* New Hendrix Healt Center Building may presage east campus revision
* Meersman awarded $25,000 artist fellowship
* Latino teacher of the year: Abner Arauza
* Summer enrollment up 8.1%
* New Arts & Humanities dean named
* New master's degree in education technology
* Former Mayor gets L.B. Hartz Award
* Prof wins $25,000 McKnight Award
* Summer Cinema at MSUM
* Harley donation lifts Kelsi fund near $17,000

Fitness center may connect east end of campus..
MSUM NEW HEALTH CENTER BUILDING
MAY PRESAGE EAST CAMPUS REVISION
Minnesota State University Moorhead will start construction on a $400,000 building this week to house Hendrix Health Center, a project that could be the first step for developing a whole new vision for the east side of the campus.

The new 7,400-square-foot building will be located just southeast of the Roland Dille Center for the Arts, replacing an old tennis court that was converted into a parking lot.

Discovery of mold this winter in the current Hendrix Health Center, located in the basement of Dahl Hall, prompted the university to add the new building.

Built with concrete block with a stone outside finish, it will resemble a professional office building when it’s finished later in the semester, says David Crockett,

MSUM’s vice president for administrative affairs. “It will have a pitched roof with shingles.”

Once Hendrix moves into its new quarters, the university will decontaminate the basement of Dahl Hall to minimize the mold problem. The space then may be used for storage. This summer a new drainage system is being installed around the basement.

“Until the new building opens,” Crockett said, “all the mold in Hendrix is enclosed behind sheetrock and it shouldn’t be a problem unless it’s disturbed.”

But the new Hendrix Health Center may only be a temporary location.

“We’re looking at a whole new health and fitness center package that would connect to the student union, Kise Commons food services and most of the residence halls,” says Warren Wiese, MSUM’s vice president for student affairs. “That would include Hendrix Health Center.”

And it’s not just a pipe dream. Last spring the Student Senate approved a proposal for a flat $50 per semester mandatory fee that would support the construction and operation of a new campus health and fitness center. It still must be approved by President Roland Barden.

But Wiese is optimistic about the plan because it seems to be the wave of the future. “NDSU’s new fitness center is used by more than half of its students and is planning an expansion,” he said. “St. Cloud State University last year approved a similar fitness center plan. UND is expanding theirs. It’s what students expect in service from universities our size.”

The plan, however, would put the new fitness center right in the middle of 14th Street S at the conjunction of Ballard, Snarr and Dahl Halls and Kise Commons.

“We’ve already notified the city of Moorhead of our thinking because it would require closing the one-way street,” Wiese said. “But I think it will be a win-win situation for the campus and the residential neighborhoods because it will cut down traffic and add parking space.”

Skywalks and other links could connect the fitness center to the residence halls, the student union and to food services, which is scheduled for an entire renovation or replacement within the next couple of years. In the future, a skywalk connecting the library and the student union would complete the package. “It sure makes sense because of our long winters,” Wiese said.

He also said the complex might solve some of the entertainment problems student face on weekends by giving them a space to congregate, workout and socialize.

“Depending on when certain decisions are made, we might be ready to begin construction on this fitness center within a year or two,” Wiese said. “We will have a task force planning the facility this fall.”

And if Hendrix Health Center does relocate into a new fitness center, Crockett said, then the new building going up this week will be available for a variety of other campus departments or programs.

The fellowships identify and support outstanding Minnesota artists with $25,000 stipends, public recognition and professional encouragement.

The awards, announced last week, also went to Julie Buffalohead (mixed media) and Chris Larson (multi-media), both of St. Paul; and Valerie Jenkins (drawing) and Margaret McGee (sculpture), both of Minneapolis.

Meersman, who has taught at MSUM since 1999, will use the award to produce a series of larger-than-life sculptural containers. A group exhibition will be held next spring.

Meersman holds an MFA in sculpture from the University of Texas at Austin and a BFA in photography from Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights.

During its existence, the MCAD/McKnight program has influenced the careers of more than 125 artists. The program is administered by the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

The 16,000-circulation weekly newspaper, distributed in more than 300 Twin Cities locations, was founded in 1991

The 12th annual awards program, held Monday evening in St. Paul, honored the artist, educator, community organization and community leader of the year.
The son of Mexican parents who emigrated to this country, he spent much of his youth as a migrant farm laborer and most of his summers working fields in the Red River Valley. Originally from Crystal City, Tex., he was among the first group of students who enrolled at MSUM in 1968 under Project E-

Quality, a program to help minorities earn a college degree.
After two years at MSUM, Arauza worked in the Twin Cities, which included starting the first Spanish-speaking radio program there, based at the University of Minnesota, and becoming the first chair of the Minnesota Migrant Council. He then moved back to Texas, opening five retail businesses that he

owned and operated for 10 years.
He returned to MSUM in 1988 to complete his degree before being hired as the university’s assistant director for minority student affairs. Since then, he’s seen the number of Latino students grow from 11 to 89 this year and he’s now head of the Multicultural Affairs office.

Today, Arauza also produces two weekly Hispanic radio programs broadcast throughout Minnesota and North Dakota, and he’s in his eight year of organizing an annual Unity Conference on campus focusing on Latino culture, history, education and legislation. Information about these programs can be found at web.mnstate.edu/notas.

MSUM Registrar John Tandberg said 2,350 students were registered for summer classes, up from 2,174 last year. The preliminary count is based on data collected on the 30th day of classes.

Quigley replaces Virginia Klenk, who retired this summer.

Quigley, 50, will oversee a division of eight academic departments and nearly100 faculty members—art, speech-theatre, English, music, languages, philosophy, humanities and multicultural studies and history.

Originally from Fullerton, Calif., he holds a doctorate in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s and undergraduate degree in English from California State University Fullerton. His academic specialty is environmental literature.
Quigley had been with Embry Riddle for more than 20 years, serving as dean of academics since 1998. He also chaired the humanities/social sciences department there for two years.

After completing two consecutive Fulbright Scholarships at the University of Bergen in Norway during the early 1990s, he accepted an appointment at the university of Tromso in Norway, then returned to Embry Riddle in 1996.

Quigley and his wife Polly now live in Moorhead with their two sons.

At MSUM and Bemidji State…
COLLABORATION PROVIDES MASTERS
IN TECHNOLOGY EDUCATION OPTIONS
A new collaboration between Minnesota State University Moorhead and Bemidji State University will provide new options for individuals interested in pursuing a master's degree in education with a technology emphasis.

The program is designed to meet graduate level e-learning needs for teachers, K-12 and post secondary. Courses are primarily offered over the Internet and feature a hybrid distance and face-to-face education format employing CD-ROM materials, interactive television, or other delivery strategies.

The program at MSU Moorhead is a master of science in educational leadership with an educational technology emphasis. This program is designed to provide professional and academic education for individuals preparing for leadership and mid-management administrative positions in technology.
Bemidji State is offering a master of science in teacher education with an educational information communications and technology emphasis. Its core classes, offered entirely over the Internet, address the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards and provide a sound foundation for advanced study in a content area through elective course work.

The degrees include selected courses at both state universities and allow graduate students to enroll in appropriate sessions at either institution without credit transfer problems.

Classes will be available to students starting with the fall 2002 semester. Enrollments may be limited in certain sections, so early application to the program or registration in the courses are encouraged.

More information is available by contacting:
* MSU-Moorhead, Dennis Van Berkum, coordinator, vanberku@mnstate.edu (Internet: web.mnstate.edu/DistanceEd/EdLeadEdTech).
* Bemidji, Dr. Patricia L. Rogers, program coordinator, Education-Art Building, 218-755-3781, plr@bemidjistate.edu (Internet: bsued.bemidjistate.edu/technology/bemidji.html)

An awards reception will be held at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 9 in the Center for Business atrium on campus.

The award is named in honor of the late L.B. Hartz, the founder of Hartz Wholesale Company headquartered in Thief River Falls. It’s presented annually by MSUM’s College of Business and Industry to an individual who has created economic opportunities for others through innovation, entrepreneurship and community service.

Stordhal, who was mayor of Moorhead from 1964 to 1972 during the city’s major urban renewal project, is now retired and works for SCORE (Service Core of Retired Executives), which helps developing new businesses. He also works for the Fargo-Moorhead’s Heart Health Program and represents the public on the State Emergency Response Commission.

Stordahl, raised on a rural Minnesota farm, started his career as a student at Concordia College when he developed S & S Construction, which he sold in 1960 to a local businessman. As business manager and later as vice president of finance, he also helped Silverline Boat Company develop into a national success.

An Army officer in WWII’s Battle of the Bulge, Stordahl is a member of the Minnesota Business Hall of Fame

During the Sunday reception honoring Stordahl, two students will receive $1,000 L.B. Hartz Academic Scholarships: Sara Rose Paulsen, a business administration and economics major from Albany, Minn.; and Kelli Ann Schmit, a finance major from Detroit Lakes. They were selected for the scholarships based on their academic achievements and an essay they wrote on how school and work experience relate to career goals.

The awards, announced last week, also went to Brent Michael Davids and Barb Ryman of Minneapolis and Preston Wright of St. Paul.

Besides the $25,000 in unrestricted funding, the fellowship is supplemented with an optional $5,000 for each composer to carry out a community resident project.

Harley, a Canadian native who’s been teaching at MSUM for three years, will use the award to create a new composition and purchase recording equipment. He intends to present a public performance of his composition in the 2003-2004 school year.

Harley holds a doctorate in music composition from McGill University in Montreal with additional graduate composition studies at the Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw, the Universite de Paris and the Royal Academy of Music in London.

Including some rare, seldom-seen movies along with masterpieces of American cinema, the series offers a special film every Monday evening through July 29. Show time is 7:30 p.m. weekly in the air-conditioned Weld Hall Glasrud Auditorium. Admission is $2 and each feature runs about two hours. Tickets are available at the door.

In vintage Hollywood tradition, each film is preceded by a short subject. Pre-show pipe organ music and scores for the silent pictures are performed by members of the Red River Chapter of the American Theater Organ Society.

* June 10: “The Seven Little Foys” (1955), a full color, musical look at the life of legendary vaudeville performer Eddie Foy. It’s a bittersweet look at a career- driven man and how he handles single fatherhood. Starring Bob Hope in the title role, it includes such turn-of-the-century musical hits such as “Chinatown” and “Yankee Doodle Boy,” with special guest performances by James Cagney and George M. Cohen.
* June 17: “The Farmer’s Wife” (1928), a silent Alfred Hitchcock film produced when he was beginning his career in England. This rustic comedy, about an unlucky farmer trying to find a bride, shows another side of Hitchcock. David Knudtson performs an original score on the Weld Hall Wurlitzer Pipe Organ.
* June 24: “If You Could Only Cook” (1935), a screwball comedy of mistaken identity starring Herbert Marshall and Joan Hawthorne. This little-known film features some side-splitting scenes.
* July 1: “Thundering Hoofs” (1924), featuring silent film cowboy heroes Fred Thompson along with Fred Huntley. It’s the story of love and adventure set in Mexico and California, capturing the essence of the silent film Westerns. Lance Johnson performs the live musical score for this classic.
* June 8: “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” (1945), an endearing film about a poor Irish family trying to eke out an existence against the odds, starring Dorothy McGuire, James Dunn and Peggy Ann garner. Elia Kazan makes his directing debut in this family feature.
* July 15: “Ella Cinders” (1926), a comedy of life and optimism, is a tribute for the late Ted Larson, who founded MSUM’s Summer Cinema Series more than a quarter century ago. Larson, who died two years ago, developed a friendship with silent film actress Colleen Moore during the last decade of her life. As part of the film presentation, the university will honor one of its most respected professors by dedicating the Ted M. Larson Memorial Wurlitzer Pipe Organ.
* July 22: “The Mad Miss Manton” (1938), starring Barbara Stanwyck, Henry Fonda and Penny Singleton. This is one of those 1930s classics, a comedy-mystery with plenty of laughs and adventures for the whole family.
* July 29: “Wings” (1927), a World War I flying adventure starring Charles “Buddy” Rogers, Richard Arlen, Gary Cooper and Clara Bow. An Oscar winner for Best Picture, it’s one of the legendary films from the silent era. Lance Johnson will perform an original score on the Ted M. Larson Memorial Wurlitzer.

Summer Cinema Series is sponsored by the university’s speech communications-theatre arts department.

Kelsi, a freshman track start at MSUM, died last March 19 of encephalitis.

The endowment was established soon after her death to provide an annual $1,000 scholarship for a university track athlete.

The motorcycle was sold for $6,355 this spring through Fargo Harley-Davidson Sales and Service in West Fargo, who handled the transaction without a commission. Including the motorcycle sale, the Kelsi Merritt endowment fund has already reached nearly $17,000.

And according to Judy Peterson, director of annual giving here, it’s one of the fastest-growing endowments funds in MSUM history,

John Merritt works in public relations for Carmichael Lynch Advertising Agency in the Twin Cities. Harley-Davidson is one of its clients. At an all-agency meeting last year, john won a drawing for a 2002 Harley-Davidson Sportster 883.

But his luck at winning the bike was eclipsed by the family tragedy.

“They’re a lot of fun to ride,” said Merritt, ”and I really enjoyed it. But compared to how much I’ll miss my niece, there is no comparison. I was lucky to win the bike and be able to ride it for a few months, but compared to not being able to see my niece grow up, there’s no comparison.”

If you’d like to donate to the fund, contact Peterson at the MSUM Alumni Foundation, 218-236-2093 or e-mail her at  peterju@mnstate.edu.