the related document. - University of North Dakota

University of North Dakota — Grand Forks
www.und.edu
Spring 2001
The UND-Canada Connection
History prof latest link in century-old chain
Eight years ago, a young
Winnipeg, Manitoba,
historian found his
credentials and academic
interests to be a perfect
match for the needs and
goals of the University of
North Dakota. Despite its
location only 70 miles
south of the border, UND
found itself lacking both
faculty expertise in and
courses on Canadian
history.
“I had phenomenal history
teachers as an undergraduate,” Mochoruk recalled.
“They made it exciting — as
interpretation, not just
memorization. I wanted to
be just like them.”
To him, teaching is “a little
like performance art. There
is an incredible satisfaction in
making an impression — to
help students think critically
about their own backgrounds, seeing history as not
just a thing of the past.”
The job description for the
position in 1993 “was
written as if someone had
read my curriculum vitae,”
recalled James Mochoruk,
associate professor of
history. “UND wanted the
very things I had
academically.”
Today he is one of 32
Canadian citizens who hold
faculty status at UND.
That’s often most evident in
the introductory classes, in
which many of the 80 to 90
students are enrolled by
requirement.
Dr. James Mochoruk, associate professor of history, is the latest in a long history of links
between UND and its northern neighbors. In fact, Canadians have played a role in the
development of the University since its earliest days. George Walsh, who in 1883 introduced the
legislation in the Territorial Assembly that created UND, hailed from Quebec. Two of the first
five UND regents were born in Canada, E.A. Healy in Ontario and Charles Teel in Quebec. The
first faculty member, Henry Montgomery, was originally from Ontario. More recently, the now
retired beloved and long time dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Bernard O’Kelly, was
born in Manitoba. Walsh, Montgomery and O’Kelly have buildings named after them at UND.
Mochoruk had been a
lecturer at the Universities
of Winnipeg and Manitoba
for more than seven years.
He had done more than a
decade of research and
publishing in Canadian studies and had
developed a strong background in the
history of the British Empire and
Commonwealth. It didn’t hurt that he
also had additional background in U.S.
history.
“The department also wanted someone
who could help students utilize research
resources in Canadian studies,”
Mochoruk explained. The physical
proximity to Winnipeg — his home of
birth as well as education — was
another mutual benefit for the professor
and the University.
“Half of my research is conducted out
of Winnipeg resources,” he said. “To
be within a tankful of gas of your
research base is a luxury.” Family roots
just add to that geographical plus.
Before 1993, UND’s Department of
History had just a one-semester course
on Canada, offered only sporadically.
Mochoruk has been expanding the
number and range of Canadian courses,
including the Prairie West, Quebec, and
the more general political, social,
economic and labor history of Canada.
He teaches comparative courses in
Canadian and U.S. history at both the
undergraduate and graduate levels, a
two-course series on the British
Empire/Commonwealth, and graduate
historiography. He is developing even
more courses in Canadian history, most
notably one in native history.
Mochoruk has also expanded his
interest and expertise in various areas of
American history. He teaches the
American survey course almost every
semester, and his graduate teaching
load has expanded under the title of
North American studies encompassing
both Canadian and U.S. history. He
also supervises master’s degree students
and doctoral students with their
research and thesis/dissertation work.
Along with his energy, Mochoruk
exudes an infectious love and fervor for
teaching history. It’s reflected in his oftused phrase, “incredibly rewarding.”
Students also thought his work should
be rewarded. Their testimonials, along
with recommendations from fellow
faculty, earned Mochoruk one of three
coveted, campus-wide awards for
outstanding teaching in 1998.
This enthusiasm comes historically, so to
speak. He began his undergraduate
studies in political science at the
University of Winnipeg but changed to
history (he received his advanced
degrees at the University of Manitoba).
“By the end of the semester,
most of the students
obviously have become
interested because they feel I
have made it their history,”
Mochoruk said. “They’ve
come to see how it’s about
their lives. It’s incredibly
rewarding to see students
think in ideological
perspectives about their own
times.”
What he most wants students to learn
from his teaching (he prefers “guiding”)
is never to take anything at face value
in their studies and in whatever they
read, hear and experience in life. He
calls it “the spirit of critical thinking.”
Mochoruk finds great satisfaction in
student feedback. Comments on
examination papers (“you taught me”),
subsequent enrollments in non-required
courses, e-mails of thanks, and requests
for reading recommendations are “the
kind of things that carry you through a
bad week,” Mochoruk related. “They
are the best feelings you can get.”
Friendly people, campus visit, program attract Canadian student
Three things convinced
Jacqueline DuBois to leave the
University of Manitoba in
Winnipeg to become one of
155 Canadian students at the
University of North Dakota.
The first was a weeklong visit to
UND. “I spent my sophomore
spring break here. I went to
classes with my friend, ate in
the dining center...I was so
impressed.” She also was
impressed with UND’s staff. “I found people were
extraordinarily helpful. People did absolutely
everything they could to make my (transition) here
successful.” The third was UND’s communication
program. “One thing that attracted me to the School
of Communication is that you’re not restricted to taking
classes in your major.” And, she said, there are the
extracurricular activities, such as working on the
student newspaper, the Dakota Student. The
Vancouver, B.C., native will graduate in December with
a degree in communication. A photojournalist who
“loves to write,” DuBois sees herself based in New
York and traveling to Europe on assignment. “I’m
definitely a city mouse.”
esearchRese
Instructional Technology
archResearc
UND positioned
to educate even
more teachers for
growing nation
Teaching is hot. Why? Two reasons:
▼ The nation’s leaders emphasize
teaching and educational
achievement as crucial for building
economic and social vitality.
▼ The nation’s growing population is
creating a teacher shortage of crisis
proportions. Even in North Dakota,
where the number of school-age
children is expected to decline, many
openings remain unfilled.
That’s a challenge the University of
North Dakota is well-positioned to
meet. UND is building upon a track
record of success: In 1999-2000,
UND graduated 168 new teachers
with bachelor’s degrees, more than
any other institution in North Dakota.
Not that there
aren’t obstacles,
says Dr. Dan Rice,
dean of the
College of
Education and
Human Development. For one,
enrollment in
UND’s educational programs —
especially in its
Dr. Dan Rice
popular
elementary education major —
already is high, and admission is on a
selective, competitive basis.
Moreover, in an era of regional
school consolidations and closings,
finding new sites for the crucial
“student teaching” phase of a
teacher’s preparation is a challenge.
But, Rice says, the teacher shortage
in other states may provide a
solution. UND already has
partnerships for student teaching with
school districts in Minneapolis,
Minn., and in the states of Arizona
and Nevada. More are possible.
In Rice’s scenario, the traffic could be
two-way “with students from North
Dakota spending part of their time in
other states, as well as students from
the teacher shortage states studying at
UND in person or through interactive
television, the Internet and other
means of distance education.”
Rice hopes that the greater flexibility
granted to the State Board of Higher
Education by the Legislature to allow
institutions to manage new tuition
revenue will help fund the costs that
program expansion would require.
hUND
Enrollmebnt
Educators learning art and science
of teaching with new technologies
Until recently, the mention of
the field of “instructional design
and technology” would have
produced mostly puzzled looks.
Only a handful of farsighted
universities had recognized that
departments other than
computer science could utilize
information technology to
expand and even transform the
process of learning.
But one of the pioneer
advocates of this approach
happened to be at the
University of North Dakota —
the late John D. Odegard,
whose vision included the
notion that new methods were
needed to prepare the work
force who would be flying
sophisticated aircraft,
controlling air traffic, and
managing the airports and
companies that make up that
vast industry.
information systems and
industrial technology, or to the
Computer Science Department, which offers bachelor’s
and master’s degrees.
The focus in his program is on
curriculum development and
instruction, Lemon says, as well
as on the generation of new
knowledge regarding the use
and evaluation of
technologically supported
instruction.
Kristin Grimstad, a computer
science instructor at Jamestown
College, is one of about two
dozen graduate students who
have enrolled in the program
since it began in January 2000.
With a degree in education
and considerable experience in
the technology field, she joined
the faculty with the
understanding she would
pursue graduate work. In
addition to teaching, she has
had an involvement in
implementing a Bush
Foundation grant to enhance
instructional technology at the
highly regarded private college
in central North Dakota.
Odegard’s promotion of
technology-assisted instruction
achieved many successes:
Among these are the
AeroSpace Network, which
distributes course work
worldwide via satellite, and,
perhaps most remarkably, the
Kristin Grimstad, a computer instructor at
UND Aerospace Foundation’s
Jamestown College, is one of about two dozen
patented training program for
Grimstad has nearly completed
graduate students who have enrolled in UND’s
international and corporate
her UND course work
instructional design and technology program.
clients. In just a few months,
(examples: “Instructional
this technology-laced “ab
Systems Design and
initio” process converts individuals with no previous
Development,” “Psychological Foundations of Education,”
experience into pilots just a step away from flying a
“Advanced Qualitative Research Methods”). These days she
commercial airliner.
is absorbed with the challenge of researching and writing her
thesis. Her advisor and mentor is psychology professor Mark
Odegard died in 1998, but he would be proud to see that his Grabe, whose department is in the UND College of Arts and
idea of a general university master’s degree in instructional
Sciences. He is a national authority in learning theory and
design and technology has taken root in a collaboration
himself a North Dakota pioneer in advocating the use of
between three UND colleges: Education and Human
learning technology in elementary and secondary schools.
Development, Arts and Sciences, and Aerospace Sciences.
Grimstad’s research looks into the effectiveness of on-line
The program is administered through UND’s Instructional
study tools as a technique for preparing for examinations —
Design and Technology office in the College of Education and an approach that as many as one-third of the teachers in the
Human Services, headed by Dr. Donald Lemon. Two
United States already have adopted. Does the tool result in
degrees are offered: the Master of Education, primarily
higher test scores, she wonders? Will students voluntarily use
intended for those who plan to work in K-12, and the Master
on-line study tools, and will the tools actually work in terms
of Science for students who plan to work in higher education, of long-term learning?
business, government and industry.
Not all graduate students pursue the thesis option, choosing
The focus of the program isn’t so much the technology itself,
instead the independent study option. Persons interested in
but rather the art and science of teaching: how to appromore information on the program, which Lemon says is
priately and effectively integrate technology into instruction
unique in the region of states surrounding North Dakota, can
or, in the case of business, into training. Students interested
reach him by e-mail at [email protected]. or
in other aspects of technology are referred to the College of
find more information about UND at http://www.und.edu.
Business and Public Administration, which offers majors in
Sky’s no limit for Aerospace dean with instructional design degree
UND has educated future teachers
since its founding in 1883. Today it
offers baccalaureate degree programs
in the preparation of early childhood,
elementary, middle level, secondary
and special education teachers.
Where can an advanced degree in instructional design and technology take you?
Rice’s college also represents the
largest part of UND’s graduate
school, last year awarding about 50
percent of UND’s doctoral degrees.
Smith’s predecessor as dean, the late John Odegard, was an accountant by training. Early on, he saw the need to
utilize advanced technology in a higher education setting. One of his ideas has evolved into two UND master’s
degrees in instructional design and technology.
2 ◆ UND Dimensions
Ask Dr. Bruce Smith, dean of UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences. His resume includes a
master’s degree in educational technology from Arizona State and a Ph.D. in instructional design and development
from Florida State. Those degrees, together with his B.S. in mathematics and education from UND, launched him
into his first career in the aerospace industry, and, since last fall, into his current job at the Odegard School.
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
Spring 2001
Engineering
Students build next generation solar car
Sun shines on SubZero3
It’s a race to the future, fueled by the sun and steered
with imagination and hard work.
Students at the University of North Dakota are
working quickly to roll out the third generation of their
solar car for national competition. Named SubZero3,
the vehicle is designed, built and raced by students.
They even do most of the fund raising.
“This is a project driven
by students,” said Scott
Tolbert, assistant
professor of mechanical
engineering and project
advisor. “They’re in
control. That’s what
makes the solar car
project unique.”
There’s more to it than drawing up some plans and
running into the shop. Students design the car using
computers and mockups, write grant proposals, solicit
business and industry for money and supplies,
research fabrication techniques, build the vehicle,
and, finally, race it.
Fund raising seems to be the most difficult part of the
project, Gregorich admits. “We’re typical engineers,”
racing boat hulls now used by Polaris Industries.
State agencies such as the North Dakota Energy Office
contribute financial support. Materials and services
are offered by local retailers like Grand Forks Welding,
Wal-Mart, Auto Paint Products, Inc., and Tony Dorn,
Inc. Two auto dealerships, Eide and Rydell, have
donated vehicles for use at races.
Alumni contacts are crucial as well. Ray Kobe, a
retired Chrysler executive
living in Michigan, and
Jack Nepper, owner of
Design Plastics in Omaha,
Neb., offered financial
support and personal
encouragement as they
worked with team
members at the race sites.
The first “SubZero” car
finished 19th among 36
teams in Sunrayce ‘97, a
1,200-mile trek from
Indianapolis to Colorado
Springs. It was the
highest finish for a firsttime competitor.
In its third incarnation,
the car is being improved
to boost efficiency and
reliability. It must have
the stamina to run a 10day highway race of a
thousand miles, and have
the right balance of
aerodynamic efficiency,
weight, mechanical
systems, and solar and
battery power.
Solar car races are “ten
days of surprises, both
good and bad,” said Dan
Gregorich, team leader.
A senior mechanical
engineering student from
Hibbing, Minn.,
Gregorich has been with the project since he was a
freshman.
The biennial Sunrayce is now the Great American
Solar Challenge. This year’s contestants in the 10-day
race will drive from Chicago to Los Angeles. Top
speed on solar power alone is about 40 miles per
hour; the maximum speed using batteries and solar
power is 57 miles per hour.
Some 30 team members who make up the Society for
Energy Alternatives, or SEA, each spend some 600
hours every academic year on the project. Not all
SEA members are engineering students; there are
majors in such fields as physical therapy, elementary
education, mathematics, physics, computer science,
meteorology, aviation, business, and communication.
Each skill is put to good use.
An important part of this process, Gregorich explains,
is careful examination of all the cars that have
successfully run the 10-day races. Many come from
major schools like MIT, the University of Michigan and
the University of Minnesota; some are multimilliondollar vehicles.
The UND students evaluate different ideas and
components, put them together, and see if they can
build a better car at a lower price — say, for
thousands of dollars instead of millions.
Spring 2001
ABOVE: Mechanical engineering student
Ryan Lakeman, Borup, Minn., lays
fiberglass over a bottom mold of UND’s
solar car. Cirrus Designs, located in
Duluth, Minn., and Grand Forks, donated
the fiberglass and the oven time. BELOW:
UND’s team finished third at the Formula
Sun Grand Prix in Topeka, Kan., in May
2000. Ray Kobe, a 1955 alum (seated in
front of the car), flew in from Detroit to
join the students. He is one of many
alums who have lent time, talent and
money to the project.
he explained. “Asking for money is awkward and hard
the first 10 times. Then people find their niche.”
SubZero couldn’t exist without support from alumni,
industry, state agencies and UND. For example,
Cirrus Designs in Duluth, Minn., has agreed to do all
the milling to build the car’s body: a total of about
400 to 500 hours of machine time. The company,
which has a second location in Grand Forks, also
donates the composite, or fiberglass, which makes up
the body, and the oven time to bake it. Phoenix
Industries of Crookston, Minn., made the body molds.
In exchange, UND students became a research and
development arm for Phoenix, working to design
In 1999, the team
qualified for 10th place
the first day, but rain
seeped into the solar cells
and SubZero2 dropped
nine spots. SubZero3 will
have waterproof covers to
protect the solar cells. Its
body is made of fiberglass
with a Nomex® core,
making it both lightweight
and strong enough to
support the very brittle
solar cells.
The UND team did set a
record for driving on a flat
tire. Because it took 45
minutes to change a tire,
they drove on a flat for
more than 23 miles.
Working in teams, the
students design the car
and test their concepts
with computer models;
build the body, chassis,
suspension and power
system; put them
together; test the car and race it. The experience
means more than the car itself or the race.
“The crews that come out of here maintain their
contacts, probably for life,” Tolbert said. He recalled
the time they called on an alumnus in Minneapolis,
who then took the team out for dinner. “Most of the
students get jobs through this project. Doors open
that may not have otherwise.”
“It’s not important if the team wins or not, though we
strive for that,” Tolbert said. “The effort is what’s
important. This goes beyond anything they’ll learn in
the classroom.”
UND has first accredited corporate engineering degree in U.S.
A UND program that offers more than 200 employees of 30 companies, including such giants as 3M
and Cargill, the opportunity to earn an undergraduate engineering degree while they continue to work
is the first of its kind in the nation to become fully accredited.
It is the Corporate Engineering Degree Program, which utilizes relatively “low-tech methods to offer
education at a distance. Classes are videotaped at UND and sent to the more than 200 students. Tests
are supervised by proctors on site at the respective companies or at local colleges. The students fulfill
laboratory requirements during the summer, and before graduation demonstrate their knowledge
through a major project, or “capstone experience,” related to their specific engineering major.
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
UND Dimensions ◆ 3
Alerus Center
The top scorer in the NCAA
Division I hockey this year, Jeff
Panzer was a finalist for hockey’s
coveted Hobey Baker Award. He
helped lead the Sioux to the
Frozen Four championship game.
UND athletes
score big in the
classrooms, too
For the sixth consecutive semester,
student-athletes at UND have
maintained a grade point average
over 3.0, or “B.” Fall 2000 saw
470 student-athletes averaging a
3.04 GPA. Two hundred ninetytwo athletes (78.9 percent) attained
at least a 3.0 for the fall semester.
There were 54 perfect 4.0s in the
fall, with the football team posting
the highest number with 10. The
highest team GPA went to the
women’s cross country team with a
GPA of 3.60. The averages are
calculated on a 4-point scale, with
4.0 being A.
The Ralph Engelstad Arena (top and above) will be the new home of UND hockey.
Theresa LeCuyer was named the
NCAA Division II player of the
year by the Women’s Basketball
Coaches Association. The team
finished second in the nation.
UND Dimensions
Published by the University of
North Dakota, Charles E.
Kupchella, President, with
assistance from the Office of
University Relations, Box 7144,
Grand Forks, ND 58202. Multiple
mail lists were utilized, so if you
receive more than one copy, please
share it with another friend of
UND. Contents may be reprinted
without prior permission for noncommercial purposes. Contact us
at 701/777-2731, or by e-mail at
[email protected].
edu. UND’s home page is at
http://www.und.edu.
4 ◆ UND Dimensions
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
Spring 2001
Engelstad Arena
The Homes
of the Sioux
Commencement May 13. Already,
concerts such as the Backstreet Boys and
Bill Cosby have added to the growing
entertainment options for students and
others in the region. For more
information, go to http://www.
aleruscenter.com/events.html.
Like anchors north and south of campus,
two large facilities will become “The
Home of the Sioux” this fall.
And UND continues to grow and provide
opportunties with two other
development projects:
The Ralph Engelstad Arena (left and
below) now under construction on the
Bronson Property will be THE finest
collegiate hockey facility in the nation, as
the Grand Forks Herald graphic at the
left illustrates. Benefactor and master
builder Ralph Engelstad has spared no
expense — upwards of $85 million — to
create the best possible ice palace for the
perennial Frozen Four contenders and
the best hockey coach in the nation (in
April the American Hockey Coaches
Association presented UND Coach Dean
Blais the coveted Spencer Penrose
Award). The architects, Schoen
Associates, are turning Engelstad’s vision
into reality in time for the first event in
the new arena, the Hall of Fame Game
Oct. 5. For more information, go to
http://www.ralphengelstadarena.com/.
▼ The University Village, an attractive
and student-friendly entertainment and
shopping district that already includes the
completed Barnes and Noble Bookstore,
and two other facilities under
construction: the Ralph Engelstad Arena
and a clinic to be operated by the
Medical School. Mike Sims, who
represents UND’s private developer,
United Properties of Minneapolis, Minn.,
can be reached at (952) 893-8288.
Just south of UND is the Alerus Center
(below), the home of UND football.
UND will make use of the Alerus Center
for other events, as well, including Spring
▼ The 55-acre University Technology
Park near the aerospace sciences
complex and the Rural Technology
Center. The park already is home to a
National Weather Service facility and a
medical products company. Potential
tenants who believe they might benefit
from close proximity to UND may
contact Bruce Gjovig, director of UND’s
Center for Innovation, at (701) 7773132. CFI’s business incubator in the
Rural Technology Center currently hosts
17 fledgling companies.
Peter Schickele to
receive honorary
degree, perform
concert at Hughes
Fine Arts Center
Peter Schickele, the composer,
musician, author and satirist
internationally known for his success
in popularizing classical music
through his “P.D.Q. Bach”
performances, will receive an
honorary doctorate from UND on
Sunday, May 13. The ceremony will
mark UND’s first commencement in
the new Alerus Center in Grand
Forks.
Three others will join Schickele on
stage to receive honorary degrees:
◆ Dr. Richard Olafson, a graduate
of UND’s two-year medicine
program who went on to complete
his M.D. at the University of
Pennsylvania and became one of
the pioneers who helped establish a
four-year medical school at UND;
The Alerus Center (above and below) will be the new home of UND football.
◆ Patricia Owens, the East Grand
Forks, Minn., native who as mayor
led Grand Forks through the massive
Flood of ‘97;
◆ Entrepreneur Raymond Rude, a
Stanley, N.D., native who founded
Duraflex, the dominant
manufacturer of diving equipment
worldwide.
As part of the weekend celebration,
Schickele will present a concert the
night before at the Campbell Recital
Hall on campus, in support of
UND’s Music Department. He will
perform original songs,
accompanying and occasionally
joining in with friend and fellow
performer, the tenor David Dusing.
Schickele is heard weekly on public
radio and still occasionally performs
as a music professor at the
“University of Southern North
Dakota at Hoople” who supposedly
has “discovered” the lost works of
“P.D.Q. Bach.”
A graduate of Swarthmore College
and the Juilliard School of Music,
Schickele grew up in Fargo, where
he played bassoon in the FargoMoorhead Symphony Orchestra.
He has been on the national scene
since 1965 when the “P.D.Q. Bach”
performances, recordings and books
first appeared. His compositions
include more than 100 works for
symphony orchestras, choral groups,
chamber ensembles, voice, movies
and television.
Spring 2001
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
UND Dimensions ◆ 5
Serving North Dakota
Physician Assistant grads extending medical
services to North Dakota’s rural communities
“I was at a stage in my life
where I wanted to do one
more thing — something just
a little bit different,” recalled
Rose Stahlecker of Oakes,
N.D.
mothers. She also works with
patients who need to go to
larger medical centers for
treatment of such conditions
as heart disease and cancer.
For questions that fall outside
their knowledge base, the PAs
turn to the Nagalas and
several other of the center’s
physicians who specialize in
internal and pulmonary
medicine, endocrinology,
pediatrics and neonatalogy,
and general surgery. They
also consult with visiting
specialists in urology,
orthopedics and cardiology.
Nine years ago, that “one
more thing” was a decision
to enroll in physician
assistant (PA) training through
the UND School of Medicine
and Health Sciences.
A graduate of the former St.
Francis School of Nursing in
Minot, Stahlecker had
worked as a nurse for 20
years. Her three children
had grown up and left home.
Her husband Norm backed
her decision to enter the
intensive, one-year program.
“We are not working without
a physician,” Stahlecker
emphasized. “We need that
physician. But we do have to
make a lot of independent
decisions.”
The Physician Assistant
Program seeks to improve
Rose Stahlecker, a ‘94 graduate of the Physician Assistant (PA) Program of the UND School of
health care services and
The Physician Assistant
Medicine and Health Sciences, examines a patient at the Southeast Medical Center in
access in rural areas by
Program trained her very well
Gwinner, one of eight clinics established by Drs. Rup and Vani Nagala to serve a rural
training nurses to become
to assume these
population of about 20,000 in southeastern North Dakota. All eight mid-level practitioners
“mid-level practitioners” who
responsibilities, Stahlecker
employed by the center are graduates of UND.
provide medical care with
said, and she has
physician guidance and
recommended it to other
supervision. Applicants, who
nurses. Her daughter is an
clinics which provides care for a service area of about
must have at least four years of professional
applicant to the PA Program.
20,000 people in southeastern North Dakota. Based
experience, come from all over the United States and
in Oakes, the Southeast Medical Center staffs clinics in When PAs come into towns where there hasn’t been a
even abroad.
Edgeley, Ellendale, Forman, Gwinner, Hankinson,
physician available, they often encounter people —
LaMoure, Lidgerwood and Oakes with seven PAs and
Once admitted, each student is paired with a
particularly the elderly — with multiple health
a nurse practitioner, all UND alumni. Brenda Reich,
practicing physician who serves as his or her primary
problems: hypertension, heart disease, and diabetes.
teacher, or “preceptor.” Most of the training occurs in who graduated in 1988, was the first from the
Nagalas’ group to go through the PA Program. She
a clinical setting in or near the student’s hometown.
“It’s our challenge to get them straightened around
was joined by Vicki Hack, PA ‚’00; Jeanne Hoistad, PA and to get them in for regular visits so their health can
PA students only come to the UND campus in Grand
‘94; Karen Kaiser, Master of Science in Nursing, ‘97;
Forks for three periods of several weeks during the
become stabilized,” Stahlecker said.
Lori Pfeifer, PA ‘98; and Kathy Siedschlag, PA ‘96.
year, and then for one final two-week session just
Karen McFarland, PA ‘01, also plans to join the group. By training people with deep roots in and long-term
prior to graduation in January.
With this arrangement, students’ ties to their
communities remain intact. In fact, they often are
being trained by physicians who intend to employ
them once training and certification are completed.
Maintaining continuity of practice and retaining
doctors and other health care professionals is a big
problem for rural areas, Stahlecker said. “Physicians
don’t necessarily want to stay,” she explained. “Very
often, however, the PA (student) is already in the
community or willing to settle in rural North Dakota.”
Because she has lived in Oakes for 35 years,
Stahlecker said she was “a known quantity: that
helped me a lot in establishing my practice.” Her two
decades as a nurse at Oakes Community Hospital,
with both clinical and administrative experience,
made her an ideal candidate for Dr. Rup Nagala to
recommend for the PA Program. He has encouraged
others before and after Stahlecker, and employs many
of them.
“I became quite confident in Dr. Nagala’s practice,”
she said, “and I have a lot of confidence in him. He’s
very sharp.” Having “your own teacher who has a
sense of your clinical capabilities” was an important
factor in Stahlecker’s decision to become a PA.
Dr. Rup Nagala’s practice focuses on family medicine,
surgery, sports medicine, and obstetrics. His wife, Dr.
Vani Nagala, specializes in internal medicine and
geriatrics.
The Nagalas have developed a network of satellite
6 ◆ UND Dimensions
“I think our practice has grown,” Stahlecker said.
“People who were in the habit of going elsewhere
now use us for primary care.”
Stahlecker sees patients of all ages. The majority of
her practice is women’s health, including expectant
ties to their communities, the Physician Assistant
Program has had particular success in advancing the
quality of rural health care in North Dakota.
As Stahlecker observed, “People have faith in you.
They know you, and they trust you.”
Chiara String Quartet is music to UND’s ears
A North Dakota university with
its own professional string
quartet? Yes indeed. Since its
premiere in September to
provide music at the dedication
of UND’s new Barnes and Noble
Bookstore, the Chiara String
Quartet has established itself as
the resident ensemble of the
University’s Music Department
and the Greater Grand Forks
Symphony. All four members —
Julie Yoon and Rebecca Fischer,
violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; and
Greg Beaver, cello — are recent
graduates of New York’s
celebrated Juilliard School. Since
their arrival, they have been
teaching UND strings students,
giving frequent concerts for the community, performing with faculty ensembles, and visiting local elementary
and secondary schools. The residency was brokered by the Greater Grand Forks Symphony, a 92-year-old
organization that doubles as the University’s orchestra. More than a third of the symphony’s members are
either UND faculty or students. In a highly competitive process, the symphony won a grant from Chamber
Music America, a service organization that sponsors three-year musical residencies in smaller cities that
demonstrate an environment justifying long-term commitments from serious musicians on the verge of
outstanding international careers.
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
Spring 2001
Serving the World
Two high-level Norwegian officials
are hard at work at the University
of North Dakota, laying the
foundation for a new program to
train air traffic controllers for their
nation.
Arne Holmen and Finn Johannessen
arrived in Grand Forks after the
Norwegian government entered
into a contract with the Aerospace
Foundation and the Air Traffic
Control program of UND’s John D.
Odegard School of Aerospace
Sciences.
40 Norwegian air traffic
controllers land at UND
The intense, rigorous selection
process will choose 40 finalists per
year from more than 1,000
applications. The first group of 20
Norwegian students will arrive in
Grand Forks the first part of May in
time for classes to begin on May
21. The 64-week training program
will be just as intense once they
arrive.
The first 17 weeks will consist of
simulator instrument training,
followed by four weeks of air traffic
control operational study in
Norway and one week of MD-80
simulator flying at the Scandinavian
Airlines Flight Academy at
Stockholm, Sweden.
“We have been enjoying the
freedoms of Grand Forks and the
United States,” said Holmen.
“Jorunn and I feel that this city is
very safe for our four girls. They
are adjusting quite nicely to their
new schools.”
“The people of Grand Forks have
been very friendly,” he added.
“We especially enjoy the freedom
of shopping at stores here. It is
much more convenient to shop
here than in my country. U.S.
citizens enjoy their lifestyle: if you
need it, you just go and get it.”
at a special facility: the “John D.
Odegard International Airport.”
Finn Johannessen, left, and Arne Holmen, two Norwegian officials, are at UND this year
helping to set up a new program to train Norwegian air traffic controllers.
Holmen works for the Norwegian
government and manages the basic air traffic control training. He is the new
director of the Norwegian Project Team for its $3.3 million contract with UND.
Johannessen is a special adviser who will assist in the program, which will train
about 40 Norwegian students each year for the next three years.
At UND these students will train on the new 225o tower-and-radar simulator
acquired recently from Adacel of Montreal, Quebec. Known to be the only one in
the world with this feature, it has the capability to portray 100 movements
simultaneously. The simulator will be programmed to depict Norwegian air space
After a week off, the next 13 weeks
will be spent at UND with a focus
on tower and approach module
training. Then after another four
weeks of air traffic control training
in Norway, the last 14 weeks will
focus on advanced en
route/approach training on the
simulator at UND.
“These students will be highly
qualified when they return home to Norwegian airspace,” said Holmen. “Training
on the tower and radar simulator will enable our students to have a firm grasp on
airspace, procedures and requirements.”
UND’s John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences has the only collegiate
program that follows the FAA Academy’s current training program. The Odegard
School will be able to supplement the FAA’s training needs by having its graduates
“facility ready” when they leave the University. Eighty U.S. students are currently
pursuing careers in air traffic control.
Ukraine economics, finance, aerospace student wants
to learn American system, take ideas back to homeland
Lots of University of North Dakota students study
economics and finance. But not many come from a
country where making money is considered a
disgrace. Oxana Pinyagina hopes to change such
attitudes.
theater and singing. In addition to business and
aerospace courses, she hopes to fit in some
engineering classes. “I’m trying to do everything,” she
explains. “I want to live life to the fullest.”
The American style of curriculum differs from
Ukrainian. In Ukraine, students follow a prescribed
program, 13 classes each semester for a five-year
specialist degree. Students take just one oral exam in
which they must demonstrate an understanding of the
subjects and how the courses are interrelated. In the
United States, courses are more specific and objective,
with more exams and assignments, Pinyagina said.
But she does miss the Ukrainian policy of giving a
stipend to those who study well.
Pinyagina comes from Dniepropretovsk in Ukraine.
Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Ukraine is now a
republic with a population of 51 million. Pinyagina is
at UND as one of 120 Ukrainian students on one-year
scholarships to study in the United States.
“I want to see the U.S. economy and find out what
makes it run successfully,” she said. “I want to bring
new ideas back to my country.”
Along with business and economics, Pinyagina is
taking advantage of the aerospace school. She is
impressed by the program and enjoys contrasting what
she has learned at UND with the Soviet perspective
she was taught in Ukraine. For example, she learned a
different viewpoint in the History of the Space Age
course. But she finds similarities, too: “It’s a great
experience to communicate with another culture as
the nightmare of the Cold War goes away,” she said.
The openness of North Dakota and the University
have been a delight to Pinyagina. UND has a
tranquil, welcoming environment, and she finds the
people to be nice, open-hearted and helpful. But she
has been surprised by the vastness of the plains:
“The broadness frees your soul,” she said. “You can
see so far.” She added about the snow: “I never knew
there were so many shades of white. I didn’t know
one color could be so rich.”
Spring 2001
In Ukraine, Pinyagina works in the State Design
Office, Yuzhnoye, in addition to going to school. The
office, which designs rocket parts and launch vehicles,
is working on a Boeing project to launch rockets from
sea platforms. She spent semester break interning
with the program in California.
Oxana Pinyagina, an economics and finance student
from Ukraine, sports her trademark raccoon coat
and silver fox hat.
Her experiences with UND have been just as rich.
Studying languages is one of her hobbies. She has
taken German and French, and hopes to add Spanish
as well. Pinyagina plays the piano and composes her
own music and poems. She enjoys philosophy,
◆ University of North Dakota ◆
When Pinyagina returns home, she’ll earn her
bachelor’s degree and, after a fifth year, a specialist
degree. With top grades, Pinyagina expects to earn
her master’s degree and then continue working for the
State Design Office, most likely in the division of
international relations. Dniepropretovsk, her hometown of about two million, is emerging as a major
financial, industrial and educational center in Ukraine.
Although Pinyagina has made many friends here, she
does miss hiking with friends, holiday meals, contests
and performances. As much as she enjoys UND, she
said, “My heart is in Ukraine.”
UND Dimensions ◆ 7
Photo courtesy of the Grand Forks Herald
Workers spray barley straw onto the Enviropork lagoon near Larimore, N.D., to help decrease odor emissions. The successful project is just one of many ways in
which UND’s Energy & Environmental Research Center supports economic development activities in North Dakota and, literally, throughout the globe.
A pig by any other name would still smell as sweet,
thanks to Energy & Environmental Research Center
When economic development clashes
with environmental concerns, some say
that there can be no winner. But the
University of North Dakota’s Energy &
Environmental Research Center (EERC)
has demonstrated that it’s possible to
find practical, cost-effective solutions
that enable economic development to
occur while environmental impacts are
addressed.
This was the case when environmental
problems threatened to close the
EnviroPork hog farrowing facility near
Larimore. Leased by the North Dakota
Pig Cooperative (NDPC), a lawsuit was
filed against the cooperative within
months after the facility went into
operation. Some nearby residents
complained about odors and were
concerned about the potential for
groundwater contamination.
The North Dakota Department of
Health ordered EnviroPork to make
improvements or face stiff penalties.
Faced with a potential shutdown, the
cooperative came to the EERC for help.
NDPC joined the Red River Water
Management Consortium, formed by
Office of University Relations
P.O. Box 7144
Grand Forks, ND 58202
Address Service Requested
the EERC in 1996 to develop technical
solutions for industry, municipalities and
other organizations concerned with
water management issues in the Red
River Valley.
Within a month, the Health
Department approved a plan drafted by
Coal Ash Resource Research
Consortium — Developing
environmentally friendly, commercially
viable uses for ash from coal-burning
power plants.
National Alternative Fuels Laboratory
— Demonstrating more efficient and
environmentally friendly transportation
fuels, such as biodiesel fuel from soy
beans and lead-free ethanol fuel for
piston-engine aircraft.
Valuable Products from Agricultural
Waste — Developing methods to
produce ethanol and other value-added
products from waste created by
agricultural processing plants.
the EERC to address EnviroPork’s odor
problems and the groundwater issue.
Using experience gained
while assisting sugar beet processing
plants with odor control, EERC
scientists and engineers supervised the
installation of biofilters to
control odors from a manure storage
Center for Biomass Utilization —
Demonstrating the feasibility of using
agricultural waste products and
municipal solid waste with coal for
cleaner, more economical energy
generation.
Plains Organization for Wind Energy
Resources (POWER) — Provides
technical, logistical, and financial analysis
and assistance in developing and
demonstrating wind energy technologies.
Center for Air Toxic Metals (CATM) —
Focuses on research and develop-ment
to minimize the environmental impacts
of mercury and other air toxic metal
pollutants.
pond and hog barns. Additional wells
were drilled to monitor groundwater
quality.
In December 1999, with odor problems
under control and a process to monitor
groundwater in place, the lawsuit was
settled. EnviroPork remains in
operation with its 5,200 sows producing
more than 100,000 piglets a year.
Also in 1999, EnviroPork was one of
five operations in the United States
recognized by the National Pork
Producers Council and National Hog
Farmer magazine for promoting a strong
environmental and conservation ethic,
receiving the Pork Industry
Environmental Stewards Award.
Through the Red River Water
Management Consortium, the EERC
continues to work in partnership with
NDPC to help the EnviroPork facility
remain in compliance with state odor
regulations and alleviate groundwater
contamination concerns. The EERC is
also assisting the cooperative with
implementing improved odor-control
technologies and developing strategies
to minimize water use at the facility.