St. Cloud State Magazine Fall 2022/Winter 2023

ST. CLOUD STATE MAGAZINE

WHERE ROOTS TAKE HOLD

A beautiful diversity of living things have been sown and harvested in the St. Cloud State University Community Garden

MORE INSIDE:

2022 TEACHER OF THE YEAR Education Minnesota honors Sarah Lancaster ’13

HUSKIESADVANC…

A student success program that shows the world what Huskies can do

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WHERE ROOTS TAKE HOLD - ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY'S COMMUNITY GARDEN

A beautiful diversity of living things have been sown and harvested in the St. Cloud State University Community Garden – all because 17 years ago Tracy Ore planted her vision and her knees on a scrubby patch of campus land on Fifth Avenue.

Cover photo by Steve Woit ’75 stcloudstate.edu

FROM THE PRESIDENT

President's message to come

NEWS

SCSU's first competitive Esports team launches this Fall

President Wacker attends UK Queen’s Platinum Jubilee

St. Cloud State named College of Distinction

Welcome to the Pack! New faces lead programs in Huskies Athletics

Sharing in the success of SCSU Accounting students

FEATURES

Where roots take hold – Growing community at SCSU's Community Garden, a space where plants and friendships are grown and nurtured

Celebrating Teacher of the Year with alumna Sarah Lancaster ’13

Huskies Advance: Students on track for success through mentoring, experiences

ALUMNI NEWS

Class notes

Per Rasmussen ’86 and Nina Skage ’86 of Norway endow Professional Selling Institute with $1 million gift

Pratik Rijal ’19 starts Nepal Tea to give back to his homeland community

Photo courtesy of …ducation Minnesota

ACHIEVING OUR POTENTIAL THROUGH THE SUCCESS OF OUR STUDENTS

What a terrific start to Fall 2022 for St. Cloud State University! Our campus has been brightened with fall colors and bustling with new and returning students eager to engage in academics and activities. We are enjoying a sense of renewed pride and passion for the traditions and strengths we share as a university of leaders, scholars, teachers, and learners

We kicked off the semester with numerous in-person festivities of the Huskies First 4 and our New Student Convocation welcoming incoming students and their families to our Husky community. This fresh start brought with it a sense of being reunited in spirit and purpose. Classrooms are abuzz with teaching, exploration, dis covery, and innovative learning.

We are more than 10,000 students strong with a network of over 125,000 alumni worldwide whose accomplishments make us exceedingly proud. We are ex panding our regional reach with the intro duction of new online Master’s degree pro grams in business and education, and have welcomed our largest incoming graduate class overall. We are market relevant with the introduction of programs like Esports – meeting student interests and career opportunities of the future. We’ve doubled the number of advisors who serve as guides for building academic programs of study, as well as a support system for those times in the semester when students need encour agement or a problem solved to continue moving forward. Thanks to our focus on student success, we have welcomed greater numbers of returning students excited about building toward their future success in their careers and in life.

Among our campus leaders, faculty and staff, there is a renewed sense of purpose as we are working through our It's Time strategic framework for the future. It's Time is our call to action to boldly re-examine how we deliver an education in innovative,

focused, effective ways. We are focused on ensuring a quality experience that supports student success. We continue to build on our strong foundation of academic distinction, with expert faculty who are teacher-scholars working directly with our students and industry partners, in an envi ronment that prioritizes Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

Like so many institutions similar to ours nationwide, we are confronted with challenges of changing student demograph ics, ever-evolving workforce needs, and overall expectations of today’s learners. We have weathered the storm of a pandemic, as our campus community buckled up to pro tect the pack and navigate many unexpect ed turns. All the while, our campus leaders, faculty, and staff never lost momentum in ushering in a period of change to improve our processes and our quality, removing barriers and changing the culture of our institution to respond to the challenges we face. We continue to deliver and expand on market-relevant degree programs to meet workforce demands. We are reshaping the way we deliver continuing education opportunities to the workforce and offer our expertise and state of the art facilities to problem solve and meet the needs of our industry partners.

On the pages of this magazine you will find stories about students, administrators, faculty, staff and alumni who exemplify the special qualities of our campus communi ty where students are supported, inspired and encouraged to achieve their potential. Where leaders and professors welcome their role as mentors and partners in the amazing journey of higher education we offer.

You will read about our graduate named 2022 Minnesota Teacher of the Year who cherishes her own educational journey where teachers and mentors brought her through a traumatic childhood and into

a life of light, joy and purpose. Now she’s helping to give her own students the con fidence to discover their own strengths and abilities and pursue their own dreams.

You’ll learn about the SCSU Community Garden where a wide array of vegetables, fruits, flowers and relationships grow and flourish while campus and com munity connections are built.

You’ll read about some of the dynamic new leaders on campus who have joined and infused their unique experiences and ideas into our bold It’s Time framework. Together we are investing deeply into helping our students grow and develop their potential.

And you’ll learn about the extraordi nary group of faculty and staff who have become a team of mentors supporting students in new ways, working together to personalize and enhance learning experi ences in ways that align with their mentees’ goals.

I am proud to lead a university community who value and embrace our respon sibility to welcome a diverse community of students into personal and specialized educational journeys that will prepare them for work, life and citizenship in a world of challenges and rich opportunities.

State University

Dr. Robbyn Wacker President, St. Cloud

THEATRE PROGRAM CHANGES UP THE SCRIPT

TO PROMOTE SOCIAL CHANGE

Get ready for a debut performance of SCSU’s Theatre and Social Change program! Faculty members are thrilled to introduce a re-envisioned Theatre Program that makes intentional connections between the role of theater and issues related to social justice. Tracking the impact of the pandemic and the murder of George Floyd, program faculty took note of the significant push among theater and educational institutions nationwide to more deeply examine issues of equity, accountability and inclusivity. “Within the theater community there is growing attention on what we can be doing in terms of creating dialogue and bridging communities together and exploring and uplifting marginalized voices,” said Dr. Jeffrey Bleam, Theatre and Social Change professor. “Theater has not traditionally been doing nearly as much of that work and we were in a good position and poised to do that work.”

Playing a leading role, the revised program will be much more interdisciplinary, drawing on the skills and coursework existing within Human Relations and Communication Studies. A focus will be to explore social justice topics in conversations and in conjunction with a community and to develop original theater that serves as a tool for social change.

The program is still holding auditions and producing plays, but now there is an emphasis on student-led, devised theater — that is, original performances are developed and written collectively by student performers who are inspired by one another. Students will play a larger role in writing and creating productions that reflect social justice issues as they impact communities.

“Students will be more involved in shaping their own education than in a traditional theater program. Today’s generation of college students are very socially engaged. They care very much about social issues and things that are affecting both their immediate community and the larger national communities,” Bleam said. “It can be a healing process and a tool for self-fulfillment and a sense of belonging.”

Students completing the program will be prepared for roles in community and regional theater outreach programs or to explore further credentialing to apply drama in a counseling setting.

IT’S TIM… IN ACTION

Above and left: Students in the Theatre and Social Change program are engaging in the shows they present to write and create productions based on their own concerns and ideas for change.

St. Cloud State prioritizes Diversity, …quity and Inclusion as foundational to the university. The institution is transitioning to a portfolio of distinctive, relevant programs that fill societal needs and innovating to support faculty who integrate research, scholarship and creative work with instruction to develop new approaches to teaching and learning.

SCSU'S FIRST COMPETITIVE ESPORTS TEAM

ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY IS LAUNCHING INTO ESPORTS IN A BIG WAY THIS FALL WITH ITS FIRST COMPETITIVE ROCKET LEAGUE TEAM.

BY ANNA KURTH

Esports is a combination of video games and competition with global appeal. Viewership of Esports tournaments rivals that of traditional sporting events and the field is expanding to generate new professions in shoutcasting, event and team management, and Esports therapy.

In addition to the collegiate team, St. Cloud State’s Esports offerings include two campus Esports lounges, a residential Esports lounge, Esports camps and a new Esports Management Minor of fered by Herberger Business School this fall. The College of Science and Engineering is also getting into gaming with the launch of a Game Development Certificate program.

Esports is a new but growing phenomenon at the collegiate level. The National Association of College Esports (NACE) formed in 2016 with seven colleges and universities. Today more than 170 colleges and universities are members of NACE with more than 5,000 Esports student-athletes and $16 million in Esports student scholarships.

“Our approach to Esports is being driven by the needs of our community and the Esports industry,” said Vice President for Technology and Chief Information Officer Phil Thorson. “Our approach to camps and our academic programs are heavily focused in leadership and casting Esports.”

Interest in Esports at St. Cloud State has been growing as well. Toby Thongphasavanh ’14 start ed St. Cloud State’s first Esports club around League of Legends while a student at St. Cloud State study ing Information Technology Security.

He connected with his fel low students to grow the club from himself and seven friends to about 200 students and hosted large tournaments in 2014.

After graduating, he founded Shift Up Esports, a consulting firm that hosts Esports and cofounded Minnesota Championship Series. He’s hosted local Esports tournaments throughout Minnesota and helped run the largest ever amateur Esports tourna ment in the state. He now works as an Esports planning consultant with several clients including the Mall of America, Minnesota United, St. Paul Saints, Mountain Dew and Mystic Lake. In 2021 he returned as a consultant to St. Cloud State with his colleague Geoff Zwang to help the university build and launch its own Esports program.

St. Cloud State Esports teamed up with the Mass Communications department this summer to present a camp in shoutcasting and livestreaming video play for high school students led by Thongphasavanh and Zwang.

The camp focused on emerging industries within Esports and gave participants a look at streaming their own playing as well as casting and commenting on the play of other gamers. They also heard from experts in managing and running tournaments and an Esports team therapist to learn more about the various opportuni ties within Esports.

Noah Kylander, a professional Esports player and shoutcaster, who is now St. Cloud State’s Rocket League coach, was on hand to work with the camp participants and share his expertise in casting and game play.

Kylander played professionally for six years before turning to coaching. His philosophy is one of grind and positivity.

“A lot of people have a misconception that gaming is really only about playing, but we want to be able to expand people’s prospects into what they think careers could be in the industry as well as get a hands-on interaction to learn some really valuable skills that they can take home with them,” Kylander said.

“I feel like my contributions to the St. Cloud State University Rocket League program will not only help develop the skills and gameplay of these talented individuals, but also create a fun and welcoming atmosphere that will benefit the Esports program overall.”

Toby Thongphasavanh ’14, teaching at SCSU 2022 Esports Summer Camp

Noah Kylander, St. Cloud State's first Rocket League/Esports Coach.

PRESIDENT WACKER REPRESENTS SCSU AT THE UK QUEEN’S PLATINUM JUBILEE

President Robbyn Wacker, Associate Vice President for International Studies Shahzad Ahmad, and other representatives from St. Cloud State University had an exclusive opportunity to attend The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebra tion last June because of our decades long relationship with the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland via our Alnwick location.

Wacker, Ahmad, and others were invited to take part in the weekend celebration in the Commonwealth of Nations, a celebration that marked the 70th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II. The week end celebration provided an opportunity for communities and people throughout the United Kingdom and the globe to come together and celebrate the historic milestone.

Among the events that took place throughout the weekend, St. Cloud State was invit ed to join the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, an event that tells the story of The Queen’s 70-year reign and included performers, donors of the Jubilee and a select amount of people from the general public.

During the Pageant, attendees networked and built international partnerships while also celebrating the official launch of the only official book published for the Platinum Jubilee Pageant, “Her Majesty The Queen: The Official Platinum Jubilee Pageant Commemorative Album,” a souvenir publication that features images from throughout The Queen’s 70-year reign, exclusive content on the Pageant itself, and more.

St. Cloud State is one of the roughly 40 universities and educational institutions from around the world included in the book, highlighting St. Cloud State’s study abroad program at Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. St. Cloud State at Alnwick offers one of the most unique education abroad opportunities where students get a chance to live and take classes inside the castle while experiencing life-enriching opportunities in England.

After the Platinum Jubilee Pageant and the Jubilee celebration, Wacker, Ahmad and oth ers visited Alnwick Castle, meeting with students, staff, and a community group there taking part in the summer program through the University.

St. Cloud State at Alnwick is located in Alnwick Castle, one of Britain’s most iconic castles. This study abroad program offers students the unique opportunity to fully immerse themselves in British culture.

Editor

Kathryn Kloby, Ph.D.

Content Producers

Anna Kurth

Mitchell Hansen ’17 Colleen Harrison

John M. Brown Kelsey Whaley Design Marie Madgwick ’91

Contact us: ST. CLOUD STATE UNIVERSITY

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St. Cloud State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, national origin, disability, marital status, status with regards to public assistance, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or status as a U.S. veteran. For additional information, contact the Office for Institutional …quity & Access, (320) 308-5123, Admin. Services Bldg. Rm 121.

THANK YOU ANNA!

This is Anna Kurth's final issue as she is seeking new professional opportunities in strategic communication. We will miss her friendship and professionalism –especially her storytelling and indepth knowledge of SCSU offerings and expertise. Anna is a forever Husky and we wish her well in her new adventures in life and the profession.

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ST. CLOUD STATE NAMED COLLEGE OF DISTINCTION

St. Cloud State University has been recognized for its honorable com mitment to engaged, experiential education by Colleges of Distinction, a one-of-a-kind guide for college-bound students. As an institution whose primary goals are based on student success and satisfaction, St. Cloud State is now designated as one of the renowned Colleges of Distinction.

St. Cloud State is specially recognized for offerings in Nursing, Education, Business and Engineering, and for the support offered to students for career development and those connected to the military.

NIC KATONA TAKES OVER

AS VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AND ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

by Mitchell Hansen ’17

In August, Nic Katona was appointed Vice President for Advancement and Alumni Engagement at St. Cloud State, a position previously held by Matt Andrew before his retirement last June.

Katona’s leadership will advance the University’s It’s Time framework, while his ex perience will inform a strategy that will show case St. Cloud State’s distinctive qualities and leverage relationships to boldly share the future of the University.

“It’s an exciting time to join St. Cloud State,” Katona said. “The It’s Time framework provides opportunities to grow in areas of strength like teaching, research and ensuring education is available for all. The impact experienced here is inspiring and I am excited to be part of the Husky community.”

Leading higher education teams for twenty years, the past eight years in England, Katona brings a global perspective to fundraising and alumni relations. As the Vice President at both Birkbeck, a College of the University of London system, and the University of Leicester, he built institutional processes to help develop an environment of collaboration and support for giving and alumni engagement.

Prior to his work in England, Katona worked in a variety of organizations and higher educa tion institutions in the United States, including senior roles with the John G. Shedd Aquarium, After School Matters and The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, all located in Chicago. Prior to this, he served the University of California-San Diego, where he supported Engineering and established a strategic fundraising plan for the LGBT Resource Center. While at the University of Michigan, Katona developed and launched a new reunion program that increased reunion giving by $38 million. At George Washington University and Valparaiso University, he in creased annual giving and young alumni giving by an average of 38%.

“Working with alumni and supporters throughout my career has been extremely rewarding,” Katona said. “The ability to match the interests of our community members with the needs of the institution has led to many fulfilling and impactful relationships. It’s my pleasure to as sist someone in giving of their time, talent, and treasure to an organization they believe in.”

Katona arrived at St. Cloud State to assist in the completion of the Unleash the Future cam paign, which has raised well over the $32 million goal initially set, and he will continue to lead University Advancement and Alumni Engagement to grow and strengthen the offerings of the University.

“Education is extremely powerful and important to our students, alumni, community and society. St. Cloud State has a powerful voice and an important mission to fulfill within the region, country and around the world,” Katona said. “We will only be able to maximize the impact of It’s Time with the help and support of our alumni, supporters and friends. I look forward to meeting many of them in the coming years and thank them in advance for their support of St. Cloud State.”

EDUCATOR OF THE YEAR

St. Cloud State professors Dr. Mike Dando and Dr. Melissa Hanzsek-Brill earned Minnesota State’s highest honors for educators, the Educator of the Year Award.

These awards are bestowed upon faculty to acknowl edge and reward exceptional professional accom plishment and to encourage ongoing excellence in teaching.

Dando is an assistant professor of English and the director of the Communication Arts and Literature pro gram at St. Cloud State. He teaches a hip hop studies course as a part of the Honors Program. Dando is also the producer behind the Social Justice Mixtapes, a multimedia series of original, student written, created, produced, and performed hip hop art works focusing on social activism and democratic engagement. He has worked with hip hop artists, activists, and educators across the country to combine social justice education and hip hop culture.

Hanzsek-Brill is a professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education, coordinator of STEM Education, and co-chair of Teacher Development with a demonstrated history of working in both higher education and K-12.

She is the principle investigator of a $1.2 million National Science Foundation-Noyce project to increase the number of STEM teachers in high needs urban schools and co-principle inves tigator of a $5 million National Science Foundation S-STEM ACCESS STEM project, leading the research team and the tutoring/learning assistant intervention.

Hanzsek-Brill is co-founder of Women Engaged in STEM at St. Cloud State and a co-chair of Tech Savvy with the Minnesota State AAUW president. She developed PAKCAT (Parents and Kids Counting A Lot Together) program in St. Cloud Area Schools in partnership with LEAF to provide take home mathematics activity bags for multi-generational interaction and learning focused on quantitative literacy.

Also earning Educator of the Year honors is SCSU alumna and adjunct professor Dr. Alex Layne ’06 ’09. Layne is an associate professor in the Game Design and Technical Communications programs at Metropolitan State University. At St. Cloud State she teaches Document Design.

SCSU JOINS AGE-FRIENDLY CAMPUS

St. Cloud State University is the latest institution to join the Age-Friendly University Global Network as an Age-Friendly University.

The Age-Friendly University Global Network is a group of higher education institu tions around the world committed to becoming more age-friendly in programs and policies and creating opportunities for an aging population.

The institutions have a shared goal of promoting an inclusive approach to healthy and active ageing through research, enhanced learning opportunities for people across generations, and innovations that address issues affecting older adults.

DR. MIKE DANDO DR. MELISSA HANZSEK-BRILL

ALEX LAYNE ’06 ’09

GET TO KNOW:

WELCOME TO THE PACK! NEW FACES LEAD PROGRAMS IN HUSKIES ATHLETICS

by Mitchell Hansen ’17

Huskies Men's Basketball, Head Coach

Welcome Coach Henderson to SCSU’s Men’s Basketball pro gram! Ready to jump on the court with some winning plays, Coach Henderson not only brings experience to the floor, he is already invested in our Husky community and is ready to take the program to the next level. “Our program has been good for a very long period of time. They’ve won at a high level and this is a winning program,” Henderson said. “I want to make the program great, I want to make it go, I want to compete consis tently in the North Division of the NSIC and I want to compete in the conference tournament. Then, I want to compete in the region. Those are areas we are focused on right now."

Some stats on Coach Henderson:

» Wisconsin native

» Early career at Division I Creighton, later transferring to Division II Winona State where he led the Warriors to two National Championships.

» Played professionally for the Southwest Australian Basketball league.

» Coached two of the historically best seasons at Division III Illinois Wesleyan.

» Ushered the West Texas A&M Buffaloes to three confer ence titles, five conference tournament titles and six NCAA Tournament appearances as Associate Head Coach.

GET TO KNOW:

Huskies Women's Hockey, Head Coach

Back for an exciting new chapter, Coach Idalski has returned to St. Cloud State to lead the Women’s Hockey program into the future. Coach Idalski’s professional career has broad ened his experience in the Midwest and internationally as he strives to be an impactful leader for the team and the commu nity. “You don’t do this job unless you enjoy mentoring people, working with people and helping them achieve their goals,” Idalski said. “My expectations are to win. They always have been, and you have to expect that before you can do it.” We look forward to an action packed season ahead. Go Huskies!

Some stats on Coach Idalski:

» Michigan native

» Played collegiately at UW-Stevens Point.

» Played professionally in the United Hockey League and the Central Hockey League.

» Coached at UW-Stevens Point.

» Assistant Coach of the SCSU Women’s Hockey Program

» Head coach of women’s hockey at University of North Dakota

» Head coach of the KRS Vake Rays in Russia’s Women’s Hockey League.

» Coached China’s Women’s Olympic team during the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

QUINCY HENDERSON

BRIAN IDALSKI

GIFTS USED TO IMPROVE FAN EXPERIENCE IN

HERB BROOKS NATIONAL HOCKEY CENTER

by Mitchell Hansen ’17

A generous gift of 1.8 million from Foundation 94 established by Henry and Angelena Blattner is providing funding for student support and the fan experience.

This includes resources for a strength and conditioning coach and support for student-ath lete mental health and leadership programming. Such investments will have a positive impact on student success, providing the University with more capacity to offer individualized stu dent support.

Additionally, the 2022-23 season for St. Cloud State University’s Men’s and Women’s Hockey will have an enhanced experience for fans thanks to updates made to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.

“Huskies hockey is a wonderful brand ambassador for St. Cloud State and extends our regional reach in powerful ways,” St. Cloud State President Dr. Robbyn Wacker said. “In addition to increasing resources for the physical and mental health of our student athletes, this gift ex tends to our fans and how they experience a home game when they come out to cheer on our athletes.”

“The Athletics Department and hockey programs are so excited to see these improvements to the facility,” Interim Director of Athletics Holly Schreiner said. “We know that the overall fan experience is critical to our program success and believe these upgrades will elevate that experience.”

Updates to the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center include replacing analog video score boards with the latest digital technology, providing an enhanced experience to amp up the energy in the arena. Improvements also include audio and acoustics in the Hockey Center, taking the Husky energy up a notch.

“We are so thankful for Henry and Angel Blattner’s generous gifts to support the total stu dent-athlete experience, on and off the ice,” Men’s Hockey Head Coach Brett Larson said. When thinking about the improvements to the fan experience of the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, Coach Larson says, “Our Husky fans make our center one of the best environments in college hockey, and we’re excited to reward them with new videoboards and an enhanced sound system to further engage and cheer on our program for years to come.”

SHARING IN THE SUCCESS OF SCSU ACCOUNTING STUDENTS

BY ANNA KURTH

Sydney Wittnebel ’19 found the perfect placement after graduating with a degree in Accounting. She interned and then accepted an of fer with Schlenner Wenner & Co., a mid-sized St. Cloud accounting firm giving her the opportunity to work with both big and small companies while also fo cusing on volunteering and having an influence on her professional community.

She was able to get to know Schlenner Wenner well as a student through visits during Accounting Club meetings, an informal Meet the Firms event, a more formal job fair and an internship experience thanks to the intentional work of the Accounting Department to give students and employers multiple touchpoints.

Bringing her experience full circle, Wittnebel is gaining her professional experience and giving back to current SCSU accounting students as she meets and networks with them through department events.

with CliftonLarsonAllen LLP (CLA). Likewise, CLA considers St. Cloud State a major source for entry-level accounting recruit ment for their Minnesota location. “We act as a sounding board for faculty as they work directly with students to prepare them for careers in accounting.  We also want to be a support for students, offering resume reviews and mock interviews through the University’s Career Center,” said Sondra Glenn ’89, CLA signing director and recruit ing lead.

Sydney Wittnebel ’19

“Accounting is a broad field. Graduates go on to careers in cor porate settings, preparing tax returns or doing audits, or they might take on advisory or consulting work or become business analysts,” Accounting professor Dr. Amy Fredin said. “Choices include work ing in industry, for public firms, or private entities among others. There are many career options depending on a student’s interests and goals. That is why St. Cloud State’s Accounting program does so much to help students explore their options within the field.”

One of the department’s flagship events is Meet the Firms. Held each fall, this event brings more than 20 area firms to interact with Accounting and other business majors in a casual, no-pressure environment.

Faculty also encourage students to join the Accounting Club where companies, firms, and professional organizations come to campus weekly to present information about the accounting pro fession from their perspective and answer student questions, again in an informal way.

The preparation doesn’t stop there, with the department host ing an annual career fair and a scholarship dinner, where students and employers continue with interactions, but in a more formal setting. Finally, internships are strongly encouraged to get a feel for both the profession and a firm that interests students.

Among its many partnerships in the region and Twin Cities, the Accounting department values its decades-long relationship

Building a specialized workforce of pro fessionals, SCSU students can prepare for and take the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and the Certified Management Accountant (CMA) exams. St. Cloud State also offers a unique focus in internal audit content that preps students to take the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) exam. SCSU is the only university in a five-state region that partners with the Institute of Internal Auditors to get approval on the depart ment’s internal audit curriculum.

“The focus on preparing students for exams is important to future employers, who seek licensed professionals. Many St. Cloud State Accounting graduates hired at CLA, for example, successfully passed their CPA exam and became licensed professionals. What they learn while obtaining their undergraduate degree has a lot to do with that,” Glenn said.

“The St. Cloud State Accounting Department and University as a whole are vital to keeping the St. Cloud and surrounding communities strong,” she said. “Numerous area businesses and organizations look to the University to prepare their future talent. CLA has a continued commitment to engage with SCSU and find opportunities within our organization for graduates of the account ing and other relevant programs.”

While SCSU plays a significant role in preparing the next generation of industry professionals, the cycle of giving back to the University spans many firms in the region. Ann Glenz ’04, a part ner at Eide Bailly, makes her way back to St. Cloud State often to work with students.

Since she and her colleagues are able to interact with students through numerous touchpoints, many times students will receive an offer for employment before graduating.

“I feel like the professors have done a really nice job of giving

Left, Accounting professors

Amy Fredin and Kerry Marrer at Meet the Firms event. An event that hosts more than 20 firms with attendance of 200 or more.

DR. KATHERINA PATTIT TAKES

THE LEAD OF THE HERBERGER BUSINESS SCHOOL

Dr. Katherina Pattit is the new dean of the Herberger Business School (HBS) (July 1, 2022), one of the few accredited business schools in the State of Minnesota, with a track record of excellence in preparing business leaders.

students the tools and skill sets they need to have a conversation with prospective employers,” she said. “The Career Center plays a vital and proactive role with notifying students of open positions as well.”

Eide Bailly hires Accounting graduates from St. Cloud State each year and hosts interns.

“St. Cloud State has prepared a core group of individuals who we hired and have retained at the firm for a long time, and we continually place new talent from the University,” she said. “It’s really been a good source for us.”

The need for accoun tants continues to grow, and St. Cloud State’s Accounting faculty are preparing new professionals who are high in demand. “Employers consistently tell us how polished our students are and how they seek to recruit SCSU Accounting majors because they know they’re well prepared and ready to go right into the field and take on those responsibili ties.”  Fredin said.

As dean, Pattit plays a pivotal role in setting strategic direction in alignment with the University’s It’s Time vision, strengthening the school’s distinctive pro grams, developing new initiatives to meet the needs of the many stakeholders it serves, and actively fostering impactful scholarship and creative endeavors.

During the search process, Dean Pattit was particularly drawn to the HBS community, its innovative faculty, and market relevant programs. “Our programs are all developed with the goal of meeting the emerging needs of our community as well as the career aspirations of our students,” Dr. Pattit said. “Some excellent examples include our information assurance program that prepares our graduates to keep our country’s information infrastructure safe from cyber threats. Programs in real estate, professional selling, and accounting are among the numerous, shining examples of renowned programs of HBS."

Pattit arrived at St. Cloud State from the University of St. Thomas, where she had served since 2008 in numerous leadership roles. This includes chairing a department, strategic planning, launching a departmental advisory board with leaders of Fortune 500 companies, implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and collaborating with Opus College of Business lead ership to obtain a $900,000 grant from US Bank to develop a business ethics resource website for small and medium-sized businesses.

She is an accomplished and internationally recognized academic with a substantial history of publications in journals such as Business & Society, Journal of Business …thics, and …conomic Management, and Financial Markets. Dean Pattit serves the profession with varying leadership roles in the Academy of Management and the Society of Business Ethics and holds a strong voice in the field through numerous invited speaking engagements and presentations.

Pattit is inspired by teaching and learning and is driven to support student success in the class room and the school. Pattit has a Ph.D. from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania and a Diplom-Kauffrau (German equivalent of MBA) from Friedrich-Alexander University in Germany.

“As I begin settling into my new role, I am particularly excited to develop a solid support system for the innovations of our faculty,” Dean Pattit said. “Many faculty have strong connections to the business community as well as cutting edge developments in their academic disciplines, so they can identify early on where the workforce trends are going and what our students will need to be successful."

Dean Pattit has already immersed herself with introductions to the business community in the region and beyond to leverage friendships and resources to benefit teaching and learning. She is also working through new strategies to share the success of the Herberger Business School and its students.

BY MARSHA SHOEMAKER

WHERE ROOTS TAKE HOLD

A beautiful diversity of living things have been sown and harvested in the St. Cloud State University Community Garden –all because 17 years ago Tracy Ore planted her vision and her knees on a scrubby patch of campus land on Fifth Avenue.

Photos by Steve Woit

Tracy Ore and the multigenerational team of volunteer gardeners and community partners she has attracted to the garden have grown a rich array of produce, flowers and relationships on what soon became a campus/community intersection for cultivating what Ore calls “environmental and community sustainability.”

It’s a true community garden, an idea Ore says germinated as a result of one of those conversations that happen when a wonderful mentor comes along to change the trajectory of your life.

“I had taken my class to Detroit to be exposed to what activ ists were doing to rebuild that community,” said Ore, who in 2004 already had been a professor of sociology at SCSU for a few years, teaching classes on the politics of food and encouraging students to explore how food affects life in a variety of ways. There, in that industrial city particularly hard hit by the economically dismal early years of the 21st century, she met Grace Lee Boggs, a renowned Chinese-American human rights activist.

Ore confided that her family and friends all lived somewhere else, and she had little to keep her feeling grounded in St. Cloud. Boggs advised Ore to examine why she felt like always moving on, saying, “You need to stay in one place long enough in order to know its problems with authority.”

BELIEVING, CREATING, SHARING Ore took Boggs’ comments to heart. “I knew then I needed to do something to build community here,” Ore said. Her answer was to create a plan for the garden and get others on board.

Within a year she had the university’s go-ahead to start the SCSU Community Garden, an outgrowth of her “Politics of Food” sociology course. It was slow-growing at first on the land that had been vacant for many years and seemed devoid of life. “This will never work,” the naysayers told her. “But I believed it would,” said Ore, who had learned well from her innovative, self-sufficient mother that she could make something from nothing.

That something she created is a space where people of all ages learn how things grow, share their ideas and build a sense of trust with each other, just for showing up. “It’s amazing what happens when you have faith in people,” said Ore, who recently married her partner of 14 years and garden volunteer, Ariann Kramer. “The care and generosity they will show you is astounding.”

TRACY ORE has helped foster and grown community through the St. Cloud State University Community Garden.

LING

And just as the garden gave Ore that sense of belonging she was seeking, it now is producing a myriad of fruits and vegetables that remind campus and community members from diverse cultures of foods of their homelands and traditional foods.

“I’m on a mission about okra this year,” Ore said of the vege table that is said to have West African, Ethiopian, Southeast Asian and South Asian origins that are familiar to many of SCSU’s thousand-plus international students as well as many community resi dents. “We’ve got 21 varieties of okra along with the potatoes and carrots in the garden, and we have a ‘Don’t settle for being mediokra’ t-shirt.”

Ore also is proud of the collard greens that have been grown and perfected since the inception of a 365-day a year project that started with now Professor Emeritus Robert C. Johnson, who works with African American Males Youth Forum. Ore said forum mem bers were going out into the garden to collect collard greens, then started growing more to make centerpieces for the MLK Breakfast that featured greens as well as packets of seeds for guests to take home and grow their own. Leftovers have been sold at the Farmer’s Markets hosted on campus by Atwood every Monday during au tumn, another offshoot of the SCSU Community Garden.

Garden produce is canned and sold, including 14 varieties of jam and jars of beets, salsa and, of course, the ever-popular kosher dill pickles. This fall Ore and her volunteers put up 420 jars of the pickles in two days, and they’re not likely to be available for long.

A SPECIAL PLACE TO GROW

The gifts of the garden are generously offered to campus and community. “Over the years the garden has become a very special place,” Ore said. “Children learn how things grow, and volunteers have a sense of trust with each other.”

Andrea Lawrence, who currently serves as mayor of Clearwater and manages another intersection of campus and community, the SCSU Welcome Center, was one of the first volunteers to discov er how meaningful this new experience could be to her and her family.

Lawrence was attracted to join the small charter group of vol unteers by the promise of taking home free organic produce and making new friends. She soon learned that the reputation the new garden had for having questionable growing soil had some merit. Of her early attempts to dig up the hard dirt with the other hardy garden pioneers, she recalls: “I remember trying to put the shovel in

I like to see how things grow. It's very therapeutic.

–

HOU, ST. CLOUD STATE COMPUTER ENGINEERING PROFESSOR

Tracy worked really hard to make the garden a safe place to be.

MARY JO BOT, SCSU GRADUATE AND EMERITI MEMBER OF THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT

the ground,” she said. “It was like it rattled your teeth!”

“Those first couple of years I’d be on my hands and knees picking up the most random trash: a broken pair of handcuffs, bottles and cans – even a pair of high heels.”

Lawrence, who at the time was living on campus as residence hall director for SCSU’s Sherburne Hall, brought her three daugh ters to the garden from the time they were toddlers to play and learn. “Now they tell the funniest stories,” she said.

“One spring it was so muddy they were covered with it up to their waists,” she said. “Another time one of the girls jumped over the fence and got caught on her jeans, hanging by her pants loop.” As they grew, Lawrence brought her daughters’ pre-school classes, Girl Scout troops, and other groups of friends to show off the garden where they made lasting friends and learned the benefits of community gardening. “They loved it because they were garden royalty. They thought they were pretty cool.”

Another early volunteer was Matt Karpen, who works in construction and does “the oddball tasks,” for the garden, including building a whimsical spider trellis for vines to grow on, a foot-pow ered hand washing station during the pandemic, and a multipur pose gazebo on the north garden which doubled the original 500 square foot Community Garden space. A creative guy who tinkers

with bikes and makes wild Halloween costumes, Karpen works in the garden for the love of making things and the love of pickles. His fee for building the gazebo was a case of his favorite pickles. “I like the bartering system,” he said. “We’re an actual community where everyone helps one another.”

Sometimes that help comes in the form of a place to go to be with friends during challenging times. For longtime volunteer Mary Jo Bot, the garden during the time of COVID was “a really bright spot.”

Bot, who is an SCSU graduate and emeriti member of the Music Department faculty, said “Tracy worked really hard to make the garden a safe place to be.”

Since it was outdoors people could still gather when everything else was so isolating, said Bot, who has expanded her friendships and her cooking repertoire through her time in the garden. “I like to cook so going to the garden gave me more interesting things to take home and make new things.”

Seven-year garden veteran Debra Japp, recently retired profes sor of Communication Studies at SCSU, said it took her awhile to respond to Ore’s email invitations to become a volunteer. “Now I’m hooked,” she said. “This is a tangible way of community interact ing. It’s a cross-section group, and I’m enjoying it immensely.”

Over the years the garden has become a very special place. Children learn how to grow things, and volunteers have a sense of trust with each other.

– TRACY ORE, "THE GARDEN LADY’

Photos by Steve Woit ’75 and Tatum Poirier

The garden is an amazing thing, Japp said. “There’s all kinds of ways for people to grow and fit it in. It’s a different side of creativity. Tracy truly has pro vided an amazing gift to the university and the community.”

A recent addition to the volunteer family, SCSU Computer Engineering Professor Ling Hou, said she had tried to have her own garden but realized that while she liked it, she wasn’t good at it. Now she’s learning by asking questions and asking what tasks need to be done. “I like to see how things grow,” she said. “It’s very therapeutic.”

While there are regular weekly times when greater numbers of volunteers are gathered, participants are not asked to have set times when they come and go. “It is free to be involved,” Ore said. “All we ask is that you contribute to the work, and you get to share in the harvest.” Volunteers appreciate the garden’s no-fences, no-set assignments, no-rules environment. “I try to let volunteers choose what they want to work on,” she said. “If you want to tend just one little flower, that’s okay.”

Karpen likes what he calls “Tracy’s vision for getting this back to the pub lic – people who haven’t been exposed to it.” He said his parents always had a

SPECIAL STUDENT AND COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS

One of the most notable senior capstone projects Mitch Bender’s environmental and technological studies students ever un dertook was development of an eight-year plan for the SCSU Community Garden in its early years – a blueprint for its future and the groundwork for an irrigation system and other critical components.

The students involved in the project got so caught up in it that they started building the irrigation system and continued to work on it long after the project report was turned in. “I always try to incorpo rate a service-learning component in the capstone projects,” Bender said. “It means more to them if they’re working with the community.”

Bender’s capstone assignments, intend ed to involve small groups of students in using a variety of communication and team-building skills to complete a re al-world project, also have included garden signage, a bike rack, raised garden beds, and the design for a gazebo in the north garden.

Other professors have integrated the garden into successful learning activities. Debra Gold’s anthropology class conducted an excavation of its grounds. Some have

brought students through to study the garden’s structure or to assign creative internships.

In her capacity as a mentor for the HuskiesAdvance student success program, Ore recently worked with student mentee Jade Antecino, meeting regularly and ex ploring how the garden is a vital part of the community and has become a focal point for gatherings, strengthening community connections among its neighbors, and pro viding nutrition for local families.

Tracy Ore, mentor for the HuskiesAdvance student success program, with mentee Jade Antecino.

garden when he was growing up, and he likes the idea of getting people back into it, and “that whole general thing of being self-suf ficient – people need that these days.”

When asked if she thought she’d achieved her goal for finding community for herself and others through the garden, she answers: “For sure I do. One of my favorite things now is that I’m no longer known as the sociology professor from New York. Now I’m the lady with the basil or that garden lady.”

The garden is a rich resource for teaching and learning and for bridging academics and the community. It’s the campus garden in that it has been embraced as a place for faculty, staff, retirees, and students to volunteer and harvest fruits and vegeta bles and friendships, as well as a source of sought-after produce – fresh or canned. Faculty and staff often come by the garden or Farmer’s Market to get gifts for cowork ers and friends and family.

Ore is especially proud of the garden’s 60 varieties of tomatoes, symbols of its com mitment to diversity. “Tomatoes, it’s one of our showy things,” Ore said, as she points to her pet varieties with names like “black strawberry pink tomato” and “vintage wine

tomato.” And “purple rain” – “how can you not grow that”? she jokes, adding that she’s a sucker for clever names. “I can nev er be left alone with a seed catalog.”

With the garden, Ore has created a haven where she and others can find a place to belong and to be part of that something bigger that people often seek in life. “I definitely feel like I’ve achieved my primary purpose of growing community with the garden, bringing people together for a common purpose – making connections on campus and in the broader community,” Ore said.

Over time she has built meaningful rela tionships with many organizations and individuals in the community. “I can’t go anywhere where I don’t run into someone I know who is connected with the garden or connected to someone who is,” Ore said.

“The networks she has in the community are mindblowing,” said Debra Japp, retired professor of Communication Studies and garden volunteer.

Those networks have been built in part through produce philanthropy, giving things to other gardens like that at St. Cloud Tech High School and Place of Hope.

The garden also has become a partner with the community in expanding the cultural aspects of food, especially its six different kinds of unusual basil and other herbs.

“Jules Bistro was the first official partner,” Ore said. “For years we have delivered herbs to her. Now we also deliver Tulsi, a special kind of basil, to Kohinoor, the Indian restaurant downtown.”

What’s Ore’s vision for the future of the garden? “The corner lot where the Women’s Center used to be would be a gathering place and entrance to the university with raised beds with native flowers,” she said. “Also I would incorporate the white house between the main part of the community garden and the north garden – as a pos sible venue with café with food from the garden, as well as a place for canning of garden produce – a model of sustainability, and a warm, welcoming place.”

In the meantime, the SCSU Community Garden can simply be a place where vol unteers can get away from politics and commune with hummingbirds and butter flies as well as like-minded aficionados of amazing fruits and vegetables – a place where most times the worst enemies are pesky potato beetles.

We're an actual community where everyone helps one another.

– MATT KARPEN, “THE CREATIVE GUY WHO TINKERS IN THE GARDEN”

BY MARSHA SHOEMAKER

TEACHER OF THE YEAR

Sarah Lancaster ’13

Of all the ceremonies honoring her as Education Minnesota’s 2022 Teacher of the Year, none was as meaningful to Sarah Lancaster ’13, as the celebration in her small Central Minnesota hometown of Onamia – at the place she calls “my school”.

“I sat across from MY first-grade teacher,” Lancaster said of the especially personal ceremony in the school where she feels privi leged every day to work with the people who influenced her and to teach the first-graders whose lives she impacts every day.

When she graduated from St. Cloud State University with her degree in Elementary Education, she had job offers from much big ger districts Minneapolis and Stillwater. But it was Onamia – the tiny community in Mille Lacs County – that still held Lancaster’s heart. “I couldn’t take the job fast enough,” she said of her choice to return to the classrooms that were the only place beyond her home where she was allowed to go as a child.

“Sarah wanted to come back to the town she grew up in to help with all children, but especially the ones like her when she was in Onamia Elementary School – the shy, quiet ones with potential to be and do anything they put their mind to if they had a little help,” said Jeff Walz, who has known her as her teacher, coach, and colleague.

That shyness stemmed from what Lancaster calls a traumatic childhood. Her mother had been bought and imported at age 13 from the Philippines to become her stern father’s fourth wife, and he kept her and the children they had together in seclusion – never going outdoors, making friends or enjoying activities most children experience. Until he died when Sarah was age 11, the only place beyond her home Sarah was allowed to go was Onamia Elementary School.

Proud to be the first educator of Asian Pacific Islander descent to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year, Lancaster has risen above the abuse and shame her father treated his non-white family members with. She emerged from her unique lifestyle to go on to be an active student in Onamia and at St. Cloud State, becoming a strong role model for the first-graders she teaches.

“My students see in me someone who reflects the community,” Lancaster said. Many of her students come from families below the poverty line and/or minority backgrounds, including members of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe indigenous to the area. Besides the natural empathy she generously shares with all the children in her classrooms and in the community, she brings in indigenous artists and makes sure when she brings in a representative of a community leader she includes persons of color, such as a non-white member of the fire department or an expert from the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe to talk about wildlife.

Lancaster believes the way to increase opportunities for Minnesota schoolchildren is to increase the number of teachers of color – not only in the large city school districts, but in the rural schools that also have students of color who benefit from seeing someone who looks like them in front of the classroom.

One of her most memorable experiences as a teacher is that from a parent who called Lancaster to tell her, “My daughter came home today and said ‘my teacher looks like me’ then started crying because she knew it was a first for her daughter.”

“I was thankful that I had that opportunity,” Lancaster said. “Who I am impacted that child.”

She says her own experience as a wife and mother to 3-year-old son, Emmett, has given her a different perspective on the signifi

My students see in me someone who reflects the community.

– SARAH LANCASTER ’13

PHOTO: COURTESY OF EDUCATION MINNESOTA

cance of showing children that somebody in this world loves and cares for them.

In a video submitted to the Education Minnesota Teacher of the Year award selec tion panel, Lancaster said of her impact on students: “I get to show them that beyond these barriers is an amazing person, a schol ar, an athlete, someone looking to connect with their culture and find their true iden tity. I can supply and awaken the language, strategies, enthusiasm, and joy that very well may have been inside them all along.”

Fellow teacher Cyndi Martin said her friend is always willing to look for students’ strengths and find ways to build them up. “She works hard to develop good relation ships and engage in communication with her class, as a whole and with individual students,” she said. “She takes time to talk with other professionals and find the best ways to interact with those around her.”

In her nine years of teaching in the district where Walz was a teacher and coach for 34 years, he said of Sarah’s impact on her students: “She has been someone to encourage them, someone to nudge them along, and give them confidence that they CAN achieve their goals.”

“Sarah (then Sarah Shivers) and I crossed paths around the year 2000,” Walz said.  “I was coaching the elementary bas ketball program.  Later, Sarah showed up in my homeroom in 6th grade.  She was shy, quiet, but very bright.  I remember her being extremely happy to be in school and learning.  She had a wonderful circle of friends and still sees many of them today.”

The sacrifices Sarah has made to come back to Onamia have been huge. Sarah is tireless in the community and the classroom. She has taken the joys and pains of her upbringing to focus her attention on helping children that have terrible home lives and lack of support. She has put upon herself to be that family and support system they need.

– JEFF WALZ, SARAH'S TEACHER, COACH AND COLLEAGUE

By sixth grade Lancaster’s life and the lives of her family members had changed dramatically as a result of her father’s death. Suddenly her mother was able to go outdoors, riding a bike and taking over leadership of her late husband’s printing company. And Sarah had blossomed in her discovery of the world that had been kept beyond her reach for so long.

In school Sarah became an active participant in activities and academics. In her junior and senior years of high school she earned many of her college credits. When she first went to St. Cloud State, she said she focused on “how do I function as a human” in this even more expansive world beyond Onamia. On campus she gained

confidence, joining and becoming a leader in Kappa Delta Pi education sorority.

Coach Walz followed Sarah’s progress, and when she returned to teach in Onamia, “Immediately I asked her to help with my track program where she advanced to assis tant varsity coach,” he said.  “She was well organized and her athletes loved her.  She had an amazing way of including all and finding every athlete an event of two that they could be successful in,” he said.

“The sacrifices Sarah has made to come back to Onamia have been huge,” Walz said.  “Sarah is tireless in the community and the classroom. She has taken the joys and pains of her upbringing to focus her attention on helping children that have terrible home lives and lack of support. She has put upon herself to be that family and support system they need.”

Onamia Principal Daniel Fischer agrees. “Sarah is a huge asset to our school,” he said. “Her energy and pas sion for teaching is noticed by students, colleagues, and the community. We are truly honored to have Sarah as a part of our team at Onamia Elementary and having the “Teacher of Year” in OUR building has inspired not only our students but our

Sarah is a huge asset to our school. Her energy and passion for teaching is noticed by students, colleagues, and the community.

– PRINCIPAL DANIEL FISCHER, ONAMIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

staff and community as a whole. She has become a “celebrity” of sorts.”

Lancaster’s passion for activism and influencing future generations goes beyond the work in her classroom. “Sarah is in credibly involved in the community,” said Martin. “Sarah cares very much about the town she grew up in that gave her so much, and the school district she’s been a part of her entire life.”

Currently she serves as President of the Onamia Area Civic Association, and she has coached several seasons of both athlet ics and arts programs in Onamia. She has directed three of the annual high school musicals and volunteers with local youth groups and through her church. Some of the students she has coached in debate and speech are in or past college, and she said it’s exciting to see how they have grown and applied the leadership skills she has helped bring out in them.

She also has personally become more active in advocacy for more persons of color in professions such as teaching. This representation can help more students overcome the things that are holding them back as students. “I can’t tell you the last time I saw a teacher of color as a speaker or panel member at a teacher conference.” She wants to change that.

Representing the small, unique, rural, diverse community of Onamia has been an enlightening experience for Sarah and for teachers she meets from other commu nities. The educators she has learned from and now work with have shown her the ripple effect that teachers have on those who will be the leaders of the future, and she knows that it’s important to share that message.

“I am so proud of who Sarah has become,” Walz said.  “To see her get the recognition that she deserves (but does not necessarily want) makes me feel incredible inside – one example of what has made my 34 years of teaching a beautiful journey.”

97%

FOUND JOBS IN MINNESOTA

TOP EMPLOYERS

(Alphabetical order / 2020-2021)

» Anoka-Hennepin School District

» Athlos Academy of St. Cloud

» Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools

» Independent School District 728

» Intermediate District 287

» Osseo Area School District 279

» Rocori Public School District

» Saint Paul Public Schools

» Sauk Rapids-Rice Public Schools

» St. Cloud Area School District 742

» St. Michael-Albertville Schools

IT’S TIM… IN ACTION

STUDENTS ACADEMIC MAJOR + THEIR PASSION

St. Cloud State is dedicated to offering individualized student support that meets students where they are and engages them in achieving their personal and professional aspirations through the It’s Time initiative.

Jefferson

has ability, grit, and determination.

PROFESSOR MATT VORELL, REFERRING TO ONE OF HIS MENTEES

Jefferson Carson meets with his mentor, Dr. Matt Vorell

Photos by Mitchell Hansen ’17

SHOWING THE WORLD WHAT HUSKI…S CAN DO.

At the end of his freshman year, Jefferson Carson had some tough decisions to make if he wanted to re main a student. He’d come to St. Cloud State as an athlete but was later cut from his team. Without his role as an athlete, Carson felt disconnected from campus life. But all that was about to change.

“It was just about sports that first year,” Carson said. “I ended the year with a 1.1 grade point av erage. But I chose to stay, and I made the decision I had to do it right,” Carson said. That commitment led him to HuskiesAdvance, a part of SCSU’s individualized student success focus that he credits with revamping his educational path and connecting him with his mentor, Communication Studies Professor Matt Vorell.

Now, after two years of applying himself to his goals with the support of HuskiesAdvance, he has a 2.7 grade point average and is on his way to degrees in Communication Studies and Real Estate.

“Jefferson has ability, grit, and determination,” Vorell said. “He’s really an amazing young man.”

HuskiesAdvance is an initiative that in two years has involved 85 students from 39 majors connecting with 12 faculty and 13 staff mentors. “We have students and mentors across every discipline,” said Dr. Peggy Sarnicki, director of the program.

Nationwide nearly a quarter of all freshmen entering a four-year college will not return for a second year, and often students need more guidance in the very new environment of campus life to feel comfort able and confident returning. HuskiesAdvance is turning that around for many SCSU students.

Sarnicki explained how the program, which grew out of the It’s Time initiative for reimagining how St. Cloud State operates, works to support SCSU students in new ways: “Students work with a faculty or staff mentor to create a personalized plan to align their goals and interests with courses and other experi ences,” Sarnicki said.

“Through HuskiesAdvance, students are able to build their professional network, create a professional portfolio, and earn a digital credential,” she added. “By exploring concepts in the classroom, engaging in projects and activities, and reflecting on how theory meets practice and life, students are able to show the world what they can do.”

“HuskiesAdvance is built on the best of what St. Cloud State University already offers: outstanding courses, an array of co-curricular experiences, student-centered faculty and staff, and a commitment to helping students receive individualized student support towards their personal and professional goals,”

Vorell’s mentees, like Carson, are part of the Leadership track. Since he teaches classes in teams and innovation, leadership and contemporary communications, “It made it a no-brainer to me to contribute in this way.” He likens the experience in part to that of an apprenticeship, where trust, credibility, and transparency are shared along with ideas and points of view as apprentices/mentees develop knowledge and move toward readiness to succeed on their own.

LEARN MORE

THE SIX HUSKIESADVANC… TRACKS

SOCIAL JUSTICE

“I remember the first time Jefferson shared his perspective on life as a young man of color,” said Vorell, who was the first faculty member to sign up to mentor students who entered the HuskiesAdvance program in 2020. “He told me he had felt becoming an athlete or hip hop artist or joining a gang were his choices.” It was the beginning of many conversations that have led to good discussions, cultural under standing, and trust between the two.

MENTORS ENHANCE LEARNING

“Day one he was there for me,” Carson said. “He teaches me things my mom and dad couldn’t teach me. My parents are amazing – my dad’s an accountant – but some things they don’t know. As I go on in my education, I see the onion peel and peel.”

ENTREPRENEURSHIP

“Dr. Vorell was a fantastic mentor,” said Jharef Hazir Tecsihua Tamariz, who was a mentee in the first year HuskiesAdvance was offered. After graduating in May 2022 with a bachelor of science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology: Biotechnology, Tamariz went on to be a research asso ciate at Bio-Techne at the company’s Minneapolis location.

“He was focused on listening to my ideas, asking thought-provoking questions, and reflecting on my answers,” Tamariz said of his relationship with Vorell. “His casual yet motivational and supportive style helped me gain a richer understanding of myself, which allowed me to articulate the value of my leadership experiences and skills more easily throughout my job search process after graduation.

“I was interested in the leadership track because I wanted to grow as a leader for the organizations I was involved in, so I sent HuskiesAdvance an email and scheduled an appointment,” he said. “It went amazing! The activities we chose to complete the program requirements, including a man agement class, and informational interview with the VP of R&D at a biotechnology company, and a book on management in the sciences, equipped me with both theoretical and experiential knowledge

allows me to better understand and con tribute to the group dynamics of my team,” Tamirez said. “While my current role is not leadership focused, my participation in the HuskiesAdvance program has left a mark of understanding and empowerment that continues to fuel my growth as a leader.”

Student Kat Hinkley is another of Vorell’s mentees. “In a year, I’ve already completed two of my experiences, and I already have the other two lined up for fall and spring semester,” Hinkley said. “For my prior experience I used the Mural Project from Anoka Ramsey Community College. This summer I attended a lead ership class by LeadMN for my “outside the University” experience. Next semester I will be taking my first ED class (that I would have already been taking for my Art Ed major), Teaching in Middle School and High School (ED 300), and this will count towards the program (with a double major course load, it’s great that I don’t need to take an extra class for HuskiesAdvance). My last experience will be my Future Educators Club presidency.

“I love having Dr. Vorell as a mentor,” Hinkley said. “He’s like a mix between a friend and parent. I didn’t know him when I signed up, and I didn’t understand how valuable a mentor was. Having social anx iety, I’m so proud of what I’ve achieved so far. I’m becoming a better leader in school, work, and everyday life. Leadership is so flexible that the skills you learn from it can be used in so many situations and careers. I know, in my future of becoming an art teacher, these skills will help me in the classroom.”

BUILDING CONNECTIONS

Many other students have benefited from mentoring relationships in the field of nursing, where Dr. Roxanne Wilson has embedded HuskiesAdvance into aspects of education in nursing professions. Mentors in the nursing program have connected with specialty mentors in areas such as gerontology, and students have led special projects on such critical current issues as immigration.

Professor Dr. Mitch Bender in Environmental Studies got involved in

HuskiesAdvance in fall of 2021. He points out that most professors at St. Cloud State have done mentoring on some level, “But this is another way, a formal, organized form of mentoring that is very rewarding,”

Through HuskiesAdvance Bender has mentored eight students involved in his classes who have chosen the Environmental Sustainability track. “I try to leave the door to my office open, and sometimes they pop in as they’re walking by,” he said. “A lot of discussions revolve around career paths. And some just want to shoot the breeze, and that’s okay.”

Some students want more involvement than others who may have other courses, lab assistantships, internships, or jobs and family that take up much of their time, Bender said. “The beauty of the program is that it’s not prescriptive.”

Being involved in HuskiesAdvance gives students a better sense of belonging,” Bender said. “I can’t remember any men tees dropping out. That connection you get helps build a strong foundation.”

“This is a very new environment for them.” Sarnicki said of students entering campus life. “We encourage them to look at the entire student experience – academ ics and activities. HuskiesAdvance is the university’s way to help identify and support students where they are to where they want to be. It sounds corny but I think we’re actually doing that – living into that promise.”

SCSU alumni and friends have opportunities to support HuskiesAdvance through giving back. One generous donor provided funding so that all HuskiesAdvance students can receive up to $250 in professional development funds to support one of their experiences. Students have used their funding to attend a conference, do research, obtain books to expand their learning in their track, or join professional organizations related to their track.

The program also has an SCSU Foundation account which provides financial support for the extra learning experiences that expand beyond our university budget. Anyone can make contributions to this fund through the Foundation office.

SCSU Foundation foundation@stcloudstate.edu 320-308-3984 866-464-8759 stcloudstate.edu/foundation

Dr. Matt Vorell and his mentee Jefferson Carson

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your milestones, experiences, changes or recent additions to your family. Visit stcloudstate.edu/alumni/update to update your profile.

’50s

’54 CLIFFORD DAVIDSON , Kalamazoo, Michigan, published his last and final book, “John Lydgate, the Dance of Death, and its Model, the French Danse Macabre,” published by Brill.

’60s

’67 DENNIS ROISUM , Glencoe, is president of Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. / ’69 ’72 JUDY (WEAVER) KIRBY, Reno, Nevada, English educator, retired after 42 years of teaching. / ’69 ’75 VALERIE (CHELGREN) ROGOSHESKE , Stevens Point, Wisconsin, returned to Boston Marathon after 50 years of women’s eligibility.

’70s

’72 LLOYD URBAN , Grove City, retired in July 2021 after working 35 years for the U.S. Postal Service. / ’74 LINDA (SMITH) JONES , Boise, Idaho, created writing of Phonetic Reading with Silent Elephant “e”, A phonetic reading program for all learners of any age, particularly dyslexic or struggling readers. / ’76 LORETTA SIMONET, Minneapolis, earned a Creative Support for Individuals Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. In the coming year her folk singer-songwriter duo, “Curtis & Loretta,” will record a CD of original songs inspired by the pandemic and give three CD release concerts. / ’78 DONALD SETTER , Moorhead, retired after 50 years at D-S Beverages Inc.

’80s

’83 ’98 GLENN MILLER , Hunt Valley, Maryland, joined Demand Bridge in January as President, Distributor Management Solutions. / ’84 LAURA (LIND) BLOOMBERG , Minneapolis, will take over as Cleveland State University’s eighth president. / ’85 ’88 JOSEPH ARVIDSON , Minneapolis, produces and

hosts “The Criminologist” podcast. / ’86 DOUGLAS MAINE , Owatonna, is retiring after 36 years of teaching, including 22 years at Owatonna High School. / ’88 CASEY STEELE , Cheyenne, Wyoming, is retiring from his coaching positions at Cheyenne South High School.

’90s

’93 ’09 TONY HASTINGS , Worthington, is principal at Worthington High School. / ’95 STEVEN DEITZ , Alexandria, is retiring after 35 years as the vocal music director at Alexandria Area High School. / ’95 MICHELLE (KOUBA) HALLBECK , Princeton, celebrating 25 years teaching in the Princeton School District. / ’96 MICHAEL BRAATEN , Denver, Colorado, promoted to deputy executive director of the Department of General Services at the city and county of Denver. / ’96 SCOTT BIERSCHEID , Sartell, earned the 2022 Fred Zamberletti Award, presented by the Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation. / ’96 HEDWIDGE (BRUYNS) TRIPP, St. Cloud, earned the 2022 City of St. Cloud, Legacy Award and the 2022 Juneteenth “Pillar in our Community” Award. / ’98 WADE KLINE , Fargo, North Dakota, is leading KLJ Engineering’s newly created Public Engagement Team. / ’98 MARK RADE , Minneapolis, daughter, Saskia, 6/2/2020. / ’98 KELLACE MCDANIEL , Minneapolis, is police chief in Brooklyn Center.

’00s

’03 AKASH SEN , Hoboken, New Jersey, is EVP, Chief People Officer at Guided by Good. / ’04 JASON HOLT, Mound, is a 2021 Ameriprise Exceptional Client Service Award winner. / ’04 JASON MILLER , Sauk Rapids, is the 2022 President of the Minnesota Realtors. / ’04 ’05 ’10 MELANIE (ANDERSON) OLSON , Monticello, is one of 10 national recipients of the 2022 Computer Science

CLASS NOTES KEY:

Births and adoptions

Marriages and commitments Unless otherwise noted, cities are in Minnesota

Teachers Association (CSTA)/Infosys Foundation USA CS Teaching Excellence award. Olson is the first Minnesota educator to receive this award. / ’05 LISA (TIMMER) BJERGA , Motley, is president and CEO of Lakewood Health System in Staples. / ’06 MICHELLE (DEIKE) SCHUTT, Laramie, Wyoming, is president of Greenfield Community College in Massachusetts. / ’07 ’11 NATHAN MCQUINN , Mobile, Alabama, is director of Residence Life and Community Standards at Spring Hill College. / ’07 KAYLA TODNEM , Peoria, Arizona, daughter, Lilyana Marie, 12/6/2021. / ’08 ’10 TYLER LILIENTHAL and Lisa (Kutzorik) Lilienthal, Waconia, 7/18/2015, daughter, Emilia Lynn, 11/15/2022. / ’08 ’11 JESSICA (GOETTE) ROSIER and Nicholas Rosier, Michigan City, Indiana, daughter, Miriam Joy, 9/4/2021. / ’10 AMY (LINDSTROM) PARKER , St. Paul, is nursing director, critical care services for Essentia Health-East Region. / ’10 CHRISTOPHER PAPE , Vermillion, South Dakota, is Little Rock’s new diving coach for the Trojan swimming and diving team. / ’10 ’13 PAULA (NISTLER) WOISCHKE , St. Cloud, is director at the St. Cloud Whitney Senior Center. / ’10 ’15 BRUCE THOMPSON , Sartell, is the new activities director at Sartell-St. Stephen School District. Thompson Previously served as the associate director of athletics for St. Cloud State.

’10s

’11 GARRETT RABOIN , New Brighton, is Augustana University’s first men’s head hockey coach. Raboin was an assistant coach for the University of Minnesota after spending six seasons as an assistant coach at St. Cloud State. / ’11 ’15 MAHMOUD ABDELFATTAH , Chicago, Illinois, is NBA G League Coach of the Year. / ’11 AMBER (BILLMEYER) BRUMBAUGH and Adam Brumbaugh, Chaska, son, Kayson, 9/23/2021. / ’11

KATELYNN (KRESSIN) BORGEN and Grant Borgen, Rochester, 8/28/2021. / ’12 KELSEY KRUCKER , Santa Clara, California, is an interactive producer at Apple. / ’12 NATHAN ZACHARIAS , St. Paul, is working for the Association of Minnesota Counties. / ’13 SARAH (SHIVERS) LANCASTER , Onamia, a Filipino American, is the first Asian/Pacific Islander educator to be named Minnesota Teacher of the Year. / ’13 SAGAR BHATTARAI and Sumana Serchan, Nashua, New Hampshire, 10/20/2014, daughter, Oshin, 8/2/2019. / ’13 TIFFANY (WELLS) MATLOCK and Christopher Matlock, Northfield, 5/7/2022. / ’14 BRITTANY KRIPPNER , Paynesville, opened a private practice, Safe Haven Counseling and Wellness, to provide mental health counseling to adults in Minnesota. / ’15 NICOLAS OLIVER , Sartell, is head coach of the Fargo Force. / ’15 RACHEL (KOLLING) WEIDEMAN and Mitchel

Weideman, St. Augustine, Florida, son, Micah, 12/23/2020. / ’15 ’17 REBEKAH (MIX) KANABLE and ’15 ALEX KANABLE , Annandale, son, Lukas, 4/1/2022. / ’15 ’19 SARAH (WOLTER) DAVIS and Alexander Davis, Ramsey 6/1/2019. / ’15 ’17 ARYAL SUMEDHA and Saminda Siriwardena, East Windsor, New Jersey, 10/11/2019. / ’17 ABBY BUNNELL , Elkins Park, Pennsylvania, is an optometrist at Chu Vision Institute. / ’17 ROBERT DANIELS , Stafford Springs, Connecticut, is a senior development engineer at Rogers Corporation. / ’18 TAMARAH JO FRANK , Boulder, Colorado, is a residence hall director at the University of Colorado, Boulder. / ’18 JESSICA WADE , St. Cloud, was promoted to Homepage Manager at IGN.com, Wade also manages the editorial design team, copy edit and plan promotion of content, and leads the science vertical. / ’19 AUSTIN SCHINDLER , Avon, joined News 9 as a reporter.

’20s

’20 ’21 JAMIE BIRD , Barnum, graduated into the Minnesota State Patrol. / ’22 SAM GOETZINGER , New Prague, was recognized as one of the most outstanding collegiate radio and TV sports broadcasters in the nation.

Identical twins Jamie Bird ’20 ’21 and Jessica Bird ’20 ’21 graduated together into the Minnesota State Patrol. They are the first set of identical twins to serve in the state patrol and are assigned to the station in Montevideo.

ST. CLOUD STATE ALUMNI

help power the state economy. 103,499 alumni over a 40-year span will contribute nearly $61.2 billion to Minnesota’s economy.

Surkhel Yousafzai ’21 earned the prestigious Falcon and Fellow Awards while serving as a Dubai Business Associate in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

NORWEGIAN ALUMNI ENDOW PROFESSIONAL SELLING INSTITUTE WITH $1 MILLION

GIFT

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

The establishment of The Per Rasmussen ’86 and Nina Skage ’86 Professional Selling Institute is a distinctive component of the It’s Time leadership focus, and a driving factor in helping establish the Herberger Business School as a nationally recognized leader in business-to-business sales education. The gift accelerates and ele vates St. Cloud State as a leader in Minnesota, the Midwest, and across the nation in academic programming and scholarship.

Dr. Denny Bristow, a Herberger Business School professor, credited Rasmussen’s and Skage’s early financial and foundational support of the professional selling specialization program as critical components of the program’s success. He said the couple’s gift to endow the Professional Selling Institute is a “game changer,” as it will help the program take the next steps toward legitimacy in the academic and business world, as well as regional and national rec ognition as a leading business-to-business sales program.

The Per Rasmussen ’86 and Nina Skage ’86 Professional Selling Institute will fund additional professional selling scholarships for students as well as externships and research for faculty, and it will fund program events such as sales competitions and keynote speak er events. The endowment will attract and retain top faculty in the professional selling arena, in addition to recruiting students to the selling program. It will provide state-of-the-art learning facilities and technology for students across the University, regardless of ma

jor. That technology will enable the University to work with strategic partners in the business community to develop sales training opportunities for professionals across the region.

“Now and into the future, the Herberger Business School and The Per Rasmussen ’86 and Nina Skage ’86 Professional Selling Institute will lead the way in business-to-business sales education,” Bristow said.

“The generosity of this gift to St. Cloud State is something special and different,” said Lynne Warne ’85, President of the St. Cloud State Foundation Board and a friend of the couple. “It speaks to the commitment they have to student success — and their desire to give back to the University that helped form their business acumen.”

The endowment for The Professional Selling Institute will en hance opportunities for St. Cloud State to provide the hands-on, experiential learning environment that prepares lifelong learners and successful professionals in the highly competitive business and sales field.

“The Professional Selling Institute is an excellent example of a St. Cloud State program that prepares top-notch, hit-the-groundrunning professionals who have the skills and confidence to communicate, connect, and close in real-world sales opportunities,” said Dr. Robbyn Wacker, president of St. Cloud State. “As a university

PER RASMUSSEN ’86 AND NINA SKAGE ’86 OF NORWAY WERE ON HAND ON MAY 16 TO ANNOUNCE THE FIRST ENDOWED PROFESSIONAL SELLING INSTITUTE IN THE MINNESOTA STATE SYSTEM. THE ANNOUNCEMENT ALSO MARKS THE UNIVERSITY’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL $1 MILLION GIFT.

From left, President Robbyn Wacker, Nina Skage ’86, Per Rasmussen ’86 and Matt Andrew

we are gaining a well-deserved reputation for graduating pro fessionals with the credentials for virtually guaranteed place ment in their field, including sales.”

Both Rasmussen and Skage said the University gave them theoretical as well as practical experience — through the pa pers, presentations, speeches, and participation required of stu dents. Having actual sales experience when they graduate helps students become desired job candidates in an ever-competitive field, they said.

“As someone who has a business,” Rasmussen said, “I think it’s fantastic when employees already have sales experience when they start their careers.”

“Being a good sales person is a talent,” Skage added.

The couple said it was St. Cloud State’s reputation as well as their own experiences at the University that makes them continued supporters of their alma mater.

“We’ve had very good careers since moving home to Norway,” Skage said. “When you grow older you think, ‘Why did this happen?’ And then you can transfer some of the learn ing you got at St. Cloud State that has paid off.”

“What we learned at St. Cloud State, when we came home, we were more competitive thanks to what we had learned,” Rasmussen said. “And we went through 30 years ago, and students today get an even better education than we did. … There’s always been progress.”

“The impact of your gift will be felt for generations, as students enjoy a truly transformational experience at St. Cloud State and the Herberger Business School as a result of what your gift has created,” said Matt Andrew, then Vice President of University Advancement.

The couple’s gift to the University arrived during the St. Cloud State Foundation’s “Unleash the Future” campaign, which to date has raised $37 million — 15 percent more than its initial goal. For more about the campaign, visit unleashthefuture.stcloudstate.edu.

Nina Skage and Per Rasmussen are congratulated by Denny Bristow, far right, a Herberberger Business School professor

THE SCSU ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

offers services and fun discounts to members of our alumni community.

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ALUMNI WE REMEMBER

’30s

’36 ELOISE (LARSON) PHILLIPS , 104, Waite Park

’40s

’40 BEATRICE (CARRY) ASHBY, 94, Forest Lake / ’43 SHIRLEY (FJELDHEIM) ZAKARIASEN , 99, Cambridge / ’43 PATRICIA (MECKLENBURG) ZENNER , 98, Sauk Rapids / ’44 JUNE (TANGEN) CLINTON , 98, St. Paul / ’47 LOIS (JOHNSON) ANDERSON , 94, Lilydale / ’47 DOROTHY (SOHLIN) BAKER , 94, Fergus Falls / ’47 MARION (KOHNEN) BLUHM , 96, Fergus Falls / ’47 BERNICE (LAUERMANN) SCHWEGEL , 94, St. Cloud / ’48 SARAH (HALL) HEPOLA , 93, Menahga / ’49 COLLEEN (JENKINS) SPADACCINI , 94, Eagan / ’49 RICHARD JOHNSON , 94, Minneapolis / ’49 FLORENCE (LAUTIZI) MARTURANO , 92, Chisholm

’50s

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’50 LEONARD BAUMAN , 97, Duluth / ’50 ’73 TECKLA (KLOKOCK) SYMANIETZ , 96, Foley / ’50 RICHARD MARBERG , 93, Great Falls, Montana / ’50 VIRGINIA (PULLEN) SURPRENANT, 91, Tracy / ’50 ’64 LOIS (KIELTY) FRERICH , 91, Batavia, Illinois / ’50 ’65 Charles Basch, 96, St. Cloud / ’50 ’59 VIVIAN LIGHTFOOT, 96, Las Vegas, Nevada / ’51 CHARMAINE (BROSE) HARTMANN , 86, Osakis / ’51 LAURI SULANDER , 94, Fort Myers, Florida / ’51 ERNA (HINZ) DEBLOIS , 90, Annandale / ’51 DOROTHY (BRANDT) LINDEMAN , 94, Gold Canyon, Arizona / ’51 HARVEY MAKI , 92, Virginia / ’51 ARTHUR BIALKA , 93, Sauk Rapids / ’52 LORRAINE (IVERSON) NOMELAND , 88, Osakis / ’52 LLOYD OLSON , 92, Palmer, Alaska / ’52 ’53 CAROLYN (PIETZ) ITTEL , 89, Buffalo / ’53 ’74 MARY (HAEN) RASKE , 88, Apple Valley / ’53 CLAIR HABERMAN , 90, St. Paul / ’53 RAYMOND PECHEK , 90, Buffalo / ’53 RUSSELL SCHUMACHER , 92, West Linn, Oregon / ’53 ’69 IRMA (SMITH) KELLEY, 88, Long Lake / ’53 ’72 RAYMOND KLOOS , 87, Amarillo, Texas / ’54 ELAINE (MARSHIK) FEICHTINGER , 92, Willmar / ’54 ’73 MONNA (CROWE) LENTNER , 87, Milaca / ’55 JANE (ARENDT) WICKLUND , 87, St. Paul / ’55 VIOLA (KANTOLA) GUTKNECHT, 87, South Haven / ’55 JEAN (VONRUEDEN) BRAMER , 85, Hinckley / ’55 Noel Paetznick, 89, Willmar / ’55 THOMAS PROUT, 93, Sioux City, Iowa / ’55 ’59 ZONA (UPTON) STEELMAN , 89, Minnetonka / ’56 BRUCE MELENICH , 87, Mound / ’56 DEAN COLEMAN , 91, Fridley / ’56 OWEN ERSTAD , 91, Edina / ’57 JAMES SWETTE , 92, Albany, Georgia / ’58 ROGER CERSINE , 86, Edina / ’58 DENNIS JANCIK , 85, Clive, Iowa / ’58 KENNETH JOHNSON , 91, Monticello / ’58 JOYCE (BATES) SCHULTENOVER , 85, Victoria / ’58 JAMES NETLAND , 90, Hopkins / ’59 MARY (DOLAN) BUELTEL , 87, La Crosse, Wisconsin / ’59 GLENN CLEVELAND , 87, Burnsville / ’59 LOLA (NELSON) VEDDERS , 83, Hopkins

’60s

’60 ARLENE (NESHEIM) AUNE , 83, Burnsville / ’60 RICHARD HANSON , 88, St. Paul / ’60 GORDON KOLLING , 84, Saddlebrooke, Arizona / ’60 HAROLD REED , 83, Lafayette, California / ’60 EDWARD SEIFERT, 86, Rogers / ’60 DONN LORENZ , 92, Benson / ’60 JOHN MATHEWS , 85, Brainerd / ’60

MARLENE (KIBBEY) KATALINICH , 88, Hibbing / ’61

CORINNE (LARSO) FERGUSON , 94, Willmar / ’61

RONALD GRAY, 89, Deerwood / ’61 JUDITH (HAPP) DEHRER , 77, Inver Grove Heights / ’61 WAYNE REICH , 85, Rochester / ’61 DORIS (FEUCHTENBER) GAUSMAN , 82, Morris / ’61 KARMEN (KRUGER) KAHL , 82, New Hope / ’62 KAREN (STUTEBECK) NILES , 81, Pompano Beach, Florida / ’62 DANIEL BORRELL , 82, Scottsdale, Arizona / ’62 LARRY BEBLER , 82, Eden Prairie / ’62 VONNIE (WHITTEN) FARRA , 88, Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania / ’62 ADELAIDE BULLOCK , 91, Minneapolis / ’63 WAYNE ESSELMAN , 80, St. Cloud / ’63 ’67 JANICE (LUND) TESKE , 71, Shakopee / ’63 RAYMOND RIVARD , 81, Shafer / ’63 JOHN ARCHAMBO , 90, Pequot Lakes / ’63 VIOLET (PEARSON) GUSTAFSON , 101, Granite Falls / ’63 JAMES METCALF, 83, St. Cloud / ’63 ’56 VIVIAN (AANERUD) STEIN , 85, Alamo, California / ’63 ’67 DALLAS SURSELY, 84, St. Paul / ’64 BERNETTE HELLING , 88, Minneapolis / ’64 ELOISE (PENNERTZ) FARWICK , 54, Buffalo / ’64

JUDITH (BAIRD) BORGERDING , 79, St. Cloud / ’64 LAVERNE LARSON , 81, Waterville / ’64 BRADLEY RISTAMAKI , 81, Maple Grove / ’64 ROBERT ANNEN , 84, Alexandria / ’64 MARION (BRANDT) WEISMANN , 78, Anchorage, Alaska / ’64 ’65 DEAN BRAUN , 79, Brooklyn Park / ’65 HAROLD HANSON , 80, Minnetonka / ’65 ’67 ROBERT WELTON , 78, Hereford, Arizona / ’65 ’73 EDWARD SNYDER , 79, St. Paul / ’65 LAVON (GILBERTSON) SYRING , 75, Coon Rapids / ’66 GERALD HERMAN, 78, Anoka / ’66 MYRA BRENDEN , 101, Detroit Lakes / ’66 MARLENE (HAMMER) HORN , 90, Duluth / ’67 RICHARD ILLIES , 78, Phoenix, Arizona / ’67 JANICE (HENDERSON) ZWALD , 76, Georgetown, Indiana / ’67 NANCY (MAUS) JOHANSON , 76, Osakis / ’67

MICHAEL MACKNER , 79, Marine on St. Croix / ’67 ’77 THOMAS GAMBRINO , 85, St. Cloud / ’67 FREDRICK OELRICH , 76, Eagan / ’67 GALE TORSTENSON , 84, Dawson / ’67 JOHN HAGBERG , 78, Minneapolis / ’67 MARK OSTROM , 77, Lindstrom / ’67 ANTONE RUDE , 87, Monticello / ’67 ’71 FRANCIS BENNETT, 80, Fridley / ’67 ’80 GERALD KIND , 78, Minneapolis / ’68 BARBARA (SOBIECK) GROSSMAN , 76, Moorhead / ’68 THOMAS HEANEY, 76, St. Paul / ’68 BRUCE HEIN , 79, Minneapolis / ’68 THOMAS LEONARD , 76, Minneapolis / ’68 LEROY MARTINSON , 80, Minneapolis / ’68 MARY MOLKENBUR , 75, St. Paul / ’68 THOMAS RAU , 81, Olivia / ’68 LINDA (BECCHETTI) MASCHKA , 76, Austin / ’68 LYLE MCFARLING , 84, Mankato / ’69 DENNIS STEFAN , 76, Remer / ’69 GEORGE LUECKE , 75, Butte, Montana / ’69 RONALD PYKA , 75, Spicer / ’69 GARY CONDON , 82, Nampa Idaho / ’69 FRANCIS ROBERTSON , 88, Glenwood / ’69 Orville Wolf, 89, Sacred Heart / ’69 Bernard Schumacher, 78, Warba

’70s

’70 KATHRYN (SUBBERT) GERAGHTY, 73, Pinellas Park, Florida / ’70 ’76 EDDIE PETERSON , 77, Elk River / ’70 DALE HENDRICKSON , 74, St. Cloud / ’70 DANIEL JOHNSON , 79, Fredrick, Maryland / ’70 DANTON MYHRE , 77, St. Paul / ’70 HENRY NISHIMOTO , 78, Fresno, California / ’70 ROGER HARMON , 73, Minnetonka / ’70 SARA (METZINGER) JOHNSON , 73, Winnebago / ’70 JAMES MOESENTHIN , 74, Virginia / ’70 JAMES NATHE , 75, Foley / ’70 ’76 EDDIE PETERSON , 77, Elk River / ’70 GENE ELVEHJEM , 79, Mora / ’70 ’81 PATRICIA JENSEN , 90, St. Cloud / ’71 DANIEL BROCKTON , 81, Longville / ’71 JAMES BABEL , 76, Glenwood / ’71 GARY KOERING , 72, Wittmann, Arizona / ’71 DOLORES (BRYAN) YOUNGREN , 96, Pennock / ’71 HARVEY KIENHOLZ , 86, Minneapolis / ’72 THOMAS KELLER , 71, St. Paul / ’72 BARBARA (GLASER) LEE , 72, Dassel / ’72 RICHARD THOMPSON , 71, Hutchinson / ’72 LEE WALBERG , 71, St. Cloud / ’72 ‘86 RONALD HUNT, 74, Anoka / ’72 DAVIS KOFFRON , 77, Sauk Centre / ’72 MICHAEL KENNEDY, 74,

Fountain Hills, Arizona / ’72 NANCY JANOUSEK , 75, Hutchinson / ’73 CHARLOTTE (BODLE) FRINK , 85, Brainerd / ’73 MARVIN MILLER , 72, St. Cloud / ’73 Wayne Marquardt, 74, Owatonna / ’73 Marie (Frederichs) Gary, 71, Bagley / ’73 JEANETTE (MARSHIK) JANSON , 95, Pierz / ’73 COLLEEN (GALLAGHER) LEEMON , 70, Forest Lake / ’73 RICHARD MUSTONEN , 78, West Linn, Oregon / ’74 ’81 ’91 NANCY (ESTREM) FULLER , 69, Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin / ’74 LINDA GUSTAFSON , 78, Hibbing / ’74 ROY TOIVONEN , 76, Grand Rapids / ’74 RUTH (HAGEN) FONSTAD , 69, Buda, Texas / ’74 DAVID HACKENMUELLER , 70, Plymouth / ’74 SIGRID (NELSON) JOHNSON , 70, Northfield / ’74 JILL (GRAUE) WOTZKA , 69, Willmar / ’75 DAVID HERZAN , 68, St. Cloud / ’75 ROBERT RODELIUS , 68, Willmar / ’75 ’77 JAMES BESTICK , 74, St. Cloud / ’75 RITA (KENNEDY) STALOCH , 97, Buffalo / ’76 ’81 BERNIE (WARNEKE) SILVERS , 83, St. Cloud / ’76 THOMAS JOST, 72, Seattle, Washington / ’76 CARL NEVILS , 77, Little Elm, Texas / ’76 FERN SWENSON , 67, Bismarck, North Dakota / ’77 TIMOTHY SAHLSTROM , 67, St. Cloud / ’78 JANELL (BENJAMIN) BIRCH , 65, Fergus Falls / ’78 ’10 THOMAS SCHULTZ , 61, Minneapolis / ’78 ’98 LEE (MEDECK) KUNKEL , 67, Clearwater / ’78 RONALD KLEVEN , 86, Springfield / ’79 THOMAS KAMISKE , 67, Brooklyn Center / ’79 MILDRED NELSON , 72, St. Cloud / ’79 DELROY BICHLER , 74, Arlington, Tennesee / ’79 BETTY (ROMINSKI) GOTTSACKER , 64, Lakeville

’80s

’80 CARMEN (MOONEY) PRINE , 64, Katy, Texas / ’80 JEFFREY SUPALO , 64, West Hollywood, California / ’80 JOHN DEWEY, 69, Elizabethton, Tennessee / ’80 BRIAN WAGNER , 66, Alexandria / ’81 ELAINE (WARZECHA) CORRIGAN , 87, Foley / ’81 MARIO DEMATTEIS , 86, St. Michael / ’81 JAMES Sisk, 67, St. Cloud / ’81 LEORA (DURHAM) TAYLOR , 72, Topeka, Kansas / ’82 SCOTT DALLMAN , 63, Cokato / ’82 THOMAS EGGERT, 61, Woodbury / ’82 SHEILA (SHERMAN) SWENSON , 81, Minneapolis / ’83 MARY GUGGENBERGER , 62, South Haven / ’83 CAROL (QUAM) HASS , 79, Milaca / ’83 MARK HINTZEN , 63, Sauk Centre / ’83 BETTY (SUNDET) JOHNSON , 61, Spring Grove / ’83 JEAN (COOK) MANSK , 93, Hamilton, Montana / ’84 DEBRA (MOCK) BECKER , 59, Browerville / ’84 CONNEE THEISEN , 68, St. Cloud / ’84 JOHN MILLER , 62, Excelsior / ’85 RONALD STRAIN , 63, Savage / ’86 DANIEL BOLIN , 62, Kingshill, Virgin Islands / ’87 THOMAS MCMORROW, 59, Eagan / ’87 ’89 THOMAS STRATING , 66, St. Cloud / ’87 JOYCE (SCHNOOR) MCDONALD , 73, Randall / ’87 KENNETH KAHLE , 61, Cedar / ’87 LAURA (BAZZETT) JORDAN , 57, Plymouth / ’88 ROGER GRAMMOND , 77, Madison / ’88 GEORGE BELDEN , 61, St. Cloud / ’88 PATRICK LUND , 58, Byron / ’88 CAROLINE (ASWEGAN) NELSON , 87, Sauk Rapids / ’88 BARBARA (BYORUM) SMITH , 73, Brainerd / ’89 DAVID BISSONNETTE , 67, Minneapolis / ’89 MARIAN JACOBSON , 80, St. Paul / ’89 JEFFREY LAFONTAINE , 65, Blaine / ’89 BRIAN O’MALLEY, 60, Sauk Rapids / ’89 ARLENE (LARSON) WANKE , 87, Montevideo

’90s

’90 JAMES MOLKENTHIN , 80, Burtrum / ’91 JEFF LIND , 55, Buffalo / ’91 GREGORY KES , 54, Savage / ’92 EDGAR SHANNON , 70, Avon / ’92 PHYLLIS (NELSON) FABRO , 68, Little Falls / ’92 DAVID SAUNDERS , 56, West St. Paul / ’94 JOHN FRUTH , 62, St. Cloud / ’94 LOUSINDA (BRAASTAD) TATLEY, 51, Anoka / ’94 NATHALIE JOHNSON , 58, Minneapolis / ’94 TERRANCE CALLINAN , 52, Cottage Grove / ’94 RHONDA (SPRINGER) HOEPER , 65, Granite Falls / ’96 DONNA (FERRIS) HOLMES , 64, Foley / ’98 JAMISON LUNDBERG , 47, Zimmerman / ’98 TODD MASTEY, 46, Sauk Rapids / ’98 GERALD PACHAN , 57, Avon / ’99 TESSA JERGENSON , 47, St. Cloud

’00s

’00 KEVIN LEYK , 47, Mount Juliet, Tennessee / ’00 KIM WHITEHEAD , 44, Burnsville / ’01 FRANZISKA PELIKAN , 70, Pierz / ’01 AMANDA (STANLEY) RIDOUT, 43, Milwaukee, Wisconsin / ’01 ERIC SANDQUIST, 46, Elko / ’02 ANGELA ANDERSON , 43, St. Paul / ’03 DAVID HAUGAN , 63, Brookings, South Dakota / ’04 KRISTOFFER NORDBY, 40, St. Paul / ’04 MICHAEL HESS , 44, Clearwater / ’05 JENNIFER DERNER , 41, Hopkins / ’06 MARC BLOOMQUIST, 48, Tenstrike / ’08 SANDRA (FUCHS) SEXTON , 75, Sartell

’10s

’11 JESSE BOYER , 37, St. Paul / ’11 COLLEEN GALLIGAN , 33, Eagan / ’13 ’19 CLARENCE WALKER , 40, St. Cloud / ’14 ISAAC MEIER , 32, St. Cloud / ’14 ERIC PECKSKAMP, 30, Sauk Rapids / ’18 ANDREW REID , 28, Clear Lake / ’19 JAMES ROGERS , 28, Winsted

’20s

’20 JOSHUA LINDSAY, 26, St. Cloud

FACULTY WE REMEMBER

ANNETTE BROWN , 62, St. Cloud / JOHN BRUNSBERG , 72, St. Cloud / THOMAS DOCKENDORFF, 84, St. Cloud

/ DONNA DONOVAN , 89, St. Cloud / HEIDI HAGSTROM , 66, Lafayette / DONALD HELGESON , 94, Sartell

/ JOAN HEMMER , 89, Colorado Springs, Colorado

/ JAMES ITEN , 83, St. Cloud / LUCILLE JOHNSON , 90, St. Cloud / LAURA KUNDRAT, 71, St. Cloud / RAYMOND MERRITT, 86, Rice / BILLY PASCHALL , 92, St. Cloud / ELEANOR PATTON , 104, Chandler, Arizona / BOYD PURDOM , 86, Minneapolis / GERALD ROEPKE , 80, New Germany / JAMES ROY, 87, Walker / RUTH ROY, 88, Walker / MARY RUNQUIST, 92, St. Cloud / ROBERT SEXTON , 77, Sartell / WILLIAM TRIPLETT, 87, St. Cloud / ILA VRANISH , 100, Santa Barbara, California / PHILIP WELTER , 84, Saint Joseph / HAROLD ZOSEL , 84, St. Cloud / MARY AMUNDSON , 79, St. Cloud / MARCIA CARLSON , 75, St. Cloud / RICHARD DENDINGER , 86, Sartell / MILDRED HEINEN , 93, St. Cloud / DORIS RAUSCH , 88, St. Cloud / HOWARD ROWLAND , 92, Sartell / HELEN DELZOPPO , 96, Sauk Rapids

GIVING UP WALL STREET

ALUMNUS STARTS COMPANY THAT GIVES BACK TO HIS HOMELAND

A ST. CLOUD STATE ALUMNUS HAS GIVEN THE COMMUNITY HE GREW UP WITH BETTER ACCESS TO HOUSING, EDUCATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE, ALL THROUGH HIS FAMILY’S TEA FARM.

BY COLLEEN HARRISON

Pratik Rijal ’19, co-founder and COO of Nepal Tea

Originally from Nepal, Pratik Rijal ’19 first came to the United States in 2014.

“St. Cloud was a different world for me, but at the same time … the experience in St. Cloud proved to be very defining for my personal and professional goals,” he said. “The Nepali community is huge out in St. Cloud, so I never felt homesick at all.”

Rijal finished his degree in Finance from St. Cloud State in 2018. He then moved to New York and worked on Wall Street for about three years before he felt it was time for a change.

“I was making a decent amount of money and there was great career growth, but at the same time, what I was missing was I didn’t see the real impact I was making,” Rijal said. “And that always bothered me.”

His uncle started Nepal Tea Collective in 2016 with Rijal becoming somewhat involved while he was still in school, but in 2021 Rijal took on the role of co-founder and COO of Nepal Tea. The business of tea has been in Rijal’s family longer than that, though. His grandfather started a tea garden on the family’s property around the Himalayas in Nepal in the 1980s, and Rijal’s uncle then continued the business and brought it to the United States. Four of his aunts are involved with the family tea garden in eastern Nepal as well.

“He (my grandfather) started the tea garden to elevate the community out of poverty as well as to empower the farm ers out there,” Rijal said. “Looking back at it now, 40 years later, what we have seen is this single plant has impacted the community so much that now there is proper transportation, electricity, and there’s infrastructure out in the community. So with the same mission, the same vision, we started Nepal Tea out in the U.S. in 2016.”

He said the supply chain in the tea industry is “so outdated and broken,” with producers making less than $2 a

day while middlemen make millions. Because of this, Nepal Tea takes a farmers-first approach. The company sources teas directly from farmers and then markets the tea in the U.S. Consumers buy their tea directly from the gardens, and by scanning the QR code on the back of the packaged tea, they can track exactly where the tea came from, see the faces of the farmers who helped harvest it and the date it was plucked, and learn about the entire process of the tea reaching their cup.

“Being transparent and customers being able to trace this is very important in this world right now,” Rijal said.

Building on his grandfather’s legacy, Rijal makes sure that Nepal Tea continues to give back to the community that makes its products possible.

“We are not just a typical tea retailer or wholesaler. We believe tea is a vehicle for social change,” he said. “All of our full-time farmers receive free housing accommodations. All of our full-time farmers’ kids receive scholarship opportunities.”

As of May 2022, Rijal said 2,400 children have passed through the company’s scholarship umbrella.

He credits his time at St. Cloud State with teaching him time management and how to work hard, and with helping him meet diverse individuals from different back grounds — all important skills that helped get him into Wall Street. Rijal said the Career Center at St. Cloud State helped him through mock inter views, building his resume, and helped him land a job with U.S. Bank while he was still in school. His professors and other mentors in St. Cloud — includ ing former Vice President of University Advancement Matt Andrew and his wife, Nancy — supported him and helped him along the way.

“The experience was just amazing in St. Cloud,” he said.

At St. Cloud State University, our students are more than a number.

WE MEASURE SUCCESS BY THE IMPACT OF

OUR HUSKY EXPERIENCE

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