Fall 2015
INSIDE: Find out how to vote on UND’s new nickname. P. 16 ®
P. 42
GUITAR MAN
Jeff Huss, ‘81, ‘83, studied law at UND, but his passion for bluegrass music led him to create guitars, not legal briefs. P. 6
Who’s doing what: News about your fellow classmates.
64 In Memoriam
Points of pride on the UND campus.
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Find the Flame: We’ve cleverly hidden the UND flame somewhere on our cover
(hint: it’s not the one in the Alumni Association logo). Find it for a chance to win a prize! Simply e-mail AlumniReview@undalumni.net and give a detailed description of the flame’s location. Subject line: Found the flame. We’ll let you know if you’ve won.
6
20 From Model to MBA to Mom Brianne Osowski, ‘13, is a new mom and rising entrepreneur.
fea tur es
4 Message from DeAnna Times are good.
34 What’s New
News from around campus.
ts ten con
42 Homecoming 2015 Paint the Town Green.
50 UND Proud
CoBPA
24 Alumni Spotlight
2 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
58 Alumni News Randy Hatzenbuhler, ‘85, finds passion in North Dakota’s Wild West past.
inside this issue
ALUMNI REVIEW | VOL. 98 NO. 3 | FALL 2015
departments
CEO DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86
be the impact 52 Enternal Flame Society Reinvented Changes on tap for donor recognition program.
56 Meet a Student
Nick Allen Dokkin is one of many students impacted by the generosity of alumni and friends of UND.
Editor Milo Smith Associate Editor Alyssa Konickson, ’06 Designers Sam Melquist Sophia Lawler Contributing Writers Emily Aasand, ‘14 Laura Arneson Ann Bailey, ’84 David Dodds, ’88 Amy Halvorson, ‘15 Brian Johnson, ’08 Muriel Kingery Alyssa Konickson, ’06 Jameson Olive Juan Miguel Pedraza, ’02 Milo Smith Contributing Photography Jackie Lorentz Shawna Noel Schill, ’06
UND ALUMNI ASSOCIATION & FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Jody Feragen, ’78 Vice Chair Doug Podolak, ’72; Directors: Dean Beckstead, ‘65; Cindy Blikre, ‘91; Steve Burian, ’90, ’92; Marc Chorney, ’81; Kris Compton, ’77; Sara Garland, ‘68, ‘72; Phil Gisi, ‘82; Dr. John Gray, ‘87; Marten Hoekstra, ‘82; Chuck Kluenker; Linda Laskowski, ’72, ’73; Rick Lee, ‘78; Doug Mark, ’86; Rob Mitchell, ‘74; Jennifer Neppel, ’86; Carrie McIntyre Panetta, ’88; Fernanda Philbrick, ’94, ‘96; Cathy Rydell, ’88; Lisa Wheeler, ’75, ’82; and Terri Zimmerman, ’85. Ex Officio: Laura Block, ’81, ’10; Alice Brekke, ’79, ’87; Robert O. Kelley; DeAnna Carlson Zink, ‘86; Tom DiLorenzo; Lori Reesor; Susan Walton and Dr. Joshua Wynne. The University of North Dakota Alumni Review (USPS 018089: ISSN 0895-5409) is published quarterly by the University of North Dakota Alumni Association, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157. Periodical postage paid at Grand Forks, ND 58201 and other offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Alumni Review, 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157, Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157. For inquiries about advertising, additional copies, reprints, submissions, or general comments, contact 800.543.8764, 701.777.0831 or alumnireview@undalumni.net.
www.UNDalumni.org | 3
DEANNA’S
letter
TIMES ARE GOOD
Dear Alumni & Friends,
TIMES ARE GOOD With students back on campus and as we prepare to celebrate the 99th Homecoming, I can’t help but feel a sense of pride in all that is happening at the University of North Dakota. Sometimes we get distracted by emotional issues, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the bigger picture: the excellence that is the University of North Dakota. I know North Dakotans (and western Minnesotans) are genuinely humble and take a back seat to tooting their own horn. We don’t like to brag. But as the head of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, it’s my job to boast about the accomplishments of our students, faculty and alumni. So here are a few points of pride from campus: • The 2014-15 freshman class was the most academically prepared ever, with an average ACT of 23.8 and an average GPA of 3.4. This year’s freshman class is expected to beat those marks. • There are more than $200 million in construction projects on campus right now that are funded by public and private support. One of the newest projects, the Collaborative Energy Complex, just had a groundbreaking in July. You can read the story on page 38. • The Princeton Review recently named the UND online MBA program among the Top 15 in the country. • The UND Alumni Association & Foundation had its secondbest fundraising year ever, bringing in $48.3 million in new gifts and committments during the fiscal year that ended June 30. • Our organization provided $10 million for student scholarships last year. • UND increased its research grants by $10 million to $91 million in the last fiscal year. And the list goes on and on. As we look forward, we have a goal to raise $100 million in new endowments for faculty and student support by 2020! There is so much to be excited about on campus, and we should all be UND Proud!
®
Homecoming
We are planning another spectacular Homecoming for October 5-11. We invite the community to “Paint the Town Green” in order to show their UND spirit. With input from members of the Student Ambassadors, we have a full slate of events planned for students and alumni. Check out the schedule on page 42. Also, go to our website at undalumni. org/homecoming to find the latest on college and program gatherings during Homecoming. If you are back for Homecoming, make sure you stop by your home on campus, the Gorecki Alumni Center. There is a brunch at the Gorecki on Saturday morning (you should RSVP by Sept. 30 on our website), but stop by any time to see your home on campus. Happy Homecoming,
President Kelley Retirement
This summer, President Kelley announced that he will retire in January. It has been a great privilege to work closely with Bob and his wife, Marcia, over the past seven years. Having attended many meetings, social events, and donor visits with the President, I can say that he has always kept the best interests of students at the forefront of everything he does. I will write more about my experiences with Bob and Marcia in the next issue of the Alumni Review, which will include a look back at his time leading our exceptional University. For now, let me just wish them both well as they wrap up their final months on campus.
4 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
DeAnna Carlson Zink, ’86, CFRE UND Alumni Association & Foundation CEO E-mail: deannac@undfoundation.org
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FEATURE GUITAR MAN
story
GUITAR MAN A UND law school grad never spent a day in a law firm; instead Jeff Huss, ’81, ’84, let his love of music steer him into a career as a luthier. By Ann Bailey
6 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
‘The one thing I was passionate about was bluegrass music.’
J
eff Huss is a guitar man from way back. The Staunton, Virginia, resident not only has played the instrument for some 40 years, he also makes and sells them. Huss, who earned a business degree from UND in 1981 and graduated from the UND School of Law in 1984, co-owns Huss & Dalton with his long-time friend Mark Dalton. The company is celebrating its 20th year in business. It’s pretty obvious, given Huss’ degrees, that he followed a circuitous route to becoming a guitar maker. Playing the instrument had long been a hobby — he learned guitar and started collecting bluegrass albums in high school — but Huss never envisioned he would someday be a luthier, a maker of stringed instruments. Instead, after graduating from Century High School in Bismarck in 1976, Huss attended the University of Mary for one year and then transferred to UND in the fall of 1977 where he majored in pre-med. But a low grade on an organic chemistry test made Huss reconsider his choice of a major and he spent the rest of the semester trying to figure out what he wanted to study, he said.
Figuring things out
Because he had decided he no longer wanted to major in pre-med and hadn’t chosen another major, Huss was adrift for the rest of the semester, post-low grade, and spent a lot of time in his dorm room playing on a banjo he purchased at Poplar’s Music store with money he borrowed from his girlfriend Diane Offermann, Huss said. “I sat in my room in Walsh Hall with towels stuffed into the resonator, so it wouldn’t be so loud,” he said. During the next few years at UND, Huss took business classes, but still didn’t have firm career plans. “It seemed like a useful degree since I didn’t know what I was doing,” Huss said. After he earned his business degree, he decided to take his LSAT test, following the lead of some friends he had made at UND. Huss passed the LSAT, and three years later graduated from law school. “It didn’t take very long to realize I didn’t want to be a lawyer,” Huss said. “I knew I wasn’t passionate about it and couldn’t see myself working as a lawyer.”
Musical journey
Although it was clear to Huss he didn’t have a passion for law, it was equally apparent to him that guitar playing, particularly bluegrass style, pulled at his heartstrings. He owned dozens of bluegrass albums and had played with a band called Bluegrass Continuum — thenUND law school professor Tom Lockney, Mike Gregory, a UND math professor, and Diane, whom he married in 1980, also were among the band members — during Huss’ law school days. After Huss decided that he didn’t want to practice law, he and Diane decided to move to Virginia so he could pursue his interest in bluegrass. Meanwhile, because she had a degree in physical therapy, the couple knew that she would be able to get a job anywhere. “The one thing I was passionate about was bluegrass music,” Huss said. “We decided to move somewhere in the Appalachian region.” The couple landed in Staunton, Virginia, where Diane worked at the Woodrow Wilson Rehabilitation Center as a physical therapist. Huss took the Virginia Bar exam, figuring that if he passed, he could work as an attorney until he got established in the music business. While he was waiting for the results, he learned that Stelling Banjo Works, a central California banjo company, was moving to Virginia. Huss contacted the company about the possibility of a job building banjos and was told that someone would contact him if there was a job opening. The day Huss passed the bar exam, Stelling Banjo Works called and offered him a job. www.UNDalumni.org | 7
LEFT: Jeff Juss (right) and his partner Mark Dalton are celebrating the 20th anniversary of the founding of their company, Huss & Dalton. TOP: A luthier works on a Huss & Dalton guitar in the company’s shop. BOTTOM: The tools of the trade.
8 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
Meanwhile, a Virginia lawyer Huss knew had told him that if he passed the bar exam, there might be an opening in his firm. When he learned he passed, Huss called his friend. He was told the firm decided to put a computer in the room where Huss’ office would have been, so there was no room for him in the firm.
From banjos to guitars
“I called the banjo company and said ‘I’m in,”’ Huss said. He learned to build banjos and worked for the company for nine years. During that time, he taught himself, on his own time, to also build guitars through books, conversations and by attending guitar conventions. In the late 1980s, he began to build guitars for Stelling. Eventually Huss built a shop in his house and worked for Stelling from his home. He also built guitars in his off-work hours and put his name on them. Eventually, he left Stelling and began making and selling guitars solely on his own. In 1995, Huss and friend Mark Dalton started Huss & Dalton Guitar Co., which custom-makes about 300 acoustic steel string guitars annually. The guitars, which range in price from $3,500 to $20,000, are sold wholesale to 40 U.S. retailers, mostly on the East and West coasts, although there is a retailer in Minneapolis. Huss & Dalton also sells to 15 international retailers in countries like South Korea, France and Japan. Huss & Dalton has five full-time employees. The company uses a bench-building system to make the guitars, which take from six to seven weeks from start to finish, Huss said. Under a bench-building system, each employee has a specialty and when he or she is finished building his or her part of the guitar, it is passed to the next person.
Special guitars
One of the most memorable guitars Huss & Dalton has hand-crafted is one made for Monticello, Thomas Jefferson’s home. Huss & Dalton used a poplar that grew near Jefferson’s bedroom window to make the guitar. Well-known musicians who have purchased Huss & Dalton guitars include Stone Gossard, who plays with the band Pearl Jam; Mary Chapin Carpenter and Joe Don Rooney, a member of Rascal Flatts. Huss, of course, also owns a Huss & Dalton guitar — a TDM model — and plays it in a bluegrass band and a vintage “honky-tonk” band, he said.
The good old days
He has fond memories of his days playing with Bluegrass Continuum at the Civic Auditorium on “Bluegrass Sundays” and of his days at UND. “Lots of good memories, made lots of good friends. I enjoyed the people while I was there, a lot.” AR
The guitars, which range in price from $3,500 to $20,000, are sold wholesale to 40 U.S. retailers. www.UNDalumni.org | 9
FEATURE
story
FROM THE HEART
Al Royse speaks at an American Heart Association event.
m o r F After a colorful path to chairman of the national American Heart Association board, UND alum Al Royse is focused on healthier communities. By American Heart Association News
10 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
t r a e H e h t
The atrium of the UND Wellness Center is named for Al Royse, who donated money to the building and for the unique sculpture that hangs there.
A
l Royse, ’72, ’73, ’76, readily admits he had no idea what he was getting into back in 1997 when representatives from the American Heart Association asked him to become chairman of the San Francisco Heart Walk. Royse knew little about the organization. He knew little about heart disease. He knew even less about how it had affected his family. But here’s what he did know: The organization had a great reputation. He trusted and respected the two people who’d recommended him for the gig. And there was his newfound personal connection to the mission; the very week he was mulling the offer, an employee’s wife died of a stroke while on a field trip with their first-grade daughter. “Put those three things together and I couldn’t see how I wouldn’t do it,” Royse said. What Royse expected would be a one-and-done commitment turned into a lifelong devotion. He’s risen within the
organization ever since, so much so that in June he started a twoyear term as chairman of the national board.
Walk Before You Run
There’s a tidy narrative behind Royse’s climb up the AHA ladder. Basically, he peeked in, looked around and liked what he saw. The more he stuck around, the more comfortable he felt. He also thought he could make a difference and, indeed, he did. What’s really fascinating is how much his entire life has followed that narrative. Royse grew up in Mandan, North Dakota. His parents owned a family business that specialized in selling fruits and vegetables (especially watermelons, still his favorite food). The business kept Royse and his four siblings plenty busy growing up. His big contribution as a child was coining a slogan they still use today: “A Royse Melon Is A Choice Melon.” He went to the University of North Dakota graduating with www.UNDalumni.org | 11
“A Royse Melon Is A Choice Melon.” — slogan a young Al Royce coined for his family’s produce business
honors with degrees in accounting and economics. What he really wanted to do was teach. So he spent another year at UND, getting a master’s degree in accounting and serving as a graduate teaching assistant. Having scratched his itch for teaching, he decided to pursue an interest in law. He had planned to attend an out-of-state law school, but something happened to keep him in North Dakota: He was elected to the House of Representatives. Reviving a slogan he’d used successfully while running for gradeschool offices — “Vote Royse For The Best Choice!” — the 22-year-old became the second-youngest person ever elected to the North Dakota Legislature. During his time in office, he was the only legislator under the age of 30. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, he was elected as a Republican in a heavily Democratic area, displaying a characteristic that he still has to this day — a knack for uniting people and building their confidences. He followed this by being voted the top freshman legislator, then getting re-elected … all while earning that law degree. Along the way, he made national news by giving one of the key legislative speeches and casting one of the key votes in getting North Dakota’s support of the Equal Rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, one of the biggest issues of that era. North Dakota was the 34th of 35 states to ratify it; however, 38 were needed. “It was an incredible experience,” Royse said. “The Legislature was designed for citizen involvement, not full-time politicians. We met in formal session every other year, with monthly committee meetings in the off year. It gave people like me a chance to participate without having to give up our daily responsibilities.” As of 1976, Royse was in his mid-20s with a resume showing he was a CPA, lawyer, two-term lawmaker and teacher. With so many potential paths, Royse settled on getting some “real world” business experience at a major accounting firm, then becoming a business lawyer, probably somewhere in the Midwest. A job in the San Francisco office of the company that would become Deloitte seemed like the perfect launching pad. Royse specialized in tax work and, as would happen with his AHA career, one thing led to another. “After two years, I decided that I liked my clients so much and I liked San Francisco so much that I’d spend another couple of years there,” he said. “Then you get promoted and it turns into a lot more years.” About 34.
Retirement
Royse retired in 2010, having held titles such as Deputy National Managing Tax Partner, Partner-In-Charge for the entire Western Region Tax practice, Managing Tax Partner for the San Francisco and North Pacific Region, the first-ever national tax partner for the company-wide Clients and Markets programs and initiatives, and both U.S. and global leader for Deloitte’s tax industry programs. He is still considered the “godfather” to many of Deloitte’s most successful initiatives.
12 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
When he left, a tribute sent to all employees detailed much of his career. It also noted his fondness for powerful quotes and his tendency to group things into threes. The story focused on his incredible impact on Deloitte and offered this three-pronged postscript of his Deloitte tenure: • A rare talent. • A true leader. • An innovator.
Focus on the Heart
The 1997 San Francisco Heart Walk set a local record for dollars raised and number of walkers. So Royse was invited to lead the way again the following year. Next came a spot on the local board. Then he became its chairman. Yes, things were moving quickly, but the offers tapped into one of Royse’s treasured quotes: “Always say ‘yes’ before you say ‘no.’ ‘No’ doesn’t get you anywhere.” Something else happened, too. “As I got more involved, the ‘yes’ becomes stronger and stronger,” he said. Part of the lure came from hearing survivors’ stories. He instituted a practice of having a survivor speak at the start of every board meeting to remind everyone why they were there. He also became more familiar with the stories of heart disease among his relatives — aunts, uncles and other branches of the family tree. The San Francisco chapter thrived under his leadership. After two terms as the local board chair, he was asked to join the board of the Western States Affiliate. A few years later, he started a twoyear run as chair of that board. Royse ended up spending about a decade on the Affiliate board. Along the way, the Western States expanded to include what had been the Pacific Northwest Affiliate (covering 10 states), improved advocacy efforts at the local and state levels, and became more strategic and tactical about fundraising. The national board came calling in 2011 and Royse was ready. Or so he thought. During his first week of national board meetings, he flashed back to 1997. It was as if he was learning the AHA all over again. “I had no idea we were international,” he said. “I had no idea we actually had mission-aligned businesses. I had no idea the breadth of the advocacy in our Washington group. I had no idea of the scope of our fundraising. I had no idea of all the events we held and the impact they made. I had been fairly myopic in
looking at the Western States. Frankly, I was blown away by what this organization really was.” While he felt a bit embarrassed, he also felt encouraged. The organization he already believed in was even better than he thought.
Other Interests
Since leaving Deloitte, Royse has kept plenty busy aside from his AHA work. He’s gotten back into teaching, spending 4-6 weeks a year as a guest lecturer at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in Shanghai, China. He’s back in politics, having been elected to the city council in Hillsborough, California, in 2012. He is involved in several family businesses. He chaired the University of North Dakota Foundation board. He’s also on several other nonprofit boards. He’s especially excited about a program founded by a former Deloitte Managing Partner and supported by Deloitte called Courageous Principals, which trains K-12 principals to become more effective leaders. “If you can affect one principal, you can affect 100 teachers,” he said. “If you’re going to change education, change trajectories of lives, this is a great way to do it.” There’s also his immediate family: his daughter, Jennifer, is an actress-turned-real estate broker in New York City, married to a fireman and mother of his 10-month-old grandson, Rory. His son, Matthew, is a tax consultant for Deloitte in Salt Lake City. For leisure, Royse might be found walking his black labrador, Abby, doing yoga on the beach, biking, hiking or skiing. (A serious hiker, Royse climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro in 2006.) He also might be at a ballgame. An avid sports fan, he has season tickets to the San Francisco Giants and 49ers (both former clients of his while at Deloitte, as were the San Jose Sharks), and the newly crowned NBA champion Golden State Warriors. A self-professed political and history junkie, he also might be reading up on those areas, looking for a few more quotes to add to his collection. Here are two at the front of his mind as he steps into his new role: • “The future is made up of a series of nows.” • “If you save a life, you save the world.” Royse especially likes how both dovetail with the work of the AHA. “We save lives; it’s what we do,” he said. “You never know the impact of a life you save. So it’s not beyond rhyme or reason that one of the lives we save now — or someone they impact — may one day save the world. I am humbly looking forward to continuing being a part of it.” AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 13
FEATURE
story
SEALING THE DEAL
Goal Reached Rocco Grimaldi may have left UND early, but he didn’t want to leave his degree ambitions behind. By Jameson Olive/ Fox Sports Florida
14 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
I
t was a moment that Rocco Grimaldi’s mother had envisioned for some time. The Florida Panthers prospect stood victorious, his arms raised in celebration and grinning ear to ear after achieving a lifelong goal in front of an applauding crowd packed tightly into a capacious arena. And although instances such as this had become somewhat of a common occurrence for the 22-year-old forward in each of the various stops throughout his journey to the National Hockey League, there was something very different about this day. There was no ice or opponent. There were no pads or skates. In place of a hockey stick, a diploma was gripped firmly in his left hand as he made his way across the stage at the Alerus Center on May 16 having graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of North Dakota. In the crowd, Rocco’s mother, Susie, looked on in awe. “It’s pretty amazing when you see your kids accomplish any of the milestones of their lives,” Susie Grimaldi said in a phone interview. “From the time they’re little kids on up to young adults you just kind of think, ‘That’s my kid, oh my gosh.’ I’ve done it all the way from kindergarten up until now ... All of the work (my kids) have gone through to get where they are at, it never ceases to amaze me.” While furthering education is seen as a natural progression or even a right of passage for many young Americans, top college athletes often view the process as nothing more than a steppingstone on their way to the professional ranks. Some talk of returning to school upon their departure, but many never do. For Rocco Grimaldi, however, a return to academia was never in doubt. His grandparents never had the luxury of a college education and, although he opted to turn pro following his junior season, the former second-round draft pick had no intention of wasting his opportunity. He had invested far too much time into his studies and feared that a lengthy hiatus would do nothing more than erode much of what he had already learned. “I didn’t want to do all those credits for three years and then
possibly not do a credit for so many years and then try to go back 10 to 20 years later to try and finish up,” Rocco Grimaldi said in a phone interview. “That’s just way too hard I think. You’re going to forget a lot of things and it’s way too hard, especially when I’m already in school mode right now. Extremely happy that I did it and I’m done for good now.” “It was something left unfinished and he’s not usually that kind of kid,” added Susie Grimaldi. “He wants to finish everything.” With his first professional season only a few months away, Grimaldi began to make his preparations. The Rossmoor, California, native was 37 points shy of earning his degree, but crafted a plan that would allow him to graduate on time the following summer. After knocking out 13 credits over the summer, including an admittedly difficult biology course, he frontloaded his remaining coursework — taking 18 credits in the fall and only six in the spring to avoid any conflicts that might come with potential late-season playoff push. “That was a lot,” Rocco Grimaldi said of his heavy workload. “Balancing your first year pro and then adding all those credits. That’s a lot of credits even if you’re just going to school. It was tough at times, but I made it work. I had to find time to do it after practice and find time to do it on the road. I’m pretty good with time management skills.” On the ice, his skills extended far beyond time management. Despite his diminutive size — he stands just 5-foot-6 — Grimaldi recorded 14 goals and 42 points in 64 games with Florida’s minor-league affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. In the locker room, his teammates were supportive of his off-ice educational endeavor. Those who had earned degrees commended his desire to stay in school while those who hadn’t were impressed by his dedication. As he prepares for the upcoming season, however, Grimaldi is relieved knowing that the only book he’ll be required to read this time around is his playbook. “I got through it and I’m happy that I did it,” he said. “There’s no way I ever want to do it again, but I’m glad that I did it and I’m definitely never going to regret it.” AR
www.UNDalumni.org | 15
FEATURE
story
PICKING A NEW NICKNAME
Picking a
New Nickname
u
niversity of North Dakota President Robert Kelley has announced the details of the voting process for determining final selection of a nickname for UND’s athletics teams. The voting process, which will be conducted completely online, will take place in mid-October and will extend for approximately one week. Precise dates will be announced later. Voting will be open to the following groups: • Current UND Students (as of September 30) • Current UND Faculty • Current UND Staff • UND Retirees • UND Alumni • UND Donors (including North Dakota Champions Club members) as of August 31 (one vote per account) • Current season ticket holders to UND athletic events as of August 31 (one vote per account) Shortly before the voting period begins, eligible voters will receive an email with voting instructions. Current UND students, faculty and staff will receive the emails at their UND (UND.edu) email address. Alumni, donors, retirees and all current season ticket holders must confirm their emails through the Alumni Association and Foundation (donors, alumni, and Champions Club members), UND Human
16 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
UND SETS THE DETAILS FOR AN OCTOBER VOTE ON A NEW NICKNAME FOR ITS SPORTS TEAMS.
Resources (retirees) or the Ralph Engelstad Arena box office (season ticket holders who are not Champions Club members). Eligible voters who fall into more than one of the above categories — such as a staff member who is also an alumnus — may only vote once, and any identified multiple votes will be voided. The online voting process will be conducted by Qualtrics, a third-party survey technology provider with more than 7,000 customers in 75 countries. In 2014, Qualtrics customers sent over a billion surveys worldwide. During the voting process, eligible voters will cast one vote for a single option on the ballot. Eligible voters will choose one of five nickname options: Fighting Hawks Nodaks North Stars Roughriders Sundogs If any of the proposed nicknames receives a majority of more than 50 percent of the votes, that name will be determined to be the new nickname for the University of North Dakota. In the event that no single nickname receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff vote will be held between the two top vote-getters shortly after the initial vote. Said UND President Robert Kelley: “In deciding the final list of names to include in the final vote, I have reviewed the recommendations of the Nickname Committee, the additional input received from a recent student poll, and input from many
other individual students (including student-athletes), faculty, staff, alumni and community members who have contacted me. I have considered all this input carefully and, in determining the final voting list, have concluded that it is in the best long-term interest of the University not to use ‘North Dakota’ as the University’s official nickname.” President Kelley added, “As I have noted many times, North Dakota is not a nickname — it is a reflection of our pride in who we are. We have been North Dakota — UND — for more than 130 years, and we always will be. The Nickname Committee has delivered a list of five prospective nicknames with the potential to add value to our already-existing North Dakota identity and evoke the pride and spirit that we all feel for our University and our State. I respect and support the process the Committee used, and the extensive public input they gathered. In making this decision, I also respect their final recommendations.” President Kelley also received extensive input concerning the people who should be involved in the voting process. One important consideration in the decision is the importance of verifying voter identity to prevent fraud. Each eligible voter’s identity and connection to UND will be confirmed. Even more importantly, noted President Kelley, “We have appreciated the opportunity this past year to gather feedback and ensure representation from all interested parties across the state and across the country. This was accomplished through broad stakeholder representation on the two teams that worked on this process. It was also accomplished by gathering feedback from last fall’s town hall meetings, an online survey, and the month-long
nickname comment process conducted by the Nickname Committee this past April. It is now time to allow the final step of this process to be undertaken by those individuals with the most direct ties to UND — students, alumni, faculty, staff, retirees, donors, and season ticket holders.” Information About Email Delivery of Voting Instructions Eligible voters will receive voting instructions via email. While students, faculty and staff will already have a confirmed means of identification through their UND email (@UND.edu), retirees, alumni, donors and current season ticket holders will need to ensure that their emails are current in their respective databases in order to be able to vote. The weeks prior to the vote will allow these groups the opportunity to do that. UND alumni, donors, and Champions Club members need to visit undalumni.org/update to provide the UND Alumni Association & Foundation with their email address and other information that will allow for them to be identified as a donor, alum, or Champions Club member. Current season ticket holders (non-Champions Club) should contact the Ralph Engelstad Arena Box Office at 701.777.0855 weekdays between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or email tickets@ theralph.com any time between now and October 1, 2015, to ensure that your correct email is on file. UND Human Resources will announce a plan for retirees to provide their email addresses. AR
DONORS & ALUMNI: YOU CAN VOTE ON A NEW NICKNAME FOR UND’S ATHLETIC TEAMS IN MID-OCTOBER The UND Alumni Association & Foundation needs your email address to verify your eligibility and in order for you to take part in this online vote. Update your contact information at undalumni.org/update by October 1.
ACT NOW!
Update your contact information at undalumni.org/update. Deadline is October 1.
Find out more about the vote at undalumni.org/vote. If you already receive emails from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, you do NOT need to update your contact information.
BUSINESS & FROM THE DEAN
public administration
Dean Margaret L.Williams
FROM THE DEAN At a recent College of Business and Public Administration Advisory Council meeting one of our members talked about the importance of faculty inviting students to participate in opportunities. Her UND student experience was different than it would have been because a faculty member took the time to invite her to an event that occurred outside of class, an event that contributed to her involvement with the CoBPA. Our faculty do this frequently. For example, in my first year I’ve spoken with many accounting alums who tell me that Mary Loyland, who retired last December, “invited” them to be an accounting major, become a CPA, or participate in study abroad (and sometimes all three). Okay, in Mary’s case she may have done more than invite — she might have “made” them do those things — but, the point is that they were grateful. Their lives and careers were different than they would have been otherwise. Students have requirements that must be fulfilled to earn their degrees. These requirements are based on helping students learn what faculty believe, and feedback from employers and our alumni tell us, are the skills and knowledge that students need to be successful in their careers. We know, however, that those students who go beyond the minimum requirements are the students who are most likely to stay in school, complete their degrees, and stay engaged with us. They are the students who you will read about in these pages who, either in response to an invitation or of their own initiative, took advantage of experiential learning and what have come to be called “high impact” practices. We as faculty, administrators, alumni, and friends must continue to invite students to take the steps that will encourage them to graduate, enhance their futures, and, perhaps, transform their lives. We have many wonderful new invitations to extend to students. Our School of Entrepreneurship continues to grow and we are partnering with engineering to provide opportunities for business and engineering students to
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work together to design products and bring them to market. We have expanded our capability in the Pancratz Career Development Center for students to hone their interview skills, get their next internship, and land their first professional jobs. The lead center of the North Dakota Small Business Development Center has returned to Gamble Hall (from Bismarck) providing opportunities for students to engage with small business owners from around the state. We invite students from around the world to participate in our online MBA program, ranked 13th in the nation by the Princeton Review. We continue to expand scholarship opportunities based on the generosity of our alumni and friends that allow us to invite outstanding students to enroll in and continue their studies at the CoBPA. I invite you to be involved with us as we continue to pursue our mission to: • learn with passion • discover with purpose • create lasting value, and • transform lives Please feel free to contact me at mwilliams@business. und.edu or 701.777.2135 to share your response! With warm regards,
Margaret L. Williams Dean and Page Endowed Professor of Management
School of Entrepreneurship Continues the Momentum
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With a new executive director and chair of the School of Entrepreneurship, UND is on its way toward the next phase of entrepreneurial education.
he UND College of Business & Public Administration has achieved significant momentum since the announcement of the official establishment of the new School of Entrepreneurship in May 2014. Recently, Dr. Tim O‘Keefe was appointed as the Executive Director & Chair for the School of Entrepreneurship. In his previous role as chair of the Department of Information Systems and Business Communication, O’Keefe was directly involved in the formation of the School of Entrepreneurship, and he served as the founding interim director of the School of Entrepreneurship for the 2014-15 academic year. O’Keefe, an entrepreneur himself, co-founded and served as Chief Technical Officer of ComMark, Inc., an Internet services and consulting company. O’Keefe has also taught Information Systems at the collegiate level for over 30 years and is an active consultant and public speaker. “We are pleased to have someone with Tim’s background, vision, and commitment to entrepreneurship education and research serve in this role,” said Margaret Williams, Dean and Professor of Management of the College of Business and Public Administration. “Tim’s openness, creative ideas, and ability to work with people make him the perfect fit to lead our new School of Entrepreneurship, which we believe will place UND on the world stage in the areas of entrepreneurship and innovation.” In November 2014, UND was accepted as a “Pathways Institution” for the “Pathways” program, developed at Stanford and funded by a federal grant
to teach faculty and administrators a process by which innovation and entrepreneurship can be infused into the engineering curriculum. Dr. Brian Tande, Chair of Chemical Engineering, and Dr. O ‘Keefe attended team leader Dr. Tim O‘Keefe training sessions at both Stanford, California, and Phoenix, Arizona. The first Pathways project is to create a dual degree in Engineering and Entrepreneurship by which students could graduate with two degrees, a Bachelor of Science in Engineering and a Bachelor of Entrepreneurship. O’Keefe indicated that they hope to offer the Bachelor of Entrepreneurship beginning in fall 2016. The connection with engineering is just one of the many partnerships that the School of Entrepreneurship hopes to form. With the establishment of a Faculty Fellows program, the school hopes to have a minimum of 20 faculty fellows representing the School of Entrepreneurship in collaboration with other colleges across campus. They are pleased to announce the first faculty fellow appointment this fall of Dr. Tande. “Our goal is to make entrepreneurship education available to students across the entire campus to give students the knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship necessary to apply their education in new and innovative ways,” O’Keefe said. “We want to help students learn that they can, through entrepreneurship, literally change the world for the better.” BPA www.business.und.edu | 19
BUSINESS &
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From Model to MBA to Mom
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UND alumna Brianne Osowski is a new mom and rising entrepreneur. Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
rom model, to MBA graduate, to entrepreneur, to mom, UND alumna Brianne Osowski is no stranger to a fast-paced lifestyle. Always a risktaker, she moved to New York City following her high school graduation in Argyle, Minnesota, after being scouted by an agent in the Mall of America. “I knew no one, had $1,000 in my pocket, and two suitcases,” says Osowski. When Osowski began to pursue her modeling career she had to work random jobs in order to supplement her income until she eventually was able to pursue her modeling career full time. “I lived a fairytale life, and got to see lots of things while traveling the world,” says Osowski. Osowski became very passionate about the fashion industry and was able to gain an understanding of all of its aspects. She attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in NYC and
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studied Fashion Merchandising prior to attending the State University of New York (SUNY), to pursue her undergraduate degree in international relations with a minor in business. “My undergraduate degree was a great launching pad as it was a combination of political science, economics, and business,” explains Osowski. When visiting Minnesota one Christmas, Osowski met and fell in love with her future husband. With her husband being a farmer, she knew life would have to change as she would need to relocate. Returning to the Midwest, she decided to pursue her MBA at the University of North Dakota. Coming from a family of small business owners, she knew this was something she wanted to do. “The MBA program was very well rounded and touched on every aspect of business. I enjoyed other people’s stories and the experiences of the faculty,” she states. One of the most useful tools
Osowski has opened two stores in Grand Forks in addition to an online business.
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
Osowski learned during her MBA program was how to conduct effective research as she is constantly researching and utilizing writing skills for her businesses. Her experience working as graduate assistant for Michelle Garske, Executive Director of Graduate Programs & Accreditation, added to the value of her MBA program. “Working for Michelle was one of my most valuable experiences. I learned so much from her,” says Osowski. Osowski graduated in August 2013 and by May 2014 she had opened Curious, a gift shop located on 32nd Avenue South in Grand Forks. She liked the unique concept of finding fun products from all around the world that appeal to all ages. Working at UND, she was always asking lots of questions and was interested in all of the processes. “A curious mind keeps people young, and curiosity brings joy,” she states. This feeling led to the naming of the store and the type of experiences she aims to create for her customers. Curious stores are described as striving to provide big city finds with a small town attitude. With her heart always being in fashion, Osowski decided to launch a second store in downtown Grand Forks as a women’s clothing store, opening the location when she was nine months pregnant. In addition to the
two storefronts, she also launched an online business at www.curiousexperience.com to provide customers with different ways to shop. “You can choose your experience,” she explains. Osowski is the owner and manager of both locations overseeing all aspects of the business including marketing, finance, and purchasing. The experience of owning her businesses continues to challenge and excite her. “I’m surprised every day,” she says. “Things are constantly changing and there is always a new problem to fix.” She still gets to enjoy worldwide travel like she did during her modeling days as she visits vendors and different cities around the world looking for unique products. “From baby to 80, it takes a lot of time to find unique items,” says Osowski. She also brings in her husband’s opinion to provide a perspective on gift ideas that will appeal to the male demographic. When looking to the future, Osowski hopes to continue to grow the online store and web portion of the company. “There is so much potential in web-based business,” she says. BPA
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BUSINESS &
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Current MBA student Rue Muza and MBA alumnus Sam Carr.
UND MBA Program
Rising to the Top! With top rankings around the nation, the UND Master of Business Administration program has been rising to the top of the charts for its affordability and unique synchronized delivery of online and on-campus instruction.
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he UND Master of Business Administration (MBA) Program has recently been ranked #13 by the Princeton Review for the online MBA Program and similarly, US News & World Report ranked the program #32 for the Best Online Graduate Business Programs. The Princeton Review rankings are based on admissions selectivity, graduation and retention rates, faculty credentials, technology infrastructure, and student feedback. The US News & World Report rankings are based on student engagement, admissions selectivity, peer reputation, faculty credentials, student services, and technology infrastructure.
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Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
The innovative delivery method used for the MBA Program allows students to participate either on campus or online via a hybrid format. Students can complete the program from virtually anywhere that allows proper internet accessibility. The program currently has students all around the world who collaborate in the live, online classes. Networking begins with the first class as students are instantly connected with business professionals across the country as their classmates. This unique hybrid format provides students with a quality education and the benefits of an on-campus experience whether they are on campus or not.
A CoBPA student working outside online at Gamble Hall.
What Our Recent Alumni & Students Are Saying:
Shauna Vistad, ‘14, MBA Fargo “When you are busy and ambitious, trying to find balance is essential to success. The distance MBA program at UND was a perfect fit for my balance. The convenience allowed me to obtain my MBA while I worked full time and remained engaged with my very busy family and the community. While completing the program I continued to be involved in my teenagers’ activities and supported them as they prepared for high school and college, I helped support my parents through a health crisis, and ran for and then served on the West Fargo School Board. I was able to immediately find value in the program as I applied the concepts I was learning to my job in real time, improving efficiencies, learning the importance of better collaboration, and growing my team. I am thankful I chose to invest that time, energy, and money into myself; it set a great example for my children, has improved my skills and abilities at my current job, and provided a quality education and increased knowledge for wherever my career might steer me in the future.”
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
Mark McKinniss current online MBA student Resides in Connecticut “Most MBA students that I know are taking classes in addition to a fulltime work schedule, and I am no exception. Layer on family responsibilities, and it was imperative that any graduate program I pursued allow for online classes. When I began looking at MBA programs a few years ago, it was a daunting process! There are many business schools in the country, but as I began to apply my various criteria, it soon became clear that UND offered a combination of quality, convenience, and value that I was unlikely to match anywhere else. I only filled out one application. I’m on track to graduate in December 2015 and am fully looking forward to being done with my studies. But I am also looking forward to the coming challenges and opportunities as I leverage the things I’ve learned in UND’s MBA program.” BPA
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BUSINESS &
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Passion on the Job
UND College of Business & Public Administration alumnus Randy Hatzenbuhler experiences passion and enthusiasm each season as the Medora Musical takes the stage. 24 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
Photo: Hatzenbuhler
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s the Medora Musical launched its 50-year anniversary season this summer, Randy Hatzenbuhler, ‘85, shared in the excitement and passion of another magical year. Hatzenbuhler is the president of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, and has worked for the foundation for the past 27 years. The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation (TRMF) is a 501(c) 3 public nonprofit organization that was formed in 1986 by Harold Schafer. The TRMF operates lodging, entertainment and recreation attractions, and provides numerous historical education opportunities in the beautiful North Dakota Badlands. Growing up in Mandan, North Dakota, Hatzenbuhler’s career started off working on the railroad to help put his wife through nursing school at the University of Mary. Following completion of her nursing degree, it was his turn to attend college, while his wife supported his education. “UND was my only choice. I knew I wanted to study accounting and the accounting program at UND was so strong,” said Hatzenbuhler. For Hatzenbuhler, attending college was a personal goal. He was one of the first in his family to attend college. That same year, his brother received a football scholarship to attend UND. Hatzenbuhler had to work on convincing his dad that his brother should accept this scholarship, as his dad did not understand why his brother would give up a good $10 an hour job to attend college. His dad’s perception significantly changed as he began to see the benefits and achievements that his family gained from their college educations. Today, Hatzenbuhler’s brother, Christ Hatzenbuhler, is a CEO of a manufacturing company in Minneapolis, and they have had seven family members attend UND, including five who earned a degree from the UND Accounting program. His dad now not only sees the value in education, but assists all of his grandchildren and great grandchildren with their college expenses. Hatzenbuhler said, “He would probably be happy if they all attended UND; he values education more than anyone now.” Because of this strong passion for education, Hatzenbuhler recently started a new endowment in honor of his parents, the Christ and Hildegard Hatzenbuhler Family Endowment. This endowment will support accounting student scholarships. While attending college at UND, Hatzenbuhler completed an internship with Cargill. With numerous job offers after college, he chose a position with a small accounting firm in Bismarck, North Dakota. Hatzenbuhler worked there for four years and then began to think that he may want to try something else. He initially had the
idea of opening a daycare center as he enjoyed working with kids, but then he met someone who worked for the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. After a lunch at Hardee’s with then TRMF Executive Director Rod Tjaden, and as Hatzenbuhler described, “the worst of four job offers at the time,” he accepted the offer and began his new career venture. “I started the position with the thought that I would be there for about three years, then every three years there was something new and exciting to do. My wife finally said to me that I am going to spend my entire career here and I said ’Yes, I probably am,’” said Hatzenbuhler. When talking to Randy about what has kept him so passionate and engaged with the foundation for the past 27 years, he shared a few key points: • It’s like working in a college campus. I always liked working with young people and we have over 300 college-aged students a year working in seasonal positions each summer, and it is so fun to work with them. • What we do is good. Medora is a place that you can truly take your whole family and everyone can enjoy it. • There is always something to work for. It is satisfying to see how many projects have been able to be completed, and I love the fact that we have such a diverse workforce with employees coming from over 25 states and 20 to 25 countries. The organization has about 600 volunteers per year, 300 seasonal employees, and 45 full-time employees. • There is just something about a sunset over the Badlands. I have probably watched the show over 2,000 times, but each season there is always something that creates a “newness” to the job. With Medora celebrating its 50-year anniversary this summer, Hatzenbuhler was excited to celebrate the success of the Medora Musical as one of the longest running outdoor amphitheater shows. At the CoBPA, we are proud to celebrate the success of our alumnus, Randy Hatzenbuhler, and are inspired by his passion for his career, North Dakota, and of course, Medora! BPA
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Photo: Shanna Henk
BUSINESS &
public administration
Student Participation in Engaged Learning Experiences
AKP Leadership Institute Participants
Continues to Grow
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With the CoBPA’s key priority of student success, attention has turned to ensuring that we offer greater access to high impact practices such as those described here.
t the CoBPA, providing high quality education and experiential learning opportunities for our students continues to be a priority. Our students excel across the country with their academic and experiential successes. During the 2014-15 academic year our students were engaged in a variety of experiential activities. Eighteen members of the new Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity attended the Principled Business Leadership Institute in Reno, Nevada, which focused on professional skillbuilding and networking. This experience was made possible through the generous support of our alumni. Our Student Managed Investment Fund (SMIF) won the Best Fixed Income Portfolio at the Quinnipiac GAME V Forum. SMIF provides students with hands-on experiences in the field of finance by allowing them to manage a $1,000,000+ portfolio of equity and bonds. “SMIF has provided me with a unique opportunity to receive hands-on
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experience. The benefits have far exceeded my expectations. Not only are we introduced to different research methods but we are also given the opportunity to work with high-quality tools such as Bloomberg terminals. I am excited to apply these quantitative and qualitative research skills in my future career,” said Lene Matsen, UND MBA student, Class of Spring 2015. The Dakota Venture Group (DVG) is planning a student Venture Capital Summit, which will bring together venture funds and professional leaders from all over the U.S. Attendees will experience a fast-paced, hands-on experiential learning opportunity to better understand venture capital. They will have the opportunity to network with professional venture capitalists, screen companies, complete a due diligence, connect with like-minded students, and experience North Dakota. The Summit will take place Nov. 8-10, 2015. Founded in 2006 with an investment
from the Dakota Foundation, DVG is the first autonomously student run venture capital fund in the United States. DVG provides students the opportunity to conduct due diligence, make final investment decisions, and negotiate deal term structure, as well as experience portfolio management and exits. These examples are just a few of the many learning opportunities that our students are engaged in and the achievements they have attained. We look forward to continuing to celebrate the numerous accomplishments of the exceptional students and graduates of the CoBPA! BPA
Be the
impact. Change the life of a student like Shannah by supporting scholarships at the University of North Dakota. Multiply your gifts to scholarships at UND! Through Dec. 31, 2016, the State of North Dakota may match $1 for every $2 you give to a scholarship endowment at UND. To learn more, contact: Kim Woods Senior Director of Development kimw@undfoundation.org 701.777.4106 undfoundation.org/NDChallenge
“There is a huge difference between going to school and being involved during your time at school. These scholarships have allowed me to be involved at UND and that is where I am networking and practicing all of the skills I have been learning. These scholarships are enhancing the student experience here at UND and they truly make a difference for every student who receives them.” — Shannah Henk, Senior, College of Business & Public Administration
BUSINESS &
public administration
From the Classroom to the sky
UND Entrepreneurship instructor Matt Dunlevy launches SkySkopes.
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ntrepreneurship is a unique academic area in that entrepreneurs can emerge from a variety of academic backgrounds and industry experiences. UND Entrepreneurship instructor Matt Dunlevy is a perfect example of an emerging entrepreneur with a passion and vision for technology. Originally from Duluth and growing up in Shoreview, Minnesota, Dunlevy attended the University of North Dakota to study aviation but later transitioned into the history department. After completing his undergraduate degree in history, he went on to pursue his master’s degree in history and was interested in exploring military history and business. At a Christmas dinner at Dunlevy’s undergraduate advisor Dr. Al Berger’s house, Dunlevy met Bruce Gjovig, Director
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SkySkopes uses the Panasonic GH4 camera for infrastructural inspections. This photo was taken from the UAS in order to provide maintenance data to tower owners and operators.
of the Center for Innovation. Through conversation, Gjovig learned of Dunlevy’s skill to fix smart devices and encouraged him to turn that into a business. Being the only one in the area who was able to provide this service at the time, Dunlevy jumped on this entrepreneurial venture and through the help of Gjovig and the Center for Innovation launched his first business. “That Christmas Day I became an entrepreneur,” said Dunlevy. After writing a formal plan, the company Smart Tech was founded. Dunlevy initially ran the business out of the Center for Innovation and was able to operate this successful venture while still going to school. Later Dunlevy scaled, franchised, and sold the business.
Leap to Educator
Through his work at the Center for Innovation Dunlevy met LaRoyce Bachelor, who is an instructor in the Entrepreneurship program. Dunlevy shared an idea with Bachelor about a course regarding Technology Entrepreneurship. Bachelor suggested that Dunlevy put together a syllabus to see how a course of this nature would look, and, soon after, his concept became a new special topics course for the Entrepreneurship program. Following the approval of the course, Dunlevy received a contract and started teaching for the program in the fall of 2014. After completing his first year as a lecturer, Dunlevy has found that he enjoys working with the students more than anything. He says he definitely would
Photo: Matt Dunlevy Photo: Matt Dunlevy
The SkySkopes team is made up of entirely of UND students and alumni with a diverse range of degrees.
like to continue teaching while still moving forward with his entrepreneurial business ventures.
Development of SkySkopes
With aviation always a passion for Dunlevy, his recent development of SkySkopes incorporated a variety of experiences. In the summer of 2015, SkySkopes, formally Snowy Owl Productions, launched a commercial unmanned systems program, following FAA approval (333 exemption) granted in June 2015. At this time SkySkopes was only the third company in North Dakota to secure a 333 exemption for commercial operations, and was the first entrepreneurial company to do so, as well as the first in Grand Forks. Dunlevy has numerous memories of aviation and says, “I could legally fly before I could legally drive.” He was part of the Civil Air Patrol, Air Force auxiliary in Anoka County, where he would fly aircraft on his own at the age of 15. With his new entrepreneurial business Dunlevy is able to mix his childhood passion
with the latest technology. When launching this business Dunlevy surrounded himself with industry experts in aviation and entrepreneurship, as well as attorneys to work on applying for and receiving the 333 exemption. To get started, Dunlevy received entrepreneur grant funding from the North Dakota Department of Commerce. “Without that assistance we wouldn’t be able to have had the funding needed to apply for the exemption,” he says. SkySkopes’ initial flight operations will focus on cell tower inspections with its business partners Dell-Comm Inc. of Duluth, Minnesota, as well as local real estate companies. “Flight operations will focus initially on an existing customer in the Midwest who realizes the value of unmanned systems in meeting their inspection needs. The ability to fly commercially AND legally provides the SkySkopes team with a competitive advantage in meeting infrastructure needs in a myriad of markets starting with cell towers,” states Dunlevy.
Future Horizons
When looking to the future, Dunlevy hopes to scale and franchise the business. He hopes that SkySkopes can be a leader in the UAS industry and give back to UND, the state of North Dakota, and the Grand Forks community. Everyone on Dunlevy’s team is either a UND student or UND graduate. When asking Dunlevy about how he can balance a new start-up and work as an educator, he shares, “It takes up a lot of time but you never work a day in your life when you are doing what you love.Being able to wear two hats, entrepreneur and educator, is what I was aiming for.” To learn more and support SkySkopes, check out their website at www.skyskopes.com. BPA
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Expanding Summer Research Funding & College Research Efforts
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The CoBPA shows its commitment to high-quality research with a 236% increase in funding for faculty summer research projects
he UND College of Business & Public Administration is committed to producing highquality research and continuing an international reputation for research and scholarship. As the state’s flagship research university, UND is recognized as a “high research” university within the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The College of Business & Public Administration (CoBPA) plays an important role in the research mission of UND. The CoBPA is pleased to report that the funding available for summer research increased 236 percent from 2014 to 2015. “Scholarly inquiry is an essential process that places collegiate business schools in a unique and important position at the intersection of management theory, education, and practice,” says Margaret L. Williams, Dean of the College of Business & Public Administration. “Unquestionably, business schools and their faculties play a crucial role in business and society by creating value through high-quality scholarship and research.” Dr. Cullen Goenner, Professor and Faculty Fellow in Economics, has been actively involved in a variety of research projects this past academic year. Two of the major projects Goenner has been working on involve student loan borrowing. In a paper co-authored with UND Professor Chih Ming Tan, Goenner examined how changes to the Federal Stafford Loan program in 2007 and 2008 affected behaviors of freshman students at UND. In particular, they examined how the level of borrowing, the composition of credit, and student outcomes were impacted by the policy changes that increased borrowing limits. The policy change was quite substantial as freshmen in 2008 were able to borrow from the federal government more than double what freshmen could borrow in 2006. Their preliminary
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results show that freshman students responded strongly to the policy changes by borrowing more than their counterparts in 2006. They not only increased their borrowing, but also altered the composition of their student loans by reducing their exposure to private student loans. Students with low expected family contributions were able to reduce borrowing. One of the Dr. Cullen Goenner most interesting outcomes is that increasing access to credit did not improve student outcomes or provide any evidence to suggest an impact on freshman retention. In some cases students used the easy access to credit to simply increase their consumption, which did not improve their performance. In addition, Goenner has been conducting research regarding private student loans and how those loans are influencing the performance of credit unions. In this paper, Goenner examines the factors that influence the decision of credit unions to hold private student loans (PSL), and whether this has had an influence on credit union performance. These projects are examples of the relevant and timely research studies that are being conducted by our faculty. Through the generous support of CoBPA alumni such as Paul Korus, the CoBPA has been able to increase the funding available for summer faculty research projects. Korus knew he wanted to make a difference to a cause he cared about, and for him that involved faculty research at UND. “I have a view that research at an institution like UND is very important for a number of reasons, the primary being UND’s ability to attract and retain qualified faculty,” Korus said. BPA
Chelsey Enderle Finds
Success by Embracing Change The 2013 grad earns prestigious Sells Award for outstanding performance on the CPA exam.
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helsey Enderle says that she has never liked change. When she entered the accounting program at UND, Chelsey expected to live in Grand Forks for four years, obtain an accounting degree, and start her career working in private accounting somewhere close to her hometown of Fergus Falls, Minnesota. Once she entered the accounting program at UND, her experiences, expectations, and career path took her in some unanticipated directions. “With the support and encouragement of my family and the UND accounting faculty, I decided to step outside my comfort zone and embrace all the opportunities I had available to me at UND,” Chelsey said. “Although I would have initially called myself a shy person, at UND I found myself opening up and attending every career fair and networking event that I was able to.” This engagement ultimately led Chelsey to complete four accounting internships during her accounting program; two were in private accounting, and the other two were in public accounting. These internships took Chelsey to four different cities. “I went into each internship opportunity with minimal knowledge or experience specific to the internship and knowing almost nobody. To say the least, each was a big change for me!” Upon graduation from UND in the fall of 2013 with Accounting and Managerial Finance and Accounting degrees, Chelsey completed the Certified Public Accountant exam right away and accepted a position in the tax department at Brady, Martz, & Associates, P.C. in Grand Forks. But Chelsey did more than just pass the exam; she earned some of the highest exam scores in the nation and was awarded the Elijah Watt Sells Award. She also received a North Dakota award for earning the highest CPA exam score in 2014. The 2014 Sells Award was presented by the American Institute of CPAs to those who:
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
• Obtained a cumulative average score above 95.50 across all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination • Passed all four sections of the Examination on their first attempt and • Completed testing in 2014. More than 91,000 people sat for the CPA Examination in 2014, and Chelsey was one of just 60 honored with the Sells Award. As a student at UND, Chelsey felt she needed to put aside her fear of change and embrace it in order to take advantage of the opportunities that culminated in her position at Brady, Martz, & Associates, P.C. “If I had backed away because of my fear of change, I would have never ended up with many of the great opportunities and experiences I have had, met all the amazing people I’ve had the opportunity to meet, and ultimately I wouldn’t have found out that what I originally thought I wanted to do or be wasn’t actually what I wanted,” she said. “Of course, that change has definitely posed many challenges, but I have grown professionally and personally because of it. It has made me comfortable enough to accept an offer at the William Mitchell College of Law to begin law school this fall.” Chelsey will have a whole new set of changes to embrace as she enters law school. “I will be moving away from Grand Forks to Saint Paul, Minnesota, into an apartment with two other incoming law students who I have met only once. I will be expanding my network with all new professors, students, and professionals. I will be studying a field that is brand new to me. I will encounter many new diverse opportunities and experiences,” she said. “Though I know this endeavor will pose a great challenge, I am definitely ready, willing, and excited to embrace it. I’m not going to plan exactly where I want to go upon graduation, but if this experience is anything like my experience at UND, that may be a great thing.” BPA
www.business.und.edu | 31
BUSINESS &
public administration
What’s New at the CoBPA
The CoBPA has been celebrating numerous accomplishments this past academic year as well as participating in a variety of fun summer events. Catch up on the action!
2015-16 College Symposia
The CoBPA has an excellent series of college symposia lined up for this fall. On Oct. 14, the college will host the Mellem Business Symposium focused on the booming industry of UAS. This symposium centers around a variety of hot topics in business. The Olafson Ethics Sympsoium will be held on Thursday, Nov. 12, and will feature keynote speaker Lenora Billings-Harris who has been included as one of the 100 Global Thought Leaders on Diversity and Inclusion by the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM), and was named by Diversity Woman Magazine as one of the top 20 influential diversity leaders in the U.S. A keynote discussion will take place at the Gorecki Alumni Center at 7 p.m.
Kathy Lund Named Pancratz Career Center Director
Kathy Lund
The CoBPA is pleased to announce the recent hire of Kathy Lund as the new Pancratz Career Center Director. Kathy has a Master of Science in Higher Education from the University of North Dakota and has worked for the University for the past seven years focusing on student development. Kathy began this new role on August 1.
Congratulations CoBPA Sioux Award & Young Alumni Achievement Award Honorees
The CoBPA would like to congratulate Accounting Alumni Henry Herr, ‘68, ‘71, and Patrick Dirk, ’71, ‘72, for receiving 2015 Sioux Awards as well as Kayla Effertz Kleven, ’05, who is receiving the 2015 Young Alumni Achievement Award. You can read the biographies of all the award recipients starting on page 44. They will be honored on October 8 at the 2015 Sioux Awards, which will be held at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks. The social will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the dinner and awards at 6:30 p.m.
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CoBPA Summer Celebrations
The CoBPA hit the road this summer to engage in great conversation and networking with CoBPA alumni and friends around the Midwest with fun summer celebrations in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, and Detroit Lakes. Thank you all who joined us and we look forward to visiting your city again soon!
Let’s Connect
The CoBPA would love to hear your story! We are so amazed by the extraordinary achievements of our alumni and friends. If you have an exciting story or fun news you would like to share, please reach out to us at laura.arneson@business.und.edu.
Save the Date Upcoming Events
The CoBPA is gearing up for another great year of events and symposiums. Check out what’s happening this fall!
Management Department hires CoBPA Alumnus Nik Butz
Nik Butz has recently been hired as a full-time instructor for the Management Department for the 2015-16 academic year. Nik has an MBA from the UND College of Business & Public Administration and a PhD from UND in Teaching and Learning. Management Department Chair David Hollingworth shares, “His unique training and knowledge position him to be an excellent addition to our instructional faculty.”
Larry Williams Recognized as Outstanding Educator
The Academy of Management (AOM) recently bestowed its Distinguished Educator Award on Larry Williams for, among other accomplishments, his work with the Consortium for the Advancement of Research Methods and Analysis (CARMA; und.edu/carma), which he brought to UND in 2014. CARMA hosts and broadcasts via web technology an annual series of lectures about research methods and data analysis to scholars, faculty members, and researchers from over 150 top universities around the world. Other activities include specialized courses delivered at a variety of global locations.
Honoring Recent Accounting Faculty Retirees & New Professorship
In spring 2015, the accounting department honored recent retirees Ken Hansen, Harold Wilde, and Mary Loyland. Victoria Beard retired this summer and Steve Carlson will join the group as an emeritus faculty member in December. All of these faculty members have made significant contributions to the department, the college, as well as student advancement. With a generous contribution from a CoBPA alumnus, a new UND Accountancy Legacy Professorship Endowment has been established to recognize the invaluable contributions the retired and current faculty have made to the educational experience for accounting students. This endowment honors and seeks to support the continuation of this legacy. Our goal is to raise sufficient funding of $1 million for this new endowed faculty professorship. The seed money of $500,000 is available to our investors on a 1:1 match to this new faculty endowment. We also have the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund available on a 1:2 match with a minimum of $50,000 to this endowment. For more information about honoring our retired and current faculty, please contact Kim Woods at KimW@undfoundation.org.
CoBPA Scholarship Recognition Ceremony September 25 Noon -1:30 p.m. Memorial Union Ballroom CoBPA Alumni & Friends Social October 9 4 - 6 p.m. L’Bistro Lounge Accounting Hall of Fame October 9 6:30 - 8 p.m. Alerus Center Mellem Business Symposium/UAS Theme October 14 Location/Time TBA Olafson Ethics Symposium November 12 7 p.m. Memorial Union Ballroom Visit us at business.UND.edu for all upcoming events!
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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
What’s New
News from around campus A Partnership with the Division of University and Public Affairs
Photo: Jackie Lorentz
Students from the Class of 2019 pose for a class photo during Welcome Weekend. This freshman class is the most academically gifted in UND history.
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President Robert Kelley
DEAR ALUMNI & FRIENDS
One of my favorite events each year is Convocation, when we welcome our newest students to the University family. A large group, more than 1,500 of the approximately 2,000 new freshmen, took part in the Class of 2019 photo on the opposite page. The majority of those students joined us the next day for Convocation in the Chester Fritz Auditorium, where they learned tips for succeeding academically from students, faculty, and other University leaders. We couldn’t be happier with our freshmen class. In terms of overall high school grade point averages and overall ACT scores, this is our most academically prepared freshmen class yet, and follows on the heels of last year’s academically prepared class. It is clear that our strategy of recruiting the best and brightest high school students is paying off. And it is paying off in another way as well: we saw a nearly 15 percent increase in transfer students this fall. We are also seeing an increase in retention from the freshman year to sophomore. Last year, the freshmen retention rate was 80 percent, up from 75 percent the year before. We won’t have our final numbers for a few more weeks, but I’m expecting another great retention result — which will help lead to increased graduation rates. I want to commend Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Thomas DiLorenzo and Vice President for Student Affairs Lori Reesor and their staffs for implementing important new strategies that are helping more students to succeed and to make the decision to continue their college educations. We have other new students, as well, including a full class of 85 law students, which, given the fact most law schools are seeing declining enrollments, is a strong testament to our faculty and curriculum and, maybe, the fact these students are starting their legal education in a $14.4 million new addition to and renovation of the law school building. The North Dakota Legislature provided more than $11 million for the building, and the rest has been generously funded through alumni donations. The Law School was one of six major building projects worth a collective $220 million that dotted the campus this summer. Two of the buildings, the Law School and the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, slated to open in time for the 2016 fall semester, received direct funding from the North Dakota Legislature. The High Performance Athletics Center, funded through donations, and Wilkerson Commons, funded through bonding, will open this fall. Robin Hall is already changing the skyline on the west edge of campus. And the Collaborative Energy Complex is underway between Upson and Leonard Halls. Both Robin Hall and the Collaborative Energy Complex benefited from the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund as well as significant donations. Also happening on campus, the North Dakota Geological Survey is expanding the Wilson M. Laird Core
and Sample Library, which will be connected via skywalk to the Collaborative Energy Complex.
Your Chance to Vote for a New Nickname
As you may know, in August I announced the details for how we will select our next nickname. The voting process, which will be conducted completely online, will take place in mid-October and will extend for approximately one week. Precise dates will be announced later. You can read the news release regarding voter eligibility, how the vote will be conducted and more of my thoughts on the process on page 16. If any of the proposed nicknames receives a majority of more than 50 percent of the votes, that name will be determined to be the new nickname for the University of North Dakota. In the event that no single nickname receives more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff vote by the UND student body will be held between the two top vote-getters shortly after the initial vote. This is an exciting time at the University of North Dakota. We are working to build UND’s legacy, and we appreciate the great help of so many alumni friends in this very important work. I was pleased that in Fiscal Year 2015 more than 12,000 donors contributed to $48.3 million -- the second-highest year of philanthropic support and the fifth consecutive year that new donations eclipsed the $40 million mark. That allowed an all-time support to UND from the Foundation of $25.8 million -- very important support that went to student, faculty, programmatic, and facility support. The University of North Dakota is blessed to have such outstanding support from you, our alumni and friends. Thank you for all that you do help make UND exceptional. Best wishes,
Robert O. Kelley President
www.UNDalumni.org | 35
UND aviation coach Erin Schoenrock (right) stands with the Frozen Force team (from left to right): Carly Namihira, Christina Druskins and Jennifer Pinkowski. Not pictured: Lydia Wiff.
Sky‘Force’
a
UND’S ALL-WOMEN AIR RACE CLASSIC FLIES TO SECOND PLACE IN A 2,500-MILE LONG COMPETITION MADE FAMOUS BY AMELIA EARHART
team of University of North Dakota aviators placed second overall among 56 international teams competing this year in the all-women Air Race Classic. Three UND aviators — all students in the John D. Odegard School of Aerospace — were in the cockpit: Jennifer Pinkowski, Ashburn, Virginia, pilot; Carly Namihira, Honolulu, Hawaii, co-pilot; and Christina Druskins, Midland, Michigan, navigator. The team’s ground crew was headed by Lydia Wiff, Cologne, Minnesota. These women followed the lead of Amelia Earhart, who was among the first contenders in this competition when it was inaugurated in 1929. “Placing in the top 10 really promotes women in aviation at UND,” Namihira said. This year’s competition started in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and zigzagged over 2,561 miles to the finish line in Fairhope, Alabama. “Hitting the first stop was when everything seemed real,” Druskins said. “We ran into a lot of UND alumni along the way so that was really cool,” Pinkowski said. The team also received an award for completing the last leg of the race the fastest. “It shows that we’re now a team to watch out for,” Wiff said. The competitors had four days to complete the
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Photo: Jackie Lorentz
daylight-only race. Frozen Force completed it in two and a half days. “It really promotes crew resource management — how you interact with others in the plane and communicating with teammates for three weeks in a row, flying from 6 a.m. to sundown, and then in the hotel afterward,” Namihira said. UND sent the team to the competition in a brand new Cessna 172, provided by the company. Several UND Aerospace departments collaborated for the race, including Atmospheric Sciences faculty member Fred Remer and his Weather Team — six Atmospheric Sciences faculty, alumni and graduate students. “Weather is the only real variable in the race,” said Elizabeth Bjerke, professor and chair of Aviation. “Getting second place was definitely due to our weather team,” Pinkowski said. “When they said ‘Go,’ we went, even if it involved missing out on free manicures, pedicures and massages.” The UND Aerospace Line and Maintenance Departments also assisted by preparing a “race kit” with various items the team might need, such as tie downs, rags, spare oil, etc. The Maintenance Department was on call in case the team had questions concerning the aircraft during the race. UND Aerospace Dispatch and SOF (Supervisor of Flight) oversaw the flight, tracking it daily. While Pinkowski, Namihira and Druskins were in the sky, Wiff and Erin Schoenrock, a UND senior flight instructor and the team’s coach, kept in contact with them and tracked their journey via social media. “The UND Aerospace Foundation was a huge supporter again this year, providing a one-to-one match for contributions up to $10,000 designated toward the Air Race Classic Team,” Schoenrock said. “I think the experience we’ve received through this race is very unique to UND and makes UND very special,” Wiff said. “You can’t put a price on that.” AR — Amy Halvorson & David Dodds, University & Public Affairs writers
Go for
Launch UND’S HOMEGROWN MINIATURE SATELLITE RANKS ATOP THE LIST OF ALL NASA PROPOSALS TO EMBARK ON AN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION MISSION IN 2016
i
UND Ph.D. candidate Jeremy Straub with the OpenOrbiter One CubeSat.
t looks like a kid’s LEGO® creation, about the size of a detergent box. Don’t be fooled. The University of North Dakota’s OpenOrbiter One CubeSat, recently given a “go for launch” by NASA, is a space-based research device capable of much more than its diminutive size lets on. “We got awarded a launch; very exciting, indeed,” said Computer Science Ph.D. candidate Jeremy Straub, who’s coordinating the University’s CubeSat project. “We expect that it’ll be integrated into a U.S. launch vehicle for an International Space Station (ISS) resupply mission. It’ll go out from the ISS NanoRacks CubeSat launch facility.” The UND CubeSat led the list of projects of its kind selected by NASA. “Our proposal was chosen as the top selection nationwide for 2014-15,” Straub said. Straub says part of the mission — once the UND CubeSat is in orbit — is to fly over Grand Forks, where it will be able to capture imagery and download its data to a receiving and control station located in the UND John D. Odegard School of Aerospace Sciences’ Streibel Hall. The number of students involved in the CubeSat project at any one time has ranged from under 10 to as many as 50. Over the course of the program’s life, about 80 students have been involved directly and an additional 100 or so have been involved more peripherally, Straub explained. “We’ve gotten people from all over the place, every
Photo: Jackie Lorentz
college and a smattering of departments, including the College of Business & Public Administration, the School of Medicine & Health Sciences, and the School of Law, involved,” said Computer Science Department chair Ron Marsh, who serves as principal investigator on the launch proposal. “It’s a great experience.” The CubeSat concept — which originated in the late 1990s at Stanford University and California Polytechnic — is about learning by doing. “This will be North Dakota’s first spacecraft,” Straub said. “We’re also collaborating on the payload with a faculty member and a few students from Northland Community and Technical College in Minnesota.” CubeSats, to date, have largely been targeted at lowEarth orbit. “The altitude that the spacecraft is launched into and the current level of solar pressure determine the orbit, given the small satellite’s characteristics,” Straub said. “Operational life may range from a few months to a few years; however, longer missions are possible.” CubeSats typically receive an orbit that is pretty close to the orbit of the primary spacecraft that they are “catching a ride” with. UND’s CubeSat has been manifested on a rocket for a March 2016 launch. AR — Juan Miguel Pedraza, University & Public Affairs writer
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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
Dignitaries break ground for the start of construction on the Collaborative Energy Complex. Photo: Jackie Lorentz
Front door to the
Future
UND BREAKS GROUND ON COLLABORATIVE ENERGY COMPLEX, A $15 MILLION, 37,000-PLUS-SQUARE-FOOT HUB FOR ENGINEERING EDUCATION AND TRAINING.
t
he University of North Dakota broke ground in July on the Collaborative Energy Complex (CEC) — a new facility that will open doors for students and faculty, and which will become the new front door to UND’s College of Engineering & Mines. The 37,000-plus square-foot CEC will be set on the southeast part of campus between Leonard Hall and Upson Hall I. The CEC will connect the two existing facilities, forming a major engineering education and research complex on campus that will include Upson Hall I & II, Harrington Hall and the nearby Wilson M. Laird Core and Sample Library. “What a great day for the University and the College of Engineering & Mines. I commend Dean Hesham ElRewini and his colleagues for their initiative and vision for the Collaborative Energy Complex, which should provide immediate opportunities for students and long-term solutions for the future of North Dakota and the nation,” said UND President Robert Kelley. “This facility and the
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way it was funded — almost entirely with donations and with important funding from the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund — is an excellent example of a successful private-sector partnership — the kind that UND has fostered across our academic and research enterprises.” El-Rewini stressed that the new facility — as its name suggests— will provide students and faculty with a place to interact with each other as well as with colleagues from other units on campus and beyond. “More than just a building to house programs, CEC is about people, about collaboration, about innovation, and about building bridges with industry. It will provide students and faculty with a place to interact with each other as well as with colleagues from other colleges on campus and with industry,” said El-Rewini. “CEC will provide our students and researchers with access to cutting edge laboratories and equipment. Students’ educational experiences will be enriched through industry interactions, personalized mentorship, professional development opportunities and outreach activities.” “In 2013, Governor Dalrymple and I set out to jumpstart private donations to North Dakota colleges and universities by moving the North Dakota Higher Education Challenge Fund initiative through the Legislature and, with their help, we did just that,” said North Dakota Lieutenant Governor Drew Wrigley. “The Challenge Fund grant review committee awarded $29 million to our schools in the last biennium thanks to the generous donations made by individuals and businesses. Because of those donations and Challenge Fund dollars, North Dakota colleges and universities have been able to invest almost $90 million in their campuses and programs.” “Hess Corporation is proud to have committed $5 million over five years to support the UND Collaborative Energy Complex,” said Gerbert Schoonman, vice president of the
School of Law
Dean’s Corner: Join us for a special Homecoming Hess Corporation’s Bakken operations in North Dakota. “This investment in higher education is part of our commitment to make a positive impact on the communities where we do business and develop a local workforce to support the growing energy sector in the state. We hope this new facility will play a key role in helping to build rewarding careers that in turn will further strengthen the state economy for years to come.” Robert “Bob” Solberg, a 1969 UND Civil Engineering alumnus, was the first private major donor for the construction of the CEC. Solberg, now living in Houston, spent 45 years in the petroleum industry, 33 of those with Texaco. When he retired in 2002, he was serving as the company’s president of commercial development. Solberg says that UND’s collaborative approach to engineering education is the right idea. “I am very excited about this complex,” Solberg said. “I think it’s a wonderful and great idea. Universities and academia traditionally have not realized the potential of synchronizing all kinds of technological and engineering talents, but that’s exactly what this new building does. It’s all about sharing ideas and learning from each other.” Steve L. Burian, a UND alum and donor who is chief executive officer at AE2S (Advanced Engineering and Environmental Services, Inc.), added, “We are excited to be a part of this strategic project for UND’s College of Engineering and Mines. A significant number of employees who have contributed to the success of AE2S are graduates of the UND engineering programs, and the College is critical to our future success. We are honored to play a role in helping cultivate the next generation of engineering talent.” AR
Dear Alumni and Friends, Please join us in celebrating the Grand Opening of the new and improved UND School of Law during Homecoming 2015. All of our School of Law alumni and friends are invited to join us in celebrating the completion of our addition and renovation! I hope to see each and every one of you at the School of Law this Homecoming so that we can thank you in person for all that you do to support North Dakota’s law school! For details and registration/ticket information, please visit our web page at law. und.edu.
Kathryn R.L. Rand Dean, UND School of Law
— David Dodds, University & Public Affairs writer
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NEWS FROM AROUND CAMPUS
Playing for the
World
UND MUSICIANS ALEJANDRO DRAGO AND RONNIE INGLE WERE CHOSEN FOR A RECENT CONCERT IN ARMENIA
u
Alejandro Drago (right) and Ronnie Ingle do some sightseeing during their trip to Armenia to perform with the World Orchestra. Photo:Kurt Chan
niversity of North Dakota Professors of Music Alejandro Drago and Ronnie Ingle took their talents to the world stage recently as they performed in the World Orchestra at the Yerevan Opera House — the national opera house of Armenia. The concert was put on to commemorate the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, which took place in the Ottoman Empire from 1915-20, when approximately 1.5 million of Turkey’s Armenians were killed and many more forcibly removed from the country. The Turkish government, the heir government of the Ottoman Empire, still refuses to acknowledge that the Armenian Genocide ever took place. The concert was a public international action to demand that the Turkish government recognize the Armenian Genocide. The concert was called “24/04 Orchestra,” because April 24 is the official day of recognition for the Armenian Genocide. It was also the date of the concert.
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“I believe that lasting friendships and comradery were forged on this Armenian stage and I can say confidently that all of us who participated left Armenia somehow transformed and deeply touched,” Drago said. Of the 125 international orchestra members from 40 countries, eight represented the United States, with two — Ingle and Drago — from UND. “Performing with a fellow UND colleague on an international stage is another example of UND’s leadership in music performance among higher education institutions,” Ingle said. “It is just another piece of proof of the quality of the instrumental faculty at UND,” Drago added. These two UND professors showcased their world-class talent by Ingle playing the trumpet and Drago playing the violin. Ingle had a trumpet solo during the concert, and his performance was shown on CNN in the United States. That solo can be viewed just before the 35-minute mark of the concert on the clip posted on YouTube (we provide a link at undalumni.org/alumnireview). “Performing alongside the very best musicians on their respective instruments from over 40 countries will go down as one of the most special highlights in my career, and the opportunity to have a solo with the orchestra was unforgettable,” Ingle said. The orchestra played an extensive selection of Armenian folk music arranged for orchestra and pieces by famous Armenian composers such as Khachaturian, Babadjianian, Arutunian and others. The event was attended by several world leaders and celebrities, such as actor George Clooney. Ingle said, “The most immediate challenge was in maintaining the highest level of musicianship at all times at rehearsals and in concert, and to ultimately manage the pressure of performing the concert for a sold-out audience broadcast live on national television.” Ingle and Drago received their musical parts a month in advance to become familiar with the musical selection, and once they arrived in Armenia they had an intense rehearsal schedule to bring all of the parts together. “I believe that the professional result achieved can be compared to the top orchestras in Europe or the U.S.,” said Drago. AR — Amy Halvorson, University & Public Affairs student writer
Extraordinary
Service
UND’S KRISTI OKERLUND, ’05, ’07, IS WELL KNOWN FOR HER GENEROSITY.
w
hen good things happen to Kristi Okerlund, she’s quick to deflect credit to others. That’s why her response to being named a recipient of The Excellence in Advising Award by the National Mortar Board is so fitting. “I really don’t see myself as extraordinary,” Okerlund said. “I see myself as a regular person giving back to an organization that means a great deal to me on a campus I love.” In August, Okerlund, who works in UND’s Student Involvement & Leadership office, was in Phoenix at the National Mortar Board Conference to receive the award, which is given annually to chapter advisors who have demonstrated a commitment to the purpose of Mortar Board and who have gone above and beyond in their work. Okerlund, a native of Fargo, has been a part of UND’s Quo Vadis Mortar Board Chapter since 2003, and was an active member for two years. She moved on to work as a graduate student advisor from 2005-07. She became a co-advisor in 2007, and then took over as sole advisor two years later — a role she still holds today. “I want UND students initiated into Mortar Board to have the same experience that I had as an undergraduate student,” Okerlund said. The Quo Vadis Chapter of Mortar Board at UND is probably most recognized for the annual Turkey Basket Drive that it leads each year around Thanksgiving. Since 1979, the drive has delivered thousands of traditional holiday meals to underprivileged Grand Forks area families. “I love volunteering in our community and the
Photo: Shawna Noel Schill
connection between the Greater Grand Forks community and the Quo Vadis Chapter of Mortar Board at UND is instrumental as the students plan and execute the Turkey Basket Drive each year,” Okerlund said. “Mortar Board members work with many facets of our community in order to successfully carry out the Turkey Basket Drive.” Founded in 1918, Mortar Board is a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for superior achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. A select number of students on each campus are invited to join the organization, which provides opportunities for leadership development, promotes service to colleges and universities and encourages lifelong contributions to the global community. Since Mortar Board’s founding, more than 250,000 members have held the honor of being initiated at 230 chartered chapters across the nation. Okerlund says that most recipients of The Excellence in Advising Award have served as chapter advisors for several decades, and while attending national conferences in the past she often found herself in awe of their fascinating careers and stories. “I am grateful to all of the students I have the opportunity to work with,” Okerlund said. “They have shaped me as an advisor and I would not be where I am today without them.” Cassie Gerhardt, UND assistant dean of students and interim director of the Memorial Union, said that UND’s Mortar Board Chapter would not have been as successful as it has been without Okerlund. “This award is much deserved and is a testament to Kristi’s hard work and service to students,” Gerhardt said. “It should be noted that advising Mortar Board is outside of Kristi’s positional job description and expectations, so her service to Mortar Board is truly an example of going above and beyond in service to UND and our students.”. AR — David Dodds University & Public Affairs student writer www.UNDalumni.org | 41
®
ALUMNI & FRIENDS SCHEDULE
The University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation and the Student Ambassador Executive Board invite you to “Paint the Town Green” for Homecoming 2015, October 5-11.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 UND Women & Gender Studies Grand Re-Opening and Open House
2 – 3:30 p.m. O’Kelly 133 221 Centennial Dr. Join the UND College of Arts & Sciences as it celebrates the success of the Women and Gender Studies program and showcases the renovated WGS office space and lounge. Questions? Contact Tanya Butler, 701.777.6240 or tanya.butler@UND. edu.
Sioux Award Banquet
5:30 p.m. Alerus Center Honor a very special group of alumni at the prestigious Sioux Award and Young Alumni Achievement Award ceremony. Social: 5:30 p.m.
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Dinner/Program: 6:30 p.m. Evening Attire $50/person Sponsor a student: $50 To register, go to undalumni.org/ siouxaward Questions? Email events@ undalumni.net or call 701.777.2611.
UND Volleyball
7 p.m. Betty Engelstad Sioux Center Watch the UND women take on Weber State.
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 UND Spirit Day Wear your green gear all day!
College of Education & Human Development Scholarship and Award Ceremony
CoBPA Alumni & Friends Social
Time: 12:15 p.m. Education Building, Room 113 Lunch will be provided. RSVP to the Dean’s office at 701.777.2674 by Sept. 25.
4 – 6 p.m. L’Bistro Canad Inns 1000 S. 42nd St. Questions? Contact Laura Arneson, 701.777.6937 or laura.arneson@ business.und.edu.
School of Law Building Dedication Ceremony
College of Arts & Sciences Open House
4 p.m. School of Law Front Lawn 215 Centennial Drive School of Law alumni and friends are invited to join in celebrating the completion of the school’s addition and renovation. Questions? Contact Beth Moe, 701.777.2282 or beth.moe@law.und. edu.
4:30 – 6 p.m. Empire Arts Center 415 DeMers Avenue
UND All-Greek Alumni Reception
5 – 6:30 p.m. Memorial Union Dakota Lounge
Cheer and Dance Reunion 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. Betty Engelstad Sioux Center Visit the Cheer and Dance Reunion Facebook page to RSVP.
School of Law Alumni Social
5 – 7 p.m. School of Law Building 215 Centennial Drive A celebration for all UND Law donors, alumni, friends and family to see the new and renovated law school building for the first time. Questions? Contact Beth Moe, 701.777.2282 or beth.moe@law.und. edu.
School of Medicine & Health Sciences Alumni Dinner
5 – 7 p.m. Gorecki Alumni Center 3501 University Ave. The all-school dinner caps a day of SMHS Homecoming events. See www.undalumni.org/ homecoming for the complete list. Questions? Contact Kristen Peterson, 701.777.4305, or Kristen.peterson@ med.und.edu
Department of Accountancy Hall of Fame Ceremony 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. Alerus Center
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 CoBPA Coffee & Hot Chocolate Booth
10 a.m. Stop by the corner of University Ave. and Centennial Drive near Gamble Hall to get warmed up during the Homecoming parade. Beverages are courtesy of the College of Business & Public Administration.
Parade
10 a.m. Gorecki Alumni Center to University Park
School of Law All-Class Reunion Brunch and Law School Tours
10 a.m. School of Law Building 215 Centennial Dr. Alumni are invited to gather on the lawn of the newly renovated UND School of Law for the Homecoming Parade, followed by brunch and tours of the Law School Questions? Contact Beth Moe, 701.777.2282 or beth.moe@law.und. edu.
UND Volleyball
Noon Betty Engelstad Sioux Center Idaho State is the opponent for a Homecoming volleyball match.
“Paint the Town Green” at the UND Football 2015 UND Homecoming Parade! 1 p.m. Homecoming Brunch
10 a.m. – noon Gorecki Alumni Center Here’s your pre- and postparade pit stop! Join fellow alumni for brunch at the Gorecki Alumni Center. RSVP by visiting www.undalumni.org/ homecoming. $10 per person.
Alerus Center The football team takes on Idaho State in the Homecoming game. Purchase game tickets at the Alerus Center Box Office or the UND Box Office at Ralph Engelstad Arena at 701.777.4689 and reference block HOME15 to be seated with fellow UND alumni.
UND FNP/NP Anniversary Celebration and Reunion
6 p.m. Eagle’s Crest Grill 5301 Columbia Road Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the FNP program and the 50th anniversary of NP Education. There will be a formal dinner and awards for alumni.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 Green Gallop Homecoming Run
9:30 a.m. UND Wellness Center The Green Gallop Homecoming Run is a great way to show your UND Pride and help support the Wellness Center’s Student Development Fund. You can choose a 5K or 10K. Register at und.edu/health-wellness/ wellness/green-gallop. This is just a partial listing of all the events planned for Homecoming 2015. Please visit undalumni.org/ homecoming to see the complete list of alumni and student Homecoming events.
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HOMECOMING
2015
SIOUX AWARD | YOUNG ALUMNI RECIPIENTS
Sioux
AWARD
BANQUET
honoring the recipients of the Sioux Award JILL CHOLEWA, `77
“My dad told me to give 110 percent or nothing at all.” Following her father’s advice has led Jill (Keena) Cholewa, ’77, ’79, through a lifetime of assertive leadership, business success and philanthropic impact. She and her husband, Steve, are retired owners of S. & J. Lumber, Inc. in Madera, California — a business venture they stumbled upon as newlyweds in the 1980s. The couple was traveling cross-country to the Pacific Coast to pursue careers as professional volleyball players when their U-Haul broke down. They had maxed out their credit limit and didn’t have much money in the bank. So, it was time to turn in the U-Haul and go to work. Jill found jobs as a teacher, coach, and florist. Steve worked at a lumberyard. One day in 1987, the owner, who had been admiring the couple’s work ethic, offered to help finance them to open their own lumberyard. But the Cholewas had a bigger goal: they wanted to own their own lumberyard, so they had an attorney write up a buyout clause after 2 years. “We started our first month of business with $350,000 per month, and ended with a $10 million a year lumberyard,” Jill said. 22 years later, when Jill was just 50 years old, she retired. “So far, the lumberyard is my biggest accomplishment,” Jill says, pointing to the adversity she faced traveling across the country and starting their journey
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with no money. But, she adds, “I’m hoping my greatest accomplishment is yet to come.” Jill, who lettered on the UND women’s volleyball team in 1975 and 1976, and, in fact, was instrumental in recruiting enough players to start the first volleyball team, came to UND with no scholarship assistance and recalls holding down a job while playing sports and attending class full time. Today, she and Steve generously support volleyball scholarships to UND student-athletes, the Sports Business program in the College of Business and Public Administration, and scholarships within the Kinesiology and Public Health Education program. “The returns on investing in your college or University are far greater than I could even think about,” she said. “I feel like education can change the world.” Jill also heads up the University of North Dakota National Athletic Women’s Leadership Council. The committee’s purpose is to build and maintain the strong tradition of excellence for UND women’s athletic programs. Jill, a Hillsboro, North Dakota, native, adds 30 years of coaching to her resume, and started the Madera Volleyball Club, in which 100 girls participate every year. She is also Foundation President with Infant of Prague Adoption, Finance Chair for the Madera Methodist Church and Parent Club President, member of the University of California Cooperative Extension, served as President of the State Center Community College Foundation, served as President of the American Association of University Women, is a Master Gardener, Free the Girls volunteer (which gives women in third world countries a new lease on life), and a Rotarian. “We don’t even know the ways we’re changing to world today, but I know that I am and that’s what keeps me going,” Jill said. The Cholewa family has lived in San Luis Obispo, California, since 2014.
PATRICK DIRK, `71, `72 In 1972, Patrick Dirk lived on the University of North Dakota campus with his wife, Mary. He had graduated magna cum laude in 1971 with a bachelor’s degree in accounting. He had passed the CPA exam and was about to complete his master’s degree in accounting. As graduation approached, he told Mary that he wouldn’t mind staying at UND to get his Ph.D. But Mary had other ideas. “It’s
time to go to work!” she said. And so they did. Patrick, Mary, and their four children moved to Minneapolis, where he joined Peat Marwick (KPMG) – a job placement that he fully credits to his time at the University of North Dakota. “What’s significant about UND is that every major accounting firm came to interview,” Patrick said. “I had a job offer from every one of the large accounting firms. We could literally go wherever we wanted. We chose Minneapolis because we felt it was a good place to start the second segment of our lives.” Patrick left KPMG to become the controller of Kroy, Inc. and after five years was named company president. In 1982, he and Mary co-founded Pierce Companies, which later became TROY Group, Inc., where he has served as CEO and Mary as a Vice President for 33 years. TROY was started with 5 employees and today employs 145 while conducting business in 80 countries. Patrick was born in Carson, North Dakota, and lived in farming communities until his family moved to Bismarck in 1951. He graduated from St. Mary’s Grade and High Schools in Bismarck. As a junior in high school he joined the North Dakota National Guard and after graduation become a full time employee with the Guard. His last assignment was Company Commander of C Company 141, headquartered in Oakes, North Dakota. He retired as a Lt. Colonel with the Minnesota Air National Guard with 21 years of total service. He and Mary were high school sweethearts, and they were married in 1960. Of their 55 years of marriage,
they’ve worked together for 40. “I attribute Mary to a great deal of my success because she gave me a purpose,” he said. “I couldn’t do enough to make her life and our family’s life what it is today.” After his time in the military and receiving encouragement from the North Dakota Tax Commissioner, where he worked as the Operations Director, Patrick — at that time a father of three — decided to attend college. So, after graduating from Bismarck State College with an associate’s degree in Computer Science, he and Mary moved to Grand Forks. While here, the couple served as Head Residents of Brannon Hall. Their fourth child was born during their time on campus. Patrick earned his pilot’s license. He continued to be serve as an officer in the North Dakota National Guard. And he taught freshman and sophomore accounting classes in Gamble Hall. “I did a lot during my college years. You’re not just a student at UND – you’re really living life,” he said. “And it’s a great place to live life.” Today, Patrick and Mary are active in 33 different charities. Patrick says that, as a child in a household of modest means, he remembers going to the Open Your Heart charity in Bismarck for shoes. Since then, he and Mary have given back to Open Your Heart. Patrick also served on the UND Alumni Association & Foundation Board of Directors from 2005 to 2011. He was Vice Chairman of Opera Pacific and Vice President of Development for Canyon Acres Children and Family Services. He is currently serving on the CEO advisory board for the Pacific Symphony, Advisory Board member for Mary’s Shelter, a home for pregnant teens, Advisory Board member for the Orange County High School of the Arts, the leadership board of Seneca Children and family services and as a Trustee for Brandman University. Patrick and Mary are members of the St. Mary’s High School Hall of Fame and have been honorees for Cystic Fibrosis of Orange County, Canyon Acres, Mary’s Shelter and Il Padrini. “As a result of growing up poor and having a charity help you as you were a youngster, how can you not give back? I find it extremely rewarding,” Patrick said. Bismarck State College named Patrick Alumni of the Year in 2002. Patrick and Mary have four adult children, 14 grandchildren and one great grandchild. They have lived in Newport Beach, California, since 1987.
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HOMECOMING
2015
SIOUX AWARD | YOUNG ALUMNI RECIPIENTS
HENRY HERR, `68, `71 Henry Herr, ’68, ’71, found a calling in working in health care administration/finance, and his business acumen led him to cofound two companies with a combined market capitalization of more than $ 4 billion. Herr grew up in Bismarck, North Dakota, and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Accounting from UND. Following grad school, Herr took a job in the Oregon offices of Arthur Young, a job the head of the UND department helped him secure. At that time in the early ‘70s, Herr says Medicare was reimbursing hospitals based on a fairly complicated methodology that is known as a step-down cost allocation method. During a meeting at work, management asked if anyone had experience in that method. Herr says of all his colleagues who came into the company at the same time as him, he was the only one whose school had a class in step-down cost allocation. When he was the only one to raise his hand, he was told “You’re in health care.” Herr says it turned out to be a turning point in his career, another moment in which his UND education played a crucial role. He found that he enjoyed working with hospitals. Herr eventually moved to Alabama to help Arthur Young establish a health care consulting practice in the southeastern U.S. He later decided he should acquire some experience running hospitals so that he could be a more effective consultant. He left Arthur Young to join a multi-hospital network system with the thought that he would come back in a few years. He never did return. “I fell in love with the dynamics of being on the frontlines of health care delivery,” he said. He eventually became the Vice President and Controller for a billion dollar company that ran hospitals, nursing homes, and psychiatric facilities, and which included the first for-profit Health Management Organization in the U.S. When that company, Hospital Affiliates International, was bought out in 1981, he and several other executive officers decided to start their own company. They wanted to focus
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on acquiring hospitals in smaller markets that the much larger publicly traded companies had overlooked. The initial founders secured venture capital financing and over the years that company, Healthways, evolved into the largest independent global provider of disease management and preventive care solutions. The company’s customers include employers, integrated health systems, hospitals, physicians, health plans, communities and government entities. The company now serves approximately 68 million people on four continents. Herr retired from Healthways as CFO in 2001, and served an additional eight years on the company’s board of directors. Herr also co-founded a spin-off company from Healthways called AmSurg, which is now the largest ambulatory surgery center company in the country with over 250 locations. Recently, AmSurg completed the acquisition of Sheridan Health, the largest provider of anesthesiology services to hospitals and other health providers in the country. Sheridan employs several thousand physicians and other health professionals at several hundred sites across the country. AmSurg has a market capitalization of several billion dollars and is a recognized leader in the ambulatory care/physician services industry. Herr continues to serve on the board of directors of AmSurg. Since the mid-1970s Herr has worked with the same group of executives. The team has seen the development of two businesses from venture ideas to organizations employing thousands of colleagues across the globe providing innovative, cost-effective health care and preventive care services. “Much of this started at UND. I was the beneficiary of an excellent education as well as career direction here at UND and over the years I have felt privileged to be able to participate as best I could in assuring that these opportunities and support continue to be provided to students in accounting.” Henry and his wife, Judee, live in Nashville, Tennessee. They have two children. In addition to their generous support for Accounting students and faculty, Judee and Henry maintain a charitable foundation that focuses primarily on social welfare and veteran support programs. Herr has received numerous awards for his achievements, including the 1996 Outstanding Alumnus Award from the Zeta chapter of Beta Alpha Psi. He was named to the UND Accounting Department Hall of Fame in 2011.
DAVE VEEDER, `61
David Veeder was born and raised on a farm east of Watford City, North Dakota. He earned his bachelor’s degree with honors in Chemical Engineering from UND in 1961. Veeder says with no advanced math classes at Watford City High School, it was somewhat unlikely that he would choose ChemE as a major. But he liked math and science and after his mother read an article about ChemE graduates being in demand and making $500 a month (“Pretty big money in those days.”), he started researching schools in the region. He ended up at what he calls “the Harvard of North Dakota” and, after catching up on math courses his freshman year, entered the challenging Chemical Engineering program. He says the value of his UND education was apparent after he worked a summer job with Universal Oil Products in Chicago and was hired by the company after graduation. He says the plant manager told him they always recruited UND’s Chemical Engineering students, even when they weren’t hiring. “They preferred UND graduates over those from Purdue, Georgia Tech and MIT,” said Veeder. “I guess we were too dumb to know better and worked hard,” he said with a laugh. Veeder’s work with Universal Oil Products took him around the U.S. and to Italy and Puerto Rico. He then went to work for Conoco, Inc., and while working fulltime running a refinery during the day, Veeder earned a law degree by taking night classes at the University of Denver. Veeder’s UND classmate and friend Jim Kack says David was inspired to change careers after working with a handful of other managers to keep the Denver refinery operating during a labor strike. “After sleeping on a cot in coveralls and a hardhat, David decided he really wanted to be a lawyer!” said Kack.
With his JD in hand, Veeder became an attorney, eventually starting his own practice, Veeder Law Firm, P.C. in Billings, Montana. Veeder’s background in oil and gas led to steady work in environmental law. He has been named in multiple years as one of the Best Lawyers in America in the practice area of Environmental Law. Veeder, who is now retired, also worked in the areas of tax law, real estate, labor and civil litigation. He has won several cases at the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals and has been an arbitrator in labor disputes as well. Veeder says it was unusual that he would work in so many areas as most attorneys prefer to specialize in one. He credits his time at UND in giving him the technical background to pursue such a wide variety of work. “My view of UND is that it was like the foundation of a house,” says Veeder. “It was the foundation of what I was able to do with my career. UND gave me the structure and basic knowledge that I needed to go down the road. I appreciated my professors. I appreciated the experience. I was active. It was an enjoyable time.” Veeder met his wife, Linnea (Kranzler), ’62, while at UND, and the two have been generous supporters of their alma mater, including providing scholarships in Chemical Engineering and in Linnea’s program, Medical Technology (now known as Medical Laboratory Science). The Veeders have three children and three grandchildren. His daughter Jolane has taken over the law practice in Billings. Veeder has also become involved in a number of other ventures over the years, including commercial real estate development, building hotels and housing units in the Watford City area and elsewhere, oil and gas development, and sand and gravel mining. Veeder, who also took classes at the University of Colorado and the University of Chicago during his oil and gas career, says the coursework at UND was the hardest he experienced. “I have a special spot in my heart for UND and for North Dakota.”
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HOMECOMING
2015
SIOUX AWARD | YOUNG ALUMNI RECIPIENTS
Sioux
AWARD
BANQUET
KAYLA EFFERTZ KLEVEN, `05, `07
honoring the recipients of the Young Alumni Achievement Award
Kayla Effertz Kleven, ’05, ’07, has made a career of fostering big ideas. The Senior Policy Advisor for North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple holds the portfolios for education and agriculture, two of the state’s most important issues. In a previous job working at UND, Effertz Kleven helped plan the opening of the UND Wellness Center. Effertz Kleven credits her time at UND with helping her not only think big, but also see those ideas through to fruition. She says she was an “overactive, over-programmed” college student, but thanks to Assistant Dean of Student Involvement & Leadership Cassie Gerhardt, ’96, ‘08, she was able to use that to her advantage. “I was really involved, probably too involved,” says Effertz Kleven. “Cassie really helped me to apply what I was doing into the classroom, and she made that connection for me. The classroom came alive for me when I was able to apply what I was learning.” After getting her bachelor’s degree in 2005, Effertz Kleven was faced with two career options: one was a stable job with Cargill in Minneapolis while the other was a entry level internship with the North Dakota Department of Health. She chose the internship, which allowed her to travel to Washington, D.C., a decision she says was the “better path” for her to explore. When the internship was over, Effertz Kleven got a call from UND, asking if she’d be interested in working at the UND Wellness Center, a building that was still under construction. Effertz Kleven signed on as the Assistant Director of First Impressions, and helped plan for programming and staffing in the $20 million building.
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From UND, Effertz Kleven went to the North Dakota Department of Commerce where she says she found a passion for private/public partnerships for the benefit of public education. While at the DOC, she worked on the Operation Intern program, an initiative of Dalrymple’s, who was then the lieutenant governor. She also volunteered to help with the North Dakota Youth Council Dalrymple was chairing. Effertz Kleven was asked to join the Governor’s Office in February 2010 under Gov. John Hoeven, and when Darlymple was elected governor in 2012, he asked Effertz Kleven to join his staff. She currently holds the education and agriculture portfolios, which are right up her alley as she grew up on a farm outside Velva, North Dakota, and, in addition to all her other experiences, she also served a year as the student representative on the Board of Higher Education. Effertz Kleven says as a senior policy advisor her job is to help make sure the ship of state runs straight. She says while there is a lot of variety to the job, it gets especially intense leading up to and during the biennial legislative session. Not only must the staff help prepare a budget for the Governor to present to the lawmakers, but throughout the session each advisor tracks bills that fall under their portfolios. Despite the intensity and the feeling that every decision is highly scrutinized, Effertz Kleven says the job is highly rewarding. “It’s something different every day,” says Effertz. “It’s such a pleasure to be able to go and see the things that you get to see as a staff member. Gov. Dalrymple, I can’t speak highly enough of him. He genuinely asks the staff’s opinion. He wants to know what we think and how to make things better for the state of North Dakota. “A lot of days you have to sit back and go, ‘Wow, I’m sitting in the governor’s office and having a sandwich like it’s no big deal.’ It’s always humbling. It’s hard work, but it’s enjoyable and so rewarding. I feel like, in a small state, we can talk about the policies and we can actually see them through and see the progress happen. That is so exciting and so rewarding, and I pinch myself all the time.” Effertz Kleven married Craig Kleven of Bismarck on August 1. The wedding was held on her family’s farm.
GREG PINSKI,`96,`99 Do you believe in fate? Greg Pinski does. In 1999, just like every other third-year student at the University of North Dakota School of Law, he participated in a mock trial. Two days later, he ran into a young nursing student who looked familiar. He recognized her as a juror from his trial and the pair hit it off. Just over three years later, Greg, ’96, ’99, and Amber (Monteith), ’02, were married. “It’s just fate,” said Greg. “You look at the reasons why you choose certain paths, and you may not be aware of it, but in hindsight it’s crystal clear.” Six years earlier, Greg’s path had led him to UND, where he earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Communications before going on to achieve his Juris Doctorate. As an undergraduate, Greg was a White House intern for President Bill Clinton, Editor of the Dakota Student, and a Student Senator. As a law student, he was Articles Editor of the North Dakota Law Review, Moot Court Champion, and earned the highest grade in his Employment Discrimination Law and First Amendment Law class. “I wouldn’t be where I’m at now if it weren’t for the education I got at UND. All of the things people said about going to a large school never came true. I had personal relationships with my professors and an intimate class setting,” Greg said. “The university provided me with the opportunity to do the things I wanted to do, both educationally and with extracurriculars. The 6 years I spent at UND were easily the best of my life.” Today, Greg serves as judge of the Eighth Judicial District Court in Montana’s Cascade County — an elected position. During his campaign for district judge, Greg says he searched for a platform to run on, and wanted one that would make a difference.
“I’ve had more than one person say that I didn’t have enough gray hair to be a judge,” he said. “You have to come up with ways to show voters you’re a serious candidate and that you have ways to make the judicial system better.” So, he came up with the idea to establish a Veteran’s Court in Cascade County, a special court for veterans in the criminal justice system that focuses on treating their underlying problems like PTSD, traumatic brain injuries, and substance abuse problems — with the hope of preventing them from reoffending. Greg calls the court, one of only 100 in the country, a win-win for the veterans who complete the program and the community, which benefits from not having reoffenders in the system. His Veteran’s Court recently received a substantial grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Greg also serves on an Adult Drug Treatment Court, the Montana Uniform District Court Rules Committee, and the Montana Supreme Court. His service to his community doesn’t stop with his service to the justice system. He has been involved with the Boy Scouts his entire life. When he was working on his Eagle Scout, he got involved in the Special Olympics, where he has served as Corporate Secretary and Director, as well as Evaluation Committee Chair for Montana Special Olympics. “They are two organizations that are very meaningful to me.” Greg was the first Montanan to receive the National Outstanding Eagle Scout Award. He has also earned the James E. West Fellow, Scouter’s Key, Den Leader, and Outstanding Fundraiser Awards from Boy Scouts of America. He has served as District Chairman, Finance Chair, and Eagle Scout Board of Review for the Lewis & Clark District, as well as Cubmaster and Den Leader of Pack 143. Greg is honored on the Dean’s Council of the UND School of Law. Greg was named Rising Star by the Great Falls Tribune, Up and Coming Attorney by Minnesota Lawyer, Rising Star by Minnesota Law & Politics, and Pro Bono All-Star by Gray Plant Mooty. Greg and Amber live in Great Falls, Montana, with their sons, James and Jack.
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UND
Proud
OF NORTH ITY D S R
A OT AK
UN IV E
HONORING THE EXCEPTIONAL
d u o r P We’re proud of the faculty, staff, and students at the University of North Dakota for all they do to make UND an exceptional public research university. Take pride in your alma mater when you see how it’s being recognized regionally, nationally, and globally.
Milestone Flight
The University of North Dakota successfully deployed a UAS from the Lakota, North Dakota, airport in August. It was the first time UND has conducted UAS operations from a public general aviation airport. The aircraft was a Northrup Grumman SandShark. “This was a milestone flight because right now there are no regulations allowing routine UAS flights at U.S. public airports,” said Al Palmer, director of the UND UAS Center of Excellence. “We are working closely with the FAA to ensure we conduct safe operations under our COA (Certificate of Authorization) at the airport.” Two UND student pilots flew this mission; Schuyller “Sky” Andrew (pictured) and Whittaker Warrington.
Aerospace engineer and UND Space Studies faculty member Pablo de Leon is known for developing the UND NDX spacesuit, seen here being tested in western North Dakota.
NASA awards UND Space Studies grants totaling $2 million
The University of North Dakota Department of Space Studies was recently awarded three grants totaling $2.16 million by NASA. Two of the grants will help fund research infrastructure and personnel training in the state and at UND, while the third grant ($750,000) will be used to expand research on UND’s Inflatable Mars Lunar Habitat. “It’s a major accomplishment that UND is part of an elite group of universities qualified to do these kind of projects,” said Pablo de Leon, Space Studies faculty member and designer of the habitat. “Our university is alongside MIT and the University of Maryland, as the only ones in the world who develop planetary habitats and a new generation of spacesuits for NASA.”
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UND offers the best affordable online MBA degree in the U.S. says topmanagementdegrees.com.
547 Librarian in Chief University of North Dakota Assistant Professor of English Sheila Liming recently had the opportunity to show her research on Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, poet and short story writer Edith Wharton to former First Lady of the United States Laura Bush. Liming spent six weeks this summer on a research trip to The Mount, the one-time home of Wharton, in the Berkshires near Lenox, Massachusetts. “Mrs. Bush has been a long-standing contributor to The Mount estate and, as a former librarian, was interested in meeting with me and hearing more about my digitization work,” Liming said. “I gave a 20-minute overview of my research to an audience that included Mrs. Bush and a few of her visiting friends, and then also gave them a quick tour of Wharton’s library at the estate.” At The Mount, Liming has been spearheading a digitization project involving nearly 2,400 works by Wharton, including notes, annotations and marginalia, in the late writer’s personal library. Liming received a New Faculty Scholar Award from the UND Senate Scholarly Activities committee, allowing her to spend this summer conducting research in Massachusetts.
STUDENTS
The University of North Dakota held its largest summer commencement ceremonies on record in August. A record 547 students were eligible to participate.
The Great Outdoors
The University of North Dakota will be competing in the 2015 Outdoor Nation Campus Challenge this fall against 58 other schools across the country. The Challenge is a six-week competition to determine the National Outdoor Champion. Schools earn points for participation in outdoor activities with the goal of encouraging young people to engage in more outdoor recreation. www.UNDalumni.org | 51
BE THE
impact
CAPITALIZING ON A VISION
Eternal Flame Society Reinvented Alumni Association & Foundation recognizes donors for loyalty to the University of North Dakota
E
very gift makes an impact. And every donor who makes a gift deserves recognition. When you’re raising millions of dollars every year, there’s an understandable tendency to make cumulative giving the measurement for recognition, but the donor who gives each year is just as important. Loyal donors are engaged with the University – they celebrate Homecoming, read the Alumni Review, and encourage their family and friends to attend the University they believe in. Moving forward, the UND Alumni Association & Foundation will reinvigorate the Eternal Flame Society, named after the symbolic landmark found between Twamley and Merrifield Halls, to recognize generous and forward-thinking donors. Additionally, a donor loyalty program is being implemented to recognize all donors for their years of giving, with special messages and reports from across campus during milestone years. While the loyalty program’s construction is new, the Eternal Flame Society has been in place for years and was in need of a little renovation. The circle structure was simplified, moving from six to four cumulative giving circles, with additional circles for annual giving and legacy gifts. Donors can look forward to increased communication from both programs.
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Adelphi Circle
The Adelphi Circle, which recognizes donors who have given $5 million+ to the University, takes its name from the Adelphi Fountain, the first purely decorative fixture on campus. It was presented to the University of North Dakota by the Adelphi Literary Society in 1908. The Adelphi Circle now includes what was previously known as the 1889 Circle.
“It’s a good feeling to see other people support the projects we believe in.”
—Dorothy Gorecki Dorothy and Ben Gorecki, ’62, ’63, are members of the Adelphi Circle
William Budge Circle
The William Budge Circle, which recognizes donors who have given between $1 million and $5 million, is named after William Budge, a leading figure among UND’s first group of Trustees. He served from 1891-1907.
“Helping North Dakota prosper is the most important thing we’ve done.”
— Bob Solberg, ’69 Bob and Kristine Solberg, ’69, are members of the William Budge Circle
Thomas Clifford Circle The Thomas Clifford Circle, which recognizes donors who have
given between $100,000 and $1,000,000, is named after Thomas Clifford, UND’s longest-serving leader. Clifford spent more than 50 years on campus as a student, dean, and, finally, president from 19711992. The Clifford Circle now includes what was previously known as the George Starcher circle.
Jim, ’92, and Nicole Poolman, ’98, have established the University of North Dakota’s Poolman Leadership Academy. As leaders themselves, they recognize the importance of honing in on leadership skills through college experiences. Jim, former North Dakota insurance commissioner and state legislator, and Nicole, who currently serves in the North Dakota Senate, want to help today’s students become strong leaders in their communities. “My experiences as a UND student leader inspired me to not only get involved in public service, but to also become a business owner in my community,” Jim said. “Had it not been for my time at UND, I may have never taken the risks I needed to get where I am today,” Jim said. “Therefore, I want current students to have an even better opportunity than I did. That is why I gave back to UND — to develop a leadership academy that will develop strong future leaders for our community.” The Poolmans are members of the Thomas Clifford Circle.
President’s Circle
The President’s Circle includes all donors who have given more than $10,000, but less than $100,000. It gets its name from the commitment that donors make to support UND’s vision, which is shaped and guided by the sitting president.
Last spring, Randy Hatzenbuhler, ’85, and his wife Laurie, established the Christ & Hildegard Hatzenbuhler Family Endowment to provide scholarships to students studying accounting at UND. “My motivation for giving is to honor my mom and dad. For people who did not have the opportunity to go to school, or even really understand or appreciate it – once a couple of their kids went, it became really important to them that all of their grandchildren went to college. My dad didn’t make $9 per hour in his life, but he’s always been very generous with what he’s had, all of his life,” Randy said. Randy and Laurie were already married when he began his accounting education at UND, and he fell in love with the campus right away. Without financial aid, Randy worked to put himself through school, but was also able to earn some scholarships. “I remember writing a letter to my donor; it was in honor of her husband. That scholarship was so significant at that time in my life, and I think that’s part of the motivation too. I know how good it felt and how valuable that scholarship was to me,” Randy said. Hatzenbuhler is the President of the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, which he proudly notes is the best job in North Dakota. Randy and Laurie are members of the President’s Circle.
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Legacy Circle
The Legacy Circle includes donors who have confirmed testamentary commitments to the UND Foundation. Members of this circle have pledged to have their legacies live forever at the University of North Dakota.
“I started thinking: If something happens to us, what would I want to happen with these funds I’ve worked really hard far? Going through that process, you start to think about your own legacy, and what institutions or organizations made a difference on your life — and for me, that was UND.” — Lori Maurer, ’82, ’87 established the Lori Barsness Maurer Scholarship Endowment
Recognizing Loyalty
Loyalty is defined as a strong feeling of support or allegiance. The University of North Dakota would not be the exceptional institution it is today, without the loyalty of these donors. Their support to the UND students, faculty and campus make all the difference. Theodore Galambos graduated from the University of North Dakota with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1953 and a M.S. in civil engineering in 1954. Galambos received his Ph.D. from Lehigh University in 1959, where he taught until 1965. He went on to teach at Washington University until 1981, before becoming a professor of engineering at the University of Minnesota, where he currently serves as emeritus professor of structural engineering.
Galambos believes one of the biggest contributors to having a successful career is by first having a good professor — one of his biggest motivations for giving back to the University. “The University of North Dakota was very good to me,” added Galambos. “I think they offer a very good education. I met some great people there and they helped me a lot.” Galambos received an honorary degree from UND in 1998 and was a 2003 Sioux Award recipient. Theodore and Barbara have been giving back to the University of North Dakota for 50 years.
Earn 5,000 bonus points after your first purchase
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Apply today! For the only card that gives a percentage of every purchase back to the University of North Dakota Alumni Association & Foundation. Right now as a special offer you’ll earn 5,000 bonus points with your first purchase, plus one reward point for every net one dollar spent.1 Redeem points for cash back2, travel, gift cards, and more. Use your UND Visa Signature Card for everything from gas and groceries to dining and travel, and watch your points add up!
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Accounts must be open and current to earn and redeem points. Please allow 6-8 weeks after your first purchase for your bonus points to be credited to your Account. Points earned on net purchases (purchases minus credit and returns). 2 Cash back is the form of a statement credit. 1
The creditor and issuer of the UND Visa Card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. © 2014 U.S. Bank National Association. All rights reserved. P.O. Box 6333, Fargo, ND
thank you DONORS
The UND Alumni Association & Foundation sincerely thanks all alumni and friends who have made gifts and commitments to support students, faculty, programs, and places at UND. Thank you for all that you do!
The following donors reached a new giving circle in the Eternal Flame Society between January 1 and March 31, 2015. * indicates deceased
PRESIDENT’S $10,000 - $99,999
Circle
Ronald & Kelly Anderson Dean & Susan Barsness Beito Foundation William R. Blake Sharon & Thomas Bures Dan M. Carey Dr. Joseph & Torri Carlson Catt Hotshot, Inc. Ron & Roberta Corrick Audrey M. Crum Thomas DiLorenzo & Suzanne Austin Brooke & Brandon Downs James Dubberley David J. Duncan Scott V. Dusterhoft Terry & Anne Dymowski Edgewood Management Group, LLC Rusty Ekness Enbridge Energy Partners First National Bank of Bottineau Don & Sue Fisk Mark S. Flaagan Jonathan & Alison Friese Paula J. Glasow Mary & Matthew Glessner Greg & Michele Gunderson Robert S. Hanson Robin T. Hape, M.D. Randy & Laurie Hatzenbuhler Clayton & Tricia Hoyt Timothy & Naomi Hurtt
LEGACY
Circle
THOMAS CLIFFORD $100,000 - $999,999
James & Kristen Bullis Drs. Haldean & Bonnie Dalzell Shirlee & Lynn Leininger Dale & Paulette Lian Doug & Katie Mark Dale R. Monsebroten* MotionDSP, Inc. George N. & Marion Newton Nodak Mutual Insurance Company
Ronnie & Michelle Ingle Justin C. Iverson Dave & Karen Johnson Joel J. Johnson, M.D. Larry L. Kemnitz Kilen Enterprises, Inc. Drs. Jay & Leslie Kisch Allan & Cheryl Knutson Francis & Carolyn Kryzsko Traci & Gregory LaDouceur Matthew Laughlin Dr. Russell & Carole Lefevre James & Janet Loos Timothy & Staci Lord Dr. Gerrard & Michelle Macintosh Douglas J. MacKay Curtis* & Judy Magnuson M. Katie Magnuson John Martin Brian & Dorothy McClure Jeffrey T. McElroy Ryan McGlynn Kenton & Marilyn McGregor Laura & Jared Medhus Sally & Jeremy Miskavige Modern Building Management/LeRoy & Judy Sondrol Robert & Colette Monroe Gerard D. Neil Gregory J. Norman Funeral Home Jessica (Neva) & Patrick Nygaard
Dr. Thomas & Nancy Cruden Lois & Fred Madsen
Circle
Janet F. Olson* Dr. Linda L. Redmann Estate Ron Shaide Family Trust Keith & Jo Streyle Dr. Hudson A. Washburn Dwight D. & Peggy Wendschlag Dr. Sandra Zahradka & William T. Mann in Memory of Buck Zahradka, M.D.
Gerald B. Omlid Gerald T. & Marla Paulson Dr. Vito* & T. Carmel Perrone David A. Pinder, Sr. Jeff & Rebecca Pulkrabek Rebecca & Michael Raber Joe Raymond Reimer Welding Kate G. N. Rindy Frederick & Mary Jane* Schneider Troy & Sally Schrader Alice & Steven Smith Gary & Mary Splichal Larry & Virginia Stauss Gregory & Andrea Stennes Jolanda M. Streifel Gregory S. Stuart Jason & Patty Studsrud Sublime Aesthetic Professionals Gene R. Tetrault The Procter & Gamble Foundation Dr. Joffrey & Maria Thompson Randy & Shelley Traynor Tri-Mer Corporation Brian Troftgruben Steven & Renae Troyer Jack, Jr. & Jennifer Wandler Drs. Margaret & Larry Williams Kelly J. Youells
Harvey & Melanie Noteboom Jerry & Marie Topp
www.UNDalumni.org | 55
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impact
CREATE THE FUTURE OF UND
Nick Allen Dokkin
Thief River Falls, Minnesota Marketing with Graphic Design Technology, ’17 Why UND?
I chose UND because of the way it felt to me. Coming from a small town in Northern Minnesota, it just seemed right for me being a transfer student. When I toured UND, I could feel myself walking down the streets making my way to classes and getting involved. I had friends who attended UND and they would tell me about their involvement opportunities and that excited me. I enjoy getting involved and holding leadership roles and it seemed that UND would allow me to do just that while getting an awesome undergrad education.
What’s your dream for after graduation?
I want to apply to graduate school. My dream is to work in student affairs/higher education and continue my education to better serve the students that I one day want to work with. Right now I am exploring my opportunities and it excites me knowing how fast that will come up. My dream job would be to be a Dean of Students at a college or university and teach classes to eager students. I have always had a passion for education and what it can do for people. I enjoy the collegiate environment and all that it can offer. I have had very positive experiences at both of my institutions and that has paved the way for where I feel that I am headed.
How is UND helping you realize that dream?
Before coming to UND, my dream was to get my degree in marketing and then find a job somewhere in southern Minnesota and make my life there. Although that was a great goal of mine, I quickly realized that what I used to casually think about doing later on in life is something that I wanted to continue onto right away. At UND, I have grown a passion for student affairs/higher education. I think that UND and the people that I have gotten to work with in and outside the classroom have fueled that passion. I always thought that one day I might go back for my master’s, I just never thought that the passion would be there until later in life. However, UND quickly changed that for me, and I couldn’t be happier with that.
56 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
What else have you been involved with as a student? During my first semester at UND, I kind of felt lost and not knowing where to go in terms of majors and getting involved. That quickly changed when I got in contact with the Student Ambassadors Program. This was something that I like to refer as the kickoff of my university experience. After joining this organization, I felt that I gained so many lifelong friends and that felt great coming to a new university. Through my first semester, I helped with events all across campus and got to even meet more people than I could’ve imagined. I then learned that as a Student Ambassador, we could apply for a leadership role within the organization, so I did. I applied to be an Executive Board Student Ambassador during my second semester and I felt honored to have been given a position on the board. An Executive Board member is a group of students who organize monthly Student Ambassador meetings and events as well as planning and overseeing Welcome Weekend and Homecoming events. Next summer, I plan to travel across the world to China and gain business/marketing experience in a completely different collegiate setting as part of the Study Abroad Program. From what I have learned, this is a great opportunity for students. While I am in China, I will gain culture, diversity, and a lifelong education. I am very eager for this and couldn’t be happier to embark on this journey. Overall, I know that I have gained many awesome involvement opportunities and will continue to do so throughout my time at UND. I look forward to the day that when people ask, I can say that I am a UND graduate.
SUPPORT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA
UND Foundation records second-highest fundraising year In the fiscal year that ended June 30, 2015: • New gifts, pledges, commitments and bequests to the Foundation and University totaled $48.3 million • It was the fifth consecutive year that new business eclipsed $40 million. • The Foundation processed 15,702 gifts from 12,070 unique donors. • Scholarship support was $5.4 million — a 10% increase from last year. • The number of endowed scholarships funds increased by 47 to 915 overall. “Our organization exists to create opportunities for the University of North Dakota students of today and tomorrow. Without the support demonstrated by our alumni and friends, we wouldn’t be able to achieve that,” said DeAnna Carlson Zink, CEO of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation. “Last year, along with fantastic support of our students, many gifts were directed to the new facilities that will create the campus of tomorrow, allowing us to continue to compete as a national research institution. Next year, the UND Foundation will direct much of its focus to student scholarships and faculty support, in line with the University’s 20/20 Vision to increase support to those areas.”
To learn more, visit UNDalumni.org.
e t. h t c Be
a p im
MAKE A PLAN FOR YOU & UND
Create a lasting change beyond your lifetime by making a gift to UND in your will. There are several ways you can make a significant impact on UND’s future with gifts to support students, faculty members, and academic programs. ww ni.o
um
dal
n w.u
For more information, please contact Stephanie Peterson University of North Dakota Alumni Association and Foundation 3501 University Avenue, Stop 8157 | Grand Forks, ND 58202 701.777.2611 | giftplanning@undfoundation.org
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ALUMNI
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UPDATES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
DO YOU REMEMBER…
when UND received a visit from a Nobel Prize winner in 1969? Dr. Robert Holley (second from left) received the prize in Physiology or Medicine the previous year. The biochemist made breakthroughs in describing the structure of alanine transfer Ribonucleic acid (RNA), link RNA and protein synthesis. Holley is pictured with members of the faculty of the UND Biochemistry Department.
1960s Remember when, in
1969, West and Gamble were dedicated during the same week? The dedications capped a busy decade of physical growth on campus. 1962 Don Bartlette, ‘62, was a speaker at a White Housesponsored native youth gathering this summer in Washington, D.C. Bartlette is a professional speaker who has spent more than 40 years sharing his experiences with youth groups throughout North America.
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1969 Priscilla (Alme) Keogh, ‘69, has been honored by the Music Teachers National Association as an MTNA Foundation Fellow. Keogh has taught music in public schools, piano at the International Music Camp in Bottineau and at Dickinson (N.D.) State University. She is the conductor of the Dickinson City Band and Dickinson String Ensemble.
1970s Remember when, in
1979, UND created the Enrollment Services Office?
1971 Craig Nansen, ‘71, has retired from his position as director of Technology for Minot (N.D.) Public Schools. He spent more than 40 years in education, first as a math science teacher and then as head of the technology department. 1972 Janice (Rose) Dobervich, ‘72, has retired from her position as librarian at Central Cass (N.D.) School. She spent 43 years with the school.
Lynn Wolf, ‘72, is the North Dakota representative in the National Distinguished Principal Program for Elementary/ Middle School Principals. Wolf is principal of Sunrise Elementary in Bismarck, N.D. 1974 Robert Carlson, ‘74, has been given an award for meritorious service by the national Farmers Union. The award honors those who have made particularly noteworthy contributions to agriculture, humanity and the Farmers Union. Carlson was president of the North Dakota Farmers Union from 1997 to 2011.
Bruce Gjovig, ‘74, has been elected to a second twoyear term as president of the BioScience Association of North Dakota. Gjovig is an entrepreneur coach and chief executive officer of the UND Center for Innovation Foundation. Joseph Karas, ‘74, has retired after 25 years as a physical therapist with First Care Health Center in Park River, N.D. Michael Sturdevant, ‘74, has retired as a judge in North Dakota’s Northeast Judicial District. Sturdevant has presided over district court proceedings in Bottineau, N.D., since being appointed in 2006. He worked as an attorney in the private sector for more than 30 years before becoming a judge. 1975 Sharon (Helfrich) Hansen, ‘75, ‘08, is retiring as head of the Head Start Early Childhood Center in Dickinson, N.D. Thomas Mohr, ‘75, ‘76, has received the Catherine Worthingham Fellows Award from the American Physical Therapy Association. Mohr is associate dean for Health Sciences for UND’s School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The Worthingham Fellows Award honors those who have advanced the field of physical therapy. 1977 Forrest “Forry” Flaagan, ‘77, was recognized with the Dwight T. Keith Award from the National High School Athletic Coaches Association. Flaagan retired last year from the association after serving on its board of directors and as Boys and Girls Cross Country National Chairman. Flaagan coached Cross Country and Track & Field in South Dakota for 33 years. He lives in Rapid City, S.D.
1978 Jody (Varberg) Feragen, ‘78, will join the board of directors of Graco Inc. this fall. Feragen is EVP/CFO of Hormel Foods. She lives in Austin, Minn. John Morrison, ‘78, has been inducted into the North Dakota Petroleum Council Hall of Fame. The honor recognizes Morrison’s more than 25 years of working in oil and gas trade associations in North Dakota and the Rocky Mountain region. Michael Voglewede, ‘78, has retired after 37 years teaching science classes at Northwood (N.D.) Public School.
1983 Bill Gourneau, ‘83, ‘95, is vice president of Campus Services for United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D. 1984 Natalie (Quaal) Carlson, ‘84, is pastor of Zion Lutheran Church in Harwood, N.D. Cary Eades, ‘84, ‘86, is head coach and general manager of the Fargo Force, the United States Hockey League team based in Fargo. Eades led the Sioux Falls (S.D.) Stampede to the USHL championship last season.
Dean Kraft, ‘84, is the golf coach at the University of Jamestown (N.D.). Kraft teaches social studies at Jamestown High School and has been the golf coach there for 21 years. 1985 Leslie Wietstock, ‘85, is director of reimbursement in the Health Network Innovation division of Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota. He lives in Mandan, N.D.
1979 Kathryn (Williams) Anderson, ‘79, has been elected to the South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation board of directors. Russell Kubik, ‘79, is president of Edgewood Management Group and Edgewood Development Group in Fargo. The companies own and operate care facilities in more than 50 communities in the Midwest.
1980s Remember when, in
1980, Al Olson, ’60, ’63, won the politician division of the buffalo chip-throwing contest at Homecoming? Later that year, he would be elected governor of North Dakota. 1980 Stephen Morgan, ‘80, is a Deputy G-4, Logistics Officer with the Virginia Defense Force Division General Staff in Richmond, Va. Morgan is also an auditor in the Treasury Office of Inspector General in Washington, D.C.
Golden Feather Club 60th Reunion during Homecoming 2016 The Golden Feather pep club was first organized in 1956 in an effort to boost school spirit. To mark the occasion, club members are planning a reunion for next year. A reunion planning session will be held on October 9, 2015, at the Canad Inns in Grand Forks. Members of the planning committee who attended last year’s homecoming events included (from left to right): Lynn Melby,’68; Rick Besse,’69; Curly Haugland,’70; and Gary Nelson,’63.
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1986 Dee Jones, ‘86, is an assistant athletic director for Sports Medicine with the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
1987 Tami Peterson, ‘87, is the administrator of Bethel Lutheran Home in Williston, N.D.
Sheri (Vetter) Miller, ‘86, is manager of Quality Assurance for Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota.
Leah (Myogeto) Swenson, ‘87, ‘08, is a nurse practitioner in the family medicine department of Essentia Health-Valley City (N.D.) Clinic.
Jo-Anne Yearwood, ‘86, ‘03, is an assistant professor in the UND College of Education & Human Development. Yearwood spent the past 17 years as the director of the UND University Children’s Learning Center.
1988 Cathy (Wilson) Rydell, ‘88, is a 2015 Women in Business Award nominee by the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Rydell is the executive director of the American Academy of Neurology.
Doris Vigen, ‘88, has received the Sanford Health Evelyn Quigley Spirit of Nursing Leadership Award. Vigen has been a nurse for more than forty years. She is the director of nursing at Sanford HealthMayville (N.D.).
Angela (Beaudine) Longtin, ’92, ’05, has been named a Distinguished Educator among School Counselors by North Dakota State University. Longtin has been a school counselor with North Border Walhalla (N.D.) School for 17 years.
1989 James Bogan, ‘89, is serving as the interim CEO of UP Health System – Marquette (Mich.). Bogan is the market president for UPHS.
1993 Jeanette (Goll) Haugen, ‘93, is a senior quality assurance engineer with Intelligent InSites in Fargo.
Dennis Borowicz, ‘89, is a member of the Unity Medical Center Foundation Board in Grafton, N.D. Borowicz is a Human Resources Generalist/ Management Staff Coordinator for Marvin Windows. Beth (Bina) Carlson, ‘89, is the 2015 Newspapers in Education Teacher of the Year. Carlson is a special education teacher with Central High School in Grand Forks.
1990s Remember when,
in 1998, the skywalk connecting Ryan and Clifford Halls was dedicated? 1990 Boyd Wilson, ‘90, is the system director for infection prevention, employee health and safety for the HealthEast Care System in Saint Paul, Minn.
School Reunion These four UND alumni ran into each other while serving in Iraq this summer in support of “Operation Inherent Resolve.” From left to right: Chief Warrant Officer 3 Andrew Sinn, ’04, AH-64D Apache Pilot; Chief Warrant Officer 2 Chad Risberg, ’09, AH-64D Apache Pilot; 1st Lieutenant Kristopher Halvorson, ’13, AH-64D Apache Pilot; and 1st Lieutenant Peter Scardina, ’13, CH47F Chinook Pilot.
60 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
1991 Chris Moan, ‘91, is an engineering systems designer with Intelligent InSites in Fargo. 1992 David Billings, ‘92, was recognized with the Leonard Tow Humanism Award at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences’ May commencement. Billings is an OB-GYN with Trinity Health in Minot, N.D., and serves as an associate professor with the SMHS.
1994 Susan (Simmons) Forester, ‘94, is superintendent of the Life Skills and Transition Center in Grafton, N.D. Sheila (Kusler) Moser, ‘94, has stepped down after 23 years teaching English and Art in the Leeds, N.D., school system. Moser is now teaching employee certification at the North Dakota State Hospital in Jamestown, N.D. Brenden Schaaf, ‘94, has been appointed board secretary of the Minnesota Society of Certified Public Accountants. Schaaf is a CPA with Archer Daniels Midland Company, and lives in Brooklyn Park, Minn. 1995 David Geier, ‘95, is a family physician with Murray County Medical Center in Slayton, Minn. 1997 Lynn (Deakin) Overend, ‘97, is an environmental compliance supervisor at the Crookston, Minn., American Crystal Sugar factory. Scott Zainhofsky, ’97, ‘00, has received the 2015 Rising Star Award from the Bismarck State College National Alumni Association. Zainhofsky is the head of the Planning/Asset Management Division of the North Dakota Department of Transportation.
1998 Christopher Eriksson, ‘98, is a dentist at Hagen Dental in Casselton, N.D. Sandra Owens, ‘98, is a psychologist with Essentia HealthJamestown (N.D.) Clinic. Kyle Schneweis, ‘98, is the director of the Nebraska Department of Roads. 1999 Jodi (Anderson) Hallsten Lyczak, ‘99, has received her Ph.D. from Illinois State University. She lives in Normal, Ill. David Kidder, ‘99, is an engineering systems designer with Intelligent InSites in Fargo.
2000s Remember when, in 2002, for the first time UND’s Athletic Hall of Fame started inducting entire teams?
2000 Kelley Armstrong, ‘00, ‘03, has been elected chairman of the North Dakota Republican Party. Armstrong is a partner in Reichert Armstrong Law Firm in Dickinson, N.D. He serves District 36 in the North Dakota Senate. Lisa (Benz) Azure, ‘00, ‘14, is vice president for academic affairs for United Tribes Technical College in Bismarck, N.D. Scott Faul, ‘00, ‘02, ‘14, has been named North Dakota High School Principal of the Year. Faul is principal of Magic City CampusMinot High School. Chad Oban, ‘00, is the executive director of North Dakota United, the union for 11,000 teachers and public employees in the state. He lives in Bismarck, N.D.
2001 Livia Schonteich Helm, ‘01, ‘04, is a vendor relations specialist with CoreLink Administrative Solutions in Fargo. Paul Konickson, ’01, is the District 2 Bridge Engineer for the Minnesota Department of Transportation in the Crookston office. He lives in East Grand Forks.
Heath Rydell, ‘06, ‘07, is the West Fargo District Teacher of the Year. Rydell teaches physical education at South Elementary School.
2007 Cheryl (Long Feather) Kary, ‘07, is executive director of Common Enterprise Development Corp. in Mandan, N.D. CEDC 2002 is a nonprofit corporation Curtis Brown, ‘02, is an that works to improve the accounting manager with General economic, social and cultural Equipment and Supplies, Fargo. well-being of rural and reservation communities in 2003 the Dakotas and Minnesota. Patrick Chaffee, ‘03, is an executive vice president and managing director of Bell State Bank & Trust’s Wealth Management Division. He lives in Fargo.
Jeffrey Petrie, ‘07, is an attorney with Criminal Conflict and Civil Regional Counsel in Bartow, Fla. Shane Steiner, ‘07, has been named the 2014 Young Engineer of the Year by the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers. Steiner works in the aviation group of KLJ, an engineering firm in Bismarck, N.D.
2004 Kate (Champeau) Kvamme, ‘04, is a project architect with ICON Architectural Group in Grand Forks. Patrick McClellan, ‘04, is the principal of Longfellow Elementary School in Bozeman, Mont. 2006 Sandra Gerving, ‘06, is the administrator at Marian Manor Healthcare Center in Glen Ullin, N.D. Curtis Jefferson, ‘06, ‘08, is assistant director for experiential education in the Office of Professional Pharmacy Education at the University of Washington School of Pharmacy in Seattle. Ashley (Ford) Nordstrom, ‘06, is the manager of benefits and human resource operations with Altru Health System in Grand Forks. Michael Opp, ‘06, is a principal broker with Oxford Realty in Grand Forks.
Gamma Phi Beta Reunion These eight women all pledged Gamma Phi Beta sorority together in 1958. Although they live in different parts of the country, they have been getting together every couple of years. This photo was taken in June in Chicago where they gathered to celebrate “75 and Still Alive.” They are (from left): Susan (Bohlig) McBride, ’62; Pru (Moeller) Olson, ’62; Mary (Duncan) Anderson, ’62; Caroline (Ashland) Post, ’62; Kay (Bergan) Netland, ’62; Jane (Werner) Johnson, ’62; Georgia (Aalgard) Bond, ’62; and Margaret (Hamilton) Thompson, ..’62.
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2008 Heidi Greenwood, ‘08, ‘10, won the women’s halfmarathon at the Scheels Fargo Marathon in May. Greenwood lives in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. She won the Division II outdoor national championship in the 1,500 meters in 2008 as a UND senior. Shane Mahlum, ‘08, is an agricultural banker with Dacotah Bank in Bowbells, N.D. 2009 Jennifer (Keller) Albaugh, ‘09, ‘12, is an associate attorney with Severson, Wogsland and Liebl, Fargo. Michael Bittner, ‘09, has been named a Rising Star by the Midwestern Institute of Transportation Engineers. Bittner is an engineer in the
surface transportation group of KLJ in Bismarck, N.D. Seth Hagen, ‘09, is a worksite account executive with Noridian Insurance Services in Minot, N.D. Heather (Prigge) Mattson, ‘09, ‘10, has been named the Exceptional Sexual Assault Response Coordinator (SARC) of the Year by the National Guard. She is the North Dakota National Guard’s SARC, and lives in Bismarck. Dawnita Nilles, ‘09, is the director of the University of North Dakota University Children’s Learning Center. Jaclyn Tenneson, ‘09, works in the outsource services department of Brady, Martz & Associates in Bismarck, N.D.
in 2012, the School of Engineering and Mines became the College of Engineering and Mines? Also that year, the College of Nursing became the College of Nursing and Professional Disciplines. 2010 Kirby Graff, ‘10, ‘13, is an associate attorney with Severson, Wogsland and Liebl, Fargo. Robert Haider, ‘10, ‘14, is the executive director of the North Dakota Democratic Party. Alisa (Kosse) Rakoczy, ‘10, is an accounting clerk with AE2S Construction in Grand Forks. 2011 Aaron Kolquist, ‘11, ‘14, is an associate attorney at Fryberger, Buchanan, Smith & Frederick in Duluth, Minn.
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2010s Remember when,
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2012 Steve Dangel, ‘12, is the principal of Garrison (N.D.) High School. Jeremy Gunderson, ‘12, is a mortgage loan officer at Cornerstone Bank in Bismarck, N.D. Jeffrey Holm, ‘12, is superintendent of Willmar (Minn.) Public Schools. He’d previously been an assistant superintendent in the Minot, N.D., school district. Taylor Isakson, ‘12, is a residential specialist II with Centre Inc. in Mandan, N.D. Centre Inc. is a nonprofit social services agency.
Mitchel Kudrna, ‘12, is with Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota in the Fargo office. He works in group benefits in sales, service and retention. Bryan McCoy, ‘12, is the economic and chamber director in Cavalier, N.D. Casey Rozowski, ‘12, is the women’s basketball coach at North Central University in Minneapolis. Andrew Tweet, ‘12, is a credit analyst II with Starion Bank in Bismarck, N.D. 2013 Sonja Collin, ‘13, is an assistant vice president with Gate City Bank in Grand Forks. 2014 Kari (Kropp) Groeneveld, ‘14, a teacher at Glenbrook Elementary in Pulaski, Wis., has been recognized with a Golden Apple Award from the Greater Green Bay Chamber. Groeneveld teaches third grade. Robert Mayers, ‘14, is an application engineer with Pedigree Technologies in Fargo. Jessica Plummer, ‘14, is a physical therapist with Cavalier County (N.D.) Memorial Hospital. Steven Schaffner, ‘14, is a certified flight instructor with Bismarck (N.D.) Aero Center. AR The information for Alumni News is compiled from newspapers, online postings, reader submissions, and the UND AA&F database. If you spot an error, please email alumnireview@undalumni.net.
ADDITIONS 1
Jocelyn Grace Freund was born November 29, 2014, to Danny Freund, ’08, ’12, and Ann (Arnason) Freund, ’11. The Freunds live in Grand Forks.
2
Dennis Hughes was born November 30, 2014, to proud parents Justin Hughes, ‘08, and Bethany Hughes. The family lives in West Fargo.
3
Matthew and Brittney West, both 2012 grads, welcomed a son, Evander, on April 21, 2015. He is pictured with big brothers, Conner and Parker, and big sister, Madison.
4
Andy Paquin, ‘99, and his wife, Robin, welcomed twins on December 9, 2014. Rockne Scott and Stevie Adelynn Paquin have already traveled with their parents to cheer on the UND Ice Hockey team at the Frozen Four in Boston! The family resides in Connecticut.
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Brad Johnson, ’04, and his wife, Stephanie, proudly welcomed their second child, McKenna Mae Johnson, on November 6, 2014. The Johnsons live in Manvel, N.D. Tanner Howard Wehrman was born December 27, 2014, to Eric Wehrman, ’06, and Erin (O’Brien) Wehrman, ’06. They reside in Newnan, Ga.
4 If you would like your addition or celebration to be included in the next Alumni Review, send a high resolution photo to alumnireview@ undalumni.net. We do not accept Facebook or mobile uploads. Photos will be published in the order in which they were received, space permitting, and at the discretion of Alumni Review staff. We look forward to helping you celebrate!
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In Memoriam
It is with great honor we dedicate these pages to alumni and friends of the University of North Dakota who have recently passed away. These members of the alumni family helped ignite the spirit of UND, paving the way for a bright future.
1930s
Lois (Klick) Noah, ’53, Crookston, Minn.
Ralph Kieley, ..’66, Grafton, N.D.
Morris McCoy, ..’36, St. Paul, Minn. Bernardine Mahowald, MD, ’37, ’38, Sunland, Calif.
Russell Pulst, ’53, Chillicothe, Ill.
Delmar Sormula, ’66, ’89, Anoka, Minn.
Waldo Varberg, MD, ’53, ’55, Neenah, Wis.
Mildred (Jorgenson) Stroble, ’67, Warren, Minn.
Kenneth Wilkie, ’53, Alberta
Jamie Bradley, ’68, Beulah, N.D.
1940s
Clifford Nelson, ’54, Northfield, Minn.
Larry Fust, ’68, Bismarck
Clarice (Pals) Churchill, ..’55, Grand Forks
John McCrae, ..’68, Loveland, Colo.
Morrell Sexton, ’40, Tempe, Ariz.
Loren Juntunen, ’55, De Pere, Wis.
Milton Wagness, ..’40, Lakota, N.D.
Nancy (Sayler) Osmon, ..’55, Saint Paul, Minn.
Warren Hedlin, ’42, Bemidji, Minn.
John Engan, ..’56, Wasilla, Alaska
Dr. Donald Jacob, ’69, ’72, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Linda (McGregor) Troftgruben, ..’69, Edinburg, N.D.
Kenneth Jakes, ’42, ’48, Bismarck
David Overby, ’56, Loomis, Calif.
M. Magnus Olafson, ..’42, Mountain, N.D. Mary (Meinhover) Hausauer, ..’43, Golden Valley, Minn.
G. Harold Bohlken, ’57, Bismarck
Hugh Hoy, ..’43, Monterey, Calif. Shirley (Giese) Sanderson, ’43, ’64, Northwood, N.D.
Ernest Woodward, ’57, Clarksville, Tenn. William Romuld, ..’58, Grand Forks Frank Strle, ’58, Roselle, Ill. Oliver Trageton, ’58, ’63, Wahpeton, N.D.
Lynn Harpster, ..’44, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Harley Harmon, ’59, Renton, Wash.
Dorothy (Davies) Dodson, ’46, Stockton, Calif.
Ruth Ann (Olson) Kana, ’59, Broken Arrow, Okla.
Jon Phelps, ’47, Bellevue, Wash.
Roger Kieffer, ’59, Grand Forks
Harris Anderson, ’48, Grand Forks
1970s Michael Cunningham, ..’70, Pierre, S.D. Charlotte Harris, ..’70, Wesley Chapel, Fla. Oliver Jensen, ..’70, Grafton, N.D. Pamela (Meyer) Lerfald, ..’70, Morgantown, W.Va. George Lerom, ’70, Dallas Jon Raymond, ..’70, Minneapolis Richard Roed, ’70, Mesa, Ariz. Catherine (Sweeney) Cronin, ’71, ’73, Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Donna (Platz) Kertz, ..’48, Hopkins, Minn.
1960s
Dr. Oliver Kolstoe, ’48, Laguna Woods, Calif.
Donald Gunlaugson, ’60, Dana Point, Calif.
Robert Flohr, ’71, Littleton, Colo.
David McCleary, ..’48, East Grand Forks, Minn.
Donald Morman, ’60, ’62, Owatonna, Minn.
Donald Kostelecky, ’71, Dickinson, N.D.
Danie Dougherty, ..’49, Detroit Lakes, Minn.
Janice (Hauf) Ryan, ’60, Oregon City, Ore.
Robert Kraft, ’71, Moorhead, Minn.
Ernest Krause, ’49, ’51, Grass Valley, Calif.
C.R. “Art”Weaver, ..’60, Kalispell, Mont.
Dr. G. Dean Miller, ’71, Stillwater, Minn.
Ronald Pumarlo, ..’49, Kenmare, N.D.
Dr. Marvin Ehley, ’61, ’70, Aberdeen, S.D.
Ruth (Evert) Schultz, ’71, Starbuck, Minn.
Eunice (Severson) Seifert, ’49, Bismarck
Harley Olson, ..’61, Lewiston, Idaho
Lyle Dodds, ’72, Leeds, N.D.
W. Jean (Wright) Snyder, ’49, Phoenix, Ariz.
Phyllis (Heidrich) Dolen, ’62, Harrisonville, Mo.
Samuel Krieger, ..’72, Grand Forks
John Eberle, ..’62, Devils Lake, N.D.
Ronald Nystrom, ’72, Eveleth, Minn.
Don Johnson, ..’62, Valley City, N.D.
Mickey Peppard, ..’72, Grand Forks
Donna (Ayars) Juelke, ’50, ’51, Tracy, Calif.
Thomas Moga, ’62, ’66, Upland, Calif.
Dale Narveson, ..’73, Grafton, N.D.
David Pung, ’50, Grand Forks
Alvis Amble, ..’63, Grand Forks
James Fitzsimmons, ’74, ’77, Mandan, N.D.
Gilbert Rupp, ’50, Spring, Texas
Delmar Boehm, ’63, ’70, Minnetonka, Minn.
Allan Livingstone, ’74, Red Wing, Minn.
Richard Trenbeath, ’50, Grand Forks
V. Wayne Buisman, ’63, ’69, Harris, Minn.
Robert Ramsland, ’74, Cape Fair, Mo.
Cameron Stewart, ’51, New Ulm, Minn. Loretta (Ferguson) Stutsman, ’51, Saint Paul, Minn.
Gilbert Schott, ’63, ’69, Mesa, Ariz.
Mary Bair, ’75, Wallace, Idaho
George Solberg, Jr, ’63, Minot, N.D.
Donna (Fladland) Iszler, ’75, Grand Forks
Allan Hegland, ’65, Penn, N.D.
Byron Kuenzel, ’75, ’76, ’79, Grand Forks
Rockne Larvick, ’65, Spokane Valley, Wash.
Jo Bullis, ’76, ’83, Mancelona, Mich.
Charles Long, ’65, Troy, Ohio
Rebecca Ann (Diede) Deutsch, ’76, Grand Forks
Dr. Michael Emmerich, ..’66, Grand Forks
Robert Jacobs, ’77, Fargo
Mary (Osmon) Flam, ’66, Minneapolis
David Nordquist, ’78, El Segundo, Calif.
Roger Johnson, ..’66, Yucca Valley, Calif.
Neil Price, ..’78, Provo, Utah
1950s
Stanley Warburton, ’51, Lake Charles, La. Ada (Lohse) Bagley, ’52, Bedford, N.Y. John Anstett, ’53, Menomonee Falls, Wis. Glenn Brown, MD, ’53, Moorhead, Minn. James Irons, ’53, Lewistown, Mont.
64 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
Darrell Farland, ’71, Mandan, N.D.
Don Rysavy, ’78, ’81, Bismarck
Michael Ivey, ’94, Grand Forks
Lynne Thomas, ’78, Saint Paul, Minn.
Kurt Zuidmulder, ’96, Hermantown, Minn.
Barbara Bethel, ’79, Miami, Fla.
Gerald Schmidt, ’97, Saint Paul, Minn.
Nancy Nissen, ..’79, Kent, Wash.
2000s
Kathryn (Kasper) Stewart, ’79, Virginia Beach,Va.
1980s Dennis Heidrich, ’80, Sanford, Fla. Linda Wiley, ’80, ’92, Grand Forks
Travis O’Neel, ’02, Philippines Jeremy Orn, ’05, Jamestown, N.D. Daniel Duty, ’06, Pocatello, Idaho
Timothy Wolff, ’81, Dickinson, N.D.
2010s
Myron Faa, ’84, Bottineau, N.D.
April Wahl, ..’13, Broadus, Mont.
Rebecah (Lloyd) Kunz, ..’84, Moorhead, Minn.
Charles Tweten, ..’14, Grafton, N.D.
Thomas Ebertowski, ’85, Burnsville, Minn.
Alex Davis, ..’15, Grand Forks
John McMahon, ’85, Arvilla, N.D. Lee Mills, ..’85, Shakopee, Minn. Susan (McEvers) Thompson, ’85, McDonough, Ga. Dr. Mary Ellen Matthews, ’86, ’89, New Orleans
Former Faculty/Staff Susan (Engels) Bina, Grand Forks Lois (Dailey) Jacobson, Grand Forks Gordon Moen, Grand Forks
Friends James Bollman, Grand Forks Phyllis (Logan) Brickson, Fisher, Minn. Robert Buley, La Crosse, Wis. Charles Gilleland, Staples, Minn. Howard Gordon, San Fransisco, Calif. John Harris, MD, Duluth, Minn. Mary Ellen Haugen, Novi, Mich. C. David Kamrowski, Peoria, Ariz. Duane Morrison, Neche, N.D. Marvin Mosolf, Drayton, N.D. Bonnie (Patrick) Phillipson, Grand Forks John Pinyan, Encinitas, Calif. Arlo Pretzer, Minot, N.D. Therese (Coutts) Prochaska, Ontario Daniel Schmelka, MD, Naples, Fla. Louise (Strand) Stofferahn, Fargo
1990s
Leland Sturlaugson, Park River, N.D.
Jean (Purdum) Vieta, ’91, Monkton, Md.
Marvin Wilson, Joliette, N.D.
Bret Johnson, ’93, Vadnais Heights, Minn.
Ellsworth Sundre, Grand Forks
www.UNDalumni.org | 65
THE
wrap
Runners Reunion
Track & Field and Cross Country alumni are invited to a reunion October 16-17 in Grand Forks. The reunion coincides with the Ron Pynn Cross Country Classic, which is an open meet alumni are welcome to run. The reunion will also include a tour of the new indoor practice facility and a dinner Saturday night. Alumni can register by visiting undsports.com and clicking on “2015 Alumni Reunion” on the right side of the team page for your sport. For more info, contact Coach Dick Clay at richard.clay@athletics.und.edu.
Presidential Search
A 12-person committee will work to identify candidates for the presidency of the University of North Dakota. President Robert Kelley will retire in mid-January. The committee, composed of students, faculty, and staff from UND as well as community leaders from the Grand Forks area, was appointed by new North Dakota University System Chancellor Dr. Mark Hagerott, who will serve as a non-voting advisor to the group. College of Engineering and Mines Dean Hesham El-Rewini will co-chair the committee with UND alum Grant Shaft, a Grand Forks attorney.
66 | Alumni Review Fall 2015
Summer 2015
Photo: Tatum Rohde
TIDBITS, NEWS AND NOTES FROM THE UND AA&F
INSIDE: Look for a special Arts & Sciences section starting on page 18.
Hobbyist’s Handoff
CHANGE AT THE TOP
A big opportunity for Dave Hakstol, ‘96, leads to a promotion for popular assistant coach Brad Berry, ‘02. P. 6
Find the Flame Winners!
We stumped some of you with the placement of the hidden flame on the cover of the summer issue. The flame was hidden in the ‘A’ in the word ‘Engelstad’ on the podium in front of new head hockey coach Brad Berry. Out of all the correct entries, these three lucky alumni will receive prizes from the UND Alumni Association & Foundation: Brad Johnson, Jay Praska and Josiah Aviles. Try your luck this issue and see if you can ‘Find the Flame’ on the cover.
University of North Dakota hockey fans can now visit the Elwyn B. Robinson Department of Special Collections in the Chester Fritz Library to view UND hockey history via the recently acquired Paul E. Rohde Hockey Card Collection. Rohde, who earned degrees in commerce and law from UND in 1953 and 1959, respectively, began collecting the cards and other memorabilia around 1990. His collection contains more than 3,000 cards spanning the years 1969-2011. In addition, there are many signed and limited edition cards, including ones featuring pieces of game-used jerseys and hockey sticks. “The Paul E. Rohde Hockey Card Collection documents an important aspect of UND athletic history,” said Curt Hanson, head of the Department of Special Collections “I am thrilled that Mr. Rohde has entrusted Special Collections to preserve his collection for future generations.” Future plans for the collection include digitizing selected trading cards to make them accessible online. The collection is open during the regular business hours of Special Collections to anyone curious about the post-UND careers of its hockey players.
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University of North Dakota Alumni Association 3501 University Ave Stop 8157 Grand Forks, ND 58202-8157
Tasman Treasures
February 21 – March 9, 2016 Sydney to Auckland
Visit the land of koalas and kangaroos as you explore charming seaside towns down under. Discover the stunning landscapes and rich heritage of Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand while cruising aboard Oceania Cruises Marina, a masterpiece of sophistication.
Atolls & Islands
March 25 – April 4, 2016 Papeete to Papeete
Experience French Polynesia on one of the finest vessels afloat, Oceania Cruises’ elegant Marina, where every port of call is an absolute stunning Pacific dream. Savor the tropical islands and atolls of Moorea, Bora Bora, Rangiroa, and more on this extraordinary voyage. (Save $2,000 per stateroom if booked by September 29, 2015.)
TO BOOK YOUR TRIP Call 800.842.9023 or to view all UND alumni travel opportunities, visit www.undalumni.org/alumnitours.