Moorhead Magazine Fall 2016 by MSU Moorhead

MOORHEAD minnesota state university moorhead

FALL 2016 | Vol. 16, No. 2

magazine

The magazine for alumni, friends and community.

STUDENT UNION REMODELED

Originally built in 1966, the Comstock Memorial Unionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s last renovation was in 1992. With a budget of approximately $9 million, this renovation, which broke ground in May 2015, had five major goals: daylight, more space with a coffee house atmosphere, a welcoming entry, social lounge spaces, and a fireplace. Each goal was strategically chosen through the process of communicating with hundreds of students over the course of four years. Since its completion in June, the union has expanded from 34,000 square feet to 37,400. Stop by and check it out the next time youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on campus. Or, take a look at the gallery of photos online at mnstate.edu/magazine.

MOORHEAD minnesota state university moorhead

ALUMNI FEATURES

magazine

››

9 Uniting Progress & Tradition 14 Speaking Without Words 18 The Health Revolution 24 Providing Hope a Reality 26 Medical Interpreter 31 Dragons at the Chamber

NEWS BRIEFS

››

Spring Gala Raises $167K

Points of Pride

#BeADragon Gets National Attention

Qual is World-renowned Pro Gamer

Sannes Competes on team USA

Administration

Staff

President: Anne Blackhurst president@mnstate.edu Provost/Senior VP, Academic Affairs: Joseph Bessie VP, University Advancement Gary Haugo VP, Finance & Administration: Jean Hollaar ’90, ’92 VP, Enrollment Management/ Student Affairs Brenda Amenson-Hill Director of Athletics/Interim Associate VP, Enrollment Management Doug Peters Executive Director, Marketing & Communications: David Wahlberg ’81 Chief Information Officer: Daniel Heckaman Chief Diversity Officer: Donna Brown Chief Human Resources Officer: Ann Hiedeman ’13

Executive Editor: David Wahlberg ’81 david.wahlberg@mnstate.edu Editor: Kristi Monson ’84, ’96 kristi.monson@mnstate.edu Art Director: Derek Lien liende@mnstate.edu Photographer: Dave Arntson ’96 Editorial Team: Danielle Rebel ’15 Meghan Feir ’13 Katie Faken ’12 Jennifer Donahue Danna Galeano Penagos ’16

Minnesota State University Moorhead Magazine is published by the Marketing & Communications Office for the MSUM community of alumni, employees, students, supporters, friends and neighbors. Contact us: magazine@mnstate.edu or 218.477.2110. Minnesota State University Moorhead is an equal opportunity educator and employer and is a member of the Minnesota State system.

PRESIDENT’S LETTER Dear Alumni and Friends, ach April for the past 19 years, our campus community has gathered to celebrate the spirit of exploration and discovery that is the hallmark of an MSUM education. On that day, classes are cancelled so that professors and students are free to attend the showcase of research and creative projects. Hundreds of poster sessions, presentations, exhibits, and performances vividly display the power of deep, meaningful engagement between our faculty and students—another hallmark of MSUM. Known as the Student Academic Conference, the event includes a keynote speaker, who typically reflects on the importance of inquiry, creativity, and discovery. This year, that keynote speaker was MSUM alumna Dr. Christina Broadwell (’00), assistant professor at the University of WisconsinMadison School of Medicine and Public Health. While a biosciences major at MSUM, Dr. Broadwell conducted and presented research under the guidance of a faculty mentor and spoke eloquently about how her life had been transformed as a result. It wasn’t only her research experiences where faculty mentoring made all the difference. Christina recounted the mentoring she received from professors who taught her how to read and appreciate poetry as well as the law and public policy. And she reflected on the importance of the relationships she developed with the professors who led her study abroad in Europe. It wasn’t until she was in medical school, surrounded by students from other undergraduate institutions, that Christina fully realized how special her MSUM experiences had been. Not only was she every bit as prepared—if not more so—than her classmates, she was much more well rounded. More importantly, she was equipped to grapple with the complexities of modern medical science and practice, which require bringing multiple perspectives to bear. While her accomplishments are remarkable, Christina’s story is not unusual. In fact, it is a story that embodies the central attributes of an MSUM education. The foundation of that education is our legacy as a teachers college and our deep, abiding appreciation for the importance of faculty-student engagement in the learning process. Such engagement fosters powerful mentoring relationships that allow students to explore and discover their full potential. Ultimately, the process of self-discovery transforms our students and their lives. Life transformed. It happened for Christina and for the other alumni featured in this issue. As a result, they’re transforming our world. As you read their stories, I hope you reflect on your own transformation and the role MSUM played in that process. Best wishes,

Anne

Connect with President Anne facebook.com/PresidentAnne

twitter.com/PrezBlackhurst

NEWS BRIEFS

››

EDITOR’S NOTE n this issue you’ll be inspired by stories of hope and healing. We featured alumni working in a wide variety of medically related fields. We couldn’t fit them all into this issue, so if you have not yet had the opportunity to explore the online magazine, I encourage you to do so now. You can read more about alumni making a profound difference in the lives of many at mnstate.edu/magazine. ▸ Kelsi O’Keefe ’06 (social work) crafted a career as a certified prosthetist by combining her passion for helping people with her love of woodworking. ▸ Alumni Libby Hegge ’08 (physics) and Charles Conduah ’06 (physics and math) are making a big difference in the small but vital field of medical physics. ▸ These health advocates fight for those who can’t. Lonna Whiting ’04 and ’07 (English and MFA in creative writing) writes about her mother’s early onset of Alzheimer’s. Deb Gemar ’86 (psychology and criminal justice) supports terminally ill patients with grace and compassion at Hospice of the Red River Valley. ▸ The Andersons are more than Dragon family, they are Anderson Family Chiropractic. Brandan Anderson ’96 (biology) opened the office in 2001, and brother JaDean Anderson ’03 (biology) and his wife Alisha (Pagel) Anderson ’06 (biology) joined the practice several years later.

Spring Gala Raises $167,000

▸ Catch up with John Hagen ’75 (art), who recently retired after a 33-year career as a medical illustrator at Mayo Clinic. Our magazine cover was designed by our immensely talented students, Danna Galeano Penagos ’16 (film production/animation) and Hanna Loegering, a senior majoring in graphic communications.

MSUM’s Spring Scholarship

Check out other web exclusive content at mnstate.edu/magazine.

Gala set a record with 343

Enjoy.

donors in attendance and raised more than $167,000.

Kristi (Storebo) Monson, ’84, ’96 Editor | kristi.monson@mnstate.edu

It’s the university’s largest annual fundraising event for need-based, merit, academic and athletic scholarships. Many thanks go to our event partner, Bremer Bank, event chairs Brad ’76 and Deb ’77 Wimmer, and all our sponsors. Read what past scholarship recipients have to say at mnstate.edu/gala/recipients

#MSUM2016 Trends on Twitter Leading up to and during the 2016 Spring Commencement ceremonies, students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends shared their Dragon pride, congratulations and excitement on Twitter by using #MSUM2016. The hashtag was trending on Twitter by midmorning and throughout the evening. This is the third year MSUM has integrated live tweeting into its commencement ceremonies. FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

NEWS BRIEFS

››

#BeADragon Campaign Receives National Attention MSUM launched its #BeADragon social media campaign in January and was featured in Inside Higher Ed and the Star Tribune. The campaign promoted a competitive scholarship, capitalizing on MSUM’s quickly growing social media presence to introduce prospective students to the university’s culture. Future students used the hashtag #BeADragon to creatively showcase how they embody MSUM’s core values of grit, humility and heart. Four students were awarded $2,500 scholarships for their tweets, while two students received $1,000 scholarships for receiving the most retweets and likes.

673 HOURS

Students Volunteer 673 Hours with VITA MSUM students gave back to their communities in a big way this spring by volunteering with the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) Program, where they assisted low-to-moderate income families preparing their 2015 tax returns.

Welcome, Rosalind! In March, the campus mourned the loss of the Biosciences Department’s beloved iguana Curie, who had been part of MSUM since February 2010. He passed away at the ripe old age of 12. Shortly after Curie’s passing, a family near Detroit Lakes donated their three-year-old green iguana to the Biosciences Department. The campus voted to name her Rosalind Franklin, after the English chemist and x-ray crystallographer. Rosalind enjoys hanging out in her enclosure and munching on raspberries.

90% Pass Rate Construction Management grads pass national exam at a rate 38% higher than the national average of 52%

20 MIDWEST

MSUM students received training and passed certification tests, then provided free tax help at the Lakes & Prairies Community Action Partnership VITA Site. Thirty-two students volunteered a total of 673 hours at VITA sites. “By working on real tax returns while developing interpersonal skills, our students enhance their MSUM experience and develop valuable skills that will help them in their future careers,” said Kim Mollberg, Paseka School of Business.

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

#20 Midwest/ #38 Nation Animation program, ranked by Animation Career Review

Sannes Competes on Team USA Dragons women’s basketball player Drew Sannes, a junior, played for the USA Division II Women’s Basketball Team on its Brazil tour in May. The traveling women and men’s teams are composed of invited NCAA Division II basketball players.

100

“This is an outstanding group of basketball players that come from 11 different states and 12 different colleges and universities,” said Ron Smith, director of USA Sports Tours and Events, in a release. “We feel we have some of the best of the best representing NCAA Division II basketball and their universities. These players have been high achievers both on the court and in the classroom.”

Sannes averaged 8.5 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season, helping the Dragon women to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference North Division title. She has 106 career blocks, the fourth-best in school history.

100% Job Placement construction management, speech language hearing sciences, computer science, psychology, and special education

Qual is World-renowned Pro Gamer In the world of e-sports, Brandon Qual is a celebrity, especially to those familiar with the game StarCraft II.

#10 Nation Counseling and Student Affairs program, ranked by Best Counseling Degrees

Read these stories and more in their entirety at mnstate.edu/magazine.

Qual, a senior business administration major, is a professional pro-gamer known as “puCK.” He’s the only pro gamer in the U.S. and one of two pro gamers in North America to have qualified for the StarCraft 2 World Championship Series. In 2016 alone, Qual qualified for and participated in StarCraft tournaments in Toronto, Shanghai, Sweden, Poland, Valencia and Montreal, among others. “StarCraft is like real-time chess in the sense of strategy,” Qual said. “Where it differs is that instead of starting with all the pieces you start with very few pieces and have to build an economy to build more pieces. There are more dimensions to it. And it’s

real-time, so the faster you can do it the more you’ll benefit. Everyone’s racing to take each turn, where in chess you have time to think about it.” Qual placed in the top 3-4 at the Gold Series International 2016 tournament in Shanghai in March, the world championship for StarCraft II. And just like in professional athletic sports, Qual spends a great deal of time preparing for tournaments, logging anywhere from eight to 12 hours of daily training. The hard work is paying off. He’s part of the North American team ROOT Gaming, and was ranked 13th in the 2016 StarCraft II World Championship Series Circuit at the time of publication. “(StarCraft) has a high skill capacity compared to other games. I really wanted to showcase my ability to perform very well. I work very hard at it, and eventually came to be one of the top players,” Qual said.

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

UNITING PROGRESS

TRADITION BY KRISTI MONSON

he needs and challenges of the White Earth Indian reservation loom large in Mahnomen County, Minn., where a population of 5,532 resides. The reservation also covers parts of Becker and Clearwater counties. Mahnomen County ranks 87 out of 87 Minnesota counties for overall health outcomes by County Health Rankings. (countyhealthrankings.org) Its rural location and lack of economic forces make it difficult to attract, and keep, health professionals. The Mahnomen Health Center has one part-time physician that visits weekly. Indian Health Services has difficulty staffing its dental clinic, and finding a dentist who accepts medical assistance is challenging. There are also few psychologists available to help meet the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast mental health needs. But MSUM alumnae are helping to make this a better community. â&#x20AC;&#x201C;>

> Pictured L to R: Sarah Jasken, Sherry Vanata, Kris Manning, Sara Erie

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

I hope they see me more like a mentor who is helping their parents or guardians make their lives better so that they have a safe and stable home. – Cera Swiftwater VALIANT EFFORTS

COMMUNITY ADVOCATES

Alumnae from all walks of life are improving the lives of native and non-native Americans living in Mahnomen County. Negative attitudes about seeking help for physical, emotional or behavioral issues are waning, and the support and resources to meet those needs are improving.

All of these women are advocates for their community. Some represent the White Earth nation; others embrace it. Their desire to make a difference is steadfast.

“People usually come to see me in their darkest of times,” said Sarah (Bjerk) Jasken ’04 (social work), a mental health therapist at White Earth Tribal Mental Health. “My job is to reduce that stigma of mental health, so people will feel comfortable in accessing services and making changes to improve their lives and well-being.” Cera Swiftwater ’15 (criminal justice) is a child protection worker with the Indian Child Welfare Department. “Seeing the situations and trauma these kids come from is not easy,” Swiftwater said. “Many parents have a long way to go to be healed and reunited with their families. I have a 5-year-old (in her case load) taking care of four younger siblings. It’s tough.” Despite the impact of trauma, disease, alcoholism or drugs, these children find comfort and hope in the work being done here. “There is a perception that social workers take kids away from their families,” Swiftwater said. “I hope they see me more like a mentor who is helping their parents or guardians make their lives better so that they have a safe and stable home.” Thanks to the work of alumnae like Sherry Vanata ’07 (finance), more mental health practitioners are being hired to meet the needs in this community. As mental health business manager at White Earth Tribal Mental Health, she has seen the growth of mental health providers double to over 40 in the past three years. “A lot of that growth is because of the grant money we have secured,” she said. “It gives us flexibility to hire case managers and therapists across the board.” A lot of the kids Jasken works with struggle with stressors in their life that are ongoing, such as depression, anxiety, poverty, substance abuse and more. They need help in moving forward in a healthy way, she said.

“I worked with nonprofits before I had a college degree and saw the need for financial management skills,” said Vanata, an enrolled member of the White Earth tribe. She enrolled at MSUM at age 28 with four children at home, giving birth to her fifth child while she was in college. She drove two-anda-half hours every day for five years to earn her degree. “I figured out how to run numbers and now I manage grants for native nonprofits,” she said. “I’m right where I’m meant to be.” Enrolled White Earth member Kris Manning ’09 (early childhood education) moved from school to community teaching when she accepted the position of fetal alcohol syndrome disorder (FASD) coordinator at White Earth Tribal Mental Health. “I’m still teaching children with FASD basic social and friendship skills, I’m just doing it one-on-one instead of in a classroom,” Manning said. “Raising awareness about FASD is important to our reservation. We must educate teachers, the tribal courts, probation officers and others to help them understand the needs of a child with FASD, so we can be supportive and help that individual succeed.” In an effort to meet the community where it’s at, the recent regionalization of the mental health teams to schools within the community is a bonus for mental health professionals like Erie and Jasken. It also removes a hurdle for those seeking assistance. “Individuals can walk into an office at the school and connect with somebody right away versus waiting a couple weeks to see somebody at the clinic,” Erie said. “We are now closer to the people in their own communities.”

ALUMNAE MAKING A DIFFERENCE

“Trauma is something we’re always navigating and teaching and learning about,” said Sara Erie ’11 (counseling and student affairs), also a mental health therapist at White Earth Tribal Mental Health. “We also provide support and information about their own culture so that it’s not lost.” FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

It takes a lot of confidence to work in this environment. If you gain a couple years of experience at a place like Mahnomen, you are well prepared to work anywhere in the country. – Nancy Stock MEDICAL IMPACT

MOVING FORWARD

These advocates get a lifetime of experience in short order as they meet high-level needs in an area short of professional health care providers.

The White Earth nation is progressive. They stand ready to meet the needs of their members. Swiftwater, who is an enrolled member of the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, is amazed at what she sees happening on White Earth.

The Critical Access Hospital at the Mahnomen Health Center is one of the highest acuity critical access hospitals in the Midwest, delivering life-saving efforts before transferring patients to higherlevel healthcare facilities. “Mahnomen County is considered a health professional shortage area,” said Nancy Stock ’86 (nursing), a nurse practitioner at Mahnomen Health Center/Sanford Clinic Mahnomen and a professor in MSUM’s School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership. “We manage a lot of the problems that would be handled by higherlevel internal medical physicians in a larger community.” Stock’s daughter, Andrea (Stock) Lizaola ’10 (nursing), recently joined the Mahnomen Health Center as a staff RN after working 10 years at hospitals in Fargo and Bemidji. “I’m getting a lot more experience and a wider variety of patients every single day than I would get at most other clinics or hospitals around here,” Lizaola said. “Technically, you have to be ready for just about anything at any time.” There is solace in the extra effort health professionals like Stock put toward their patients. She shared the story of a 48-year-old man who had a heart attack and went into cardiac arrest. Her team did CPR for 40 minutes and resuscitated him neurologically intact. The standard time to do CPR in that instance is 20 minutes so he likely would have died elsewhere. He has since made significant lifestyle changes to improve his health. “It’s so rewarding to see the lives we’ve saved over the years and to know these people have a second lease on life. Having a positive impact on our community is what keeps me going,” Stock said. Although physicians are few in Mahnomen County, Stock has maintained a solid presence on the medical staff for more than 20 years, providing healthcare services at the Sanford Clinic, and Mahnomen Health Center hospital and emergency room. “It can be frustrating and hard to break the provider turnover cycle because it’s a challenging job and a challenging population,” Stock said. “It takes a lot of confidence to work in this environment. If you gain a couple years of experience at a place like Mahnomen, you are well prepared to work anywhere in the country.”

“There is a severe shortage of programs to help people in need at Pine Ridge tribe. I’m very happy to see so many valuable programs offered here,” she said. “Working at White Earth has offered me a lot of extra training. Eventually I hope to go back to my reservation with this experience and make positive changes there.” Some examples of recent programming include: ▸ Oshki Manidoo Center, offering residential treatment for youth and women ▸ Maternal Outreach and Mitigation Services (MOMs), offering holistic medical and emotional support for pregnant women addicted to drugs ▸ The Native Alive campaign, empowering, supporting and educating community members about suicide and depression ▸ Becker County-White Earth reservation 24/7 crisis hotline ▸ Regionalized mental health teams housed in schools within communities “Where I’m from, 90 percent of the population lives below poverty. It’s a very different culture and structure in the White Earth community. They’re not afraid of change. They use a lot of modern technology, and at the same time, they embrace their culture,” Swiftwater said. “All of the signs are in Ojibwe. The tribal building always smells like sage. People are often seen praying. They do many things culturally that are truly amazing.” Erie agrees the community is in a much stronger place than it was five years ago. She says the crisis support hotline, staffed by Becker County and White Earth reservation, has been recognized statewide for its efforts. “I think there is always room to do more, but we have definitely become more progressive, proactive and preventative in our efforts,” Erie said. In light of the increased national awareness of the need to address mental health issues, White Earth is at the forefront of delivering these and other needed services to all in their community. They have come a long way, but recognize they still have a way to go. “The people of White Earth are doing a lot of things right. It’s great to be a part of this amazing community,” Swiftwater said. ■

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

Speaking Without Words: Using art to explore and voice emotions It’s not always easy to express yourself with words. Whether it’s frustration, anger, grief, or anxiety, these alumnae use art to draw out emotions some can’t describe, and help them paint a picture of what they’re feeling. BY DANIELLE REBEL

Expressing Emotions Looking around the room, it feels kind of like home. A comfortable couch with plush pillows, a small desk, and art supplies fill the room. It’s the space Sara Julsrud ’09 (art education), uses to help children process their emotions through art therapy. Julsrud works at Tulalip Tribes Behavioral Health in Tulalip, Wash., as a child and family therapist. She is a nationally registered art therapist who helps children use the creative process, art materials, and the resulting artwork as a therapeutic and healing process. “I work with a lot of children who suffer from trauma. This can manifest in many ways and is often a visual and/or sensory experience,” Julsrud said. “Words can be a difficult starting point for many people trying to make sense of difficult events, since our brains aren’t wired to talk when we experience extreme distress.” Julsrud didn’t discover art until late in her high school career, where she was paired with a girl with Down syndrome in her art class. The two connected instantly. “We had so much fun. We would draw and laugh and talk,” Julsrud said. “Some of the schoolteachers let me know they didn’t know she had such a great vocabulary, or hadn’t seen her interact so warmly with another person. It was really eye-opening to me seeing what art can do for other people and how it can bring people together and really let somebody shine.”

So Julsrud enrolled at MSUM intending to become an art teacher, but soon realized she wanted to do more. “I think MSUM gave me a lot of the tools I needed to explore my areas of interest, while at the same time guiding me on a journey I didn’t know I was on. I didn’t know I’d end up an art therapist. So in that sense it was the perfect balance of challenge and support,” she said. “There were lots of opportunities to explore interests; there was always someone knowledgeable to answer questions or support that interest.” Her clients in Tulalip range in age from 3 to 17, and she works with individuals, groups, and families. She says art can help children and teens express themselves in ways they would be unable to otherwise. “They can say so much in an image that a lot of times they can’t say in words or can’t communicate quite right. It’s a lot easier for youth to externalize a conflict, then talk about it when it is a physical object that is separate from themselves,” Julsrud said. And while some aspects of the job can be challenging, Julsrud says watching her clients “gain more confidence, learn to love and accept who they are, and to identify their strengths” is the most rewarding part about what she does. “I can’t imagine doing anything different. I am honored to be sharing art with people and helping them to find a way to work through tough things.” –>

> Special thanks to Sara Julsrud for her self-portrait. FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

I feel like I’m learning this wisdom that I shouldn’t be allowed yet. – Marissa Van Vleet Expanding Identities As she wheels her cumbersome cart through the hallways of Sanford’s Roger Maris Cancer Center, Marissa Van Vleet ’15 (art education), hopes to find patients willing to spend some time working with her. Van Vleet is the artist in residence at Roger Maris Cancer Center in Fargo N.D., helping patients pass the time while receiving treatment. Her presence in the facility gives patients an opportunity to forget for a short while why they are there. “I love when people come excited to come to chemo,” Van Vleet said. “That’s weird. No one is excited to come to chemo, because it sucks. But I have a patient that was like, ‘Oh, I was so excited to come today because I have all this yarn,’ and she was going to teach me how to crochet hats. And I was like, ‘You just said you were excited to come to chemo. That’s strange, but yeah, let’s crochet hats!’ It totally changes the way people see their time spent here.” From dream catchers and garden markers, to bookbinding and painting, Van Vleet offers what she calls a “menu of art options” to patients of all ages. “A lot of the stuff I do is trying to teach you a new skill, because I think it’s important for you to think about parts of your identity that aren’t wrapped around this illness,” she said. “I’ll usually pop into rooms, bring my art cart with me, make a mess in the room and make the nurses kind of move around us in awkward ways, clean it all up, put it on the cart, and move on.” Unlike an art therapist, Van Vleet’s job as an artist in residence is to share her expertise and teach patients new techniques and skills, meeting them right where they are. In the process, Van Vleet has learned to see the world through a multifaceted lens. “Everyone has their unique gifts and their unique talents, so instead of seeing people labeled specifically as homeless or cancer patient or refugee, you get to learn, ‘This person’s name is…’ and this is what they’re great at. They happen to be a cancer patient, but they also happen to be a phenomenal artist, or a great musician, or a

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

very eloquent speaker. It gives you a glimpse into people that has more dimensions than an outward label.” And by learning about those she works with, Van Vleet is able to create meaningful lessons patients can keep and remember. “A lot of people have great stories here,” Van Vleet said. “I like to learn about the things they like so I can integrate that into some sort of lesson; something for them to have or to give to someone else as a reminder of what they’re facing now.” While she teaches new skills, Van Vleet discovers a great deal in return. A group of women diagnosed with Stage IV cancer has particularly influenced her outlook on life. “I feel like I’m learning this wisdom that I shouldn’t be allowed yet,” Van Vleet said. “These women have insight they’ve gained from having a rough diagnosis that I get to be included on because I’m working with them, and that’s pretty incredible. You learn a lot about what’s important in life when you work here.” ■

Guiding Discovery Nestled in the Magnolia neighborhood of Seattle near the end of Thorndyke Avenue West is Circle of Art Studios. The studio, founded in 2013, is home to several varieties of art. Kayla (Stromberg) Helenske ’06 (art education), offers art classes and art therapy here, and her husband Adam Helenske ’08 (BFA ceramics), houses his business – Helenske Clayworks – in the same space. To read more about Circle of Art Studios, visit mnstate.edu/magazine.

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

BY TH FOR TH

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

BY MEGHAN FEIR | ILLUSTRATIONS BY DANNA GALEANO PENAGOS

HE PEOPLE, HE PEOPLE

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

NATURAL ORGANIC NON-GMO PESTICIDE-FREE HORMONE-FREE ANTIBIOTIC-FREE FREE-RANGE GRASS-FED

5.29 MILLION EYE ROLLS PER EYE PER YEAR

These words often garner at least 5.29 million eye rolls per eye, per year from those who refuse to join the latest revolution of taking health into their own hands (eye roll count listed is only a guesstimation). Back in the day, vegetables were vegetables and meat was meat. But as time goes by and we learn more about what is being injected into our food, even the most regular of Joe Shmoes should be aware of what they’re putting into their bodies with every bite. With the revolution of what is often known as “alternative” healthcare (named as though it’s an underground indie radio station), the integration of more natural, eastern approaches and western medicine is continuing to grow roots deeper into American soil. Karly (Peters) Hall ’02 (mass communications) is a training and wellness consultant for Anoka County in Minnesota and one of many soon-to-be naturopathic doctors in the nation. Currently pursuing her master’s and Ph.D. in holistic nutrition and natural healing, she believes in a holistic approach toward helping the body reach optimal health naturally. Hall, a former MSUM swimmer, has adopted a Whole 30/Paleo approach toward her diet. But her food choices are much more than a goal that will be forgotten as soon as a glazed donut rounds the corner. For Hall, it’s a lifestyle shift for the better. Five years ago, Hall was experiencing her own health battle— digestive issues, fatigue, brain fog, general malaise, and an underactive thyroid. She wanted to avoid taking medication, so she went to a doctor who specializes in the misdiagnoses of thyroid disorders. They discovered she was dealing with an autoimmune condition that, through alterations to her diet and lifestyle, has become a non-issue. Within the first two months of cutting out gluten and soda, Hall noticed a significant difference. “I saw changes right away with my weight and energy levels,” Hall said. “That was great, but full-on healing takes a while. My gut was in really bad shape, so I had to work hard and stick with it.” –>

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

Karlyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Five Quick Tips for a Healthier Life: 1

Start small. Don't change everything at once. Substitute one soda for a glass of water, or one processed/sugary meal for a meal with whole and organic foods. Once you've mastered that, then incorporate another healthy change. Be patient with your progress; being healthy is a lifestyle.

Get moving. Your body needs physical movement. Pick something you enjoy; you'll be apt to stick with it longer.

Drink water. It prevents headaches, is good for your skin, flushes out waste, aids in your weight loss process, and more.

Rest well. Sleep helps your body heal and recover. It's also critical for your success in losing weight and reducing stress. Get 7-9 hours of uninterrupted sleep.

Practice gratitude. Gratitude improves your mental and physical health, sleep, and self-esteem. It also enhances empathy and reduces aggression.

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” Hippocrates may have said that sometime around 400 B.C., but it’s often been a forgotten concept. He wasn’t telling people to pop pills as a meal, but in a society where medications abound and macaroni paired with processed cheese powder is considered a healthy food for growing children, it’s no wonder this is often a foreign theory, thought of as antiquated and irrelevant. But how irrelevant is it, really? Take a peek at these statistics from the Centers for Disease Control.

CDC Stats:

Non-GMO Project:

▸ 70.7% of adults age 20 years and over are overweight, including obesity

▸ In North America, over 80% of our food contains GMOs. The most common GMOs are soy, cotton, canola, corn and sugar beets.

▸ 29.1 million people or 9.3% of the population have diabetes ▸ Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women ▸ Several chronic conditions can be controlled and avoided with healthy lifestyle and exercise, including: cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, anxiety, stress, and more

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

I’ll hear people say, ‘I can’t afford to eat healthy or live a healthy lifestyle,’ but in my opinion, you can’t afford not to. – Karly Hall The Struggle is Real Adopting a healthier lifestyle isn’t easy. In fact, it takes something most Americans don’t appreciate losing or having to develop: time, money and a thick skin. “I’ll hear people say, ‘I can’t afford to eat healthy or live a healthy lifestyle,’ but in my opinion, you can’t afford not to,” Hall said. “It’s a mindset shift. What are the cost differences between ongoing diabetes care, cancer treatments, or chronic inflammation, as compared to joining a CSA, eating fewer processed foods, and finding some time for daily physical activity and personal development? I think people think of it in different compartments, when, really, it either is or will be coming out of the same pool of money.” Another reality faced when seeking alternative healthcare is financial strain because of limited insurance coverage, or lack thereof. Many holistic, functional and naturopathic facilities are not covered by insurance; and supplements, tinctures, and the like are rarely or never considered justifiable medical expenses by insurance either. But Hall is hopeful that times are changing, slowly but surely. “There are more opportunities to utilize chiropractic care or acupuncture, sometimes massage, with certain flexible savings plans and HSAs,” Hall said. “You’re able to spend your dollars differently than in the past, but we still have a really long way to go.”

The Food Fight Wages On Bullying extends far beyond the playground and now harasses the innocent as they eat kale at their kitchen table, in restaurants and at family reunions. We all know someone who revels in their veganism and shames their deer-hunting relatives, or Paleo Crossfitters who wear graphic muscle tees that broadcast to the world that they lift. Because of the many who find pride and identity in what they eat to an alarming degree, it’s become the ultimate food fight of judgment from both sides, and it wages on, forcing every innocent bystander to carry a thick, biodegradable shield. “There’s a lot to be said about it (the stigma),” Hall said. “There is a massive number of food bullies, as I lovingly call them. People will lash out, whether it’s in sarcasm or just being plain rude and inconsiderate because they don’t understand. You need to be able to push through. You need to love and honor your body, especially as we’re aging.” The social pressure alone is enough to weed out the iron-willed from the half-hearted. Even those who choose to eat healthily and reap the benefits of their hard work and dedication often find it

embarrassing to tell a server food restrictions or ask them to double check to ensure cross-contamination won’t occur in a restaurant. Many people with allergies, intolerances and sensitivities don’t go out at all. But the body-cautious are looking out for the current and future health of themselves and their loved ones, which often produces a long list of concerns. “We’re not only fighting our own internal battles with staying the course, we’re trying to dodge the landmines of deceitful food labeling and GMOs,” Hall said. “These things, and many more, can create an uphill battle for those trying to make healthier choices— it’s not just the tyrants you encounter at work.”

Falling Off the Bandwagon For many, “cheating” or falling off the proverbial bandwagon goes far beyond image and presents serious consequences. “Even today, if I were to ingest gluten, I’d feel it,” Hall said. “Some elect not to eat certain foods, others don’t have a choice. The American people are sick, sicker than they’ve ever been. For every option that’s offered to serve those with food intolerances or other diseases that dictate a certain diet, another ‘Frankenstein food’ is produced to contaminate the masses. Between GMOs and devious marketing, it’s no wonder the average consumer has a hard time making healthier selections at their grocery store. I love science and marketing, just not in my food. At the end of the day, I was simply sick of being sick. I wanted to get my body back to doing what it does best—healing itself—but I needed to make healthier decisions and detox all of my past mistakes in order to make that happen.” While there’s no denying that medical advancements made over the years have been life-changing, life-saving blessings, there is also a dark reality to our over-prescribed society. Preventative healthcare, by way of leading a healthy lifestyle, should be the first step toward health, and getting to the root causes—instead of Band-Aiding a few symptoms—a top priority. As time goes on, a growing number of people like Hall are determined to spread the information they’ve acquired and the help and hope they personally have experienced to keep the flames lit for this health revolution. “It started out as a selfish endeavor to make myself feel better,” Hall said. “Now it’s transformed into helping others be the best versions of themselves and lead healthier lifestyles. I have no idea where my path is going to lead, but if I can positively change one person’s life, that’s a ripple that can make an incredible impact on the world. It makes everything I’ve gone through to get here totally worth it.” ■

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

Laboratory Manager

Unit Shift Leader & Staff Nurse

Professor & Chair

“I want people to become more skeptical of all claims being made about therapy and assessment procedures. We are constantly presented with more and more information, so it is sometimes difficult to know what is and what is not valid.”

Location: Boston, Mass. Hometown: Nevis, Minn. Type of Research: Science and Pseudoscience Research-Based Jeopardy Question: A person who promotes a clinical practice or remedy that has not compelling scientific basis for it to work. Answer: Who is a quack?

Professor and Chair, Dept. of Communication Sciences and Disorders at MGH Institute of Health Professions

GREGORY L. LOF ’79 (SPEECH PATHOLOGY AND AUDIOLOGY) ’81 (M.S., SPEECH-LANGUAGE PATHOLOGY)

“I believe that giving those with mental illness the tools to manage their condition as independently as possible is incredibly valuable.”

Location: Portland, Ore. Hometown: Moorhead, Minn. Type of Research: Evidence based practice leading to quality improvement Favorite Research-Based TV Show: “Fringe” (mad scientist with supernatural twists)

Unit Shift Leader & Staff Nurse, Portland VA Health Care System

COURTNEY COVEY LEWIS ’11 (NURSING)

“The goal that we have as cancer biologists is to work together and collaborate with people internationally to make steps toward a common goal of targeting and killing cancer.”

Location: Brisbane St Lucia, QLD Hometown: Greenbush, Minn. Type of Research: Experimental Melanoma Favorite Research-Based TV Show: “Making a Murderer”

Laboratory Manager, University of Queensland Diamantina Institute

SHEENA DAIGNAULT ’11 (MEDICAL SCIENCE)

To read more about each individual and their research, go to mnstate.edu/magazine.

THESE MSUM ALUMNI AND FACULTY, ALTHOUGH FROM VARIED BACKGROUNDS WITH DIFFERENT DEGREES AND CAREER FIELDS, ALL CONDUCT RESEARCH ACROSS THE WORLD. THEIR ASSOCIATION WITH MSUM HAS SHAPED THEIR CAREERS. THEY ARE RESEARCHERS, EXERCISING INFLUENCE AND MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE– SUCCESSFUL ALUMNI AND FACULTY WHO ARE TRANSFORMING OUR MENTAL AND PHYSICAL WELLNESS, CHANGING OUR LIVES FOR THE BETTER AND PROVIDING HOPE A REALITY.

Providing Hope a Reality BY KATIE FAKEN

Professor & Director

Postbaccalaureate Trainee

Distinguished Scientist

FALL 2016

Assistant Professor

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

ELIZABETH NAWROT (MSUM FACULTY)

“All basic scientific research is important. Though it may not always be immediately apparent, understanding seemingly mundane biological processes in different species can often provide valuable information that allows subsequent research to build upon those findings.”

Location: Moorhead, Minn. Hometown: Orville, Ohio Type of Research: Neocortex Favorite Research Quote: “I’m sciencing as fast as I can!” (a quote from the Hubert Farnsworth character in the TV show “Futurama”)

Assistant Professor, Biosciences Department, MSUM

ADAM STOCKER (MSUM FACULTY)

“My interest in research is rooted in my desire to understand how things work, most notably life itself, especially from the perspective that we (human beings) are incapable of creating life from what we would define as inanimate.”

Location: Boston, Mass. Hometown: Greenbush, Minn. Type of Research: Defining disease mechanisms at the molecular level Favorite Research Quote: “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?” - Albert Einstein

Distinguished Scientist, Merck

TOMI K. SAWYER ’76 (CHEMISTRY)

“I believe the research we do is important because we gain a better understanding of how our bodies work. This in turn, gives us more opportunity to intervene with medicine (or not to!) when something goes wrong.”

Location: Bethesda, Md. Hometown: Oxford, Iowa Type of Research: Early stages of protein secretion Favorite Research-Based TV Show: “Eureka” (SyFy Series)

Postbaccalaureate Trainee, National Institutes of Health (NIH)

ALEX NOVAK ’14 (BIOCHEMISTRY & BIOTECHNOLOGY)

“One of the best things about my job is that I get to be a student as well as a teacher.”

Location: Moorhead, Minn. Hometown: Essex, England Type of Research: Infant Perception and Cognition Research-Based Jeopardy Question: This famous naturalist was a member of the notorious Glutton Club at Cambridge, whose menu included rare and exotic animals like owls and armadillos. Answer: Who is Charles Darwin?

Professor of Psychology, MSUM, Director of MSUM Honors Program, Director of the MSUM Child Development Lab

> Special thanks to Christian Rose for his self-portrait illustration. 26 MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

BY KRISTI MONSON

n the mid-90s, Kasson-Mantorville High School student Christian Rose ’01 (BFA art) participated in a job shadow experience with Mayo Clinic medical illustrators. There he crossed paths with John Hagen ’76 (art and zoology), whom he still keeps in touch with today. “He was extremely helpful and a supremely nice guy,” Rose said of Hagen. The feeling is mutual. “Christian is a great guy,” Hagen said. “When I retired, he sent me an email and congratulated me.” (Hagen was featured in a 1992 edition of the Alumnnews titled, “Mayo Clinic medical illustrator John Hagen: Drawing art and science into an obscure career.” You can read the original story and read a short Q&A with Hagen online at mnstate.edu/magazine.) Medical illustrators are uniquely connected by their meticulous attention to artistic detail and their curiosity with the human form. “I was always drawn to the challenge and prestige of becoming a doctor, but at the same time I knew deep down that art was the path I was going to take. So the idea of doing medical art was interesting to me,” Rose said. Deciding where to pursue that degree was easy. He wanted to do two things in college: study art and play football. His older brother, Mark Rose ’98 (BFA art) was doing both at Moorhead. (Mark currently works as a freelance artist/ animator in the gaming industry.) “I always looked up to Mark and tried to match his abilities, so we kind of fed off of each other growing up, throughout college, and beyond,” Rose said. He played two years under Coach Ralph Micheli, who recalls the younger brother as a “good player who worked and played hard.” But football was time consuming and distracting. “It was painful to quit the team, but I really needed to buckle down and focus on school if I was going to get into a graduate program,” Rose said. –>

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

There’s plenty of work for everyone if you’re willing to seek it out, so there’s more camaraderie than competition throughout much of the profession. –Christian Rose Johns Hopkins University There are four accredited graduate programs for medical illustration in North America with limited enrollment at each. The programs have different strengths, Rose said, but he was drawn to Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. “It’s obviously a very prestigious school and that inspired me to become a better student at MSUM. Once I decided to target Johns Hopkins, I put a piece of paper on my bedroom door that read ‘Johns Hopkins University’ so that I’d see that each day when I left for classes. I got my first 4.0 that semester and each semester after that until graduation.” He applied to and was accepted at both the University of Illinois at Chicago and Johns Hopkins, choosing the latter where he received a full tuition waiver. Carl Oltvedt, Rose’s advisor, said, “The portfolio he had to submit for graduate admission included very specific projects, not just ones he had done during class. They were looking to see if he could interpret the energy of the form as it moves through space, and he did that very well.” “There aren’t many who choose to go into medical illustration, but it is competitive,” Rose said. “Hopkins usually accepts around six students.”

specialized applied art courses in surgical illustration. “I was very well prepared on the art side with the great mentoring I had from high school through college, but the science courses were difficult,” he said. “I was taking med school classes with some of the brightest students you are going to find anywhere. Johns Hopkins School of Medicine is a great place to go if you want to be humbled.” Oltvedt developed MSUM’s illustration program and mentored Rose. “Carl helped me figure out who I was as an artist. I really connected with him, his style and technique, and his sense of humor,” Rose said. “I have a strong tendency toward perfectionism. Some, myself included, might consider it pathological. Attention to detail is a necessity in a field like medical illustration, but left unchecked it can be a bit debilitating. Carl taught me that one can loosen up without sacrificing clarity or impact; that there’s beauty in efficiently capturing your subject or concept. Finding that balance is an issue I still struggle with, but without Carl’s intervention, it’s quite possible I would have imploded as a professional artist by now.”

The MA in medical and biological illustration includes coursework such as human anatomy, cell physiology and pathology, along with

The admiration is mutual. “He was incredibly talented, dedicated, hard working and receptive, which is what you hope for in a student,” Oltvedt said. “He definitely stood out among his peers. He’s also a genuinely marvelous human being, which makes me respect him all the more.”

> Aspiration of juice from a pancreas with an intraductal (Christian Rose)

> Neonatal resuscitation (Christian Rose)

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

SCIENTIFIC ILLUSTRATION Beginning this fall, MSUM is offering a certificate in Scientific Illustration.

> Dopamine docking to a D2 receptor on a lactotroph cell (Christian Rose)

Illustrious Career Medical illustrators comprise a small body of fewer than 2,000 trained practitioners in the world. Yet, medical illustration is a diverse field with most professionals developing specialties. Rose brings 12 years experience as a medical illustrator/animator to his Denver-based company Plexus Medical Art, LLC, which he started about three years ago with his business partner Khye Kading. The work is plentiful—partly due to the small number of working professionals and partly due to the variety of specialty areas needing medical animations and illustrations. Attorneys need medical visuals for courtroom exhibits. Pharmaceutical companies require animations to show how drugs interact with the body. Medical device developers need imagery to describe the functionality and benefit of their products. Clinics, clinicians and non-profits need animations showing disorders, conditions and treatments. The list goes on. “There’s plenty of work for everyone if you’re willing to seek it out, so there’s more camaraderie than competition throughout much of the profession,” Rose said. “And since our knowledge of science is constantly evolving, learning is lifelong. The subject matter and technologies are always changing, which makes it both enjoyable and challenging.” He works for clients across the United States and abroad. Some of his animations for Mayo Clinic can be seen on YouTube, but most of his work isn’t publicly consumed.

“I’ve done illustrations for clinicians who publish research papers in very specific medical journals. The audience is small. I won't become famous,” he chuckled. The most rewarding project he’s done thus far was for a San Franciscobased nonprofit that designed a kit for undertrained nurses in Africa. The purpose of the kit is to help these nurses resuscitate newborn babies. Plexus Medical Art was hired to create an animation to accompany the kit. “Our neonatal resuscitation animation was designed to be a real-time guide viewed on a tablet or PC for nurses as they try to resuscitate a newborn,” Rose said. “About a year ago we received confirmation that it was effective in helping some nurses to resuscitate a baby over there. It’s kind of surreal because we sit at our computers for hours and hours doing these animations and we don’t often hear about such a direct impact of our work in action. That was such a thrill.” So even though Rose’s animations won’t hang in the Louvre or be Googled by millions, they can certainly can save lives. ■

You can view more of his medical art at www.plexusart.com.

FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

Pictured (L to R) are: Amanda (Huggett) Hofland ’08 (mass communications), communications and marketing manager; Julie (Peterson) Doggett ’83 (business administration and marketing), information systems administrator; Darren Dunlop ’88 (mass communications), business development manager; Sara (Batie) Vollmer ’00 (mass communications), administrative service coordinator; Katie (Jarvis) Hashbarger ’15 (graphic design), graphics and publications coordinator; Jim Parsons ’90 (accounting), vice president of finance/operations; and Tyler Fischbach ’16 (graphic communications and marketing), multimedia coordinator. Not pictured: Katie Ralston ’11 (communication studies), Young Entrepreneurs Academy program coordinator.

DRAGONS he Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce represents more than 2,100 member firms consisting of more than 95,000 employees. Thousands of those area employees are Dragon alumni.

It’s not surprising then that more than half of The Chamber’s staff members are Dragons, as well. The team works to represent the business interests of its membership by advocating for a strong metropolitan community. And as the largest individual chamber in North Dakota and Minnesota, they’re making a large impact in what they do. Many of the Dragons at The Chamber say it’s easy to connect with fellow alumni in the community because of the camaraderie and humility fostered at MSUM.

“I don’t feel like I’ve ever met an MSUM grad who wasn’t really down to earth; a humble person,” said Katie (Jarvis) Hashbarger ’15 (graphic design), graphics and publications coordinator.

While these Dragons have different educational backgrounds, they say the hands-on approach at MSUM helped them greatly in what they do. “I think the quality of education at MSUM is unsurpassed,” said Amanda (Huggett) Hofland ’08 (mass communications), communications and marketing manager. “At MSUM I learned things real journalists use. I actually went out and did real interviews with real people in the community, instead of sticking my nose in a book all day.” Information systems administrator Julie (Peterson) Doggett ’83 (business administration and marketing) recalls a similar

at The Chamber BY DANIELLE REBEL

real-world experience. Her class worked with local companies to help them build their business. “We were applying what we were learning right away,” she said. And though it wasn’t intentional to hire so many MSUM alumni at The Chamber, vice president of finance/operations Jim Parsons ’90 (accounting) says these Dragons have all been the best fit. “MSUM grads are well-rounded individuals,” Parsons said. “They have great work ethic and they’re very creative and compassionate.” The Dragons at The Chamber say the teamwork, practical experience, and relationships developed during their time at MSUM have benefitted them both inside and out of the workplace. “You make connections that will last a lifetime,” Hofland said. ■

EMAIL YOUR CLASS NOTES TO ALUMNI@MNSTATE.EDU

Class Notes

Share your news here—new job, volunteer experience, interesting hobby, recent travel, etc. This is a condensed version of class notes. Read the full version and see accompanying photos online at mnstate.edu/magazine. All towns are in Minnesota, unless otherwise noted. Fargo and West Fargo are in North Dakota.

Alumna Scores Multiple NFL Internships Tomi Thompson ’16 (integrated advertising and public relations, broadcast journalism) accepted a position with the Green Bay Packers as their brand and fan engagement intern this spring. Though she was raised a Minnesota Vikings fan and interned with the team last summer at the Vikings training camp in Mankato, Thompson said she fell in love with the stadium at Green Bay. “Green Bay is literally a town that thrives on football. I can’t imagine a more perfect place to start a career in the NFL than an environment like that,” Thompson said. “It’s one of the coolest places I have ever been. It’s such a football town. It felt like home right away.” Thompson was selected out of more than 200 applicants. She says she is excited and thankful for the opportunity.

Dennis Hamilton ’73 (mass communications) retired from public broadcasting July 31, 2016. Hamilton’s career in public broadcasting spanned more than four decades. From his early days at Minnesota Public Radio as a reporter, to the past 11 years at Public Media Company as an advisor to numerous stations, Hamilton’s impact on the public media landscape has been vast. As managing director and head of station consulting services at Public Media Company, Hamilton advised and imparted his deep knowledge of broadcasting to more than 80 public radio and television stations. Arnold Johnson ’79 and ‘99 (finance and accounting) has joined Thrivent Financial as a financial representative with the organization’s Northland Regional Financial Office in Moorhead.

Jan Cummings ’83 (sociology) earned Sales Star honors, American Federal’s highest honor of recognition for outstanding sales and sales referral performance in 2015. Cummings, a Fargo South associate, was the top performer in the business unit referral sales division. Lori Neprud-Ardovino ’84 (music) was recommended for the Fulbright Specialist Roster by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and the Institute of International Education’s Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES). She published a review of the compact disc, “The Muse’s Voice: A Celebration of Women Composers,” in the November issue of the “International Alliance for Women in Music Journal.” She was also added to the D’Addario Woodwind Clinician roster. Jim Brownlee ’84 (accounting), former West Fargo city administrator who is now working

as a consultant for the private engineering firm that provides the city’s engineering services, has been appointed to West Fargo’s planning board. Brownlee retired in August after more than a decade as West Fargo city administrator. He was hired by Moore Engineering in November as a municipal administration specialist. Brownlee provides consulting services to cities on a variety of administrative and accounting support services. Patti (Ryan) Cosgriff ’86 (business administration) was promoted to vice president – business banking at Northwestern Bank, Dilworth. Cosgriff has been with Northwestern Bank since 2010. She most recently held the position of vice president – credit analyst. Sara Lee ‘86 (physical education), former MSUM multi-sport athlete, was selected for induction into the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Hall of Fame. Lee is the head women’s basketball coach and associate athletic director at Denison University in Ohio, where she has a 428-281 record entering the 2016-17 season. In 1995, Lee was inducted into the MSUM Athletic Hall of Fame.

Judd Graham ’89 (finance) was named chief executive officer of the Fargo region at Bremer Bank. Graham got his start in the financial services industry in 1986. Throughout his 30-year career, he has served in a variety of leadership roles at banks in eastern North Dakota, primarily in the Fargo-Moorhead and Grand Forks regions. Graham most recently was market president and business banking manager at Wells Fargo, where he worked for more than 20 years. His additional roles at the company included district business and agricultural banking manager, community banking president and business relationship manager. FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

CLASS NOTES

››

Ryan Christiansen ’93 and ’12 (English, MFA in creative writing, publishing) read from his newly published novel, “Boy Wanted,” at the North Dakota State University Press Party, in March. Kim Settel ’98 (mass communications) was promoted to vice president at Gate City Bank. Settel has been employed at Gate City Bank since 2013 and is currently the personal lending manager at the bank’s corporate office in Fargo. Bree (Gronneberg) Langemo ’99 (accounting) is president of the Entrepreneurial Learning Initiative (ELI). As dean of business, Public Service & Social Sciences at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs, Colo., Langemo helped coordinate the initial roll-out of the Ice House Entrepreneurship Program as a required student success course in fall 2014. Following her joining ELI as vice president of strategic partnerships in early 2015, Langemo led the development of ELI’s newest product, the Ice House Student Success Program. Sara (Batie) Vollmer ’00 (mass communications) joined The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce as the administrative services coordinator. Vollmer previously worked at Sanford Health as the office specialist with the Office of Continuous Improvement, and prior to Sanford was an administrative assistant at Eide Bailly. Charmaine (Hamilton) Houck ’03 (art) accepted the position of editor with “Midwest Meetings” magazine based in Brookings, S.D. The quarterly publications are geared toward Midwest meeting and event planners.

Heather (Leinen) Voorhees ’03 (mass communications) was accepted to the Communication Studies Ph.D. program at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and will be starting as a doctoral student this fall specializing in interpersonal and healthcare communication. She received her master’s degree in strategic communication from the University of Minnesota in the summer of 2015 and has worked in corporate communications for Fairview Health Services and U.S. Bank headquarters, both in Minneapolis, since 2008. Roger Erbes ’04 (finance) earned Sales Star honors, American Federal’s highest honor of recognition for outstanding sales and sales referral performance in 2015.

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

Marissa Hapka ’04 (marketing) joined the JK Property Partners team at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices (BHHS) Premier Properties, Fargo. Hapka is a licensed REALTOR® in North Dakota and Minnesota. She will concentrate on residential properties at BHHS and is a buyer specialist. Outside of real estate, she donates her time to the United Way and Meals on Wheels.

Kristine Bevill ’05 (mass communications) joined Flint Group as a public relations specialist. Her responsibilities include collaborating with the public relations team to plan and execute PR initiatives for clients in a wide variety of industries throughout the country with the goal of helping clients identify, establish, and enhance relationships with customers, employees, and other key groups. Prior to joining Flint, Bevill worked as editor of “Prairie Business” magazine for three years. She has more than 10 years experience in journalism.

Andrew Nephew ’08 (finance) was named assistant vice president at Bank Forward. Nephew is an operations specialist in the Fargo office and has been with Bank Forward since 2013. Riley Rude ’08 (finance) was promoted to assistant vice president/business banking officer at Western State Bank, West Fargo. Rude has been with Western State Bank since 2012. Previously, he served as a commissioned examiner from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Meghan Strand ’09 and ’13 (nursing and MFA in creative writing) was promoted to development coordinator – client services. Strand joined Discovery Benefits in 2014 as an operations specialist – COBRA/billing solutions. She previously worked as an optician with U.S. Vision and a graduate teaching assistant at MSUM. Neil Van Dam ’09 (finance), financial representative of Northwestern Mutual, qualified for the 100 Lives Club. This honor recognizes financial representatives who have a total net of 100 lives issued respectively for the calendar year.

Kevin Hayes ’11 (finance) joined Flint Group as a marketing analyst. His responsibilities include assisting the media team in implementing tracking on all media placements. He also uses the tracking to collect data for analysis and report preparation to optimize marketing efforts. Prior to joining Flint, Hayes worked with Vegas.com as a business intelligence analyst in Las Vegas, Nev.

Couple Continues Education at Stanford University It took traveling nearly 7,700 miles from Ethiopia to Minnesota for Iwnetim (Tim) Abate ’15 (physics) and Loza Tadesse ’16 (chemistry) to meet. Abate and Tadesse met in 2013 at MSUM, both international students from Ethiopia. The pair connected through their mutual culture and love for research and scientific discoveries, and married in August 2015. The couple is continuing their journey together at Stanford University. Both were accepted into graduate programs – Abate into the Material Science and Engineering Ph.D. program, and Tadesse into the Bioengineering Ph.D. program. With an acceptance rate of only around 10 percent for Stanford’s graduate programs, the couple is thankful they are able to continue their adventure together. “It was very hard for both of us to get in together, but by the grace of God and our hard work it was possible,” Abate said.

Katelyn Hashbarger ’15 (graphic design) joined The Fargo Moorhead West Fargo Chamber of Commerce as the graphics and publications coordinator. She previously was a design specialist and Posterboard brand advocate at Onsharp.

Joerger Named Sacramento Kings Head Coach

Jordan Riewer ’15 (exercise science) signed a contract to play for the Oettinger Rockets in the Gotha Germany Pro A Division. Riewer left for Germany Aug. 8 and began training camp Aug. 10. The team will play several pre-season games before beginning the regular season Sept. 28. The season is slated to last around nine months, depending on how the team does in the playoffs. Oettinger finished fifth out of 16 teams in the league a year ago. Riewer, 2014-15 MSUM Male Athlete of the Year, had a decorated senior season to cap off a

stellar Dragon career. He helped the Dragon men reach the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in school history. Riewer was named NABC First-Team All-American, Daktronics Third-Team All-American, Basketball Times Second-Team AllAmerican and to the Division II Bulletin All-America Third Team. As a senior he averaged 16.2 points, 5.7 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game while shooting 50.4 percent from the field. He was the NSIC Co-Player of the year and also earned NSIC Alltournament honors. He led the nation in free-throw percentage at 94.9 percent. He was second in the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio. Riewer leaves MSUM with 1,382 points scored and has school career records with 470 assists and 226 threepointers made. He led the NSIC in three different statistical categories as well.

Dave Joerger ’97 (mass communications) was hired as head coach for the Sacramento Kings in May. Joerger, who was previously head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies, signed a threeyear deal with the Kings. During his three years with the Grizzlies, Joerger went 147-99 and took the team to playoffs each year. Joerger gained fame as one of the most successful minor league basketball coaches in history. Eighteen of his players were called up to the NBA, and he’s just the sixth head coach in D-League history to join the NBA coaching ranks.

DRAGON BABIES Photo credit: Britta the Photographer, aka Britta Trygstad ’05 (mass communications)

Liv Katie (Hamness) '12 & Andrew Faken

Peyton Jenn (Austing) ’11 & Chris ’11 Lubarsk

Congratulations to Dragon YWCA Woman of the Year Winners, Nominees Alumna Tonya Stende ’94 (accounting), Dale Carnegie North Dakota President, was named YWCA Woman of the Year for Community and Volunteer Service. Alumna Michelle Weber ’91 (English), principal at Liberty Middle School, was named YWCA Woman of the Year for Science and Technology.

Emmett Lindsay (Hartmann) ’05 & Ryan Hample

Julian Traci (Pesta) ’10 & Joseph ’10 Kuntz

Other Dragon alumnae, faculty and staff nominees included: Shireen Alemadi ’04 (biology), MSUM; Sandra Buchholz ’03 (mass communications), Sagency Talent; Dr. Jennifer Fremstad ’01 (ed leadership), West Fargo High School; the late Carol Grimm, MSUM; Beth Olson ’15 (women's and gender studies), FM Dorothy Day House; and Dr. Deborah White, MSUM. FALL 2016

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

IN MEMORIAM

››

The MSUM community mourned the loss of Dr. John J. Neumaier, seventh president of Minnesota State University Moorhead, who died on May 30, 2016. Dr. Neumaier served as president from 19581968. In “MSUM Memories,” edited by Roland Dille and Terry Shoptaugh, former President Dille wrote that Neumaier was by any standard a remarkable man. A Jewish refugee who escaped the Nazis in the 1930s, Neumaier was a man who instinctively championed the right of every person to speak freely. Even better, he was prepared to listen to faculty, students, staff, and the community. He learned and he acted. Neumaier was also the first state college president in the Minnesota State University System. He was a philosopher and humanist, and it was under his guidance that the new educational curriculum began to take shape. MSUM’s education programs have continued to flourish, becoming one of the largest at most successful programs at the university.

Ron Messelt Ronald “Ron” Messelt, age 72, died on Monday, Feb. 22, 2016, at the Mayo Clinic Methodist Campus. From 2001 to 2015, Ron was an adjunct professor in the field experience department for the MSUM College of Education and Human Services and was a master educator, an advocate for kids and an encourager for new teachers. He was a loving husband, supportive father, awesome grandpa and compassionate friend. He wanted to know about the lives of all those whom he met.

Memorial gifts may be directed to the MSUM Alumni Foundation, 1104 7th Ave. S., Moorhead, MN 56563.

MOORHEAD MAGAZINE

FALL 2016

In Memoriam

Alumni & Friends

Remembering Dr. John Neumaier

Alumni, Faculty & Friends Richard Akers ’80 Glenn Anderson ’59 Daniel Antrim ’91 Mildred Bach Lynn Balken ’61 Molly Bartos ’14 Lawrence Bosen ’58 Donald Braniff Edwin Bulik Peggy Butenhoff ’73 Ivan Camrud ’69 Joanne Desjardins-Miller ’66 Sharon (Wollertson) Doeden ’90 Katherine (Luthander) Eaton ’47 Joyce (Coleman) Eaton ’47 Norma Finnie James Flem ’59 Freeman Fountain Stella Fox ’63 Gloria (Gilsrud) Funkhouser ’62 Ella Mae (Olson) Gansky ’31 Marvin Gerhardson Carol Grimm Sharon (Burkhart) Grossmann ’76 Paul Grotte ’91 Ardi (Tinjum) Grove ’74 Jack Gruhl ’68 Gary Haga ’94 James Handorff ’57 Christie (Lovold) Herbranson ’69 Herman Holland Kare (Leverson) Jacobs ’69 Nicole Keisacker ’92 Joel Kolle ’76 Beth (Reinke) Laqua ’84 Ellis Lysne ’64 Ronald Messelt Thomas Milne ’87 Gust Moline ’63 Robert Munsterman ’73 John Neumaier James Noehl Sally Olson ’61 Eloise (Olson) Omberg ’52 James Oss ’74 Lawrence Raadt ’75 Ernest Read ’59 Bruce Skjonsby ’66 Stephen Smith ’69 Todd Steinke ’89 Avonne (Rakken) Stennes ’51 Lyle Sustad ’76 Dorris (Alexander) Thysell ’47 Rachel (Hansen) Tompt ’69 David Urness ’64 Kimberly (Sheldon) Vetter ’84 William Wenberg ’75

30"x20"

Crescent Watercolor board

Acrylic mixed media collage on

American Icon

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;07 (Art Education)

Barbara Benda Nagle â&#x20AC;&#x2122;80 (Elementary Education),

American Icon is a collage inspired by bison seen on a trip through the Wildlife Loop in the Black Hills. I used a variety of textured papers over a basecoat of hot pink, then painted over selected areas, allowing the hot pink to create luminosity. By having the bison exceed the boundaries of the rectangle, I gave the viewer a sense of this animal's great power and strength.

We'd like to see your creative work included in a future issue. Please send a high-resolution (300 dpi) digital image and short description to Editor Kristi Monson at kristi.monson@mnstate.edu.

1104 7th Avenue South Moorhead, Minnesota 56563

THEN AND NOW

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID MSUM