Program - University of North Dakota

Transcription

FOUNDERS DAY
FEBRUARY 25, 2016
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FOUNDERS DAY
The One Hundred and Thirty-Third Anniversary of the Founding of The University of North Dakota
FOUNDERS DAY 2016
6 p.m. Thursday, February 25, 2016, in the Memorial Union Ballroom
WELCOME
Edward T. Schafer, President
MUSICAL ENTERTAINMENT
Penumbra
Steven Rand, Ron Franz and Steve Augustin
DINNER
OPENING REMARKS
President Schafer
PRESENTATIONS TO HONORED GUESTS
Introductions of Retired and Retiring Faculty and Staff
Introductions of Faculty and Staff With 25 Years of Service
Alice Brekke, Vice President for Finance and Operations
FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS
Thomas DiLorenzo, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
Grant McGimpsey, Vice President for Research and Economic Development
CONGRATULATORY REMARKS
DeAnna Carlson Zink, Chief Executive Officer, UND Alumni Association & Foundation
CLOSING REMARKS
President Schafer
ON THE COVER: Built in 1910, Gustafson Hall is one of the oldest UND buildings still in active use.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
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FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS
The UND Foundation/McDermott Faculty
Award for Individual Excellence in Teaching
STEVEN RALPH
Associate Professor of Biology
The UND Foundation/Lydia and Arthur Saiki
Faculty Award for Individual Excellence in
Teaching
BRIAN URLACHER
Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration
The UND Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford
Faculty Award for Graduate or Professional
Teaching Excellence
CHERYL HUNTER
Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations and Research
The UND Foundation/Karleen Home Rosaaen
Award for Excellence in Academic Advising
MAKOTO TSUCHIYA
Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Educational Technology,
Department of Sports Medicine
Award for Outstanding Professional
Academic Advising
LEILANI MOEN
Academic Advisor in the Department of Social Work
Faculty Achievement Award for Outstanding
Faculty Development and Service
MARGARET HEALY
Professor of Educational Leadership
Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in
Research
MICHELLE SAUER
Professor of English
Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in
Research
BRIJ SINGH
Professor in the Department of Basic Sciences,
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
The UND Foundation/B.C. Gamble Faculty
Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research or
Creative Activity, and Service
NAIMA KAABOUCH
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
The UND Award for Interdisciplinary
Collaboration in Research or Creative Work
KIM FINK
Professor of Art and Design
LUCY GANJE
Award for Departmental Excellence in
Teaching
THE DEPARTMENT OF CHEMICAL ENGINEERING
The UND Award for Departmental Excellence
in Research
THE DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
The UND Award for Departmental Excellence
in Service
THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL WORK
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FOUNDERS DAY
the recipients of faculty and
departmental awards for 2016
The following has been compiled from materials provided to the awards committees, including nominations, letters of support, and other materials offered as
evidence of excellence in teaching, research, service, and advising.
The UND Foundation/McDermott Faculty Award for
Individual Excellence in Teaching
Steven Ralph
Associate Professor of Biology
Steven Ralph is known for his innovations in the classroom, his biology
education research focused on improving student success, and his education
outreach activities that extend across the state of North Dakota and beyond. For
his tremendous efforts and dedication to his students, Ralph has garnered the
Individual Undergraduate Teaching Award.
“As an associate professor in the Department of Biology, Dr. Ralph has been
in the forefront of our efforts to transform freshman and sophomore courses
from traditional lecture-style to student-centered active learning experiences
taught in the SCALE-UP classroom,” explained Dr. Brett Goodwin, associate
professor and department chair. “In summer 2013, Dr. Ralph received an OID
Summer Instructional Development Project grant to transform Genetics BIO315
— two sections with 200-plus students — and the companion course Genetics
Recitation BIO315R — five sections with 140-plus students — into active
learning classes. He converted his PowerPoint lectures into podcasts that incorporate diverse multimedia tools and online quizzes to allow students to work
at their own pace outside of class to master the basic content. Dr. Ralph then
developed a suite of in-class activities — for example, case studies, problem sets,
games — that help students to apply their knowledge in the classroom working
in groups to promote collaborative learning. In parallel, he also revamped his
Recitation class with a new suite of problem sets designed to complement the
student work in Genetics and that emphasize critical thinking.”
Ralph also created new course offerings: Genomics and Biotechnology
Seminar.
“These courses incorporate knowledge from the latest research breakthroughs in these two technology-driven disciplines, and they provide an active
learning environment with a particular emphasis on introducing students to the
primary literature,” Goodwin said. “It is noteworthy that although most seminary courses in Biology are populated by graduate students, Dr. Ralph’s seminar
is predominantly taken by undergraduates.”
Though he’s known for his rigorous standards, Ralph consistently receives
high marks on evaluations from students. They appreciate his enthusiasm, positive attitude, and his compassion for students.
“Dr. Steven Ralph has been the most educational and influential professor I
have had here at UND,” wrote Lucas Knowlton. “At the beginning of my genetics
course, I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect from this course. When I opened my
textbook in the bookstore, I thought that there was no way I would ever be able
to grasp the curriculum and take away knowledge. Well, Dr. Ralph has proven
me completely wrong.”
Ralph willingly shares his free time to make sure students are grasping the
material taught in his classes. Knowlton said Ralph hosts a Genetics Review
Session twice a week where students are encouraged to come and ask questions
on the content that was covered that week.
“If nobody has any questions, he always has practice problems and conceptual material ready, so that we are never sitting unproductive,” Knowlton said.
“These sessions have been one of the key players in gauging my knowledge of the
content and also provide great guidance of things to focus on.”
Ralph also serves as an exemplary mentor for students who work with him
on research. As part of a National Science Foundation project Ralph directed
from August 2009 to July 2013, 13 undergraduate students received at least one
semester of training in Ralph’s lab. Eight of these students are now enrolled in
graduate or medical school. And while studying in Ralph’s lab, these students
earned 12 awards worth more than $50,000 in recognition of their academic and
scientific excellence.
“Undergraduate students have given 20 presentations as first authors at local,
regional, and national scientific conferences as part of this project,” Goodwin
said. “Clearly, Dr. Ralph is an excellent research mentor on top of his excellent
classroom teaching.”
Ralph doesn’t keep his successes to himself. He has been a leader in
promoting teaching innovations in the Biology Department, across campus,
and beyond in a variety of learning workshops. In addition, for the last three
years, he has been a participant or invited facilitator at the National Academies
Midwest Summer Institute on Undergraduate Biology Education. He also has
led the charge to transform science education at the K-12 level through multiple
initiatives.
The UND Foundation/Lydia and Arthur Saiki Faculty
Award for Individual Excellence in Teaching
Brian Urlacher
Associate Professor of Political Science and Public Administration
As a faculty member in the Political Science and Public Administration
Department, Brian Urlacher is known for teaching outstanding courses. But
even outside the classroom, he has created many opportunities for students to
explore the field of international relations.
“His efforts inspire students and serve as a model educator in our department,” said Dr. Paul Sum, professor and chair of the Department of Political
Science and Public Administration.
So it is fitting that Urlacher has been chosen for the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award.
Urlacher joined the University in the fall of 2007 as an assistant professor. He
was promoted to associate professor in the fall of 2012. Through the years, he has
earned extremely high marks on student evaluations, both as a teacher and as an
advisor. Students not only admire and respect Urlacher, they often point to him
as the professor who has had the greatest positive impact on their experiences at
UND.
“During my time as a student at UND, I took two courses from Dr. Urlacher,
as well as worked with him more in depth on a research project,” wrote Logan
Stundal. “Some of my most worthwhile time as a student at UND was spent in
Dr. Urlacher’s classes and as his advisee, where he taught and guided me into
becoming a more informed, passionate, and dedicated student. He shines as a
professor due to the way he cares about his students enough to invest hard time
into their successes.”
Part of that investment is discovering new ways to help students learn. While
some professors may shy away from technology, Urlacher embraces it and uses it
as a tool to help his students in his classes and beyond.
“He was one of the first instructors I knew to provide comments on papers
and assignments via podcasts,” Sum said. “He also has developed embedded
PowerPoint presentations within Blackboard with audio that allow students
to converse through a linked blog. His use of Blackboard moves beyond the
133RD ANNIVERSARY
classroom to include notices for scholarship opportunities, career advice, and
information about graduate school, all dovetailing with topics within the course
outline.”
Urlacher also developed a series of video tutorials.
“These tutorials usually set up a familiar situation for students through a
short conversation between a student and Professor Urlacher after class,” Sum
explained. “A recent example covers the difference between correlation and
causation. The tutorials allow Professor Urlacher to reinforce course concepts in
an amusing, yet thoughtful, way.”
Urlacher’s service to the University has been extensive as well. He’s served
as the director of International Programs in the College of Business and Public
Administration (CoBPA) at UND since May 2015 and as co-director of the
Center for Human Rights and Genocide Studies at UND since June 2014. He
currently sits on the Studies Advisory Board, University Senate, MPA Steering
Committee, and CoBPA International Programs Committee. In addition, he
serves as the faculty adviser for Pi Sigma Alpha/Public Affairs Club. He also
helped bring the Model UN back to UND’s campus.
“There are more than 20 active students in the Model UN club, and they are
all former or current students of Professor Urlacher,” Sum said. “He has been
instrumental to these students having high-impact experiences as part of their
undergraduate career at UND.”
Urlacher also is active in getting his work published. In 2015, his first book,
International Relations as Negotiation, was printed by Paradigm Press. In addition, he has written numerous book chapters, journal articles, and a book review.
In the last five years, he’s given a number of conference presentations, including
serving as a panelist and presenter at the International Studies Association
Annual Meeting.
Urlacher’s hard work has not gone unnoticed. He’s earned a number of
honors, including the College of Business and Public Administration Teaching
Award in 2015 and the Junior Faculty Research Award from CoBPA at UND in
2011. He was named a Faculty Star at UND in 2008, 2011, and 2012.
The UND Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Faculty
Award for Graduate or Professional
Teaching Excellence
Cheryl Hunter
Assistant Professor of Educational Foundations and Research
While Cheryl Hunter counts herself lucky for having many great teachers in
her life, her students feel the same way about her. For her dedication to her students and for being a great teacher, Hunter has earned the Outstanding Graduate
Teaching Award.
“I hope everyone has had a great teacher at some point in his or her life. I
have had several. I base my own teaching philosophy around those few great
artists I have encountered,” Hunter said. “For me there is a synergistic energy
around a teacher who engages and challenges the mind through a sharing of
knowledge. With a good teacher, you embark down a path that is first based on
a relationship of trust and respect. Along the way, he or she challenges you, and
you come to expect more from yourself.”
As a professor in the Educational Foundations and Research Department,
Hunter lives the philosophy in which she believes, as evidenced by comments
from her students.
“Cheryl has been an enthusiast instructor,” one student said. “It is clear that
she is not only well versed in qualitative research as a topic, but also excited
about teaching her class. She approaches each student with equal respect and
interest. I felt she cared about every student in this class.”
Students say they appreciate the respectful, nonthreatening environment
Hunter creates in the classroom. That environment encourages students to participate in class and take risks in their thinking.
“Cheryl designed instructional experiences that delved into philosophical
and higher order thinking. Interactive, powerful, intentional. I never felt like
class time was wasted or squandered,” another student reported. “She is also
highly respectful and responsive to students — something I truly appreciated.
She earned my trust and respect.”
Though Hunter has only been at the University of North Dakota for about
five years, it’s clear that she’s made a big impact.
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“Cheryl Hunter is an exceptional instructor. It is not often that we educators
see best teaching practices modeled at the university level, but Dr. Hunter is one
who practices what we all preach, putting the student at the center of the lesson.
She has clear learning targets and engages students in small- and large-group
activities so that learning is never passive. Students have the opportunity to
make sense and meaning of key concepts. She is energetic and passionate about
her research, and that is contagious,” wrote Cathy Williams, instructional coach
in the Curriculum, Instruction, Assessment and Professional Development
Department at Mark Sanford Education Center in Grand Forks.
Williams added that Hunter goes the extra mile for her students and always
makes time for them. In fact, Hunter was the inspiration for Williams to switch
her graduate work to the EFR Department.
“We are so lucky to have her!” Williams said.
In addition to her teaching, Hunter serves as a member or chair of more
than 20 doctoral committees. She’s involved in a variety of independent studies
and scholarly projects and has served her department and college as well as the
university on numerous committees. She’s served as chair on a number of these
committees, including the EFR Faculty Research Committee, and as a mentor
in the Alice T. Clark Faculty Mentoring Program. She has been a reviewer for a
number of professional publications and has published her own work in many
refereed/peer-reviewed journals. In addition, she has authored two books and
written chapters in others. The list of professional presentations she’s given in
recent years is impressive as well.
Hunter has served the greater Grand Forks community, too. She’s been
involved in the Grand Forks Public Schools Summer Book Study and the Safe
Kids Water Safety Committee, sponsored by Altru Health and the YMCA.
But it’s clear that Hunter truly has the heart of a teacher.
“Teaching, like art, should also be just as focused on the process as the
result,” Hunter said. “Teaching should be messy, cross boundaries, disquiet the
mind, and force a sense of unfamiliarity in students that works toward the goal
of broadening students’ knowledge and experience. With each course, I attempt
to emulate these attributes: trust and respect, engagement and high expectations,
crossing boundaries, and broadening perspectives.”
The comments from her students prove she is reaching her goals.
The UND Foundation/Karleen Home Rosaaen Award
for Excellence in Academic Advising
Makoto Tsuchiya
Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Educational Technology,
Department of Sports Medicine
Makoto Tsuchiya of the Sports Medicine Department is known for going
above and beyond for his students in the Athletic Training Program. Faculty
members can attest to the fact he does the same for his colleagues.
Particularly for his commitment to his students and his will to help them
succeed, Tsuchiya has earned the Outstanding Advisor Award.
Tsuchiya builds trusting relationships with the people around him and communicates well with students and faculty. He also ensures that his students are
receiving the most up-to-date educational resources. He strives to keep students
actively learning, motivating them and letting them know they can succeed in
class and in clinical rotations.
He also knows how to access resources on campus and is more than willing
to share that information whenever students or faculty need a helping hand.
“Makoto is beyond intelligent. He keeps up-to-date on policies and procedures within the UND campus, the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and
for the Department of Sports Medicine,” said Katrina Landman in nominating
Tsuchiya for the award. “He has helped many students and faculty with the Code
of Ethics on campus, meeting with them on time management, and referring
students to other resources on campus for additional help.”
If Tsuchiya doesn’t know the answer to a question, he will find it, whether for
a student or another faculty member.
And he’s more than just a teacher.
“Makoto serves as a mentor, advisor, and an educational resource to students
in the Athletic Training Program,” Landman said. “He is a good judge of character and knows how to communicate and help each student to their specific
needs.”
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He also helps students realize their potential — even when they don’t yet
know themselves what they are capable of doing.
“Makoto believes in the students and knows that they can exceed expectations and has a high standard for them. He holds them accountable for their
academics but has an open door for students to come to him with questions or
help,” Landman said. “I can only hope that when my children attend college,
there is someone like Makoto there to teach, mentor, and advise them.”
The UND Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Award for
Outstanding Professional Academic Advising
Leilani (Lani) Moen
Academic Advisor in the Department of Social Work
Did you ever meet someone whose positive attitude not only brightens your
day but also makes you want to strive to do better yourself? Leilani (Lani) Moen
of the Social Work Department is one of those people.
“Lani’s positive and caring attitude is something that faculty administrators hear about on at least a weekly basis in our department,” wrote Carenlee
Barkdull, chair and associate professor. “Positive comments are shared with us
routinely by students, faculty, and staff. She is unfailingly enthusiastic about her
role, our students, the department, and UND, and motivates others —s tudents
and colleagues — with her positive approach to each work day and to ongoing
opportunities and challenges.”
Moen handles all pre-major advising before students are formally admitted
into the undergraduate Social Work major.
“She is the perfect ‘first face’ for our program,” said Barkdull. “Students in
this phase are still learning the university system, are fretting about application
and admittance, and don’t yet feel at home in our program. Lani helps them
navigate all of that.”
And that’s a big reason why she’s garnered the Outstanding Advisor Award.
Empathetic, a good listener, and a great communicator — these are traits of a
great advisor, and Moen has them all. She engages students and builds mutually
respectful and trusting relationships.
“She is easily accessible to students, her door is always open, and her warm
and engaging manner is immediately reassuring to brand new traditional
students, our nontraditional students, and our distance students,” Barkdull said.
“Lani prides herself on being approachable and on creating an atmosphere where
students feel comfortable just stopping by to ask a quick question without an
appointment.”
With the new distance part of the undergraduate program, students live
throughout the Midwest, which makes the work of advising even more challenging.
“Not only did Lani have to learn about transfer credit complexities for all of
these students, she provided advising and planning to help students transition
into the major via distance,” Barkdull said. “She has been the glue that connects
this cohort to a university that was not visible to them when they started, except
via the exchanges they have with her.”
For some, the challenges of navigating the university system can be particularly daunting, Melanie Sage pointed out in nominating Moen for the award.
“A quarter of the students in our new distance program are American Indian.
Several have only attended school in tribal communities before transferring to
UND,” Sage wrote. “She has skillfully navigated the cultural issues related to
helping students make this transition, including referral to supportive services
around campus when needed, helping students troubleshoot how to get financial
holds removed, and learning about transcript requests from other institutions to
help guide students on the steps necessary.”
“Lani goes above and beyond the traditional role of advising and is an
incredible asset and ambassador for our department, both within the institution
and across the state and region,” Barkdull said. “Her flexibility and creativity
have played an enormous part in our department’s undergraduate program
success. She is independent and competent, yet consults whenever needed. She
is very dependable, and we rely on her follow-through. Lani is the quintessential
team player, yet she is humble and self-effacing. She represents the department
and the University positively and in a way that makes everyone proud to be
associated with her.”
FOUNDERS DAY
Achievement Award for Outstanding Faculty
Development and Service
Margaret Healy
Professor of Educational Leadership
Margaret Healy is known for giving so much of herself to others. As a professor in educational leadership, she teaches graduate level courses, advises master’s and doctoral students in higher education administration, and fulfills her
commitment to scholarship through research, publications, and presentations.
“Margi’s presence is also noted as a mentor to graduate students and aspiring
professionals who seek her out for graduate and career advising,” said Deborah
Worley, associate professor and program coordinator with the Higher Education Program in the Department of Educational Leadership. “To date, Margi
has completed 20 Educational Leadership doctoral students and 44 Educational
Leadership/Higher Education master’s students. Many of these students seek out
Margi even after they graduate to seek her professional guidance.”
Healy also is known for opening her door to faculty and administrators who
want her perspective on issues related to higher education. In addition, she’s currently working with the UND Mentoring Working Group in Human Resources
and has served on the Division of Student Affairs Professional Development
Committee.
And while she’s committed to her department, college, and university, she
still finds time to do more, giving back in even more far-reaching ways. For this
dedication and hard work, Healy has earned the Outstanding Faculty Development and Service Award.
Healy first came to UND in 2003 as an associate professor of educational
leadership. She achieved tenure and promotion to full professor in 2009. She
served as the graduate program coordinator for the Higher Education Program
twice. She also served twice as the Educational Leadership Department chair.
From 2008 through 2011, she held the Rose Isabelle Kelly Fischer Endowed
Chair position.
Healy’s commitment to the University extends even farther. She has taken on
leadership roles in several institution-wide initiatives, including the University
Senate Budget and Restructuring and Allocation Committee. In this role, she
focused on educating committee members as well as the campus community on
MIRA (Model for Incentive-based Resource Allocation). She used her knowledge and expertise in higher education budgeting and finance to make MIRA
accessible to all through tools such as the Budget 101 presentation.
“Throughout her tenure at the University of North Dakota, Dr. Healy has
used her extensive expertise in educational leadership for the benefit of the University as a whole,” said Alice Brekke, vice president for finance and operations.
“Dr. Healy demonstrates through her actions a recognition of and respect for
the variety of perspectives that exist within the University community. She also
understands the importance of making connections, building relationships, and
working toward common understanding about the institution.”
Healy volunteered to serve on the University Senate Ad Hoc Committee
on Shared Governance in 2014. Fellow committee members appreciated her
knowledge and expertise in leadership and organizational behavior. She received
similar acknowledgement for her work with the Strategic Optimization and
Alignment Review process, as well as for her contributions to the Promotion,
Tenure, and Evaluation Working Group.
She also serves as a consultant/evaluator with the Higher Learning Commission, North Central Association Commission on Institutions of Higher Education. Through the years, she has completed reviews on many campuses. Most
recently, she took on the role of team chair on Change Panels. She plays an active
role in Financial Review Panels on accreditation visits to other institutions.
Healy is involved with professional associations in higher education and
student affairs as well. For example, she’s been involved with the National
Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) for many years and
has garnered two association awards: the NASPA Region IV-W Outstanding
Faculty Award and the NASPA Pillar of the Profession. She’s also been involved
with the Association of College Personnel Administrators and the Association
for the Study of Higher Education. Along with an impressive list of publications
of her own in peer-reviewed, national and international journals, Healy also has
reviewed manuscripts for the Journal of College Student Development and the
NASPA Journal.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
Achievement Award for Excellence in Research
Michelle Sauer
Michelle Sauer of the English Department is consistently and substantially
involved in research that has made an impact on her field. For her hard work and
dedication, Sauer has earned the UND Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Faculty
Achievement Award for Excellence in Research.
During her 15-year career, Sauer has published two monographs, one edition
of translated work, and five edited collections. She has edited two additional
special issues of journals and two collections of conference proceedings, both
of which are book-length projects. She also has had more than 70 essay-length
pieces published. Most of these pieces are single-authored, but some are coauthored with graduate students, an opportunity for them to model best practices. Several of her books and articles have gained critical notice or won awards.
“For a humanities scholar, this is a truly impressive output,” said Eric Wolfe,
associate professor and chair of the English Department.
While the volume and content of her research is astounding, it doesn’t
detract from her work as a teacher.
“We are fortunate to have such an internationally renowned scholar as
Professor Sauer in the English Department and appreciate not only her hard
work on her research, but also her efforts at her teaching, which have garnered
teaching award nominations and consistently high evaluations,” wrote Rebecca
Weaver-Hightower, associate professor of English. “She is also well known as a
faculty mentor to both undergraduate and graduate students, encouraging and
facilitating both groups to present at conferences and publish and leading them
through the process of professional development that leads many to apply to
graduate school. Indeed, as the department’s expert in medieval literature, Professor Sauer’s work significantly enhances the effectiveness of literature as taught
in the classroom.”
Sauer also is an academic leader in her field. She serves as vice president of
the International Anchoritic Society — her main field of research — and as a
member of the Executive Board of the Society for the Study of Homosexuality
in the Middle Ages. She also is a frequent present at international academic
conferences, and she writes several of the annual updates in the Year’s Work in
English Studies, which presents a critical analysis of important research for other
scholars in the field.
Through the years, Sauer has earned numerous grants and fellowships. She’s
also garnered a number of honors and awards. She was named a Faculty Star at
UND in 2011 and 2012. Her Companion to British Poetry before 1600 earned the
Best Reference Text of the Year from Booklist in 2008. She also won the Women
of Distinction Award in 2005 from the YWCA, and she earned the LGBT-Religious Archives Network prize in December 2005 for “Representing the Negative:
Positing the Lesbian Void & Medieval English Anchoritism.”
Achievement Award for Excellence in Research
Brij Singh
Professor in the Department of Basic Sciences,
Brij Singh has made many impressive contributions to his profession. These
contributions have been recognized nationally and internationally for their innovation, high quality, clinical relevance, and impact on people’s lives. On top of
his outstanding achievements in research, Singh is a dedicated mentor to other
scientists, a leader in his school, and an outstanding educator.
For his amazing achievements and dedication, Singh has earned the UND
Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in
Research.
Singh came to UND in 2003 as an assistant professor in the Department of
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology — now a part of the Department of Basic
Sciences — at the School of Medicine. In 2007, he was promoted to associate
professor. He became a professor with tenure four years later.
PAGE 7
During his career, Singh has published 85 manuscripts, most of those since
joining the UND faculty. Many of these publications are in highest impact journals, demonstrating the quality of his work.
“His renown is clear from both a national and international perspective
when one considers the sheer numbers of invited presentations he (gives) at universities and national/international meetings several times a year. He is clearly
representing the University well around the country and world,” said Dr. Colin
Combs, professor and chair of the Department of Basic Sciences. “Perhaps one
of the best indicators of research success in our field is the ability to sustain your
laboratory efforts through extramural funding. Dr. Singh has consistently had an
NIH R01 — the highest level of independent principal investigator funding —
for three consecutive grant periods totaling 15 years.”
Singh has earned numerous other grants as well, both locally and through
the NIH, but he also uses his expertise to further the work and learning opportunities of others as well
“He is the PI on a COBRE award that is being resubmitted, which includes
a number of junior faculty,” Combs said. “Although this award bring approximately $10 million over a five-year period to the University, very little of this will
be available to Dr. Singh to support his work since he is the PI of this mentoring
grant. Instead the funds and his time will be spent nurturing the careers of junior
faculty to ensure their success. This altruism, combined with his unparalleled
commitment to excellence for his individual research efforts, is characteristic of
Dr. Singh and his approach to being a faculty (member),” Combs said.
Through the years, Singh’s efforts have been recognized. He has won
numerous awards, including receiving the Spirit Award twice and garnering the
Dean H. David Wilson Academic Award in Neuroscience.
In addition, Singh makes time for service. He is an active member for six
professional societies, serves on the editorial board of 11 outstanding scientific
journals, reviews manuscripts for more than 20 journals, and reviews extramural
grants many time a year for a variety of agencies, including the NIH.
“Most importantly, he is a permanent member of the Dental and Craniofacial
Sciences study section,” Combs said. “This is a national honor, and faculty are
only invited based upon their stature in the field.”
He also has been a member of a number of committees within this department, school, and the University, along with teaching and advising responsibilities.
“He serves as a constant role model for not only the junior but also the senior
faculty with regard to how we should be sincere in our pursuit of excellence, yet
collegial and supportive of one another,” Combs said.
The UND Foundation/B.C. Gamble Faculty Award for
Excellence in Teaching, Research or Creative Activity,
and Service
Naima Kaabouch
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering
Naima Kaabouch’s list of accomplishments in teaching, service, and scholarly
work/research literally fill pages. Since joining the UND Electrical Engineering
Department in 2005, she’s shown her ability work collaboratively, submit proposals for millions of dollars worth of grants, and publish her work while still
giving her very best to her students and the University at large. For her amazing
achievements, Kaabouch has garnered the Individual Award for Teaching,
Research and Service.
Kaabouch came to UND in 2005 as a lecturer in the Electrical Engineering
Department. She was promoted to assistant professor the following year and
to associate professor in 2012. From 2008 through 2013, she also served as the
Electrical Engineering Graduate Program director.
During her time at UND, Kaabouch has been awarded 40 internal and
extramural grants as the primary investigator (PI) or co-PI. The grants have
totaled more than $2.7 million. She also has developed collaborative research,
submitting proposals with researchers from six departments, four colleges, and
two universities.
Her publications are impressive as well. She’s edited four books and published or submitted 161 papers and reports. In additions, she’s given nearly 100
presentations at local, national, and international research conferences.
During her career, Kaabouch has served as a research advisor for two post-
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FOUNDERS DAY
doctoral fellows, eight Ph.D. students, 20 master’s degree students, and more
than 100 undergraduates. She has won several local, regional, and international awards for undergraduate projects, including the NASA Joe Kosmo
Award of Excellence for the “Lunabotics Mining Robot” project and the
Andrew Freeman Competition for the “Dynamic Thresholds for an Airborne
Sense and Avoid System” project.
In the classroom, Kaabouch has taught 12 courses, including seven new
classes, and has continually earned high rankings in evaluations from her
students. In addition, she established and furnished two laboratory facilities
for undergraduate teaching: the Embedded Systems Laboratory, with funds
from a Rockwell Collins Grant in 2009, and the Electronics Laboratory, with
funds from 2009 and 2012 Rockwell Collins Grants.
With all her responsibilities, Kaabouch still finds time to serve on a
numerous committees in her department, college, and the greater University.
At present, she serves as the Electrical Engineering grant coordinator and
is on the CEM Tenure/Promotion Committee, the Electrical Engineering
Curriculum Committee, and the President’s Advisory Council on Women’s
Issues.
She’s been chair or co-chair of a number of professional positions as
well. She was the co-chair of the IEEE Electro/Information Technology
Conference in 2012-13 and has been a session chair at several of these and
other conferences. Since 2012, Kaabouch has been the associate editor for
the International Journal of Handheld Computing Research. From 2008 to
2012, she was a member of the IJHCR Editorial Advisory Board. In addition, Kaabouch has been a member of the Program Committee for the IEEE
Electro/Information Technology Conference since 2008, the IEEE Digital
Signal Processing Conference since 2009, and Broadband and Wireless Computing, Communication, and Applications since 2014.
The UND Award for Interdisciplinary
Collaboration in Research or Creative Work
Kim Fink
Lucy Ganje
Lucy Ganje and Kim Fink of the Department of Art and Design have
worked together on a fascinating project exploring contemporary Native
American life. The project, In Our Own Words: Native Impressions, looks
into the issues involving American Indian people in North Dakota today.
The project involved many academic disciplines, including art and design,
cultural studies, and communication. It also fits into a renewed focus on
domestic issues of social justice.
Their groundbreaking work has garnered them the Interdisciplinary Collaboration in Research or Creative Work Award.
“Beyond the impressive number of interdisciplinary and collaborative
features of this project, I truly believe that In Our Own Words: Native Impressions is a project that connects people and cultures as well as institutions and
communities, and it will long serve to enhance cross-cultural understanding
and inspire genuine emotional connections between American Indian
and non-native peoples,” said Leigh Jeanotte, director of American Indian
Student Services. “Mitakuye Oyasin — we are all related!”
Ganje and Fink, along with Daniel Heyman, an artist from Philadelphia,
visited four North Dakota tribal colleges and interviewed American Indian
people. Following the visits, Heyman drew and carved large-scale woodcuts
containing portraits of the native people interviewed, along with text containing excerpts from the interviews.
Fink, a professional printmaker, worked with Heyman to produce the
woodcuts and their printing. Ganje is currently completing additional sheets
of text using letterpress type that will be paired with the woodcuts in a
portfolio.
“The finished woodcuts, along with the letterpress sheets, will be exhibited regionally and nationally, including exhibitions at the North Dakota
Museum of Art and Sarah Lawrence College in New York,” said Arthur
Jones, chair of the Department of Art and Design. “The collaborative project,
which is being produced as part of UND’s Department of Art and Design
Sundog Multiples print series, was primarily funded through a 2014 Arts and
Humanities Scholarship Initiative grant — provided by UND’s College of Arts
and Sciences — the Myers Foundations, and the Department of Art and Design.
Two sets of the In Our Own Words: Native Impressions portfolio will be accessioned by UND Art Collections, becoming part of the University’s permanent art
collection.”
A great deal of work went into making the project a reality. Ganje has an
extensive background in American Indian issues and communities, which
allowed for the initial formation and discussion of the project with American
Indian people on campus and in various communities throughout the state.
She arranged and coordinated 13 interviews, transcribed each interview, and
edited the interviews to 1,000 words or less, pulling out conversations that best
represented the points made by the interviewee. Each interview was about three
hours long.
After Ganje edited the interviews, the manuscripts were sent to the participants to get their final approvals. Once the approvals were secured, Ganje
designed and hand-set the type for the letterpress panel or broadside. The
broadside is designed to be exhibited beside the portrait of the person to inform
and contextualize the image for the viewer.
Fink’s part in the collaboration involved acting as the artistic publisher.
As a master printer, he functioned as the artists’ right hand. His experience in
printing, paper material, and color production provided technical and aesthetic
suggestions and recommendations to provide the best quality fine art print possible. He also helped carve the wood blocks prior to printing, mixed the ink to
get the best color combinations, and helped print the woodcut portraits and letterpressed broadsides. Fink made more than 700 prints to complete the project.
The UND Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Award for
Departmental Excellence in Teaching
The Department of Chemical Engineering
Brian Tande, Associate Professor and Department Chair
Frank Bowman, Associate Professor and Associate Department Chair for
Education and Outreach
Ali Alshami, Assistant Professor
Yun Ji, Associate Professor
Edward Kolodka, Associate Professor
Gautham Krishnamorthy, Ann and Norman Hoffman Assistant Professor of
National Defense/Energetics
Michael Mann, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor
Steven Schlasner, Lecturer and Research Engineer, Energy & Environmental
Research Center
Wayne Seames, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor and Director, SUNRISE
Education and Research Program
Faculty in the Chemical Engineering Department are guided by their strong
commitment to providing a rigorous, well-rounded engineering education in a
collaborative and student-centered environment. Evidence of the faculty’s commitment to students can be seen not only in the growth of the department, but
in the quality of its graduates. For their efforts, the Chemical Engineering faculty
have earned the Departmental Excellence in Teaching Award.
“An important part of this department’s success is how well the faculty work
together,” said Brian Tande, associate professor and chair. “While we each have
our own areas of expertise, we also realize that we do not teach our courses in a
vacuum. Many of our courses rely on material taught in previous courses, and,
often, students must see a particular concept multiple times before they become
proficient. For these reasons, educating chemical engineers well requires a tightly
integrated program and several ‘across-the-curriculum’ themes that are woven
across multiple courses. This is not achievable unless the faculty are committed
to the overall objectives of the program, rather than being focused on their own
courses.
“Each of our courses is related to our 13 student learning outcomes and 10
across-the-curriculum themes.”
The Chemical Engineering Department consists of eight full-time faculty,
one part-time instructor, and three staff members.
“Many of our curriculum development and improvement activities take
133RD ANNIVERSARY
place during our annual summer retreat, during which we focus on building
a better program and a stronger department,” Tande said. “During the retreat
we scrutinize every aspect of our curriculum. We analyze student feedback and
performance data and compare how we measure up to the ABET accreditation
standards as well as our own higher standards.”
And the self-examination is clearly working. The ABET accreditation review
in November 2105 found no deficiencies or weaknesses in the program. The
department expects to receive full accreditation for the maximum of six years.
The department offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in chemical
engineering, administers master’s programs in environmental engineering and
sustainable energy engineering, and teaches several service courses taken by
other engineering and science majors.
“Our enrollment is now roughly 260 students and has more than doubled in
the past 10 years,” Tande said. “While the department has long been one of the
most research-active on campus, our focus continues to be on undergraduate
education. A passion for teaching and working with students is the primary
reason why we are all here. This is reflected in the way the department functions
and how we select new faculty. It can especially be seen in the extent to which we
make ourselves available to students.
“The Chemical Engineering Department believes that an open-door policy,
rather than fixed office hours, is most conducive to student-faculty interaction.
Students are told to feel free to speak to their instructors any time they are in
their offices. Instructors strive to maximize their availability to students during
normal operating hours and limit travel during the course of the semester. The
open-door policy is extended to distance students by giving distance student
email inquiries priority so that they obtain rapid and timely responses to their
questions.”
Students clearly appreciate the open door policy and the department’s commitment to excellence.
“As a recent alumna of the department and current graduate student, I
can speak of the educational and professional drive of Chemical Engineering
at UND that motivates students to achieving their goals,” said Caitlyn Wolf.
“Specifically, their attentiveness to the student’s unique career goals, continuing
improvement of curriculum, and commitment to teaching were essential in my
growth as a chemical engineer.”
The UND Award for Departmental
Excellence in Research
The Department of Biology
Brett Goodwin, Associate Professor and Department Chair
Jay Boulanger, Assistant Professor
Jeffrey Carmichael, Associate Professor
Brian Darby, Assistant Professor
Denise Darland, Associate Professor
Tristan Darland, Assistant Professor
Susan Ellis-Felege, Assistant Professor
Chris Felege, Instructor
Steven Kelsch, Associate Professor
Manu, Assistant Professor
Peter Meberg, Associate Professor
Robert Newman, Associate Professor
Igor Ovtchinnikov, Associate Professor
Steven Ralph, Associate Professor
Turk Rhen, Associate Professor
Isaac Schlosser, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor
William Sheridan, Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor
Rebecca Simmons, Associate Professor
Vasyl Tkach, Professor
Jefferson Vaughan, Professor
Kathryn Yurkonis, Assistant Professor
While professors in the Department of Biology have a heavy teaching load,
they still find time to produce an incredible amount of high-quality research,
garnering the department a solid national and international reputation. For
the department’s amazing work, it has earned the Departmental Excellence in
Research Award.
PAGE 9
The Biology Department has 20 tenured or tenure-track faculty members,
including one joint appointment with the Forensic Science Program. The department boasts an active graduate program with about 30 master’s and Ph.D. students. In addition, it has a large undergraduate program with about 650 majors.
“We also provide course work for a number of other majors, along with
providing a large non-majors course with heavy enrollment. Due to this large
teaching load, we have a number of faculty who are primarily focused on
teaching,” said Dr. Brett Goodwin, associate professor and department chair.
“Despite the demands of teaching, all faculty members are expected to have an
active research program.”
Both graduate students and undergraduate students are involved in the
department’s research labs as well. During the last two years, 112 undergraduates
had research experience in biology, and almost all of the department’s faculty
served as research mentors for undergraduates during that time.
“Even more impressive than the large number of students that have this
opportunity in the department is the quality of the experience,” Goodwin said.
“Students are not just washing dishes in the lab; rather, they are integrated into
the research experience. They attend lab meetings, design and execute projects,
and are involved in disseminating their findings.”
Graduate students are also encouraged to present on and publish their
research. The department’s graduate students have been recognized for their
research achievements, with many winning EPSCoR (Experimental Program to
Stimulate Competitive Research) Doctoral Dissertation Assistantships. A recent
Ph.D. student earned a prestigious National Science Foundation postdoctoral
award.
in appreciation
Thank you to the Founders Day volunteers and organizations for helping
with the décor and support for this year’s banquet and awards.
Brenda Haugen, Writer
Founders Day Design on a Dime Team: Dawn Botsford, Aaron Flynn,
Andrea Green, Cheryl Grew-Gillan, Kari Holter, Loren Liepold,
Rebecca Slade, Millie Strang, Fred Wittmann
Penumbra: Steven Rand, Ron Franz, and Steve Augustin
UND Account Services
UND Alumni Association & Foundation
UND Burtness Theatre Scene Shop
UND Ceremonies and University Events
UND Facilities Management
UND Founders Day Awards Committees
UND Memorial Union Building Services Technicians
UND Office of the President
UND Office of the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs
UND Office of the Vice President for Finance and Operations
UND Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic
Development
UND Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
UND Office of the Vice President for University and Public Affairs
UND Payroll
UND Sign & Design Team: Rebecca Slade, Natasha Azure, Chandler
Boyd, Jacob Gallagher, Kara Hendrickson, Amara Kallgren, Jami
Peden, Katie Rehder, Grant Schultz, Jasmine Stevens, and Alyssa
Tweed
UND Special Collections
UND University and Public Relations Group
Jackie Lorentz, University Photographer
Richard Larson, Designer
UND University Catering
UND Staff Volunteers
UND Student Ambassadors
PAGE 10
FOUNDERS DAY
From January 2009 through December 2014, the department published
137 papers and books chapters, and gave 50 invited presentations, 53 presentations locally, 130 presentations at state or regional meetings, and 149 presentations at national or international meetings. During the same time period, the
department was awarded 38 extramural grants or contracts totaling nearly $5.5
million. The department also secured 46 intramural awards totaling more than
$1 million.
“Not only are we highly productive, but our research is of high quality. Many
of our publications are in leading journals in our field,” Goodwin said.
Many of the Biology Department’s faculty serve on journal editorial boards
and review panels for national entities, such as the National Institutes of Health
and the National Science Foundation.
“All of this speaks to the stature faculty in the Biology Department have in
their respective fields of study,” Goodwin said.
In addition, two members of the faculty have recently earned the UND
Foundation/Thomas J. Clifford Faculty Achievement Award for Excellence in
Research: Jeff Vaughan in 2014 and Vasyl Tkach in 2010.
The department’s faculty members also work collaboratively among
themselves and with other departments, such as the School of Medicine, the
Department of Geography and Geographic Information Science, the Chemistry
Department, and the Computer Science Department. Several faculty also have
collaborations across the United States and internationally.
“Two of the strategic goals for the College of Arts and Sciences are to
increase collaborative research efforts and to grow the number of undergraduate
and graduate students engaged in research,” said its dean, Debbie Storrs. “There
is no doubt that the Department of Biology is already doing both of those things
well.”
The UND Award for Departmental
Excellence in Service
The Department of Social Work
Carenlee Barkdull, Associate Professor and Chair
Kimberly Becker, Assistant Professor
Yee Han Chu, Assistant Professor
Kenneth Flanagan, Associate Professor
Thomasine Heitkamp, Professor
Yi-Ping Hsieh, Assistant Professor
Dheeshana Jayasundara, Assistant Professor
Roger Johnson, Assistant Professor
Barbara Kitko, Assistant Professor
Barbara Kramer, Assistant Professor
Angie Muhs, Assistant Professor
Randy Nedegaard, Assistant Professor and MSW Program Director
Andrew Quinn, Associate Professor and Assessment Coordinator
A. Del Quest, Assistant Professor
Bruce Reeves, Assistant Professor and Director of Field Education
Melanie Sage, Assistant Professor and BSSW Program Director
Todd Sage, Assistant Professor
Carol Schneweis, Assistant Professor and Distance Learning Coordinator
Bret Weber, Associate Professor
Lani Moen, Academic Advisor
Children and Family Services Training Center
Pete Tunseth, Director
Amy Oehlke, Training Coordinator
Jason Moug, Training Coordinator
The social work profession exists to help improve the quality of life for all
people, and the Social Work Department at the University of North Dakota is
particularly cognizant of those who are vulnerable or in some way disadvantaged. The department values service equally with teaching and research, and
this value permeates both the departmental culture and its practices. So it’s truly
fitting that the Social Work Department has won the Departmental Excellence in
Service Award.
The department consists of 17 full-time faculty and five staff. About 200
undergraduate and 240 graduate students are part of the department, and they
are not exempt from service. Undergraduate students must complete a
450-hour supervised field placement in an approved community setting.
Master’s students must complete 500 hours. During the 2013-14 and 2014-15
academic years, 188 social work students completed a total of 88,400 hours
of service through their field placements.
The Social Work Department also houses service units, including the
Children and Family Services Training Center, which recently celebrated its
30th anniversary. The center is regarded as a national model and was one
of the first to be housed within a social work department in an academic
setting. THE CFSTC trains and certifies all of the child welfare workers and
all of the foster parents for the state of North Dakota.
The PLUS (Parents Learning and Understanding Supports) Program
closed its doors in July 2015 due to funding and administrative reasons. But
during a five-year period, it collaborated with many community agencies to
provide referrals to families with children requiring supports and services.
Faculty member Kim Becker served as program director and supervised
social work interns to provide services to families on a short-term basis.
During a nearly two-year period, the PLUS Program served about 139
parents and 260 children. In the fall of 2015, the program was nominated for
a Center for Community Engagement award.
The Social Work Department has been successful in garnering service
grants and contracts. In fiscal year 2013-14, the department received nearly
$2.4 million in extramural funds for a variety of service grants and contracts.
In addition, a three-year award of $556,000 was made in 2015 to an interdisciplinary team from Social Work, Nursing, and Psychology by the Substance
Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This collaborative project
provides substance abuse assessment and early intervention training across
the state of North Dakota over a three-year period. Two of the co-principal
investigators on this interdisciplinary team are social workers.
In recent years, Social Work Department faculty have also begun to
seriously explore possibilities for international service-related endeavors. The
department’s first student in an international field placement setting worked
in Nepal during fall semester 2015.
The department’s student clubs have won the national award for service
twice in the last four years, despite competing against universities with
student bodies four times that of UND’s. Nearly 150 students gave 3,000
hours of community service as club members during the last two years. The
students clubs’ advisor, Professor Barbara Kramer, was recognized as a UND
Outstanding Student Organization Advisor in May 2015, and Phi Alpha
President George Jirout was recognized as a Lillian Elsinga Outstanding
Student Leader.
“I have a sense of pride when I hear of the work the students do
throughout the city of Grand Forks,” said Meredith Baumann, director of
social work with Valley Eldercare Center. “I hear about the great work the
Social Work club does. I hear of the work individual students do for those
in need. I hear of the volunteer work they do over and above the classroom
requirements.
“These students ‘get it.’ They get that everyone is a person worthy of their
time, of their assistance, and of their advocacy. The University of North
Dakota Social Work Department is composed of professors who instill in
students the values that are worthy of the profession of social work.”
Since 2011, either a student or faculty member from the Social Work
Department has won a Center for Community Engagement Stone Soup
Award, and several more have been nominated.
While faculty serve on the college and university level, they also serve
on many community, state, and national boards and commissions, often in
significant leadership roles. They serve as reviewers for numerous scholarly
journals, on editorial boards, and as editors. They’ve also contributed many
hours of ethics training to hundreds of social workers statewide.
In addition, the department’s faculty are very engaged with the state’s
American Indian communities; that work includes building tribal college
collaborations and supporting initiatives at the Spirit Lake Nation in relation
to child welfare and domestic violence. Carenlee Barkdull and Melanie Sage
are members of a Spirit Lake tribal task force to improve the child welfare
workforce. In the fall of 2015, Sage and Professor Kitko provided case management training to nearly 20 tribal employees, and Dr. Randy Nedegaard
and Sage have been invited and provided domestic violence training at Spirit
Lake that culminated in a recent grant award.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
PAGE 11
FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTAL AWARDS, 2002-2015
Since 1967, the presentation of faculty honors has been a highlight of the
Founders Day celebration. From 1967 to 1979, the awards were supported by
the Amoco Foundation. In 1978, the Fellows of the University of North Dakota,
Inc., began to sponsor an individual award, which in 1985 became a departmental citation. In 1980 the University of North Dakota Alumni Association
and Foundation expanded and turned over to the committee its existing faculty
recognition program and has supported individual and departmental awards
since. Funding for the awards presented tonight is provided by the UND Foundation and the University of North Dakota.
The Outstanding Faculty Awards Committee, composed of students and
faculty, screens nominations and selects recipients for individual and departmental honors for teaching, service, and overall scholarly excellence.
Recipients of honors for excellence in research are selected by a committee
composed of research administrators and faculty.
The recipients of awards for academic advising are selected by the Academic
Advising Committee.
Individual Faculty Awards for Teaching,
Research, Service, and Advising
2002: Kevin D. Young, Microbiology and Immunology; Marilyn R. Bjerke,
Nursing; Mary L. Cutler, Theatre Arts; Mary O. Loyland, Accounting and Business
Law; Ronald H. Brinkert, Physical Education and Exercise Science; Shelby J.
Barrentine, Teaching and Learning; Joyce K. Coleman, English; Jeffrey W. Lang,
Biology.
2003: David O. Lambeth, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Patrick B.
O’Neill, Economics; Warren C. Jensen, Aviation; Ralph G. Koprince, Languages;
Margie J. Hansen, Family and Community Nursing; Joan I. Hawthorne, Writing
Across the Curriculum, Writing Center, and the University Writing Program; Jody
A. Rada, Anatomy and Cell Biology; Jay Meek, English.
2004: Roxanne A. Vaughan, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; David T.
Pierce, Chemistry; Mary N. Haslerud Opp, School of Communication; Karen B.
Wettersten, Counseling; Melinda Leach, Anthropology; Manuchair (Mike) Ebadi,
Neuroscience and Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics; Audrey M. Glick,
Communication Sciences and Disorders.
2005: Mark D. Grabe, Psychology; John Erjavec, Chemical Engineering;
Vikki L. McCleary, Pharmacology, Physiology, and Therapeutics; Kenneth G.
Ruit, Anatomy and Cell Biology; Gregory O. Gagnon, Indian Studies; F. Richard
Ferraro, Psychology; Douglas C. Munski, Geography.
2006: Glenda N. Lindseth, Nursing; Darrin S. Muggli, Chemical Engineering;
Carl D. Barrentine, Humanities; Patti Alleva, Law; Richard G. Landry,
Educational Foundations and Research; Albert J. Fivizzani, Biology; Michael D.
Mann, Chemical Engineering; Elizabeth I. Bjerke, Aviation.
2007: Daphne Pedersen Stevens, Sociology; Jack Weinstein, Philosophy and
Religion; Thomas Hill, Microbiology and Immunology; Steven Light, Political
Science and Public Administration; Kathryn R.L. Rand, Law; Michael Gaffey,
Space Studies; Wayne Seames, Chemical Engineering; Francis White, Sociology.
2008: Mark Guy, Teaching and Learning; Ryan Zerr, Mathematics; Jeffrey
Sun, Educational Leadership; Donald Sens, Pathology; Janice Goodwin, Nutrition
and Dietetics; Manohar Kulkarni, Mechanical Engineering.
2009: Rebecca Simmons, Biology; Michael Atkinson, Occupational Therapy/
Anatomy and Cell Biology; Patrick Carr, Anatomy and Cell Biology; Jeffrey
Weatherly, Psychology; Eric Murphy, Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics;
Lori Robison, English; Travis Heggie, Recreation and Tourism Studies.
2010: Amanda Boyd, Languages; Krista Minnotte, Sociology; Jason Jenson,
Political Science and Public Administration; Mary Ann Sens, Pathology; Vasyl
Tkach, Biology; Thomas Steen, Physical Education, Exercise Science and Wellness;
Richard “Rocky” Graziano, Aviation.
2011: Melissa Gjellstad, Languages; Kanishka Marasinghe, Physics and
Astrophysics; RebeccaWeaver-Hightower, English; James Mochoruk, History;
Sandra Donaldson, English; Michael Blake, Music; Sagini Keengwe, Teaching
and Learning; Mark Askelson, Atmospheric Sciences; Richard Schultz, Electrical
Engineering; William Semke, Mechanical Engineering.
2012: Diane Darland, Biology; James Popejoy, Music; Marcus WeaverHightower, Educational Foundations and Research; Lowell Stanlake, Mechanical
Engineering; Brett Goodwin, Biology; Sandra Short, Physical Education, Exercise
Science and Wellness; Cindy Anderson, Nursing; Wayne Seames, Chemical
Engineering; Evguenii Kozliak, Chemistry.
2013: Joshua Bronfman, Music; Sheryl O’Donnell, English; Paul Hardersen,
Space Studies; Meganne Masko, Music; Elizabeth Bjerke, Aviation; Mark
Hoffmann, Chemistry; Holly Brown-Borg, Pharmacology, Physiology, and
Therapeutics; Wayne Seames, Chemical Engineering; Min Wu, Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology; Julia Zhao, Chemistry.
2014: Christopher Felege, Biology; Wesley Lawrence, Music; Anne Haskins,
Occupational Therapy; Rebecca Simmons, Biology; Thomasine Heitkamp, Social
Work; Alena Kubatova, Chemistry; Jefferson Vaughan, Biology; Paul Sum,
Political Science and Public Administration; William Gosnold, Geology and
Geological Engineering; Richard LeFever, Geology and Geological Engineering;
Michael Mann, Chemical Engineering; Hossein Salehfar, Electrical Engineering.
2015: Brian Darby, Biology; Cheryl Terrance, Psychology; Dana Harsell,
Political Science and Public Administration; Kimberly Cowden, Communication;
Chelsea Mellenthin, Psychology; Curtis Stofferahn, Sociology; Jonathan Geiger,
Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics; Alena Kubatova, Chemistry; F.
Richard Ferraro, Psychology; Glenda Lindseth, Nursing; Paul Lindseth, Aviation;
Thomas Petros, Psychology; William Semke, Mechanical Engineering; Benjamin
Trapnell, Aviation.
Departmental Awards for Teaching,
Research, and Service
Departmental Awards for Excellence in Teaching: Teaching and Learning,
2002; Humanities and Integrated Studies, 2003; Theatre Arts, 2004; Space
Studies, 2005; Physician Assistant Program, 2006; Political Science and
Public Administration, 2006; Chemical Engineering, 2007; Sociology, 2008;
Occupational Therapy, 2009; Biology, 2010; Honors Program, 2011; Educational
Foundations and Research, 2012; Modern and Classical Languages and
Literatures, 2013; Space Studies, 2014; Biology, 2015.
Departmental Awards for Excellence in Service: Aviation, 2002; School
of Communication, 2003; Nutrition and Dietetics, 2004; Counseling, 2005;
Anthropology, 2006; no award, 2007; Honors Program, 2008; Physical Therapy,
2009; Geography, 2010; Communication Sciences and Disorders, 2011;
Social Work, 2012; Music, 2013; English, 2014; Political Science and Public
Administration, 2015.
Departmental Awards for Excellence in Research: Biology, 2002; English,
2003; Microbiology and Immunology, 2004; Chemical Engineering, 2005;
no award, 2006; no award, 2007; Psychology, 2008; Chemistry, 2009;
Pharmacology, Physiology and Therapeutics, and Biology, 2010 (two recipients);
Chemical Engineering, 2011; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2012; Center
for Rural Health, 2013; Atmospheric Sciences, 2014; Sociology, 2015.
PAGE 12
FOUNDERS DAY
RETIRED AND RETIRING
FACULTY AND STAFF
JoAnn Albrecht
Senior Buyer, Purchasing
Elaine (Mary) Ayers
Director, Central Legal Research, School of Law
Biswanath Bandyopadhyay
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
Shelby Barrentine
Professor of Teaching and Learning
Victoria Beard
Professor of Accountancy
Mark Brickson
Director of Development for the School of Law, UND Alumni
Association and Foundation
Gregory Boushee
Academic Maintenance Supervisor, Facilities Management
Jacqueline Brockling
Storekeeper Supervisor, Facilities Management
Thomas Brockling
Officer, University Police
Steve Carlson
Lola Conley
Human Resources/Payroll Specialist, Dining Support Services
John Czapiewski
Equipment Operator, Human Nutrition Research Center
Connie Diede
Administrative Assistant, Department of Internal Medicine
Mary Drewes
Assistant Director of Libraries
Teresa Evanson
Administrative Secretary, College of Nursing and Professional
Disciplines
Anne Fiala
Deputy Associate Director, Energy & Environmental Research
Center
Kathryn Finneman
Communication Specialist, Emergency Management, Facilities
Management
John Foster
Lecturer, School of Law
Naomi Frantes
Head of Access and Branch Services, Chester Fritz Library
Timothy Gilleland
Journey Plumber, Facilities Management
Janice Goodwin
Associate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics
Jacqueline Greenwood
Cashier, Wilkerson Dining Center
Jean Hager
Administrative Officer, Human Nutrition Research Center
Devon Hansen
Associate Professor of Geography
Vicki Heiler
Records Analyst, Flight Operations, John D. Odegard School of
Aerospace Sciences
Lars Helgeson
Glen Hoffarth
Lead Systems Mechanic, Facilities Management
Darrel Iverson
Journey Electrician, Facilities Management
Dale Jacobson
Senior Lecturer, Department of English
Sherry Kapella
Administrative Secretary, Student Success Center
133RD ANNIVERSARY
PAGE 13
Lynda Kenney
Assistant Professor of Technology
Elizabeth Rheude
Associate Professor of Music (Woodwinds)
Corrinne Kjelstrom
Insurance Specialist/Office Manager, Campus Safety and Security
David Rieder
Equipment Operator, Facilities Management
Debra Kroese
Administrative Officer, Pharmacology, Physiology and
Therapeutics
Doreen Rolshoven
Licensed Practical Nurse, Human Nutrition Research Center
Valerie Krogstad
Administrative Secretary, Public Health Program, College of
Nursing and Professional Disciplines
Kimberly Lawrence
Administrative Assistant, Student Wellness Center
Randall Lillibridge
Lead Technology Development Operator, Energy & Environmental
Research Center
Helmer Rugroden
Technology Development Operator, Energy & Environmental
Research Center
Richard Schulz
Senior Research Chemist, Energy & Environmental Research
Center
Bridget Thompson
Clinical Associate Professor of Nursing
Paulette Lindquist
Payroll Specialist, Human Resources and Payroll
Dennis Toom
Research Archaeologist and Program Director, Anthropology
Research
Richard Martin
AV Production Specialist, Academic Support Services, John D.
Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
Phyllis Tweton
Administrative Assistant, Office of Medical Education, School of
Medicine and Health Sciences
John Martsolf
Professor of Pediatrics
Cyrilla LaFountain Vivier
Lead Laundry Worker, Facilities Management
Vikki McCleary
Associate Professor, Physician Assistant Program, School of
Deborah Vonasek
Cataloging Library Associate, Chester Fritz Library
Robert Meuwissen
Telecommunications Technician
Martin Mills
Building Services Technician, Facilities Management
James Mitchell
Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Science
Robyn Wald
Office Manager, Housing Office
David Westerman
Research Center
Richard Wilsnack
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience
Jane Monson
Advanced Archaeological Assistant, Anthropology Research
Billie Yanish
Account Technician, Business Service Center, Facilities
Management
Pat O’Donnell
Pharmacist in Charge, Health and Wellness
Margaret Zidon
Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning
Douglas Peters
Professor of Psychology
Mary Reinertson-Sand
Information Specialist, Center for Rural Health
PAGE 14
FOUNDERS DAY
BISWANATH BANDYOPADHYAY
Professor of Mechanical Engineering
During his time as a professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department, Biswanath P. Bandyopadhyay (Bishu Bandyo) has seen a lot of changes.
The department and the number of students have grown significantly. He also
actively participated in the development of online (DEDP) courses.
“This undergraduate DEDP program is the only accredited program in the
United States,” he said.
Bandyopadhyay retired Aug. 31, 2015.
Originally from Bankura, West Bengal, India, Bandyopadhyay earned a
Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from People’s Friendship University in Moscow,
Russia (then the U.S.S.R.) in 1979. Before coming to the University of North
Dakota, he served as an assistant professor at the Indian Institute of Technology
in Mumbai, India, and the University of West Indies in Trinidad and Tobago. He
also was a visiting professor at Curcao in Nedeland Antillies, and the Toyohashi
Institute of Technology in Japan.
He joined the UND Department of Mechanical Enginering in 1985 as an
assistant professor and through the years advanced to the rank of full professor.
His responsibilities included teaching and research in manufacturing engineering, materials, and engineering economy.
Bandyopadhyay served the larger community as well. He served as chair of
the Senate Scholarly Activity Committee and presented technical papers and
chaired in national and international conferences.
In his free time, Bandyopadhyay enjoys opera and is involved in Minnesota
opera activities.
Bandyopadhyay’s wife, Irina, is retired as well. They have two daughters and
two granddaughters.
SHELBY BARRENTINE
When Shelby Barrentine came to the University of North Dakota’s Center for
Teaching and Learning, she couldn’t have found a better fit.
“I love working with the teachers here, and that’s mainly what I do, work
with classroom teachers,” she said. “I love the content that I teach and the people
I work with.”
A native of the state of Washington, Barrentine earned a bachelor’s degree
in elementary education from Central Washington
University. She continued on to finish a master’s degree
in education at Idaho State and an Ed.D. at UCLA.
Barrentine worked as a classroom teacher for 10
years in a variety of states. Then she saw a position at
UND’s Center for Teaching and Learning (a predecessor
of today’s College of Education and Human Development) that interested her. The Elementary Education
Program was searching for someone, particularly in the
field of reading. That fit Barrentine perfectly because her
field of expertise is literacy education.
Barrentine came to UND in 1992 as an assistant
professor, ABD. The first six months she was at UND, she was pulling double
duty: teaching at UND and working to finish her dissertation. Now she’s a full
professor.
Through the years, Barrentine’s job changed in many ways. These days, the
master’s program is mostly online. For quite a while, she’s directed the graduate
programs in reading education. She also serves as associate chair for what is now
the Department of Teaching and Learning. Earlier in her career, she had served
as chair.
“Under UND President Kendall Baker, the Center for Teaching and Learning
was reorganized to become a College of Education and Human Development,”
Barrentine said. “That was a big change.”
She also saw the much-needed renovation and expandion of the Education
Building, another big change.
Barrentine has many memories of her time at UND. She said she’s particularly enjoyed working with students. And she remembers the challenges of
organizing the state reading association conference the year after the 1997 flood.
“Having all of these reading teachers from across the state come to our city
that was just barely recovering, that was a huge endeavor,” she said.
Based on her second book on reading assessment, she was involved in
sponsoring and organizing an institute on assessment for the International
Reading Association. She’s been involved in research on teacher education and
pre-service teacher development as well. She’s served as president of a national
professional organization and on a number of UND committees, including the
Graduate Committee, many Tenure and Promotion committees, and the department Governance Committee.
Barrentine’s hard work and dedication haven’t gone unrecognized. She’s
earned a number of service awards.
Even in retirement, Barrentine isn’t shirking her commitment to her students. Though she’s retiring May 15, 2016, she’ll be at UND this summer because
she has master’s and doctoral students finishing up their work then.
In her free time, Barrentine particularly enjoys artwork. She’s been a calligrapher for about 35 years. She also enjoys spending time with her husband, Carl.
He taught in the Integrated Studies program at UND until his retirement.
VICTORIA BEARD
Victoria Beard has traveled extensively in her lifetime. Originally from San
Francisco, Beard received her B.A. in history and economics from Stanford
University and her master of accountancy in 1984 and Ph.D. in 1993 from the
University of North Dakota.
Along with studying in Italy, Beard served two years with the Peace Corps in
Iran, lived four years in Egypt, and conducted international business research in
Jordan. In China, she directed the College of Business
and Public Administration’s undergraduate business
management program in partnership with the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
Beard has lived in Grand Forks since 1979. She has
taught accounting at UND since 1984 and served as
associate provost from 2003 to 2011. For 15 years, she
also led the annual CoBPA Study Tour to China and
taught Intro to Business in China and Business Fieldwork in China.
Beard has published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific
Business, International Journal of Accounting, Issues
in Accounting Education, and Accounting Organizations and Society in the
United Kingdom. In addition, she worked three years in public accounting with
Overmoe & Nelson, from 1984 to 1987.
Beard was involved in a number of professional organizations and held
various leadership roles in the American Accounting Association, the American
Institute of Iranian Studies, the Academy of Accounting Historians, and the
North Dakota Society of Certified Public Accountants.
Beard retired from UND Aug. 15, 2015. She and her husband, Michael
Beard, a professor of English at UND, have two daughters and two granddaughters.
MARK BRICKSON
Director of Development for the School of Law
You may not necessarily know Mark Brickson’s name, but you might know
his voice. Back when he was a teacher in East Grand Forks, he was the voice of
Green Wave hockey and Section 8 hockey. He’s also done some work for UND
hockey, football, and basketball. And if you’ve ever been to a UND commencement, you’ve heard him announce the names of graduates as they crossed the
stage.
A native of Fisher, Minn., Brickson went to Moorhead State, where he earned
a degree in English education and also met his wife, Kathy. The two have been
married 44 years.
After graduating from Moorhead State in May 1970, Brickson went into the
Army. In March 1971 he transferred to an Army Reserve Unit, where he served
for the next five years. He also taught English at East Grand Forks Senior High
School. For seven years, he worked as a teacher and coach. “I loved it,” he said.
But during those seven years, Brickson did everything he wanted to do. He
133RD ANNIVERSARY
served as chair of the department, contract negotiator,
and president of the Education Association. So, it was
time to move on.
For a short time, Brickson worked for his fatherin-law at a Grand Forks insurance agency. Then the
technical college in East Grand Forks made him an
offer. Brickson first served as the college’s director of
support services and then director of student financial
aid. He also completed his master’s degree in counseling
and guidance in higher education at North Dakota State
University in Fargo.
In 1991, UND came calling. Brickson was asked to
apply for an open position as director of student financial aid. He started the job
July 1, 1991.
But it wouldn’t be his only opportunity at UND. In January 1995, Brickson
was helping students when he saw the dean of the School of Law, Jerry Davis,
standing in line, too. Davis wanted to hire Brickson to assist students at the
law school. Brickson accepted the challenge — part time. On March 1, 1995,
Brickson became the half-time director of student financial aid and half-time
director of career services at the Law School. When he saw them pull a desk for
him from under some stairs, Brickson wondered for a moment what he’d done.
But those fears were soon allayed.
“Student financial aid is so scripted. These are the rules and the regs, and
that’s how we do it,” he said. “This was a chance to sit in the room and say, ‘What
can we create?’ Man, was that fun!”
Along with establishing the Career Services program at the Law School,
Brickson set up meetings with employers, and even traveled to the Twin Cities
and North Dakota communities to let them know UND had law students, too.
About seven years ago, another opportunity presented itself. This time,
Brickson was asked to work for the UND Foundation in development, raising
money with alumni. Brickson loved working with the law students, but he
became convinced he could do more for them by raising money for scholarships,
to help faculty, and to construct a new Law School building. On Oct. 1, 2008,
Brickson was named the first director of development for the School of Law.
Through the years, scholarships for the Law School have increased, as have
endowments, as Brickson has been able concentrate on fundraising. “I have traveled extensively, literally from coast to coast working with law school alumni,”
he said.
That travel slowed down when the Law School building project got going —
a project that was in the works for about 10 years before any ground was broken.
The need for the new facility was obvious.
“If we didn’t get additional classroom space, because we only had four classrooms, the law school could be losing accreditation because you aren’t providing
the quality of legal education needed for today’s legal profession,” Brickson
explained. “If accreditation is taken away, law students cannot take the bar exam.
If you can’t take the bar exam, the party is over. How would the state be served
if there’s no one entering the legal profession to provide necessary services to
clients from North Dakota and the region?”
Brickson was among those working with the North Dakota State Legislature,
governor, and State Board of Higher Education to make the project a reality.
When UND got the green light from all the necessary entities, Brickson, along
with School of Law Dean Kathryn Rand, had the task of securing another $2.5
million for the facility, which was quickly accomplished. The new building
opened last fall. Brickson retired Dec. 31, 2015.
“It’s pretty good professional closure,” he said. “It’s a good way to go out on
top because we’ve met that goal. The building stands.”
His wife, Kathy, is a retired speech pathologist who worked for the East
Grand Forks Public Schools. Their daughter, Molly, graduated from the University of Minnesota and lives in the Twin Cities with her husband, J.T. Williams,
and their son, Cash. Molly has her own international entertainment travel
business. J.T. is a director of security for music groups around the world. The
Brickson’s son, Ben, earned a business degree and played basketball at UND.
He was named captain of the team his senior year. He owns his own business,
TalentLink, an employment firm in the Twin Cities, where he lives with his
significant other, Kayla, a registered nurse at Fairview Southdale Hospital, and
their son, Beau.
Brickson isn’t sure what lies ahead for him in his retirement, but undoubtedly it will include travel, golf, and spending lots of quality time with his family.
PAGE 15
He and Kathy will be spending time at their cabin on Grace Lake near Bemidji,
Minn., and enjoying their grandsons.
STEVE CARLSON
During his career, Steve Carlson has been willing to share his time and
talents. It’s obvious in looking at his list of accomplishments and the things he
finds important that he’s a very giving person. That’s been true in his work and in
his personal life, especially as a Minnesota Vikings fan.
“Being involved with Tix for Tots and having the opportunity to provide
tickets to underprivileged children to attend Vikings games has been a very
rewarding experience,” he said.
Originally from Rochester, Minn., Carlson earned his Ph.D. at the University of Arkansas. Before coming to UND, he worked at
North Dakota State University, Iowa State University,
Mankato State University, and the Small Business
Development Center in Mankato, Minn. At UND,
Carlson has been a professor of accountancy. He taught
Accounting Information Systems as well as online and
correspondence versions of Principles of Accounting.
He also served as chair of the Department of Accountancy for six years.
Through the years, he earned a number of awards
and honors. He was named a Kulas Koppenhaver
Faculty Professor, was a two-term president of the Red
River Valley IMA, chaired the president’s ad hoc promotion committee, and
earned the Midwest Business Administration Association’s Irwin Distinguished
Paper Award. He also garnered the College of Business and Public Admininstration’s (CoBPA) Meritorious Teaching Award and the CoBPA Meritorious Service
Award and was named a UND Faculty Star and an Influential Faculty Member
by the UND Athletics Department. In addition, he chaired the CoBPA Promotion, Grants, and Scholarships Committee and served on the UND Outstanding
Faculty Awards Committee for seven years.
Carlson has seen a number of changes at UND since he first came here. “The
biggest change I have seen during my tenure at UND has been the implementation of computers. When I first arrived on campus back in 1994, most
accounting faculty were still using a typewriter to compose their quizzes and
exams. In fact, there were no separate budget lines to provide new faculty with a
personal computer. Lotus was still considered THE spreadsheet to use for those
few people who actually used a spreadsheet. Now, spreadsheets are widely used
for assignments throughout the CoBPA,” he said. “The use of cell and smart
phones has also produced a significant behavioral change for students. Back in
the ‘old days,’ accounting majors were considered more shy and reticent, but
with the advent of cell phones, accounting majors have become much more networked/connected and as a result are now more outgoing and socially oriented.”
Carlson has many fond memories of his UND years, among them are
starting the Accountancy Career Fair, having the opportunity to work with wonderful accounting alumni, and helping students find the right employer.
“Meeting alumni several years after graduation and being told about your
impact on their lives after college is a very humbling experience,” he said.
He also enjoyed being a judge for Beta Alpha Psi’s Project-Run-With-It case
competition for seven years and being a faculty advisor for CoBPA students
participating in the University of Arizona’s Eller Ethics Case Competition.
Carlson also had the opportunity to teach at the University of Shanghai for
Science and Technology for several years. “The opportunity to learn about an
entirely different culture has been an invaluable asset in my life,” he said. “I made
numerous friends while in China — friendships that will last a lifetime. Also,
being able to help numerous Chinese students matriculate to America has been
a very rewarding experience. The opportunity to attend college in America has
been a truly life-changing event for these students, an experience for which they
have expressed immense gratitude.”
Outside of work, Carlson served on the Board of Advisors for the American
Cultural Center at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology. He
also was involved with creating the test questions that allowed the CPA profession to move from a paper-based to a computer-based examination process.
“This experience was rewarding enough that I spent 10 years working with
PAGE 16
FOUNDERS DAY
the ACT to meet the demands of the accounting profession for test questions
covering newly implemented standards and regulations,” he explained.
Carlson also has been actively involved with the Lake Country Sportsmen’s
Club in improving the hunting and fishing environment in Ottertail County,
Minnesota.
After retiring Dec. 31, 2015, Carlson moved to the Minnesota lakes area
in Ottertail County. He plans to do a lot of fishing and relaxing. “I’m looking
forward to sitting in my UND rocking chair watching the sun set over the lake,”
he said.
LOLA CONLEY
Human Resources/Payroll Specialist, Dining Support Services
Working in human resources/payroll for Dining Services, Lola Conley has
seen a lot of changes during her time at the University of North Dakota. From a
growing number of employees to major remodeling projects, change has almost
been a constant in her department.
Originally from Watertown, S.D., Conley came to Grand Forks in July 1984
when she transferred here with her job. When she got laid off, Conley decided
to further her education. She earned an associate’s degree in accounting from
Northland Technical College.
After completing her degree, Conley was hired at UND in January 1998 in
HR/payroll for Dining Services. She retired from her position Dec. 15, 2015.
Among Conley’s responsibilities were hiring, terminations, probationary
increases, and turning in payroll for her department. At her retirement, her
department included about 500 employees — 112 full-time employees, about 60
part timers, and the remainder was students.
Along with increasing number of employees, Conley saw Dining Services’
offerings expand, too. They’re responsible for three convenience stores, including
the new one at Wilkerson, U-Snack at the Union, and the one in Walsh. Dining
also has Stomping Grounds at University Place and at Memorial Union; the food
cart at School of Medicine and Health Sciences; Squires, Terrace, and Wilkerson dining centers; the café at the airport; and Old Main Marketplace. Both
the Squires and Wilkerson dining halls have been through major remodeling
projects in recent years as well.
“Yeah, there has been a lot of changes through the years,” Conley said.
Conley also was one of the few who initially used Kronos, the time-keeping
system used for payroll.
“We were in Kronos, but when I started I had a server in my office because
we were one of the only departments on campus that had that system,” she said.
“Then, when Payroll decided to take it over, that all went up to the main office in
Twamley.”
Now that she’s retired, Conley hopes to do some more traveling.
“We love camping,” she said. “Last year was the first summer that we’d actually set it someplace, but we’re not really sure if we like that. We like to just pick
up and go, so we’ll see what happens. And then we’re talking about maybe next
winter going down south, somewhere warmer for a couple months.”
Conley’s husband, Gordon, is also retired. They have two sons, Scott and Lee.
Scott works for Dining Services at UND. His wife, Amy, a UND graduate, is a
teacher in Fisher, Minn. They have three children, Dana, Nora, and Kasey. Lee
works for LM Wind Power.
JOHN CZAPIEWSKI
Equipment Operator, Human Nutrition Research Center
John Czapiewski has experienced firsthand how people at the University
of North Dakota help one another. When he went to Desert Storm and Desert
Shield, the head doctor at the Human Nutrition Research Center and his wife
brought food to Czapiewski’s family. And other folks are just a call away when
help is needed, he said.
Originally from Minto, N.D., Czapiewski was drafted into the Army. He
served for two years and did a stint in Vietnam. After he returned home,
Czapiewski got married and went into the medical unit of the Army Reserve in
Grand Forks for 10 years. Then he joined the North Dakota National Guard in
bridge building and water purification. He went on to serve in Desert Storm and
Desert Shield and was overseas for a year.
Czapiewski worked at Pillsbury until the plant shut
down in 1989. He applied for work at UND and got two
interviews — one for the Bakery Department and one
for the nutrition lab. He chose the job at the nutrition
lab and started in August 1989. He made the right
choice.
“I liked the job,” he said. “I liked the people.”
He started as a custodian and moved to equipment operator, the position he held until his retirement
in May 2015. He did a little bit of everything, from
working in Receiving and Ordering and the stockroom
to shoveling snow and taking care of vehicles. He also
worked with the rats for a couple of years, cleaning their cages.
“I liked it all,” he said.
Czapiewski’s hard work and willingness to help with whatever needed doing
didn’t go unrecognized. He was even once named Employee of the Month.
Czapiewski saw a number of changes at the nutrition lab during his career.
They used to work with pigs and chickens but switched to just rats and mice.
And fewer people worked at the lab through the years, he said, though the workload didn’t slow. But Czapiewski said that was okay with him, because it gave
him opportunities to learn new things.
He also appreciated being able to work with other departments.
“Working for the University was really fun, because if you needed any help
from any department, you just went and asked,” he explained. “Like we worked
with EERC to pick up liquid nitrogen. I just gave the guys a call, and they came
over with the forklift and picked up our big tanks and brought them back.”
Czapiewski and his wife, Nancy, have been married nearly 44 years. Nancy
retired from Altru. They have three children. Darren and his wife, Claudia,
have two daughters, Lexie and Brooke. Dana and her husband, Troy, have two
children, Casey and Cassidy. Mike has one daughter, Maddison.
Czapiewski said he’s very busy in retirement. He said he has plenty of projects lined up.
MARY DREWES
Assistant Director of Libraries
Though she was assistant director of libraries at the University of North
Dakota, Mary Drewes didn’t just serve the campus. As an academic librarian
for several years, she did research and presentations at library conferences in
Arizona and Georgia, as well as North Dakota. She also served as adjunct faculty
in English at a college in Arizona.
Originally from Lisbon, N.D., Drewes earned a B.S. and M.S. from the University of Minnesota-Moorhead, an M.L.S. from the University of Arizona, and
a teaching and learning–higher education ABD from the University of North
Dakota.
Drewes spent her early years in the field of education as a public school
teacher and librarian, and then continued her career as an academic librarian
at Arizona Western College and Columbus (Georgia) State University before
coming to UND to work March 15, 1998. At UND, she served as a reference
librarian and then the head of Collection Development and Access Services
before becoming assistant director of libraries and head of Collection Development at the Chester Fritz Library. Among her responsibilities were serving as
bibliographer for the Departments of Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics, and
Physics, and providing research and instruction for a variety of departments on
the UND campus.
During her career, Drewes served on a number of committees and in official
positions for professional library organizations. They included the North Dakota
Library Association, American Library Association, North Dakota-Manitoba
Association of College and Research Libraries, Georgia State Library Association, and Arizona State Library Association. She served as senator-at-large in the
UND University Senate for several years and enjoyed working on a number of
committees in that arena.
Drewes retired May 1, 2015, and now enjoys spending more time with her
two children and their families as well as visiting extended family members and
friends across the country.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
TERESA EVANSON
Administrative Assistant, College of Nursing
and Professional Disciplines
As her Jan. 31, 2016, retirement day approached, Teresa Evanson was already
traveling to spend time with family in Arizona. Traveling more and spending
time with family is something she’s really looking forward to in retirement.
Evanson’s husband, Steve, retired from the Energy & Environmental
Research Center three years ago. They have three adult children and three
grandchildren.
Originally from Northwood, N.D., Evanson went to Aaker’s Business
College, where she earned an associate’s degree in medical office management.
Evanson started her career at UND in the Military Science Department
and then transferred to the Dean’s Office at the School of Medicine and Health
Sciences. After working there for 10 years, she transferred to Continuing Education and worked as a project planner. Evanson ended her career at UND as an
administrative assistant with the graduate programs at the College of Nursing
and Professional Disciplines.
KATHRYN FINNEMAN
Communication Specialist, UND Operations
Emergency Management
Kathy Finneman started working at the University of North Dakota October
21, 1991, in a custodial position. She worked nights for about two and a half
years.
In 1994, Kathy transferred to the Communications Center in Facilities. Now
it’s the UND Operations Emergency Management. She retired Dec. 31, 2015,
from the UND Operations Center; at that point, she was the lead: a position she
held for more than eight years. “My bosses were good enough to give me the
opportunity of being lead,” she said.
At the UND Operations Center, duties varied, anything from Housing calling
for maintenance or any emergencies on campus. They also contacted people in
the trades departments for any problems that arose.
Kathy has many memories of her time at UND. She remembers staff staying
overnight on campus when an ice storm hit. And she and other staff still did
their jobs during the flood. She said the big issue during the flood was convincing people, including parents, that they couldn’t come on campus during the
flood because it wasn’t safe.
Kathy’s hard work and dedication didn’t go unnoticed. She was nominated a
few times for the Golden Hammer Award.
Through the years, Kathy has seen a lot of changes in her department. When
she first started, she worked in a small area with two workstations. In 1997, they
did some remodeling and made their work area bigger.
“Which was really good, because during the flood, we had a lot of people in
there,” she recalled.
The UND Operations Center also updated computer systems and phones
over the years, which made staff ’s job easier. Security also necessitated change.
They had more security issues to deal with in handing out keys after 9/11.
In her free time, Kathy is an avid reader. Now that she’s retired, she hopes
to become more active in her church, Holy Family Catholic Church, as well as
volunteering at the Cancer Center.
Kathy also enjoys being with her family. Her daughter, Erica Anenson, and
her husband, Vinson, live in Las Vegas. They have three children, Hailee and
Evan in Las Vegas and Ayanna in Grand Forks. Ayanna also has a son, Liam.
Kathy’s late son, Christopher William, had two children, Alex Nelson, who lives
in Delaware, and Christopher Johnson, who lives in Grand Forks. Christopher
Johnson has one daughter, Layla.
JOHN FOSTER
Lecturer, School of Law
When John Foster became a professor at the University of North Dakota, he
found something he truly loved. “Teaching became an addiction for me,” he said.
“I loved bringing real-world experience from the banking and commercial law
PAGE 17
world into the classroom, and my surprisingly positive student evaluations demonstrated that the students found it terrific for their understanding of the law.”
Foster found a unique way to help students learn. He converted difficult legal
concepts to graphics and cartoons. “Pictures are truly worth a thousand words of
lecture,” he explained. “I am a questionably talented cartoon artist, but it really
worked well for teaching the law.”
He also wrote the texts from which he taught. “Writing all the textbooks for
my courses at UND Law was a joy, and I intend to continue textbook authorship
beyond my retirement,” Foster said. “My successors at UND Law like my books,
and the students appreciate the plain language and illustrations.”
Before retiring at the end of the spring semester in 2015, Foster made many
lifelong friends at the Law School, including faculty and students.
Born in Hillsboro, Ore., and raised in Wisconsin, Foster attended Marquette
University and the University of Wisconsin, earning a B.A. in 1972. He moved to
North Dakota in 1973 to attend UND Law. He graduated with a J.D. degree with
distinction in 1976. Through 2015, Foster was a practicing lawyer at Zimney
Foster, formerly known as Vaaler Law Firm. He served as a full-time lawyer,
stockholder, director, and president emeritus with Zimney Foster in Grand Forks
from 1976 through Dec. 31, 2015.
Foster joined the UND School of Law part time in 1981 as adjunct faculty.
He taught courses in UCC Article 9 Secured Transactions, Debtor Creditor Law,
Bankruptcy, Commercial Paper and Payment Systems, and Advanced Commercial Transactions. He taught an average of four credits every semester since 1981.
Foster also served as a part-time assistant states attorney in the Juvenile
Division from 1976 through 1980; a special assistant attorney general for the
State of North Dakota for the North Dakota State Mill and Elevator and Bank of
North Dakota in the 1980s through 2015; and as faculty for the Dakota School of
Banking, North Dakota Bankers Association, from 1984 to 2015.
Through the years, Foster has earned a number of awards and accolades. He
was listed in the Best Lawyers in America from 1987 through the present. He
was the US News & World Report Lawyer of the Year 2014 in Commercial Law
for the Geographic Practice Region. He was listed in Chambers USA America’s
Leading Business Lawyers from the 1990s through the present. He earned the
Nels Johnson North Dakota Supreme Court Award Excellence in UCC Secured
Transactions; the American Jurisprudence Award for Excellence in UCC Secured
Transactions; and the American Jurisprudence Award for Remedies, Equity and
Damages. He also earned a North Dakota State Bar Association Community
Service Award.
He also has been very active in the community. He served as director of
Community National Bank in Grand Forks. He was a trustee at the North
Dakota Museum of Art. He served as chairman for the ULC Foundation and for
the United Lutheran Church Council. In addition, he was director on the board
of the Greater Grand Forks Symphony.
Now that he’s retired, Foster lives in the resort city of Marinette on the Green
Bay in Wisconsin and winters in Houston, Texas. He plans to travel, as well as
write and make music.
“I put myself through college and law school as an organ player and pianist
in a rock–and-roll band,” he said. “I still make music in my home studio and CD
albums of comedy rock.”
Foster and his wife, Karen Jean (Sandberg) Foster, married in 1971. Prior
to her retirement in 2013, Karen had a two-decade career at Gate City Bank in
Grand Forks. Before then, she was an assistant buyer for Herberger’s Department
Stores.
The Fosters have one son, Matthew, who is a Ph.D. condensed matter physicist and professor at Rice University in Houston, Texas. Matthew’s wife, Nadia, is
a Ph.D. electrical engineer who owns her own company and designs molecular
spectrometers for the U.S. Defense Department and the healthcare industry.
They have one child, Jasper, who Foster calls “a 2-year-old joy!”
NAOMI FRANTES
Head of Access and Branch Services, Chester Fritz Library
Naomi Frantes can trace her roots to the University of North Dakota back
to her days as a student. A double major, Frantes also worked on campus as a
student. And just before her recent retirement, she served on a number of committees tasked with helping to plan changes at the Chester Fritz Library as a large
renovation project loomed closer.
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FOUNDERS DAY
Frantes grew up in Battle Lake, Minn. She went on to UND and earned
degrees in history and German. She worked at the Chester Fritz Library as a
student and then got a full-time job there after she graduated. She stayed at the
library about six months.
After taking time off to raise a family, Frantes went to work for the North
Dakota State Library in Bismarck, where she stayed for 17 years. She eventually
moved on to the State Historical Society of North Dakota’s State Archives, where
she was employed for four years.
In 2004, she earned a master’s degree in library science from Southern Connecticut State University.
Frantes came back to UND in 2011. She served as head of Access and Branch
Services at the Chester Fritz Library. In her position, Frantes headed up Circulation and Interlibrary Loan. She also oversaw the three branch libraries: Music,
Geology, and the one at the Energy & Environmental Research Center.
In her free time, Frantes enjoys scrapbooking, reading, cross stitching, and
playing the French horn. She also loves to travel to see her children. Frantes and
her husband, Mike, who works for Amazon, have two children. Their daughter,
Katharine, is working on her second master’s degree in speech pathology at the
University of Texas in Austin. Their son, Miker, is an engineer in Fairbanks,
Alaska. Both of their children earned their undergraduate degrees at the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
JAN GOODWIN
Associate Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics
When Jan Goodwin came to the University of North Dakota more than 30
years ago, it was like the position was designed for her. Not only did she get to
teach, she also got to supervise students in a clinical setting — both of which are
her areas of expertise.
Originally from Indiana, Goodwin went to college at Purdue, where she
earned a bachelor’s degree in nutrition and dietetics. She completed a dietetic
internship and became a registered dietician. She would eventually go on to earn
a master’s degree in dietetics from the University of Kansas and a Ph.D. in nutrition from Iowa State.
Before going to graduate school, Goodwin worked as a clinical dietitian for
several years in Illinois. After graduate school, she taught for two years at Utah
State University.
Goodwin came to UND in 1985 as an assistant professor in the Home
Economics and Nutrition Department. The position was a good fit. She was able
to teach classes matching her background, and she got to supervise students in a
clinical setting at the Rehab Hospital.
During her career, Goodwin has experienced a number of changes. At one
point, her department’s college was closed. Each department within that college
needed to find a new home. Goodwin said her department became the Nutrition
and Dietetics Department and found a home in the College of Nursing. When
Social Work joined the unit, it was renamed the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines.
Through the years, Goodwin’s job changed. Her main responsibility continues to be teaching, but she has done some research as well. She looked at
new ways to provide counseling to clients in the WIC program. She also helped
compile a small cookbook of traditional Native American recipes and their
nutrient content for the National Resource Center on Native American Aging.
Goodwin has been teaching online courses for quite a while, too. Though
she’s retiring in May 2016, she said she likely will continue to do some online
teaching.
She also has been involved in a number of professional associations and
numerous committees as well. She chaired the General Education Committee,
the University Curriculum Committee, and the University Senate.
Some things don’t change, she pointed out. She still enjoys watching students
walk across the stage and get their diplomas at graduation. For some, reaching
that milestone is a real challenge, and she’s happy she got to help some of them
reach their goals.
“You’re maybe a little part of the piece of why they don’t give up,” she said.
Once she retires, Goodwin has plans to do more volunteering. She currently
serves on the Advisory Board for Altru’s Meals on Wheels program and hopes to
become more involved with the program, as well as other volunteer programs.
She also wants to work on her yard and house, and travel more.
JEAN HAGER
Administrative Officer, Human Nutrition Research Center
Jean Hager retired March 6, 2014, but she has kept busy.
“I’m just enjoying retirement,” she said. “I miss my co-workers and good
friends, of course. I liked working. I enjoyed working with people.”
A native of Rugby, N.D., Hager took her first position at the University of
North Dakota in 1979 as a clerk typist in the Accounting and Business Law
Department. In 1988 she joined the staff at the Human Nutrition Research
Center (HNRC) in the State Administrative Office, where she was tasked with
payroll and personnel responsibilities. She also was the chaperone supervisor for
the live-in study program. In addition, she was a technician in the physiology
area, performing various testing with volunteers.
Hager appreciated the opportunity to learn new things and the ability to put
her family first.
“I truly enjoyed working at UND,” Hager said. “In the first part of my career,
I worked half days and had summers off, which was great for raising kids.
“But I enjoyed discovering new things and learning new skills.”
The growth of the University and advances in technology were also interesting to experience, Hager said. “I remember when people were concerned that computers would take over
our jobs,” she said. “I think they actually made more work for us.”
Hager and her husband, Delwyn, who also worked on campus, are avid UND
sports fans. They particularly enjoy football and basketball. They have two children. Their daughter, Sarah, graduated from the UND School of Medicine and
Health Sciences. She now lives in Florida. The Hagers’ son, Jon, attended UND
and now lives in Arizona. The Hagers also have three grandchildren.
VICKI HEILER
Records Analyst, Flight Records, John D. Odegard School of
Aerospace Sciences
For Vicki Heiler, the folks at UND Aerospace are more like family than
coworkers.
“July 25, 2003, I lost my husband in a semi accident, and without my UND
Aerospace family, I would not have survived that tragedy,” she said. “I have my
many friends at UND to thank, but especially my boss in the Flight Records
Department. She sustained a faith in me that few others could have stood up to.”
Heiler retired as a records analyst in the JDOSAS Aviation Flight Records
Department at the University of North Dakota Aug. 31, 2015, a position she had
held since June 15, 1992.
“In my years at UND Aerospace, I have seen many fine young men and
women go from sprouting their first wings to being eagles of the air,” she said.
“I am like a proud mother hen when I am on a flight, and I can say I know the
pilot.”
Heiler was born in Cando, N.D., but was raised on a farm at Alsen, N.D.,
where she lived until she got married in 1980. Heiler graduated from Alsen
Public High School and went on to graduate in 1978 from what was then known
as Lake Region Junior College in Devils Lake, N.D. She earned an Associate of
Arts degree.
Heiler continued her education at Browne Institute in Minneapolis, where
she graduated in 1979 with a degree in radio broadcasting. In May 1988, she
graduated from UND with a degree in information management.
From May 1978 until November 1985 when she went back to school at UND,
Heiler worked at various small-town radio stations in North Dakota, Minnesota,
and Wisconsin. She also worked at Sears from April 1983 until June 14, 1992.
“It was easier to work part time at Sears than at a radio station when I went
back to school,” she explained.
Now that she is retired from UND, Heiler is working for Noridian Enterprises in Fargo, a job she started Sept. 2, 2015. She is a telephone service representative in the provider enrollment contact center. She lives in Dilworth, Minn.,
and is enjoying spending more time with family. Her husband, Michael, works at
Simplex Grinnel Tyco in Fargo as a fire alarm inspector.
“He is an NDSU graduate, which leads to a little fun ribbing back and forth,”
Heiler said.
Her stepson, John Anderson, lives and works in Alice, N.D., with his wife
133RD ANNIVERSARY
and five children. Heiler’s son Aaron Johnson attended UND for a year. He owns
Level 5 Drywall and lives and works in Grand Forks with his wife and daughter.
Heiler’s son Christopher Johnson attended UND for two years. He lives in Grand
Forks with her grandson. Heiler’s son Travis Anderson graduated from West
Point Military Academy and is currently doing a tour in Afghanistan. Heiler’s
daughter, Ashley Anderson, lives and works in Greenville, S.C.
LARS HELGESON
Lars Helgeson traces his roots in the Midwest back a long way. His family
came from Norway and homesteaded in Minnesota in 1860.
As a child, Helgeson moved around quite a bit with his family. He graduated
from high school in Nevada before he joined the Navy and spent four years on
active duty. He spent another nine years in the service as part of the Marine and
Navy Reserves.
Helgeson went on to San Diego State and earned a degree in chemistry. He
worked as a chemist in Los Angeles but eventually decided to take a job as a
teacher in California schools. He earned his teacher’s license and then went on
to earn a master’s degree in school administration from
California Lutheran College in Thousand Oaks.
Helgeson served as a science supervisor for two
counties in California. He worked on state assessments
and started the Science Olympiad in California. He also
completed a master’s degree in zoology at UCLA as well
as his Ph.D. in curriculum at UCLA.
“I was an active student for 28 consecutive years,”
he said.
Once he earned his Ph.D., his wife suggested he look
for college positions. He applied for one at Mayville
State, but when he arrived for his interview, the temperature was -13. Thinking his wife wouldn’t like the change in climate, Helgeson
decided to pass on the job. But the college president was persistent. He flew
Helgeson’s wife to campus, and when she returned home, she urged her husband
to take the job. He did, and they bought a farmstead north of Mayville, which
they owned until he decided to retire in 2015.
Helgeson taught science education and physics at Mayville State for four
years. He also served as the safety supervisor at the college and helped clean up
dangerous chemicals and waste chemicals at schools throughout North Dakota.
Then Helgeson saw an ad for a science education instructor at the University
of North Dakota. He decided to apply and started in the mid-1990s at UND as
an associate professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning. He taught
both undergraduate and graduate classes. For the last seven years, he was a full
professor.
“My teaching has spanned 50 years,” he said. “It started when I was in the
Navy.”
Through the years, Helgeson earned a variety of awards for teaching. He also
received recognition from many national science societies for teaching. At UND,
he developed courses as well, one of which was a course on laboratory safety.
Helgeson wrote a number of grants, too. He worked extensively with the
tribal schools on the Spirit Lake Reservation at Fort Totten teaching and working
on a grant for diabetes education for tribal students in grades kindergarten
through 12. “That’s in operation in tribal schools across the nation,” Helgeson
said.
Helgeson retired to New Mexico Dec. 31, 2015, and he’s seen the tribal
schools are using that diabetes K-12 curriculum.
Helgeson worked with the UND Physics, Chemistry, Biology, Geology, and
Engineering Departments on campus along with his own. He taught a photography class at UND for a while. He also worked with the College of Engineering
to develop courses on middle school engineering classes. Dr. Nuri Onsel and
his student Philip Ragan of the UND Physics Department collaborated with
Helgeson to present a series on quantum physics at Four Winds High School in
Fort Totten last year.
He was involved in the greater community as well. He co-chaired a committee for Grand Forks Parks to develop a gardening program. He also worked
with Cabela’s to create a fishing program for fifth-grade children.
In retirement, Helgeson is very interested in learning more about Waldorf
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Schools. The schools have been around for about 100 years and offer rigorous
K-12 programs centered around spiritually based education. He is looking
forward to lots of trout fishing in New Mexico waters as well.
Helgeson also enjoys spending time with his family. His wife, Leslie, earned a
master’s degree in speech and communication at UND. The couple taught for six
months at the American College of Norway in 2012. He taught environmental
science and brain studies, and she taught speech and communication.
Helgeson’s daughter Mildred got a teaching degree at UND and is in commercial real estate law. She and her husband, Aaron Brudvig, live in Cleveland.
Aaron completed an art degree at UND and met Mildred when they worked
together at the North Dakota Museum of Fine Art. Aaron does computerized
art design for American Greetings Cards. Helgeson’s daughter Astrid attended
Mayville State. She is a supervisor at Hutchinson Cancer Institute in Seattle.
Helgeson’s son, Lars, went to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he earned
a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and a master’s degree in biomechanical engineering. He runs his own company in San Diego.
DARREL IVERSON
Talking with Darrel Iverson, it’s clear he really liked his job in the Electrical
Department at the University of North Dakota. He retired January 29, 2016, after
nearly 46 years of service.
Originally from the Park River-Lankin, N.D., area, Iverson moved to Grand
Forks with his family when he was 6 years old. After graduating from Central
High School, he went to the North Dakota State School of Science in Wahpeton,
where he earned a degree in electrical technology. Then he attended Aaker’s
Business College for a year, studying junior accountancy.
On June 8, 1970, Iverson came to work at UND in the Electrical Department,
where he worked for the rest of his career. His position did change during the
years, though. In 1981, they developed a Preventive Maintenance crew, and he
became a part of that. In 1996, they phased out the PM
crew, but they still continued to do the work. Iverson
basically did preventive maintenance from 1981 until
his retirement.
“The job was to look for problems before they
became bigger problems,” he explained. “It became a
mission, to keep the lights on. It hasn’t been boring.”
Iverson helped UND save money by preventing
bigger problems. One good catch could be worth his
salary for the whole year. Iverson worked all across
campus in Grand Forks and in Fargo. He also worked
closely with the Western Area Power Administration.
WAPA loaned UND equipment and offered technical advice and seminars,
Iverson said. Additional training was an ongoing part of his job. Along with new
buildings came new technology and new rules and regulations. Iverson had to
stay on top of all the changes. But he liked what he did.
He also appreciated working at UND because he knew he’d be home at night
and have a life, unlike other jobs in the field that require a lot of travel and time
away from home. But that didn’t mean things didn’t come up. Iverson would
sometimes get calls in the middle of the night when there were emergencies,
such as fire alarms, he said.
Iverson was always willing to help out when needed. Through the years, he
served on some employee committees, though he didn’t have a lot of time to be
involved with those. For the last couple months of his career, he helped train in
the new person filling his position.
Iverson said he hopes he left UND a better place. He truly cared about what
he did — keeping the lights on and keeping people safe. He said he appreciated
being able to be a part of that.
Perhaps no time was that more evident than during the winter of 1996-97
and the flood that spring. Iverson said any issues he faced on campus paled in
comparison to those events. Because he lived in Grand Forks and his own home
flooded, Iverson was living with family in Michigan, N.D., but he let folks at
UND know where he was going. He ended up coming right back again to help
during the flood.
“It was a living hell,” Iverson remembered.
He put in a lot of overtime, helping however he could. They were able to get
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campus ready for students in the fall, but they were working on issues for a long
time after that to get things back to the way they were before the flood.
“We were fixing for a long time,” Iverson said.
Now that he’s retired, Iverson will be able to spend more time working on
his own home. He also hopes to become more involved in his church, University
Lutheran. Iverson also loves animals. He wants to be more active in the Circle
of Friends Humane Society, the ASPCA, and the Humane Society of the United
States.
SHERRY KAPELLA
Administrative Assistant, Student Success Center
Though Sherry Kapella retired July 6, 2015, don’t be surprised if you still see
her around campus once in a while. She has always enjoyed working and has let
it be known that she’s willing to fill in when help is needed. But she is enjoying
the idea that she doesn’t have to get out into the cold every day during the winter
and that she can follow her own schedule, attending her grandchildren’s activities
without worrying about being back in Grand Forks for her job.
Originally from Hibbing, Minn., Kapella attended Hibbing Community
College. She took a job at Hibbing’s branch of Northwestern Bell, which eventually became U.S. West. She married in 1975 and moved to the Grand Forks area
when her husband got a teaching job in Stephen, Minn.
Kapella again worked for U.S. West, this time in Grand
Forks. She worked for the company for about a decade
— half in Hibbing and half in Grand Forks — before the
company closed its Grand Forks office.
Kapella took a part-time job at the Center of
Innovation, where she was employed for about two
years. Then, on Jan. 6, 1992, she started full time with
the Police Department at UND. “My kids were in school
then, and it seemed like a good opportunity,” she said.
Kapella was a member of the office staff and mostly
dealt with parking tickets. Then she transferred from
the main auxiliary building to the office in the Memorial Union, which she ran
by herself. She was promoted to office manager, so she left the counter and was
responsible for all the office’s paperwork.
Kapella said she always liked working in Parking. The job was never dull.
And though students weren’t happy to get tickets, she could always work with
them, she said.
“I was on a first-name basis with some of our frequent violators,” she said
with a chuckle. Some students would get hundreds of ticket a year, Kapella said.
She recalled that one student’s car was towed just about every other month
because he parked anywhere he wanted. “But he was a great kid, and money
was no object for him,” she said. Some students even stopped by Parking to say
goodbye when they graduated, she said.
Kapella’s goal was always exceptional customer service. “Our customer base
was usually angry but walked away happy,” she said. “And to me, I felt, I’d done
my job then.”
While angry customers can be a concern for many businesses, Kapella said
she was never really worried about it. But one April 1, she was working in her
back office and heard a scream come from the counter staff. Kapella looked out
of her office and saw the staff members popping up on their chairs while they
were screaming. She quickly discovered the cause when a mouse went running
by her office — an April Fools Day prank likely perpetrated by students.
“We still laugh about that,” Kapella said. “I made a lot of friends there. I
really enjoyed working in Parking because the students are awesome here. It was
an interesting job. I always say I could write a book based on my experiences
there.”
Though she enjoyed working in Parking, Kapella decided in September 2010
that it was time for a change. She took a job as an administrative assistant at the
Student Success Center. She did a variety of office work and helped with phones,
but her main duty was working on the budgets.
In her free time, Kapella enjoys spending time with family, camping, sewing,
and going to movies. She’s also a member of St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
Kapella’s husband, Terry, retired from teaching in June 2011 after a 35-year
career. They have two sons, Luke and Michael, both of whom are UND graduates. Luke is an agent with the Bureau of Criminal Investigation in Bismarck.
Michael also serves in law enforcement in Bismarck and is a member of the
SWAT team. The Kapellas also have four grandchildren.
LYNDA KENNEY
Assistant Professor of Technology
Lynda Kenney truly is a teacher at heart. “I am proud to have been an educator who worked enthusiastically and consistently to engage students in their
learning. I was committed to a view of teaching that centered on the learner.
Because I believe that learning is active construction of meaning from personal
experience, I required that students discuss issues and ideas, engage with others
whose meanings may have differed, and that they truly reflect on their learning.
That collaboration between teacher and student was influential in the learning
process and development,” she explained.
Kenney treated students as individuals and worked hard to create a learning
experience that challenged each of them.
“It was my conviction that teachers should prompt students to assume
initiative and independence in their learning while developing personal and
professional commitments and competence,” she said.
“One way that I helped meet this expectation was to
provide for personalized learning, and another way
was to safeguard challenging academic programs. With
personalized learning provided in challenging academic
programs, I was able to encourage students to think
critically, make informed choices, to communicate
effectively, to be intellectually curious and creative, to
commit themselves to lifelong learning and the service
of others, and to share responsibility both for their own
communities and for the diverse world.”
Kenney grew up in Minnesota and North Dakota.
She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in journalism with minors in history
and technology, a master’s degree in communication with minors in history and
technology, and an Ed.D. in teaching and learning: higher education. All of her
degrees were from UND.
She started her career at UND as an instructor at the School of Communication in August 1992. Four years later, she also took on the role of director of
alumni relations at the School of Communication. In September 1997, she added
the titles director of technology and director of the Native Media Center at the
School of Communication to her list of responsibilities. She held all four positions until May 2002.
From August 2002 through 2014, Kenney was an assistant professor in the
Department of Technology in the College of Business and Public Administration. She created and served as coordinator of the Graphic Design Technology
program.
From August 2014 until her retirement in December 2015, Kenney was an
instructor of online courses in the Communication Program. In that position,
she developed and taught online courses in Communication and developed the
departmental assessment plan.
Through the years, Kenney earned numerous awards and served on a variety
of committees. She chaired the Board of Directors, Association of Technology,
Management and Applied Engineering from November 2010 through 2013. She
is a certified senior technology manager with the Association of Technology,
Management and Applied Engineering, a title she has held since January 2005.
She founded and advised the Graphics and Photography Society student organization and advised Habitat for Humanity and UND Indian Association student
groups. She served on various departmental, college, and university committees
including FIDC, CILT, Senate, Summer Sessions, Campus Diversity, Curriculum,
Promotion, Assessment, Accreditation, and Events. She secured nearly $750,000
in grants to improve computer and photography labs, the Native Media Center,
and student learning.
Kenney also published and presented scholarly research on various topics
including teaching and learning, graphic design, branding, photography, women
in STEM, minority communities, online learning, and preparing students for the
21st century workforce. In addition, she served as a journal editor, manuscript
reviewer, and president of various divisions in national organizations.
During her career, Kenney was nominated for numerous awards and won
many of them. She was named Outstanding Leader as the Association of
133RD ANNIVERSARY
Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering Board of Directors chair
in November 2013. She garnered the Outstanding Service to Students Award
from the Center for Community Engagement in April 2012. In November 2009,
she was named Outstanding Leader twice — first as the Women in Technology
president and second as the Graphics president, both in the Association of Technology, Management, and Applied Engineering. In March 2006, Kenney was
named a Presidential Scholar Faculty Star. Just months earlier, she was honored
with the Outstanding Technology Professor Award from the National Association of Industrial Technology.
In retirement, Kenney said her new “work” adventures include researching/
writing grants for local organic farmers, working as an assessment consultant
for a few educational institutions, and serving as an accreditation consultant
for a national academic association. Her new “play” adventures include more
travel, more service to her community, and more time with family. She has three
daughters and six grandchildren.
CORRINE KJELSTROM
Insurance Specialist/Office Manager, Safety Office
Did you know you can’t insure something once it leaves Earth? Finding that
out was part of Corrinne Kjelstrom’s job at the University of North Dakota. “It
was something new all the time,” she said with a smile.
She came to UND 21 years ago, and started working for the Energy & Environmental Research Center. She eventually went to Facilities and worked in the
area of construction management. Her final stop at UND was the Safety Office,
where she started working in July 1998. In 2001, the office took on insurance as
well: property, contents, and liability insurance. When Kjelstrom retired June 30,
2015, she was an insurance specialist/office manager.
“The University of North Dakota is the largest
policyholder in the state of North Dakota,” Kjelstrom
explained. “It was always a very busy day, with calls
from different departments wondering, ‘How do I
insure this?’”
One of those calls involved UND’s crop cam (International Space Station Agricultural Camera), which
was in orbit for two years aboard the station. “You can’t
insure anything once it leaves Earth,” she discovered.
The ag camera was just one of the many unique
situations Kjelstrom encountered during her time at
UND. “It was always good conversations with insurance agents,” she said with
a chuckle. Kjelstrom said she was often coming up with things insurance agents
had never heard before.
North Dakota is a self-insured state, and most of what the University owns
is insured through the state. Liability is also covered by the state for when
operations were state business. Because of the North Dakota Century Code, the
University is bound by these codes, which sometimes made things difficult, Kjelstrom said. She also had to determine what could be insured through the state
and what had to be insured in other ways and put out for bids.
It also was a challenge to get all of the correct information out to employees.
Often, the bulk of her days was spent answering the phone and fielding questions. She always made sure that if she didn’t know an answer, she researched the
question to get the right information to the employee.
“I loved my job because it was so different every day,” she said. “I talked to so
many people and got to know the people on campus.”
Her former supervisor, Jason Uhlir, director/risk manager for the University,
provided great guidance and challenges that kept pushing her to do her job to
the best of her ability. He was also supportive and encouraging to Kjelstrom
through her career at UND.
“Another person who has helped me most in my career has been my
husband,” Kjelstrom said. No matter what changes occurred in her job, K.J. supported Kjelstrom and assured her she was capable of doing the job. He also was
the one who instilled in her the need to document everything and to make sure
to know the correct answers to questions before addressing them.
One situation Kjelstrom faced involved insuring ROTC cadets who had
gone out-of-state for a drill or competition. When they were told they couldn’t
be insured because the activities weren’t considered state business, Kjelstrom
worked with the out-of-state entity. Those efforts won her the U-Shine Award.
PAGE 21
During her career, Kjelstrom served as secretary for a number of committees/subcommittees, including Loss Control, Policy, Training, Emergency
Management, and Radiation Safety. She also served as a member of the Policy
Advisory Committee and, in the past, was a member of the Staff Senate.
In her free time, Kjelstrom is active in her church. She also loves camping,
gardening, reading, and spending time with family. Her husband retired two
years before she did. K.J. attended UND, as did two of their children, and he
was captain of the Grand Forks Police Department. The Kjelstroms have three
children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. A fifth grandchild is
expected in March.
VALERIE KROGSTAD
Administrative Secretary, Public Health Program, College of
Nursing and Professional Disciplines
Valerie Krogstad has a long history with the University of North Dakota and
a special attachment to Squires Hall.
“My earliest memories of UND were when my older brothers and sisters
attended there,” she said. “It was so exciting to go to campus and visit. When
I graduated from high school, I lived in Squires Hall.
Then 30 years later when I was helping my daughter
move into Squires Hall, it was quite a surprise to find
that she was assigned to live in the very same room that
I had lived in my freshman year. Quite a coincidence!”
Krogstad was born in Grand Forks, but her hometown is Thompson, N.D. She graduated from Thompson
Public High School in 1969 and earned an associate
degree from UND in 1971.
Krogstad was employed as an office assistant at the
Federal Land Bank and also worked part time at Reynolds Lumber and Supply for a couple years. She came
to work at UND in February 1991 as one of the verification clerks in the Student
Financial Aid Office. She also was the Pell Grant clerk for a short time.
“Then in July of 1993, I took a position in the College of Nursing as the
department secretary for Family and Community Nursing,” she said. “From the
year 2000 to 2008, my job was the Admissions and Records associate for the
undergraduate nursing programs. Other positions I held in Nursing included
working with grants that funded the implementation of Master of Science tracks
for Family Nurse Practitioner, Adult/Gerontology Nurse Practitioner/CNS, and
the Advanced Public Health Nurse Track, from which I retired.”
She retired July 1, 2015. She had been working as an administrative secretary
on an HRSA grant that was awarded to Dr. Tracy Evanson in the Nursing
Department to start the Advanced Public Health Nurse Master of Science track.
“UND was a great place to work, and the CNPD (College of Nursing and
Professional Disciplines) has an important role in the education of nurses for our
state, our region, and beyond,” she said.
During her career, Krogstad served the larger UND community as well.
“I served on Staff Senate when it was still a fairly new part of UND,” she
said. “In 1997, I was honored to receive one of the Meritorious Service Awards
at the annual UND Employee Recognition Ceremony. I was also the Work Well
Ambassador from the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines for a
couple of years.”
Through the years, Krogstad has seen a number of changes at UND as well.
“When I started as a secretary, computers were really just getting implemented,
and I still used a typewriter for quite a few things,” she recalled. “Most faculty
didn’t have their own computers, so staff helped them a lot with syllabi, schedules, and various documents. Now faculty do most of that work themselves.
Email wasn’t available either, so communication was much different. The changes
in technology are huge.”
Now that she’s retired, Krogstad doesn’t have any trouble finding ways
to keep busy. “I have always been involved in my church in Reynolds (N.D.)
and will continue with that,” she said. “Our sons have become the managers
of the farming operation, but I still find myself helping out in little ways quite
frequently. I like to bake and cook, so my farmers get to benefit from that activity
frequently.”
Krogstad’s husband, Kent, is a farmer. They have three grown children and
six grandchildren. The Krogstad family’s connections to UND run deep.
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“Our daughter graduated from the College of Business in 2003. She has gone
on to have a successful career in the Minneapolis area,” she said. “Also, I come
from a family of nine children. All of my brothers and sisters and many of their
children and now grandchildren have attended UND, worked at UND, and/or
met their spouses at UND. My father even attended UND for a short time but
then decided to become a farmer. So the Gregoire family has a long history at
UND. We sometimes gather at a UND hockey game to take a picture, one of
which was published in the alumni magazine a couple years ago.”
KIM LAWRENCE
Administrative Assistant, Student Wellness Center
When Kim Lawrence first came to work at the University of North Dakota,
she didn’t think she’d spend the next 30 years there. But since that time, many
coworkers have become not only friends, but family, and she wouldn’t have it any
other way.
“I’ve met some wonderful people over that 30 years,” she said. “It was like
being part of a family.”
Kim was born in Tacoma, Wash. She came to Grand Forks with her family
when her father was stationed at the Grand Forks Air Base. Kim graduated from
Red River High School in Grand Forks in 1975 and went on to Aaker’s Business
College, where she earned an associate’s degree in bookkeeping.
In 1985, Kim started her career at UND as a secretary in the Intramural
Department. Over time, she moved on to Athletics and then the Wellness
Center. She retired Feb. 5, 2016, as an administrative assistant at the Wellness
Center. Her duties involved payroll and whatever else needed to be done.
Kim was known for helping others. She won a U-Shine Award for going the
extra mile to help a student.
Now that she’s retired, Kim is looking forward to more traveling and
spending time with family. Her husband, Victor, also is retired. They have six
children and six grandsons; their first granddaughter is due in March.
PAULETTE LINDQUIST
Payroll Specialist, Human Resources and Payroll
Working in Payroll at the University of North Dakota, Paulette Lindquist
learned things she never thought she’d be able to master. From appreciating
direct deposit to learning new computer programs,
Lindquist was able to grow throughout her career.
Lindquist grew up in rural East Grand Forks and
went to Sacred Heart. After graduating from high
school, she went to Aaker’s Business College, where she
earned an accounting degree.
Lindquist began working at UND in 1969, right
after college. She got a call because UND’s Steno
Bureau needed help. The bureau’s collating machine
had broken, and they needed someone to staple papers.
Though it wasn’t what she had trained for, she was told
it could be a good career move, so she took the job. She
ended up working in the Steno Bureau for about four
years.
Then she left UND, but she came back again in 1977 when she secured a
job with Payroll. She stayed in Payroll for 37 years, until her retirement Aug. 31,
2015.
During her career, Lindquist has seen a number of changes in her department. “The job changed dramatically in how we do the payroll,” she said. “When
I first started, there were only two computers in the whole office.”
She also worked under three different supervisors through the years. And
she was at UND when Payroll went from the Legacy System to PeopleSoft, the
new payroll system.
“That was a really stressful time because we were learning so many new
things,” she recalled. “We also took over Kronos, a time-keeping system.”
Lindquist took care of all the hourly employees. “Besides the Kronos, we
probably had 500 manual time slips that would come in that we would check by
hand,” she explained.
Lindquist’s duties also included doing the direct deposit, helping with the
front counter, and whatever else needed to be done. She also remembers when
direct deposit was made mandatory.
“But that went better than I thought it would,” she said.
Direct deposit came in really handy during the 1997 flood. Lindquist evacuated to Fargo during the flood, but she did help run a payroll. They basically used
the previous payroll for the hourly employees, she explained. Lindquist went to
North Dakota State University in Fargo to do some of the work. Others came
back to UND and were able to get the checks printed, she said. And the fact that
most people were on direct deposit really helped to get displaced people paid.
It’s clear Lindquist really liked working at UND. She said she always got
along with everyone, even when she called departments to ask payroll questions.
They knew she was helping them get their employees paid.
“And I always felt like if I worked with them with respect, they would give
me that respect back, and I think we had a really good working relationship that
way,” she said.
Her relationship with the women she worked with in her office was more
like family. Lindquist said they helped one another out when things happened
in their personal lives, and they all got along well. “It was such a great place to
work,” she said.
Lindquist’s good work was appreciated at UND. She earned both the Meritorious Service Award and the U-Shine Award.
In her free time, Lindquist enjoys window-shopping. In retirement, she’s
trying to organize her house and is spending more time reading. She also loves
spending time with family.
Lindquist’s husband, Michael, also worked for UND. He retired from the
Paint Shop. The Lindquists have two sons, Tyler and Christopher, both of whom
are deputies for Williams County in Williston, N.D. Christopher got a degree
in criminal justice at UND and took a police officer training course through
Lake Region. Tyler went to Lake Region State College and took the police officer
training course.
JOHN MARTSOLF
Professor of Pediatrics
When John Martsolf came to the University of North Dakota, he knew he’d
found the right place for him and his family. “It’s a nice place to live,” he said.
“Most geneticists are in big cities. I don’t like big cities.”
Martsolf earned bachelor’s degrees in biology and German from Earlham
College in Richmond, Indiana, and an M.D. from Jefferson Medical College,
now known as Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University,
in Philadelphia. From July 1, 1970, to June 30, 1971, Martsolf had an internship
in straight pediatrics at Harrisburg Polyclinic Hospital in Harrisburg, Pa. He
completed one year of residency in pediatrics, from July
1, 1971, to June 30, 1972, at City of Memphis Hospitals
in Memphis, Tenn., before being enlisted by the doctor
draft into the U.S. Army.
Then Martsolf served in the Army for two years.
From October 1972 until August 1974, he was the only
pediatrician at the U.S. Army Health Clinic in Mainz,
Germany.
The following year, Martsolf found an opportunity
to follow his passion for clinical genetics in Canada.
He served as a Fellow in Clinical Genetics from Jan. 1,
1975, to Jan. 28, 1977, at the University of Manitoba,
Health Science Centre, in Winnipeg. The following year, he served as a Fellow of
Clinical Cytogenetics for about six months at the same location.
Martsolf really found his niche, though, when he came to the University of
North Dakota July 1, 1978. “It was just a fortuitous thing,” he said. “I was the first
clinical geneticist in the state.”
Until his retirement at the end of June 2016, he has worked at the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences, providing statewide clinical genetics services in
North Dakota. He has served as director of the Division of Medical Genetics as
well as a professor of pediatrics.
Through the years, Martsolf also was a consulting physician at many hospitals, clinics, and health service organizations. He was a member of numerous
societies as well. Among the many chairmanships and elected offices he’s held
through the years include those with the Library Advisory Committee at the
133RD ANNIVERSARY
UND School of Medicine; the Institutional Review Board at UND; the Education Committee with the Great Plains Clinical Genetics Society; and the UND
Medical School’s Pediatric Research Committee and Educational Policy and
Curriculum Committee. He served as vice president and president of the Great
Plains Clinical Genetics Society.
Additionally, Martsolf was on several master’s and Ph.D. advisory committees. He also taught a number of classes, including Pathophysiology–Genetic
Disorders; Physical Diagnosis; Focal Problems; and Topics in Medical Genetics.
For many years, he’s served as a facilitator at the School of Medicine.
For four years, Martsolf was the organizer for the March of Dimes–North
Dakota Annual Birth Defects Conference. He coordinated the MANDAK March
of Dimes–Birth Defects Conference from 1986 to 1988. He served as a tutor in
the Pediatric Developmental Diagnosis Physician Training Program as well.
Martsolf has earned a number of awards through the years, too. He garnered
the American Medical Association’s Physician’s Recognition Award 12 times. In
2004, he earned the Clinical Teaching Award at the School of Medicine. He was
named to the Earlham College Athletic Hall of Fame in 1993 and has collected
three awards in the James Grassick Poetry Competition.
He’s authored a number of publications and earned a variety of grants. Two
of his publications are now included in textbooks, including one of the subject of
what is now called Martsolf syndrome.
In his free time, Martsolf enjoys curling, reading, and exercising. He also
enjoys spending time with his family. His wife, Cathy, is a registered nurse. Their
daughter, Kathryn, is a nurse in Madison, Wis. Their son, Martin, is a Central
High School graduate. He works a variety of jobs and lives in Grand Forks.
Martsolf also has a daughter Carol in Philadelphia. She is a civil engineer. Carol’s
daughter, Catherine, is working on an environmental engineering degree.
VIKKI MCCLEARY
Associate Professor, Physician Assistant Program, School of
Vikki McCleary’s North Dakota roots run deep. Originally from York, N.D.,
she grew up on the family farm. The farm has been in her family for four generations and more than 100 years.
McCleary graduated from Leeds High School and went on to the University
of North Dakota. She ended up completing her bachelor’s degree in nutrition at
California State University in Los Angeles in 1972.
McCleary came back to North Dakota and worked for 15 years as a registered dietitian at what is now Altru Hospital. She also decided to continue her
education. She earned a master’s degree in education and a Ph.D. in physiology
from UND.
In 1988, McCleary started working at the University as a physiology graduate
student research assistant. Three years later, she was hired at UND as a physiology instructor. She advanced through the years to associate professor. These
days her responsibilities include teaching human physiology, pathophysiology,
and introduction to pharmacology, and it’s clear to see that she really enjoys
working with students.
“It’s the greatest thing to see a student ‘get it,’ and watch them grow and
develop their skills,” she said.
Students’ questions keep her learning every day too. “Every day I step on
campus, there’s excitement,” she said.
McCleary comes from a long line of teachers and people with an appreciation of education. She has a brother and two sisters in the area, and both of her
sisters are retired teachers. McCleary says that one of her grandfathers was a real
visionary and made sure all his daughters went to college. As a result, each one
of McCleary’s aunts on her mother’s side was a teacher. She also has cousins who
are teachers and principals. And McCleary’s father was adamant that his children
get an education, even when money was tight, she said.
Through the years, McCleary has won a number of awards. She was selected
as a Faculty Star in 2007 and garnered the UND Foundation/McDermott Award
for Individual Excellence in Teaching in 2005. In 2006, she was a member of the
faculty when the Physician Assistant program won the award for Departmental
Excellence in Teaching. And for two years in a row, she was one of 10 chosen for
a Bush Scholars Fellowship.
In addition, McCleary has served on numerous committees and been
involved in several professional organizations, such as the Admissions Com-
PAGE 23
mittee for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the Physician Assistant
Admissions Committee, and the Honors Committee.
McCleary has been published in many peer-reviewed publications and
been invited to give presentations locally, regionally, and nationally. Among
the highlights of those presentations was speaking at the Experimental Biology
Conference, a national meeting with more than 20,000 attendees.
Through the years, McCleary has seen a number of changes at UND, particularly when it comes to technology. She remembers writing on an overhead
projector. Now she’s teaching classes online. “You have to keep up,” she said.
But one thing that hasn’t changed is the mission of the Uuniversity and the
med school, she said. While she’s seen research blossom, the University hasn’t
forgotten its main purpose of enlightening students and producing lifelong
learners, she said.
In her free time, McCleary enjoys needlework, gardening and spending time
at their cabin in the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods. There is nothing
more relaxing than looking out the window and watching a fawn and its mom
walk across the yard. She still has her grandmother’s fern and Christmas cactus,
along with pictures of the plant taken with her sister in the 1930s.
McCleary’s husband, Curtis, is retired. They have a dog and a cat “that are
our babies,” she said. “They are extremely spoiled.
JAMES MITCHELL
Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry
and Behavioral Science
Though he retired in October 2015, Jim Mitchell will have no problem
keeping busy. He’s still doing some teaching at the University of North Dakota
and continues to work on research. He also enjoys reading, oil painting,
canoeing, and kayaking.
Mitchell was born in Chicago but grew up in Indiana. He earned an undergraduate degree in zoology from Indiana University. He went on to medical
school at Northwestern and completed his residency in
psychiatry at the University of Minnesota.
After being in private practice for two or three
years, Mitchell joined the faculty of the University of
Minnesota, where he worked from 1979 until 1996. In
1996, he came to UND as the chair of the Neuroscience
Department, now called the Psychiatry and Behavioral
Science Department. He also served as president of the
Neuropsychiatric Research Institute (NRI) in Fargo.
In 2001 he was named a Chester Fritz Distinguished
Professor, UND’s highest honor for faculty.
Through the years, Mitchell has been involved in
teaching and administration work. He retired as a professor and chair of his
department. But over time, his focus has settled more and more on research. He
also served on a number of committees in Fargo.
In his research, Mitchell has focused on eating disorders, obesity and
bariatric surgery. He is the author of the book, Bariatric Surgery: A Guide for
Mental Health Professionals. He and his NRI colleague, Stephen Wonderlich (also
a UND Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor), developed a worldwide reputation for their work on the many aspects of various eating disorders, including
bulimia and anorexia nervosa. They were named by their peers to be part of
the working group that wrote the eating disorders portion of the fifth edition of
the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; the manual is used
throughout the world by clinicians, researchers, and other professionals.
During his career, Mitchell has seen a lot of changes in psychiatry and psychiatric training, particularly in the last 40 years. But he has enjoyed the journey
at UND.
“It was fun to teach, and I really enjoyed the people I worked with,” he said.
“And I was able to make progress in my research.”
In retirement, Mitchell and his wife, Karen, are moving to Chaska, Minn.
Karen is a retired teacher. They have two children and four grandchildren.
PAGE 24
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PAT O’DONNELL
DOUG PETERS
Pharmacist in Charge, Health and Wellness
Professor of Psychology
Working at the University of North Dakota has provided Pat O’Donnell with
some unique opportunities. As a pharmacist with Student Health, she was able to
meet a variety of people she wouldn’t have met otherwise. And she got to work in
a team atmosphere in a setting that allowed for continued learning.
Originally from Illinois, O’Donnell went to the University of Iowa for pharmacy school. She got married and ended up coming to Grand Forks in 1971 with
her husband, who was in Air Force. She worked at what
is now Skip’s Budget Drug until 1979.
Until that time, UND Student Health had a drug
room rather than a registered pharmacy. But in 1979,
the state of North Dakota said it would no longer pay
Student Health for North Dakota Medicaid without a
registered pharmacist and a registered pharmacy. “So
I got to start the pharmacy, and it grew from there,”
O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell managed and ran the pharmacy and
filled prescriptions. She also spent a lot of time educating students on how to access medical care, how to
use their insurance, how to take their medications, and why a particular medication was prescribed.
“It’s a unique practice setting because you’re in such close proximity,” she
said of Student Health staff. If she didn’t understand why a drug was prescribed,
she could just walk back to the doctor’s office and ask about it. Student Health
was a learning environment for all those working there, she said. The fact the
staff continually learned from one another led to better service for students,
O’Donnell said.
During her time at UND, O’Donnell saw a number of changes. Among the
biggest was technology. With computers, she could access more information as
well as keep computerized records. Through the years, O’Donnell said, there also
was more emphasis on treating conditions from an earlier standpoint as more
medications became available for conditions they didn’t once think they’d be able
to treat.
Those Student Health served also began to change. Now there are more older
than average students and students with young families, O’Donnell explained.
It’s obvious in talking with O’Donnell that she really enjoyed her job. She
liked her coworkers and the excitement of students when school started each fall.
She also was able to meet a variety of people, including international students.
O’Donnell’s service extended beyond Student Health. She was part of the
UND Crisis Team. And she also was recognized with a Sertoma Service to
Mankind Award.
Among her most vivid memories of UND is the 1997 flood. At the time,
Student Health’s home in McCannell Hall was being remodeled, so Student
Health was temporarily in the basement of O’Kelly Hall. When the flood hit,
O’Donnell left Grand Forks and went to Gilby, North Dakota, but she got in
touch with another staff member and let her know she was available to help with
whatever she could. O’Donnell ended up coming back to campus to help move
computer and patient records to the third floor of O’Kelly. She also helped set
up a Student Health presence for those who were on campus during the flood.
Student Health was located in a little trailer in a parking lot behind Plant Services. O’Donnell drove to campus every day from Gilby to man the phone. She
also climbed into the back of a dump truck to go back to Student Health to pull
medications as they were needed.
“That was quite the experience,” she said.
O’Donnell retired from UND July 22, 2015, but she’s having no trouble filling
her free time. She enjoys the outdoors and gardening, and she also works with
teenagers in juvenile justice system. “These are good kids who have made bad
choices. They need to know people still care about them,” she said.
O’Donnell and her husband, Dennis, who also is retired, have been helping
a friend remodel, too. The friend’s husband was deployed, and she has small
children, O’Donnell explained.
The O’Donnells have one son, Troy. He is an electrician and is working on
the new School of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Since coming to the Psychology Department at the University of North
Dakota in 1974, Doug Peters has had many proud moments and happy memories. “I am especially proud of creating and getting approval for our two forensic
psychology graduate programs. It was a challenging, multi-year process,” he said.
“The M.A. program was one of the first online graduate programs offered at
UND. With supportive faculty it has been recognized as one of the best forensic
online master’s programs in the country, a great value for students, and was
ranked #1 in 2015.”
Originally from Oroville, Calif., Peters earned his B.A. at the University of
Santa Clara and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Southern Illinois University. He taught
in the UND Psychology Department for 41 years, beginning in 1974. Until his
retirement July 1, 2015, he served as a professor and director of forensic psychology. He’s now professor emeritus with the Psychology Department.
“Aside from a sabbatical at the University of Utah and teaching graduate
classes at the University of California-Irvine during a two-year leave, all of my
professional life has been at UND,” he said.
Through the years, Peters earned a number of awards and honors. He
received the UND North Dakota Spirit Faculty Achievement Award in 2010.
He was director of the NATO Advanced Study Institute: The Child Witness in
Context: Cognitive, Social, and Legal Perspectives, in Il Ciocco, Italy, and was
awarded $90,000. He served as director of the Psychology and Law Conference:
Evaluating the Testimony of Children and Adults, at UND. He was the founding
director of the Northern Light Psychology Conference at UND and served in
that role for 14 years.
“Our Northern Lights Psychology Conference has been very fortunate in
attracting some ‘luminaries’ of psychology as keynote speakers, including Albert
Bandura, Philip Zimbardo, and Elizabeth Loftus. Their talks and informal
discussions with students and faculty were always something to look forward to,”
Peters said. “I’ll always have fond memories of singing a rousing version of Proud
Mary with Elizabeth Loftus late in the evening at our after-conference social!”
Peters published numerous research articles, book chapters, and professional
presentations on the topic of the child witness and eyewitness memory. In addition, he served on many UND committees, including the Tenure, Reappointment
and Promotions Committee, Graduate Committee, Institutional Review Board,
Curriculum Committee, Special Review Committee, ROTC Committee, and
Library Committee, and was faculty head of the Student Psychological Association.
Peters has many fond memories of his time at UND. “In my early years at
UND, we had department faculty-grad student volleyball games Friday evenings
in the old ROTC/Armory building. We got good exercise and an opportunity
to interact in a non-academic way,” he recalled. “I also helped create a men’s
volleyball club at UND, a student organization that practiced at 11 p.m. on
Wednesdays on the second floor of the Hyslop Sports Center. We sponsored
tournaments and had a traveling team. I had lots of fun with students who loved
volleyball, as did I coming from California. Occasionally they would let me
substitute in when the match was essentially over!”
In his free time, Peters enjoys organic gardening, bird watching, and barbershop/chorus singing with Grand Harmony. He is a member of the Grand Cities
Bird Club and the Barbershop Harmony Society.
In retirement, Peters hopes to continue choral singing, expand his vegetable
gardening in Durham, N.C., and spend more time on his birding and nature
photography hobbies. He also plans to spend more time with his family. His
wife, Angela Cheney, was a psychologist at her private practice, the Dakota
Therapy Center, until retiring in 2015. Angela earned her Ph.D. from the UND
Counseling Psychology Department. They have three children, Scott, Brian, and
Dianna, and one granddaughter, Alexandra.
MARY REINERTSON-SAND
Information Specialist, Center for Rural Health
For Mary Reinertson-Sand, the University of North Dakota was much more
than just a place to work. Her son, Taylor, is the third generation of the Reinertson family to go to school here.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
“UND was more to me than just a job,” she said. “It’s
part of my life, part of my family.”
Reinertson-Sand was born and raised in Grand
Forks and graduated from Central High School. She
earned bachelor’s degrees from UND in elementary
education and library science. She decided she wanted
a change when it came time to earn her master’s degree
in library science, so she headed to the University of
Alabama.
“I just wanted a change. It was a complete culture
shock,” she said.
Already married to her husband, Tom, also a graduate of UND, Reinertson-Sand commuted back and forth between her husband
in Grand Forks and her master’s program in Alabama. It would prove to be the
only time she lived anywhere but Grand Forks.
“I love the Midwest,” she said. “I’m very much a Midwestern girl.”
After graduating, Reinertson-Sand substitute taught for a few years in
numerous elementary schools throughout Grand Forks, East Grand Forks, and
Thompson, N.D. In 1984, she took a job at the Grand Forks Public Library,
where she worked behind the circulation desk. In June 1985, she came to UND.
“I was going to do a couple years, and 30 years later, here we are,” she said with a
smile. She retired from UND June 1, 2015.
Her first position was as the geology librarian from 1985 to 1990. From 1990
to 2002, she worked at the College of Nursing and was manager of the Learning
Resource Center. In January 2003, she went to the Center for Rural Health
(CRH) as a librarian/information specialist. She worked with the CRH’s Rural
Assistance Center project as well as the Health Workforce Information Center.
Reinertson-Sand, along with other information specialists, responded to phone
calls and requests for information.
When she first started in the field, people wrote their names on cards to
check out books. “I almost had to relearn my profession,” she said. “The Internet
wasn’t even invented when I went to grad school.”
But Reinertson-Sand was up to the challenge. She even earned the Meritorious Service Award when she was working in the geology library. And she
obviously loved her work. “I liked the variety of opportunities and challenges,”
she said, “and the people.”
Reinertson-Sand said she had wonderful colleagues throughout the years
and appreciated all UND offered her.
When she retired from UND, Reinertson-Sand planned to return to substitute teaching, but another opportunity arose. While filling out the online paperwork for substitute teaching, she saw an ad for the librarian at Red River High
School in Grand Forks. She applied for the position and got it — and enjoys it.
“I’m not sure how long I’ll do it, but it’s fun and interesting working with a
different age group. I’ve had many people ask me, why did you retire to take a
full-time job? I tell them, ‘Well, I guess I still have things to offer.’ That’s part of
the beauty in being able to retire early, at 55,” she said.
In her free time, Reinertson-Sand enjoys painting, crocheting, genealogy,
reading, her pets, and her family. Her husband, Tom, retired as a captain from
the Grand Forks Fire Department. Their son, Taylor, is going to UND full time
and is working as a student information tech in the College of Engineering and
Mines. Reinertson-Sand said her dad, Bob Reinertson, also is a big part of her
life. He graduated from UND and was a teacher in Grand Forks for many years.
In retirement, Reinertson-Sand said she hopes to travel more throughout the
United States and maybe to Europe. She also enjoys going to a family cabin at the
Northwest Angle, Minn., that her father-in-law built over 40 years ago.
DOREEN ROLSHOVEN
Staff Nurse, Human Nutrition Research Center
Doreen Rolshoven met a lot of interesting people in her career as a staff
nurse at the Grand Forks Human Nutrition Research Center.
“I love the people that I work with,” she said. “The volunteers who come in to
do the studies are just fun to be around. I love visiting with people and learning
what’s going on in their lives.”
Rolshoven grew up in Lefor, a small town south of Dickinson, N.D. The high
school in Lefor closed after Rolshoven’s freshman year, so she ended up graduating from Dickinson. She went on to Bismarck State College for business.
PAGE 25
“I worked in business for a couple of years, and then I decided it wasn’t what
I really wanted,” she said. “So I went back to school for nursing. I went to the
North Dakota State School of Science, because I wasn’t really sure if that was
going to be my ‘thing’ either, so I didn’t want to do four years.”
But it did turn out to be her “thing.” Rolshoven first worked at Med Center
I in Bismarck for seven years. Then her husband graduated from college and
took a job in Grand Forks in 1989. Doreen started working as a staff nurse at the
Human Nutrition Research Center that fall.
Though her title didn’t change through the years, her responsibilities did.
“We used to have live-in studies,” she noted. “We could house up to 14 volunteers at one time.” The volunteers came from all around
the country. Rolshoven said it was fun to get to know
people she wouldn’t have otherwise met. The volunteers
lived on-site for six months or more, and the Nutrition
Lab needed to be staffed at all times. Rolshoven worked
the evening shift for about 15 years. With federal budget
cuts, the live-in studies went by the wayside for the most
part, and Rolshoven started working more with community studies volunteers and working the day shift.
While the lab still does some live-in studies, volunteers
don’t stay for as long as they used to, she explained.
Another change was in staffing. The Nutrition
Center used to have nine nurses on the staff, but now there’s only one.
Rolshoven used to do a lot of cardiac monitoring because of the types of
studies they were doing at the time. Her responsibilities evolved to assisting with
some of the recruiting and screenings for studies, doing blood draws, working on
testing in the Physiology Lab, scheduling tests, and ordering supplies, as well as
many other duties.
In 2011, Rolshoven was one of 10 staff members from across the campus to
receive the Meritorious Service Award.
Rolshoven keeps busy outside of work, too. She was involved in PTO and
booster groups when her children were in school, and she taught CCD classes for
about nine years. She also likes to bake, sew, read, and crochet.
Her husband, Reid, is an insurance adjuster. They have three children.
Lindsay, a graduate of UND, is a NICU nurse at Sanford Hospital in Fargo.
Michael works at Sam’s Club and is deciding what he wants to do for college.
Koryn is a freshman at UND.
RICHARD SCHULZ
Senior Research Chemist, Energy & Environmental Research Center
Richard Schulz can sum up his time at the Energy & Environmental Research
Center (EERC) in one word: fun.
“We were always working on something different almost every day, and
that was part of what, at least for me, made it so exciting, so much fun,” he said.
“I kind of joked to some of my friends that my job was saving the world, and
it was not that far from the truth because from Day One we were focused on
reducing emissions. We were reducing emissions and making the air cleaner for
everybody.”
Schulz retired as a senior research chemist Jan. 20, 2016.
Originally from Iowa, Schulz spent two years at the South Dakota School of
Mines and Technology before transferring to the University of North Dakota
to finish his education. Upon graduation, he took a job as a science teacher in
Fisher, Minn. After three years of teaching, Schulz changed gears and started
working in construction.
Schulz came to the EERC in a temporary, part-time
position, basically working there in the winter months.
He started as a technology development operator. After
a couple of months, he moved into a lab position where
he did sampling work.
After another stint in the construction business,
Schulz came back to the EERC for good, again working
as a technology development operator and then moving
into a lab position. In time he became manager of the
Particulate Research Laboratory. Last fall, he moved into
a senior research chemist position.
PAGE 26
FOUNDERS DAY
Schulz has many fond memories of his time at the EERC. Among his biggest
achievements was being part of the team that got the reference method for sampling speciated mercury for power plants passed as the standard method. The
method they wrote became the standard method throughout the United States
and in other countries.
“That was really quite an accomplishment to be on a team like that,” Schulz
said.
According to Schulz, his job was a perfect mix of computer work, Internet
research, and hands-on work at the EERC and in the field. He was able to do a
lot of traveling across the country and into Canada. Among his favorite memories is working at a power plant in Michigan where they had an aircraft involved.
They did ground sampling and then used an airplane to fly through the power
plant’s emission plume and compared the two measurements. Several years ago
in Florida, Schulz’s group worked with a blimp, which was fun, too, he said.
Many of the locations where Schulz was able to visit were amazing. While
working at a power plant in Florida, he could see cruise ships from the stack as
he was testing. At another site in New York, he could see apartment buildings
with gardens on the top, the United Nations building, the Chrysler Building, and
the Empire State Building.
“We took some pictures up there that are just fantastic,” he said.
Schulz and his wife, Nancy, have been married for more than 45 years. They
are both pilots, enjoy scuba diving, and like traveling. Nancy retired about a year
ago from the Accounting Department at Altru. They have two children. Scott
works at the EERC, and Heather, a graduate of UND, is a nurse at Altru. They
also have six grandchildren.
PHYLLIS TWETON
Administrative Assistant, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
While Phyllis Tweton enjoyed working at the University of North Dakota,
she decided that after nearly five decades here, it was time to retire.
The Worthington, Minn., native attended Gustavus Adolphus College in
St. Peter, Minn., where she graduated with a degree in
English education. She married and moved with her
husband to Norman, Okla., and then to Blair, Neb.,
before coming to his hometown of Grand Forks.
Tweton began working for UND 48 years ago at
the Rehab Hospital. She was in Medical Services and
worked for a couple of neurologists as well. When one
of the neurologists became the medical director of the
Grafton State School, Tweton transferred to Grafton.
She made the commute for about two years before
coming back to work at the Rehab.
In 1980, Tweton came to UND’s School of Medicine
and Health Sciences as an administrative assistant, a position she held until her
retirement July 15, 2015. Initially she worked with fourth-year medical students
who were assigned to Grand Forks, doing all their scheduling. In time, third-year
medical students’ scheduling was added to her list of duties as well.
“I really enjoyed working with students,” Tweton said.
Tweton’s career has spanned more than one generation, and she stated she
has worked with sons and daughters of former med school students.
Through the years, Tweton saw a lot of changes at the University, particularly
in technology.
“When I started, we made carbon copies,” she said with a smile.
Tweton’s hard work and dedication to the University were recognized with a
Meritorious Service Award.
Though she enjoyed her work, Tweton is also enjoying retirement. She takes
exercise classes at the rehab five days a week and goes there to work out on
weekends as well. She also enjoys reading and plans to do some volunteering in
the future. In addition, Tweton recently sold her house and moved into a condo,
so she’s enjoying getting settled and working on her new home.
Tweton is an active member of Chapter AF, P.E.O., an international Philanthropic Educational Organization, and has served as treasurer for over 25 years.
She is also an active member of Augustana Lutheran Church in Grand Forks and
is on the Altar Guild.
Tweton has some deep family ties to UND, too. Her son, Eric, is a UND
graduate who now works in the College of Education and Human Development
as an academic advisor. Tweton also has two daughters, Karin and Karla, both
living in Grand Forks. Karin’s grown son, Richard Ralston, lives in Minneapolis.
CYRILLA LAFOUNTAIN VIVIER
Lead Laundry Worker, Facilities Management
Cyrilla LaFountain Vivier has deep family ties to the University of North
Dakota. Not only is she a graduate, but so is her husband, Alfred, and two of her
sisters, Theresa and Shirley. Two of her children also went to UND.
Originally from Belcourt, N.D., Vivier grew up on a farm. She graduated
from the Turtle Mountain Community School in Belcourt.
Vivier moved to Grand Forks in 1973 and earned a nurse assistant degree.
She worked at St. Michael’s Hospital, which is now home of the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences. Vivier furthered her education at UND, earning
a Bachelor of Arts in Indian studies and a Bachelor of
Science in nutrition.
In 1988, Vivier started working at UND in Plant
Services (now Facilities) in the Laundry Department.
She didn’t plan on staying for her entire career, but it fit
with her schedule and her family life. She retired April
30, 2015, after 28 years of service. Michael Dohman was
her boss, and she worked with him the entire time, she
said.
Through the years, Vivier had a lot of responsibilities. “I was the lead person in absence of the supervisor,”
she explained. “I was responsible to help do linen from
different buildings on campus, train people in, and
do invoices for the paperwork. I also helped monitor machines for mechanical
problems. If required, I attended meetings, and if needed, I would also help to
drive the laundry truck and make deliveries.”
Vivier never shied away from taking on additional roles at UND and in the
community. She did public relations for the Native American Board when she
was in college. She helped at the Lake Agassiz School when her children were
going to school. And she continues to be actively involved at Faith Community
Church.
All of Vivier’s hard work didn’t go unnoticed. “In 1981, I received an appreciation award from the Native American programs,” she said. When she retired,
Vivier also got an award from Facilities in appreciation of all the work she did as
well.
Now that she’s retired, Vivier likes having the opportunity to work out with
her children and grandchildren. She also enjoys fishing, camping, and going to
concerts and movies.
Vivier’s husband, Alfred, earned a Bachelor of Arts in anthropology from
UND. A veteran of the Army, Alfred retired from Simplot.
“Now we get to travel, visit with relatives, and spend time with our kids,
Jeffrey, Jason, and Jana,” Vivier said. They all live in the area, including Jeffrey
and his wife, Julie. Both Jeffrey and Jana attended UND. Jason went to college
in Bismarck and worked at Simplot for a number of years. He now works at LM
Glass Fiber.
The Viviers also have three grandchildren — Savanna, Taylor, and Skylar —
and two great-grandchildren, Aiden and Peyton.
ROBYN WALD
Office Manager, Housing
During her nearly 30-year career at the University of North Dakota, Robyn
Wald worked with a lot of talented students, met many talented people, and
made many wonderful friends. She also had the opportunity to attend some
conferences and truly felt like a valued employee.
“I felt my supervisors supported and believed in me at times when I wasn’t
sure myself,” she said. “A former supervisor, Derrald Dewald, allowed me to
work less hours per week after our second child was born, allowing me to have
more time with our family. We hired another person to work with me in a job
share situation. A few people worked in this capacity with me over the years that
I worked less than full time, some of whom went on to be employed by other
departments at UND. This was not that common in the late ’80s. It made me feel
133RD ANNIVERSARY
as though UND really valued me as an employee and would work with me to
keep me there.”
Wald definitely proved her worth and won a number of awards through the
years. She earned the Upper Midwest Region of the Association of College and
University Housing Officers Support Staff Service Award in November 2001.
She garnered the Meritorious Service Award at UND in May 2002. She also was
named an honorary member of NRHH in April 2001.
Wald was born in Grand Forks and grew up in East Grand Forks. She graduated from East Grand Forks High School and the East Grand Forks Technical
College, now known as Northland. She also took at variety of classes at UND.
From 1976 until 1985, Wald worked as the administrative services coordinator at Agassiz Health Systems Agency, a federally funded organization that
no longer exists. In September 1985, she came to UND, where she stayed until
her retirement in July 2015. Her most recent position was as office manager at
Housing.
“The last couple of years at UND I worked more with accounting issues,
records management, and wherever I was asked to assist,” Wald explained. “Our
office went through some reorganization, and duties were changed/revised
throughout the office.”
Now that she’s retired, Wald will be spending more time at her family’s lake
home at Maple Lake in Mentor, Minn., and she hopes to get into gardening, do
more traveling, get more organized at home, and become more involved in her
church. She also enjoys sewing, quilting, crocheting, crafting wood projects, and
spending time outdoors doing yard work.
Wald also wants to spend more time with family. Her husband, Ronald, is
a construction superintendent at Opp Construction in Grand Forks. They have
two children, Janelle and Craig. Janelle recently moved back to the area after
living in Denver for about six years. She is employed by Hannahers (Gaffaneys)
in Grand Forks as an account representative. Craig currently lives in Fargo and
works at Opp Construction as an engineer. His wife, Carmen, works at Appareo
(a software design company for aviation and ag equipment) as a technical writer.
“We have one granddaughter, Jane, born in October of 2015,” Wald said.
“She, of course, is adorable! It is true — grandchildren are wonderful! We are
thankful for her.”
DAVID WESTERMAN
Research Center
Some people aren’t fond of traveling, especially for work. That definitely
wasn’t the case with Dave Westerman.
“I never turned down a job that sent me somewhere,” he said.
Westerman retired from the Energy & Environmental Research Center Dec.
31, 2015. Through the years, he traveled extensively, visiting every state except
California and every Canadian province except for New
Brunswick. He’s also done some overseas travel. When
he did work overseas, that included Thailand, and he
loved that area.
Westerman grew up in the Pittsburgh area of Pennsylvania. He was about to be drafted in 1970 when he
joined the Air Force. While he was in the Air Force, he
was stationed at Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks,
Alaska, for three years. The Westermans’ first child,
Christopher, was born there.
Westerman served in the Air Force for seven years,
which is what brought him to Grand Forks. He also
served in the Army Guard for four years and was activated briefly during the war
with Iraq. During his military service, Westerman earned a number of awards.
Westerman worked at a variety of jobs before coming to UND, but he didn’t
find anything he wanted to stick with. That changed when he came to UND. He
started with the University Oct. 1, 1979, and stayed until his recent retirement.
His first position was as a boiler operator at the Steam Plant, a position
he held for 5 ½ years. Then he moved to the EERC, where he first worked as
a maintenance operator. Five years later, he moved to the EERC’s Groundwater Research Program, where he stayed about a decade. He worked with the
mercury-testing group off and on until his retirement. He also did oil field work
in Wyoming for the EERC.
PAGE 27
“I bounced around a lot,” Westerman said. “I’m kind of flexible.”
Westerman said he loved his work at UND and had very good supervisors,
including Gale Meyers and Richard Schulz.
In his free time, Westerman enjoys deer hunting with friends and spending
time with family. His wife, Judy, retired from UND several years ago. They have
two children and two grandchildren. Their son and daughter also reside in
Grand Forks.
RICHARD WILSNACK
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience
Richard Wilsnack feels really blessed to have had the opportunities he’s
found at the University of North Dakota and for being able to raise a family in
Grand Forks.
Born in Arizona, Wilsnack moved around quite a bit as a child. He went on
to earn a bachelor’s degree from Pomona College in southern California. He
got a master’s degree at the London School of Economics and a second master’s
degree and his Ph.D. at Harvard University. All of his
degrees are in sociology.
Wilsnack started his career teaching at Indiana
University. He was there for four years but wasn’t
offered tenure — but it was a little complicated to make
a change. His wife, Sharon, has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, so they had to look for two positions, not just
one. But they found what they were looking for at UND.
“North Dakota was the best fit, and it turned out to
be a real godsend,” Wilsnack said.
He started working in the Sociology Department
in 1978. Meanwhile, Sharon worked in the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences. After about a decade with the Sociology Department, Wilsnack saw an opening in the same department his wife was in at the
med school. He made the move to the med school in 1989. Over time, Wilsnack
became an emeritus professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Science.
Though Wilsnack officially retired June 20, 2015, it’s been a phased retirement. His responsibilities have gradually diminished over time. Still he and
Sharon continue with their federally funded collaborative research on gender
and alcohol. They’ve done collaborative research since 1980. Their work currently is multinational, including data from many other countries.
Through the years, Wilsnack also taught a variety of classes related to the
behavioral aspects of medical practice, such as medical ethics, ethical issues in
terminal care, how patients find physicians, and placebo effects. He also served
as a small-group facilitator, which presented him a unique challenge.
“I really came to enjoy being a small-group facilitator for the Medical School,
but it was hard work for me because I’m not trained as a physician. So, in effect,
I had to learn a whole new area of medicine every week for eight weeks,” he said
with a chuckle.
Wilsnack has served on a number of committees as well. He served twice on
committees that wrote and revised the bylaws for the med school. He also spent
four years on a federal grant review committee.
During his career, Wilsnack has earned a number of awards. He garnered the
Senior Scholar Award in his division for one of national sociology organizations.
He and his wife shared the Thomas Clifford Award for Research Excellence at
UND. He also has been part of the departmental achievement award at UND.
Wilsnack said he counts himself very fortunate to have had the opportunities he’s found at UND. “We just had a situation at UND that we couldn’t have
duplicated anywhere else,” he said.
Wilsnack added that he’s worked in a very supportive environment, and
getting to work with his wife has been an amazing opportunity. “We had continuous federal grant funding, which was very positive and would be a good thing
anywhere, but it was much better to teach at UND, where there was balanced
attention — when you were evaluated — to the three legs of the stool: teaching,
research, and service,” he said. “I just have too much awareness and knowledge
of places where those are badly out of balance.”
Wilsnack and his wife have a large family: five children and six grandchildren. He said there are family activities going on constantly. Their oldest son,
Joel, is a physician. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Priya Sharma, who is a
PAGE 28
FOUNDERS DAY
pediatrician. They have two children, Anika and Rohan. The Wilsnacks’ son
Brian lives in the Twin Cities and works in student loan management. Their son
Peter lives in Seattle and works at the University of Washington. Their daughter
Kirsten earned her undergraduate and law degrees at UND. She lives in Lakeville, Minn., with her husband, Jason Robinson, who is in customs enforcement.
They have four children: Noah, Eli, Mia, and Lucia. The Wilsnacks’ youngest son,
Jonathan, graduated from UND with a political science degree. He lives in the
Minneapolis area and works at the Lego store at the Mall of America; his longerterm goal is a job in the travel industry.
MARGARET ZIDON
Associate Professor of Teaching and Learning
Margaret Zidon says she danced her way into the University of North
Dakota, and in a very literal way, that’s true.
Originally from Lisbon, N.D., Zidon graduated from North Dakota State
University with degrees in German and physical education. Zidon wasn’t sure
what she wanted to do, so she took a job in advertising at the Fargo Forum.
Then she met the love of her life, also an NDSU graduate, and they married and
started a family. They moved to Park River, N.D., where he managed a sheep
farm and then to Gentilly, Minn., where he managed a cattle ranch.
Then Zidon saw an article in the Grand Forks Herald that would change her
life. It was the mid-1970s, and the article was about ballroom dance classes at
UND. Marly Peterson, who was dance director in the
Physical Education Department at UND, talked about
how many sections of ballroom dance they had and
that they would offer more if they had more instructors.
Zidon’s parents taught ballroom dance and belonged to
Dance Masters of America.
“I helped them teach and learned how to teach
dance by working with them, and I taught in Fargo,”
Zidon said.
Thinking this was a great opportunity, Zidon
reached out to Peterson. Peterson said they couldn’t
hire Zidon, but they could bring her in as a graduate
teaching assistant if she was willing to get her master’s degree. Zidon decided to
take her up on the opportunity. So she worked as a GTA while furthering her
education, completing her master’s degree in physical education at UND in 1982.
Zidon was hired to teach at UND part time. She taught ballroom dance,
social dance, and aquatics. She also was responsible for coordinating the fitness
program.
In the late 1980s, President Tom Clifford said the University wouldn’t hire
any more tenure-line people unless they had Ph.D.s. Hoping to secure a tenured
position in the future, Zidon worked to get a Ph.D. in education from UND.
In 1993, she was hired by the Center for Teaching and Learning in a nontenure-line position, which she held for three or four years, until she secured a
tenure-line position. She will retire in May 2016 as the doctoral director for the
department.
In her current position, Zidon does everything from making arrangements
for the courses that are going to be offered to assigning the teachers who are
going to be instructing. There are about 90 doctoral students in the program
right now.
“It’s a huge program,” Zidon said.
But Zidon clearly enjoys the job.
“I really have loved working in the Education Department,” she said. “I
started out preparing people who were going to be teachers, but who weren’t
teachers yet. And then I have worked with people who are getting their master’s
degrees, so they were teaching for a while and have come back and are all excited
about taking additional courses. And then I’ve worked with doctoral students
who have lots of experience, lots of knowledge. It’s just been a wonderful department to work in.”
While thoughts of the students bring back lots of good memories, so does
her involvement with the Alice T. Clark Program, a program for new faculty.
Zidon explained that through the program, new faculty learn from the president,
provost, library staff, and others what the expectations are for them and how to
connect to various services.
“That program is still ongoing, and it’s a very important program,” Zidon
said. “I immediately met faculty from across campus, and a lot of them are still
around. And a lot of them, I would call my friends.”
Through the years, Zidon served on a number of committees, but the Graduate Committee ranks as one of her favorites. She said it gave her the opportunity to meet other people from across campus she might not have met otherwise.
She also has served for 10 years as the editor of the professional journal Teaching
& Learning: The Journal of Natural Inquiry and Reflective Practice.
But her favorite memories still take her back to her first days on campus.
“Some of my fondest memories are teaching dance,” she said. Zidon had from 50
to 70 dance students a semester. “I think there were quite a few romances that
happened there,” she said.
Once she’s retired, Zidon hopes to have lots of adventures. She plans to buy
a Bike Friday and take it on many trips. Her first trip will be to Scotland. She
also wants to spend more time with her family. Her husband, Tom, is retired
from Crystal Sugar. They have five children, all of whom went to UND, and five
grandchildren.
the first founders day
The observance of Founders Day, begun in 1904 on the University’s twentyfirst birthday, offered an annual opportunity for self-advertisement as well as for
sober reflection on the past. The first celebration, held on Saturday, February
27, 1904, although so simple as to be nearly private, received wide newspaper
coverage, even headlines, and called forth many expressions of sentimental
pride in the progress of the state’s one university. The observance occupied
the whole day and marked the anniversary of the signing of the organic act, a
date selected by the faculty as the official birthday. A debate on Friday evening
opened the ceremonies. On Saturday morning Gottfried Hult, then at the
Agricultural College, addressed students and faculty in the Budge Hall Armory.
In the afternoon there were students’ speeches and a girls’ basketball game in
which the University trounced the Fargo High School 15-4. The main program
was presented in the evening at the Baptist church. Bardi Skulason (’95) spoke
on “The University and the State”; the major address, “The University – Its
Past,” was given by President Webster Merrifield. George Walsh, then living in
Minnesota, was unable to accept an invitation to attend but submitted a long
letter relating the story of the events of 1883 at Grand Forks and Yankton, which
was incorporated into Merrifield’s speech; it remained for years the official
version of the founding. In his address, Merrifield outlined the history of the
University and emphasized his conception of the high role it must play in North
Dakota ... (From University of the Northern Plains, the history of UND, by Louis
Geiger, published in 1958)
Old Main, UND’s first building, in 1904. In the background is Macnie Hall, then
known as the Cottage.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
PAGE 29
THE HISTORIC BLIZZARD OF MARCH 1966
The March 1966 blizzard stands as one of the most significant weather
events experienced by the state and region in the 20th century. The event
is extensively detailed in the book, One To Remember: The Relentless
Blizzard of March 1966, published in 2004 by the Valley Heritage Press,
Grand Forks. Its authors, Douglas Ramsey and Larry Skroch, met as
students at the University of North Dakota in 1984. Ramsey earned three
degrees from UND: bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history, and a bachelor’s degree in meteorology. Skroch received a bachelor’s degree in social
science and a master’s degree in history from UND. The following text is
extracted from the book’s chapter on how the storm impacted the Grand
Forks area and the UND campus.
Snow started falling in Grand Forks on Wednesday evening, March
2. Nearly three inches was measured at the airport. Nearly seven more
inches would be added Thursday, March 3. Despite the weather, the
University of Minnesota hockey team managed to make it into Grand
Forks by train for the first post-season playoff game. Used to the
icy conditions inside UND’s infamous Winter Sports Center — the
unheated “Barn” — over 1,200 fans pushed through the blizzard conditions to watch UND beat the Gophers 4-2.
Friday, March 4, was the worst day of the storm, with 17 inches of
snow recorded at the airport. Accurate measurements at the weather
station on the UND campus couldn’t be made because high winds
Thursday night had tilted the snow depth instrument.
With the streets clogged, snowmobiles provided one of the few
practical means of getting around during and after the storm. On
Friday, two Grand Forks Herald staff members, Peter Wasylow and
photographer Colburn Hvidston III, headed out west by snowmobile
into the storm. When they got to the 2100 block of University Avenue,
they were flagged down by students who sought assistance getting
another student to medical attention. That student was Kay Sampson,
UND’s 1965 homecoming queen, who had a foot injury. Hvidston and
Wasylow transported Sampson to the Delta Gamma sorority. There,
they and another UND student, Gary Como, rigged up a toboggan
for Sampson and pulled her through waist-high snow to St. Michael’s
Hospital (now the School of Medicine and Health Sciences).
Doctoral student William Biggs and his wife had gone to St.
Michael’s to visit their son, who had been in for an appendectomy. The
storm prevented them from returning to their home in married student
housing. As it also prevented the hospital’s cooks from making it in to
work, Biggs cooked for St. Michael’s during the storm.
Snow and wind shut down the city and the University. UND’s newest
residence halls at the time — Brannon, McVey and West Halls — were
relatively isolated west of the English Coulee, while the cafeterias were
on the east side, in Smith and Squires Halls. A long open stretch lay
between West Hall and the coulee. At the height of the storm, students
from the West Complex joined hands, making human chains to avoid
getting lost on trips to and from the cafeteria.
In their residence halls, though, students kept warm. Great
Northern kept its rail spur to the campus open throughout the storm,
keeping the Power Plant supplied with coal.
(Continued, next page)
A customer buys a copy of the Grand Forks Herald on a downtown street. The
blizzard prevented the Herald from publishing on Friday, March 4, for the first time
in its history. It also would not publish the next day. During the historic 1997 flood,
the Herald did not miss an issue, despite losing its building and printing plant. Grand
Forks Herald photograph, courtesy of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special
Collections.
PAGE 30
FOUNDERS DAY
When the blizzard finally departed the Grand Forks area, residents
typically found snow depths ranging from two to three feet to drifts as
high as the eaves on some houses. Cars were often buried completely
out of view.
UND’s men’s basketball team had a highly successful season and
won the conference. The University had been chosen to host the NCAA
Division II Midwest Regional Tournament, which was to be played
Friday and Saturday, March 4-5. The three visiting teams were stranded
in Moorhead, Minn. Finally, UND’s opponent, Colorado State Teachers
College (now the University of Northern Colorado) got to Grand Forks
Sunday, March 6, by train. UND won 84-71 in front of 3,500 fans who
all had to make it in on foot, as the streets were impassable.
Clearing the streets and sidewalks was a huge task. For some time,
moving about town was like traveling through tunnels.
Snow depth at the Grand Forks Airport was reported as 34 inches
on March 5. With spring rapidly approaching, it was evident that the
area would experience major flooding. Grand Forks and East Grand
Forks battled a flood that crested at 45.55 feet on April 4, then the thirdhighest crest seen by the cities. Since then, that mark has been surpassed by the flood crests of 1969, 1978, 1979, 1996 and 1997 (highest
yet, recorded at 54.33 feet).
Ramsey and Skroch’s book, One To Remember: The Relentless Blizzard of March 1966, reprints in its conclusion section an overview essay
by Herman Stommel, state climatologist, Environmental Science Services
Administration, Bismarck. In part, it observes:
“In some respects, this 1966 blizzard must be considered one of the
most severe in the history of North Dakota, where its major violence
and impact were felt … The 1966 storm, with up to 80 mph winds
occasionally gusting up to 100 mph, continued unabated for as long as
four days in some areas. For the first time in the history of many towns,
schools were closed, all business was suspended, newspapers failed to
publish, and all forms of traffic came to a complete halt. Some roads
were not cleared for two weeks… In the Big Country there have been
higher winds, colder temperatures, and snowfall has been greater. But
it is doubtful if any previous storm, at least in the past nearly 100 years
of weather history in North Dakota, hit so big an area, for so long a
time, with such sustained speeds, piling up so many gigantic drifts.”
Phyllis Lanes helps Jane Jarman over a drift in the University Park area. Phyllis
(Lanes) Johnson went on to earn bachelor’s and Ph.D. degrees in chemistry at UND.
She served as UND’s vice president for research and economic development from
2009 until her retirement in 2014. Grand Forks Herald photograph, courtesy of the
Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
Snow drifts sometimes reached as high as the roofs. Packed hard by the strong
winds, the drifts often provided solid footing for walking or skiing, and were enjoyed
by children who didn’t have to get involved in shoveling the snow. Photo courtesy of
the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
In a scene repeated thousands of times across the state, an owner excavates his
vehicle from a wall of heavy, hard-packed snow after the blizzard.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
Jennifer Saul, a UND senior from Crookston, Minn., unlocks the door to her car
during the blizzard — presumably without the intent of actually going anywhere.
Photo by Colburn Hvidston III, Grand Forks Herald, courtesy of the Elwyn B.
Robinson Department of Special Collections.
PAGE 31
The Christus Rex Lutheran Center after the blizzard let up. Photo courtesy of the
Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
the photo
The storm having broken, a snowmobiler approaches the UND Power Plant. The
snowmobile, developed into its modern configuration in the early 1960s, proved
to be one of the most effective means of getting around during and just after the
blizzard. Photo courtesy of the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections.
This image may be one of the most prominent associated with the
famous 1966 blizzard. It was taken near Jamestown on March 9 by Bill
Koch of the North Dakota State Highway Department. It is included in
the archives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s
(NOAA) Weather Service. One caption joked, “I believe there’s a
train under here somewhere!” There was a misconception that the
snowdrift here must be 40 feet deep, as utility poles that high were not
uncommon. It is likely the pole was considerably smaller, but even so,
drifts this deep in open country were impressive. The strong winds of
the blizzard would blow some areas clear and then leave drifts 10, 20 or
30 feet high in other places.
PAGE 32
FOUNDERS DAY
twenty-five years
of service
Carol Anson
Veterans / Military Advisor, Student Success Center
Kevin Galbreath
Research Manager, Energy and Environmental Research Center
Stacy Askvig
Laboratory Director, Minot Center for Family Medicine, School of
Carol Grabanski
Research Specialist, Energy and Environmental Research Center
Mary Austreng
Admission Evaluator / Freshmen, Admissions
Leroy Helmoski
Gary Bartelson
Lecturer, Department of Aviation
Robert Hodek
Drafting Technician, Planning Design Construction, Facilities
Management
James Beal
Associate Professor of Family and Community Medicine
Wendelin Hume
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
Pam Bethke
Administrative Assistant, Department of Psychology
Joneen Iverson
Desktop Support Specialist, Dean’s Office, Center for Instructional
and Learning Technologies
Michael Blackmun
Senior Aviation Manager, Flight Operations, John D. Odegard
School of Aerospace Sciences
Debby Johnson
Manager, Energy and Environmental Research Center
Beverly Blegen
Administrative Officer, Department of Social Work
Mohammad Khavanin
Professor of Mathematics
Lynne Chalmers
Timothy Kujawa
Connie Cicha
Administrative Secretary, Department of Physics and Astrophysics
Bonnie Lanz
Administrative Clerk (Clinic), Bismarck Center for Family
Medicine, School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Kathleen Dixon
Sally Dockter
Assistant Director and Head of Reference and Research Services,
Chester Fritz Library
Steve Dohman
Journey Plumber, Facilities Management
Jay Evenstad
Research Specialist, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kelly Fox
Annette Larson
Physician Assistant, Health and Wellness, Division of Student
Affairs
Loren Liepold
Technical Director, Department of Theatre Arts
Deborah Lindgren
Patrick Luber
John Nordlie
Research Assistant, Academic Support Services
133RD ANNIVERSARY
PAGE 33
Linda Olson
Serials Control Specialist, Chester Fritz Library
Jane Thorvilson
Administrative Secretary, Student Affairs and Admissions
Kirk Peterson
Manager, Avionics, Flight Support Services, John D. Odegard
School of Aerospace Sciences
Wanda Weber
Photographer, Information Resources, School of Medicine and
Health Sciences
Thomas Richards
Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Deb Wilson
Development Gift Coordinator, UND Alumni Association and
Foundation
Jenny Sun
Chemist, Energy and Environmental Research Center
Jill Teters
Program Coordinator, TRIO Programs
CAROL ANSON
Veteran/Military Advisor, Student Success Center
Carol Anson became part of history during basic training at Lackland Air
Force Base in Texas in 1974. “We were told by our training instructor, ‘Listen up,
ladies. You are going to make history today by being the first women in the Air
Force to fire the M-16 rifle,’” Anson recalled.
Originally from Angola, N.Y., Anson first came to Grand Forks Dec. 3, 1974,
when she was stationed at the Grand Forks Air Force
Base. She was an aircrew life support specialist.
“I climbed up B-52 bombers and KC-135 tankers
and conducted survival training classes,” she said.
Anson met her husband, Michael, that first month
in Grand Forks. A native of Rochester, N.Y. — just an
hour and a half from where Carol grew up — he was
also stationed at the Grand Forks Air Force Base. They
married in 1975 and celebrated their 40th anniversary
July 12, 2015.
After she was discharged from active duty in 1979,
Anson drove a school bus for the Larimore School
District. Wanting to use her GI Bill benefits, Anson decided to start classes at the
University of North Dakota in 1981. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in
information management in 1985 and a master’s degree in business education in
1997.
On Oct. 15, 1990, she started working at the University as the certifying
official under the Dean of Students Office/Veteran Services, which transferred to
the UND Financial Aid office and is currently under the Student Success Center,
Veteran and Nontraditional Student Services. Anson certifies to Veterans Affairs
that students are enrolled in courses for their majors, and the VA processes the
GI Bill payments for tuition and fees, she explained. About 550 students used the
VA benefits for fall semester 2015, Anson said.
“I find the job a great fit,” she said. “I love helping other veterans achieve
their goals.”
One of Anson’s favorite memories at UND was helping a veteran who initially was denied benefits under an older program called VEAP.
“While on active duty in the Navy, he thought the $2,700 payment was
taken out of his pay, and it was not. He was on a ship, and his payments were
confusing, and he did not know the payments were not made,” she said. “I found,
through an extensive search — with paperwork he dropped off at my office —
that his social (security number) was off by one digit. The Navy personnel office
Doris Zidon
Dietary Research Technician, Human Nutrition Research Center
DeAnna Carlson Zink
Chief Executive Office, UND Alumni Association and Foundation
had made the mistake. I met a contact through the Washington, D.C., Navy
Personnel Center, and they granted a correction and allowed the veteran to make
a payment after he was discharged and granted him his GI Bill. He graduated
from UND. I was very happy it worked out so well!”
Anson’s hard work and expertise have definitely been appreciated through
the years.
“Recently I had a call from a former student, and his son plans to attend
UND and use his GI Bill,” she said. “I told him, ‘Wow! I guess I need to retire!’
He said, ‘Please wait until my son starts there and graduates, because you did
such a great job helping me while I was at UND!’ I guess I cannot retire yet.”
STACY ASKVIG
Laboratory Director, Minot Center for Family Medicine
Stacy Askvig started working at UND Center for Family Medicine in Minot,
N.D., 25 years ago as a clinical laboratory scientist. About eight years ago she was
promoted to laboratory director, and clearly in my conversation with her, she
truly enjoys her job.
Askvig was born in Fargo but grew up in Minot, graduating from Bishop
Ryan High School. She attended college at Minot State University, where she
earned a Bachelor of Science degree in medical technology. She went on to earn
a Master of Science degree at UND in 1993.
Askvig’s first job was working in a small lab with a coroner in Minot. She
later worked for physicians in Minot, as well as in Idaho, before coming back
to North Dakota and accepting a position at the Center for Family Medicine
(CFM). As laboratory director, she oversees the lab and ensures quality results
and that all rules and regulations are being followed. She also acts as the safety
manager and risk management coordinator for CFM.
Through the years, Askvig has also taken on other responsibilities. She
served as president for the American Society of Clinical Laboratory Science in
North Dakota. She was president of the Minot Rotary Club and currently serves
as the club’s secretary. She is president-elect of the Hogan Society for Bishop
Ryan and teaches hematology and parasitology at Minot State University.
In her free time, Askvig enjoys working on stained glass, gardening, and
spending time with her grandchildren. Her husband, Brent, works at Minot State
University and they have two sons, Joshua and Ethen.
Joshua lives in Bismarck with his wife, Crystal, and their three children,
McKale, Kennedy, and Layla. He was a student member of the North Dakota
State Board of Higher Education and is employed for AARP as an associate state
director for advocacy. He also serves as Bismarck’s city commissioner.
PAGE 34
FOUNDERS DAY
Ethen lives in Langdon, N.D., with his wife, Jayla, and their two children,
Dyson and Terner. Along with teaching in Langdon, Ethen is also the athletic
director and head girls basketball coach.
MARY AUSTRENG
Admission Evaluator/Freshmen, Office of Admissions
Not many students may recognize Mary Austreng’s name, but if they’ve been
accepted to the University of North Dakota, she’s had an impact on their futures.
If they look closely at their acceptance letters, they’ll find her initials.
“I feel like I touched a lot of lives, even though they don’t know that I did by
accepting them to the University,” she said. “My initials are on there, so that’s
pretty awesome.”
Austreng has been affecting students’ lives for a long time. Born in Grand
Forks and raised in Reynolds, N.D., Austreng raised her family before heading
into the workforce when her son was in high school. She first worked as an aide
at Central Valley. Then she became a special education
aide. Her position was cut in 1989 when education
funding took a hit, but Austreng found she enjoyed
working outside her home. She decided to look into
employment at UND. Especially impressed by the
benefits package the University offered, Austreng took a
position in Admissions and has been there for 25 years.
Through the years, Austreng has worked in just
about every position in the office. These days she processes the applications for incoming freshmen. She said
she gets a lot of compliments from students when she is
able to help them.
She also enjoys working with the students who serve as clericals.
“I love the student input and activity,” she said.
During her career, Austreng has seen quite a bit of turnover in her office. She
said she’s on her third director.
“At one point in my job, I was the only one left in the office who knew how
and what to do,” she said. “It just evolves and keeps changing.”
Where she does her work has evolved, too. The first 20 years, she worked in
Twamley. Now Admissions is in the Gorecki Alumni Center.
But one thing has remained a constant. “I’ve met and worked with a lot of
wonderful people,” Austreng said. “It’s always been a good place to work because
of the camaraderie.”
Austreng also has been recognized for her hard work. She earned the COSE
Award, which recognizes outstanding state employees.
“That was very nice,” she said.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
MARCH: Well-wishers from across the campus gathered in Twamley Hall for a
surprise party in honor of President Tom Clifford’s 70th birthday. At left is Alice
Clark, vice president for academic affairs. At Clifford’s right is Aerospace Dean John
Odegard.
In her free time, Austreng is active in her church. She’s been part of the
church choir and decorating committee, and used to teach classes there as well.
She also enjoys gardening and reading.
For the last 10 years, Austreng has been involved in community plays. She
acted in a number of comedies, including “Café Murder.”
“We did ‘The Great Nursing Home Escape,’” she said with a smile. “That was
pretty fun.”
Austreng and her husband, Larry, have been married 48 years. Larry is an
independent truck driver. Their daughter, Melissa, works for Alerus Financial.
Her husband, Brian Adams, is a farmer in Reynolds. They have two children:
Mitchell, who attends Northland Technical College, and Jaime, who is a sophomore at UND. The Austrengs’ late son, Steven, had one daughter, Samantha, who
lives in Reynolds. The Austrengs enjoys going to their granddaughter’s athletic
activities.
GARY BARTELSON
Lecturer in Aviation
Gary Bartelson never thought he’d be a college instructor, but not only is he
good at it, he truly loves it. And it helped him plant some roots.
Because his father was in the Navy, Bartleson never really had a hometown as
he grew up. That feeling continued as he chose to serve in the Air Force, but that
decision brought him to Grand Forks.
Though he was still in the Air Force, Bartelson first started teaching at the
University of North Dakota in 1991. He knew some air traffic controllers at the
air base who were teaching part time at UND, and they were transferring to
another location. Bartelson was asked to help fill the void at UND. Initially he
said no, but the folks at UND were persistent enough to make him change his
mind. Bartelson found he really enjoyed it. Two years
later, in 1993, UND asked him to join the staff full time,
but he was still in the military. Again, his initial thought
was to say no, but he opted to do both: teach and continue to serve his country. In all, Bartelson would spend
21 years in the military.
At UND, Bartelson was tasked with helping to
start an Air Traffic Control program. When initially
approached about it, Bartelson asked how many
students were in the program and was told none, he
recalled with a chuckle. But Bartelson was up for the
challenge. The first year, seven students enrolled in the
new program. The number grew to 12 the second year. At its peak, enrollment
was 352 students. Right now, about 260 students are in the program.
Along with increases in students, Bartelson has seen a number of other
changes, too. He remembers the program’s first tower “simulator” was a 4 x 8
piece of plywood. They painted stripes on it as well as a runway and grass. Completing the setup were little metal toy airplanes.
“Now we have two tower simulators, the high end is $2.2 million, the low
end is $1.3 million,” he said. “And then we have just a standard radar simulation.
This is the darkened room with 32 stations that came in at right around a million
and a half too. So about $6 million worth of simulation for a little program that
started with seven kids. It’s been an interesting journey, and I’ve enjoyed every
minute.”
Through the years, Bartelson’s role at UND has changed. After starting as a
part-time teacher, he became a full-time lecturer, and then director of the Air
Traffic Control program, a position he held for 10 years. Six years ago, he stepped
down as director, but he has continued as a lecturer. Bartelson said he can’t
believe he’s been at UND 25 years.
“It’s gone by in a flash,” he said.
According to Bartelson, air traffic controllers are a tight-knit group, but
they enjoy joking with one another. Bartelson enjoys following the successes in
former students’ lives as well as getting to teach current students, from freshmen
to seniors.
“I like connecting with these kids,” he said. “You don’t have to have your batteries recharged. You don’t have to take a week off or a month off to come back
here. There’s something new every day with these guys. It’s been a blast.”
Through the years, Bartelson has been recognized with advising awards. He
has served as an advisor for a variety of student organizations and is especially
133RD ANNIVERSARY
proud of his involvement with the Golden Key International Honor Society. For
the last 18 years, he also has been involved with Junior Achievement, teaching
children in kindergarten through fifth grade about the city, state, and region.
Bartelson is active in his church and has served as president of his congregation at First Lutheran Evangelical Church in East Grand Forks. He also loves
to golf. He has three memberships locally and even has a golf simulator in his
garage that he uses during the winter months.
Bartelson’s wife, Robin, has done daycare for 27 years. They’ve been married
for 42 years and have two children. Their son, Brandon, lives in Grand Forks
with his son, Landon. The Bartelsons’ daughter, Heather, runs a daycare in
Grand Forks. She and her husband, Donovan Mitchell, have three children,
C.J., Lindsey, and Lexie. Lindsey also has a daughter, Leah Jean. Brandon and
Donovan work together at New Vision Truck Accessories.
PAM BETHKE
Administrative Assistant, Department of Psychology
Pam Bethke will never forget the year she started working in the Psychology
Department at the University of North Dakota. She’d been with the department
for about three months when 9/11 occurred. She and another woman who
worked in the department found a little black-and-white television in a storage
room and watched the events of the day unfold.
A native of Grand Forks, Bethke graduated from Red River High School. She
went to what is now Northland Technical College in East Grand Forks before
heading to the University of Minnesota—Crookston, where she earned her associate’s degree. Through the years, she also has taken classes at UND.
Bethke came to UND in 1990. She worked at School of Medicine and Health
Sciences in the Department of Physiology, where she mainly did data entry.
“None of the faculty members had computers. Just the secretaries did,” she
recalled.
When a member of the faculty got a grant for the Minority Access to
Research Careers program, he took Bethke with him. She served as an administrative assistant. When the director of the program left the University, the
Chemistry Department inherited the program, and Bethke worked there for
several years. She eventually moved on to an administrative assistant position in
Teaching and Learning.
Then, in 2001, she came to Psychology as an administrative assistant. Her
duties include budget and payroll as well as office supervision.
“In every department I’ve worked in, the most enjoyment I get is from the
people I work with,” Bethke said. And though she’s loved every department, she’s
really found her niche in Psychology. She said she likes the diversity and working
in a big office. She also likes how busy the department is.
It’s also fun to be part of a growing program. Bethke said she’s seen a lot of
changes since she’s been with Psychology, particularly with new technologies.
“Our online programs have just taken off,” she said.
In her free time, Bethke is part of a group of friends who do fundraisers for
a variety of causes. They participate in Relay for Life, Spin for Kids, and other
fundraisers for those in need.
Bethke has three adult children and two grandchildren. Her daughter
Amanda attended UND and works at Amazon. Amanda and her daughter,
Taelyn, 3, live in Grand Forks. Bethke’s daughter Amber also attended UND. She
works at Altru and lives on a ranch in Gilby, N.D., with her husband, Brandon,
and daughter, Callie, 7. Bethke’s son, Joshua, lives in Grand Forks and goes to
UND.
PAGE 35
when she was 13. After graduating from Red River High School, Blegen went to
UND and earned a degree in early education and elementary education.
At the time, jobs in the public school system were hard to come by, so Blegen
worked odd jobs around Grand Forks for a while. But a job offer in early education took her to the Twin Cities, where she would stay about 17 years.
“It turned out to be the best thing in my life,” she recalled.
Blegen worked in a privately owned, small child development center. “We
were the first child development center in the area,” she explained. “We were in a
St. Paul suburb called Maplewood.”
When Blegen first started, the center had about 40 children. “Our enrollment
when I left there was about 250 children,” she said.
After two years of teaching, Blegen became the center’s director. Then she
bought into the business. Later, a second center opened, and that filled almost
immediately, she said.
After selling the business, Blegen continued to teach kindergarten there for
a couple of years. She also now had a son of her own. But when her own father
became ill, Blegen and her 2-year-old son, Brent, moved back to Grand Forks.
Blegen started as a temp in the late 1980s in the Department of Social Work.
Within a year, she was hired on as an administrative secretary. She worked
with an online undergraduate program in Social Work when it first got started.
Through the years, more and more responsibilities were added to her plate.
Feeling she should be reclassified based on her responsibilities and background,
Blegen asked Human Resources to review her status. They did, and Blegen was
promoted to administrative officer, a position she still holds today.
Blegen continues to have a wide variety of responsibilities. “I’m kind of the
go-to person,” she said.
Blegen works with finance and personnel for the Social Work Department.
She schedules all the classes for her department, both on campus and online. She
also has begun overseeing grant activities. “That has just added a whole new part
to the job,” she said.
For the last 10 years, Blegen also has worked part time at Lowe’s. She said she
really likes the people with whom she works and it’s a welcome break in her day.
Blegen also enjoys being with her family. Her son, Brent Renneke, and his
wife, Amanda, live in Minneapolis. Brent went to UND for two years before
moving on to the University of Minnesota where he earned a journalism degree.
He works in public relations for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Amanda works in
marketing.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
BEVERLY BLEGEN
Administrative Officer, Department of Social Work
Bev Blegen has seen a number of changes since she first came to work at the
University of North Dakota about 25 years ago. When she first started in the
Social Work Department, she used a typewriter and carbon sheets.
“Everything I did was so concrete,” she said. “We had a form for this and a
form for that. It wasn’t submit it online, and it’s gone.”
She’s also seen Social Work move from the College of Education to the
College of Nursing. “There have been lots of changes,” she said.
Blegen grew up in Grafton, N.D., but moved to Grand Forks with her family
JULY: This computer cluster in the Chester Fritz Library, one of the largest on
campus, featured IBM PCs, Apple Macintosh computers, and dot matrix printers.
Such units were still relatively expensive for ordinary consumers at this time. The
original Macintosh was priced at $2,500 when it was introduced in 1984, equivalent
to over $5,800 in 2016 dollars.
PAGE 36
FOUNDERS DAY
KATHLEEN DIXON
While many may know Kathy Dixon as a professor at the University of North
Dakota, her dog, Bill, may be even more well-known around town.
“He’s very friendly. He used to take himself to places in the neighborhood on
his own,” Dixon said with a smile.
One of those places was Judy’s Tavern. He’d show up at the door, wait to be
let in, and then would take a seat in a booth. Bill frequented Whitey’s as well and
patrons often stopped to tell him hello. “He’s really been
such a great dog,” Dixon said.
Dixon grew up in Spokane, Wash. She earned her
bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English from the University of Washington. After working for a bit, she went
to the University of Michigan for her Ph.D.
Dixon started her career at UND 25 years ago. She
was hired in 1991 as an assistant professor of English
specializing in composition and rhetoric. She taught in
that program for a while and directed the composition
program as well.
Through the years, Dixon has moved up through
the ranks to full professor. Her dissertation was on gender studies, particularly
looking at gender in teaching. So a few years back, she also directed the Women
in Gender Studies program at UND. Her current research is on the lesbian
rebetiko singer Sotiria Bellou.
Dixon has taught a number of courses as UND, including writing at all levels,
global literature, and literature courses dealing with gender. She has served on a
number of committees, including the Tenure, Retention, and Promotion Committee, Graduate Committee, and President’s Advisory Committee on Women.
Her hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed. Around the time she graduated from
Michigan, she won an award for an article she published. At UND, she earned
a Spirit Award. She also garnered a Fulbright Research Award that took her to
Bulgaria.
Dixon said she’s seen a number of changes since she’s been at UND. Most
have been external to her department, she said. For instance, the idea that a
university should be integral part of a business system and students should be
seen as consumers is a big change. “It changes the relationship between students
and professors because being a consumer and being a student are two different
things,” she explained.
On the other hand, she still enjoys teaching and has a lot of good students.
“Their youthful energy is quite enjoyable to be around,” Dixon said.
She’s also very proud of her department and its rigorous standards and curriculum. She enjoys her colleagues as well. “It’s been a great department to work
in,” she said. “It’s been a really good place to be.”
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
APRIL: Construction work proceeds on the addition to Abbott Hall. Providing over
33,000 square feet of new space for laboratories and offices, the addition was
opened for use with the fall 1992 semester.
Technology has changed her job, too. “It really has been a revolution,” she
said.
Dixon uses Blackboard quite a bit. She added that being able to email and
Skype with others has aided her research a great deal. Technology also allows
students to have information at their fingertips. They can come up with sources
and answers to questions in seconds, as well as access to ebooks. She sometimes
sees the little devices getting in the way — for her and for her students — but
through the years, students have become more responsible with technology,
Dixon said.
In her free time, Dixon used to cross-country ski, though she doesn’t think
she’ll be doing much of that this winter. However, she does bicycle to school
every day. She also works out at the YMCA and buys a lot of food at Amazing
Grains, where she sometimes volunteers. Dixon is a member of the Sierra Club
and is active at United Church of Christ in Grand Forks, where she was a deacon
for a while. Dixon also co-parents two daughters, Olivia and Whitney Longie.
SALLY DOCKTER
Assistant Director and Head of Public Services,
Chester Fritz Library
Sally Dockter has seen a lot of changes at the Chester Fritz Library since she
first came to work there 25 years ago. There have been changes in staffing and
even bigger changes in technology, but perhaps no change is bigger than the
upcoming remodeling project the library will undergo. The remodel will change
a lot about the library collections, services, and spaces, Dockter said. She’s
hoping that means more space for students and student
services and smaller spaces for collections.
Born in Grand Forks, Dockter said her family
members are farmers in Manvel, N.D. After graduating
from high school, Dockter attended the University of
North Dakota, where she earned undergraduate degrees
in anthropology and history. She worked at UND’s
Archaeological Research Station in Belfield, N.D.,
during the oil rush days of the 1980s.
After getting married, Dockter moved to Minot,
N.D., her husband’s hometown. She went to Minot State
and earned a teaching certification for secondary education. She also started taking some library classes and really liked them.
“I said, ‘If I don’t get a teaching job right away, I’m going to library school,’”
she recalled. “So that’s where I ended up, at Indiana University in Bloomington,
Indiana.” There she earned a degree in library science, specializing in academic
libraries.
Dockter took a job at the North Dakota State Library in Bismarck. A
year later, in 1991, she came to UND and started as a reference bibliographer
librarian at the Chester Fritz Library. A couple of years later, she became head of
the branch libraries.
“At that time, we had six branch libraries on campus,” she explained. “ As
library resources moved to the online environment, the need for branch libraries
diminished so today we only have three: the EERC, geology and music libraries.”
Soon Dockter was also named assistant head of reference. When the head of
reference retired about eight years ago, Dockter was chosen to fill the vacancy
and has held the position ever since. But recently she was named assistant
director and head of public services. Higher education is experiencing significant changes in how they do business, as technology, finance and pedagogy
require new ways of doing things. Academic libraries are not immune.
Along with helping to guide library services to meet the needs of campus
into the future, her responsibilities also include overseeing traditional circulation services and interlibrary loan, branch libraries and supervising the reference
staff. Sally has served on a number of state and national committees. She also
served as president of the North Dakota Library Association in 2000.
It’s clear that Dockter truly enjoys her job and appreciates the opportunities
she’s had for advancement in her career. And she loves that she’s been able to
work in North Dakota, which will always have a big space in her heart.
“I’ve always felt privileged to get up in the morning and go to work at
Chester Fritz Library,” she said.
In her free time, Dockter enjoys quilting and spending time with her family.
Her husband, Stan, attended UND and has been involved in real estate and pip-
133RD ANNIVERSARY
efitting. They have three children: Michael, Tyler, and Sara. Michael works as a
financial analyst in Minneapolis, where he lives with his wife, Katie. Tyler works
for a tech support company in Grand Forks, and Sara is a nursing student.
KELLY FOX
Research Specialist, Energy & Environmental Research Center
Kelly Fox really found his place when he came to UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center 25 years ago. He said he really enjoys the people with
whom he works and appreciates the diversity of his work. Every day is different.
Fox grew up in Grand Forks. He graduated from Red River High School
before going on to the technical school in East Grand Forks where he studied
welding and blueprint reading.
Fox actually worked in Facilities at UND for more than three years, beginning in 1981. He came back to UND in April 1991 when he took a position as
a pilot plant operator at the EERC. Now he serves as a research specialist. His
main responsibilities are to build, operate, and maintain research equipment. He
does a lot of high-pressure stainless steel pipe welding. He used to do a lot of fuel
prep work, too, but that has changed through the years.
In his job, Fox has had opportunities for continued learning. He has earned a
number of welding certifications.
In his free time, Fox enjoys hunting, fishing, and spending time with his
grandchildren. He has three grown children and two grandchildren. His son,
Scott, earned a biology degree at UND and lives in Grand Forks. His daughter
Sarah earned a degree in physical therapy at UND and lives in Minneapolis. His
daughter Elizabeth attended UND for a year before moving on to the technical
college in East Grand Forks. She lives in Grand Forks.
PAGE 37
ROBERT HODEK
Drafting Technician, Facilities
Robert Hodek has some very vivid memories of the 1997 flood. He was on
campus much of the time, helping where he could.
“I didn’t miss many days,” he recalled.
Among the tasks he did was hauling gas for the pumps that were pumping
water out of some of the buildings. He said it was pretty creepy driving around
campus in the dark with water that came up to the box of the pickup he was in.
“At Hughes Fine Arts, we were driving across the lawn to get to the generators to keep the electrical systems running,” he said.
Hodek also had an unexpected tenant at his cubicle during the flood. “A
couple of nights, I think President Baker actually slept at my work station,”
Hodek said. “He had a sleeping bag at my workstation. No one told me either,
and I came bopping up in the morning, and there is the president sitting in his
sweatpants in my chair by my workstation. That was a little weird.”
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
LEROY HELMOSKI
LeRoy Helmoski truly understands the meaning of the saying, “Honesty is
the best policy.” He really made a difference putting those words to work one day
while doing his job at the University of North Dakota.
“I found $100 one time, and I turned it in,” he said. “A student had lost it,
and he was grateful that someone found it and turned it in. That was the last
$100 he had from his mom and dad.” The grateful young man insisted on giving
Helmoski $10, and he has never forgotten that.
A native of Grand Forks, Helmoski graduated from Central High School and
went to the University of Minnesota-Crookston. A hard-working man, Helmoski
held three jobs for a while. He worked for the Italian Moon for a few years,
cleaned his church, and took a part-time position at UND 25 years ago. He also
worked for a cleaning company for a while.
Helmoski started in Dining Services at UND in 1990. He worked part time
in the Catering Department and put supplies away. In time, he got a job at Plant
Services, now Facilities. Though the name of his department has changed, he’s
in the same position, doing custodial work. He is responsible for the first floor
of Nursing and the ground floor and first floor at Robertson-Sayre. Among
his responsibilities is the everyday cleaning. During breaks in the school year,
Helmoski tries to catch up on waxing and the extra dusting he can’t always get to
regularly. He also cleans carpets when needed.
Throughout his time at Facilities, Helmoski has worked nights, from 11 p.m.
to 7 a.m. Sunday night through Friday morning. Every other weekend, you can
find him at his part-time job at Valley 4000 in Dining Services. He’s been with
Valley 4000 for 15 years.
Among the reasons Helmoski has stayed at UND for 25 years are the benefits. He said he especially appreciates the insurance.
And while Helmoski appreciates the University, the University also appreciates him. He’s received several letters from teachers saying they are grateful for
the work he does in their buildings.
In his free time, Helmoski is active at Bethel Lutheran Church, where he’s
a member of the men’s group. He also loves spending time with his family. His
wife, Cindy, works at Culver’s. They have two daughters, ages 21 and 17. The
oldest daughter, MaryRose, works in Housekeeping at Choice Fitness. The
youngest daughter, Terri Jean, will graduate from Central High School in June.
She is involved in many activities, including speech, debate, and band.
FEBRUARY: Scott Guldseth goes up for two against Northern Colorado. The 199091 season was the most successful one in UND men’s basketball history, with
a 29-4 record and an appearance in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament.
Guldseth is still UND’s scoring leader with 2,190 points, and the only UND player to
score 400 or more points in four consecutive seasons. Team captain Dave Vonesh
is second in scoring, with 2,053 points, and the rebounding leader, with 1,207.
PAGE 38
FOUNDERS DAY
When the water went down, Hodek and others in Facilities had to draw up
maps detailing how far the water went and what buildings it went in. The whole
experience is among the most memorable of Hodek’s 25-year career at the University of North Dakota.
Originally from Brocket, N.D., Hodek went to North Dakota State College of
Science in Wahpeton. He worked at a variety of places before coming to UND.
He worked construction, was employed with Boeing, where he was tasked with
rewiring missile silos, and worked for Concrete Inc. for a couple of years. But
when the work became more sporadic, Hodek decided he needed something
more stable and looked at UND.
He began working at UND in April 1991 as a drafting technician with
Facilities, a position he’s held ever since. Among his responsibilities are creating
drawings for in-house remodeling projects; maintaining utility maps for campus;
creating one-line drawings for buildings that are sent to people who need floor
plans of campus buildings; keeping records of buildings, such as drawings and
specifications from when they were built; and doing utility locating when construction is occurring on campus.
When Hodek started his career at UND, Clifford Hall was just being finished.
He said the University went through a lot of budget cuts for a while before the
flood, and no new buildings were constructed for a while.
“But in the last 10 years, it’s been crazy,” he said. “It’s just been building after
building.”
Hodek said the variety of work he does keeps his job really interesting. He
also appreciates the benefits UND offers. “And I really like the people I work
with,” he said. “There’s some really good people there.”
Hodek has served the larger community as well. He was a Boy Scout leader
when his son was younger, and he served on the Circle of Friends Humane
Society Executive Board for six years. He’s also a member of the Northern Cruz
Club. Right now, he has a 1968 Cougar he’s working on. He had an old Mustang
before then. He said he goes to a lot of car shows, particularly in July and August.
He also attends a lot of events at Thompson High School. He and his wife,
Lori, a registered nurse, have one son, Thomas, a junior at Thompson High
School. Thomas is involved in band, choir, plays, and speech.
WENDELIN HUME
Associate Professor of Criminal Justice
When Wendelin Hume finished her Ph.D. in criminal justice, she knew the
kind of job she wanted. She wanted to find a place where she could teach and do
research. “That really narrows down the field,” she said.
She also wanted to be closer to her Canadian hometown and to live where
there are four seasons. When she met some of her colleagues and the students
at the University of North Dakota, that really sealed
the deal. She said she found that most students at the
University value education and are willing to work hard.
“That’s the kind of students I wanted,” Hume said. “So
that was a good fit when I got to talk to some students
during my interview, too.”
Hume grew up in northwestern Ontario on the
Naotkamegwanning Reserve. During her junior year of
high school, she moved with her family to Wyoming.
After she graduated from high school, she married and
started a family of her own. When her husband got
hurt, Hume had to support her family. Knowing she
couldn’t do that with just a high school education, Hume decided to go back to
school. She earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and psychology and a minor
in computer programming at Black Hills State University in Spearfish, S.D.
Hume also worked in the field of criminal justice in Spearfish to support
her family while she was going to school. She said she saw things in the field she
thought should change, but even though she’d make suggestions, her comments
were ignored. Hume asked her college advisor why this was happening, and her
advisor told her she needed to have advanced degrees if she wanted her ideas
heard. Hume followed her advice and decided to continue her education. At the
time, criminal justice was a new discipline area and there were few schools that
offered it. Hume went to Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas, and
earned a master’s degree and Ph.D. in criminal justice.
Hume came to UND in the fall of 1991 as an assistant professor. Through the
years, she was promoted to associate professor.
Soon after she started, Hume spent several years doing administrative work.
She served as chair and director. “When I was hired, it was a criminal justice
degree, but it was within the Sociology Department,” she explained. “And then
a few years later, we were able to become our own department. From the beginning, I was chair, and I stayed chair for over a decade.”
At the same time, Hume became director of the Women Studies Program, a
position she held for nearly a decade. “I’ve been happy and quite involved, and
hopefully made an impact on a lot of lives along the way,” she said.
Hume is still in the Department of Criminal Justice and continues as an
affiliate faculty member with what is now Women and Gender Studies, but she’s
now more focused on teaching. Over time, Hume and her colleagues developed
a Ph.D. program in Criminal Justice, so they cover everything from freshmen
to doctoral students. Hume does a lot of research as well. She has a wide range
of interests, but her focus is around victimization issues. She also serves as the
internship coordinator for their program.
Hume’s hard work and dedication to her students and the University have
been recognized. She earned the UND Spirit Award and the Martin Luther King
Award for Service to Humanity. In addition, her department recently was nominated at the Stone Soup Luncheon for its involvement in the community through
the internship program.
Initially, the Criminal Justice Department had just two faculty members.
Through the years, that number has grown to five. But one thing has remained
the same: the strength of the department, Hume said. She said the faculty
members have always formed a good, cohesive work group and that the students
make it fun to come to work every day.
Across campus and in the community, Hume is particularly involved in
activities that help empower girls and women. She was a troop leader with the
Girl Scouts and served on the group’s Board of Directors. She has served in a
variety of administrative roles on boards in the community and helps as she can
with research she’s done. She has been involved with the ATHENA Leadership
Award in Grand Forks and was even once a nominee for the award. She’s been on
Chamber of Commerce committees dealing with everything from handicapped
accessibility to looking for ways to encourage young college graduates to stay in
the community. She also has served on many UND committees, including the
University Senate, where she was vice president and president.
In her free time, Hume enjoys gardening and tending to her animals on
her ranch. She lives out in the country and has horses and a couple sheep and
chickens.
Hume said her family has been very supportive through the years. They
all still live in the area. She and her husband, Bill, have been married 35 years.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
DECEMBER: Shouts, laughter and all kinds of activities filled the bottom floor of Bek
Hall, which was then the home of the University Children’s Center.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
Though he was disabled at a young age, Bill makes beautiful jewelry. The Humes
have three children and two grandchildren. Their son James works in construction and welding and has two children, Makayla and Kearsty. Their daughter,
Sherina, works on web pages. Their youngest son, Billy, serves as foreman on the
ranch and works for the federal postal service. Both James and Sherina graduated from UND.
JONEEN IVERSON
Desktop Support Specialist,
Center for Instructional and Learning Technologies
The University of North Dakota has been part of Joneen Iverson’s life for a
long time.
“I’ve been on the campus in one way or another since 1981,” she said. “Time
goes really fast.”
A native of Langdon, N.D., Iverson earned three degrees at UND. She earned
an associate’s degree before going on to her bachelor’s degree and master’s degree
in business education.
After Iverson earned her associate’s degree, she worked at the Rehab Hospital
as an assistant follow-up coordinator from 1983 to 1985. Then she was hired as
an administrative secretary in the College for Human Resources Development
(HRD) Dean’s Office, where she worked as a receptionist and maintained student records.
Iverson served as an instructor at Aaker’s Business College. She was at Aaker’s for five years, teaching
everything from keyboarding to records management
and office procedures. While working at Aaker’s,
Iverson still found time to finish her master’s degree and
work part time for HRD.
In 1991, Iverson came back to UND to a full-time
position as an administrative assistant in the HRD
Dean’s Office. When the college closed in 1996, she
moved to the College of Education and Human Development (EHD), where she served as the technology coordinator. She now resides
with the Center for Instructional and Learning Technologies (CILT) where
she continues to work as technology coordinator for EHD as well as has other
responsibilities for the University as a whole. Among her responsibilities are
offering desktop support for faculty/staff; working on web pages for the college;
and setting up a new inventory management system for CILT and other areas on
campus.
From 1997 to 2010, Iverson also resumed her teaching career. She taught
business courses at the Grand Forks Air Force Base through Park University and
Lake Region State College.
“I usually taught two nights a week out there,” she said, adding that it was fun
to interact with students and be able to keep up with the latest trends.
Through the years, Iverson has seen a lot of changes at UND. Among the
biggest for her was the major remodeling and expansion project for the Education Building. She was responsible for moving all of the computers out of the
building prior to the remodel and then moving them back in after the project
was done.
Iverson has served the larger campus community as well. She was a member
of the Staff Senate for eight years and served as secretary and president for the
organization. She said she appreciated that opportunity because she was able to
meet a variety of people she wouldn’t have otherwise met.
In her free time, Iverson enjoys spending summer weekends at the lake and
geocaching. She also is taking a beginning quilting class.
PAGE 39
in Thief River Falls, Minn., and then moved to Grand
Forks and finished her Bachelor of Accountancy degree
at UND.
After graduation, Johnson started working with
the state auditor’s office when they had their offices at
Babcock Hall at UND. When the Grand Forks office
closed, Johnson got a job with the Internal Audit
Department at the University. She was there just a brief
time before coming to the Energy & Environmental
Research Center in 1991. Her first position at the
EERC was as an accountant. Now she’s the principal
accountant and financial services manager. Among her
responsibilities are managing the procurement, travel, and accounting area at the
EERC.
“I have truly enjoyed working here,” Johnson said. “This has been a wonderful place to work. It’s like a business within the University.”
In her free time, Johnson loves spending time with family. She also likes to
golf, hike, and do other outdoor activities.
Johnson has three grown children. Her daughter Katrina is a UND graduate
who lives in the Grand Forks area with husband, Matt Strasner. Katrina and Matt
have three children: Sylvia, Britton, and Theo. Johnson’s son, McCain, attended
UND and finished his degree at Bemidji State. He lives and works in Minneapolis. He and his wife, Becki, have one son, Hendrix. Johnson’s daughter Brittany graduated from UND and spent a semester in Australia as part of UND’s
international exchange program. Brittany resides in Chicago.
MOHAMMAD KHAVANIN
Professor of Mathematics
Though Mohammad Khavanin was born in Iran, he’s really found his niche
at the University of North Dakota and in the Grand Forks community. He enjoys
the people with whom he works in the Math Department and appreciates that
everyone gets along so well. And at this point in his life, he’s lived in Grand Forks
longer than anywhere else.
“It’s my hometown,” he said with a smile.
Khavanin came to United States in 1975 to further his education. He earned
a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and master’s degree in applied mathematics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. He finished his Ph.D.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
DEBORAH JOHNSON
Manager, Energy & Environmental Research Center
Debby Johnson has been at the University of North Dakota ever since she
graduated from here in 1988 — and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I feel like I’ve been so fortunate to go from being a student here to being on
campus my entire work life,” she said. “It’s a great place to be.”
Originally from New Salem, N.D., Johnson started college after she had her
three children. She spent the first two years at Northland Community College
JUNE: “Fort Edna” saw only a brief existence. The installation of a paving stone
plaza outside the northeast entrance to Twamley Hall was accompanied with the
construction of this large flower planter. However, the concept looked better on
paper than in reality, and the planter was soon removed. Its informal name derived
from the presence of the Edna Twamley Room in Twamley Hall.
PAGE 40
at the University of Texas at Arlington. He also served
as a graduate teaching assistant in college.
After finishing his education, Khavanin got a job
as an assistant professor in the Math Department at
UND in 1986. But in 1989, he and three other faculty
members were unhappy with their salaries and asked
the dean for raises. When they were turned down, all
four resigned. Khavanin went to teach at a university
in Maryland. The decision to leave UND was a difficult
one.
“I made lots of friends in Grand Forks, and I liked
my department very much,” Khavanin said. Though it
was hard to leave, he knew he had to make a living and be able to support his
growing family. But he made sure his reasons for leaving were clear. He wrote a
letter to the department chairman saying he liked the city, UND, and his department and that he had already made a lot of friends, but he couldn’t stay at UND
because of the salary.
Khavanin kept in contact with his Grand Forks friends and let a former
coworker know he wasn’t happy in his new job in Maryland. Khavanin got a
call from the coworker, who said there was an opening again, and UND would
be able to offer a better salary. Two years had gone by since Khavanin had left
UND, but he was coming to Grand Forks to visit friends during the Christmas
holidays. His coworker said they could schedule an interview to coincide with
his visit, if Khavanin was interested. He was.
“So, anyway, I came back in 1991,” Khavanin said. This time Khavanin was
an associate professor in the Math Department. He was later promoted to full
professor.
During his time at UND, Khavanin has taught a number of undergraduate
and graduate classes and advised graduate students. He also has been active in
research involving differential and partial differential equations. In addition, he
has served on a variety of committees for the University, the College of Arts and
Sciences, and the Math Department.
Khavanin also has garnered a number of awards and honors. He and a colleague earned an Eisenhower grant to help high school math teachers to improve
their instruction in discrete mathematics and mathematical modeling. “We did
that for two years,” Khavanin said.
About five years ago, the Engineering, Education, and Math departments
received a National Science Foundation grant. Khavanin has also been nominated for awards for his teaching.
“This is the job that I love to do, educating students,” he said. He particularly
enjoys seeing his students go on to be successful in their careers. “That’s my life,
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
FOUNDERS DAY
you know. The only time I don’t think of my students is when I’m asleep.”
In his free time, Khavanin enjoys several hobbies, including gardening,
woodworking, and bird watching. He also is very proud of his family. His wife,
Farah Rahnama, is a math instructor at Northland Technical College in East
Grand Forks. They have three children. The oldest two were born in Texas, and
youngest was born in Maryland. They all graduated from Grand Forks Central
high school and now live in Minneapolis. Their daughter, Darya, attended UND
for one year and finished her degree at the University of Minnesota. Their son,
Behrang, earned a degree in biology at UND and got his master’s degree at
the University of Minnesota. He and his wife, Kiley, have a son named Nima.
Khavanin’s youngest son, Roozbeh, earned a degree in mechanical engineering
at UND.
TIMOTHY KUJAWA
Research Specialist, Energy & Environmental Research Center
Tim Kujawa has been involved in a number of different projects at the
Energy & Environmental Research Center. But after 25 years, he’s been at the
EERC long enough to see some of the projects he worked on as a new employee
come back to the forefront again.
“Things are coming back around through again,”
he said.
Originally from Crookston, Minn., Kujawa worked
at a Grand Forks plumbing business for about eight
years and earned his journeyman’s license. He came to
the EERC in 1990 when a position opened up.
Kujawa said his job has evolved through the years.
When he started with the EERC, he was a pilot plant
operator. Now he’s a research specialist.
“I’m a little more hands-on with design and stuff
now,” he said.
When EERC engineers get an idea and want to know how to apply the idea
with plumbing, safety, and other issues, that’s where Kujawa comes in.
“The area I’m in now is high-pressure stuff, so it’s a little more meticulous,”
he said.
Working for the EERC, Kujawa said he appreciates that every day is different
for him. Sometimes he’s out doing fieldwork. At other times he’s in the office. He
also appreciates the benefits.
Over the years, Kujawa has seen a lot of changes at the EERC, including
changes in technology. He also has seen a lot of people come and go, but one
thing has remained constant. He really enjoys the people with whom he works.
In his free time, Kujawa enjoys hunting, fishing, and other outdoors activities. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two children. Both of his
children attended UND.
BONNIE LANZ
Administrative Clerk, Bismarck Center for Family Medicine
People may take for granted these days that they have computers on their
desks, but when Bonnie Lanz started working for the University of North Dakota
25 years ago, there might have been one computer per department.
A native of Bismarck, N.D., Lanz graduated from the University of Mary
in Bismarck in 1978 with a degree in accounting/finance. She now works in
Insurance/Billing/Coding at the Center for Family Medicine in Bismarck. Her
responsibilities include insurance billing and coding, processing payables, and
doing some purchasing.
In December 2006, Lanz became a certified professional coder.
In her free time, Lanz enjoys cooking, quilting, and knitting. She and her
husband, Terry, have three children and two grandchildren.
ANNETTE LARSON
SEPTEMBER: A picture-perfect day for football brought thousands of fans to
Memorial Stadium for the annual Potato Bowl game. UND defeated South Dakota
State 36-10 en route to a 7-2 season.
Physician Assistant, Health and Wellness
When talking with Annette Larson, it’s quickly obvious that she has loved
working at the University of North Dakota for the last 25 years. She loved
133RD ANNIVERSARY
teaching Physician Assistant students at the School of
Medicine and Health Sciences for 21 years and now for
the last four years loved caring for and teaching students
about their health at the Student Health Center.
“I have been given so many opportunities that I
never dreamed of, working at UND,” Larson said. One
of the things she’s most proud of developed out of
her work relationship with the PA program’s director,
Maryann Laxen, who had a relationship with the
Haitian Health Foundation in Jeremie, Haiti. Laxen
started taking PA students there on her arrival in 1999.
Larson soon started going with her, and in October
2004 she was awarded a developmental leave, spending six months in Jeremie
caring for pregnant women and children with malnutrition.
“That experience was one of the highlights of my life,” Larson said. She’s been
back to Haiti several times and will likely continue going back after she retires.
Originally from Wildrose, N.D., Larson went to Minot State University and
earned a nursing degree in 1974. She moved to Fargo and worked as a nurse
for four years before starting the Family Nurse Practitioner/Physician Assistant
Program at UND. It was the beginning years of those professions, and UND was
one of few programs in the country that offered dual certification. The program
required all applicants be experienced registered nurses. Their mission was to
take nurses, educate them with a primary care curriculum, and place them in
rural areas for their clinical experience with hopes they would remain there
to assist in solving the growing shortage of primary care providers, Larson
explained.
Larson was accepted into the program in January 1978, obtaining a Rural
Health Grant to get her clinical education in Harvey, N.D. “There I received the
learning of a lifetime,” she said. “It was an amazing experience.”
Larson went on to start a primary care clinic in Mandan with Dr. Boyd
Addy and later worked with Dr. Curt Juhala, plastic/reconstructive surgeon in
Bismarck, before accepting a teaching position at the UND FNP/PA program in
July 1991.
At that time, the mean age of the class of 80 was 40 years old, and approximately 20 to 25 states were represented in the classroom. “They were an amazing
group of students,” Larson said.
As the NP/PA professions evolved, changes occurred academically. In 1992,
all of the NP programs moved to Colleges of Nursing. PA programs were housed
in medical schools or departments of health sciences. The UND NP component
was moved to the College of Nursing, and the PA program stayed at the medical
school. Larson stayed with the PA program.
In 2004, another change was on the way as the PA program moved from
a certificate to a master’s program. Larson was instrumental in changing the
curriculum to an entry-level master’s degree, meeting requirements both of
the Physician Assistant Education Association and the UND Graduate School,
plus implementing online courses as the program’s mission did not change.
Prior to this work she needed a master’s degree and obtained one through correspondence from the Finch University of Health Sciences/Chicago Medical
School (now Rosalind University) in 2000. Students continued to receive their
clinical experience in rural areas and now had access to the Internet to complete course requirements. Another movement occurred around 2005. Other
health science professionals were asking why only a nursing background was
a perquisite to UND’s PA program; why wasn’t the program broadening their
pool of applicants? The program listened and in summer of 2006 introduced a
pilot plan admitting half a class of nurses and the other half with health science
backgrounds (respiratory therapists, medical technologists, dieticians, etc.). They
proved themselves, which led to a class with a variety of health care professionals
including nurses.
By 2011, Larson was thinking it was time for someone younger with more
energy and computer skills to take her place. A chance meeting with Dr. Mark
Christenson from Student Health led to an opportunity of taking a position
there as a clinician. She has now been with Student Health for four years. Her
responsibilities include taking care of student’s primary care health needs and
providing education. For many of them, a trip to Student Health is the first time
they’ve accessed health care on their own.
“I do a lot of one-on-one health education,” Larson said. And she loves it:
“I feel very fortunate that all I had to do was walk a little bit south on campus to
change jobs and stay at UND. It’s been a wonderful ride.”
PAGE 41
Larson was named a Distinguished Fellow with the American Academy of
PAs and also honored as Educator of the Year from the North Dakota Academy
of Physician Assistants by her peers. In her free time, she enjoys spending time
with her friends, her family, including her nieces and nephews and their growing
families; decorating her home, and traveling. She prides herself in visiting every
state in the Union except South Carolina. She’ll go there in her retirement!
LOREN LIEPOLD
Technical Director, Department of Theatre Arts
In the 25 years he’s been with the UND Theatre Arts Department, Loren
Liepold has been involved with some memorable shows. One that sticks in his
mind is “Tartuffe,” a show set in the 1700s. What made UND’s production particularly unique was that Liepold mixed the classic show
with music from the Rolling Stones that fit the piece.
“It was fun and different,” he said.
Another memorable show was “Cabaret,” because
it really had an impact on the community. By 1993
standards, the show was quite risqué. “The community
was pretty split by the show,” Liepold recalled. But it
got a community dialogue going, and that was good, he
added.
Originally from Heron Lake, Minn., Liepold earned
a Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre from Southwest
State University in Marshall, Minn. It was there he met
his wife and got married. She was finishing her degree in Mankato, Minn., so he
went there for a couple of years. The couple eventually ended up in Rochester,
Minn., where Liepold worked in theatre.
Liepold was drawn to UND after his mother-in-law sent him an ad that said
UND was looking for a technical director. Liepold sent his résumé but didn’t
hear anything for a while. As luck would have it, on his son’s birthday, Liepold
got a call asking him to come to UND for an interview. He got the job.
“My wife and I figured we’d be here four or five years and then move on,” he
remembered. “But Grand Forks has been a wonderful community for raising
a family, so we stayed. We love the town. We’re both kind of imbedded in the
town. It feels like home.”
Liepold was hired as the Theatre Arts Department’s technical director in the
fall of 1990. It’s been a position he’s held ever since. The job, however, has two
parts: technical director and sound designer.
“As technical director, if you go see a show, anything you see on the stage, I
didn’t design it, but I designed how it got there, how it gets built. Then I execute
the design,” he explained.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
JUNE: UND’s Theatre Arts Department presented “Bell, Book and Candle” as part of
its summer schedule. Other productions included “The Mystery of Irma Vep” and
“Musical Comedy Murders of 1940.”
PAGE 42
FOUNDERS DAY
One of Liepold’s favorite parts of the job is working with students. He works
with 40 to 100 students a semester. “The kids are fantastic,” he said. “They have
this drive and curiosity, and it’s wonderful.”
As one might imagine, technology has changed Liepold’s job through the
years. Sound, for instance, was once all done with reel to reels and cassettes and
old mixing boards. To create a complex sound, they’d use three, four, or five
devices — with everything coordinated exactly. If anything was off even a little,
the sound wouldn’t be right. In 1997, the Theatre Department did its first digital
show. They still treated sound like they were using a cassette deck, Liepold said,
but it was on a computer. Today he can put sound anywhere in a room. For one
show, he put cricket sounds under the audience.
Liepold has won some awards and has served on various committees
over the years. He was a member of the Staff Senate and served as president for
two years. “One of my favorite things was giving the U-Shine Award, because I’d
be able to get out and meet the building service techs, who are — in my heart —
the greatest thing in the world.”
He also was a charter member of the North Dakota State Staff Senates. “We
have an advisor on the state board of higher ed because of all the work that we
did,” Liepold said.
Through the years, Liepold has assisted with numerous UND and Grand
Forks events. He has been active with Founders Day and with UND’s 125th
anniversary celebration as a member of the Historic Preservation Committee. He
has worked with the Soaring Eagle Prairie Garden for a number of years and is
serving as chair on the UND Loss Control Committee. In addition, he’s gathered
information on his department.
“I am the ad hoc historian of the Theatre Department. We can directly trace
our lineage back to 1910,” he said. “That’s been fun through the years.”
In his free time, Liepold does photography and writing, mostly for his own
enjoyment. He also collects cameras and cabinet radios. He and his wife are
potters and are members of the Muddy Waters Clay Center. In addition, Liepold
is active at St. Michael’s Catholic Church.
Liepold’s wife, Lynn, is a music minister at United Lutheran. They have three
children. Mark lives in Minneapolis, where he’s finishing his MBA. Bonnie is a
Head Start teacher in Wisconsin and is planning a summer wedding with her
fiancé, Brandon Friese. The Liepolds’ youngest son, Chris, attends the University
of Chicago.
PATRICK LUBER
Patrick Luber has earned two prestigious North Dakota fellowships
during his 25 years with the University of North Dakota’s Department of Art
and Design. In the mid-2000s, Luber received the North Dakota Humanities
Council’s Larry Remele Fellowship to study the cultural context of View-Master®
Stereographs from the 1940s and 1950s, which he also collects in his spare time.
Luber also garnered a North Dakota Council on the Arts Individual Artists Fellowship. In the early 1990s he served as project director
for the national SOS! Project (Save Outdoor Sculpture)
in North Dakota, a nationwide program sponsored by
the Smithsonian Institution.
But Luber hasn’t always been from North Dakota.
His roots were in Illinois where he grew up on a farm
near Pocahontas and graduated from high school
in Greenville. He started college at Southern Illinois
University-Edwardsville and then transferred to
Greenville College where he graduated with a bachelor’s
degree in art.
Luber went on to graduate school at the University
of New Mexico in Albuquerque. He earned a Master of Arts and Master of Fine
Arts, with an emphasis in sculpture in both degree programs.
Through the years, Luber has had a number of jobs. In college, he delivered
furniture. When he went to graduate school, he served as a graduate teaching
assistant. After graduate school, he held a variety of jobs, including working as
a professional handyman in Albuquerque while looking for a teaching position.
He also continued working as an artist and exhibiting his work in professionally
juried and invitational exhibitions.
It took about three years for Luber to find a teaching job, which wasn’t bad
considering that teaching jobs, particularly in the arts, were hard to come by. His
first teaching job was a one-year, half-time contract at UND in 1990. In the fall
of 1991, Luber started his full-time tenur-track position. Over time, he moved
up through the ranks to full professor. Among his responsibilities are teaching
sculpture classes, research, and service. In the service vein, he currently serves as
his department’s graduate program director.
He also has served on many committees over the years, including a couple of
tours on the University Graduate Committee.
“It was a lot of work, but I have to admit, but it was a really good experience,”
he said. “I learned a lot about graduate education and graduate programs, not
only in my own department, but across UND.”
In the early 2000s, Luber also served as department chair for about a year
and a half.
Through the years, Luber has had a lot of research accomplishments. Since
graduate school he has remained professionally active, showing his artwork in
over 130 group exhibitions and over 30 solo exhibitions in the United States
and Canada. In 1999 he received NEA funding to support a one-month long
artist-in-residence program at Ragdale in Lake Forest, Ill. He also has presented
a number of conference papers on the intersection between art, popular culture,
and religion. One of his recent accomplishments began in January 2016 as he is
currently serving as artist-in-residence for four months at the Henry Luce III
Center for Arts and Religion in Washington, D.C.
In his free time, Luber enjoys reading and building or rebuilding furniture.
He also is active in his church. Luber loves spending time with his wife, Jennifer
Nelson, who is a lecturer in UND’s Department of Art and Design.
JOHN NORDLIE
Research Assistant, John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences
While John Nordlie’s official title may be faculty research assistant, his actual
job involves a number of departments and a variety of projects. He mainly works
for the Aerospace Network, but he serves as an instructor for Computer Science
and has worked with Atmospheric Science and Engineering, as well as with
unmanned aerial vehicle projects.
“I wear a lot of hats,” he said. “I love the range and the breadth, and always
having a wide range of problems to work with. It never gets dull or routine.
That’s why I love this job.”
Originally from Grand Forks, Nordlie graduated from UND with undergraduate degrees in computer science and geography and a master’s degree in
space studies. He’s currently working on a PhD in scientific computing in his
spare time.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
MAY: Things had come a long way in how students could make residence hall
rooms into their own special places. TV sets, stereo gear and small refrigerators
were normal items, but personal computers were still relatively uncommon.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
Back in the 1980s, Nordlie’s first job at UND was working for his father,
Robert, who was a Chester Fritz Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology.
“I was a dishwasher back then and an assistant,” he said.
Most of his career has been spent at UND, except for one summer when he
worked as a programmer in Sioux Falls, S.D., and a 14-month stint as a microcomputer administrator for Grand Forks City Hall. Nordlie’s first full-time job at
UND was in the early 1990s. He worked in the Imaging Lab in Space Studies for
Dr. Chuck Wood. Nordlie wrote programs, did data analysis, worked with Dr.
Wood on a couple of papers, and assisted students with image processing.
In 1994, Nordlie heard the Regional Weather Information Center needed a
web designer. “And I’ve been working out at Aerospace ever since,” he said.
Through the years, Nordlie has been involved in a number of interesting
projects. He’s worked with Computer Science in a research capacity with solarpowered balloons. He’s also worked with Space Studies in their High Altitude
Balloon projects.
“In fact, one of the other professors and I started that in 1998 out of our own
pockets,” he said. “That was a neat project.”
Working with Aviation, Nordlie was the first pilot of an unmanned aerial
vehicle at UND. He had experience flying model planes, was a ham radio
operator, and had a computer science degree, so the opportunity fit him at the
time, even though he’s not a pilot. He still works with UAVs, but instead of flying
them, he is involved with payload integration and communications.
While at UND, Nordlie has served on a variety of committees and received a
number of awards of appreciation from Aerospace.
In his free time, Nordlie enjoys target shooting and is involved in competitions. He also enjoys computers, and flying and building model airplanes.
Nordlie’s father passed away last spring, but his mother still lives in Grand
Forks. Nordlie also has a sister in Grand Forks and another sister in Bismarck.
LINDA OLSON
Serials Control Specialist, Chester Fritz Library
Linda May Olson has seen a lot of changes at the Chester Fritz Library
during her 25-year career there.
“It’s been interesting over the 25-year span to see the transitions between the
university presidents and the trends in higher education,” she said. “It’s been long
enough to kind of see where it’s going.”
After growing up in Grand Forks, Olson came to
the University of North Dakota as a student, but before
she finished her degree, she started working full time in
management, including a five-year stint at a bookstore.
She ended up back at Grand Forks and finished her
degree in psychology with a minor in therapeutic recreation. In August 2013, she also earned a master’s degree
in counseling with a specialization in rehabilitation.
Olson earned her master’s degree while also working
at the University. She initially started working at UND’s
Plant Services on the weekends. After three months, she
began working full time. That was 25 years ago.
“Actually, this (the Chester Fritz Library) was my building, so I know every
nook and cranny,” she said.
Six months after she initially began working for UND at Plant Services,
Olson took a job with the Chester Fritz Library in the Documents, Patents and
Trademarks, and Periodicals Department. “My expertise here is working with
serials,” she said.
Through the years, Olson has seen a number of changes at the library, from
organizational structure to technology. Her job has evolved from training and
supervision and managing serials to now transitioning from print to online. In
serials, the focus went from obtaining everything they could to online only.
“It’s interesting to be part of that,” she said.
According to Olson, one of the best things about her job was working with
students. She tried to help them make connections from what they were learning
at the library to what they were learning in class.
“It was exciting to try to be able to support their career paths,” she said. She
also still hears from former students with whom she used to work. “My students
have done very well. I’m always excited to see them come back.”
PAGE 43
In talking with Olson, it’s clear she’s proud to be from North Dakota and of
the talents of those who are associated with the University. She said she is very
excited about the future of UND.
JENNY QI SUN
Chemist, Energy & Environmental Research Center
Jenny Qi Sun remembers that when she came to the University of North
Dakota 25 years ago, the place where the new Ralph Engelstad Arena now sits
used to be an empty space where UND employees could rent spots to grow
vegetables during the summer. Now the old hockey arena is gone, replaced by
the new training facility.
“Many facilities have been built since I worked here,” Sun said.
Originally from Beijing, China, Sun earned a Bachelor of Science degree in
China in 1982 and worked as a high school chemistry teacher for six years before
coming to the United States. She finished her master’s
degree in analytical chemistry at South Dakota State
University in 1990.
Sun works at the Energy & Environmental Research
Center as a research analytical chemist, a position she’s
held for 25 years. She provides analytical service for
many in-house research projects at the EERC, including
coal-fired power plant emissions control. She has
authored and co-authored a number of research papers.
Among Sun’s many memories at UND, the 1997
flood rises to the top. She said she experienced how
a community — the University and the city of Grand
Forks — fought such a tremendous disaster. Sun lent a hand as a volunteer
during the flood.
In her free time, Sun enjoys gardening, quilting, classical music, and reading.
Her son was born and raised in Grand Forks and graduated from Red River
High School in 2010. During his senior year of high school, he worked in the
Chemistry Department on nano-technology. UND provided a rare opportunity
for local high school students to be involved in science research, Sun said. Her
son graduated from Harvard in 2014 and now lives in California.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
OCTOBER: Ellen Auyong (right) discusses the facilities of the jewelry and
metalsmithing lab during an open house held by the Visual Arts Department for
prospective students. Auyong initiated the jewelry program at UND in 1974. She
retired from the faculty in 1999 and passed away in 2008.
PAGE 44
FOUNDERS DAY
JILL TETERS
Program Coordinator, TRIO Programs
Growing up, Jill Teters always wanted to work in an office. That wish has
come true during her 25 years at the University of North Dakota.
Teters was born in North Dakota but grew up in California. After graduating
from high school with honors, she went on to Ohlone College in California,
where she earned an Associate of Arts degree in word
processing.
Teters is very close to her family, so when her
parents moved back to North Dakota in 1988 because
of some health issues her father was having, she moved
back, too. One of her mother’s friends worked at UND
and encouraged Teters to apply there. Teters applied to
be part of the clerical pool and had her first interview
in 1989. In 1990, she was hired as an administrative
secretary I in the Social Work Department. Teters spent
10 months there and moved on to an administrative
secretary II position in University College.
“I loved that department,” she said. “I ended up being there about nine years.”
During those nine years, Teters saw a number of changes. The dean retired,
the department went through restructuring, and the name changed a few times.
Now it’s the Student Success Center.
In 2000, Teters decided she was ready for another change. On Nov. 20, she
moved on to the TRIO Programs. She initially worked as an administrative
assistant for the McNair Program under TRIO. It was another step up in her
career, but another one was soon on the way. Since 1991, Teters had been taking
classes at UND, one class at a time. In December 2002, she earned a bachelor’s
degree in sociology. In early 2003, she was promoted to program coordinator in
the McNair Program, the same position she currently holds.
The McNair Program is a federal TRIO program funded by the U.S. Department of Education. It is designed to prepare undergraduate students for doctoral
studies through involvement in research and other scholarly activities. McNair
participants are either first-generation college students with financial need, or
members of a group that is traditionally underrepresented in graduate education
and have demonstrated strong academic potential. Teters helps them with the
graduate school application process, designing research posters, and often served
as a stabilizing influence and source of information while attending national
conferences with groups of students.
“Every day is different,” she said. “I do a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff. We
just do whatever we need to do to help the students get into graduate school and
to succeed and get their Ph.D.”
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
AUGUST: Where does wool come from? A spinning wheel, an ewe and its lamb
told the story for these participants in a “College for Kids” class presented through
the Division of Continuing Education.
Teters said she loves working with students. At University College, she was
working with thousands of freshmen. With McNair, she serves 28 students a
year.
“So it’s a small group,” she said. “We get to know them well.”
While she finds working with the students rewarding, she earned another
reward in 2011: the Meritorious Service Award.
Away from work, Teters and her husband are lifetime members of the
Antique Automobile Club of America. She likes to take road trips and cruise
vacations. She also likes baseball.
“My dream is to see all the ballparks,” she said.
Teters also enjoys spending time with family. Teters’ husband, Larry,
attended UND. He is self-employed, selling automotive body shop supplies.
JANE THORVILSON
Financial Aid Assistant, Student Affairs and Admissions,
As faculty and staff at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences prepare
to move to the new building when it’s completed, Jane
Thorvilson has been busy scanning student files that
will now be stored electronically. The new facility won’t
have storage space for lots of paper files, but Thorvilson
remembers when that’s all there was. When she first
started at the med school, she even did loan applications
on a typewriter and used carbon paper to make copies.
“Now that’s all electronic,” she said.
A native of Johnstown, N.D., Thorvilson graduated
from Midway Public School. She went on to earn an
associate’s degree from the AVTI in East Grand Forks
in the secretarial program. She worked at Robertson
Lumber in Grand Forks for four years before coming
to the University of North Dakota Oct. 3, 1990. She was hired at UND’s Central
Receiving, where she worked as a clerk. In that position, she kept track of
invoices and receiving reports. She contacted UND departments to make sure
everything they had ordered had been received. She also called vendors when
there were problems. She sent UND Accounting the invoices and receiving
reports for payment.
Thorvilson began working at the med school Oct. 11, 1991. Though she’s
basically in the same position as when she started, her title has changed. She
started as an administrative secretary, and now she’s a financial aid assistant.
She is the last of the original office staff, as they have all since retired. The office
consisted of six employees back when she started and now has grown to eight.
Her main responsibility is reviewing and processing financial aid information.
She also answers phone, responds to student requests, and provides assistance to
her supervisor.
“We’re getting ready for the move to the new building, so that’s kind of
exciting,” she said.
Through the years, Thorvilson has enjoyed her job at UND — even when
things haven’t gone quite right. She remembers one time when she and a supervisor had a meeting at Gamble Hall on a really snowy day. Thorvilson said they
were drenched with wet snow when they got there — only to find the meeting
had been cancelled.
“That was kind of funny. We still laugh about that. What a sight we must
have been!” she said. “It was one of those really wet snows.”
In her free time, Thorvilson scrapbooks and makes greeting cards using
rubber stamps. She also enjoys cross-stitching and belongs to a hobby group that
meets monthly to visit and work on their hobby of choice. Thorvilson and her
family also enjoy geocaching.
“It takes you to new places,” she said. “It’s adventurous, exciting, and fun.”
Thorvilson and her husband, Chad, live near Gilby, N.D., not far from where
she grew up. Chad is a self-employed carpenter. They have two children. Their
son, Ryan, 19, graduated from Midway. He went on to Northland Technical
College and graduated as a carpenter. For now, he works for his grandparents’
garbage business and sometimes helps his father out. The Thorvilsons’ daughter,
Jamie, 15, is a ninth-grade student at Midway. She is involved in volleyball and
basketball, so the Thorvilsons’ spend a lot of time traveling to support her in her
sporting activities.
133RD ANNIVERSARY
WANDA WEBER
Photographer, Information Resources,
Not many people can say they work in the same building they were born in,
but Wanda Weber can — at least for a little while longer. But the photographer
for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences is excited about the new building
going up at the corner of Columbia Road and Gateway Drive.
“It’s going to be an awesome building,” she said.
A native of Larimore, N.D., Weber joined the Marine Corps after graduating
from high school and served for two years. “I wanted to be a photographer, so I
went into the Corps,” she explained.
A back problem caused her to go on disability for a while, but Weber kept
moving forward. She went to UND and earned a degree
in journalism and photo communications in 1983.
As a student, Weber had a work-study job in
the same place she is now. At that time, it was called
Biomedical Communications. “I knew I wanted to work
there,” she said. “I loved what I did as a work study. I
really wanted to be there.”
But when no position opened up as she graduated,
Weber went another direction. She first served as a
VISTA volunteer.
“I worked for two years with Options in East Grand
Forks at the Center for Independent Living, helping
people with disabilities become independent,” she said. “I was a program developer.”
When that position reached its conclusion, Weber found another opportunity. She knew the photographer at Biomedical Communications, and he needed
a lab technician. She took the part-time position, starting in July 1990. After
three months, the photographer left, and Weber filled in. She applied to permanently take the position and was hired in January 1991.
Though she’s in the same position now, her duties have evolved. “They’ve
changed a lot because of technology,” she said.
Now she uses digital cameras and “dry labs” — labs with no chemicals.
“There was a time when I mixed chemicals every day for film processing and
print development,” she recalled.
And a lot of what she once did for doctors out of textbooks can now be
found online, she said.
Weber’s job these days involves a lot of public relations work for the med
school. The development of the new building has been keeping her especially
busy. She also covers various events at the med school and takes portraits of
medical students, PTs, OTs, faculty, and staff.
Weber’s hard work and dedication to the University haven’t gone unrecognized. She earned a Meritorious Service Award in 1997. She also was previously
named the Outstanding Disabled Citizen for the city of Grand Forks.
One of Weber’s fondest memories of her 25 years at UND occurred in 2005:
the med school’s centennial. She traveled all around the state with a backdrop
she made of an old doctor’s office at the Myra Museum. People could have
their picture taken in front of it. She said she enjoyed meeting so many people,
especially alumni.
Weber has served UND and the greater community in other ways as well.
She was a charter member of the Staff Senate. She also served on a governor’s
committee for people with disabilities and a governor’s council for ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) when that was passed.
In her free time, Weber enjoys nature photography as well as spending time
with her siblings and her nieces and nephews.
PAGE 45
woods as people of that era might have. “It’s a great way
to get away for weekends and live another life,” Wilson
explained.
She also is into archery and is a black powder rifle
shooter. Through her re-enactment hobby, Wilson has
learned to weave as well.
The club does the re-enacting for fun, but people
can come and watch. Boy Scout troops sometimes camp
with them for the weekend to learn the history, Wilson
said.
Wilson is originally from the Fargo area. She
graduated from West Fargo High School and then got
married and started a family. When her daughter got older, Wilson decided to
further her education and went to what is now Northland Community College
to update her skills and learn more about computers.
At the time, the community college and UND worked together to place
interns at UND. Wilson started her career at UND as a month-long intern at the
Alumni Association in August 1990. “I must have done a good job because after
that they hired me,” she said with a laugh.
She initially was in the secretarial pool. She did a lot of transcribing of letters,
phone calls, and filing. But she made good use of her opportunities to learn the
business. Through the years, Wilson worked in a variety of departments within
the Alumni Association. She worked with the events team doing event registration, helped in the Finance Department, and lent a hand wherever else she was
needed.
“So I learned a little bit about each one of our departments,” she said. “It was
a great way to get in here and figure out what I wanted to do within the organization.”
Wilson credits Earl Strinden and Tim O’Keefe with helping her in her career.
Strinden served as a teacher for her. O’Keefe gave her opportunities and always
believed in her.
“It always seems like I was in the right place at the right time,” Wilson said.
Over time, Wilson worked through the Development areas. Her current
position is senior Development gift coordinator. The biggest part of her job is
supporting the major gift officers in their programs of work, whether that be
keeping them on top of their tasks or planning their schedules, and talking with
donors and helping them close gifts. “It’s a job I truly love,” Wilson said.
One of the things she really loves about the job is that it is different every
day. Though it can be challenging at times, it’s always interesting, she said. And
Wilson feels a very personal connection to what she does. She said she wasn’t
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
DEB WILSON
Senior Development Gift Coordinator,
UND Alumni Association and Foundation
Have you ever wondered what it was like to live in the area nearly 200 years
ago? Ask Deb Wilson. She can tell you. She can even show you.
Wilson is a historical re-enactor with a club based in Bemidji, Minn. They
re-enact the time period from 1820 to 1840. They camp and live out in the
FEBRUARY: Television Center Director Barry Brode (center) gives directions during
a rehearsal for a Studio One broadcast. The Television Center then had its studio and
facilities in the lower level of Sayre and Robertson Halls.
PAGE 46
FOUNDERS DAY
able to go to college because she didn’t have the money. Back then, there weren’t
the programs available that there are today to help students afford an education.
“I always say that my goal here with the Alumni Association and Foundation is to provide a scholarship for every kid who wants one. Now, I probably
won’t make that by the time I retire, but we have made a dent in that goal in the
last 25 years,” she said. “That’s my favorite thing to do, to work with people on
developing scholarships for students because education is so important, but it’s
very expensive.”
For her tremendous efforts, Wilson has earned a couple of awards through
the Alumni Association. One was the Eagle Award. “It’s a really nice way to be
recognized by your co-workers,” she said.
Wilson also helped with the difficult nickname issue. She and a couple of her
co-workers spent about six weeks fielding phone calls from people who needed
help voting on the issue. “It was hard,” she said.
Wilson and the others on that team earned an Achievement Award for their
work. But the awards aren’t why she stayed at UND for 25 years. She said she
truly enjoys her work and appreciates the opportunities she’s had. She’s taken a
few classes at UND through the years, and now her daughter is a UND student.
“I’ve enjoyed my time here. It’s such an interesting workplace,” Wilson said.
“I never thought about it, 25 years ago, that I’d still be here.”
Wilson and her husband, Steve, have been married for 25 years. Steve is
now retired. They have one daughter, Sara Anderson, and one grandson, Sean
Bankston.
Bill Larson and Cunningham furniture/decorating companies. She did drapery
alterations for J.C. Penney.
Zidon moved to Crookston, Minn., when her husband took a job with
Crystal Sugar. She started working at UND in July 1990 and has been in the
same place and the same position ever since. She works at the Grand Forks
Human Nutrition Lab, where she is a dietary research technician.
“I’m very lucky to work with some fabulous people,” she said. “We get to see
what the scientists are working on and assist them as support staff.”
Though her position hasn’t changed, the studies she’s helped with have.
When she first started at the nutrition lab, they were studying trace minerals.
These days the studies are focusing on obesity and exercise.
Along with biking and helping with tax preparation in her free time, Zidon
also enjoys quilting, fishing, and photography. Since she and her family moved
back to Grand Forks in 1998, she has enjoyed biking and taking pictures along
the Greenway.
She also is very proud of her family. Zidon’s husband, Steve, retired from
Crystal Sugar. They have two sons. Andy and his wife, Sandy, work for Kiewit
Construction in Omaha, Neb. Kelly lives in Cottage Grove, Minn., with his wife,
Lauren. Kelly is an electrical engineer for Foth, a professional service consulting
firm in Minneapolis. They have one son, Will, and are expecting their second
child.
DORIS ZIDON
Chief Executive Officer, UND Alumni Association and Foundation
Dietary Research Technician, Human Nutrition Research Center
Doris Zidon has no problem keeping busy in her free time. For the last 11
years, she’s been a tax preparer for AARP Tax-aide program.
“It’s very fun,” she said. “I really like that.”
But she also enjoys the great outdoors — especially
the view from her bicycle. She’s done a number of longdistance rides, including CANDISC, which runs for
more than 400 miles in western North Dakota.
“That’s kind of my passion,” she said.
Zidon grew up south of Minot, N.D. She went to
North Dakota State University and earned a bachelor’s
degree in home economics education. She taught home
economics for five years at Minto High School.
When she and her family moved to Grand Forks,
Zidon had a drapery business, completing orders from
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
NOVEMBER: The Computer Center was located in the lower floor of Upson II, and
data storage was done on large tape units.
DEANNA CARLSON ZINK
DeAnna Carlson Zink’s job may be asking for money to continue improving
the University of North Dakota, but she’s shown her deep commitment by
investing her own money as well. She and her husband, Wayne, started an
endowment for a scholarship student out of Bank and Finance two years ago.
“That has been really rewarding, to meet our scholarship students,” she said.
“It really shows us every time we meet with every one of them why we do this,
because they are just outstanding young people.”
Carlson Zink’s ties to the UND go back a long way. She grew up on small
farm outside of Angus, Minn., and went to Warren High School. She went
to Concordia College in Moorhead for a year before
coming to UND to finish her degree in business management with a minor in communications.
In 1986, Carlson Zink started working at the
Alumni Association and Foundation as a student. She
was hired there before she even graduated, working in
Special Events. She moved on to Annual Giving and
then Affinity Fundraising, overseeing annual giving and
events. Her next stop involved working on a variety of
campaigns, such as the Thank You Tom Campaign and
the 21st Century Campaign.
In 2001, Carlson Zink was tasked with starting the
Alumni Relations Department to oversee events, publications, media, Internet,
and marketing design. After a couple of years, she moved back into fundraising.
She was the chief development officer and worked on the North Dakota Spirit
Campaign. This campaign had a $300 million goal, but they raised even more —
$324 million from 2005 to 2013.
Since January 2014, Carlson Zink has been the UND Alumni Association
and Foundation’s CEO. She examines ways to bring in more money for student
scholarships, faculty endowments, new programs, new buildings, and new lab
space. She said she really enjoys making connections between alumni, friends,
and corporations and showing the impact made by investing in UND.
“I say I’ve got the best job because you get to hear all the alumni stories
and hear their memories. When you talk to somebody who hasn’t been back
to campus for 40 years and when you start talking about their memories, it’s
like they’re back there today. It’s wonderful to see the tears of excitement when
they’re making these significant gifts and giving back,” she said. “Then we come
back to campus, and we get to see the students and hear their stories and see
those scholarships and those endowed faculty positions getting used. So we’re
at that pivotal point where we get to see all the good that philanthropy is doing
for individuals themselves and then seeing what a difference it’s making here on
campus.
“I believe that it’s very important that every person who wants that oppor-
133RD ANNIVERSARY
tunity for a college degree has that opportunity, and that’s why what we do is so
important.”
While with the Alumni Association, Carlson Zink has seen a number of
changes. When she first started, the entire Alumni Association was housed in the
J. Lloyd Stone Alumni Center. By 1989, they had outgrown the facility and were
housed in four different buildings. The Alumni Association staff wasn’t all back
together in one building until they moved to the Gorecki Alumni Center, which
opened in 2012.
But one thing hasn’t changed over time. Carlson Zink said they’ve always had
a great team. She said she enjoys coming to work every day with other people
who are as passionate about UND as she is.
“It’s like a family,” she said. “I’m very proud of our team and what they’ve
been able to accomplish and what they do on a day-to-day basis.”
Through the years, Carlson Zink has been active in the chamber and
PAGE 47
chamber leadership. She also served on the school board in Grand Forks. She is
active in her church and in the greater UND community. She and her husband
are season ticket holders for football, hockey, and men’s and women’s basketball.
They also attend many of the music events on campus.
Carlson Zink’s husband, Wayne, is vice president of finance and business
development at Edgewood in Grand Forks. They have five children and five
grandchildren. Their daughter Kinzey and her husband, Terry Doggett, live in
the Omaha, Neb., area with their four children, Keegan, Braydon, Hunter, and
Jadyn. The Zinks’ daughter Karissa and her husband, Oliver Burr, both graduated from UND with two degrees. They also live in the Omaha area and have
one son, Elliott. The Zinks’ son, Kody Larter lives in Grand Forks. The Zinks’
youngest daughters, Alissa and Emily, are both currently attending UND.
25 YEARS AGO: 1991
OCTOBER: At this time, none of these buildings in the Aerospace Sciences complex had their present names. The newly completed Earth Systems Science Building would be
dedicated as Thomas Clifford Hall in 1992. The original buildings of what was then called the Center for Aerospace Sciences, CAS I and CAS II, would be dedicated in 1998
as John Odegard Hall and Bryce Streibel Hall, respectively. The Aerospace Training and Research Center, or ATRC, would be named Thomas Ryan Hall in 1996. Yet to be
constructed were the Rural Technology Center (1996, later renamed the Norm Skalicky Tech Incubator) and the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center (2004). The concrete pad west
of the ATRC would eventually become the site of the North Dakota University System Information Technologies Building (2013) and the Hilton Garden Inn (2002). That pad was
once the site of the Plywood Dakota business; its building was dismantled and reassembled on campus as the main facility of UND Transportation.
PAGE 48
February 22-26, 2016
This week, University of North Dakota students and alumni are
celebrating University of North Dakota Spirit Week,
which honors the generosity of our alumni
and friends who make UND great.
Spirit Week is a time to celebrate
those who make UND great.
Together, we’re showing our
appreciation for UND’s spirit of
philanthropy. Earlier this week,
as part of National Student
Engagement and Philanthropy
month, students showed
their spirit by participating in
UND trivia and philanthropic
conversations. They also took part
in writing “thank you” notes to firsttime investors who have supported
them.
The benefits of philanthropy are found all around
campus, from structures like the Chester Fritz Library and Ralph
Engelstad Arena to numerous resources for enriching student
learning and hundreds of scholarship programs.
Tonight’s Founders Day banquet offers the opportunity to honor
those who created the UND of today, where an innovative, creative,
and entrepreneurial spirit prepares graduates to become
tomorrow’s leaders in North Dakota and beyond.
FOUNDERS DAY

Program - University of North Dakota

Transcription

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