News releases/September 2006
Index
New weekend procedures for Nemzek
Berkeley physicist lecture: Fate, History of Universe
Performance poet opens McGrath Writing Series...
'Dancing with Spirit' opens Performing Arts Series
MSUM celebrates Homecoming
Percussion recital Friday, Sept. 29
Honors lecture: Rise of China and India
Deans' lecture: publishing on-line magazine
Annual faculty exhibit opens
Visiting author talks on artist books
Six Distinguished alums honored at Homecoming
Three business alums honored at Homecoming
Dragon Hall of Fame induction
Family History Workshop Oct. 7
Oxford Prof: What did Medieval doctors do?
U.S. District Judge speaks on 'Freedon and the Law'
Uncle Joey from 'Full House' on campus
Hidden history of UFOs
Navigate with Lewis & Clark at Planetarium
Judge Borgen guest of Dragon Diva luncheon
19 MSUM students studying abroad
Final bike ride for scholarships
Grant writing boot camp
Building Interreligious Trust: Sept. 11th event on mall
Orientation begins Sunday
New this school year
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NEW WEEKEND PROCEDURES FOR NEMZEK
On Friday, new weekend policies for using Nemzek facilities will be in effect.
Only students, staff and faculty, will be allowed entry and they will be required to show their MSUM ID Card.
Only the northwest doors to Nemzek will be open during the following hours:
Fridays from 3 to 11 p.m.
Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sundays from 3 to 11 p.m.
The campus scheduling system (EMS) will be used to determine what areas are open. Exceptions to this are the swimming pool and the weight room, which have their own hours and monitors.
Public Athletic Events Weekend Procedures
Nemzek facilities (weight room, dance studio, off-gyms, cardio-room) will be closed during public athletic events. At the conclusion of public athletic events, the academic year procedures will go back into effect.
If you have questions, please contact Dave Holsen at extension #2586 or email him at holsend@mnstate.edu
BERKELEY PHYSICIST TALKS
ON HISTORY, FATE OF THE
UNIVERSE HERE WEDNESDAY
Erick Linder, a physicist with the SuperNova/Acceleration Probe project at the University of California at Berkeley national laboratory, will present a lecture on “Exploring the History and Fate of the Universe” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 27 in MSUM’s Science Lab Bldg. 104.
He’ll talk about recent discoveries that have revolutionized our knowledge of the universe and our ideas of its ultimate fate. Measurements of the expansion of the universe, he said, show that it is not slowing under normal gravity, but it’s accelerating due to a mysterious gravitationally repulsive “dark energy.”
Linder says next generation cosmic explorations, like those taking place at the SuperNova/Acceleration Probe, will allow scientists to explore and maybe discover what makes up the still unknown 95 percent of the universe.
Linder, a physicist working in cosmology and astrophysics, is author of “First Principles of Cosmology” and is a member of the Science Definition Team of the NASA/Department of Energy Joint Dark Energy Mission.
PERFORMANCE POET MARQUART OPENS MCGRATH SERIES TUESDAY
Performance poet Debra Marquart, an MSUM alum and former touring rock musician, will open this season’s Tom McGrath Visiting Writers series with a 4 p.m. talk on the writer’s craft and an 8 p.m. reading from her current work Tuesday, Sept. 19, both events in the university’s Comstock Memorial Union, room 101.
A native rural North Dakotan and now English professor at Iowa State University, she’s the author of two poetry collections, “Everything’s a Verb” and “From Sweetness,” along with a memoir “The Horizontal World: Growing Up Wild in the Middle of Nowhere” released this summer by Counterpoint Books. She’s currently working on a novel set in Greece titled “The Olive Harvest.”
She’s also the author of “The Hunger Bone: Rock & Roll Stores” drawn from her experience as a road musician. She continues to perform with a jazz-poetry rhythm and blues project, The Bone People, with whom she has released two CDs.
‘DANCING WITH SPIRIT’ OPENS ART SERIES THURSDAY
MSUM’s Cheryl Nelson Lossett Performing Arts Series kicks off its season at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 with “Dancing with Spirit,” combining the talent of World Champion Fancy Dancer Larry Yazzie and Dr. Erik Gooding in a program that celebrates the beauty, skill and majesty of American Indian music and Dance.
Through live action music, dance and storytelling, “Dancing with Spirit” presents a series of dances including th Fancy, Shield, Hoop, Eagle, Buffalo and Round accompanied by the stirring melodies of flute and song. For tickets, call the MSUM Box Office at 477-2271.
MSUM CELEBRATES HOMECOMING
A bonfire, a Doo Dah parade, an alumni party and a campus talent show will surround Minnesota State University Moorhead’s Homecoming Week celebration Sept. 18-23.
Events get underway Monday with an all campus picnic at 4:30 p.m. outside Kise Commons and a bonfire and pep rally at 9 p.m. on Nemzek’s south practice field, featuring the traditional burning of the “M.”
DragonFest 2006, celebrating student involvement opportunities on campus and the community, runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday on the mall featuring a variety of games, vendors and booths. At 7 p.m, Dave Coulier, Uncle Joey from the television comedy series “Full House,” will be on stage in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre
Wednesday, hypnotist Frederick Winters is on stage at 7 p.m. , also in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Auditorium.
Thursday events feature the annual campus variety show and Homecoming coronation at 7 p.m. in Weld Hall Glasrud Auditorium.
The Distinguished Alumni Awards banquet starts at 6 p.m. Friday at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center, honoring six MSUM alums. And the traditional student Homecoming dance starts at 9 p.m. in the student union ballroom.
Saturday events start with MSUM’s College of Business and Industry honoring three of its alumni at a 10 a.m. brunch in the Center for Business Atrium.
At 11 a.m. Saturday, MSUM students will present their annual Doo Dah Parade—no floats or marching bands, just gimmicks and craziness—marching a circle around the streets bordering the campus. Also, an Alumni Welcome Zone with free coffee, donuts, and rides on the Dragon Kiddie Train will to open Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in front of the campus gates on 11th St.
At 1 p.m., the Dragons face the Wayne State Wildcats in the annual Homecoming football game on Nemzek Field, preceded at 11 a.m. by a women’s soccer game against Bemidji State followed by a 3 p.m. women’s volleyball match against Winona State.
The Dragon Hall of Fame banquet will induct six athletes into its honor roll at a 6 p.m. banquet at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center.
Also Saturday, an alumni social starts at 9 p.m. at the Moorhead Knights of Columbus, featuring MSUM’s own Wayne Luchau playing the oldies.
The week will also include reunions of the 1961, 1966, 1971, 1981 and 1991 football teams.
To make banquet reservations or for information on any Homecoming events, call 477-2143.
PERCUSSION RECITAL FRIDAY
A faculty percussion recital featuring Kenyon Williams starts at 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 29 in MSUM’s Roland Dille Center for the Arts Fox Recital Hall with guest artists Allen Carter and Lucas Bernier. The recital will incorporate a variety of percussion instruments and sounds, including marimba, drumset, hand drums, electronics, and multi-percussion. Featured will be works by Andersson, Berg, Campbell, Koppel, and Williams. It’s free and open to the public.
GEIB OPENS HONORS SERIES
WITH LECTURE ON RISE OF
CHINA AND INDIA THURSDAY
Peter Geib, Business Administration, will present a talk on “The Rise of China and India: Making Economic and Business History” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 28 in Science Lab Bldg. 118, a feature of the MSUM’s Fall Honors Lecture Series.
The series showcases faculty expertise in research and teaching, providing students with models of excellence.
Geib is a professor of International Management and coordinator of the International Business Program here. He’s conducted research on strategic management in transition economies for more than 16 years in Central Europe and Asia. The talk is free and open to the public.
HORIZONLINES.ORG TOPIC OF DEAN’S LECTURE TUESDAY
Regene Radniecki, an MSUM professor of Mass Communications, will open this year’s Deans’ Lecture Series with a talk on “Horizonlines.org, The Challenges of Publishing an Online Magazine” at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19 in Comstock Memorial Union 203.
Radniecki, who spent 18 years as a staff photographer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune before joining the MSUM faculty, will talk about how online magazines can connect student writers, photographers and multimedia producers to global audiences.
Her lecture will describe how one general interest magazine was developed by a group of MSUM students who had little idea what they were getting into. The Web site address for the magazine, now in its 5th edition, is www.horizonlines.org. Her lecture is free and open to the public.
ANNUAL FACULTY EXHIBIT OPENS
MSUM’s annual Faculty Exhibition runs from Sept. 18 to Oct. 11 in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts gallery. It features a variety of new work by 14 members of the MSUM art and design department, ranging from fiber art and illustration to graphic design and painting. A reception is scheduled from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21.
Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 6. p.m. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Fridays. (or by special arrangement, e-mail gudmunja@mnstate.edu)
VISITING AUTHOR TALKS ON
ARTISTS’ BOOKS SEPT. 25
As part of MSUM’s Visiting Artist Program, sponsored by the Comstock Foundation, Betty Bright will deliver a free public lecture at 6 p.m. Monday, Sept. 25 in the university’s Roland Dille Center for the Arts Fox Recital Hall.
The title of her presentation is: “Stories of Transgression and Transformation: Artists’ Books 1960 to Now.”
Bright is the author of “No Longer Innocent: Book Art in America, 1960 to 1980” (Granary Press 2005), the first comprehensive history of the book art movement in America. An independent scholar, curator and teacher, Bright has taught at Scripps College, Claremont, Calif., the University of Minnesota (where she earned her doctorate in Art History) and The Minneapolis College of Art and Design. As a curator at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, which Bright helped found and worked there for nine years as program director, she planned and executed more than 50 exhibitions. As a writer she has published several book reviews, essays and exhibition catalogues.
For more information contact: Professor Anna Arnar 477-4631 arnar@mnstate.edu
SIX DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI HONORED AT HOMECOMING AWARDS BANQUET
MSUM will honor six of its graduates during a Homecoming Week Alumni Awards banquet at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 22 at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center..
David Bjornstad, Hazel Houkom, DeWayne Kurpius, Al Rudisill, Tomi Sawyer and Cheryl Anderson will be honored at the event.
For reservations, call the MSUM Alumni office at 477-2143. The public is invited, but reservations are required.
Bjornstad, who earned an Economics degree at MSUM in 1969, is a Distinguished Research and Development staff member in the Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Environmental Science Division, where he’s worked for more than 30 years. He’s a specialist in economic policy analysis related to science and technology, energy, natural resources and the environment. He’s also a senior fellow for environmental policy analysis at Georgia State University and an adjunct professor of Economics at the University of Tennessee.
Bjornstad, who earned his doctorate from the Maxwell School of Syracuse University, once served as an advisor to the Department of Energy’s Secretary of Energy Advisory Board. A Moorhead native, he and his wife have three grown children and live in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Houkom, who earned an Elementary Education degree at MSUM in 1983, has been teaching in the West Fargo Public Schools for 23 years. In 1994 she was one of 95 teachers in the nation who received the national Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science, receiving a $10,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.
A native of Steele, N.D., her teaching career is filled with teacher awards, ranging from the Cass County Teacher of the Year and the National Association of Teacher Educator’s Distinguished Clinician in Teacher Education Award to the North Dakota Forest Service’s Forest Resources Teacher of the Year and the YWCA Woman of the Year Award in Education. She and her husband have five grown children and live on Little Cormorant Lake near Audubon.
Kurpius, who earned a degree in Physical Education from MSUM in 1956, has been a Professor Emeritus at Indiana University for more than a decade. He began his career as a teacher, coach and athletic director at Henning (Minn.) High School, later earning his doctorate in Psychology at the University of North Dakota. He then began a 30-year career at Indiana University as a department head and professor of Counseling and Educational Psychology.
Originally from Staples, Minn., he’s received dozens of national and international awards for his teaching, writing and research, primarily in the areas of modeling and reinforcement in learning and the effects of cognitive mediation on behavior. He and his wife have two grown children and divide their time between Surprise, Ariz., and Nisswa, Minn.
Rudisill, who earned a degree in Industrial Education from MSUM in 1955, began his career as an industrial arts teacher at Hallock, Minn. After earning his doctorate in Education from the University of Northern Colorado, he spent 20 years as a professor and department head at the University of North Dakota and later the University of Northern Iowa, then served 10 more years as professor and dean of the College of Technology at Eastern Michigan University. From 1983-2004 he also served as executive director of the National Association of Industrial Technology.
Rudisill, originally from Kennedy, Minn., retired in 2004 after nearly 15 years as the owner of University Consultants, Inc., in Ann Arbor. Among his honors, the National Association of Industrial Technology established the “Dr. Alvin Rudisill Exemplary Service Award” in 2002. He and his wife have four grown children and live in Ypsilanti, Mich., where he currently serves as president of the Ypsilanti Historical Society.
Sawyer, who received a degree in Chemistry from MSUM in 1976, has been a drug discovery scientist for 25 years and is now Senior Vice-President, Drug Discovery, ARIAD Pharmaceuticals in Cambridge, Mass. An inventor of more than 50 patents representing thousands of designed, synthesized and biologically-tested molecules, he’s also published more than 250 scientific papers and been an invited speaker at more than 100 scientific and academic conferences. In 1990 his breakthrough research on HIV protease inhibitors was announced by Tom Brokaw on NBC Nightly News.
Originally from Greenbush, Minn., Sawyer today is also editor of the Chemical Biology & Drug Design journal, which is emerging as a premier worldwide scientific publication for industrial and academic scientists engaged in drug discovery. His is also an adjunct professor at the University of Massachusetts and its medical school. He and his wife have two children and live in Southborough, Mass. He’s a previous recipient of MSUM’s Outstanding Young Alumni Award.
Anderson, who earned an MSUM Nursing degree in 1993, will receive the university’s The Eva Vraspir Excellence in Nursing Alumni Awards part of the Distinguished Alumni program. The award honors the first director of MSUM’s nursing department, who led the program from its inception in 1976 until her retirement in 1989.
Anderson began her 29-year career at MeritCare Health Systems in Fargo as a staff RN on the Resource Teams and since 1994 she’s been manger of Critical Care Services. She participates in the National Collaborative for Organ Transplantion and is a member of MeritCare’s Health System Nurse Recruitment and Retention committee. A native of Rolette, N.D., she and her husband, who live in Walcott, N.D., have three grown children.
THREE MSUM BUSINESS ALUMS HONORED AT HOMECOMING
The College of Business and Industry at Minnesota State University Moorhead will honor three of its graduates for outstanding success in their careers during the university’s Homecoming Week celebration.
Receiving the College of Business Outstanding Alumni Awards at a 10 a.m. breakfast program Saturday, Sept. 23 will be Roger Olson, Greg Flack and Greg Ness.
For information or reservations, call the MSUM Alumni Foundation office at 477-2143.
Receiving the Accounting Alum of the Year Award: Olson, who earned an Accounting degree at MSUM in 1976, joined his father’s company, Sig Olson & Sons Plastering, right after graduating as a bookkeeper and estimator. He’d been working there as a laborer since he was young. Olson has been serving as president of the Moorhead-based plastering and stucco business since 1987. He and his wife have five grown children.
Receiving the College of Business Alum of the Year Award: Ness, who earned a Mass Communication degree from MSUM in 1988 and a Master of Liberal Arts in 1991, started the Fargo-based GL Ness advertising agency in 1977. It merged with Sundog and Bankshot Productions in 2003 to form a communications holding company named Correlat, Inc. This year the combined companies were again merged, now under the name Sundog, a web-centric, integrated online and offline marketing firm. He’s currently Chief Strategy Officer for Sundog. A Fargo native, he and his wife have three grown children.
Receiving the Business Administration Alum of the Year Award: Flack, who earned a degree in Business Administration from MSUM in 1986, is president of Schwan’s Global Consumer Brands and executive vice president of The Schwan Food Company. He started with the company as a national marketing manager soon after graduating. Based in Marshall, Minn., Schwan’s is one of the largest providers of branded frozen food in the world, with 22,000 employees and selling products in more than 50 countries¬¬. A Granite Falls, Minn., native, Flack and his wife have three children and live in Bloomington, Minn.
SIX TO BE INDUCTED INTO DRAGON HALL OF FAME
Six athletes who charted memorable careers on and off the athletic field will be inducted into the Minnesota State University Moorhead Dragon Hall of Fame on Saturday, September 23.
Cynthia “Sam” Booth, John Haugo, Jerry Popp, Wayne Price, Randy Smith and Carrie Hegg Vetter will be honored by the Dragon Athletic Department at a 6 p.m. Dragon Hall of Fame banquet at the Heritage Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead.
The selection increases to 128 the number of inductees in the Dragon Hall of Fame. The legendary Alex “Sliv” Nemzek was the charter member in 1961. A closer look at the induction class of 2006:
A West Virginia native, Booth charted a rewarding career in athletic training. She spent 11 years as head athletic trainer at MSU Moorhead and was largely responsible for creating a model program for student athletic trainers. Booth was very active with the National Athletic Trainers Association on a regional and national level and was voted the Most Distinguished Athletic Trainer in 2002 by NATA. She was also inducted into the Minnesota Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame in 2003, and was nominated for induction into the 2007 NATA Hall of Fame.
A 1953 graduate of Waubun High School, Haugo earned a B.S. degree from MSU Moorhead and M. A. and PhD degrees from University of Minnesota. He competed in football and track with the Dragons and coached both sports at Parkers Prairie and Park Rapids High Schools. He earned conference, district and regional track titles with the Panthers. A former professor at Minnesota, Haugo served as CEO of several prominent companies in the healthcare software industry. He participated in two world masters track meets as a member of the U.S. team. Haugo also remains active in several professional organizations and has received Distinguished Alumni Awards from MSU Moorhead, the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota Athletic Administrators Association.
Popp fashioned a rewarding coaching career in track, cross-country and speech at Bowman High School and earned a batch of national and state coaching awards. He guided Bowman to five state outdoor girls’ track championships, six consecutive North Dakota State Class B boys’ cross-country titles and four state speech crowns. A Speech and Physical Education major at MSUM, he was an All-NSIC Academic pick as a senior.
A native of South St. Paul, Price was an All-NIC pick at linebacker in 1971 and was a two-time honorable mention choice during his collegiate football career at MSU Moorhead. He was elected captain of the Dragons’ 1971 NIC championship team. Price served as head freshman coach at MSU Moorhead and later served as head football coach at Monticello High School for six years, producing three conference titles. He was also an offensive line coach at Central Missouri State for two seasons and the offensive line coach at St. Olaf College for two years. Price is currently is active in the insurance industry and is an assistant football coach at Hamline University. He’s currently coaching at Willmar High School.
Smith earned All-American honors and a NCAA Division I national championship in the high jump at the University of Kansas. A longtime member of the MSUM Health and Physical Education faculty, he served as women’s track and cross-country coach at MSU Moorhead for 15 years. He guided the Dragons to 10 NSIC Indoor and Outdoor team titles and 280 All-NSIC individual awards. He produced four consecutive national relay titles, 11 national championships, 27 All-Americans, 72 national placewinners and helped the Dragons finish in top 10 four times at national meets.
A native of McIntosh, Hegg charted a classy volleyball career at MSU Moorhead. A two-time second team NAIA All-American two-time All-NAIA District 13 selection, she was decorated with All-NSIC honors in 1993 and 1994. Hegg helped the Dragons to a pair of runnerup finishes in the NSIC and a earn trip to the 1994 NAIA National Championships. She was voted the Dragons’ MVP and All-NSIC Academic pick as a senior before launching a rewarding teaching and coaching career.
MSUM HOSTS 31ST ANNUAL FAMILY
HISTORY WORKSHOP OCT. 7
Scaling the Brick Wall is the theme for the 31st Annual Family History Workshop to be held Saturday, October 7, 2006, at Minnesota State University Moorhead. The 2006 Family History Workshop features two nationally acclaimed genealogists: Claire Brisson-Banks of Timeless Genealogies and Tom Rice, a Director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society. The workshop also features a variety of classes for beginning and experienced genealogists.
Claire Brisson-Banks is a professional genealogist specializing in US, New England, Canadian, English, and Scottish genealogy and currently a UGA Board Member. She has 20 years’ experience as a FHC Director and has lectured extensively around the country. She owns Timeless Genealogies at www.timelessgen.com and is published in Everton’s Genealogical Helper and UGA Crossroads. Claire will present four workshop sessions: Canadian Research, Brick Wall Solutions, Impact of Technology on Family History Research, and The Quest for Your English Ancestors.
Tom Rice has a Ph.D. in microbial genetics. He has been a high school science instructor, a Fortune 50 Company researcher, a venture capital investor, the CEO of a medical device company and of a financial service company, and a management consultant. Now he is a professional genealogist and was the winner of 2003 Board for Certification of Genealogists scholarship to attend the Institute of Genealogical and Historical Research at Samford University. He is a Director of the Minnesota Genealogical Society and regular volunteer for the What did
Minnesota Historical Society. Tom will present three workshop sessions: Scotland Genealogy, Becoming a Certified Genealogist, and Growing as a Genealogist.
The workshop schedule also includes many other session topics, including getting started; DNA research; using land records in your research; expanding a genealogy into a family history; broadening your search; interviewing and taping family members; local genealogy resources; computer and Internet genealogy resources; using LDS Family History Center resources; planning a genealogy trip; and German and Scandinavian research.
The Family History Workshop runs from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on October 7, 2006, in the Comstock Union on the Minnesota State University Moorhead campus at 615 14th Street South in Moorhead. The luncheon program features an address by Fr. William Sherman and presentation of the family history photo contest and family history research awards. An exhibit hall featuring booths for more than twenty organizations and vendors is open throughout most of the day.
Workshop cost of $30 includes continental breakfast, four lectures of your choice, the workshop syllabus with all handouts, and morning and afternoon coffee breaks. Noon luncheon is provided at no additional cost for those whose pre-registration and payment is received by September 29, 2006. Walk-in attendees are welcome. A limited number of luncheon tickets are available for walk-in registrants on a first-come basis.
For more information about the workshop, the presenters, the family history research and photo contests, and pre-registration materials visit web.mnstate.edu/heritage/FHW31.htm, the Scaling the Brick Wall web site, or contact Continuing Studies, Box 82, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Moorhead, MN 56563, or (218) 477-5862. The 31st Annual Family History Workshop is sponsored by MSUM’s Heritage Education Commission.
OXFORD PROF TALKS ON ‘WHAT MEDIEVAL DOCTORS REALLY DID’ THURSDAY, SEPT. 21 AT MSUM
Allan Chapman, a professor at Oxford University in England, presents a public lecture on "What Medieval Doctors Really Did," at 7.30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 21 in Minnesota State University’s new Science Lab Building 104.
Chapman, a social historian and member of the Royal Astronomical Society Club, is a faculty member at Oxford’s Wadham College and frequently appears on British television specials about the history of astronomy and science.
His latest book, “England’s Leonardo: Robert Hooke & the 17th Century Scientific Revolution,” was published last year by the Institute of Physics Publishing, Bristol & Philadelphia.
A specialist in the history of early medicine, he’s been a Hastings Memorial Lecturer at the University of Minnesota Medical School. His general interests include collecting and restoring antique clocks, pocket watches and photographic equipment, and he’s also interested in the technology and operation of the railway systems
During his visit to campus, Chapman will also talk to students interested in studying in Oxford next year under MSUM’s Eurospring program, now in its 26th year. Chapman is in charge of the academic coursework for program.
For details, contact the campus International Programs office at 477-4389.
U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE ERICKSON SPEAKS HERE MONDAY, SEPT. 18 ON ‘FREEDOM AND THE LAW’
U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Erickson will speak on “Freedom and the Law: The Moral Foundations of a Constitutional Republic” at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18 in MSU Moorhead’s Center for Business 109. He is currently presiding over the highly publicized trial of Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., charged in federal court with kidnapping resulting in the death of Dru Sjodin.One of two active federal judges in North Dakota, Erickson is a Thief River Falls native, who grew up in Rugby, N.D. and graduated from Jamestown College and UND's law school. Erickson just last year replaced Judge Rodney Webb, who is one of two senior judges working reduced schedules on the bench. After graduation from law school, Erickson was in private law practice in West Fargo. While a state district judge from 1994 through 2003, he presided over civil, criminal and juvenile matters.
Judge Erickson’s address is the first of this year’s MSUM Constitutional Law Series, which is designed to promote on-going consideration of the U.S. Constitution and it’s impact on your daily lives. His appearance on campus is sponsored by MSUM's Political Science department and the university's Academic Affairs office.
Film crew will also be shooting for movie…
UNCLE JOEY FROM ‘FULL HOUSE’ PERFORMS HERE SEPT 19
David Coulier (pronounced Cool-Yay), best known for his role as Uncle Joey on the ABC television series “Full House,” which ran for eight seasons, performs his one-man stand-up comedy act at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 19 in the MSUM Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre as a feature of the Campus Activities Board.
Coulier followed the success of “Full House” by hosting his second prime-time hit series “America’s Funniest People, which ran on ABC for four seasons while handling the hosting chores for the network’s “The World’s Funniest Videos,” and hosted his own series, “Out of Control for Nickelodeon.” Currently he is a member of Duck's Breath Mystery Theater touring comedy troupe as well as host of the series “Animal Kidding.”
A film crew will accompany Coulier to shoot segments for “Cut It Out” is a movie about Full House and it’s legions of fans. So if you’d like to be interviewed to talk about your favorite “Full House” episode, character, or would even like to dress up like the cast members, you might get a spot in his movie.
RESEARCHER TALKS ON HIDDEN HISTORY OF UFOS SEPT. 13
“UFOs: The Hidden History,” a 90-minute lecture and slide show by Robert Hastings, an independent researcher and a laboratory analyst from Albuquerque, N.M., will be held at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13 in MSUM’S student union ballroom.
The program is based on previously classified documents secured through the Freedom of Information Act. Hastings will also provide information that evening on how to access up to 600 pages of these newly released documents. Hastings’ appearance on campus is sponsored by the university’s Campus Activities Board.
NAVIGATE WITH LEWIS & CLARK AT THE MSUM PLANETARIUM
The MSUM Planetarium presents “Navigating with Lewis and Clark”
September 17- November 13, Sundays at 2 p.m., Mondays at 7 p.m.
Almost 200 years ago the Lewis and Clark expedition passed North Dakota on its way to the Pacific Ocean. How did they find their way across this uncharted land? The show traces their journey using maps, photographs and the night sky. General admission is $3; children 12 and under, senior citizens and Tri-College students are $1.50.The Planetarium is located on the MSUM campus in Bridges Hall, room 167 at 11th St. and 8th Ave. S. in Moorhead. Please use the south entrance to Bridges Hall.
DRAGON FIRE DIVAS LUNCHEON TO BENEFIT WOMEN’S ATHLETICS MONDAY, SEPT. 18 AT MARRIOTT
MSUM’s Dragon Fire and Women’s Athletics will hold a Dragon Fire Divas’ Luncheon Buffet at noon Monday, Sept. 18 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead. Cost is $15, with all proceeds benefiting Dragon Women’s Athletics.
Guest speaker will be Judge Lisa Borgen, appointed earlier this year to the bench in Minnesota’s 7th Judicial District by Gov. Tim Pawlenty. Sheearned a criminal justice degree at MSU Moorhead in 1993. The 7th Judicial District covers 10 counties in Minnesota, including Clay and Otter Tail.
A Moorhead native, Borgen began her education at North Dakota State College of Science in Wahpeton, N.D., earning her licensed practical nursing diploma there in 1982. For the next four years she worked as an LPN in the neuro-intensive care unit at St. Lukes Hospital in Fargo and as a treatment nurse at Eventide Nursing Home in Moorhead.
Switching careers, she spent the next eight years as a customer service and selling manager for Dayton’s Department Store in Fargo, overseeing a budget of more than $2.3 million and up to 65 employees.
After graduating from the University of North Dakota School of Law in 1996, she opened the Borgen Law Office in Moorhead and two years later was elected Clay County Attorney, a position she held for seven years before being appointed to the bench. Her responsibilities there ranged from managing a staff that included 10 assistant county attorneys to handling serious felony cases including homicide, criminal sexual conduct, assaults and controlled substances.
Judge Borgen and her husband Brad, who manages a small business in Moorhead, have three children.
Other guest speakers include Shannon Ysteboe, women’s assistant soccer coach; and Tammy Blake, head women’s volleyball coach.
For more information, call 477-2556, or register online at www.godragonfire.com.
Dragon Fire is the official athletic scholarship fundraising arm of the MSUM Alumni Foundation.
19 MSUM STUDENT STUDYING ABROAD
Nineteen MSUM students are studying around the globe this semester.
Rachel Sang and Rebecca Sang began their studies at the University of Sunshine Coast, Australia this past July.
Brian Houle also began his studies in July, this time at the University of Otago, New Zealand through AustraLearn.
We have five students in Japan studying for either a semester or an academic year: Coil Tanner, Conrad Klinkhammer and Bradley Vender at Kanda University; Kimberly Swol at Kanto Gakuin University, and Anthony Blotsky at Nagoya Gakuin University. Sam Christikawa and Joanne Peterson are currently registering for classes at Nankai University in China.
Jill Forde and Jessica Nelson are attending Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Valaparaiso in Chile through ISEP. This is Jessica’ second semester. Joanna Swanson is also at the same institution through International Studies Abroad (ISA).
A first for an MSUM student, Shannon Lodermeier is studying at the American University in Cairo, Egypt fall semester.
David Huarez has chosen to study art and Italian culture through the University of Minnesota in Florence, Italy, and Megan Anderson leaves in two weeks for her study abroad program at the University of Malaga, Spain.
John Anderson is studying at Sodertorns hogskola in Stockholm for the academic year. Brady Johnson is studying in Costa Rica through a program sponsored by the University of Georgia (Athens). He will complete an ecology internship and research work while there.
And finally Christopher Borah is attending Portsmouth University in the UK.
A FINAL RIDE TO HELP STUDENTS
Once was not enough. Twice was not enough. No, even four times was not enough for Bob Erickson, who will begin his fifth—and final-- 2,300-mile bicycle tour Aug. 21 to raise money and public support for part-time students who attend the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. In his first four bike tours, Erickson, who lives in Bloomington, raised more than $261,000.
The chair of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Foundation, Erickson stopped at MSUM Wenesday afternoon. During the trek, which is expected to take 30 days, Erickson will tour all 53 campuses in the MnSCUsystem. He is funding the trip at his own expense.
What keeps him pedaling all those miles, year after year? “Many part-time students have a tough time making ends meet,” the 60-year-old Erickson said before undertaking this year’s Scholarship Challenge. “They’re often not eligible for scholarships, and the financial aid formula does not treat them fairly. The state should change its formula to give part-time students a fair shake.”
“Bob Erickson’s efforts have provided financial support for numerous students during the last four years. The students appreciate it and so do we,” said MSUM President Roland Barden.
As a former trustee and chair of the finance and facilities committee of the MnSCU System’s Board of Trustees, Erickson also served as senior vice president for finance and operations for the University of Minnesota from 1991 to 1995 and worked as a senior executive for SuperValu for 16 years.
MSUM OFFERS GRANT WRITING BOOT CAMP
MSUM is offering a Grant Writing Boot Camp three Saturdays this fall: September 9, 16, and 23. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Lommen Hall room 105.
The course may be taken for noncredit for $270, plus the cost of the text. It may also be taken for three undergraduate or graduate credits at the regular tuition rate.
The camp is intended for a diverse audience including human service professionals. Participants will learn how to locate sources of money, how to tailor the needs of human service organizations to the funding priorities of grants, the essential components of writing a grant, strategies for evaluation, and tips on administration through actually developing a proposal.
Through consultation with the instructors, participants will then find ways to strengthen those proposals.
The workshop is taught by Shawn Ginther, a professor of Social Work at MSUM, and Susan Humphers-Ginther, an associate professor of sociology and coordinator of the gerontology major. Both presenters have over a decade of experience with grant writing and administration while associated with private, state, and federal projects.
For more information or to register contact MSUM’s Continuing Studies at (218) 477-5862 or e-mail contstdy@mnstate.edu.
On the campus mall, noon to 2 p.m.
MSUM TO HOST PROGRAM ON 9/11
ANNIVERSARY REFLECTING ON
INTERRELIGIOUS TRUST SEPT. 11
“Building Interreligious Trust in a Climate of Fear,” a free public program reflecting on repercussions throughout the world following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, will run from noon to 2 p.m.. Monday, Sept. 11 on the Minnesota State University Moorhead campus mall (or Science Lab Building 104 in case of rain).
Speakers will include:
* Abdel Fatah (Abdu) Bashir, a professor of Computer Science and Information Systems at MSUM who has been active in the Muslim community since arriving in the United States in 1977 from his native Sudan. He’ll talk on “Terrorism, Fear, Hate: Can the Cycle Be Broken?”
* Janeen Kobrinksy, lay rabbi at Temple Beth El in Fargo since 2000, will talk on “Building Trust Face to Face: One Person at a Time.” She’s a charter member of the Fargo Human Relations Commission.
* Arland Jacobson, director of the F/M Communiversity and the CHARIS Ecumenical Center at Concordia College, will speak on “Religion, Violence and the Middle East: Myths and Realities.” He’s visited the Middle East several times, with particular interest in the role religion plays in the conflicts there.
* Rev. Xavier Ilango, St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Moorhead, who’ll speak on “Building Human Communities: An Interreligious Obligation of Today.” A native of India, he holds a doctorate in Moral Theology from Accademia Alfonsiana, Lateran University, Rome.
For details or questions about the event, contact Andrew Conteh at the MSUM Political Science department, 477-4009/477-2942, or e-mail him at conteh@mnstate.edu.
MSUM ORIENTATION BEGINS SUNDAY
Orientation for new students at Minnesota State University Moorhead runs from Sunday, August 20, through Wednesday, August 23.
MSUM is expecting about 1,100 new freshmen and 675 new transfer students this fall, with total enrollment estimated at about 7,500 students.
The “Dragon Move-In Crew” will help move new students into the residence halls from 9 a.m. to 2.p.m. on Sunday. The crew consists of President Barden, the MSUM football team, alumni, deans, faculty, staff and Student Orientation Counselors.
Orientation check-in runs from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday. Students will meet their Student Orientation Counselors and other students during SOC Talk from 3 to 4:30 p.m. in the courtyard outside Holmquist Hall.
On Tuesday, August 22, the University Welcome Convocation, featuring MSUM alum Deb Jenkins, a well-known singer and one of the managers of Dakota Soda at Zandbroz Variety, runs 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. in the Roland Dille Center for the Arts Hansen Theatre. This is the first meeting for the incoming class of 2006 aimed at introducing new students to academic life.
Many other events will take place during the week, including dances, BBQ, a rock show, a comedian, breakout sessions, volleyball tournament, eating challenge, and more.
Classes begin Thursday, Aug. 24.
New this year….
ENROLLMENT 7,500; DRAGON CORE BEGINS;
MNSCU ADOPTS MEASUREABLE PERFORMANCE
Enrollment this year is expected to hover around 7,500 students, down anywhere from 150 to 250 students from last year, Pres. Roland Barden said in a discussion about what’s new on campus this year.
“That’s what we’ve been projecting, based on the number of high school graduates in our service area,” he said. “It’s a pretty comfortable fit for us now, considering the construction going on in MacLean and Hagen Halls. It’s a good match for our facilities.”
That 7,500 number was the comfort zone Barden aimed at when he first took over as president here in 1994.
This summer session, he noted, student credit hour sales were up for the first time in three years.
Barden said the university ended Fiscal Year ’06 with a balanced budget, and he expects that track record to continue. MSUM’s annual operating budget now is about $73 million.
Construction, meanwhile, continues with the remodeling of MacLean Hall (expected to be completed in about 18 to 20 months) and Hagen Hall (three floors are finished and the final floor is expected to be finished fall semester, with a dedication planned this spring).
Barden noted that the state, over the past decade, has funded more than $100 million in campus building projects. Next step in the construction area is requesting money from the Legislature to remodel Lommen Hall. And other future projects include the library, Weld Hall and the Center for the Arts.
“Sen. Keith Langseth has been very supportive of MSUM,” he said.
The $1.9 million remodeling of Grantham Hall (renovating common areas, laundry, kitchen, restrooms, showers, study rooms, new HVAC equipment along with electrical and plumbing upgrades) is expected to be finished this November.
The first phase of the Kise Dining Hall remodeling project, costing about $878,000, should be finished by Oct. 15. It involved demolition of existing seating areas and temporary finishes to accommodate students this year. Phase II of the project, which includes remodeling the kitchen area and equipment, along with final finishes to the dining area, is in the bidding process.
Dragon Core
This is the first year of MSUM’s new Dragon Core program for entering freshmen, providing a broad foundation of skills for incoming students, specifically in speech, math, writing and practical/ethical reasoning.
“When I explained the Dragon Core to a gathering of emeriti this summer, they actually cheered,” Barden said.
MnSCU Measurables
The MnSCU Board of Trustees has adopted, as part of its institutional planning, a group of measurable performance indicators that all 32 institutions in the system will be accountable for. They include:
* Retention, plugging the leaks in the process of students entering and eventually graduating with the degrees. Only about half the students who enter MnSCU universities actually earn degrees within a reasonable six years.
* Closing the gap in the number of underrepresented students pursuing degrees, including minorities, the poor and first time college families .The universities are being asked to reach out to them.
* Creating more Centers for Excellence programs, maybe adding two more to the already four MnSCU centers. The centers are designed to give selected campuses distinctive academic identities. Each center consists of at least one state university and one two-year college, and they will collaborate to create state-of-the-art programs to meet the critical needs of the state and region. MSUM, Barden said, is looking at making biosciences a center for excellence on this campus.
* Growing revenue sources outside of tuition and state appropriations, meaning more emphasis on grants for projects and programs and more private and alumni philanthropy to support scholarships and academic programs.
* Expanding enrollment from the growing portion of Minnesota’s population of 25 to 45-year-olds who have never been to college or graduated from high school.
* Increasing efforts in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, both by recruiting more students and building better programs in these areas and qualifying more education majors to teach in these areas.
Barden said the MnSCU system will be monitoring and measuring each of its institutions’ progress in these areas.
Meanwhile, Academic Affairs is pursuing a major initiative, part of an effort to increase retention numbers and improve academic success of students, by including more writing in all courses.
Preparing for Reaccredidation 2007
The university is on schedule for its reaccredidation site visit by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA). While the visit takes place in spring of 2007, the MSUM Self-Study Committee has been meeting regularly since last May.
To prepare, MSUM will engage in an intensive self-study to gather information and evidence demonstrating that it is accomplishing its mission. This information will be compiled to celebrate the university's strengths as well as identify things that can be done better. The entire campus community is integral to this process.