SMSU Focus Magazine, Spring/Summer 2022 Edition

A magazine for alumni & friends of Southwest Minnesota State University

Spring/Summer 2022 Edition | Inside: Elizabeth “Betty” Lockwood

A Message from the SMSU President Dear Alumni and Friends, What a great spring it was to celebrate the accomplishments of our students, faculty, and staff. After two years where gatherings had to adapt to the challenges presented to us, this spring was a return to normalcy as we celebrated our Class of 2022 with a full house at commencement.

We were able to recognize and thank a number of retirees who dedicated their careers to SMSU and we acknowledged employees who reached milestone anniversaries in service to our students. Most importantly we honored students who showcased their talents at national competitions, competed at the highest level in their respective sports, and had their scholarly works recognized by their peers across the state and throughout the region.

As you’ll read in the following pages, our WorldFest celebration of people and cultures was a wonderful event this spring that were proud to present. In partnership with Visit Marshall and the City of Marshall, we were able to share some of the many cultures that are welcomed and celebrated across campus. There were cultures and customs shared that you may be familiar with and those we have no ideas about. It was exciting to see the community come out, share their support, and learn more about those who have come from all corners of the world to call SMSU home. I can’t wait to see the program grow even bigger next year.

We are excited to see what the next year holds for SMSU. Every new year brings renewed enthusiasm that everyone can get behind. With new faces and new ideas, we look forward to another class of Mustangs joining us to start their journey at SMSU. Thank you for all that you do to help contribute to our success.

Best wishes,

Kumara Jayasuriya

A magazine for alumni & friends of Southwest Minnesota State University

SPRING/SUMMER 2022 | VOL. 41, NO. 2

President Dr. Kumara Jayasuriya

TABLE OF CONTENTS 1

Betty Lockwood Legacy

2

Mindful Meals Project

3

WorldFest Celebration

4

Updates from Campus

7

Alumni Connections

8

Class Notes

Visit us online SMSU.edu and SMSUAlumni.com Follow the latest SMSU news at SMSU.edu/today For updates from athletics: SMSUMustangs.com

Vice President of Government Relations, Communications and Marketing Bill Mulso ’93 Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Outreach Stacy Frost ’93 Executive Director SMSU Foundation and Advancement Nathan Polfliet ’00/MS ’11 Focus Editor and Designer Marcy D. Olson ’93/MBA ’05 Senior Writer and Photographer Jim Tate Contributors Annika Freiburger ’21 Kelly Loft ’97/MS ’11 Peter Schreiber, SMSU Student Rebecca Wenisch MBA ’22 Special Thanks The Lockwood Family

Send correspondence and story ideas to: SMSU FOCUS, Communications & Marketing 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 Marcy.Olson@SMSU.edu or 507-537-7374 Volume 41, Issue 2. Published June 2022.

All cities and towns in Minnesota unless noted.

Year(s) after names reference degrees awarded by SMSU. Year of undergraduate degree listed first.

Year of advanced degree listed after MBA /MS. FOCUS (USPS 565-770) is published twice each year for alumni and friends of Southwest Minnesota State University by the Office of Communications & Marketing at SMSU. Opinions expressed in FOCUS do not necessarily reflect official University policy.

To make name/address corrections, call 507-5376266 or email alumni@SMSU.edu.

Feature stories may be reprinted with the written permission of SMSU. Other articles may be reprinted without permission only if credit is given to SMSU. This document can be made available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities. Request by calling 507-537-6255, 800-260-0970, or via the Minnesota Relay Service at 800-627-3529.

Southwest Minnesota State University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action educator and employer. ADA Accessible.

A member of the Minnesota State system.

At left, Betty coordinating one of the early Gala events.

Center, Betty bringing her energy to one of the events she enjoyed supporting. Above, Coach Glenn Mattke and Betty at one of the Foundation ‘Jail and Bail’ fundraising events.

Elizabeth “Betty” Lockwood Dedicated to Southwest

The late Elizabeth “Betty” Patterson Strom Lockwood, a Slayton, Minnesota native, led a life characterized by strength, drive, and unconditional love.

From her many jobs both at Southwest Minnesota State University and in the community, she made an impact on those organizations and the people around her. She is a 1967 Charter Class enrollee at what was then Southwest Minnesota State College, and a 1984 alumna who earned a degree in Business Administration and Management. While at SMSU, Lockwood was a co-founder of Care-A-Lot Daycare and was the Foundation Director from 1989-1995. She served under four presidents: Douglas Treadway, Interim Gary DeCramer, Oliver Ford, and Douglas Sweetland.

Betty was known for being an ambitious, passionate, and hardworking woman in all aspects of her life. She passed away on February 23, 2012.

She lost a long and courageous 20-year battle with cancer, after beating the disease on three separate occasions.

To honor her service to SMSU, the Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center was named in her honor. It is located just across East College Drive, in a building partially gifted to the University

by Pat McFarland.

“The Center will continue Betty’s legacy of hospitality and love of SMSU,” said Stacy Frost, Senior Director of Alumni Relations and Outreach. “The Lockwood family has been a recognized name in Marshall for years and the family has been generous in helping get the Center ready for opening,” she said. Lockwood Motors was founded in 1955.

The Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center “will be the front door to the University,” said Frost. Alumni gatherings, reunions, receptions, and meetings will be held in the building. “It’s for everyone, not just alumni,” said Frost. “People can come and get information, a campus map, and our goal would be to bring people over to campus, time permitting.”

Alumni and friends of SMSU will be volunteer hosts when it’s in operation, said Frost. “We have had a lot of interest in that. It will be a

very welcoming environment and a wonderful space for alumni, who have not had a dedicated space before.”

There is an endowed scholarship in Elizabeth Lockwood’s name through the SMSU Foundation. Bob Lockwood’s parents, Chester and Rena, also have a scholarship in their name through the Foundation.

“The Lockwood family has been so supportive over the years, and the Alumni Center is the latest example of that support,” said Frost.

When you talk about Betty Lockwood’s legacy with family members, some common qualities are mentioned: compassionate, ambitious, integrity, and encouraging. Betty was a wife and mother of three sons: Nick, Chet, and Matt. She was a woman of action, holding many jobs and positions throughout her life — president of the National Association of Women Business Owners; Prairie Home Hospice; advocate for Hope Harbor; active member in her Presbyterian church; and a leader in an ABC (After Breast Cancer) group. Her ex-husband, Robert “Bob” Lockwood, described her as someone who approached her many roles with diligence, and who had a deep commitment to SMSU, and Marshall. “Betty was the type of person who could not just stay at home. She always wanted to get out and support others. She was the type of person that wanted to help in everything she was involved with,” said Bob Lockwood.

Her youngest son, Nick, remembers being at Care-A-Lot daycare when he was younger. “I felt like I ran the place because I grew up there,” he said. He recalls his mother being deeply rooted in the community, with a sincere concern about the well-being of everyone around her.

“I remember once my brother [Matt] cut his finger, so we walked to the emergency room. I called my dad, but couldn’t reach him. I called my mom, who was in a Foundation meeting. Before she picked up, she said, ‘They better be bleeding,’” he said with a chuckle.

“The University and the city of Marshall have a symbiotic relationship, both benefiting from each other,” said Nick Lockwood. “SMSU means a lot to my family, and we are blessed to be involved with a great institution that has such a great relationship with the city.”

Chet Lockwood remembers back in the early days of the Foundation, continued on next page

FOCUS | 1

On the left, Betty pictured with her family upon her graduation in 1984: Bob, Betty, Nick, Chet, and Matt.

On the right, the building that now bears her name—The Elizabeth Lockwood SMSU Alumni and Visitor Center.

and its annual telethon to raise funds. “She would bring my brothers and me to the call center to get donations. We would compete, vying to see who could get the most donations.”

Hope Harbor is one of the many organizations Betty helped during her life, and one that was near and dear to her heart. Hope Harbor is a Christian non-profit organization focused on serving teens and restoring relations between their family members. Betty worked closely with Claudia Stenson, one of the founders of Hope Harbor.

“Betty had a strong compassion for promoting women and showing that they were extremely capable of doing anything. She loved her family and friends and everyone she encountered. I am so blessed to have known her and been her friend,” said Stenson. She remembers

Betty being a great mentor, motivator, encourager, “and a whole lot of fun!”

Betty was ever the optimist and battled her cancer with a positive mindset and perspective. Although she had many internalized emotions during her cancer struggles, she never let those emotions dampen her passion for life, and the way she lived her life. She is remembered as a woman who advocated for education, women’s rights, and the community of Marshall.

“My mother loved welcoming people and having a good time,” said Chet. “She took pride in all her accomplishments and in the work she was doing. Having her name on the alumni building would have meant the world to her. I only hope we are still making her proud.”

Student-Led Mindful Meals Program Fills Hunger Void The Enactus group at Southwest “We found through our research that Minnesota State University is helping there was a need for this,” said Enactus address a food insecurity need in Chief of Staff Carter McLaughlin, Marshall through a program called who graduated in May. “We have four “Mindful Meals.” pillars for the project — Community, The pilot program’s goal was to Outreach, Nutrition, Education, or supply — to families of elementary CONE,” he said. school children who request them — “I love this project. It’s making a a nutritious, healthy Friday evening difference,” said Zimmer. “It relates meal. to the ‘Small Town, Big Community’ Dr. George Taylor, Business theme.” professor and Enactus advisor, said Christensen Farms is a large that meals were prepared on three benefactor. “They gave us $2,500, and separate occasions for participating added $2,500 if it was matched. We had K-1 students and family members. two matches so that was $10,000 out of The first trial on March 25 included 13 the gate,” said McLaughlin.

Front row from left: Dr. George Taylor, Enactus Faculty Co-Advisor; Tricia families and 72 meals; the second on Aldi donated a $500 gift card to use Gieseke, Communications Specialist, Christensen Farms (CF); Josh Anderson, April 8 was 24 families, 121 meals; and Public Policy Specialist (CF); Amber Portner, Communications Manager (CF); purchasing groceries, and HyVee has the third on April 22 was 15 families, helped by selling product at cost, and Sarah Strandemo, Enactus Vice President; Valerie Messner, Mindful Meals 85 meals. also donating rescued food items.

Co-Leader. Back row from left: Dr. Doug Simon, Sam Walton Fellow and It’s the goal of the program to The idea for the program originated Enactus Faculty Co-Advisor; Grayson Bolstad; Stephen Zimmer, Mindful Meals Co-Leader; and Ashton Ayres. supply families with a Friday evening with SMSU alumnus Aaron Lange, meal, three meals on Saturday and whose soon-to-be father-in-law Greg Sunday, and a breakfast on Monday, said Taylor. “That’s when we go into Pavett is the founder and CEO of Humanity Alliance, based in Victoria. full operation. We will assess and evaluate the data to ensure we do not Humanity Alliance takes food items that otherwise would be discarded exceed our capacity or capabilities.” and uses them to prepare meals delivered to Minnesota families, mostly Next year, Enactus will expand the program to include students and in the west suburbs of the Twin Cities. their families in grades K-5. “There’s a need for this,” said Taylor. “This Lange told former Enactus advisor Dr. Doug Simon about the will help litigate the nutritional gaps and lead to enhanced performance program, and Enactus representatives visited Humanity Alliance to learn among students in the school system.” more. Enactus members discussed what they found, and decided it was a Meals are prepared in the Culinology kitchen at SMSU by Enactus worthwhile project for the entrepreneurial group. members, Culinology and Hospitality Management students, Student “We found through our assessment there was a fundamental need in Hospitality Organization members, and Chef Ronnie Walker.

Marshall, whether you can see it or not,” said McLaughlin.

“Chef Walker has played a huge part in this,” said project co-manager All agree that nutrition plays a vital role for academic success of Valerie Messner, a senior Accounting and Finance major. Stephen students. “This project addresses those needs, and will hopefully help Zimmer, a junior Political Science major, is the other project co-manager. students fare better academically,” said Messner.

2 | FOCUS

[ around campus ]

SMSU WorldFest Celebrates Diversity in partnership with the City of Marshall & Visit Marshall

TODAY

Red Baron Arena

The first WorldFest 2022 was an overwhelming success and brought together the SMSU community with Marshall and regional residents in a celebration of the many cultures in southwest Minnesota.

The April 30 event was held at the Red Baron Arena & Expo in Marshall.

WorldFest is a reboot of the International Food Festival held for 29 years at Southwest Minnesota State University. The pandemic caused the event to be canceled in 2020 and 2021.

Organizers widened the scope of the event for the 30th anniversary.

WorldFest celebrated international cultures and local diversity through education, food, arts and cultural performances in three areas: • The World Café featured international food from Taste, the studentoperated restaurant at SMSU, and several other area vendors.

• The World Cultures Expo featured SMSU students and community members sharing information about their respective home countries and cultures. The area also featured a number of hands-on activities that proved to be popular with families. Seventeen informational booths were available.

• The World Stage showcased talent from SMSU, the local community and professional artists and troupes representing international and diverse cultures in southwest Minnesota. The line-up included Native Pride Dancers; Pete Lothringer and Ross Anderson, jazz musicians; Salmini Jayasuriya; Rince na Chori Irish dancers; Danish Atiq, SMSU

student, sword dancing; Duniya African Drum & Dance; Ratsamee Lee, SMSU student, poetry; Norsk Four, Norwegian musicians and dancers; Karen Dance Troupe; Gia Vang, KARE Channel 11 news anchor, and her father Tsong Tong Vang, Hmong flutist and storytelling; and Salsa Magic, Latin Dance lessons and dance party.

“We were pleasantly surprised that 941 people attended. We were very happy get such a wonderful turnout, especially considering the downpour during the day,” said event organizer Dr. May Lee Moua-Vue, Director of the Center for International Education at SMSU. Organizers hoped for a crowd of 500.

She gave a shout-out to the “yummy tacos from Taste. What a great opportunity to showcase our student-run restaurant. Chef Ronnie (Walker) and his students did an amazing job.

“I also want to thank all co-sponsors, steering committee leaders and the many volunteers who helped make WorldFest possible. Make plans to attend next year!”

WorldFest was sponsored by SMSU, the City of Marshall, Southwest Regional Development Commission, Visit Marshall, the Southwest Initiative Foundation and the Lyon County Historical Museum.

Next year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, April 15, 2023. Anyone interested in participating, performing, presenting, providing food, or volunteering should contact the organizers using interest forms online at www.SMSU.edu/go/worldfest

FOCUS | 3

[ around campus ]

Jefferson Lee IV Named 2022 Cowan Award Winner Jefferson Lee IV, Director of Access Opportunity Success, Mustang Pathways and the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, is the 2022 recipient of the Cathy Cowan Award.

The Cowan Award is the University’s most prestigious award.

It is bestowed upon a faculty or staff member who has made great contributions to the University and the region. A big criterion is “doing good for others.”

The award is named for the beloved Psychology Professor Catharine Cowan, who died in an Lee auto accident on Dec. 22, 2001.

He is an alumnus, with a degree in Sociology, and is a familiar face around campus, where he’s known as “JLee.” He operates below the radar on campus, but makes his presence known when he feels an injustice has been done. He is a powerful voice for those who feel they have none.

He arrived on campus in 1988, when faculty member Dave Simpson came to his Minneapolis Roosevelt High School “to recruit and increase the diversity on campus. He recruited seven of us, and I was the only one who stayed and completed my degree.”

Why did he stay? “I was the first in my family to go to college and they could not fathom me not completing my degree. My grandparents had no more than a sixth-grade education, and my grandmother said, ‘we

are depending on you.’ Also, people need to know this place, in a good way, puts its hooks in you as a student. It’s a challenging, and nurturing environment.”

He mentioned Charles Grubb, Marilyn Leach, Lynn Monge, and Eve Nichols as positive influences.

He went on to earn an MBA from SMSU, and a master’s in Human Resources Development, with in emphasis in Student Affairs, from SDSU. He works in an area that is student-driven.“What’s kept me here is having an opportunity to work with some phenomenal people — Michelle Knife Sterner, Dr. Erin Kline, Connie Smisek, other faculty and staff members. This is a place that when people work together, it really clicks. We all have a vested interest in our students’ success.”

In an ironic twist, “I was one of those students who utilized the services that today, I help provide.”

His on- and off-campus contributions are many. He was the campus diversity officer for years, a recipient of the MLK Humanitarian Award, regularly presents on the Diversity Panel for the First-Year Experiences courses, is an adjunct instructor, and is an active supporter of the SMSU food shelf, Mustang Market. He’s on the city’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee (past chair), helps students find jobs in the community, and collaborates with Hy-Vee in supporting diversity in hiring initiatives. There’s more, but he prefers to keep those quiet.

He is married to Sarah (Friedrich, undergrad ’99 and ’06, MBA ’10).

They have three children: Jefferson V, who graduated from SDSU in May; Tyrese, completing his fourth year in the Air Force; and Devon, in her second year at SMSU, studying Graphic Design.

As for receiving the Cowan Award, “l was caught by surprise. I feel very humbled. I give credit to others, rather than take the credit,” he said.

“We are touching people’s lives here, and I like being a part of that.”

A MUSICAL TRIBUTE TO BILL HOLM: Playing Haydn for the Angel of Death

A special sneak preview of the world premiere of “Playing Haydn for the Angel of Death” was held on May 17 at the Campus Religious Center.

The unique performance featured the poetry of the late SMSU English Professor Bill Holm, a beloved faculty member who passed away unexpectedly in 2009.

The centerpiece of the performance was a musical rendition of Holm’s epic poem, “Playing Haydn for the Angel of Death,” set to music by Martha Helen Schmidt, a Luverne , Minn., native.

The SMSU performance was a sneak peek of the world premiere of the event, held May 21 at the Open Book Literary Arts Center in Minneapolis, Minn.

The event was organized by Southwest Minnesota Orchestra Director Dr. Daniel Rieppel, along with acclaimed baritone Ryan Hugh Ross, a 2008 SMSU alumnus based in Cardiff, Wales. Ross is a protégé of Rieppel’s and has gone on to world-wide acclaim as a professional opera singer.

The program also featured select poems from Holm’s literary collection, read by renown Minnesota author and poet Bart Sutter, a 1972 alumnus and the only author to win a Minnesota Book Award in three separate categories.

“Bill and I were friendly rivals, like two young men circling one another,” said Sutter of his relationship with Holm. “Over time, we developed a mutual appreciation and admiration of one another.”

Sutter was a substitute instructor one semester at SMSU and got to know Holm well. “ I slept on a mattress on his garage floor,” said Sutter.

“That time was a coming of age of Midwest literature. That’s what made this tribute to Bill so meaningful for us all.”

“Bill was such a force of nature,” said Rieppel. “I’ve said in the past, I certainly wasn’t Bill’s best friend — he had so many — but he was certainly mine. This event is special to us all because of who Bill was, and

4 | FOCUS

Ryan Hugh Ross ’08, Martha Helen Schmidt, Dr. Daniel Rieppel, and Bart Sutter ’72

what he meant to this region.”

Ross said the dry run “was challenging and emotional,” he said.

“The idea was hatched back in 2009 after Bill’s death, and we chose this poem because it was Bill’s masterpiece. Martha (Helen Schmidt) did an incredible job putting it to music.”

Ross said, “ I struggled a bit with my voice, and choked up a couple of times. I haven’t been back here [SMSU] for five years. It was very emotional.”

Schmidt said she worked on the music “for about a year-and-a-half.

I met Dan and he was looking for a composer. I am humbled to be selected. Both Dan and Ryan did a great job. It’s a taxing piece.”

The event was made possible by the Gruhot family, SMSU Foundation, Milkweed Editions, Inc., and the Campus Religious Center.

[ around campus ]

SMSU Team Takes First Place in RCA Student Culinary Competition A pair of SMSU students have won the Research Chefs Association Student Culinary Competition at the recent RCA Conference in Atlanta, Ga. Amberlynn Morgan, a senior Culinology major, Chemistry and Nutrition minors, from Shakopee, Minn., and Alex Harmdierks a senior Culinology and Chemistry double major from Victoria, Minn., won with their “Sizzlin’ Biscuit Wrap.” Their team name was “Menu Masters.”

Their food item followed the competition guidelines: a menu item for a K-12 breakfast or lunch using an alternative protein and inspired by Atlanta cuisine, site of the convention.

“It was a plant-based concept,” said Jordan Clark, a food scientist for Monogram Foods in Chandler, Minn., and an adjunct faculty member at SMSU and the team’s advisor for the competition.

Morgan said the competition was a learning experience for her, from start to finish. “We consulted with professionals in our industry for advice and gained hands-on experience. We got the opportunity to practice benchtop work in our kitchens and consult with our advisory board. It was exciting to win and see all our hard work pay off.”

Morgan said their creation “had to be palatable for students, something that combined familiar flavors and textures but was also nutritious and plant-based. We chose something that involved the comfort and homestyle food of Atlanta in the buttermilk cornbread biscuit and the smoky plant-based sausage patty.”

Harmdierks enjoyed taking the entry from concept to completion. “We started by researching the history of Atlanta as a city and the current food trends there. Then we studied various middle and high school cafeteria menus from across the country to see what meal options already existed.

We knew our product would need to be kid-friendly so we wanted to combine familiar tastes and textures of Atlanta food trends into the plant-based meal. After testing various alternative protein concepts, we consulted with Schwan’s and narrowed our focus towards a plant-based wrap,” she said.

“It was a rewarding experience because we were able to tie knowledge from classes, work experiences and industry professionals together in

Morgan and Harmdierks

order to present a product we were proud of,” added Harmdierks.

Clark described their entry as “being like a breakfast Hot Pocket.

“Both Alex and Amberlynn did a great job creating a product that was feasible while understanding the customer — the convenience, simplicity and ease of use,” said Clark.

A second team of SMSU students also competed in another category and finished no less than third, said Clark.

The “Trees to Treats” team of Shamar Brown, a senior Culinology major from Maplewood, Minn., and Jensen Watson, a senior Culinology major from Muscatine, Iowa, competed in the Food Evolution competition. Their entry created a product out of repurposed food, using palm powder. “It was like a Nutri-Grain bar,” explained Clark.

The overall experience was transformational, said Morgan. “We learned about the food product development process from a holistic perspective and saw the process from start to finish. As seniors in the Culinology program, the competition helped prepare us for working as scientists in the food product development field.”

SMSU Land Acknowledgement Statement Southwest Minnesota State University sits on the ancestral, traditional, and contemporary lands of the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota people, collectively known as the Oceti Sakowin, Seven Council Fires.

We acknowledge and recognize our sovereign neighbors from the Pezihutazizi Otunwe (Yellow Medicine Village) and Cansayapi Otunwe (Village Where They Mark The Trees Red), and all indigenous people who continue to call this area home. SMSU resides on land ceded by the Dakota Nation to the United States in the disputed 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. This land acknowledgement affirms these nations’ sovereignty and history, while seeking to hold SMSU accountable to the needs of American Indian and Indigenous people.

The Purpose of the Land Acknowledgement Statement According to the Native Governance Center (2021), “Indigenous land acknowledgment is an effort to recognize the Indigenous past, present, and future of a particular location and to understand our own place within that relationship. The land where Southwest Minnesota State University is located was ceded to the United States government in the 1851 Treaty of Traverse des Sioux. The terms of the treaty were never fulfilled and the Dakota were forced to relocate outside of Minnesota. Instead of the original land allocated by treaty, two smaller reservation communities are located

Šúŋkawakhaŋ wičhúŋhduhapi, “Our Horse” by John Sterner ’91

within an hour’s drive of SMSU’s campus in Marshall. In addition, treaty law recognizes the Lower Sioux Indian Community and the Upper Sioux Community as sovereign nations with a right to self-governance and selfdetermination. This land acknowledgment should help bring awareness to campus of these communities and the difficult history of the region.

FOCUS | 5

[ around campus ]

Jennifer Flowers Named Director of Athletics Southwest Minnesota State University President Dr. Kumara Jayasuriya announced the hiring of Jennifer Flowers as the next Director of Athletics at SMSU. Flowers, who will begin her duties on July 1, recently completed her third season as the commissioner of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association and spent 15 years in administrative roles at the intercollegiate level. She becomes the first female Director of Athletics in University history to oversee both the women’s and men’s programs.

“I am excited to have Jennifer join our team and build on the success and traditions within our athletic programs,” Jayasuriya said. “Jennifer is an accomplished leader who has worked at all levels Flowers of athletic administration. Her commitment to ensuring studentathletes have a quality experience and achieve academic and athletic success is exemplary.”

“I am honored and excited for the opportunity to lead the Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics Department,” Flowers said. “I want to thank President Jayasuriya for his leadership and his belief in me. I would also like to thank the search committee and the SMSU community for their guidance and for showing me how special SMSU is.”

During her time at the WCHA, Flowers helped the league expand with the addition of the University of St. Thomas, she helped guide the league through the challenging COVID-19 pandemic and continued to build the branding of the league through increased television agreements.

Flowers is no stranger to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference as she served as that league’s Assistant Commissioner for Membership Services from 2016-19.

Prior to her tenure at the NSIC, Flowers worked at Winona State University as the associate athletic director and senior woman administrator from 2012-15. She also had a stint at Winona State from 2006-09.

Flowers began her career in intercollegiate athletics administration during the 2004-05 academic year at the University of Minnesota. She served as an assistant women’s basketball and volleyball coach at Simpson College during the 2005-06 season.

Flowers was a four-year letter winner in volleyball at Winona State from 1999-2002, where she was a two-year captain, twotime all-conference honoree and a three-time Academic All-NSIC selection.

Flowers earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, with an emphasis in middle school mathematics, from WSU in 2003, while earning her master’s degree from the University of Minnesota in education, recreation, park & leisure studies in 2005.

“It was evident throughout the process that being a Mustang elicits tremendous pride,” Flowers said. “I look forward to working with our talented staff and student-athletes as we take Mustang Athletics to new heights.”

Jennifer and her husband, Jonte, have one daughter, Ayanna, and one son, Kellen.

For the latest news from Athletics, visit: SMSUMustangs.com and follow @SMSUMustangs on Twitter

M4L DAY OF GIVING

BY THE NUMBERS

Total Raised $

Total Donors

32,987 15

Total Bonuses Awarded

14,200

$

*Includes $4,000 Match to Athletics from the Mustang Booster Club

Fund Earning

217

AMBASSADORS FUNDS REPRESENTED

CONSTITUENT BREAKDOWN

Alumni: 59% Faculty/Staff: 28% Parents: 7% Friends: 5% Students: 1%

$3,250 in Challenge Bonuses: English, Philosophy, Spanish, and Humanities

Find out how to join in next year’s event: www.M4LDay.com 6 | FOCUS

[ alumni connections ]

McLaughlin Named 2022 Outstanding Senior Carter McLaughlin, a Philosophy major and Honors Program participant, was named the Outstanding Senior during Commencement 2022.

The honor recognizes a student who has made the most of their college experience, both inside the classroom, and out.

McLaughlin was highly recommended to the selection committee for his academic accomplishments, campus involvement, sense of civic responsibility, endless energy, and intellectual curiosity.

He is a non-traditional student and was described by one nominator as one of the top four students he has ever taught at SMSU. “He embodies the Mustang Spirit by making those around him better—better as students and better as human beings,” wrote the nominator.

McLaughlin started at SMSU back in 2007, left college for a while to experience life— working in some interesting professions, and places—before deciding to switch gears and return to SMSU as a Philosophy major.

He was a campus leader as part of a Campus Election Engagement Project fellowship prior to the last national election; was active in Campus Compact and the Enactus student entrepreneurial group; was a tutor through the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; and served on the Civic & Community Engagement Advisory Group.

McLaughlin

Kent Roers ‘98 Gives Commencement Address to Class of 2022 Kent Roers, a Marshall native who owns one of the fastest-growing real-estate development firms in Minnesota, is the 2022 SMSU Commencement speaker.

Roers earned a Business Administration degree from SMSU in 1998. He started out in the financial services industry when he was a senior, as a College Agent for Baird Securities/Northwestern Mutual Life in Marshall.

He ranked fourth nationally in sales out of 1,000 college interns and maintained a commission-based schedule while attending college full-time.

That precocious start led to positions with The Kuhr Group, American Express Financial Advisors, Claymore Securities, Axa Equitable Group and Sun Life Financial Distributors before he started Roers Companies in 2012 with his brother Brian.

He describes the company as one that “builds apartments and senior facilities” but of course there’s more to it than that. Its success is based on a philosophy that is front and center on the company website—“Fortune Favors the Bold.”

The firm employs about 140 people and has grown in recent months.

“A year ago, we were in five states. Now we’re in 12,” Roers said.

The most recent addition to their real estate menu has been a lowincome housing practice, which comes with it a good number of governmental rules and regulations. “Sixteen months ago, we had two people in that group, and now we have 11. We don’t go into things

lightly,” said Roers.

Indeed. When the pandemic arrived, “we hit the gas pedal. I was getting contractors to do projects at cost.

People need food and housing. I am building the second, and there’s a shortage.”

For the third year in a row, Roers Companies has been listed as a top developer in the Twin Cities by Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. It’s been ranked among the fastest-growing private companies in the Twin Cities Metro by that same publication, as well as the Inc. 5000 rankings of most-successful private companies.

Individually, he’s been listed as one of the “100 People to Know” by Twin Cities Business.

Roer’s parents, Joe and Betty, raised their children in Marshall. Kent is the oldest, followed by Brian, Neil, and Roers Jody.

Both Joe and Betty Roers earned Master’s in Business Administration degrees from SMSU in 2005. Joe is a member of the SMSU Foundation Board of Directors, and Betty was the first director of GOLD College, formerly called Senior College, at SMSU. They are both avid supporters of SMSU. He has an uncanny eye for growth, a common-sense approach to gauging market opportunities, and a steadfast belief in his “against the wind” approach to development that has made Roers Companies a model of success, even in the most trying of economic times.

Commencement 2022 marked the return of the traditional in-person ceremony.

FOCUS | 7

[ class notes ]

Lois Widmark ‘71 1990 Joseph Korkowski is the new Sets Alumni Record Executive Director of Explore

Alexandria Tourism. He joins the organization after more than 19 years at KXRA radio and 3 decades in broadcasting.

1991 Lois Widmark is a member of the 1971 Charter Class. She is our oldest alumna and turned 100 on Jan. 1, 2022. Lois attended Southwest as a non-traditional student and was 49 when she graduated. She enjoyed a long elementary school teaching career.

1971

Lois (Paine) Widmark is our oldest alumna, at 100 years old. She lives in Ivanhoe, Minn.

1972

Bill Haines retired from the Ramsey County Sheriff Department after 28 years. He also worked court security for the U.S. Marshal’s Service for 5 years.

1975

Jerry Reker was inducted into the Minnesota Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on April 23 in Austin, Minn. He received the Lifetime Service Award.

1978

David Horn retired from the US Army Proving Ground in Yuma, Ariz. He worked as a test engineer and engineering manager.

1986

Kay (Bruggeman) Nelson received the 2022 Outstanding Central Office Leader Award from the Minnesota Association of School Administrators during the group’s spring conference in March. A week after receiving the award, Nelson was named the assistant superintendent for secondary education in the St. Cloud School District (MN).

Dr. David Perkins was promoted to Professor of Business at Grand Canyon University in Phoenix, Ariz., where he teaches business analytics and operations management.

1987

Justin Ingalls was hired as the coordinator of football officials for the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in April 2022.

8 | FOCUS

Jay Petersen taught and participated in a seminar on Intersex for Brown University School of Public Health-LGBT Health in April 2022.

1998

Kent Roers was the 2022 SMSU Commencement speaker. (Story on page 7.)

1995

Stacy (Bauer) Jones was named CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Sioux Falls Empire (S.D.) and started on April 11.

1996

Jefferson Lee (MBA ’11) received two distinct honors — the Cathy Cowan Award for 2022, and the MLK Humanitarian Award. He is the Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion at SMSU. Spencer Aune was named the first-ever head coach of the Rock Ridge Public School (Virginia, Minn.) boys’ basketball program, in April. He was most recently the girls’ varsity basketball coach for the school.

1998

Rocki (Shaw) Fiebiger accepted a new position as factory cost accountant at American Crystal Sugar Company’s Moorhead.

1999

Travis Fossing is the sports director at KELO-TV in Sioux Falls, S.D. He joined the station in October, 2020.

2000

Court Anderson was named one of Minnesota Lawyer’s 2021 Attorneys of the Year. Anderson works at Henson Efron law firm in Minneapolis.

2001

Ryan Loken was promoted to Vice President, HR Partner at Tyson Foods, Springdale, Ark.

2002

Sarah Hoff was named Kansas Master Teacher for 2022. Since 1954, teachers from across the state have nominated, selected, and

named Kansas Master Teachers.

Josh Turek was a guest on Iowa Public Radio’s show “Talk of Iowa” in January and discussed his professional wheelchair basketball career and his path to becoming a two-time gold medalist as a paralympic athlete.

2003

Jason Maxwell was named Chief Financial Officer of Sioux Valley Energy in January, 2022. Sioux Valley Energy is headquartered in Colman, S.D.

2004

Satyajit Dattagupta was appointed Chief Enrollment Officer at Northeastern University, Boston, Mass., in January. Dattagupta will lead the university’s diverse global recruitment and enrollment efforts.

Laura (Lundbohm) Hulsebus is the owner of Hulsebus Chiropractic in St. Peter, Minn.

2005

Pat Hamilton is the new superintendent of the Mason City School District in Mason City, Iowa. Hamilton began his duties on July 1.

Scott Stokes (MS) is the new president of Iowa Lakes Community College. Stokes began his duties on July 1.

2007

Candie Baker (MS) owns Webster’s Marketplace in Ripon, Wis., and received the Wisconsin Grocers Association’s “Supermarket Hero Award” for going above and beyond during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Daniel McGonigle began work as the new community education director in Detroit Lakes, Minn., on in October, 2021.

2006

Colby Pack will serve as the new head boys’ basketball coach, Dean of Students and transportation director at Red Rock Central Public School in Lamberton, Minn. Previously, he was a teacher and coach in Fulda.

2008

Benjamin Watkins was named the new parking manager of the Rochester International Airport in Rochester, Minn., in March 2022.

Dana Yost was the guest writer at Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa for its Distinguished Writers Series in February.

All cities are in Minnesota unless noted. Events are in the current year unless noted.

2009

Jason Kjos (MS) is the assistant principal and Director of Indian Education for Red Wing High School in Red Wing.

2010

Whitney (Dierks) Fischer and Matthew Fischer ’09 welcomed a third daughter, Bellamy Rae, on Dec. 4, 2021.

2011

Ben Dolan joined the MidMinnesota Development Commission’s regional development team in January, 2022 as a community planner serving four counties: Kandiyohi, McLeod, Meeker and Renville.

2012

Toni (Harms) Lewis and husband Aaron welcomed a son, Noah Daniel, on Jan. 13, 2022.

2013

Kyle Box was hired as the new City Operations Director for Willmar, Minn. He started on May 16.

Paige (Geving) Groeneweg and husband Jordan ’13 welcomed a daughter, Lily, in August, 2021.

Corby McGlauflin is the head baseball coach at Briar Cliff University in Sioux City, Iowa.

2014

Kassi (Hague) Tietz accepted an administrative staff position in January at Hoffman & Brobst, an accounting firm in Marshall.

2015

Amy (Clemensen) Schmiesing (MS) is the new head athletic trainer at SMSU. She began her duties in August, 2021.

Julia Stuckey (MBA ’19) began a new position as assistant manager of Tavern 507 in Marshall, Minn., in January.

2016

Wendy (Andersen) Mamer was recognized as part of the first group of graduates of Augustana University’s Diversity Advocate Program, which provides courses on diversity, equity, and inclusion which she hopes to use to help with suicide prevention and mental health advocacy

2017

Allison (Schwartz) Kirk is a purchasing agent at Mountain Power Hydraulics, Mountain Lake.

Nicole Schwing started a new position as the SUCCESS program

[ class notes ] coach at SMSU. The program helps new students find success in the early years of their college experience.

2020

Chance Steward was hired by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever to serve as regional representative in Southwest Minnesota and Northwest Iowa in October 2021.

2021

2018

Tejan Lala started a new position as an accounts payable analyst for Seres Therapeutics in Cambridge, Mass., in December, 2021.

2019

James Hardy began a new position with Mac’s Traders as an executive assistant and purchasing assistant in July, 2021. Mac’s Traders is located in Langley, B.C., Canada.

Doria Drost (MBA ’21) is the Director of Marketing for Denny Sanford Premier Center, a facility that hosts sporting events, concerts, conventions, meetings, and banquets in Sioux Falls, S.D. Jacob Nelson (MS) is the new head coach of the Austin (MN) Public Schools baseball team.

Nelson has been a part of the Austin baseball program since 2016, and formerly coached the JV baseball team and assisted with the varsity team.

IN MEMORIAM

Tamera (Johnson) Berg ’90, May 5, 2022.

Hugh M. Curtler II, July 20, 2021. Retired professor of philosophy, 1968-2009. Head tennis coach, 1979-1992.

Dr. Paul Enersen, May 22, 2022.

Retired professor of mathematics and computer science, 19742011.

Charles Grubb, Jan. 4, 2022.

Retired professor of sociology

and anthropology, 1970-1997.

Jesse Goebel ’07, June 20, 2021.

Connie (Adair) Linnett ’79, Aug. 2, 2020. 42-year employee of the USPS. Chad Meinert ’99, Nov. 19, 2021.

Kenneth D. Mukomela, March 12, 2022. Retired professor of business education and office administration, 1968-1997.

Virginia (Pullen) Suprenant ’71, May 9, 2022.

Denise (Christensen) TeKrony ’85, March 15, 2022 Jon Wefald, April 16, 2022.

The third permanent President at Southwest, 1977-1982.

Daniel Edward Woodle ’02, March 16, 2022.

SHARE YOUR NEWS!

Share your news with us: email alumni@SMSU.edu call 800-260-0970 click SMSUAlumni.com mail SMSU Alumni Office 1501 State St. Marshall, MN 56258

Mustang Network Supports Alumni-Student Mentoring SMSU Career Services and the Elizabeth Lockwood Alumni and Visitor Center (Alumni Relations) are excited to announce an expansion of its current alumni-student mentoring programs. The ongoing partnership has led to the development of an online networking platform, Mustang Network. This will allow for the expansion of our current structured Mustang

Mentorship Program, flash networking, guest speaking, and many more options. The platform is now open for alumni to create their accounts at mustangnetwork.SMSU.edu/ by syncing with LinkedIn, Google, Facebook or creating a new account. Current students will be invited to join the platform in August 2022. Send questions to alumni@SMSU.edu.

BOOK NEWS

Wayne Junker ’72, with his daughter Whitney Jansen, published a children’s book entitled, Oh, Paul Bunyan. A catchy poem about our favorite lumberjack with the bluest ox written by Junker and illustrated

by Jansen. Available on Amazon.

Lucy O’Laughlin Tokheim ’75 published her first comic book, The Princess and the Boat Boy, Heroes of the Primstav.

It is her retelling of the legend of St. Sunniva, the first patron saint of Norway.

The Norwegian Primstav calendar is part of this entirely hand-drawn story. The book is available at: www.tokheim-stoneware.com

We want you to teach in GOLD College!

GOLD College provides opportunities to adults interested in lifelong learning. We are looking to add more instructors for our fall and spring sessions for both in-person and virtual course delivery on a variety of topics. If you are interested in teaching through GOLD College, contact us at alumni@SMSU.edu

A farewell to JIM Twice a year for the past 23 years, Jim Tate has toiled away on this magazine. Soon after this edition reaches your mailbox, Jim Tate will be retiring from SMSU. All of us involved with FOCUS thank him for his dedication to this labor of love.

TATE

Twenty-three years of writing feature articles, class notes, and news briefs to keep you informed of the exciting progress and energy at Southwest. His photography was another key part of the publication that would always bring the words to life.

We hope you have enjoyed the stories and images he’s provided for you since 1999. Coming from a newspaper background, FOCUS provided an excellent outlet for his inner journalist—Jim thrived on a good deadline.

We are a small team behind FOCUS and his retirement leaves a hole that will be difficult to fill. We all want to thank him for his humor, his one-of-a-kind organizational methods, his flexibility, his candor, and his commitment to making our publication the best it could be.

So, thanks, Jim! We may disagree on the proper formatting of the em dash, the correct use of a hyphen, and the absolute necessity of the Oxford comma. But we do agree on one thing: SMSU is a special place where we make a difference for students every day. We are grateful for everything you have done for SMSU, our students, our community, and our alumni.

We wish him well in his retirement and the next chapter in his life.

Twenty-three years at SMSU is a wonderful milestone and we thank him for his part in our story. If you want to send a greeting to Jim, feel free to email communications@SMSU.edu or message us SMSU Today on Facebook. We’ll be sure to pass those along.

We hope you have a wonderful retirement, Jim! Marcy Olson, FOCUS Editor, SMSU Communications and Marketing

NON-PROFIT U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 22 Slayton, MN

SMSU Alumni Office 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 Change Service Requested

If FOCUS is addressed to a family member who has graduated or no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please email alumni@SMSU.edu to provide the current address or call toll-free 1-800-260-0970 to notify us of the change.

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS JULY 21 Centro, 5-7pm, Des Moines, IA

Southwest Minnesota State University 2022

AUGUST 4 Twins Game, 5:30pm, SMSU Suite, Minneapolis 11 Round Lake Vineyards and Winery, 6-8pm, Round Lake, MN 16 On the Rocks at Grand View Lodge, 5-7pm, Nisswa, MN SEPTEMBER 15 Crow River Winery, 6-8pm, Hutchinson, MN 22 Jams Old Market, 5-7pm, Omaha, NE 30-Oct. 1 SMSU Homecoming, Alumni Events Friday-Saturday, Marshall, MN

Register for events online at:

WWW.SMSUALUMNI.COM

grow

Follow @SMSUAlumniandFoundation on Facebook for photos from alumni events! *Appetizers and a beverage included in events requiring registration.

Friday, October 7 & Saturday, October 8 • Marshall, Minn.

Join us: Sept. 30–Oct. 1, 2022

Each year the SMSU Alumni Association recognizes alumni and friends who have made significant contributions of time, talent, and financial resources to help advance and bring positive recognition to Southwest Minnesota State University.

This year’s award recipients will be honored during Homecoming weekend Friday, Sept. 30–Saturday, Oct. 1, 2022. This year’s honorees include: Alumni Achievement Awards Mary Fuhrman ’95, Eagan, Minn.

Dr. Carl Harris ’76, Chapel Hill, N.C. Dr. Kyle McGowan ’82, Crete, Neb. Clark Meyer ’94, Sioux Falls, S. Dak. Honorary Lifetime Award Dr. Jim Zarzana and Marianne Zarzana, South Bend, Ind. GOLD (Graduate of the Last Decade) Award Emily (Kremer) Jouwstra ’15, Hamel, Minn.

Paxton Alumni Service Award Ken & Gwen Mukomela & Family More information on the recipients will be released later this summer. To read about past award recipients or reserve tickets, visit www.SMSUAlumni.com/AlumniAwards.

HOMECOMING REUNIONS:

#WOMENLEAD Save the Date: March 16, 2023

1999 MUSTANG FOOTBALL TEAM CLASS OF 1972 Visit www.SMSUAlumni.com for more details Want to host a reunion? Email Alumni@SMSU.edu