Alumnews
Summer 2011
Alumnews is published two times per year by University Marketing, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead MN 56563
Editor Kristi Monson (monson@mnstate.edu)
Designer Derek Lien (liende@mnstate.edu)
MSUM Alumni Foundation Box 68 Minnesota State University Moorhead Moorhead, MN 56563
Phone (218) 477-2143 Toll-Free 1-877-270-2586
Fax (218) 477-2909 E-mail alumni@mnstate.edu
Web alumni.mnstate.edu
Vice President of Alumni Foundation Laura Huth (laura.huth@mnstate.edu)
Associate Vice President for Development Laurie Wigtil (wigtilla@mnstate.edu)
Director of Alumni Relations Gina Monson (monsong@mnstate.edu)
Director of Annual Giving/ External Relations Kim Bair (bairki@mnstate.edu)
Alumni Foundation Board of Directors President Darrell Rowe
President Elect Ev Quigley
Past President Jo Burdick
Treasurer John Bennett
Secretary Tod Ganje
Directors Mark Anderson Pam Wimmer Benedict Maureen Brownson Darlene Cobian Corey Elmer Lisa Erickson Lindsay Hartmann John Haugo Frank Leidenfrost Deb Magnuson Frank Mosier Rodney Paseka Arlette Preston Mark Reed Tomi Sawyer Jason Sjostrom Greg Staszko Mark Voxland
On the cover:
Dear MSUM Alumni, I’ve already learned a lot about what a great school MSU Moorhead is since my arrival in March—and I’ve barely scratched the surface! I am thankful to be part of a school with such a rich history. Next year MSUM will mark its 125th anniversary. When the school opened its doors, the city was off to the north. The giant elms and cottonwood trees that now canopy the mall were saplings. The first students were learning to be teachers in the country schools for the children of families who came in search of their piece of the American dream. We have a history rich in “self sacrifice, service and undying loyalty,” reflected in the motto on three donated stained glass windows honoring campus veterans of the First World War that hang above the library information desk. Times changed and so did the school. The Normal School became a teachers college, then a state college with additional programs and in 1975, a state university. We have about 50,000 alumni on our mailing list and several thousand on our email list. Most of them live in Minnesota and North Dakota, but you can find our graduates just about anywhere in the world. MSU Moorhead’s legacy of service is due to the remarkable people who came before and those who still serve. I was particularly struck by that when I reviewed our list of donors of planned gifts. Many of them are former or current faculty and staff and alumni. It’s touching when you realize that people whose hard work built this legacy decided to share even more to make a difference in the lives of coming generations. We’ve put together a Legacy Society to thank these visionary donors. Their gifts help bridge the widening gap between willing students and affordable education. They help the University to be more strategic in planning and more stable in our changing economy. They present an example to others who may have the interest and wherewithal to do the same. They demonstrate the power of philanthropy to do remarkable things. I invite you to become a member of our Legacy Society and to contact us with any questions. Thanks to all of our supporters. We value your sacrifice, service and loyalty. Gratefully, Laura Huth, Vice President, Alumni Foundation laura.huth@mnstate.edu PS: If you’d like to receive emails with news about the campus and coming events, visit our website at http://alumni.mnstate.edu/ and click on “contact us.”
Alumna Leigh Wilson-Mattson at Elephant Sanctuary outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand.
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Alumnews Summer 2011