Moorhead Magazine Fall 2023

MOORHEAD

The magazine for alumni, friends and community.

Dear Dragon Family, Alumni, and Friends,

Icould not be more ecstatic to write this letter, confirming my excitement to join the Dragon community! During the presidential interview process, I immediately felt an affinity for the people I met and a sincere desire to be selected as the next president of MSU Moorhead. Thank you to everyone who participated in the interview process and the warm welcome Mary and I have experienced.

As a young boy, I dreamt of being a professional athlete. As I pursued sports, my brothers and parents made sure I also paid attention to my studies. This turned out to be a good thing. Working my way through college, I was fortunate to be encouraged to pursue graduate studies; little did I know this would lead to a career in higher education.

After completing my doctorate at the University of Oklahoma, I accepted a faculty appointment at Cal State Los Angeles, a campus serving first-generation, non-traditional, and diverse students. Learning how to assist students in meeting their educational goals despite the challenges life presented them was a transformational experience. This period in my career set the foundation for my convictions to help students find their passions and learn how to succeed in school and life. I believe my genuine empathy and caring I have for students, faculty and staff is evidence that I can lead our institution with a true heart, dedicated to the success of MSUM and the people I serve.

Mary and I have experienced many regions and cultures as we have moved around the country. Our goal was to settle in a friendly community that offered a variety of experiences to enjoy. The Moorhead and MSUM communities are everything we hoped for. I promise to engage people on campus and in the community with humility, confirming my motivation to move MSUM and the region forward. I don’t have all of the answers. I only ask that everyone who believes in the transformational power of MSU Moorhead—our employees, alumni, donors, friends and community partners—contribute their energies and ideas to ensure our collective successes. As MSUM’s president, I will intentionally lead with purpose and grit, driven by my innate desire to succeed. I only ask that we move our campus forward together.

As an athlete and an academic, I have experienced winning and losing. For example, as a high school senior I tore my ACL but returned to compete, and it took more than one submission to receive a TRIO U.S. Department of Education grant. While I prefer to win, losses often deliver greater lessons.

I promise to infuse every day with a sense of grit to advance our university and community. Please join me in continuing our tradition of grit, a trait that will ensure we “win” as a university and learning community.

I look forward to meeting and working with everyone on campus, in Moorhead and the Moorhead-Fargo region. I thank you in advance for your support and contributions to the many successes in our future.

GO DRAGONS!

Dr. Tim Downs 12th President, MSU Moorhead

4 Meet President Tim Downs

7 A visit with First Lady Mary Downs

9 Simone LeClaire receives artist fellowship

11 Gavin Baumgartner’s life after basketball

12 Tara Carlson succeeds with the Jeremiah Program

15 Explore the Oceanarium’s metamorphosis

16 Distinguished Alumni honored at Homecoming

18 Weld Hall renovation moves forward

20 Class Notes

Administration

Tim Downs, President

Arrick Jackson, Provost & Senior VP for Academic Affairs, Interim VP of Enrollment Management & Student Affairs

Gary Haugo, Vice President for University Advancement

Dan Heckaman, Associate VP Finance & Administration and Campus Information Officer

Jean Hollaar, VP of Finance and Administration

Kirsten Jensen, AVP of Marketing

Kayla Kappes, Campus Human Resources Officer

Chad Markuson, Athletics Director

Staff

Kristi Monson, Editor

Kristin Johnson, Assistant Editor

Derek Lien, Art Director

Dave Arntson, Photographer

Ty Filley, Writer

Emily Lauinger, Writer

Minnesota State University Moorhead significantly changed its automatic scholarship program for new students entering Fall 2022, continuing its commitment to providing an affordable and accessible university experience for all students.

MSUM now offers five levels of automatic scholarships, awarding students up to $14,000 over four years. For example, the largest Distinguished Dragon scholarship awards $14,000 to students with a 3.9 GPA or 30 ACT, while the Ignite scholarship awards $2,000 to students with a 3.2 GPA or 23 ACT.

“We recognize that students have worked hard in high school, and we want to reward that performance by providing

Minnesota Affordable

MSU Moorhead delivers value for students

larger automatic scholarships,” said Tom Reburn, MSUM’s director of undergraduate admissions. “We made it easier for students to qualify by awarding these scholarships based on high school grade point average or ACT composite score, not a combination of the two.”

Another change to the scholarship program is the annual renewal process. Scholarships automatically renew with a 3.5 cumulative GPA, but now students can also renew by achieving a 3.0 cumulative GPA and participating in student life activities.

Students can also apply for nearly 400 competitive scholarships by completing a single application, available online from Oct. 1 through Feb. 1 each year.

Additional ways MSUM and Minnesota State support students:

▸ Beginning Fall 2023, MSUM is offering in-state tuition for every degree-seeking student. Whether a student’s hometown is Moorhead, Miami or anywhere in between, MSUM is simplifying the cost of college with one standard tuition rate for all.

▸ Banded tuition lets students take up to 18 credits per semester for the price of 12.

Learn more about how MSUM makes college affordable.

Tim Downs carries early lessons to MSUM president’s office

By Martin Fredricks

Dr. Tim Downs learned his most important lesson about success directly from the winningest coach in National Football League history.

He was just 11 at the time, living in Baltimore with his parents and three older brothers. One of young Tim’s friends from an adjacent neighborhood was David, whose father coached in the NFL. They had a tremendous season with David at quarterback and Tim at tight end, but a questionable call in the championship game cost them the league title.

A few days later, near the close of the end-of-season party at the home of David’s parents, Don and Dorothy Shula, the fifth-grade boys gathered in the living room and Coach Shula queued up another game lost on a dubious call – the 1965 Western Conference championship between his Baltimore Colts and the Green Bay Packers.

The reels rolled, projecting a game clock winding below two minutes in the 4th quarter of the hard-played, lowscoring contest, and with Green Bay setting up for a field goal attempt to tie

the game at 10. The kick was up and, as one media outlet described it, “A Don Chandler field goal attempt to tie the game in the final two minutes sailed wide to the right... But the referee standing under the uprights called the field goal good.” Another field goal in overtime gave the Packers a 13-10 victory and a trip to the (pre-Super Bowl era) NFL National Championship.

Downs recalls the moment vividly.

“He turns the lights back on and says, ‘So, men, what did you learn from that?’”

Murmurs around the circle of boys.

“‘You know what I did the next day?’ Shula asked. ‘I got up and I went to work, because that’s what happens in life. You will fail. You will lose. But if you’re going to succeed, you need to get up and go back to work.’”

The wisdom stuck, and MSUM’s new president has carried it through positions at 10 universities over the course of a 40-year student, teaching and administrative career.

Grit, Humility, Heart

But if you want to talk grit – one of MSUM’s three core values – you need to go back even further. Downs’ life lessons in perseverance came well before he played with the son of one of the NFL’s greatest coaches, and in different, more formidable forms.

Born asthmatic, dyslexic and with strabismus, Downs endured two eye

surgeries before starting elementary school. Those early years were tough – he had to repeat first grade, for example –but with time and commitment to eye exercises, he was doing much better when fourth grade rolled around.

Downs calls himself a “survivor” and fierce competitor who “didn’t have a very good start out of the blocks.”

“It challenged me to challenge myself to be a better learner,” he said. “That’s when I was ignited by the excitement of learning and its rewards.”

Even so, Downs hadn’t planned on a career in academia when he enrolled at California State University, Sacramento. In fact, he was working for Bank of America to put himself through school and doing so well that his managers signed him up for the company’s management training program. But as he got close to completing his bachelor’s degree in communication studies and telecommunications, his advisor talked him into going further. He landed at West Virginia University, Morgantown, where he earned his master’s while teaching communication studies to undergrads. He went on to earn his doctorate in organizational communications from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, then joined the faculty at California State University, Los Angeles.

Before he was even tenured, he told his future wife, Mary, that someday he wanted to be a college president.

“She looked at me like, ‘Oh really?’” he recalls with a chuckle.

But she believed him, and believed in him, so it was no surprise when, in 2016, after serving in positions with progressively more responsibility at universities across the country, Northern State University, Aberdeen, S.D., appointed Downs as its president. Now, two years after leaving Northern for Cal Poly Humboldt (Calif.), he has the honor of becoming MSU Moorhead’s 12th president.

It’s a fitting place for the great-grandson of an immigrant who escaped the potato famine in Ireland and, after settling in what is now Kansas, made sure each

of his seven children completed high school. It was a remarkable dedication to education at a time when many kids were expected to leave school early to work on the farm or help at home. One of those seven kids, Downs’ grandfather, went even further, obtaining a teaching certification, becoming a banker and earning his law degree. While he never taught officially, he instructed immigrants enrolled in night school.

It challenged me to challenge myself to be a better learner. That’s when I was ignited by the excitement of learning and its rewards.

– PRESIDENT TIM DOWNS

>> It didn’t take President Downs long to find red tennis shoes for walking the campus and conversing with students.

“Education has always been valued in our family,” Downs said. “It’s a tradition.”

And one tradition has brought Downs to another: Dragon Pride.

Purposeful Success

MSUM’s new president perches on the front edge of one of the low chairs in his Owens Hall office, much like an exuberant fifth grader anxious to learn from a legendary coach, but this time Downs is the one telling the story.

“One of the things I really like about MSUM is the premise of humility,” Downs says while adjusting new glasses that have Dragon-red temples and tips. “This is a place that recognizes we should have humility, and that means it’s a place where people are going to have respect for each other and what we know. That’s big, because I really believe in the collectiveness of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it purposefully.”

On a local radio show during his first weeks at MSUM, Downs likened the experience of taking on a university president’s job to parachuting onto a campus. The direction isn’t yet set, but the new leader has to hit the ground running, talk to lots of people and build the vision forward from there.

“You just start asking questions,” he said. “It’s constant communication with students, staff, faculty and community members to frame the institution, talking about what we do, why we do it, what the outcomes are and how we’re strong community partners.”

He’s already prepared to start sharing several institutional themes with potential partners and stakeholder groups.

The first concerns the quality of the MSUM experience and the collective approach to making it so.

“Every student is a case study,” he said. “Are they growing? Are they developing? Are they maturing? Will they be ready to launch into the job market and the community? And when they get there, will they be ready to give back to that community? Across the institution, we have to be looking at their experience and working together to position each one for success.”

Another is the institution’s economic impacts for the city and state. According to the latest assessment by Erie, Pa.-based consulting firm Parker Philips, MSUM generates $244.7 million annually.

“That’s a pretty big number, so you’re going to hear me say it a lot,” Downs said. “But it’s not just to say, ‘Hey, look at us!’ but to reinforce how MSUM is one of the benchmarks in the community and that we’re ready to continue collaborating to improve the economic viability of Moorhead and the entire region.”

Part of that, he says, is accepting there will be ups and downs. Some initiatives will work, others won’t, some will get MSUM closer to its vision, others will fall short. Regardless of the day-to-day outcomes, though, there’s one thing the MSUM and Moorhead communities can be sure of – the next day, President Tim Downs will get up and get back to work, with Dragon Pride! ■

This is a place that recognizes we should have humility, and that means it’s a

place

where

people are

going to have respect for each other and what we know. That’s big, because I really believe in the collectiveness of what we’re doing and how we’re doing it purposefully.

– PRESIDENT TIM DOWNS

>> More than 1,400 kids visited MSUM’s campus as part of Tri-College University’s (TCU) Walk Into My Future event, inspiring students to pursue higher education. Pres. Downs and TCU Provost Tim Flakoll visit with children.

>> President Downs wasted no time jumping in and helping students move into their residence halls on move-in day.

Coffee with Mary Downs

A conversation with MSUM’s First Lady

By KRISTI MONSON

Mary Downs grew up in a multigeneration home because, as she unabashedly shares, “We were poor and shared a house with my grandparents. I shared a room with my great-grandma. It may not have been a joy for my parents to live like that, but as a kid, having my grandparents and great-grandma around meant somebody was always there.”

Her courageous and hardworking Grandma Blake was Rosie the Riveter, working for McDonnell Douglas. “She was so small she could get in the nose of a plane, and they sent her in there to do the wiring and check the rivets,” Mary recalls. “She was my hero. She wouldn’t tolerate crying or whining. If things didn’t go your way, her attitude was to pick yourself up, learn from it, and move on.”

Her Great Grandma Lee was a phenomenal cook; a seamstress who made all her clothes when she was a child; and a caretaker of the entire neighborhood. Both grandmothers and her Grandpa Blake were dynamic role models. “Grandpa Blake was responsible for making sure there was laughter in the home,” Mary said.

Moving on, moving up

With that familial inspiration and ‘can do’ attitude, Mary embarked on a male-dominated career path determined to break as many glass ceilings as possible and climb

the corporate ladder to success. And she did. Armed with a microbiology/biochemistry degree and graduate management training, she was a highly successful sales professional with an innate talent for building relationships and driving results. She worked primarily in the pharmaceutical industry breaking sales records and in the medical products industry with physician inventors bringing new medical products to market.

Her career was catapulting, just like her husband’s. But soon after Tim Downs proposed, he told her he wanted to be a university president someday. He had been a professor at California State University, Los Angeles, and had just gotten a taste of university administration.

“He was passionate about learning and helping people achieve their goals, not just students but faculty, and making the most of the university. He wanted to be an integral part of that. He is a natural leader and a great guy,” Mary said. “My career goals were more selfishly motivated. I compared that to Tim’s passion for helping others and knew I wanted to be a part of it.” ■

Read more about MSUM’s first lady Mary Downs.

Cumberland County, a reunion

It was an alumni reunion of sorts when Simone LeClaire connected with other MSUM Dragons and Janet Brandau, MSUM’s former director of Study Abroad (2000-2020) and wife and creative partner of the late MSUM film professor Tom Brandau, to be the assistant director for the short film “The Greater Cumberland County Cooking Show.” Brandau wrote the film’s first scene as a one-act play when working on her MFA in Creative Writing at MSUM and developed it into the film script over the past year.

The film, set in 1972, follows three lifelong friends in remote northern Minnesota as they work to tape their local TV cooking show while navigating newfound jealousies and competing desires. Rule-bound Tilda, free-thinking VioletAnne and entrepreneur Billy are life-long friends engaging in a friendly competition that evolves into culinary warfare and threatens the future of their show, “The Greater Cumberland County Cooking Show.” ■

By KRISTI MONSON

<< Pictured L to R: Christian Calabrese ’14 (film production), director of photography and William (Billy) Straub ’12 (film studies) grip.

<< Pictured L to R: Simone LeClaire ’13 (film production) and Katharine (Kate) Aarness ’17 (theatre arts), actor and Janet’s daughter.

By Kelsey Rosesth

Simone LeClaire’s films are a study of self-expression and exploration.

The Minnesota State University Moorhead film production graduate (’13) is one of 54 recipients of a two-year $50,000 Jerome Hill Artist Fellowship – awarded to early-career professionals from Minnesota and New York. The unrestricted funds support artists in creating new work, advancing artistic goals and promoting professional development.

Simone (she/they) is a queer woman working as a film director and editor in Minneapolis. The 32-year-old’s works range from narrative shorts reflecting raw human experiences to wonderous, ethereal fairy tales. Compelled to share certain stories, Simone’s work spotlights a process of self-witnessing and self-naming, which she relates to both her spirituality and her queerness.

“For me, queerness is really a process of self-interrogation. Queer people have to go through this process to know themselves and name themselves in a society that will otherwise say, ‘Here’s what you’re feeling, and here’s how to interpret it.’ Queer people have explored internally and said, ‘Let me create my own name and describe what is happening to me as an individual.’”

Finding Purpose and Passion

Originally from the small town of Cass Lake, Minn., Simone started making movies with their sister as a teen. One of their more complex films took a whole summer to shoot and included local residents.

“The process of making this film was impactful and interesting and so exponentially beyond me. It was then I found that film was something I could be interested in for a long time… [the art] uses different intelligences, and I knew that was something I could be absorbed in,” they said. ■

A creative career grounded by MSUM and its film program

Read more about how Simone’s directing style aims to protect the well-being of all participants and respect and honor how the final product is impacted by that equality.

The major is centered around the idea of being welcoming to everyone who wants to learn film. – SIMONE LECLAIRE

>> Pictured L to R: Janet Brandau, Thomas Draskovic who plays Billy, Nik Manning who plays Violet Anne, and Simone LeClaire on the set of “The Greater Cumberland County Cooking Show.”

>> Simone LeClaire

Miss Minnesota RoadThe to

By GRACE KENNEDY

DREAM BIG

My God-sized dream became a reality.

I’m honored and humbled to be the 87th Miss Minnesota.

The flexibility of pursuing a fully online degree allows Amérigo to balance her new title, schoolwork, entrepreneurial work and teaching at her local dance studio. Earning a digital media management degree with emphases in advertising and public relations as well as marketing helps her to connect with people nationwide.

Participating in the Miss America organization helps Amérigo educate others while pursuing her education through scholarship opportunities. As Miss Minnesota, she will continue to advocate for her sustainability initiative and promote the successes she has during her time representing the state. ■

Angelina Amérigo is a digital media management student showing what it means to stretch the lessons she’s learned in class to her fullest potential.

Angelina earned the title of Miss Minnesota at the Miss Minnesota Scholarship Competition on June 24, 2023. She previously held the Miss West Central title and will compete in the Miss America competition in January 2024.

As part of her bid for these titles, she not only showed her talents, but her ambition to spread word about sustainability nationwide.

One Bottle, One Straw, One Bag at a Time

Amérigo runs the sustainability initiative “One Bottle, One Straw, One Bag at a Time.” She raises awareness about the harms of one-time use plastic and educates people on how to protect our oceans, lakes and rivers. She says the Mississippi River is responsible for roughly 40 percent of plastic pollution in the Gulf of Mexico, which starts and flows through the state.

“I’ve reached over one million people with my message in the last four years,”

she says. “I’ve had some incredible conversations with chief sustainability officers from corporate companies like Colgate-Palmolive, McDonald’s and General Mills,” Amérigo said.

This is a big part of why she decided to get her degree from MSU Moorhead. To reach her audience, she needed the skillset to manage her work and lifestyle.

“The reach that you have when you’re using digital media in the right way can be so impactful,” she says.

“Dream big. There’s no harm you can do in that.” Read more about Angelina and her road to Miss Minnesota.

All Business

Baumgartner planning life after basketball

By KRISTIN JOHNSON

There’s no doubt Gavin Baumgartner can get things done on the court. The six-year Dragon men’s basketball player has an impressive stat sheet to prove it. He helped lead the team to two NSIC conference tournament championships, three NCAA tournament appearances, is third in school history in three-pointers made, career assists and career points scored. He has also played in more games than any other player in Dragon history. His basketball career started early. Baumgartner remembers working on his game in the unfinished basement of his childhood home in Plymouth, Minn., mimicking the moves of his favorite Timberwolves players. He started playing in kindergarten and began traveling with competitive teams a couple years later with his dad as his coach. At Wayzata High School, he helped lead the way to the school’s first state tournament appearance since 1959. Baumgartner credits the support of his parents, great coaches and mentors, and teammates who pushed him along the way.

Now, after completing his education at MSUM, Baumgartner is embarking on a new chapter: the real world. He earned undergraduate majors in finance and accounting, and this spring he graduated with his Master of Business Administration. It didn’t take long for him to land his first job—management trainee at Cintas in Minneapolis. He says a 15-month rotating period will help develop him as a business leader while focusing on operations, service and sales. “It will prepare me well for the future,” he said.

And his future looks promising. Baumgartner says he will rely on the qualities he acquired as a student-athlete to guide his path in the workforce. Through juggling classes, homework, practices, games, training, and time with family and friends, he created a routine that worked well. “I learned how to prioritize what’s important and be organized,” he said. Receiving a scholarship was also a blessing, as he didn’t have to work a job while in school. “It really lifted that financial burden and let me focus on what mattered,” he added.

Baumgartner learned a lot during his time at MSUM, but most of all, he learned how to be a Dragon. “To me, that means doing things the right way,” he said. “It means helping people around you. You might not always feel like you’re being rewarded, but you look back and see the benefits later down the line.” ■

Read more about Gavin Baumgartner’s impact on the Dragons.

Village It takes a

Juggling single parenthood, college with the Jeremiah Program

By Emily Lauinger

If you ask Tara Carlson (’23), social work and sociology, what inspires her, she’ll smile and say without hesitation, “my kiddo.”

Like other students, Tara’s education was at the top of her priorities while earning a degree at MSUM. First and foremost, however, she prioritized being the best mother she could to her now two-year-old son, Lucas.

Carlson found out she was pregnant shortly after getting accepted into MSUM. From the start of her pregnancy, she knew she’d be a single mom needing additional help. That led her to the Jeremiah Program, an organization headquartered in Minneapolis with locations across the country, including one in Fargo-Moorhead.

According to its website, the Jeremiah Program’s mission is to disrupt the cycle of poverty for single mothers and their children. They help moms apply to schools, find childcare and affordable housing, and connect them with mentors.

While Carlson appreciated all of these resources, her regular meetings with her mentor, Meg Thompson, stood out to her most. She found them therapeutic.

“Just knowing that a lot of people out there were going through the same thing was fulfilling for me on this journey,” Carlson said.

Carlson and Thompson worked through challenges as well as celebrated accomplishments together. Thompson has enjoyed watching Carlson’s growth and continues to cheer her on.

“When Tara and I met it didn’t take me long to see how driven she was to earn her social work degree from MSUM, participate in the Jeremiah Program, and be a great mom to her son Lucas,” Thompson said. “Tara’s work ethic has never wavered. She now has a great career in social work, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

People like Thompson at the Jeremiah Program answered Carlson’s questions

and helped her feel less alone. She built relationships with the employees, especially those at the daycare.

“They really take an interest in your kid. It’s not just a paycheck for them,” she said.

Thanks to the people at the Jeremiah Program, Carlson began classes at MSUM once Lucas was a few months old. Unfortunately, it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. Being away from her son was emotionally draining, and many days she juggled parenting and homework simultaneously. She quickly learned that communication was key, especially on days when she’d have to stay home with a sick kid or even bring him into class.

Carlson found her sociology and social work professors to be understanding of her situation and willing to work with her. Not only was she able to bring him to her classes, but one of her night professors even went so far as to make paper airplanes with him. With the amount of class time and textbook reading Carlson did with her son, she jokes that he might be an academic in the making.

“He probably knows more about sociology than I do,” she said. ■

Read the rest of Tara’s story.

MSUM teacher cadet program starts this fall

MSU Moorhead is partnering with Moorhead High School in a new initiative to help address workforce teacher shortages affecting our region. The Teacher Cadet program will give high school students the opportunity to experience the teaching profession so they can make informed decisions about potential teaching careers.

Twelve Moorhead High School students will take an Introduction to Education concurrent enrollment course and participate in various hands-on experiences. These college credits can be applied to a teaching degree.

“We hope this might attract a broader and more diverse group of students into MSUM’s teacher preparation programs,” said Keri DeSutter, professor in the School of Teaching and Learning.

Moorhead High School teacher Jim MacFarlane will run the program. District leaders supporting this initiative include Dave Lawrence and Jeremy Larson. MSUM leaders include Ok-Hee Lee, Dean of the College of Education and Human Services, Keri DeSutter, professor and Julia Poplin, assistant professor, both in the School of Teaching and Learning.

“We hope to expand the program to offer additional concurrent enrollment coursework and a multi-year Teacher Education Academy in the high school,” DeSutter said. “We look forward to interacting with the high school students and sharing our excitement and enthusiasm for the teaching profession.” ■

A Piece of The Ocean

The MSUM Oceanarium’s Metamorphosis

By Ty Filley

The world’s oceans are places of new beginnings. Rising tides wash beach shores of debris each day, invertebrates like starfish regrow lost limbs and countless creatures undergo metamorphic transformations, emerging familiar yet new.

One such organism is a stone crab named Dozer. Dozer began life as a soft, claw-less larva before advancing through six separate stages to emerge as a full-grown crab. It is only fitting this transforming crustacean calls MSU Moorhead’s Oceanarium home.

Like Dozer, the MSUM Oceanarium has rapidly evolved from a marine research lab into a growing hub of community engagement and education. In 2023, eight years’ worth of work culminated in the grand re-opening and launch of a new era for the Oceanarium.

Wading In: The Beginning

The MSUM Oceanarium’s journey started in the minds of students led by Biosciences Professor Brian Wisenden.

In 2014, he took a group of students on a life-changing trip to Costa Rica for an on-site tropical biology course. During this expedition, they encountered a

LIVING LAB

The Oceanarium is a place for teaching, research and outreach for our school and community.

working tide pool that left an impression. The students returned to MSUM with a visionary goal—to create a similarly immersive experience right on campus.

Wisenden and his students began their mission to establish the Marine Ecology Lab. They gradually brought their vision to life in the basement of Langseth Hall. For several years, the marine lab was a center of aquatic research for Wisenden and hundreds of students.

Against the Current: The Next Stage

In 2020, the marine lab rebranded as the MSUM Oceanarium. Other changes followed as well. Wisenden applied for and received a $25,000 grant from the Innovation and Collaboration Office at Minnesota State. This funding allowed the facility to focus on expanding its outward-facing offerings.

Led by Facilities Coordinator Phil Larson, the Oceanarium began inviting visitors from the public. “Our vision is to create a living laboratory used for teaching, research and outreach by our school and local communities,” Larson said.

To help make the Oceanarium a visitorfriendly destination, Larson helped develop a class for students interested in becoming aquarists. Aquarist students became experts in tending to the facility and its animals. The students feed the animals, monitor their water quality and maintain equipment. Many have also embraced roles as tour guides and marketers as part of the class. One

student aquarist, Emily Watson, appeared live on KVRR News’ morning show to promote the Oceanarium.

One of the aquarists’ most important tasks is to champion ocean conservation and relaying to people why the world’s oceans are important, even 1,200 miles from the nearest ocean in Moorhead.

“They (horseshoe crabs) have copper blood, which, for medicine, can be a coagulant and is antimicrobial. If you have had a vaccine or an IV, you likely have used horseshoe crab blood,” Watson explains.

Since offering tours, Larson and his team have welcomed more than 2,000 visitors annually.

Today, the MSUM Oceanarium houses more than 50 captivating species of marine life, each carefully curated to provide visitors with a truly interactive and investigative experience. From the bizarre but harmless horseshoe crabs to the playful stingrays that invite visitors to get up close and personal, the Oceanarium invokes curiosity and provides a sense of the diversity of our world’s oceans.

School groups and youth outreach programs comprise the majority of its visitors, but the public is also welcome to schedule visits to the Oceanarium. The Oceanarium’s ability to engage and educate people of all ages and backgrounds has been one of the keys to its rapid growth. Visitors leave with a newfound appreciation for oceans and their myriad creatures, inspired to act for marine conservation.

Entering the Deep: A Wave of Change

The Oceanarium’s rapid growth has seen several large-scale changes occur in the past 12 months. The facility’s footprint has doubled, removing a wall to make more space for exhibits and future programming. Larson and Wisenden also oversaw the installation of a Jellyfish exhibit, something that’s been on Larson’s wish list for years. Other exhibits are in progress, including plans for a massive reef tank. ■

Read more about the Oceanarium and see all of the beautiful marine animals calling MSUM home.

>> A moon jellyfish floats in the Oceanarium’s new specialized jellyfish tank.

>> Dr. Brian Wisenden watches as visitors explore the Oceanarium.

dozer

Distinguished Alumni to be honored at Homecoming

MSUM Foundation will recognize accomplished alumni at the Night of Distinction

We are proud of our alumni’s successes and MSU Moorhead’s role in their lives. While many deserve recognition, only a select few are chosen each year. Each recipient exemplifies the high standards we expect from MSUM graduates, and has made significant contributions to the communities where they reside and work. Read their stories at mnstate.edu/stories.

Outstanding Service Award

Political science Professor Andrew Conteh taught at MSUM for 31 years before retiring in 2017. The Sierra Leon native and specialist in international relations and international law was ambassador to the Soviet Union from 1976-81, was a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, and was senior assistant secretary in Sierra Leone’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He was integral in developing MSUM’s prestigious Andrew B. Conteh Student Academic Conference.

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Tim Connolly ’78 (mass communications) is a career journalist who has worked at newspapers across the country, reporting internationally from Mexico, Cuba, Brazil, Belize, Bahamas, China, Hong Kong and Indonesia. He has worked for over 30 years at The Dallas Morning News, where he is an assistant news editor working with the wire services covering the Mexico/Texas border and immigration-related reports.

Lonni Schultz ’82 (computer science & mathematics) is a senior research biostatistician in the Department of Public Health Sciences at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Mich., where she’s worked since 1984. She has authored/co-authored more than 160 medical publications, serves on the hospital’s Internal Review Board (IRB), and is a permanent standing member of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke study section.

Stacey Benson ’90 (psychology), president and CEO of Benson Psychological Services, is a forensic psychologist specializing in risk assessments, training corrections departments in three states,and testifying in state, federal, and military court. She co-founded the Sex Offender Treatment and Assessment of North Dakota, a nonprofit teaching men and women coming out of the prison system the skills they need to reintegrate into the community.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Jennifer Glenski ’13 (mathematics) is a leader in AI and technology, with experience leading impactful technology projects across education, healthcare and government. She directs product management at BMC Software and leads IntelliDyne’s AI and Machine Learning Practice. The Northern Virginia Technology Council recognized her with their Tech100 NextGen Leader Award for driving tech innovation and positively impacting the region.

Oct. 12

MSUM Alumni Center

We’re excited to see walls being erected and daily progress on the 18,500-squarefoot facility. It will serve alumni returning to campus and be a place for students and community members to connect and engage.

Watch the Alumni Center progress on the live webcam

Commencement

Long before Nemzek Hall hosted commencement ceremonies, Weld Hall saw thousands of students walk across the stage for their diplomas.

The Ghost of Weld Hall

Rumored to be the ghost of a worker who fell to his death from a scaffold during the construction of Weld Hall in 1915, the ghost of Weld has garnered fame throughout the years.

Moves Forward Weld Hall renovation

The Minnesota Legislature’s $2.6 billion capital investment package included $23.1 million for Weld Hall, MSU Moorhead’s oldest and most iconic campus building. It’s been “shovel ready” since 2018 when MSUM received $628,000 for the initial project design.

Weld was last renovated more than 50 years ago. While it still retains its considerable character and charm, renovation will restore Weld to its original beauty while modernizing and

equipping the building for technologyenriched, activity-based learning and collaboration.

“The project will breathe new life into our beloved Weld Hall, which will increase engagement with the arts and humanities for both our students and our community,” said Kyja Kristjansson-Nelson, Interim Dean for the College of Arts and Humanities.

Now, for a walk down memory lane.

The Vines of Weld

Though the vines on Weld Hall had to be trimmed due to structural concerns, the poetry they added to the exterior of the building will long be remembered.

Weld Hall Namesake

During Frank Augustine Weld’s presidency (1899-1919), Moorhead Normal changed considerably, partly the result of Weld’s dynamic leadership. He loved to teach literature, lecture and read dramatically, and he read to the whole school in opening exercises from the most interesting new books he could find.

A New Era

What will we see when the project is completed in Spring 2026?

A new accessible entry addition will create a public face adjacent to the street, convenient access for workforce training and community events, and accessible stage access and improved exiting from the auditorium.

Secret Hiding Places

A digitally enhanced photo of the Weld staircase shows one of the most interesting and secretive places on campus.

Minnesota Support

Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, Senator Rob Kupec and Representative Heather Keeler visited campus in June to tour Weld Hall. MSUM is grateful for the Minnesota Legislature’s support of Weld’s renovation and its positive impact on future dragons.

A mix of classroom sizes and types will increase space utilization, and technologyenriched learning studios will deliver modernized curriculum and provide for activity-based learning and collaboration.

Glasrud Auditorium will be renovated, including the restoration of the grand balcony.

Class Notes

Larry ’77 (accounting) and Sharon (Winkels) Haarstad, Fargo celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary with their children. They were married June 18, 1983, at St Paul’s Lutheran Church, Perham, Minn. They have been blessed with two children, Sarah and Kris.

70s

Arcosa, a provider of infrastructure-related products and solutions, elected Julie (Spelhaug) Piggott ’84 (accounting) to serve on the board of directors as a new independent member of the audit committee. Piggott is the former executive vice president and chief financial officer of BNSF Railway Company.

80s

Capital Credit Union has hired Tony Walz ’96 (economics) as regional sales manager east region at the Veterans Boulevard Branch in Fargo. Walz will oversee financial services staff at two Fargo branches and be responsible for consumer lending, including auto, recreational vehicle and home equity loans, delivery of deposit products such as money market accounts and certificates of deposit, and actively soliciting, promoting, and servicing credit union products and services. Walz has 25 years of experience in the financial services industry.

service. Losee is a Gjesdahl Law, P.C. lawyer with practices dedicated entirely to family law matters. Losee also handles adoption and assisted reproduction matters. The annual Great Plains Super Lawyer List is a rating service of outstanding lawyers who have obtained peer recognition and demonstrated professional excellence and achievement. The selection process is based upon independent research and peer nomination and evaluations.

00s Discovery

Middle

School

Principal Amy (Dietzler) Herrick

90s

Jenny (Offerman) Schuster ’92 (mass communications) was named to the 2023 REAL Trends America’s Best Real Estate Agents in North Dakota. The organization honors the finest real estate agents from across the country. Over 23,000 real estate sales associates from every state are featured in America’s Best. Those ranked are among the top 1.5 percent of 1.6 million licensed real estate professionals during the 2022 calendar year.

West Fargo has hired former Bismarck School Board president and current United Way executive Heide (Chloupek) Delorme ’92 (accounting) as its next finance director. Delorme will be responsible for the management of accounting, debt/ treasury, utility billing, budgeting, accounts payable/receivable, payroll and investments of West Fargo. She was previously the accounting manager for Mandan Parks and Recreation and served two terms as a member of the Bismarck School Board.

Jason Jaeger ’97 (finance) has been named market president of American Federal’s Fargo downtown location. Jaeger has worked in the financial services industry more than 25 years, working primarily with businesses to help them navigate their various stages of growth, transition, succession and retirement. Jaeger has been with American Federal since 2006 and has been honored as one of the company’s top salespeople on multiple occasions. He and his wife, Sandra, live in Fargo and have two children.

North Dakota Farmers Union Insurance announced that Dominic Noonan ’98 (physical education) of Fargo, N.D., has qualified for the Farmers Union Agents Summit, the company’s top sales honor. He is one of over 80 agents from across the Farmers Union Insurance regions to qualify for this year’s top production award. The Summit recognizes the top-performing agents from 11 states and is the company’s most distinguished honor.

Attorney Kari Losee ’99 (art) has been named one of the 2023 Great Plains Rising Stars by Super Lawyers, the Thomson Reuters lawyer rating

’02 (art education) has been named the Fargo Public Schools 2023 Administrator of the Year. Herrick began with Fargo Public Schools as a visual arts teacher at Discovery. She became an interim assistant principal at Discovery in 2013 and full-time assistant principal in 2014. She became the principal in 2020.

Beni Hauck ’04 (criminal justice) has accepted the payroll specialist position at American Crystal Sugar Company’s corporate office. Hauck will assist in processing payroll for the company, verify payroll processes and ensure accuracy in timely wage payments for employees. She was most recently employed with Great Plains Transport as their payroll specialist in Mapleton, N.D.

Tasha M. Gahner ’06 (paralegal) has joined the Fargo law firm O’Keeffe O’Brien Lyson Attorneys. She is part of the family law practice group, focusing on divorce, child custody, adoptions and other family law issues. Gahner has been practicing in the area since 2010, having successfully represented hundreds of clients in family law matters. A Jamestown, N.D., native, Gahner grew up in Fargo. She is trained in collaborative law, trained as a parenting investigator, and is also a family law

Share your news at alumni@mnstate.edu . All towns are in Minnesota, unless otherwise noted. Fargo and West Fargo are in North Dakota.

mediator. She is active in local, state and national law organizations.

Mark Dollerschell ’07 (exercise science) has accepted the packaging training lead position at American Crystal Sugar Company’s Moorhead factory district. Dollerschell will serve as a trainer to all five packaging locations. He will be responsible for creating PowerPoints, equipment checklists, classroom assessments and making revisions as needed. He will also provide operator training to packaging lines, bulk sugar duties, and yard duties at all levels of the program. He has been with American Crystal since 2014, holding multiple positions, most recently as the assistant packaging and warehouse supervisor in Moorhead.

10sLuke Sperling ’11 (economics) has been promoted to vice president of finance at Gate City Bank. He previously served as senior financial analyst. Originally from Fargo, Sperling brings 10 years of experience to Gate City Bank. He received a master’s degree in economics from the University of Nebraska Omaha. He is also a CFA® charter holder. Sperling lives in Fargo. In his free time, he enjoys going on bike rides and walks with his wife, two daughters and their dog.

Natassja B. Gunasena ’11 (English) delivered an endowed lecture at Trinity College in Hartford, Conn., in April. She spoke about “The Specter of Blackness: Alexander Siddig, Tayeb Salih, and Queering Afro/Arab Masculinities in the Black Atlantic.” Her lecture traced how restrictive definitions of nation, ethnicity, religion, and sexuality continually erase Blackness from transnational, queer possibilities. She examined the life and work of British-Sudanese actor Alexander Siddig (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Game of Thrones, Shantaram) alongside the English translation of Sudanese novelist Tayeb Salih’s Season of Migration to the North. Rather than defining Blackness as an identity fixed in time and space, Gunasena suggests we use the literatures and theories of the Black Atlantic with their richly fluid repertoire of ghosts, tricksters,

and mirrors, to read the masculinities present in Siddig and Salih’s work as simultaneously Black, diasporic, and queer.

Hudi Kobrinsky ’11 (biology) is the new operations process supervisor at American Crystal Sugar Company’s Technical Service Center. Kobrinsky will identify process changes to increase factory throughput and sugar recovery and find opportunities for processing cost reductions. He has been with American Crystal since 2015, holding multiple positions, most recently as a process chemist at Technical Services Center in Moorhead.

Enclave welcome Hayley Sannes ’12 (business administration) as a staff accountant. Sannes will support the property management division in maintaining financial records and reports, performing account reconciliations, assisting with budget, and conducting internal reviews. Prior to joining Enclave, she served as an accountant at a local communications company.

Jenna Miller ’12 (publishing) signed copies of her young adult novel “Out of Character” at Barnes & Noble in March While this is her first novel published by HarperCollins, Miller has been writing most of her life. She began focusing on novels after an MSU Moorhead professor encouraged her to further develop one of her short stories. Her agent helped secure a book deal with HarperCollins in late 2021. She’s also secured a deal for a second novel, expected out sometime next year. “Out of Character” is loosely based on the time Miller spent playing big group role-playing games and the friends she met online.

Eric Burgad ’18 (educational leadership), an assistant principal at Kindred (N.D.) Elementary School, has been named head football coach for Kindred High School. He has been a part of the Vikings football program as defensive coordinator since 2014 and was a part of the school’s first state title win in 2021. “I am beyond excited,” he said. “I’ve spent a lot of time with coach Crane and the rest of our staff building our culture and getting our program

where we feel confident in how we coach kids. I feel we’re in a good spot right now.”

Fargo Public Schools has named Emily Dilliard ’18 (school psychology) dean of students for the Explorer Academy, a position funded by the elementary and secondary school emergency relief fund. Dilliard joined Fargo Public Schools in 2020 as a school psychologist. Since 2017, she has worked as the associate program director for the North Dakota State University Bison Strides program. She previously worked as a teacher’s assistant in a childcare setting and has experience working with children and adults with special needs.

20s

Alec Tolson ’20 (accounting) has joined Widmer Roel, a local public accounting and business advisory firm. As an audit associate, Alec provides audit and assurance services to a wide range of clients, with a focus on government entities. He previously worked for a regional accounting firm.

Brad Ambrosius ’21 (educational leadership) has been named the activities director at Kindred (N.D.) High School. Ambrosius has spent the last five years as a social studies teacher at Kindred. He’s also served as an assistant coach for the Vikings’ football and the strength and conditioning programs, as well as a coach for the junior high basketball programs.

When 800 students graduated from MSU Moorhead in May, one student stood out among the pack. Luke Leonard ’23 (business administration) of Moorhead, did not take any AP classes or online college classes during his years at Moorhead High School, but he graduated from MSUM after just two years, often taking 22-26 credits per semester. He even took 38 credits during his last semester, most of them being in-person classes. He worked during some of his time in college, as well, selling cars in town. He graduated magna cum laude.

MSU Moorhead awarded $6.7M to address mental health needs in PK-12 schools

Benefits students interested in School Counseling or School Psychology careers

An infusion of professional help is on the way to PK-12 schools struggling to fill mental health vacancies, thanks to a five-year, $6,777,039 grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Education to Minnesota State University Moorhead. The Infuse Mental Health grant aims to fill mental health professional vacancies and to increase the diversity, recruitment, training and placement of graduate students serving rural and tribal schools.

“The Infuse Mental Health Project addresses a critical shortage of schoolbased mental health service providers in our region,” said Arrick Jackson, MSUM Provost & Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs. “It demonstrates the excellence and expertise of our Counseling and School Psychology graduate programs and highlights our faculty members’ commitment to working with community partners to diversify and expand the number of students trained to meet those needs.”

Grant Highlights

▸ MSUM is partnering with 18 Minnesota and North Dakota school districts, Turtle Mountain Tribal Community College, and

16 collaborating cooperatives, professional organizations, and state agencies.

▸ Students can apply for up to $12,000/ year or $24,000/student for scholarships in the School Psychology or School Counseling graduate programs.

▸ During training, grant-supported students commit to 8 hours of weekly mental health services in partner high-needs schools.

▸ School districts can leverage this grant to support grow-your-own candidates who want to work and stay in the community.

▸ The grant will engage local, rural and tribal schools struggling to fill mental health professional vacancies.

“This grant will allow our schools to provide more services to more students. Children and teens in our schools are looking for an adult to support them,” said Dr. Lisa Stewart, School Psychology program director and Infuse Mental Health grant director. ■

Learn more about the Infuse Mental Health Grant and how you can apply to the School Counseling or School Psychology graduate programs.

Refer a Dragon!

You know the value of an MSUM education. Now share this opportunity with people you think would make great Dragons!

You can refer family members, friends and others beginning their college search to MSUM by filling out an online referral form! Go to mnstate.edu/refer-dragon to encourage someone you know to start a fire at MSUM!

<< Photo of Infuse team: L to R: MSUM faculty Jessica Brown (school counseling), Lisa Stewart (school psychology), and Taryn Akgul (school counseling) will manage the grant.

Homecoming 2023

We love campus traditions! And Homecoming is one of the best traditions at Minnesota State University Moorhead. During Homecoming, the crisp fall air is abuzz with students, faculty, alumni, and family looking to connect and show their Dragon pride. Some activities are big; some are small. They all unite and connect us in ways that cultivate lifelong friendships and create a sense of belonging. Please join us for these Homecoming activities during the week of October 10-15. For more information and the most up-todate schedule, visit www.mnstate.edu/homecoming.

Tuesday, October 10

▸ Chalk Art competition 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.

▸ Pi Your Professor 10 a.m. - 3 p.m., CMU Patio

▸ Office Decorating Registration Deadline Noon

▸ Office Decorating Judging

1 - 4 p.m., MSUM Campus

▸ DIY Dragon Crafts

1 - 3 p.m., CMU Sun Garden Lounge

▸ Dragons Got Talent & Court reveal 7:30 p.m., CMU Ballroom

Wednesday, October 11

▸ Dean’s Chili Feed Noon - 2 p.m., Campus Mall (Rain site: Center for the Arts)

▸ Doug’s Wire Writing Noon - 2 p.m., Campus Mall

Thursday, October 12

▸ Installation of Dr. Downs 2 p.m., Hansen Theatre, Center for the Arts

▸ Ice Cream Social with live music 3:30 p.m., Campus Mall (Rain site: Center for the Arts)

▸ Night of Distinction Dinner 5 p.m., CMU Ballroom

▸ Battleship H2O 8 p.m., Nemzek Pool

Friday, October 13

▸ Topping out Ceremony

11 a.m., Alumni Center

▸ Dragon Athletics Hall of Fame

Noon, CMU Ballroom

▸ Dragon Soccer vs. U of M Duluth

3 p.m., Nemzek Soccer Field

▸ Pre-Heat Party: Music, yard games & more

7 p.m., Nemzek Practice Field

▸ Coronation, Burning of the M & Fireworks

8:40 p.m., Nemzek

Saturday, October 14

▸ Dragon Football vs. Univ. of Sioux Falls

Noon, Scheels Field

▸ Alumni Choir and Band Concert featuring guest Choral Conductor, Dr. Paul Nesheim

7:30 p.m., Hansen Theatre

Sunday, October 15

▸ Dragon Soccer vs. St. Cloud State

Noon, Nemzek Soccer Field

ALL WEEK

▸ Dragons Give – Donate new toiletry items, used cellular phones, non-violent children’s toys and nonperishable food items at various locations around campus. All items are given to the Rape & Abuse Crisis Center, Dragon Food Pantry and Dragon Career Closet for members of our community in need.