our federal delegation; Sen.
John Hoeven, Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, and Rep. Kevin Cramer, as well
as the delegation that was so helpful to the University during the
first part of my presidency; Sen. Byron Dorgan, Sen. Kent Conrad,
and Rep. Earl Pomeroy; and our community leaders, including
Mayor Mike Brown and the members of the Grand Forks City
Council.
I again want to
call attention to our
alumni and friends,
who contributed
nearly $325 million to
North Dakota Spirit
| The Campaign for
UND, the largest
capital campaign in the state’s history. And just this past year,
UND alumni and friends contributed more than $48 million, the
second-highest level of annual giving in the University’s history.
This generosity is making a huge impact in terms of supporting
student scholarships and academic initiatives. It has been my
pleasure to work closely with DeAnna Carlson Zink and her
team at the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, and with her
predecessor, Tim O’Keefe.
I also want to extend congratulations and the very best
wishes to Ed Schafer, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and
former North Dakota Governor, who will begin serving as Interim
President on Jan. 15. Ed and Nancy have always been strong
supporters of this University. The institution will be in excellent
hands during the interim period.
Finally, I want to thank Marcia, UND’s First Volunteer. Marcia
has served in the role of First Lady with grace, charm, wit, and
engaging good humor. She deserves and receives my undying
love and devotion for her tireless work during the past seven and
a half years on behalf of the University.
Together, Marcia and I say “Thank You” to our alumni and
friends for the time, talent and treasure you have shared to make
UND even more exceptional. Thanks to you, UND, this Beacon on
the Prairie, continues to shine even brighter for the students of
today and tomorrow.
With great thanks for continued support for UND’s future,
sincerely,
Robert O. Kelley
President
www.UNDalumni.org | 35
CAMPUS
news
NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
Birds, bears and the Bay
UND BIOLOGISTS WORK WITH THE AMERICAN MUSEUM
OF NATURAL HISTORY ON PROJECT TO INTEGRATE
UNMANNED AIRCRAFT TECHNOLOGY IN A WILDLIFE
STUDY IN THE CANADIAN ARCTIC
i
n a portion of Manitoba, Canada, so remote you have
to fly in by helicopter, a research team led by the
University of North Dakota and the American Museum
of Natural History spent the summer in the polar
bear capital of the world deploying the latest tool —
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) — in a nearly fivedecade-old ecological study.
As part of the “Hudson Bay Project,” a collaborative
research program that includes partners from the U.S. and
Canada, the group conducted nearly 90 test flights from
Wapusk National Park to show that UAS can be used to
noninvasively study the overabundant geese in the region
and their impact on the tundra landscape. In addition to
combining effectiveness and efficiency, the single unmanned
aircraft used by the team generated more than 80,000
detailed images.
“This technology has propelled us well into the 21st
century,” said Robert Rockwell, a research associate in the
Museum’s Department of Ornithology and a senior scientist
of the Hudson Bay Project. Rockwell, who has been counting
geese in the area since the late 1960s, teamed up last year
with UND biologists Susan Ellis-Felege, Robert Newman, Chris
Felege, UAS expert Michael Corcoran, and students Andrew
Barnas and Sam Hervey to explore the use of UAS at the
remote Canadian camp.
“We have been able to enhance and extend our
geographical coverage, and to do it in a way that precludes
potential disturbances of the very ecosystem we are studying,”
Rockwell said. “It also helps us avoid confrontation with the
ever-present bears, the region’s top predators. The first year’s
36 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Photo: UND Biology Department
operations were a grand success by any measure, and I look
forward to expanding our efforts in 2016 and beyond.”
First permit
The team is the first to be given permits to develop UAS
technology in a national park in Canada. The new tool allows
freedom to monitor the ecosystem from the air and greatly
extends the range of monitoring activity, providing the kind
of view and access previously only afforded by helicopters,
but with much less noise and expense. The researchers’
vehicle of choice is a 5.5-pound Styrofoam flyer that launches
via catapult and is programed to follow transects while taking
photos at one-second intervals. The imagery is then stitched
together to form a picture of the ground below. From about
250 feet up, the aircraft’s belly camera clearly captures snow
geese (blue and white varieties) and their goslings, different
types of vegetation and damaged areas, and other bird
species like sandhill cranes, tundra swans, bald eagles and
herring gulls.
To gauge how the local wildlife responds as the aircraft
flies nearby, the researchers placed video cameras near goose
and eider duck nests. They found that the animals generally
ignored the aircraft, even when in close proximity to the
launch sites.
“Once we’re set up, the birds didn’t seem to pay attention
to the aircraft,” said Ellis-Felege. “But to confirm nesting bird
responses, we are now reviewing camera footage and sound
recordings from the nests to determine if they show any
responses to this small aircraft flying above them.”
That is important not only to the nature of the work, but
University of North Dakota UAS specialist Mike Corcoran
(left), UND graduate student Andrew Barnas (center)and
UND biologist Susan Ellis-Felege (right) prepare for the
last flight of their summer research season in July along the
coast of the Hudson Bay just outside of Churchill, Manitoba.
Photo: Susan Felege
Photo: Chris Felege
A polar bear lounges along the coast,
as seen from a helicopter transporting
research crews to areas beyond walking
distance from the base camp.
also to the park managers and the indigenous people who have
a “don’t touch and don’t disturb” philosophy, said Rockwell. “Using
UAS allows us to respect those wishes and cultural considerations,”
he said.
Before starting the study, the team underwent extensive
training to receive a Special Flight Operations Certificate. The flights
are conducted through the approval of both Parks Canada and
Transport Canada.
“Flight crews, including the biologists, initially received factory
training that instructed them how to professionally operate the air
vehicle, and they continue to build their science and aviation skills
as the project moves forward,” Corcoran said.
Technology limits
The technology does have limitations: the vehicle must be
in sight at all times during flight, so helicopters are still necessary
to transport the equipment to areas of interest that are far away
from the electric fence-protected camp. But based on their initial
tests, the researchers expect that UAS will be extremely beneficial
in learning more about nesting and nest failure in the region —
an increasingly important topic as the changing Arctic climate is
causing bears to consume alternative food sources like geese and
their eggs.
Unmanned aircrafts also could be used to study the area’s
predators by identifying “day beds,” flattened grass areas that mark
where polar and grizzly bears rested on land. Researchers can then
go on targeted field trips to collect hair left in the beds for genetic
testing that provides details about the local population.
Funding for the study was provided by the North Dakota
Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR)
program, UND College of Arts & Sciences, UND Office of the
Provost, Parks Canada and Wapusk National Park, the Central and
Mississippi Flyway Councils, the Arctic Goose Joint Venture, and
Anne Via. AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 37
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Game Changer
HIGH PERFORMANCE CENTER
IS KEY TO FUTURE ATHLETIC
SUCCESS AT UND
y
ou could see it in the wide eyes and hear it from the
mouths of people as they stepped into the massive
facility for the first time.
Folks with the University of North Dakota’s Athletic
Department have become accustomed to it, something
they refer to quite simply as the “Wow Factor.” Those
reactions were abundant as more than 500 people
streamed into the University’s new High Performance
Center (HPC) for its grand opening in November.
The $13 million, nearly 200,000 square-foot facility
now serves as the year-round indoor training center for
UND Athletics programs, and eventually will be equipped
to host competitions for track and field events.
Instead of a traditional ribbon-cutting, the public was
treated to UND Athletics’ own brand of facility christening
when members of the men’s and women’s track teams ran
together and broke the tape at the finish line to signal a
new era for the school’s sports programs.
“This is the day everything changes,” said UND Track
and Field Coach Kevin Galbraith. “We can help our athletes
develop and reach their potential in ways that we never
could before … This is a game changer — nothing short
of it … this is probably the best thing to happen to UND
track and field in anyone’s recent memory.”
The facility, which sits on the former site of the old
Ralph Engelstad hockey arena and is so large it could
contain within its walls more than a few of the old Ralphs,
features a full-length football field with an eight-lane,
300-meter “Super X” Mondo track surface.
38 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
“(We have) the only track on the planet that has the
Super X surface, plus inlaid lane lines,” Galbraith said. “All the
markings on this track surface are inlaid; they’re not painted.
There is no other track on the planet that has the whole suite
of technology that we have.
“Our alumni are excited for us, our athletes are excited.
Our athletes get out on the track and they get amped up and
they just run fast.”
UND Head Football Coach Bubba Schweigert also is
excited to see the addition of the HPC and can’t help but
think about what it will mean for the future of his program.
UND sports commentator and Midco Sports broadcaster Dan
Hammer joked to Schweigert that the new indoor facility
might be bigger than the coach’s hometown of Zeeland, N.D.
“You don’t realize how massive the building is until you
get inside,” Schwiegert said. “We have a place now that we can
add different drills. We can have different types of workouts
with our strength and conditioning staff. We have a football
field where receivers and quarterbacks can come in and
throw the ball, and we know that is so important for them to
be on the same page and develop that chemistry … We’re
now able to do that stuff more at more times throughout the
year.”
The HPC also can be used throughout the year by other
UND Athletics programs, such as baseball, softball and soccer
— all of which were represented by student athletes at the
grand opening event.
The facility as it stands now represents Phase I of a larger
project that after future phases could include spectator
seating, an attached sports medicine and athletic training
College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines
Dean’s
Corner:
New Dean Attends Her First UND Commencement
UND Athletics Director Brian Faison speaks
at the HPC grand opening celebration.
center, academic center for student
athletes, classrooms, meeting rooms,
locker rooms and coaches offices.
“This is a very special moment for
UND Athletics as we officially open
the UND Athletics High Performance
Center,” said UND Athletics Director Brian
Faison. “I don’t think I can overstate how
important the High Performance Center
will be for the continuing development
of our athletics teams. It has taken a
tremendous partnership with alumni and
friends to get this project completed.
And now our fans will have the chance to
see it up close and personal.”
Faison emphasized that the facility
was built entirely with private dollars.
The UND Alumni Association &
Foundation has been heading up
fundraising for the project, securing
major gifts in the process. The leadership
gift for the project came from Altru
Health System, which provided $9
million. Major funding also came from
SCHEELS, which contributed $1 million.
The facility was designed by ICON
Architectural Group. AR
— David Dodds,
University & Public Affairs writer
Dear Alumni and Friends,
“Back to the Future Day” was October 21, 2015, and marked the 30th anniversary of the
day Marty McFly drove his DeLorean into the future in Back To the Future Part II. Although
we are not riding on hoverboards, nor has our style sense caught up with the predictions
of this classic movie, the College of Nursing and
Professional Disciplines (CNPD) has seen great
change and advancements in the past 30 years. We
certainly are excited about the future of Nursing,
Social Work, and Nutrition and Dietetics. I invite you
to hop into my DeLorean and take a ride with me as
I predict the future role that CNPD will continue to
play in rural communities throughout North Dakota
and the region.
I predict that in the next 30 years the College
of Nursing and Professional Disciplines will be the
leader in rural health and social services in the
region. This year, CNPD welcomed two new online
programs that are educating professionals in our
rural areas: the Bachelor of Science in Social Work
(BSSW) and the Master of Science in Nutrition.
The online BSSW program was designed with
working students in mind. The first cohort is comprised of students who are already
employed in social service agencies in rural areas, tribal communities, and oil-impacted
communities throughout the state and region. The MS Nutrition program also provides
working professionals with the flexibility to receive an advanced degree and to increase
their knowledge base and abilities. Both programs will provide rural areas with educated
professionals in social services and the healthcare field.
Further, the Nursing program is working to provide students with more opportunities
for clinical practicums and learning experiences in rural regions which give students the
knowledge and understanding they need to serve these populations both now and in the
future. Nursing students will also continue to be educated on the use of telehealth which
utilizes technology to connect providers with patients for primary care needs thus increasing
access for patients who would normally be required to travel to receive healthcare.
Finally, this fall CNPD will welcome Rural Health Visiting Scholar Dr. Angeline Bushy,
who will work with faculty to integrate rural content and student experiences across the
three areas of curricula. Dr. Bushy is a renowned rural health expert and will be assisting the
College in further developing its rural health mission.
I hope you will continue to travel with the College of Nursing and Professional
Disciplines into the future as we look to the new technologies, healthcare, and services
that we will provide for North Dakota and the region’s rural areas. Please feel free to contact
me anytime at gayle.roux@UND.edu or 701.777.4200 as I would love to hear your insight
regarding the future of CNPD.
Sincerely,
Gayle Roux PhD, NP-C, FAAN
www.UNDalumni.org | 39
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w
New ‘Home’ on Campus
NEWLY RENOVATED WILKERSON COMMONS
CELEBRATES OFFICIAL REOPENING WITH A
DEDICATION AND RIBBON CUTTING
ilkerson Commons is anything but common.
The redesigned and renamed Wilkerson Hall was
officially reopened in an October dedication and ribboncutting ceremony.
“As President Kelley has said, this building may be
called ‘The Commons’ but there’s nothing common
about it,” said University of North Dakota Vice President for
Academic Affairs and Provost Thomas DiLorenzo. “Fulfilling
one of the main tenets of the University’s strategic
blueprint, ‘Exceptional UND,’ Wilkerson Commons will
provide the University and Grand Forks a beautiful place to
gather, study, socialize and share meals.”
The space features the first tray-less dining center
on campus and expanded food options. The building
also boasts an innovation lab with white boards and
smart boards for student use, a lounge with a fireplace for
socializing, a stage for entertainment events, and meeting
spaces that students can reserve.
“Wilkerson Commons creates an environment of
connection and collaboration, and this physical space
enhances student learning and is all about student
success,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Lori Reesor.
“We are so grateful this day has finally arrived.”
Construction on the facility began in 2014 after
several years of intensive planning involving different
members of University staff and faculty, community
members and especially students. Representing student
concerns and needs during the process was the
Association of Residence Halls, which serves the needs of
UND’s residence hall community.
ARH President Shane Herman, who has been heavily
involved throughout the renovation, noted that the
redesigned complex now bears so little resemblance to its
former self, that he found himself becoming disoriented as
40 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
to where he was, compared to the former layout.
“When I walked through the glass doors for the first
time, my jaw dropped,” Herman said. “All I could think was,
‘Wow! We, the students, get to eat here, we get to study
here, we even get to pick up our mail here.’”
Wilkerson Hall began operations almost 50 years ago,
bearing the name of James Wallace Wilkerson, a longtime
business manager for the University. The chandeliers and
portraits of former university presidents that once graced
Wilkerson Hall’s wallpapered walls are nowhere to be
found against the clean white walls, abundant outlets
for student devices, and the modern design that marks a
transition for the facility that has served as a cornerstone
for student life on campus for the past five decades.
“Thousands of students passed through Wilkerson
during its nearly 50-year operation, and it always
symbolized more to them than just a dining center,”
Herman said. “It was a part of their time as a student at the
University of North Dakota, a vital piece of their new home.”
And, although the facility has little in common with
its predecessor, Herman says there is one thing that has
remained the same.
“Like many students before me, Wilkerson Hall was
one of the first buildings I entered on the UND campus,
and it’s one we all spend numerous hours in every week,”
Herman said. “Through the many changes, Wilkerson has
always been, is currently, and will continue to be a home
for students on campus.” AR
— Carrie Sandstrom
University & Public Affairs student writer
Heart of the
Action
UND NURSING STUDENT
SHELBY POITRA KEEPS
AN OPEN MIND WHILE
DISCOVERING A PASSION FOR
RESEARCH IN HER FIELD
u
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
niversity of North Dakota nursing student Shelby Poitra
may not have graduated from college yet, but she’s
already making her mark on the field of nursing.
This summer, Poitra was one of 12 interns at the
Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation (MHIF) at Abbott
Northwestern Hospital in Minneapolis. The only nursing student
in the program, Poitra brought a unique point of view to the
research-intense, 11-week stint at the MHIF.
“I know that the students MHIF likes to select are more the
pre-med track — I’m nursing,” Poitra said. “(But) research has
always been a huge thing in my life, and I thought, ‘Why not?’ It
doesn’t hurt to apply.”
During the three months she spent at Abbott
Northwestern, Poitra analyzed the records of 50 patients to
evaluate the impact of using an Extracorporeal Membrane
Oxygenation (ECMO) machine — a machine that oxygenates
blood, bypassing the heart and lungs to allow the organs to rest
and heal —on patients with septic shock.
some of her interest in medical research was sparked by a desire
to learn more about issues that can disproportionately impact
American Indians.
Although her heritage helped pique her interests, Poitra
has since made researching a vast array of subjects a part of her
college career. In addition to her summer research endeavors,
she has also been involved in several on-campus studies,
including one on Alzheimer’s and one studying addiction in
zebra fish.
Nursing wasn’t always Poitra’s chosen career track. She
spent her first few years at school pursuing a pre-med degree.
But in her junior year, with only one class left to finish her
pre-med class requirements, Poitra realized she wasn’t happy.
Although she had never been thrilled with the idea of going
into nursing, she kept an open mind and evaluated her options.
“I ended up talking to a nursing student,” Poitra said. “She
told me a lot of great things about it and how well respected
this program is … everything just sort of went from there.”
Good experience
Making a Difference
The results of her research revealed that patients with
septic shock had a lower mortality when treated with ECMO
and that ECMO may prolong end-of-life care for fatally sick
patients with septic shock.
An abstract with Poitra’s findings was accepted by the
Extracorporeal Life Support Organization — an international
nonprofit consortium focusing on therapies for support of
failing organ systems — and a poster with her research was
displayed in Atlanta the last weekend in September.
“(The internship) was a really good experience overall,”
Poitra said. “I didn’t feel like I needed to be a pre-med student to
be there and do the things that I did.”
Following graduation, with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
degree in hand, Poitra hopes to continue doing research, and
she’s thinking about pursuing a Doctor of Nursing Practice. For
Poitra, the future is all about keeping her mind open.
“I don’t like being close-minded about things because it
limits you so much,” Poitra said. “There’s a lot out there, and the
passion that I have for research, it’s like, if it’s going to make a
difference for someone someday and it needs to be researched,
I want to be a part of that.” AR
— Carrie Sandstrom
University & Public Affairs student writer
Change of heart
Poitra grew up in St. John, a small town in north-central
North Dakota near the Canadian border, and is a member of
the Turtle Mountain Chippewa nation. She says that, initially,
www.UNDalumni.org | 41
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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
Fulbright
Family
r
ichard Shafer figures he’s taught in more than 100
university settings over his decades-long education
career.
Sometimes, at least seven or eight — he loses count —
he served as a Fulbright Scholar in some of the more remote
corners of the world as a teacher or as a Peace Corps volunteer
in his younger days.
Today Shafer, a professor of journalism in the UND
Communication Program, is on another adventure as a
Fulbright Scholar. But he’s not alone. He’s joined by his wife,
Jill, an assistant professor in UND’s Department of Teaching &
Learning, who is on her own Fulbright Fellowship — her first.
At UND, Jill heads up the graduate English Learner
Education Program.
They’re in Rwanda to teach at the University of Rwanda in
the capital city of Kigali, and to conduct research throughout
the country. They reported for their new duties on Oct. 1, and
are expected to spend the next seven-to-nine months in Africa.
Jill said that they learned at a recent Fulbright training
session in Washington, D.C. that a husband-and-wife team on
separate scholarly fellowships to the same area is rare.
But there was no way that the Shafers, whose youngest
son is college-bound, were going to do it alone. Jill jokingly calls
it “empty nest” therapy.
Despite it being her first Fulbright experience, Jill isn’t
exactly a newbie when it comes to education missions around
the world.
She and their children often would accompany Richard on
his past endeavors. Sometimes she would locate her own work
once settling into a country. She’s worked for Doctors without
Borders and taught English in Uzbekistan and provided lectures
on adult education in the Philippines.
Last year, she traveled to Ethiopia as part of the “Ethiopia
Reads” initiative with Anne Walker, a colleague in the Teaching
& Learning department, part of the College of Education &
Human Development.
Her Fulbright appointment has her assisting in a massive
language transition for a mostly agrarian country that existed for
generations under French-speaking Belgian rule. The transition
includes Rwanda switching its language of education from
42 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
UND’S SHAFERS HEAD TO
RWANDA ON SEPARATE
PRESTIGIOUS SCHOLARLY
FELLOWSHIPS TO LIVE, LEARN
AND TEACH
French to English.
“It’s basically a national shift that is taking place overnight,”
Jill says.
Jill, an expert in English teaching and learning, will train
some of the 1,000 or so native African teachers who will
eventually serve as mentors for Rwanda’s language conversion.
As for Richard, for his latest Fulbright appointment, he’s
continuing to do what he has done in the past: teach journalism
and research the state of the press in yet another new setting.
Richard describes the press in Rwanda as “very controlled.”
He looks forward to interviewing local journalists in the rural
provinces that surround Kigali to get a more accurate sense
of what it’s like to be a media professional in that kind of
environment.
“I might have to be a little cautious about the way I go
about things, but interviewing journalists is interesting; they are
the easiest people in the world to interview because they are all
just waiting for someone to finally ask them a question,” Shafer
says.
The Shafers started the rigorous Fulbright application
process nearly two years ago.
Rwanda, a tiny yet picturesque African nation that doesn’t
appear on some modern world maps, fits the Shafers’ academic
and research pursuits and also spoke to their collective sense of
adventure.
“There is always work to be done in these countries,”
Jill says. “But it will be nice to go over there with a particular
purpose already laid out.”
Richard and Jill said they are grateful to their academic
departments, their deans – Dr. Debbie Storrs and Dr. Robert Hill,
and the UND leadership for supporting their fellowships.
“UND has always been generous and supportive,” Richard
says. “The University is pretty encouraging when it comes
to flying the UND flag around the world – it’s built into our
academic culture.” AR
— David Dodds
University & Public Affairs writer
Proving
Ground
DAVE HAKSTOL MAKES
HIS NHL REGULAR SEASON
COACHING DEBUT, PUTTING
HIM IN ELITE COMPANY.
i
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
t didn’t feel much like a hockey setting for Dave Hakstol
on the opening night of the NHL season in Tampa,
Florida. That’s where the former University of North Dakota
coach made his debut as coach of the Philadelphia Flyers.
But on that night, just one game into his professional
coaching career, Hakstol became part of history. His Flyers fell
3-2 to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first-ever 3-on-3 overtime
game played after the NHL implemented the rule change in the
offseason.
The crisp autumn surroundings of past season openers at
Ralph Engelstad Arena or away games at other northern locales
were a distant memory for Hakstol that night as he leveled his
focus and menacing stare on the task at hand. And other than
the final score, “Hak” wouldn’t have had it any other way.
The real deal
After a lifetime of hockey in the amateur and minor
professional ranks as a player and coach, Hakstol is getting his
shot under the bright lights of the NHL.
It’s the real deal for a coach who, for 11 seasons at UND,
molded young men into something bigger than themselves,
and, in the process, prepared many of them for the next level as
citizens and players. At UND, Hakstol led his UND squads to an
astounding 289 -141-13 record, including 11 NCAA tournament
and seven Frozen Four appearances. His 2004-05 team finished
as the NCAA runner up.
The Flyers organization recognized Hakstol’s work habits,
determination, and attention to detail at the college level and
believed he could transfer those traits to the NHL. The Flyers
went head-to-head with UND Athletics, which tried to retain
its successful coach, but in the end the call of the NHL, a dream
to work at the next level, and a multi-million contract were too
much for Hakstol to turn down.
Impressive list
When he assumed his spot behind the Flyers’ bench,
Hakstol officially added himself to a long list of former UND
players and coaches who have ascended from the college ranks
to be coaches at the pinnacle of their respective sports. There’s
little doubt that UND has served these skilled leaders as a sort of
proving ground on their way to the top.
Hakstol, a native of Warburg, Alberta, joins an impressive
collection of top-league field generals in Phil Jackson, Bill Fitch
and Jimmy Rodgers in basketball and Dave Tippett in hockey, all
of whom played or coached at UND early in their careers.
Tippett currently is the head coach of the Phoenix Coyotes.
He’s served that role since 2009. Before that, he spent six
seasons as head coach of the Dallas Stars. He’s led both of his
teams to the NHL conference finals. At UND, Tippett served
as a captain of the UND hockey team that won a national
championship in 1982.
It should also be noted, that another UND alum, Tom
Renney, coached in the NHL, though he was never affiliated
with the UND hockey program during his time in Grand Forks.
He eventually would become head coach of three NHL teams
— the Vancouver Canucks, the New York Rangers, and most
recently, the Edmonton Oilers. He led his teams to three playoff
appearances in his career. AR
— David Dodds
University & Public Affairs writer
www.UNDalumni.org | 43
1
2
1. We were graced with beautiful
weather for the annual Homecoming
Parade down University Avenue. The
parade had dozens of entries from
student organizations, university
departments, and local businesses.
44 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
3
6
4
2. The 2015 Homecoming Week
began with the second annual
Kickoff Lunch in which Homecoming King and Queen candidates,
along with UND Student Ambassadors and the UND cheer team,
served walking tacos to UND students in the Chester Fritz Library
Quad.
3. Sioux Award winners pose for a
photo with UND President Robert
Kelley and Alumni Association &
Foundation CEO DeAnna Carlson
5
Zink (left to right): Dave Veeder,
’61; Jill Cholewa, ’77; Henry Herr,
’68, ’71; and Patrick Dirk, ’71, ’72.
4. Luke Schields and Kylie Idso
were elected Homecoming King
and Queen. The duo got to pick
which student programs would
receive the proceeds from t-shirt
sales. They selected UND Mortar
Board and the UND Women’s Rugby team.
5. Members of the UND Women’s
Basketball team were the guests
of honor at the Champions Club
tailgate tent. They mingled with
guests and enjoyed walking around
tailgate village with our Big Bubba
head!
6. Fans were #UNDproud before
Saturday’s Homecoming game.
Unfortunately, the Green & White
were beaten 37-31 by Idaho State.
www.UNDalumni.org | 45
UND
Proud
OF NORTH
ITY
D
S
R
A
OT
AK
UN
IV
E
HONORING THE EXCEPTIONAL
d
u
o
r
P
We’re proud of the faculty,
staff, and students at the
University of North Dakota for
all they do to make UND an
exceptional public research
university. Take pride in your
alma mater when you see
how it’s being recognized
regionally, nationally, and
globally.
Cornucopia of Giving
Members of the University of North Dakota’s Introduction to
University Life (U-Life) classes spent several weeks this fall collecting
food for the Northlands Rescue Mission’s Kids+ Backpack Distribution
Program.
Four U-Life sections, comprising Aviation majors, were able to fill 138
student backpacks. The remaining nine class sections collected enough
food to fill about 30 large boxes and more than 40 grocery bags.
“The support and encouragement that students received from the
campus community was amazing, so much so, that we plan to continue
working with this organization next fall,” said the UND Student Success
Center’s Stacey Borboa-Peterson (picture on the left with UND student
Raechelle Sickels)
UND has once again been named a
Top Military-Friendly University
by Military Advanced Education & Transition.
Ranked
1
46 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
The University of North Dakota has been
ranked one of the top online bachelor’s
degree programs for communication by
SuperScholar.org
UND Program
Receives
Major Grant
Champs
The student supply chain team from UND won the fifth annual General
Motors/Wayne State University Supply Chair Case competition in October.
UND’s team of seniors (pictured left to right) Travis Olson, Jade
Gunderson, John Feichtinger, and Evan McLaughlin beat out more than 20
teams.
The University of North Dakota
Recruitment-Retention of American
Indians into Nursing (RAIN) program
has been awarded $555,000 in
funding. The grant money comes
from North Dakota’s Three Affiliated
Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara)
and will be used to address the
educational and employment needs
of tribal members.
The RAIN program assists
American Indian students from prenursing through the doctoral level
by providing guidance, personal and
financial counseling, and a “home
away from home” for students.
Jeanotte named
recipient of Community
Scholar Award
UND Physical Therapy (PT) students were
recognized by the organization that sponsors Physical Therapy Day of Service.
UND’s program was said to be one of the
“best, brightest, and most motivated”
across the country. For this year’s Day of
Service, UND PT students volunteered at a
Grand Forks nursing home.
Leigh Jeanotte, director of University of North
Dakota’s American Indian Student Services for 40
years, has been selected as this year’s recipient of
the Paul V. Boswell Community Scholar Award.
The Boswell Community Scholar Award
recognizes an individual for character that
embodies the idea of community, an ethic of care
for others, a motivation for social change, and an
interest in the success of all students. The award is
given in memory of Paul Boswell, who served as
director of the UND Native Media Center before his
death in 2006.
www.UNDalumni.org | 47
BE THE
impact
CAPITALIZING ON A VISION
A QuarterCentury of
Support
North Dakota Champions
Club celebrates 25 years
of giving to University of
North Dakota Athletics
In the past 25 years, fundraising for University of North Dakota
Athletics has come a long way.
From its earliest days as the Big Green Club, to the Fighting Sioux
Club, and today as the Champions Club, our program has had one
mission: to create University of North Dakota champions in the
classroom, community, and competition by raising funds for
scholarships and program enhancement.
We’ve accomplished a lot in the past 25 years.
Our success is due to the support of our generous
donors. When the Alerus Center and the Ralph Engelstad
Arena opened their doors in 2001, it represented a turning
point for UND Athletics fundraising, as we almost doubled
our support, raising $1.6 million. Nearly every year since,
we’ve built on our fundraising success, and in 2014-15,
Champions Club supporters gave a record of nearly $2.8
million in annual giving.
When the club’s founders started the Big Green Club in
1991, we had 145 members. Today, our membership has
grown to 2,718 — and over the years, a cumulative total of
35,645 members have provided more than $33 million to
UND Athletics.
“Our success wouldn’t be possible without the help
of many staff members at the UND Foundation and
UND Athletics, golfers at our annual golf tour, gala
attendees, season ticket holders, and of course
every one of our members. What an impact
you all have made.”
—Mike Mannausau
Executive Director, Champions Club,
2012-present
48 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Lithia Reaches
Legend Status
For Roger Johnson, a move to North
Dakota began as a business venture, but
what he didn’t expect to find was a warm
sense of community and a love for college
athletics. Johnson recalled walking in on one
of his first Saturdays at Lithia Ford Lincoln in
Grand Forks to find most of his staff huddled
around a television watching a UND football
game. It was then he realized he wanted to
find a way for his store to get involved with
such a community staple.
“When I came up here four years ago,
I saw how important UND Athletics was
to the community and wanted us to get
involved, and the Champions Club was the
perfect way to do it,” said Johnson, Lithia
Ford Lincoln general manager.
In 2015, Lithia Ford Lincoln became the
first-ever North Dakota Champions Club
Legend Club member — a membership that
has exclusive availability to one person or
business per year.
“Having Lithia as our first-ever Legend
member is huge,” said Mike Mannausau,
executive director of North Dakota Champions Club. “This membership shows Lithia’s
commitment to support University of North
Dakota Athletics. Student-athletes will be
greatly impacted by this sponsorship.”
“It’s about giving back to the community and giving back to the students, it really is,
and the Legends Club allows us to do so by
giving out scholarships to UND student-athletes.”
“We’re extremely excited to be involved
in the University of North Dakota’s Champion Club,” said Tony Telken, service manager
at Lithia Ford Lincoln of Grand Forks. “One of
the ways we return the favor of our customers supporting us is by supporting UND and
North Dakota Athletics. Probably the biggest
attractor for us to do the Legend Club level
was being able to offer two full student-athlete scholarships.”
North Dakota
Champions Club Legend
Club membership benefits
include, but aren’t limited to:
reserved underground parking space
at Ralph Engelstad Arena, leadership
session with the UND head coach of your
choice, complimentary “Best Seats in the
House” for football, hockey, and basketball,
named impact scholarship and invitation to
champion builders reception, VIP
pregame ice level experience for
member and guest, free admission to women’s hockey and
volleyball, and many others.
Along with its Legend
membership, Lithia Ford Lincoln has also been a sponsor
for the Champions Club annual
Golf Tours.
Roger Johnson (left) and
Tony Telken at Lithia Ford
Lincoln in Grand Forks.
2016 Champions Golf
Tour Dates:
Park River, N.D.
June 2
Fargo (Oxbow)
June 13
Detroit Lakes, Minn.
July 21
Williston, N.D.
July 28
Bismarck
August 9
Grand Forks (Country Club)
August 22
www.UNDalumni.org | 49
BE THE
impact
CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND
Honoring a
Veteran and
a Graduate
James Bushaw, ‘75, was
both an Army veteran and
a graduate of the UND
College of Business and
Public Administration.
Bushaw family creates
a lasting legacy with
Army ROTC program.
T
he University of North Dakota Army ROTC Reserve
Officers Training Course (ROTC) has a mission to
mold young men and women into fine leaders
of the United States Army. But over the past
several years, the ROTC has experienced significant budget
constraints.
“Just like any public institution, we always find ourselves
either under-manned or under budget,” said Lt. Col. Clarence L.
Carroll III, professor of military science.
The family of James Bushaw, ’75, responded to those
constraints. After James passed away, they established the James
Bushaw Army ROTC Endowment to further James’ legacy.
The department has used the endowment funds to
purchase UND Army ROTC equipment trailer wraps and t-shirts,
which were given to new cadre to help distinguish between
cadets and key personnel during physical fitness class for any
medical emergencies that may arise. In 2015, the endowment
was used to help fund ROTC’s mandatory Military Ball. The gift
funded a night’s stay for the guest speaker and for the meals for
the cadets and their guests.
“This endowment is a great thing because it allows us to
augment our budget and allow our cadets to do things they
normally wouldn’t get to do, or if they were to do them, they
would have to fund those expenses themselves,” Carroll said.
Family leaves a legacy
The James Bushaw Army ROTC endowment was first
established in 2011.
“I chose UND’s Army ROTC because my father was both an
Army veteran and a graduate of the UND College of Business and
Public Administration with a degree in accounting,” said Richard
Bushaw, ’00. “He was active in veterans’ affairs having been a
longtime VFW member and a VA hospital volunteer. As a U.S.
Army veteran myself, it was my hope that this endowment would
further prepare future Army leaders.”
The Bushaw family has a longstanding tradition of attending
UND.
“I’m a graduate, as is my grandmother,
father, all my father’s siblings, my sister,
and my wife, so we’re definitely a UND
family. We hope to see our daughter join
us as a UND graduate in due time.”
— Richard Bushaw, ‘00
50 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
In 2015, the James Bushaw Army ROTC Endowment was used to help fund
ROTC’s mandatory Military Ball. The gift funded a night’s stay for the guest
speaker and for all the meals for the Cadets and their guests.
;For Richard and his family, being able to impact the students in
the UND Army ROTC program has been an incomparable way to honor
their father’s legacy.
“The Army has made a tremendous impact on our lives, and being
able to give back and to help students who are following in those same
footsteps is an incredible opportunity,” said Richard. “My hope for my
father’s legacy is that the ROTC department is able to continue to grow
and really help the students who are ready and willing to stand up for
their country. Along with that, I hope the program continues to train
and inspire people who are passionate about the Army and service to
the United States.”
“We are definitely appreciative that we have this money, because all
that money directly impacts our cadets,” said Carroll. “I am a little biased,
but I think I can get a majority to agree with me that my students here
in the ROTC program are a little bit different than the other students
on campus. We have an ethical program — we teach Army values.
They understand a sense of responsibility and a sense of service to the
country. So our students are pretty special, and we just appreciate being
able to do special things for our
special students.”
— Emily Aasand
“We would not be able to do many of
the things that we do with the budget
that we are allotted, so we are very, very
thankful to the Bushaw family.”
— Trudy Soli
ROTC office manager
www.UNDalumni.org | 51
BE THE
impact
Will you help enhance the campus that shaped your life?
CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND
Every gift makes a difference in the lives of UND students like Mitchell,
and contributes to UND’s great learning environment and distinctive
student experience.
“I have a lot to be thankful for. My scholarships
have helped me pay for necessary textbooks
and tuition, and I’m also thankful for the
opportunities that came from my involvement
in activities. I cherish the relationships with
my peers, and hold dear the advice and
guidance I’ve received from
faculty. My experiences,
friendships and
memories will prove to
be lasting effects UND
has made on my life.”
—Mitchell Rufer
Airport Management and
Air Traffic Control
DeForest, Wisconsin
Class of 2015
52 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
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!
Circle
The following donors reached a new giving circle in the
Eternal Flame Society between July 1 and September 30,
2015.
WILLIAM BUDGE
* indicates deceased
For more information about the Eternal Flame Society, visit
UNDalumni.org/EternalFlame
Advanced Engineering & Environmental Services, Inc.
THOMAS CLIFFORD
$100,000 - $999,999
Dr. Philip L. & Sandra Barney
Basin Electric Power Cooperative
Col. Carlton L. Bjerkaas (RET)
Eide Motors
Wayne E. Hansen & Sara E. Crewe Hansen
Terry & Victoria Kovacevich
Bob Mullen
Circle
$1,000,000 - $4,999,999
PRESIDENT’S
$10,000 - $99,999
Janie A. Alderson
Robert & Peggy Alderson
Rev. Gerald & Dr. Gail Bass
Laura & Richard Block
Crescent Point Energy U.S. Corp.
Mary & Philip* Deraney
Donna & Joe Farrell
Foundation for Community Health
Barbara & Gregory Heck
Josephine M. McIntosh
Circle
Phase Technology
Heidi Rognlie
William V. Jr. & Kerry L. Ryan
Francis D. White
Remington G. Zacher
Meet a Donor
Remington Zacher,
’12, knew he wanted to
give back to the University
of North Dakota as soon as
he was able. His senior year,
he heard about a fellow
accounting graduate who chose to give back to UND with half of
the bonus they received for passing the certified public accountant
(CPA) exam.
“I remember thinking that was so cool — I would never have
been able to pass that exam on my first attempt without UND and
the accounting faculty,” Zacher said. “I always knew I’d give back to
UND, but hearing stories like that made me realize I didn’t have to
wait to start.”
Zacher, originally from Parshall, N.D., was the first in his family
to attend the University of North Dakota, and since then, his
brother and sister have followed. He’s proud to have forged a family
legacy on campus. Even his parents, alumni of North Dakota State
University, have begun to cheer for UND hockey.
Zacher is a Senior International Tax Consultant with Deloitte in
Minneapolis, Minn.
www.UNDalumni.org | 53
BE THE
impact
CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND
Tatiana Hamilton (right) with one of the
many friends she’s made at UND.
Tatiana Hamilton
Fargo
Political Science, ’16
Why did you choose UND?
When I toured the University, I fell in love — it truly felt like it could
be my home away from home. I also knew that I eventually wanted to
go to law school, so I figured walking by the UND School of Law every
single day would motivate me to achieve my dream (it worked!).
What is your dream career?
My dream job is to work in a government setting, starting out with
being a State Prosecutor. I want to be able to speak on behalf of those
who feel like they don’t easily have a voice and help them feel like they
received justice. Later in life, I dream of being a judge.
How is UND helping you realize that dream?
I’ve started the path to my dreams in my undergraduate years here
at the University of North Dakota. I came into college knowing what I
wanted to do, but UND has provided a push further in that direction.
I’ve been lucky to have supportive professors in the Political Science
department who are always willing to help me and other students as
we need it. I’ve gotten the opportunity to take classes that will be a basis
for me to pursue my legal career, something I may not have gotten if I
attended a different school. Faculty, the classroom environment, the city
— all things that can make or break a college experience, but luckily for
me, my experience has been nothing
but perfect.
54 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
What else have you been involved with?
I’ve been very involved in campus activities. I joined Gamma
Phi Beta sorority as a freshman, which has given me various
opportunities throughout the Greek community. I’ve served as
my chapter’s Philanthropy Chair, a member of the Standards
committee, and I was a Rho Gamma (recruitment counselor)
this fall! I’ve truly found my best friends and support system in
my sorority. At the end of the day, everyone is very supportive
of their fellow Greeks through tough situations, regardless of
their affiliation. I consider myself very blessed to be a part of this
community within UND.
I am also involved with Student Ambassadors. I am on the
Executive Board with about 10 peers who strive to be great
representatives of UND. We plan student activities for Welcome
Weekend and Homecoming, so the hours can get very crazy, but
it’s overall been an amazing experience for me to grow to be more
confident. I’ve had so many networking opportunities through
the program, including attending the Sioux Awards this fall. I didn’t
know when I went into the program that it would be such an
opportunity for me to learn and grow, but here I am!
I’ve taken a wide variety of classes in my undergraduate
studies. Through careful planning and always working my very
hardest, I’ll be graduating a semester early. I’m happy that I’ve
gotten such a high-quality education at an amazing university.
Grant Program
to Advance
UND Research
Platform will introduce faculty
to new funding sources.
A newly developed grant program is helping the state’s top
research university find more ways to fund its groundbreaking
research.
The University of North Dakota Alumni Association &
Foundation Grant Program was created to introduce faculty to
nontraditional (nongovernmental) sources of funding for research.
It is designed to connect faculty with external funding partners in
order to advance mutual goals.
Dr. William Caraher, associate professor in history, and Dr.
Wendelin Hume, associate professor in criminal justice, were
selected as the first recipients of the
Grant Program.
“I’m thrilled to be one of the
firsts; that’s always exciting,” said
Hume. “Even more so, when you
have a new idea for research or a
project and it doesn’t exactly fit
neatly into existing government
guidelines for funding, I was kind of
stumped. So when this opportunity
opened up, it was perfect and I
knew I had to get this.”
Hume is looking to do an initial
state-wide crime and victimization
survey — something she says a lot of other states have — which
will give the state a baseline as it goes forward in annual surveying.
“It gives voice to the citizens about how our criminal justice
system is doing, since that’s my home department, and that way
we can improve or be proud of the job that we are doing,” said
Hume. “This will allow us to know a little bit more about what’s
going on in our state than just going off police crime data that we
have now; it’s from the citizens themselves.”
Hume and Caraher will work closely with Dave Gregory,
director of corporate and foundation relations at the UND
Foundation, to identify foundations that match their projects and
interests.
“I’m excited to work with Dr. Caraher and Dr. Hume in finding
corporations and foundations that will support their research
efforts,” said Gregory. “Although competitive, there are funds
available. This is an opportunity to partner with UND faculty to
secure nontraditional sources of
research funding.”
The pilot project consists of three
calls for interested faculty members
to submit their proposals. The first call
was done in July 2015. Nine proposals
were reviewed, and the first selection
letters went out in August.
“The proposals we received
during the first call were all really
great,” Gregory. “As far as criteria
went, we looked at the probability of
funding and realistic timetables, those
kinds of things.”
CEO of the Alumni Association and Foundation DeAnna
Carlson Zink, along with Thomas DiLorenzo, Provost and Vice
President for Academic Affairs, worked together to establish the
Grant Program.
Carlson Zink said she will be following the progress of the first
two recipients with interest.
“This could be the start of a
productive partnership between our
staff and UND faculty members,” said
Carlson Zink.
“It is wonderful to see that the
Alumni Association and Foundation
Grant Program is providing
opportunities for faculty, and it is
important that we work together
to foster faculty development and
offer funding for their innovative and
exciting research,” said DiLorenzo. “I
look forward to seeing Dr. Caraher and
Dr. Hume’s progress, as well as the future success of the Alumni
Association and Foundation Grant Program.”
The second call will be at the end of November, and the last
call will be in the fall of 2016.
— Emily Aasand
www.UNDalumni.org | 55
ALUMNI
news
UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
DO YOU REMEMBER…
Chester Fritz Library Special Collections coordinator, History professor, and writer Dan Rylance, ’66, picture here with Sen. Milton Young in 1975?
Rylance authored books on UND benefactor Chester Fritz and North Dakota political heavyweight Quentin Burdick.
Rylance now lives in Wisconsin.
1940s
Remember when, in
1945, J. Lloyd Stone
was named director of
the Bureau of Alumni
Relations? Stone would
serve as head of the
organization until 1974.
1948
Dr. Robert Kyle, ’48, HON
’03, has been granted the most
prestigious national award
granted by the American
College of Physicians. Dr. Kyle
is one of the top researchers in
the field of multiple myeloma,
and, at 87, still works toward a
cure.
56 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
1960s
Remember when, in
1969, a meal plan for
UND students cost $235
a semester?
1961
Richard Walstad, ’61, is
retiring as co-chairman of the
Fargo AirSho after more than
two decades of leading the
popular event.
1966
Larry Marshall, ’66, has retired
after a 30-year career as a
commercial property appraiser
with the San Diego County Tax
Assessors Office.
1969
Tim Purcell, ’69, has retired
after a 45-year career as a
stagehand. Purcell spent the last
14-and-a-half years as the stage
electrician for the War Memorial
Opera House in San Francisco.
1970s
Remember when, in
1970, famed broadcaster
and Velva, N.D. native
Eric Sevareid spoke at
Parents/Honors Days?
1971
Rev. Ron Baesler, ’71, has
published the book “The Good,
The Bad and the Holy: Stories
and Musings from a Lifetime of
Ministry.” The book is based on
his work in Brazil, Puerto Rico,
North Dakota and California.
1973
Zane Anderson, ’73, ’78, has
retired from the bench in North
Dakota’s Southwest Judicial
District Court. Anderson was
first elected in 1990.
1974
Diann (Gusaas) Aberle, ’74,
has retired after 41 years in
education in the Midwest. She
has spent the last 12 years as
the superintendent in Milnor,
N.D.
Graham Campbell, ’74, is
president of Foundation Realty
in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
David Engen, ’74, has
been appointed to serve
on the Grand Forks County
Commission. Engen is an
attorney in Northwood, N.D.
1976
Jeffrey Gilles, ’76, ’78, is an
orthopedic surgeon with Sidney
Health Center in Sidney, Mont.
1978
John Thelen, ’78, ’81,
has been appointed to the
Northeast Central Judicial
District Court bench in Grand
Forks.
1979
Julie (Waxvik) Anderson, ’79,
’96, ’00, is Dean of the School
of Nursing and Professor of
Nursing for the College of St.
Scholastica in Duluth, Minn.
Kevin Coles, ’79, is
superintendent of the Hot
Springs (South Dakota) School
District.
1980s
Remember when, in
1980, a bronze bust of
Arctic Explorer Vihjalmur
Stefansson, 1902, HON
’30, was dedicated
during Homecoming?
1980
Ronald Fischer, ’80, a partner
in the Grand Forks Law firm of
Pearson Christensen, PLLP, has
been selected by his peers for
inclusion in the 22nd Edition of
The Best Lawyers in America.
Fischer has been listed in Best
Lawyers since 2006.
1982
David Oberstar, ’82, has been
selected for inclusion in The Best
Lawyers in America. Oberstar
is an attorney with Fryberger,
Buchanan, Smith & Frederick PA
in Duluth, Minn.
1983
Dr. Cory Miller, ’83, ’85, has
joined St. Andrew’s Health
Center in his hometown of
Bottineau, N.D.
Dana Metzger, ’89, ’94, is a
doctor of osteopathic medicine
who specializes in family
medicine with Sanford North
Walk-in Clinic in Bismarck, N.D.
1984
Brent Edison, ’84, has joined
the Vogel Law Firm’s Fargo
office. His practice focuses
on civil litigation, trial and
appellate practice, professional
responsibility and liability and
natural resources litigation.
Steven Miller, ‘..89, has been
recognized with a Special
Achievement Award from the
North Dakota Associated Press
Sportscasters and Sportswriters
Association. The long-time
Bismarck High School boys
basketball coach is retiring
after amassing a 539-256
record. His teams won six state
championships and appeared
an additional six times in the
state championship game.
Scott Knowlen, ’84, has been
recognized with a Special
Achievement Award from the
North Dakota Associated Press
Sportscasters and Sportswriters
Association. Knowlen has retired
as wrestling coach at Bismarck
(N.D.) High School after leading
the Demons to 15 state team
championships.
Penny Wilkie, ’89, ’94, is a
family medicine physician with
Sanford’s Downtown Walk-in
Clinic in Bismarck, N.D.
1990s
Remember when, in
1995, Grand Forks Herald
columnist Marilyn
Hagerty donated
proceeds from her
book “Echoes” to
support scholarships for
journalism students and
student-athletes?
1991
Rick Volk, ’91, an Assistant U.S.
Attorney, is the supervisor of the
Bakken Strike Force. The Strike
Force is focused on quelling
organized crime in North
Dakota’s oil-producing counties.
1992
Todd Trottier, ’92, is a staffing
manager with Labor Masters in
Fargo.
1985
Scot Key, ’85, has been
appointed to the New Mexico
Law Enforcement Academy
Board. Key is the deputy district
attorney for the Twelfth Judicial
District Attorney’s Office. He
lives in Alamogordo, N.M.
1986
Barbara Vesely, ’86, ’92,
co-authored a $1 million grant
proposal for the Rehabilitation
and Addiction Counseling
program at St. Cloud State
University. The grant will provide
for the training of rehabilitation
and addiction counselors.
1987
Duane Borgeson, ’87, is
the executive director of
Learner Support Services for
the Moorhead (Minn.) School
District.
1989
Jeffrey Doll, ’89, has been
promoted to brigadier general
in the Army Reserve. For his
first role as a general officer,
Doll was selected to serve as
commanding general of the
Army Reserve Sustainment
Command in Birmingham, Ala.
Delta Upsilon Reunion
Some fraternity brothers from Delta Upsilon held a reunion in
Devils Lake this past summer. Pictured standing (left to right): Charles
LaGrave, ’69, John Jacobson, ’69, Tim White, ’70, Paul Goulding, ’70,
Paul Simon, ’69, and John McLean, ’69. In the front row (left to right):
Lynn Coles, ’69, Howard Myers, ’69, Warren Halvorson, ’70, and Clifford
“Kip” Cranna, ’69.
www.UNDalumni.org | 57
ALUMNI
news
UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Kevin Walters, ’92, is a family
medicine physician with TriCounty Health Care in Wadena,
Minn.
1994
James Haussler, ’94, has
been recognized with a Special
Achievement Award from the
North Dakota Associated Press
Sportscasters and Sportswriters
Association. Haussler is the
long-time activities director for
Bismarck Public Schools.
Robert Huschka, ’94, has
been named executive editor of
the Detroit Free Press. Huschka
has been with the newspaper
for more than 16 years.
Monica (Hoghaug) Murphy,
’94, is an accounting specialist
II with Starion Financial in
Mandan, N.D.
1995
Beverly (Swenson) Gibson,
’95, ’99, ’08, is a nurse
practitioner in the walk-in care
department at the Essentia
Health West Acres Clinic in
Fargo.
Barry Wenger, ’95, is the
organist and bell choir director
for First Presbyterian Church
of Lake Forest, Ill. Wenger also
has a private piano, organ, and
harpsichord studio.
1997
Brenda (Grasso) Grant,
’97, has joined PlayCore, a
Tennessee-based playground
equipment maker, as general
counsel.
Aaron Heitke, ’97, is the chief
patrol agent for the U.S. Border
Patrol’s Grand Forks sector.
Melissa (Olson) Nilsson, ’97,
’00, was selected by her peers
for inclusion in The Best Lawyers
in America. Nilsson specializes
in family law for Minneapolisbased Henson & Efron.
Amy (Tripp) Otterson, ’97, is a
human resources director with
Bank Forward in Fargo.
1998
Karri (Moe) Lopez, ’98, is
teaching kindergarten through
second grade at St. Thomas
(N.D.) Public School.
1999
Joel Bird, ’99, recently
attended the Ameriprise
Financial Wealth Management
Conference in California. He
is a private wealth advisor in
Bismarck, N.D.
Sherry DeMaine, ’99, ’00,
is a 21st century instructional
coach in the West Fargo School
District.
Jennifer (Karels) Gibbs, ’99,
is the manager of central sterile
with Altru Health System in
Grand Forks.
Jason Kirchmeier, ’99, recently
attended the Ameriprise
Financial Wealth Management
Conference in California. He
is a private wealth advisor in
Bismarck, N.D.
Erin (Ziegler) Petersen, ’99,
’04, is an instructional coach
with the West Fargo School
District.
UND Fills Vital Roles
Grant McGimpsey, vice president for research and economic
development; and Stephanie Walker, dean of libraries & information resources are settling into their positions at the University of
North Dakota.
McGimpsey began his new position at UND on Sept. 8. He
comes to UND after holding a similar position at Kent State University (KSU) in Ohio.
Walker assumed her new duties on Sept. 16, and formerly
worked as Chief Librarian & Executive Director of Academic
Information Technology at City University of New York’s Brooklyn
College.
58 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Darin Schumacher, ’99, is
teaching seventh through
twelfth grade math at St.
Thomas (N.D.) Public School.
Cindy Solberg, ’99, is serving
as executive director of the
Manitoba North Dakota Zero
Tillage Farmers Association.
She is a communication
specialist with Clearwater
Communications in Bismarck,
N.D.
2000s
Remember when, in
2003, Erin Borgschatz
won the 3-meter
springboard diving
competition at the
Division II National
Championships?
2000
Cindy (Scott) Sondag, ’00,
’03, ’11, works for Sanford
Health in Fargo. She specializes
in eating disorders and
psychiatry.
2001
Donald Gullicks, ’01, ’10,
has received the Golden
Stethoscope Award from his
employer, Sanford Health.
Gullicks practices obstetrics
and gynecology at the Sanford
Moorhead (Minn.) campus.
Jane (Stewart) Laux, ’01, ’05,
is a 21st century instructional
coach in the West Fargo School
District.
2002
Scott Johnson, ’02, is the
recipient of a Presidential Award
for Excellence in Mathematics
and Science Teaching. Awardees
receive a citation signed by the
President and $10,000 from the
National Science Federation.
Johnson is a science teacher
at Century High School in
Bismarck, N.D.
Jon Kolberg, ’02, ’09, is a
family and sports medicine
physician with Sanford Seventh
& Thayer Clinic in Bismarck, N.D.
JoAnna (Kaspar) O’Neil,
’02, ’04, is a special education
teacher in Pequot Lakes, Minn.
Michael O’Neil, ’02, ’03, is
a middle school principal in
Pequot Lakes, Minn.
2004
Justin Ahmann, ’04, has earned
his North Dakota Professional
Engineer registration from the
State Board of Registration.
Ahmann is a civil engineer with
Ackerman-Estvold in Minot, N.D.
Brian Midboe, ’04, ’11, is an
anesthesiologist with St. Luke’s
Anesthesia Associates in Duluth,
Minn.
Jason Strand, ’04, is a project
engineer in the Minot, N.D., office
of AE2S.
2005
Scott McCarthy, ’05, is a sales
and account manager at Silicon
Plains in Bismarck, N.D.
Jonathan Toews, ’07, won
the Mark Messier Leadership
Award for the 2014-15 NHL
season. Toews is a captain
for the Chicago Blackhawks.
He was recognized for his
commitment and service to
charities in his community.
2008
Ryan Clauson, ’08, is a family
medicine physician with CHI St.
Alexius Health Medical Plaza in
Mandan, N.D.
Eric Fenstad, ’08, is a general
cardiologist with Minneapolis
Heart Institute who will see
patients at clinics in Baxter,
Crosby and Aitkin, Minn.
Pamela Holsinger-Fuchs,
’08, is the dean of enrollment
for Saint Martin’s University in
Lacey, Wash.
Kara Johnson, ’08, is
disciplinary counsel with the
North Dakota Supreme Court
Disciplinary Board.
Christopher Lindblad, ’08,
is an associate attorney with
Kelsch Kelsch Ruff & Kranda in
Mandan, N.D.
Kylie Swanson, ’08, ’15, is
a principal at Larimore (N.D.)
Elementary. Swanson has been
a second grade teacher and
elementary school counselor in
the district since 2000.
2009
Jesse Elis, ’09, is the
performance physical therapist
for professional tennis player
Coco Vandeweghe.
Alicia Miller, ’09, is a
mortgage origination assistant
with Cornerstone Bank in
Bismarck, N.D.
Stacy (Blodgett) Smith,
’09, is an assistant corporate
secretary and the executive
manager to the chairman,
president and CEO at Gate City
Bank in Fargo.
2006
Justin Hagel, ’06, ’14, is an
associate attorney in the Bismarck,
N.D., office of Vogel Law Firm.
Ashley (Hughes) Lundin, ’06,
’11, is an ophthalmologist with
Sanford Bemidji (Minn.) Eye Center
& Optical.
Teresa Seright, ’06, ’10, is the
Associate Dean of Undergraduate
Programs for the College of
Nursing at Montana State
University in Bozeman, Mont.
2007
Amanda (Skinner) Dudgeon,
’07, ’11, has been awarded
an APEX Award for Publication
Excellence. Dudgeon, a nurse
practitioner at Altru Cancer Center
in Grand Forks, was the co-author
of an article published in the
American Journal of Nursing.
Alex Krigen, ’07, is a chief
development officer for University
of Nebraska Athletics. He is
the lead fundraiser for capital
development.
Brandon Pittenger, ’07, ’11, is
the manager of F-M Title in Fargo.
Kari (Flaten) Skauge, ’07, is
a personal banking officer with
Valley Premier Bank in Moorhead,
Minn.
OT Reunion
On September 24, 2015, five Occupational Therapy graduates from 1970 met for a reunion
in Bloomington, Minnesota. From left to right, they are Carol (Tuminelly) Voukides, Karen (Strack)
Wasick, Becky (Burbrige) Maier, Sheila (Baker) Benson, and Laurel Charles.
www.UNDalumni.org | 59
ALUMNI
news
UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
2010s
Remember when, in
2011, UND student
Andrew Petefish was
one of the top three
senior Army ROTC
cadets in the country?
2010
Richard Bjerklie, ’10, is
the superintendent for the
Napoleon (N.D.) School District.
Matthew Hefty, ’10, is a
surgeon with Mid Dakota Clinic
General Surgery Department
and PrimeCare Surgical Weight
Loss Program in Bismarck, N.D.
Margaret Miller, ’10, studied
biotic, physical, and cultural
forces that affect tropical
biodiversity in Costa Rica this
past summer. Miller, a sixthgrade teacher at Fertile-Beltrami
(Minn.) School District took
the graduate course as part
of Miami University’s Earth
Expeditions program.
2012
Nikolaus Butz, ’12, ’15, is an
instructor in the Department
of Management in the
College of Business and Public
Administration at UND.
2011
Eli Rosendahl, ’11, is the
goaltending coach for the U.S.
Hockey League’s Fargo Force.
Previously he’d spent the past
18 months as the head coach of
the Hockey Academy at Ralph
Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks.
Katelyn Mari, ’12, is an
occupational therapist with
Pediatric Therapy Partners in
Fargo.
Kaleigh Frey, ’12, is a licensed
professional counselor at Project
Turnabout in Granite Falls, Minn.
2013
Skye Albert, ’13, ’14, is a social
worker in Divide County, N.D.
She is the first UND graduate to
benefit from a grant program
designed to fill a need for child
welfare workers in oil-producing
North Dakota counties.
Christel Croxen, ’13, is an
associate attorney with Gjesdahl
Law in Fargo.
Andrew Diephuis, ’13, is a
district sales manager with PostBulletin Co. in Rochester, Minn.
Clayton Senyo, ’13, works
for Boeing Defense, Space &
Security in St. Louis, Mo., as an
Electrical Systems Design and
Analysis Engineer.
North Dakota Potluck
UND alumni have been gathering each spring for more than
30 years for a potluck dinner in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Alumni and
spouses from this year’s gathering:
Front row (left to right): Robert Hess, ’52; Phyllis (Herigstad)
Hess, ..’52; Janice (Hanson) Fisher, ’69; Mary (Hoistad) Ziegler, ’74;
and Janice Rudisill.
Second row (l – r): John Malpert, ’91; Amy (Bohnsack) Timpe,
’08, ’10; Marci Malpert; Mary Johnson; Dr. Richard “Buzz” Ziegler,
’75; and Alvin Rudisill, ’60.
Back row (l – r): Dr. Kent Johnson, ’68, ’75; Dr. James Gilsdore,
’66, ’68, ’69; Brenden Timpe, ’04, and David Fisher.
60 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
2014
Emily Johnke, ’14, is an
advertising assistant for Agweek,
an ag-focused publication of
the Grand Forks Herald.
Jacob Kostecki, ’14, is ag
operations manager for the
Crookston, Minn., District of
American Crystal Sugar Co.
Bailey Stotts, ’14, is an
occupational therapist with
Pediatric Therapy Partners in
Fargo.
Alexie Traiser, ’14, is an
occupational therapist with
Pediatric Therapy Partners in
Bismarck, N.D.
2015
Brent Noonan, ’15, is an
engineer in the municipal group
in the Bismarck, N.D., office of
KLJ.
Emily (Triplett) Butz, ’15, is
a first grade teacher at Winship
Elementary in 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.
www.UNDalumni.org | 61
1
2
ADDITIONS
1
Val (Sannes), ’08, ’11, and Jackson
Sussex are the proud parents of Baker,
born July 24, 2015. The Sussex family lives
in Grand Forks.
2
Marty, ’11, and Carissa Johnson are the
proud parents of Brynlee Grace Johnson,
born July 20, 2015. The Johnsons live in
Greenwood Village, Co.
3
Sarah (Haugen), ‘08, and Bailey Nordin,
‘04 welcomed Lennon Elizabeth to their
family on May 7, 2015. The family lives in
Fargo.
4
Max Allan Mazigian was born February 2,
2015, to Jason, ‘03, and Amy Mazigian.
The family lives in Bismarck, N.D.
5
Doriana Jo McCallum was born May 26,
2015, to proud parents Darbie Claus, ‘15,
and David McCallum, currently a UND
Law School student. The family is living in
Enderlin, N.D.
6
Archer Lance Doll was born on March
30, 2015, to Jennifer (Knoop), ‘03, and
Marty Doll. The family lives in Plymouth,
Minn.
7
Trip and Rafe Medhus were born
February 27, 2015, to Jared and Laura
(McClaflin) Medhus, ’07. The family lives
in Fargo.
8
Taryn Clara Vanyo was born on July 26,
2014, to Tera (Swartz), ’03, and Travis
Vanyo. The Vanyo family lives in Grand
Forks.
9
Neil , ‘02, ‘05, and Sarah (Kunesh)
Kadrmas, ‘05, welcomed their third son,
Porter Hayes, on August 7, 2015. The
family lives in Washburn, N.D.
10
Jenna (Phibbs), ’09, and Christopher
Gorman, ’08, are the proud parents of
Jackson Thomas Gorman, born on July 9,
2015, in Lewisville, Texas. The family now
lives in Faribault, Minn.
62 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
3
4
5
6
7
9
8
11
Lucille Susan Franklin was born October
9, 2015, to Jake, ’08, and Lana (Hauert)
Franklin, ’06. The Franklins live in Grand
Forks.
12
Tucker James Dahl was born May 29,
2015, to Alissa (Kempert), ’06, and Grant
Dahl. The family resides in Grand Forks.
13
Bill Zeller, ’89, and Kirsten Ovind, ’90,
got married on top of Vail Mountain on
February 2, 2014. The two met in calculus
class at UND and got reacquainted years
later at a Frozen Four hockey game. The
couple recently moved back to Grand
Forks.
14
Mitchell Beck, ’12, and Megan Meyer,
’14, were married August 8, 2015, on
the UND campus. The couple currently
resides in Gonvick, Minn.
15
Colton Rohrenbach, ’13, and Cassandra
Rogness were married October 9, 2015.
The couple lives in Farmington, Minn.
10
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!
11
12
14
15
13
www.UNDalumni.org | 63
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.
1930s
Ellen (Lund) Gronvold, ..’35, Orlando, Fla.
Ruth (Aageson) Bettendorf, ‘37, Minneapolis
1940s
Howard Alphson, ‘41, Santa Monica, Calif.
Henry Wildfang, ..’41, Rockport, Texas
Richard Westberg, ‘44, Wyomissing, Pa.
Dolores (Friesz) Fitzsimmons, ‘46, Billings, Mont.
Ruby (Hovet) Latvala, ..’48, Medford, Ore.
Dr. Paul Kannowski, ‘49, ‘52, Grand Forks
C. Warren Lindgren, ‘49, ‘50, Vista, Calif.
Francis Nelson, ‘49, Poulsbo, Wash.
Peter Willcox Jr., ‘49, Saint Louis, Mo.
1950s
Laura (Calhoun) Hill, ..’50, Modesto, Calif.
Ralph Hjelmstad, ..’50, Phoenix, Ariz.
Alton Johnson, ‘50, Spring Valley, Calif.
Emmett Johnson, ‘50, ‘54, Roscoe, S.D.
Paul McKinnon, ..’50, Kennewick, Wash.
Mary (Ziegler) Starks, ‘51, Missoula, Mont.
Marian (Johnson) Zejdlik, ‘51, Minneapolis
G. William Eccles, ‘52, Grand Forks
Robert Lovell, ‘52, Anderson, S.C.
John Noah, ‘52, ‘60, Fargo
Loren Devine, ‘53, Saint Paul, Minn.
James Flaa, ‘53, ‘58, Plymouth, Minn.
Margaret (Tracy) Hulteng, ‘53, Billings, Mont.
Robert Waller, ‘53, Billings, Mont.
Duane Williams, ‘53, Lake Zurich, Ill.
Thomas Eckroth, ..’54, McPherson, Kan.
Dennis Driscoll, ‘55, Las Vegas, Nev.
Robert Grant, MD, ‘55, Agoura Hills, Calif.
Gerald Rossow, ‘55, ‘56, Hobe Sound, Fla.
Emory Solie, ‘55, Minneapolis
Arlen Throndset, ‘55, Grand Forks
Nancy (Shelley) Burbidge, ‘56, Minneapolis
64 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Karen (Brett) Griffin, ..’56, Grand Forks
Frank Goeson, ..’66, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Dianne (Smith) Stone, ‘56, Rapid City, S.D.
Dr. Donald Campbell, ‘67, Danville, Va.
Dale Barsness, ‘57, The Villages, Fla.
Ian Vaughan, ..’68, Winnipeg, Canada
Betty (Wagner) Larson, ‘57, McVille, N.D.
William Baron, ‘69, Driggs, Idaho
John Drees, ‘58, Lompoc, Calif.
Lowell Ellingson, ‘69, Richland, Wash.
Earl Lutz, ‘58, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Dr. Dennis Kost, ‘69, Portland, N.D.
Richard Maves, ..’58, Crookston, Minn.
Coral (Western) Pinke, ‘69, Vergas, Minn.
Stephen Rendahl, ‘69, Thompson, N.D.
Alvin Siegle, ‘58, Pelican Rapids, Minn.
Evelyn (Berglund) Vietz, ‘58, Minneapolis
Edvin Erickson, ‘59, Kettle Falls, Wash.
Myron Ostlund, ‘59, Atlanta, Ga.
Richard Skjerven, ‘59, ‘61, Los Gatos, Calif.
1970s
Eric Ahlfors, ‘70, Toledo, Ohio
Jerome Keller, ‘70, West Fargo, N.D.
James Stromberg, ‘59, Denver, Colo.
Bernice Markeseth, (Swanson) ‘70, Forman, N.D.
1960s
Joseph Bushaw, ..’71, Grand Forks
Robert Neumann, ‘70, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Gloria (Moser) Annear, ‘60, Devils Lake, N.D.
Dwight Kautzmann, ‘71, Mandan, N.D.
Edward Filiatrault, ‘60, Fort Myers, Fla.
F. Gordon Snyder, ..’71, Waite Park, Minn.
Roland Rorvig, ‘60, Fargo
Teri (Corpron) Behr, ..’72, Grand Forks
Larry Wilkes, ..’60, Minot, N.D.
James Rader, ‘72, Fargo
Donald Hegge, MD, ‘61, Sequim, Wash.
Lawrence Rudh, ..’72, Grand Forks
Thomas Klinkhammer, ‘61, Valley City, N.D.
Dr. S. Richard Gunn II, ‘73, Sioux Falls, S.D.
Rose Marie (Pershke) Monteith, ‘73, ‘74,
Howard Wrigley, ‘61, Fargo
Charles Askegard, ‘62, Meridian, Idaho
Erling Dahl, ‘62, Hettinger, N.D.
Laurel Gamache, ‘62, Lisbon, N.D.
Scott Girard, MD, ‘62, Bismarck
James Graham, ‘62, Warren, Minn.
Arlin Schaap, ‘62, Bay Saint Louis, Miss.
John Klein, ‘64, ‘65, Ogden, Utah
A. Warren Stokes, ‘64, ‘69, Surprise, Ariz.
John Decker, ‘65, Marysville, Wash.
Orville Fossland, ‘65, Bismarck
Dr. William Mitchell, ‘65, Sun City West, Ariz.
Ronald Volden, ‘65, North Mankato, Minn.
Lt. Col. (Ret) Douglas Wigness, ‘65,
Arlington, Texas
Nanci (Russell) Agnew, ‘66, Menoken, N.D.
Dale Carlson, ‘66, Lake Preston, S.D.
Grand Forks
Maureen (Hall) Carlson, ‘74, ‘75, Glenburn, N.D.
Mary Jane Crook, ‘74, Oglethorpe, Ga.
Raymond Venzke, ‘74, Appleton, Wis.
Lonna (Stenerson) Hillis, ‘75, Cavalier, N.D.
Patrick O’Brien, ‘75, Mandan, N.D.
Beverly (Vettel) Dennis, ‘76, Omaha, Neb.
Leo Cariveau, ‘77, Phoenix, Ariz.
Elizabeth (Fargusson) Maxwell, ‘77,
Richville, Minn.
John Whisenand, ‘77, Whitefish, Mont.
Larry Haakenstad, ‘78, Kirkland, Wash.
Mary (Beachem) Smith, ..’78, Buford, Wyo.
Darrell Swanson, ‘78, Morgan Hill, Calif.
Lillian (Goodiron) White Temple, ‘78,
Bullhead, S.D.
Scott Gilbraith, ‘79, Grand Forks
Gorman King Jr., ‘79, Bethesda, Md.
Roxanne (Walz) Llewellyn, ‘79, Williston, N.D.
Gerald Weiss, ‘79, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
1980s
Dallas (Barkman) Dufault, ..’80, Argyle, Minn.
Donald Fry, ..’80, Moorhead, Minn.
Stacy (Thompson) Ledin, ‘80, ‘81, Joplin, Mo.
Jane (Palmer) Messenger, ‘80, Grand Forks
Pamela (Halvorson) Franko, ‘81, Winona, Minn.
Frank Kahren, ‘82, Danville, Calif.
Mary (Honea) Robinson, ‘82, Carver, Minn.
Dianne Kays, ‘85, Thief River Falls, Minn.
Danny Marquart, ‘85, Lakota, N.D.
Patricia Solinger, ‘88, Nortonville, N.D.
Norma (Axelson) Anderson, ‘89, ‘93,
Loveland, Colo.
1990s
Friends
Thomas Martzall Jr., ‘90, Grand Forks
Darlain Atol, Williston, N.D.
Lea (Bodelson) Brueckner, ‘91, Atlanta, Ga.
Hilda (Heimbuck) Bagstad, Hillsboro, N.D.
Joyce (Boedeker) Ulland, ‘92, Mayville, N.D.
Jane (Winings) Denk, Devon, Pa.
Matthew Skogen, ‘97, Bismarck
Francis Jabara, Wichita, Kan.
2010s
Mildred (Johnson) Kelley, Grand Forks
Brent Bartsch, ‘11, Tianjin, China
Roger Moe, Grafton, N.D.
Taylor Goven, ..’15, Mandan, N.D.
Jeanette (Allen) Varberg, Deering, N.D.
Alan Kenien, MD, Fargo
Jesse Bergmann, ..’15, Winnipeg, Canada
Eric McGauvran, ..’15, Thompson, N.D.
Retired Faculty/Staff
Teckla Jacobson, Grand Forks
Virginia (Weir) Bruski, Grand Forks
Claude Myrick, Grand Forks
www.UNDalumni.org | 65
THE
wrap
TIDBITS, NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE UND AA&F
Fall 2015
INSIDE: Find out how to vote on UND’s new nickname. P. 16
®
P. 28
GUITAR
MAN
Brickson to Retire
Mark Brickson, Director of Development for the UND School of Law and
the College of Nursing & Professional
Disciplines, has announced his retirement
at the end of the December.
In Mark’s 25 years of commitment
to UND, he has served as Director of
Student Financial Aid, Director of Career
Services at the School of Law, and Director of Development at the UND Alumni
Association & Foundation. Over the years,
you heard his voice as the public address
announcer at UND sporting events and
he has served as “The Voice” of UND Commencement exercises. Mark’s leadership
has helped to bring the Law School building renovation and expansion project to
fruition.
Good luck on your retirement, Mark!
66 | Alumni Review Winter 2015
Jeff Huss, ‘81, ‘83, studied law at UND,
but his passion for bluegrass music led
him to create guitars, not legal briefs.
P. 6
Find the Flame
Winners!
The flame was extremely well-hidden
on the cover of the fall issue. Not only was it
hard to distinguish from the other splotches
around it, but it was also upside-down.
Our three winners, whose names were
drawn at random, are Ron Frigstad, Jan
Kallinen, and Rachel Brown.
If you find the flame on this issue’s
cover, email your guess to alumnireview@
undalumni.net and you could win a prize
package from the UND Alumni Association
& Foundation.
McGimpsey Joins
UND AA&F
Margot McGimpsey has joined the UND
Alumni Association & Foundation as our
Chief Engagement and Communications
Officer.
McGimpsey comes to us from Kent
State University, where she was the Director
of Advancement in the College of Public
Health.
Margot earned her BA from McMaster
University in Canada and her MBA from
Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Worcester,
Massachusetts.
Welcome to the team, Margot!
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University of North Dakota Alumni Association
3501 University Ave Stop 8157
Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157
Cloisters &
Courtyards
May 19 – June 1, 2016
Barcelona to London
Ornate cathedrals, flower-filled courtyards and lush
vineyards are just some of the sights that await you on this
voyage aboard Oceania Cruises’ intimate Nautica. From
Barcelona to London, encounter renowned cities in Portugal,
Spain and France as you weave your way through the colorful
mosaic of Western Europe.
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July 15 – 25, 2016
Seattle to Seattle
Experience Alaska’s rugged beauty while sailing aboard
Oceania Cruises’ graceful Regatta. From Seattle, journey north
to the picturesque Alaskan ports of Ketchikan, Wrangell, Juneau,
Haines and Sitka, marvel at the magnificent Hubbard Glacier,
and explore lovely Victoria, B.C. before returning to Seattle.
TO BOOK YOUR TRIP
Call 800.842.9023 or to view all UND alumni travel opportunities,
visit www.undalumni.org/alumnitours.