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A Publication for Alumni & Friends of Bemidji State UniversityVol. 13, No. 2, Winter 1997-98

Neil Wittiko has been getting alot of E grades lately.

That’s E for Energetic; anotherE for Exciting ... or the alwayspopular E for Effort ... and nowhe can add an E for Exceptionalto his report card.

Wittiko, a Bemidji State gradu-ate and teacher at HermantownHigh School, was named this fallas the 1997 Minnesota Teacher ofthe Year by the Minnesota Edu-cation Association.

A native of Glenwood, Wittikograduated from BSU in 1982 withdegrees in English and German.

Energetic and exciting werewords frequently used by hisformer students when describinghis classroom style and presen-tations in German, English andtelevision courses. He was knownto push students to their limits,compelling them to excel.

“I teach because I really enjoyworking with students, and I lovemy content areas,” Wittiko said.“I like seeing students succeed.Nothing is more rewarding thanwatching students accomplishsomething that they may neverhad thought they could do.”

As an example, Wittiko de-scribed one of this fall’s projects,the directing of a musical at thehigh school. At the start of re-hearsals, the students couldn’tbelieve they could sing on a stage,let alone in front of a large audi-ence of family, friends, and the-ater goers. With hard work, theygot it done and did it well.

“It’s amazing what students cando when you empower them andgive them the tools to accomplishsomething worthwhile. These arethe real rewards that are built intothe teaching profession.”

Wittiko has been capturingthose rewards over 15 years ofteaching, two years at OliviaHigh School and two more atFoley High School before join-ing the Hermantown faculty in1986. During his career, he hascoached track, advised studentsclubs, worked with student gov-ernment, and directed drama.

But most of all he’s loved theclassroom interaction and thesubjects he teaches. He hasn’t al-lowed his day or his career to fallinto a rut as he has been knownto have up to five different classpreparations in a single term.

teaching schedule it gives me.Things are kept moving alongfairly quickly.”

Fairly quickly also describesthe pace Wittiko has had to main-tain since learning of his selec-tion in mid-October. The mediaattention, interviews and phonecalls were intense for a couple ofweeks. He was also contacted fre-quently by old friends, BSUclassmates, and colleagues withcongratulatory wishes.

He had less than a week to pre-pare for the state convention,where he was a featured speaker,and only a couple more to pre-pare materials for his nominationas National Teacher of the Year.

Wittiko has taken this attentionand turned it on the profession heloves. He feels teachers, espe-cially those in public education,don’t get the credit they deserveand that Minnesota’s schools areamong the best in the nation.

“What teachers do is so impor-tant. I don’t know of another pro-fession where there is so muchpotential to affect people’s liveson a day-to-day basis,” he noted.“We can always improve, but wealready do many things right.

“Schools need to open theirdoors and let the people see howwell teaching is really going.Some of our critics need to get intothe classroom and watch the ex-citement and learning take place.We are fortunate that Hermantownis a very supportive communitywhen it comes to education.”

He talks fondly of the prepara-tion he received at BSU, one thatgave him confidence, and his stu-dent teaching experience withBSU alumna Marge Engebretson,who was the 1984 MinnesotaTeacher of the Year.

Based on his experiences, he’snot hesitant to encourage others

attract some of the best men andwomen into the field.

“Too often young people lookat the dollars when they startlooking to their future,” hethought. “We need to change that.I think teaching is the greatestcareer with more rewards thanany other profession.

“Kids today have unlimitedpotential. My job as a teacher isto give the students an avenue toopen the doors to their lives, es-pecially in this day and age wheneverything can be found on theInternet. It’s a different world,and we have to empower kids tofind the answers they need to bewhat they want to be.

“And we, as teachers, shouldnever, never underestimate thepower of what we do. Everythingwe say or do can make the dif-ference of a lifetime.” ■

Living up to the Grade

Neil Wittiko

“

Neil Wittiko

e, as teachers, should never, never underestimate the power of whatwe do. Everything we say or do can makethe difference of a lifetime.”

BSUCalendarDecember 5,6,7,12,13,14, 1997

Madrigal Dinners, Bemidji

December 13, 1997Madrigal Dinners Alumni Reunion

December 17,18, 1997Madrigal Dinners, St Paul Radisson

January 16, 1998Alumni Reception, Alexandria 5 p.m.*

January 24, 1998Beaver Pride Winter Golf Classic onthe frozen waters of Lake Bemidji

January 31, 1998BSU Foundation Snow Ball, 6 p.m.,

BSU’s Beaux Arts Ballroom

February 8, 1998Opera Night, Twin Cities

February 13, 1998Alumni Reception, Brainerd, 5 p.m.*

February 13, 1998MN Music Educators, BSU Alumni

Reception

February 15, 1998Opera Night, Bemidji

February 21, 1998Twin Cities Alumni & Friends Dinner,

Northland Inn , Brooklyn Park

March 7, 1998BSU Alumni and Student Senators

Brunch, Washington, DC*

March 15,16, 1998BSU Winter Rendezvous,

Laughlin, Nevada

March 27, 1998Alumni Reception, Hibbing, 5 p.m.*

*Details to be announced

BSUBSU

BSUBSU

“Teaching allowsme to work everyday in areas thatinterest me. English,German and drama,”he commented.“Ilove the variety andthe different type of

to take the stepsneeded to be suc-cessful in front of aclass. Wittiko be-lieves that sharingthe intrinsic rewardswith prospectiveteachers will help

Horizons Page 2

Bemidji State University

Horizons

Minnesota

Vol. 13, No. 2, Winter 1997

Produced by the News and PublicationsOffice and the Alumni Office at BemidjiState University, HORIZONS is publishedquarterly and distributed without charge toBSU alumni, students, faculty, staff andother friends of the University. BSU is anequal opportunity educator and employer.

Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Al NohnerDesigner . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathy BerglundPhotographer . . . . . . . . . . . John SwartzPresident . . . . . . . . . . . Dr. Jim BensenAlumni Director . . . . . . . . . Sue KringenContributing Writer . . . . . John McRaeEditorial Assistance . . . . Peggy Nohner

Editorial Board: Dr. Jim Bensen, BSU presi-dent; Dr. David Tiffany, vice president for Uni-versity advancement; Al Nohner, director ofnews services and publications; Sue Kringen,director of alumni relations.

Loren Solberg likes to tell peoplethat he has advanced one wholeroom in his career since graduat-ing from Bemidji State Universityand starting his first job.

That may literally be the case,but nothing could be further fromhe truth in terms of his work andservice to the people of Minnesota.

Solberg is one of six membersof the Minnesota House of Rep-resentatives with ties to BSU.Some have taken courses at theUniversity and others have earnedbachelor’s degrees. Solberg isthe only one with both under-

spected member of the house.It was Solberg the legislature

tapped in 1989 when it formed itsfirst Ethics Committee and waslooking for a chair. And it wasSolberg who was asked to serveas the chair of a newly created andinfluential Ways and MeansCommittee, a post he has contin-ued to fill for three differentspeakers of the house.

‘“That’s an accomplishment Ifeel good about,” Solberg said.“I’ve given all three speakers theopportunity to replace me, as istheir prerogative, but they all saidI was the person they wanted.”

Solberg feels his longevitywithin the House structure and asa legislator is due to his ability tolook at the big picture of differ-ent issues, to balance the oftencompeting interests, and to under-stand as well as work within thepolitical process and system.

“It is also helpful to be forth-

legislatureBSUBSU

Solberg Makes Little Movesin Big Waysand issues like levy limits.

“For higher education, thechallenge will be to have efficientsystems that still provide accessto everyone. If BSU had not ex-isted for me, it would have beenmuch harder to get the educa-tional opportunities I did. Still,there will be continued pressureto fund more for the metro areaand less for rural Minnesota.

“Education can also be seen asa leading economic tool foroutstate areas,” he added. “If gov-ernment doesn’t provide thosetools, you have to look at what elsemight be lost.”

Despite a strong economy andrevenue windfalls, Solberg stillforesees tough times in thelegislature.

“It’s never easy, because thereare many competing interests forthe use of money and resources.Regardless of how much moneyis available, there is always a le-gitimate demand for state servicesthat go beyond the capacity to pay.That’s only made more difficultby the shifting of federal programsback to the state, which puts morepressure on budgets, especially inmedical and social programs.

“It may be easier to address is-sues with more available funds,but you still have to have gooddebate on the policies and the pri-orities for state government.”

Solberg has enjoyed the poli-tics and the debates for 15 ses-sions, and says that he gets themost satisfaction in being able toinfluence public policy and serv-ing his constituents — whetherit is from his classroom just onedoor down from where he startedteaching or from the big roomfull of power and influence inSt. Paul. ■

right and promise nothing youcan’t deliver,” he added. “If youlay it all out and are honest withpeople, they may not totally agreewith what you do, but they alwaysunderstand why you do things.”

One of the most powerful in theHouse, the Ways and MeansCommittee is responsible for set-ting fiscal policy and allocatingspecific budget targets for policyinitiatives and all units of govern-ment. Every appropriations billgoes to this committee before itreaches the House floor for a vote.

Solberg has also chaired theCriminal Justice Committee andwas the author of the 1992 Om-nibus Crime Bill and a court refi-nancing bill that increased stateassumption of public defenderand county court costs. His otherlegislative priorities have in-cluded supporting higher educa-tion opportunities for youth andadults, making the state’s taconiteindustry more competitive, diver-sifying the local economy, and ad-dressing health care.

Solberg recently chaired a spe-cial House task force on the state’sresponse to federal budget cuts,focusing on changes in welfareand health care law.

For the next legislative session,he sees property tax reform as apriority.

“It is going to be a big topic ofconversation, even though we setthe property tax for two years dur-ing the last legislative session,”said Solberg, who is originallyfrom Blackduck. “While there isno immediate need for action, thefoundation has been set for reformand action will continue to movein that direction. It will be part ofa larger discussion that runs thegamut of who funds what, therelationship the state has withother local units of government,

E“ ducation can also be seen as aleading economic tool for outstate

areas. If government doesn’tprovide those tools, you have to lookat what else might be lost.”mmmmm

graduate and graduatedegrees from BemidjiState.

A math major, hestudent taught inBovey in 1965 andwas hired by theschool district as soonas he graduated. He’sbeen there since, andnow teaches in theroom next to the onehe used as a studentteacher.

But a room wherehe spends a lot of histime lately is locatedwithin the capitol inSt. Paul, where Solberghas served as a legisla-tor since first beingelected in 1982. Dur-ing his tenure, he hasbuilt a reputation asone of the most re-

Kris HasskampDistrict 12A / Crosby

Tony KinkelDistrict 4B / Park Rapids

Bob NessDistrict 20A / Dassel

Gail SkareDistrict 4A / Bemidji

Torrey WestromDistrict 13A / Elbow Lake

Loren Solberg

Other Minnesota State Representatives with Ties to BSU

Horizons Page 3

Niche

A“

1990sJoy Stende (‘97) started her career ineducation this fall at Renville HighSchool. She is serving as one of theschool’s two Spanish instructors. Stende ismaking her home in Renville ... TimWalker (‘97) is a second grade teacher atthe Orr School. This is his first yearteaching ... Mike Tweed (‘97) is teachingsociology and health at the CrossroadsLearning Center in Finlayson. Crossroadsis an alternative high school with anenrollment of about 100 students ... NateDybvig (‘97) has been hired as a reporterfor the Brainerd Dispatch. He previouslyworked at the Bemidji Pioneer, the AskovAmerican and Ely Timberjay ... RobStrand (‘97) was married Aug. 23 toMichelle Elaine Johnson in Bemidji ...Kevin Milbrandt (‘97) has been hired asa second grade teacher with the VirginiaSchool District ... Lynn Keller (‘97) isteaching first grade at James KnollElementary School in Ortonville. Her

husband Trevor (‘92) also teaches inOrtonville ... Chris Hamilton (‘97) is anindustrial arts teacher and varsity footballcoach with the Laporte School system ...Jamie Koester (‘97) is a graduate studentof music at the University of Iowa andwas recently chosen to perform with theUniversity Symphony. It is considered themost prestigious of the student ensemblesat the U of I School of Music ... JenniferDeeds (‘97) was married to NathanPochardt in June. The couple resides inBemidji ... Matt Okeson (‘97) is aseventh grade life science teacher, eighthgrade earth science teacher and seniorhigh dance instructor with the LaporteSchool system ... Tresa Aiple (‘97) iscurrently living in Bloomington andworking for United HealthCare Corpora-tion as a tax associate/stock optionassistant in the tax and risk managementdivision ... Aubrey Levno (‘97) is aseventh grade language arts teacher atFergus Falls Middle School. In addition toteaching, she also serves as advisor of the

Middle School yearbook ... StephanieDaigle (‘97) is a grades 7-12 mathteacher at Herman-Norcross School ...Christine Olds (‘97) has joined theNational Steel Pellet Company inKeewatin as an accountant. She resides inGrand Rapids ... Frances Larson (‘97) isan early family support counselor at TheVillage Family Services Center inAlexandria ... Lisa Doty (‘97) wasmarried on Sept. 13 to Scott Foley inBemidji. Doty is a registered nurse at theMayo Medical Center in Rochester, whileScott works at Anderson Consulting inMinneapolis ... Jennifer Thoen (‘97) hasbeen named Shakopee Convention andVisitor Bureau’s sales and marketingmanager. She works in advertisingpromotion, group tour planning, sales andmarketing ... Bruce Butterfield (‘97) is afifth grade teacher at North School inDeer River. Bruce and his wife Rondahave two children ... Nicole Uhlenkamp(‘97) is coordinating programs in peermediation and conflict resolution for theCass Lake-Bena School District ...Jeffrey Zigan (‘97) is the new businessmanager for the Park Rapids SchoolDistrict. He was formerly businessmanager of Northwest Technical College-Bemidji and business services director

Where We Are ... What We’re Doingwith the Cold Spring School District ...Michael Donat (‘97) began his teachingcareer this fall as a first grade teacher atCass Lake-Bena Elementary School ...Paul Schaefer (‘96) was named recipientof a $1,000 postgraduate scholarship fromthe National Association of CollegiateDirectors of Athletics (NACDA) andSears, Roebuck and Co. Schaefer iscurrently enrolled in the physical therapyprogram at the University of Minnesota.While at BSU, Schaefer was a member ofthe Red Line Swingers pep band. Eachyear, Sears and NACDA award a $1,000academic scholarship to every NCAA Div.I, II, III and NAIA institution that wins anational championship. Recipients aremembers of the institution’s athleticsupport staff, such as band members,tutors, trainers, cheerleaders, teammanagers, sports information assistantsand student assistant coaches ... ChariBuhman (‘96) is an EBD teacher for theCass Lake-Bena School District. Sheformerly taught at a private church schoolin Oakley, Michigan ... MartaUnderthum (‘96) is a fifth grade teacherat Cass Lake-Bena Elementary School ...Matt King (‘96) is working at MinnesotaDisplay and Graphics in Edina as agraphic designer ... Kate Funk (‘96) is anintern with River Bend Nature Center in

ALL CITIES ARE LOCATED IN MINNESOTA UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED.

(Continued on page 4)

Faribault ... Stacey (Grill) Stallard (‘96)was promoted to consumer loan officer/personal banker at Norwest Bank inInternational Falls. She’s worked at thebank for eight years, with experience incompliance, auditing, credit underwritingand customer service ... Garrett Lathe(‘96) has been hired as head of the musicdepartment at Bagley High School. Hepreviously served as a music teacher forthe Red Lake School District ... RianHeimark (‘96) is a fifth grade teacher inRoseau. He previously served as aparaprofessional and substitute teacher atCass Lake Elementary and Roseau HighSchool ... Deborah Morrill (‘95) is thecoordinator of the Star Adventure KidsCenter, a daycare center, in Mahnomen.The center was recently constructed andserves as many as 200 children ...Augusta Brandt (‘95) is a teacher atWin-E-Mac School in Erskine. She isengaged to be married in June of 1998 toBSU classmate Chris McLean ... KristinJohnson (‘95) has been hired as a mathteacher for Lakeview Middle School inCottonwood ... Scott Fadness (‘95)traveled to the Russian Far East to workwith the Honnocker Wildlife Institute Inc.to create paintings of the endangeredSiberian Tiger. The paintings will be sold

Larry Myers spent a consider-able amount of time exploringniche education.

For a while it was English, wherehis interest in science fiction andwriting seemed welcoming.

Then it was the sciences, biol-ogy and geology specifically, be-fore that didn’t feel right either.

Three years away from highereducation only reinforced the re-alization that the Nevis HighSchool graduate needed to findsomething for his future.

He settled on computer scienceand mathematics, and has par-layed that niche with his trainingin the other fields to become anaward winning software devel-oper in the fast-changing world ofamusement park programming.

“ So many people complainabout all the different kind ofcourses they have to take in col-lege, but I can’t think of anythingI haven’t used in one way or an-other,” said Myers, who now livesin Orlando, Florida, where heworks for Data Service Companyof America (DSCA). “I had a yearof geology, and learned certain

methodology the geologists use toapproach a problem. That can beadapted and benefit a project.

“I also had a year of psychology,and I can talk for hours on how thatcrosses over. A solid year of En-glish was immensely helpful.”

Myers utilizes his Englishbackground every time he writesdocumentation for the softwarehis company develops. It is a taskhe does frequently as most of hiscolleagues prefer to write in codeover composition.

The success of the company’sproduct means Myers spends a lotof time writing both. Last yeartheir “Back Office” product re-ceived the first-place award fromthe International Association ofAmusement Parks and Attrac-tions as the best new revenue andadmissions control product.

“Our company really sells thehardware, from cash registers tocomputers,” Myers explained.“The hardware just sits therelooking pretty without the rightprograms. You need to have thesoftware to drive the systems, anda lot of people in the amusement

industry buy our products be-cause of the software.”

The software functions as aninterface to point of sale systemsand admissions control systems,allowing a person to manage thepark right from an office.

Ticket prices can be changedand downloaded instantaneouslyto all gates; templates for newfood and beverage costs can becreated and distributed through-out the park in a very short time;and statistical analysis is imme-diately available on how peopleare moving in and out of the park.

It can even tell who is workingon a specific cash register, and makesure no mistakes are being made incustomer pricing or cash collection.

“That’s really the whole ideaabout computers,” Myers said.“They make mundane thingseasier so a manager can spendmore time on important things.”

The software he worked on isenabling managers across theglobe to concentrate on concernsbeyond counting coins in themoney box. A year ago he spent amonth in China installing the sys-tem in the American Dream Parkoutside of Shanghai. Last summerit was the California State Fair, andsoon it will be the Baltimore Zoo.

“Our company’s product canrun everything from mom-and-pop fun centers with a couple ofregisters connected via a PC tothe park in China, where a serverkept track of 20 turnstiles, 20

ticket booths, 10 office work sta-tions, and 50 cash registers forfood and beverages,” Myers ex-plained. “It was not quite as bigas the Magic Kingdom, but it wasaspiring to be like that.”

Myers has experience with theMagic Kingdom. After graduatingin 1982, he worked at SperryUnivac for eight years before mov-ing on to Walt Disney World forfive years prior to joining DSCA.

“Working with a small com-pany has been a lot of fun,” henoted.“You’re able to take the cre-ation of a software product fromconcept to design through imple-mentation and maintenance. It’s

Finding a Niche

Larry Myers

daptation is the key word in today’s technological society, and what I learned at BSUgave me the mindset to approach aproblem, the ability to find a solution,and the flexibility to adapt to anysituation.” Larry Myers

in Lifecollege education today. A com-puter scientist can always belocked away in a room with themachine and turn out software, butthat may not get you the productyou’re looking for. You have tomeet with people and gather infor-mation — from potential user toinstallation — to be successful.”

Adaptability also means keep-ing up with the software andhardware. Their product is con-tinually evolving and being al-tered to fit specific client needs.And in the future, it might be verysimilar to the computer systemenvisioned to run the fictional“Jurassic Park.”

perience with helping him fendhis way through all facets of theprocess. “Adaptation is the keyword in today’s technologicalsociety, and what I learned atBSU gave me the mindset to ap-proach a problem, the ability tofind a solution, and the flexibil-ity to adapt to any situation.

“That’s the greatest value of a

In fact, it’s closer than onemight think.

“Right now we can do that,”Myers admitted. “The ‘BackOffice’ software can interfacewith just about any control levelsystem. It’s possible to almosttrack everything in the park tothe extent that was seen inthe movie.” ■

completing thewhole life cycleof the software,which is rare intoday’s com-puter world.Typically youwork on onething and pass itoff to the nextstep.”

Myers cred-its his BSU ex-

Horizons Page 4

Human Rights

to support the work undertaken by theinstitute ... Jennelle Lowes (‘95) is apreschool teacher in early childhood-family education in Warroad. Shepreviously served as a substitute teacherin Warroad, Baudette and Rainy River ...David Cowlishaw (‘95) is a deputy withthe Kittson County Sheriff’s Department.Cowlishaw previously served for fiveyears in the U.S. Navy and was intro-duced to the field of law enforcement as amember of the Navy’s Shore Patrol. Healso previously worked for the BeltramiCounty Sheriff’s Department. David andhis wife Pamela have one child and livein Hallock ... Patricia (Treeny) Wendt(‘95) is a life science/biology teacher withParkers Prairie Public Schools ... JennyMoorman (‘95) is working in thecomputer technology department of Lakeof the Woods School. Jenny and herhusband Ken have lived in the Baudettearea for 27 years ... JoAnn Hovet (‘95)had art work and a story recentlydisplayed at the Touche Gallery at BSU.The display featured 29 gouacheillustrations, using colored pencil oncolored paper with text. The illustrationsand accompanying clay sculpturesdepicted characters from an unpublished

children’s novel Hovet wrote entitled,“Edgar and the Missing Egg.” ... RhondaFuruseth (‘95) is a fifth grade readingteacher for the Warroad School System ...Wendy Haavisto (‘94) is a legislativeassistant for the Minnesota House ofRepresentatives’ Republican Caucus.Haavisto said she is taking a break fromworking on a master of arts degree inEnglish. She’s making her home inShoreview ... Dan “Woody” Wedin (‘94)is a Title IX American Indian Programtutor in Isle. This is his first year inteaching ... Jeffrey Birch (‘94) is a firstgrade teacher at Bagley ElementarySchool. He previously taught at EdenValley-Watkins Elementary in EdenValley ... Deborah Cain (‘94) has beenliving in Japan for the past three years.She teaches English at two Japanesejunior high schools in Kamisato, about 70miles north of Tokyo. She is a participantin a Japanese exchange and teachingprogram ... June (Baumgart) Madurski(‘94) was recently married and moved toStone Mountain, Georgia ... RicheleBizal (‘94) started teaching this fall at theAcademy of Saints Peter and Paul inLoretto. She had been working as asubstitute teacher for three years in avariety of school districts and studenttaught in Tasmania, Australia ... Daniel

Wedin (‘94) is a Title IX instructor for theIndian Education Program in cooperationwith Nay Ah Shing School in Isle ...Sarah Stierlen (‘94) has been hired as lifescience/biology teacher at SpringfieldHigh School. She is also coaching theninth grade girls basketball team ... SueKelling (‘94) is a software engineer forIBM in Rochester. She completed hermaster of science degree in mathematics/computer science from Mankato StateUniversity in Aug. of 1996 ... ShellyAnselmo (‘94) is one of only six femaleDepartment of Natural Resourcesconservation officers in Minnesota and theonly one stationed outside of the TwinCities metropolitan area. She startedworking in the McGregor area in May ...Tracy Lee Peterson (‘94) was married toRobert Russell Hollister on May 10 inBemidji. Both the bride and groom workfor the U.S. Department of Justice and livein Minneapolis ... Richard Hendrickson(‘93) is a math teacher and head footballcoach at Win-E-Mac High School inErskine. He’s also the owner of his ownsmall business and lives at Island Lake. Hepreviously taught math and computerclasses in Climax ... Cory LeeHendrickson (‘93) is a fifth grade andjunior high reading instructor at Lakeview

Elementary and Middle School inCottonwood. He previously was a Title 1instructor in Carlton ... Amy Amundsen(‘93) is a teacher at Children’s WorldLearning Center in Plymouth and hasearned national recognition as an HonorsTeacher. The award is given to outstand-ing teachers who show exceptionalinstructional skills through developmen-tally appropriate practices with children.She has been with the center for threeyears and serves as the lead teacher forthe private kindergarten program ...Richard Engelstad (‘93) is a health andphysical education instructor at Pine CityHigh School ... Christopher Mills (‘93)is the dean of students at Franklin MiddleSchool in Thief River Falls. He previ-ously taught fifth grade in Benson ...Ling-Pan Wong (‘93) is a medicaltechnologist at National UniversityHospital in Singapore. She was marred inMay of 1996 ... Fang Shi (‘92) is workingas a technical staff member at AT&T inCincinnati, Ohio. He recently received hismaster of science degree from Ball StateUniversity ... Mary Eaton (‘91) has beennamed vice president of institutional andcorporate relations at Northwest TechnicalCollege. She was formerly vice presidentof custom training services. She worksout of the Bemidji campus ... Marti

(Klinker) Schroepfer (‘91) is workingpart time both as an administrativeassistant for the Sleepy Eye Chamber ofCommerce and a graphic artist for J&LPrinting in Sleepy Eye. Marti and herhusband Joel moved to the family’s homefarm, which they are remodeling ...Brian Trunk ( ‘91) is a modelmaker atExcel Models and Prototyping inMinneapolis. He was married in Augustof 1994 to the former Lisa Schiller. Thecouple recently relocated back toMinneapolis after spending over twoyears in Kobe and Tokyo, Japan whereBrian was a part time English teacher atthree different high schools and severalprivate language schools ... MichaelAnderson (‘91) is a U.S. Postal Servicemail handler in St. Cloud. Mike and hiswife Kathy (Jones) (‘91) have twochildren ... Gary Zirbes (‘91) is the newsuperintendent for the Ogilvie SchoolDistrict. He formerly taught in Sebeka,was assistant high school principal inBlackduck and spent 10 years in theRothsay School District. Zirbes and hiswife Charlotte have three children ...Lana Schultz (‘91) is a licensed socialworker and was selected as a presenter atthe Ninth Annual Boys Town NationalEducation Conference. She spoke on“Innovative Approaches to Collaborative

Where We Are ... What We’re Doing(Continued from page 3)

Tyrone Terrill may not knowwhich hat he will be wearing onany given day, only that he’llhave plenty of choices.

A graduate of Bemidji State,Terrill was named the director ofthe St. Paul Department of Hu-

Terrill Tackles Human Rights

was given the choice of any jobI’d want, I would pick the one Ihave now. Even my mother rec-ognized this. She said I came outof the womb to do exactly whatI’m doing now.”

As the director, Terrill overseesthe department that enforces thecity’s human rights ordinance,handles discrimination com-plaints, conducts studies and re-search on equal opportunity orother issues, and creates educa-tion programs throughout the city.

“There are a lot of parts to thisjob,” Terrill commented. “Rightnow we’re in the midst of a 50church tour where we’re trying to

build a bridge back to the religiouscommunity that was the founda-tion for the civil rights movement.We’re connecting with the rootsof that movement, explainingwhat we do and offering assis-tance to create environments thatsupport positive standards.

“At the same time, I don’t kidmyself. This is an enforcementagency, and just like the city hasa police chief, I’m the humanrights chief who works withthe investigators and acts ondecisions.”

Terrill feels that the St. Paulcity government and communityare committed to the provisionsof civil rights, equal opportunityand affirmative action. It is sup-port essential to the central goalof the department, to prevent actsof prejudice and bigotry by pro-viding tools to help people pro-mote understanding and respect.

“A drum major is no goodwithout a band, and a teachercan’t teach unless he has a class-room with students,” Terrill ex-plained. “I need the communityto get rid of discrimination, andthe community needs to have dia-log to face racial questions.”

Terrill started working in thefield immediately after graduat-ing from BSU 1977 with degreesin physical education and health.His first stop was as a compli-ance supervisor at the MinnesotaHuman Rights Department,where he evaluated affirmativeaction plans submitted by statecontractors and monitored state

or state-assisted contracts forcompliance with affirmativeaction guidelines.

From 1980 to 1987 he was thedeputy director of the Minneapo-lis Department of Civil Rights,managing the complaint andcompliance division as well ashelping enforce the city’s humanrights ordinance.

For the 10 years prior to hisappointment last April, he oper-ated a consulting firm that spe-cialized in diversity training, af-firmative action complaint inves-tigation, and contract compliancefor agencies or private companies.

Terrill credits part of his suc-cess to his experiences at BSU.As a freshman from Kansas City,Missouri, Bemidji was his firstreal exposure to small communi-ties and non-Black cultures.

“Bemidji State gave me thebest foundation for this job,” headmitted. “The school and thecity taught me there are goodwhite people and good AmericanIndian people. Stereotypes wereincorrect, and grouping all peopleinto one category is wrong.

“I came to know the differencebetween good and bad people,and learned you have to judgepeople individually and not as agroup. I would say that BemidjiState played a major role in mydevelopment as a person.”

Those are lessons Terrill ex-pects to share regardless of thehat he wears as the human rightsleader for St. Paul. ■

A“drum major is no good without a band,

and a teacher can’t teach unless hehas a classroom with students. I need the

community to get rid of discrimination,and the community needs to have dialog

to face racial questions.”mmmmmmmTyrone Terrill

man Rights last spring,overseeing a staff of 16 in-vestigators, complianceofficers, and support per-sonnel.

In that capacity, some-days he feels like an en-forcement officer, whichhe is, making sure that thecity’s ordinances and lawsare being followed.

On other days, he’s ateacher educating peopleof all ages about the val-ues of diversity and thedangers of prejudice.

Or he might find himselfon the pulpit, talking at anarea church about the rich-ness and traditions of thecivil rights movement.

Regardless, he’ll be en-joying what he’s doing.

“I’m one of the luckypeople,” Terrill said. “If I

T yrone Terr ill

Horizons Page 5

Day Treatment.” Lana is a counselingspecialist at the Archdeacon GilfillanCenter’s Day Treatment Program atHorace May Elementary School inBemidji ... Kris Lutgen (‘91) is teachingcomputer applications at Canby HighSchool. A new program for the school,it’s designed to reach every student withcomputer training ... Dr. Dwight Hager(‘90) is the latest health care provider tojoin the MeritCare Clinic-Bagley. Whileat BSU, Hager was a prominent memberof the track and cross country teams. Hecompleted his residency at the Universityof Wyoming. He’s a family medicinespecialist in Bagley ... Dr. Patrick Rock(‘90) is a physician with the IndianHealth Board in Minneapolis. Hegraduated from the University of NorthDakota Medical School in 1994 and spenthis three year residency at the HennepinCounty Medical Center in Minneapolis ...Shar Ray Palm (‘90) has been namedpresident and chief executive officer atthe LakeWood Health and Care Center inBaudette. She has been employed byLakeWood for 22 years, the last 12 asvice president of Patient Services andassistant administrator for long term care... Todd Sauer (‘90) has been namedelementary school principal in Menahga.He previously taught in the Cambridge, (Continued on page 6)

Judy Discusses Workworkforce demanding increasedwages while low-sill jobs con-tinue to pay less across the world.

“There is global competition forhigh-skilled, well-educated work-ers, which creates competitionamong companies for pay andbenefit packages. At the sametime, low-paid foreign marketscontinue to compete directly withlow-paid jobs in the U.S. This hasthe potential of creating serioussocial problems in the future.”

Judy is one of the key playersin developing long-range studiesof global as well as American eco-nomic and workforce issues for theHudson Institute, where he servesas a senior research fellow. Hisconceptualization and researchconstitute the groundwork forHudson’s projects to assist com-panies, industries and regions toevaluate and design their long-term development strategy.

He is Hudson’s chief advisor tothe Russell 20-20 Group, an as-sembly of 40 major U.S. pensionfunds and money managementfirms coordinated by the FrankRussell Company.

Judy’s previous work atHudson involved project direc-

be needed by the year 2020.Judy also noted that the baby

boomers are turning into “geezerboomers,” creating a grayingworkforce that will have a majorimpact on society. “The largenumbers of baby boomers willcertainly affect Social Securityand Medicare benefits, which arevery likely to be reduced by thetime this cohort reaches age 65.”

He also predicted that the gapbetween the rich and the poor willwiden with a well-educated

torships for studies of economicreform and development in Hun-gary, the Baltic states, Russia, andUkraine. He established andheads Hudson’s program to de-velop indigenous economicpolicy think tanks in formerlysocialist countries.

Before joining Hudson in 1986,he was professor of economics andcomputer science at the Universityof Toronto. He also founded andserved as the CEO of three com-panies: Systems Research Group,Inc., a Toronto computer softwareand consulting firm; Beef Genet-ics Research Inc., a high-techagro-business firm; and a string ofcomputer retail stores.

He consults extensively with aclient list that features IBM, theWorld Bank, the U.S. Government,and the governments of Estonia,Latvia, Lithuania, and Hungary.

His educational background in-cludes studies at the Universityof Kansas, Columbia University,and Harvard University, where heearned a doctorate in economics.Fluent in Russian, he also was anexchange scholar at the Univer-sity of Moscow.

Prior to “Workforce 2020,”Judy’s most recent book was“The Information Age and SovietSociety,” which he co-authored.His writings have appeared in the“Wall Street Journal,” the “Wash-ington Times,” “National Re-view,” “International Executive,”“The World &I,” and various pub-lications overseas. He has alsobeen a frequent commentator ontelevision and radio programs. ■

Nationally acclaimed economistand author Richard Judy discussedwork and workers in the 21st cen-tury during the second annualNorthern Tier Institute sponsoredby Bemidji State University.

The institute brought togetherleaders in industry, education,economic development, govern-ment and business for a one-dayprogram on prospering in theknowledge age. In addition toJudy’s presentation, other topicsexplored higher education inMinnesota, the school to workeffort, intellectual property, di-versity in the workplace, advisoryboards, and conducting globalbusiness in rural areas.

A co-author of “Workforce2020,” Judy described the terrainthat America’s labor force musttraverse in the early 21st century.Based on the research and obser-vations that form the foundation

“TBuffalo and Minnewasca school districts.Todd and his wife Marti have threechildren ... Brett Kokal (‘90) has beenhired as a fourth grade teacher at HoytLakes Boase Elementary School. Brettand his wife Kari, along with their son,live in Aurora ... Carol Buck (‘90) hasbeen named vice president of studentaffairs and campus operations forNorthwest Technical College. Buck isbased out of the East Grand Forkscampus and responsible for the dailyoperational management of NTC’s fivecampuses, in addition to communityaffairs, admissions, counseling, financialaid and student affairs.

1980sPatricia Johnson (‘89) recently movedto the Twin Cities with her husband Greg.She was hired in August by I.S.D. 15 inSt. Francis in the graphic communica-tions department. Her job responsibilitiesinclude assisting in producing schoolinformation publications and a district-wide newspaper ... David Lundquist(‘89) joined the Walker-Hackensack-Akeley High School staff as an Englishteacher. He previously worked as anEnglish teacher with the Laporte SchoolDistrict and coached several sports ...

Michael Pratt (‘89) recently received apromotion to assistant principal at ChesterPark Elementary School in Rock Hill,South Carolina. The school has apopulation of 2,500 and is one of thelargest on the east Coast ... Craig andWanda Hegna (‘89) recently welcomed adaughter to their family. The couple alsohave a three-year-old daughter ... WillAwe (‘88) is teaching eighth grade mathand introduction to computers with theInternational Falls School District ... JimHecimovich (‘88) has been namedelementary school principal for HayfieldCommunity Schools. He previously spentthree years in the U.S. Army and taughtelementary school in the Kasson-Mantorville school system ... LarryJallen (‘87) has been named principal ofOnamia Elementary School. Hepreviously worked as an elementaryteacher, intern principal and assistant tothe principal. Prior to then, he was anadministrator for Bethlehem SteelCompany in Hibbing for over 10 years ...Jim Roo (‘87) has been named headhockey coach of Coon Rapids HighSchool. Roo was a premier player for theBeavers hockey team during his career ...Marilyn Wolfe (‘87) is the executivedirector of the Northern Lakes AreaChapter of the American Red Cross. The

chapter represents Crow Wing and Casscounties. Wolfe is also an auditor atGrand View Lodge near Brainerd ...Don Fink (‘87) has been a stockbrokerfor three years with Norwest InvestmentServices in Rochester. Don and his wifeJulie reside in Rochester ... Kirk Saiger(‘87) and Janelle Fay were married inStephen in August. Kirk is the owner ofMerle’s Steam Clean in Bemidji ...Rona Bleess (‘85) has been namedmanager of Hospice and Home Care atLong Prairie Memorial Hospital andHome. She has nearly 25 years ofnursing experience with variousMinnesota health care organizations ...Pam Amundson (‘85) has been hired asa fifth grade teacher with HenningPublic Schools. She previously taught inBemidji and Alaska ... Dave Romo (‘85)is a partner/design director at Allbe-Green Presentations and Design inOrem, Utah. Romo married his wifeLaura (Hull) in 1990 and the couplehave two sons ... Susan Salzer (‘84)recently passed the certified publicaccountant program. She is employed byWalker, Giroux and Hahne, Ltd. inVirginia as a staff accountant and workson the auditing team ... Mike Porter(‘84) is an account executive for PRNewswire of Minneapolis. Porter

recentlycompleted hismaster ofbusinessadministrationdegree at St.Thomas inmarketing. Inaddition, herecently earnedaccreditation inpublic relationsfrom the PublicRelationsSociety of

America ... Kristi Arndt (‘83) has beennamed media relations manager ofCarlson Hospitality Worldwide inMinneapolis. Arndt is responsible forplanning, managing and implementingmedia relation strategies for the CarlsonHospitality brands, including RadissonHotels Worldwide, Regent InternationalHotels, Country Inns and Suites ByCarlson and Radison Seven Seas cruises.Prior to her new appointment, Arndtserved as public relations manager for theAveda Corporation in Minneapolis ...Melody Tenhoff (‘83) is the newprincipal of Luverne Elementary School.She was formerly a middle school and

Kristi Arndt

here is global competition for high-skilled, well-educated workers, which creates competition among companies for pay and benefit packages. At the same time, low-paidforeign markets continue to compete directly with low-paidjobs in the U.S. This has the potential of creating serioussocial problems in the future.” ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Richard Judy

and WorkersDr. Jon Quistgaard, the

Bemidji State University deanof academic services and as-sociate vice president for aca-demic affairs, has been namedas the acting vice president foracademic and student affairsat BSU.

The announcement wasmade following the selectionof Dr. Linda Baer to serve asvice chancellor for the Min-nesota State Colleges andUniversities.

It will be Quistgaard’s sec-ond appointment as the actingvice president, having servedin that capacity during the1993-94 school year.

Quistgaard has filled a va-riety of roles since first join-ing the BSU community in1979, including dean of aca-demic services and dean ofgraduate studies. During thistenure, his responsibilitieshave covered such areas as thelibrary, the School of Integra-tive Studies, academic policydevelopment, admissions andadvising, transfer articulationagreements, and internationalprogramming. He has alsotaught several courses.

A native of Bemidji, heholds bachelor’s and master’sdegrees in government and adoctorate in political science,all from the University of Ari-zona. His areas of study in-cluded international relations,comparative foreign policy,international law, and Ameri-can political behavior. ■

Quistgaard NamedActing VicePresident

Richard Judy

for the book, Judyforesees a futurewhere many work-ers will enjoy previ-ously unheard-ofbenefits from theircareers while otherswill be stymied bychange.

He feels much isalready known todayabout what will di-vide the hopefulfrom the anxious atthe turn of the cen-tury, and this knowl-edge can help pre-pare workers for theworkforce that will

Dr. Jon Quistgaard

Horizons Page 6

Where We Are ... What We’re Doing(Continued from page 5)

Connie Kampsula

OUTS

TAND

ING

ALUM

NIMOutstanding Alumni Honored

on a two-week study tour of Ger-many and Austria.

She has won numerous plau-dits, including being namedTeacher of the Year in 1973 and1984 by the Cass Lake EducationAssociation; Minnesota Teacherof the Year in 1984, when she wasalso a candidate for NationalTeacher of the Year; a recipientof National Teacher of the YearService Awards in 1986, 87 and88; and the winner of the 1992Emma Birkmeier Award, Minne-sota’s most prestigious award forthe teaching of foreign languages.In 1995 Engebretson was in-ducted into the Bemidji StateUniversity Teacher of the YearHall of Fame.

Dr. Lee Norman, Seattle, WAA 1974 graduate in social

work, Norman is currently thesenior vice president for medical

affairs at Swedish Health Ser-vices, a 1,900-physician medicalcenter and health system in Se-attle, WA, with an annual operat-ing budget of $450 million. Healso is a vice president and direc-tor in a medical computer soft-ware development firm inBellevue, WA; is a program mod-erator for Schorr Communica-tions; and is involved in medicalbroadcast journalism on bothtelevision and radio.

An active researcher and lec-turer, his most recent interestsinclude integrated software forpreventive health care and inno-vation in caring for communities;computerized and non-automatedapproaches to risk managementstrategies in the outpatient set-ting; and computer-assisted qual-ity improvement. He is a re-viewer for the Western Journal ofMedicine and a book reviewer forthe Journal of Family Practice.

Ozzie Tollefson, Lebanon, NJTollefson earned a bachelor of

science degree in speech and the-ater in 1960 and embarked on acareer in education that hastouched millions of people. Af-ter 15 years of teaching in NewJersey junior and senior highschools, he started Ozzie Alive,Inc., a business that producededucational assembly programsfor elementary schools on suchthemes as the environment,multiculturalism, prejudice, geol-ogy, wildlife and habitat, dino-saurs and whales.

In the past 22 years, he has

given over 6,000 performances toapproximately 2 million childrenin 1,500 schools in 17 states and,by invitation, he presented pro-grams at the American Museumof Natural History in New YorkCity, the Baltimore NationalAquarium, and the National Zooin Washington, D.C. His workhas been featured in the New YorkTimes, on public radio’s “AllThings Considered,” and on the“CBS Morning News.” ■

Honorary AlumniAlso recognized during the

luncheon were individualsnamed as honorary BSUalumni. They included: EbenCalder, professor emeritus ofaccounting, a member of theBSU faculty for 31 years; Dr.Jack Downing, professoremeritus of psychology, 32years as a faculty member andadministrator; Dr. DonDyrhaug, professor emeritusof psychology and counselingcenter, 28 years at BSU; ArdisGillett, whose service to BSUincludes serving on numerouscommittees, co-chairing theSnowBall Event, co-chairingthe University’s 75th Anniver-sary Celebration, and co-lead-ing several Senior Hostel Pro-grams; and Tim O’Keefe,board member of BeaverPride who has been involvedin a wide variety of projectssupporting the University. ■

elementary school principal at FellmoreCentral, a media generalist in Hastingsand librarian in Cloquet ... Ed Nordskog(‘82) is an investigator with the LosAngeles, California County Sheriff’sDepartment. He was lead investigator in acase that made national headlines in July.The department arrested a man in Bel-Airfor growing 4,116 marijuana plants in anupscale mansion. The street value of themarijuana was estimated at $22 million ...Charles Carp (‘81) is a science teacher atLincoln High School and Franklin MiddleSchool in Thief River Falls. He has 12years of teaching experience ... DianeJohnson (‘81) has been hired as a musicteacher at Challenger Elementary Schoolin Thief River Falls. She previouslytaught preschool in Dickinson, NorthDakota, and taught voice/piano throughNorthland Community and TechnicalCollege in Thief River Falls ... LarryHutchins (‘81) was named a leadershipcouncil member of Federated InsuranceCompanies. Membership in the leadershipcouncil is awarded for superior perfor-mance in providing professionalinsurance service to clients ... DebSwensson (‘80) moved to Apple Valleywith her family two years ago. Deb and

her husband both work in St. Paul andhave one girl. She would like to hearfrom alumni who know anything aboutTom Shaffer, who attended BSU from1976-78 ... Patti Anderson (‘80) hasbeen named principal of Cohasset HighSchool. She previously taught elemen-tary school in Squaw Lake and GrandRapids, along with Grand Rapids MiddleSchool ... Barb Kavan (‘80) is aphysical education teacher with the NewPrague School District. She previouslytaught with the Minnesota River ValleySpecial Education cooperative.

1970sBernadette Sorenson (‘70) has beenhired as assistant principal at FosstonHigh School. Sorenson and her husbandRic, who teaches in Fosston, have twochildren ... Bill and Dee (Dailey)Dempster (‘79) live in Nashua, NewHampshire. Bill is currently the technicalmanager for Kendall-Polyken, havingspent 10 years in research/developmentdesigning corrosion protection systems.He has three patents and been publishedin over 20 trade publications. Dee is aschool volunteer, a coach and runs theconcession stand for the junior highwrestling team ... Kevin Doty (‘79) hasbeen appointed president of Marquette

Bank, N.A. in Monticello/Otsego. Hepreviously served as vice president andbusiness banker at the same bank ...Michael Bielecki (‘78) was promoted tothe rank of lieutenant with the San Jose(California) Police Department. He hasbeen employed there for over 17 yearsand is currently a patrol commander withthe Bureau of Field Operations ... SallySoliday (‘78) has been hired as principalof Echo Park Elementary School inBurnsville. She began her teaching careerin 1979 and previously taught at EchoPark ... Ethel Fossand (‘78) recentlycelebrated her 80th birthday with afamily sponsored party ... TimothyLeister (‘77) recently celebrated 20 yearsof service with the Minnesota Depart-ment of Transportation. He currentlyworks in the office of informationresource management as an informationarchitect. Leister is also working towardsa master’s degree in management oftechnology from the University ofMinnesota ... Ted Heisserer (‘76) hasbeen named supervisor of businessservices for Frazee Schools. He wasformerly the director of business andfinance for Northwest Technical College... Kathleen Eberline (‘76) will bemarried to Ken Smith of Hong Kong in

December. Sheis currentlyworking in thefield of speechpathology anddrama in NewYork City ...ConnieKampsula (‘76)was a partici-pant in theFullbrightMemorial FundTeacher

Program in October. Kampsula, whoteaches at Dassel-Cokato Middle School,spent three days in Tokyo, Japan whereshe received orientation into Japaneselife. She then spent two weeks visitingdifferent school sites where she had directcontact with the local schools ... RichSchieck (‘75) is teaching seventh andeighth grade science in Danube. Heformerly taught in Kasson-Mantorville ...Darlene Schiller (‘75) has been namedexecutive director of the OASIS/Share aMeal program in Little Falls. Schillerpreviously worked for 15 years as socialworker ... Terri Cuppett (‘75) was thesubject of a feature story in the ThiefRiver Falls Times newspaper. Blindedshortly after her birth, Cuppett began her

education career as an English as a secondlanguage tutor in Bemidji and Thief RiverFalls. She later taught remedial English inFort Peck, Montana. She was ordained as aminister in 1992 and worked in bothShevlin and Solway ... Audrey Lucachick(‘74) recently attended the 13th AnnualHighlights Foundation Writers Workshopat the Chutaugua Institution in westernNew York State. Lucachick currentlyteaches computer classes at the elementaryschool level in International Falls. She alsowrites for newspapers and magazines inher spare time ... Ryan Saulsbury (‘74)has been hired as a sixth grade scienceteacher at Milaca Intermediate School. Hepreviously taught physical science andbiology in Sartell ... Greg Ramey (‘74)teamed with three friends to win the fourman division of the Minnesota Border toBorder Triathlon last summer ... DennisLarson (‘73) is a graphic arts instructor atNorth High School in St. Paul and wasnamed the school district’s 1997 Teacher ofthe Year. He has been teaching in theschool district for 24 years ... Judith(Novacek) Hamand (‘73) and her threechildren have been living in ColoradoSprings, Colorado, for the past 17 years.She worked for Focus on the Family, aChristian ministry, for six years ...Lonnette (Lindstrom) Whitchurch (‘73)

Left to right: Dr. Lee Norman, Ozzie Tollefson, and Marge Engebretson

emidji State University graduateswere presented with Outstanding

Alumni Awards and five individualsreceived Honorary Alumni recognitionduring the annual Honors Luncheon as

part of Homecoming festivities. The 1997Outstanding Alumni recipients were:

Marge Engebretson, Cass LakeA 1960 BSU graduate with ma-

jors in English and German,Engebretson taught senior highschool English and German at CassLake-Bena High School until herretirement in 1995. She is widelyrecognized for initiating and main-taining the school’s Travel to Eu-rope Program, which helped morethan 300 students, regardless oftheir financial status, earn their way

B

Horizons Page 7

Lonnette (Lindstrom) Whitchurch

E-Mail Addresses RequestedAll Bemidji State alumni are encouraged to send their e-mail addresses

to the BSU Alumni Association, which is working on adding e-mailinformation to alumni records. This information will provide anotherdimension to the way alumni stay in contact with their alma mater andtheir college friends. Alumni can send brief notices to the BSU AlumniAssociation office via e-mail about promotions, new homes, recentadditions to the family, exciting travel destinations, or requests for contactfrom BSU friends.

When these articles are printed in the “Where We Are, What We’reDoing” section of HORIZONS, they can be accompanied by the e-mailaddress to make communication among alumni friends even easier.

In turn, the Alumni Association Office can contact alumni electroni-cally with news about Homecoming, events, special projects or otherimportant campus information.

Addresses can be forwarded to the BSU Alumni Association by e-mailing them to: Alumni@vax1.bemidji.msus.edu. ■

The Bemidji State Universityhas opened a Center for Researchand Innovation (CRI), a 10,000square-foot research and devel-opment facility to link businessand education endeavors.

It is located in the Hills LonePine Plaza north of Bemidji onold Highway 71.

Designed to alleviate limitationsof Bridgeman Hall on the BSUcampus, the center provides addi-tional lecture, computer and labrooms needed for instruction in in-dustrial technology. It also includeslease space for firms that may belooking to collaborate with the Uni-versity to promote entrepreneur-ship and economic development.

“There is growing interest in

higher education to build collabo-rations outside its normal bound-aries in order to increase institu-tional capabilities and to expandits resource base,” said Dr. JimBensen, Bemidji State president.“Every state technical college,community college and state uni-versity is exploring, pursuing anddeveloping joint projects.

“The CRI will provide a vehiclefrom which the University can ac-tively promote these partnershipsand increase campus-wide capac-ity. These activities will benefitstudents, Bemidji State and theparticipating companies.”

The center includes offices,a classroom with teleconferencingcapabilities, a fabrication labora-tory, a computer room with CAE/

CAD capabilities, a conferenceroom, and an area for assembly, fin-ishing and shipping of materials.

Companies leasing CRI spacewould be able to share much ofthe facility when conductingbusiness while also accessingBSU faculty, staff and studentsfor support.

“The potential for such a facil-ity is wide open,” said Dr. DaveKingsbury, a BSU professor ofvocational education who alsoserves as the University’s direc-tor of corporate relations. “Theavailable space is appropriate fora wide variety of uses, from lightindustry to new product develop-ment, from knowledge-based tomaterials-based companies.”

presently owns four gourmet cateringrestaurants in the Tampa Bay (Florida)area and is planning to open a fifthrestaurant in Orlando. She lives inClearwater, Florida with her husbandRon ... Debra Kellerman (‘72) is theowner/operator of Angle Inn Lodge-OakIsland in the Northwest Angle of Lake ofthe Woods. She invites all BSU alumni

to come up and fish,either summer or winter... Rick James (‘71) sangthe “National Anthem”prior to the MinnesotaTwins game on July 25.He dedicated theperformance to a friendwho died in an automo-bile accident at the age of17 ... Lloyd Styrwoll(‘71) has been principalof Grand Rapids HighSchool since 1992. Hewas previously involvedin education in Onamia,Hallock, Windom andBuffalo ... Dick Lundeen(‘70) was the subject of afeature story in theDetroit Lakes Tribune.Business manager of theDetroit Lakes School

District, Lundeen was named thepresident of the 1997-98 Detroit LakesArea United Way fund drive.

1960sGary Borgen (‘69) and Barb Ericksonwere married in August in Bemidji. Thecouple resides in Bemidji ... Ken Saari(‘67) has been named band director at

Lake of the Woods High School inBaudette. He previously taught junior andsenior high band in South Dakota and K-12 music in St. Louis County, Clearbrookand Hinckley ... Mary Allen (‘67) hasbeen named principal of Plainview HighSchool. She previously was principal ofRushford-Peterson Middle School whereshe also served as the district’s K-12Special Education Coordinator. Allen alsotaught in public schools in Roseau,Stillwater and Preston ... Don Sorensen(‘64) recently retired as athletic directorof Little Falls High School. He washonored for his dedication to bothteaching and athletics in a special banquetin August ... Art Hill (‘63) was recentlyhonored during the 12th AnnualSoroptimist Roast in Hibbing. Hill retiredas a music teacher in Hibbing in 1996 andduring his career led his bands to manyprestigious awards in concert, field andparade competitions ... Mary Gappa(‘62) has retired from teaching in ElkRiver. She was named Teacher of the Yearfor School District 728 in 1996 ... TerryMaciej (‘61) has retired from teachingwith the Hibbing School District after 30years. He recently illustrated a book, “ofWoodsmoke and Quiet Places” and isworking on another ... Gale Halvorson

(‘61) has retired as Roseau ElementarySchool principal after 31 years ineducation ... Bill Wagner (‘60) hasretired from Roseau High School after 37years of teaching. He taught at all levelsof math from seventh grade throughcalculus, coached boys and girlsbasketball and was named RoseauTeacher of the Year in 1993. Bill and hiswife Helen have two children and twogranddaughters ... Richard (‘60) andMargaret (Brown) Carman (‘77) haveboth retired from teaching. The couplenow owns and operates a strawberryfarm business in Wadena ... RobertTreuer (‘60) recently won the 1997Sigurd F. Olson Nature Writing Awardfor his novel “The Tree Farm: Replantinga Life.” The book chronicles Treuer’smove to an abandoned farm in northernMinnesota, where he and his familybegan raising trees for lumber and pulp.The book was originally published in1977 and was reprinted in 1996.

1950sKeith Mooney (‘52) was the subject of afeature article in the Bemidji Pioneer thatchronicled his 30 years as being starterof the Birchmont International GolfTournament in Bemidji. Mooney is alongtime summer resident of Bemidji ...

Dick Lawrence (‘51) served as grandmarshal of the 1997 Eveleth Fourth ofJuly Parade. Lawrence was a teacher,coach and athletic director in Eveleth for34 years. He’s a member of the Minne-sota State High School CoachesAssociation Hall of Fame, the MinnesotaState High School Football Coaches Hallof Fame and the Bemidji State UniversityAthletic Hall of Fame ... Ray Green(‘50) was grand marshal of the 1997Warroad Fourth of July Parade. Greentaught in Warroad for 15 years and put inanother 15 in Bloomington before retiringin 1984. At that time, he returned toWarroad with his wife Yvonne and hasbeen very active in community serviceorganizations.

1930sJohn Schuiling (‘32) was named 1997Beltrami County Outstanding SeniorCitizen. He has received numerousawards over the years and has beenactively involved in a number ofcommunity activities such as RotaryClub, Chamber of Commerce, AmericanLegion, Minnesota Historical Society,Bemidji Community Arts Council and theBemidji State University Foundation. Healso serves as a deacon for his church.

Center for Research and InnovationFacility Opens

One of the benefits of the facil-ity, Kingsbury noted, was thatcompanies would have a link toappropriate BSU faculty as wellas students, who would be avail-able for internships, field study,fellowships, class projects, re-search activities, and mentorships.

More information on the facil-ity is available by contacting theCRI, Bemidji State University,1500 Birchmont Drive NE,Bemidji, MN 56601-2699 (218-755-4900). ■

“T he potential for such a facility is wide open. The available space is appropriate for awide variety of uses, from light industry to newproduct development, from knowledge-basedto materials-based companies.”.mmmmmmmmmm

Dr. Dave Kingsbury

Horizons Page 8

Trai

ning

Gra

nt

Area Academy for LifelongLearning Established

The Area Academy for Lifelong Learning has been estab-lished to provide intellectually stimulating activities for olderadults living in northern Minnesota.

Coordinated through Bemidji State University, the academyis co-sponsored by the BSU College of Arts and Letters, theBeltrami County Historical Society, First National Bank 55Connection, and the Headwaters Area Agency on Aging.

The academy will present study groups, lectures and otherprograms to enrich and enhance the lives of mature audiences.It will also cultivate an older adult learning community thatvalues the wisdom of the humanities, believes in lifelong learn-ing, and provides leadership in education for adults.

The academy is working with the Minnesota HumanitiesCommission to develop the series and is hoping to join the state-wide Learning in Retirement Network.

The first program of the academy was a series that explorednature writers and the environment and it featured local natu-ralist Elizabeth Smith and Ruth Stenerson, a professor emeritaof English who taught a course on nature writers when she wasa member of the Bemidji State faculty.

It was followed by a lecture on “Scandinavian Immigrationinto Northern Minnesota and Its Impact on the Present” by Dr.Art Lee, professor emeritus of history. ■

Bemidji State University hasreceived a $170,000 MinnesotaJob Skills Partnership Board(MJSP) grant to assist Polaris In-dustries and Team IndustriesGroup with training to implementan electronic data interchange(EDI) system.

The grant will enable BemidjiState to introduce electronic datainterchange between Polaris andthree significant Minnesota sup-pliers as well as create a trainingcomponent to initiate just-in-timeinventory practices between thefirms.

The suppliers, Product Re-search and Development (PRD),Audubon Engineering and Manu-facturing, and Detroit Lakes (DL)Manufacturing, are all part ofTEAM Industries, which form asingle company that represents amulti-level supplier in deliveringseveral products to Polaris.

The project involves the devel-opment of training to use EDI to

accelerate communication be-tween the original equipmentmanufacturer and its suppliers.Training on implementationmethods focusing on quality-firstprinciples, materials resourcemanagement, and partnership de-velopment will also be delivered

The project will initially affectover 330 employees at the fourtest sites, with the long-range EDIimplications that could spread toemployees in the 66 Minnesota-based suppliers of materials toPolaris.

Jay Novak, Commissioner ofthe Department of Trade and Eco-nomic Development, stated, “Iam pleased that the Job SkillsPartnership is awarding this grantto provide training for this impor-tant Minnesota industry. Thisproject will allow the companiesto maximize productivity, shortendistribution time, and dedicatemore resources to product devel-opment, labor force training, andprocess improvement.”

Bemidji State University willbe providing training to the in-dustries, all of which are locatedin rural Minnesota:■ Polaris Industries of Roseau, amanufacturer of snowmobiles,all-terrain vehicles, personal wa-tercraft, and a newly announcedmotorcycle■ Product Research and Devel-opment, Bagley, a supplier of as-sembled transmissions to Polaris;■ Audubon Engineering andManufacturing, Audubon, a sup-plier of gears for the transmis-sion; and

Training Grantto Assist Northern Minnesota Businesses

■ DL Manufacturing, DetroitLakes, a supplier of die-castingsfor the transmission.

“Bemidji State University rec-ognizes that a rapidly changingand highly competitive market-place is dictating new methods ofproduction for Minnesota indus-tries,” Dr. Jim Bensen, BSUpresident, said of the project.

emidji State University recognizesthat a rapidly changing and highly

competitive marketplace is dictatingnew methods of production for

Minnesota industries. These world-class manufacturing processes require

firms to be both cost consciousand cost competitive without

sacrificing quality.”mmmmmm

B“

Dr. Jim Bensen

“These world-class manufactur-ing processes require firms to beboth cost conscious and costcompetitive without sacrificingquality.

“We’re fortunate to receivesupport from the state and theMJSP that will enable us to workwith these industries in meetingtheir corporate goals.”

Project facilitation will be as-sisted by TeamWorks, a high per-formance, non-profit trainingcenter located in Detroit Lakesthat is committed to the develop-ment of employment opportuni-ties for the unemployed and un-deremployed through strategicpartnerships with business andeducational institutions.

The Minnesota Job SkillsPartnership, with administrativesupport from the Business andCommunity Development Divi-sion of the Department of Tradeand Economic Development,provides matching grants to edu-cational institutions to developand provide training for Minne-sota businesses to meet thechanging needs of Minnesota’slabor market. ■

Dr. Jim Bensen (left) looks on while state officials and business leaders sign the training agreement.

Horizons Page 9

ScholarshipsFormer BSU Hoops Star

Arnold L. Johnson has turnedbasketball success into life suc-cess, and the Bemidji State Uni-versity alumnus is doing his partto see that this cycle repeats itself.

The Bemidji State Athletic Hallof Fame Member has funded theArnold L. Johnson Scholarship, a$1,000 annual award designed tosupport the Beaver men’s basket-ball program effective beginningwith the 1998-99 academic year.

“Arnold’s (Johnson) contribu-tion comes at a great time for theBemidji State men’s basketballprogram,” said BSU head men’sbasketball coach Dave Gunther.“He had an outstanding career atBemidji State and in professionalbasketball, and his commitmentto the program strengthens ourrebuilding efforts for BemidjiState men’s basketball. With hisgenerous support, we can con-tinue restoring the program to theprominent level enjoyed when heplayed here.”

Johnson earned a bachelor’sdegree from BSU in 1942, andalthough he participated in bas-ketball, football and track for theBeavers, his most notable accom-plishments would come on thebasketball court.

A native of Gonvick, Johnsonwas the first Bemidji State ath-lete to earn All-America statusby being selected to the elitesquad after the National Inter-collegiate Tournament. Thethree-sport letterwinner alsohelped the Beaver basketballteam to three conference cham-pionships in his four-year careerwhile playing under Beaver headcoach Dr. Rueben (Jack) Frost.The Beavers compiled a 47-16record in Johnson’s final threeseasons.

Johnson’s professional careerwould flourish following gradu-ation as he coached one year forTwin Valley High School, fol-lowed by a term with the United

als in the National Basketball As-sociation, he would help the teamto the NBA Championship in1951 with a seven-game seriesvictory over the New YorkKnicks. He also played for threeRochester Royals Western Divi-sion Championship teams in1949, 1951 and 1952.

After leaving the NBA in 1957,Johnson took up a 20-year careerin public relations, including as-signments with Genesee BrewingCo., and Bausch & Lomb, Inc. Hewas owner and founder of SwiftMachines, Inc., in Rochester,N.Y., before retiring in 1976.

Johnson is still an active mem-

Tournament selection from the1984 NCAA II Championship,Nagle completed his Bemidji Statehockey goaltending career with an8-1 victory in the title game. Healso helped the Beavers to threeNorthern Collegiate Hockey Asso-ciation championships.

Initially a walk-on at BemidjiState, Nagle’s determination andwillingness to give forged a bondwith the team that was very spe-cial to teammates and coaches.

“He had certain qualities thatendeared his teammates to him,”Peters continued. “He earned therespect of his peers because of histenacity and work ethic, but moreimportantly because he was trulya team player in every sense of theword. He was the guy with jumpercables when your car wouldn’tstart. He was the guy who pickedyou up when you needed to get topractice.

“Galen considered it a privilegeand an honor to be a part of theteam, and conversely, we valuedhis contribution to the team. He hashad a lasting impact on the lives ofthe people he touched, and we willalways remember him.”

A 1984 graduate of BemidjiState, Nagle taught industrial artsat Scotts-Highland Middle Schoolin Apple Valley for several yearsand coached in hockey programs

Bemidji State Universityand the Galen Nagle MemorialFund Committee have estab-lished a memorial scholarshipfund, in honor of the formerBeaver hockey standout, de-signed to support the BemidjiState hockey program.

Galen Nagle was a goal-tender for the Beaver hockeyteam from 1980-84, andserved as a coach and teacherin the state of Minnesota forseveral years before losinghis life to cancer Oct. 18,1996 at the age of 34.

“Galen exemplified Beaverhockey,” said Bemidji Statehead hockey coach and ath-letic director R.H. “Bob” Pe-ters. “Hard work, dedicationand loyalty were inherent tohis character, and through hisefforts, he became a vital partof our team.”

Nagle and the 1984 Beaverhockey team made collegehockey history with a perfect31-0 season en route to theschool’s first NCAA II Na-tional Championship. An All-

Nagle Scholarship Fund Startedat Rosemount, Holy Angels Acad-emy, Richfield, Bloomington,Wayzata and Thief River Falls.During the summer months,Nagle held goaltending camps andserved as the chief goalie instruc-tor for the Bemidji InternationalHockey Camp each summer at theBSU campus.

Nagle was born to Richard andMarlys June 18, 1962 atBaudette, and he and his familymoved to Bemidji in 1979 wherehe graduated from Bemidji HighSchool in 1980.

Galen Nagle Memorial FundCommittee members include BSUhead hockey coach R.H. “Bob”Peters; former teammates DennyGibbons and Bob Fitzgerald; olderbrother Arlan Nagle; BSU baseballcoach Jim Grimm; and formerBeaver hockey players TomKaplan and Jerry Phillips.

A fund drive for the Galen NagleMemorial begins August 7, 1998with a golf tournament. For infor-mation regarding the Galen NagleMemorial Fund, contact theBemidji State University Founda-tion at 218-755-2763, or write theBSU Foundation, David ParkHouse, Bemidji State University,1500 Birchmont Drive NE,Bemidji, Minnesota 56601. ■

Steps to the Line

“

G“ alen exemplified Beaver hockey. Hard work, dedication and loyalty were inherent to his character, and through his efforts, hemmm became a vital part of our team.”kmmmmmR.H. “Bob” Peters

Dave Gunther

Galen Nagle

Arnold Johnson

States Air Corps forwar duty.

After his discharge,Johnson picked up hisbasketball career onceagain, this time on theprofessional level. Innine years with theRochester (N.Y.) Roy-

Hber of the New York TramwayCommission, the New YorkState Chiefs of Police and theAmerican Legion.

Arnold and wife Nancy residein Rochester, N.Y. ■

Photo courtesy Pat Miller, Bem

idji Pioneer

e had an outstanding career at Bemidji State and in professional basketball, and his commitment to the program strength-ens our rebuilding efforts for Bemidji State men’sbasketball. With his generous support, we cancontinue restoring the program to the prominentlevel enjoyed when he played here.”

Steps to the L ne

Horizons Page 10

Communiquesfrom the Alumni Office

Irv Nordquist (‘65) of BemidjiGarfield Swanson (‘53) of

Scottsdale, AZFlorence Lyman (‘39) of Grand

RapidsJohn Roscoe (‘61) of Two HarborsAdelle Voight (‘67) of GilbertAgnes Ungerecht (‘63) of

NorthomeJean Noelke (‘45) of

LaCrosse, WI

IN MEMORIAM

Annual BSU Winter Rendezvous SetMarch 15, 16, 1998

Laughlin, Nevada .... Mark your calendars and plan to attendthe second annual BSU “Winter Rendezvous” which will takeplace March 15-16, 1998, in Laughlin, Nevada.

Last year’s event was such a huge success, the event is beingexpanded to accommodate more alumni and friends of BemidjiState University. BSU President, Dr. Jim Bensen and his wifeNancy, both BSU alumni, are planning to attend the 1998 event.

Harrah’s Laughlin will serve as the host hotel where a cocktailparty and “Rendezvous Banquet” will be held. Bill Howe (‘51)has again volunteered to coordinate a golf tournament and, forthe non-golfers, a cruise on the Colorado River is beingorganized.

Registration materials will be sent out at a later date. ThoseBSU alumni who spend winter months in southern Nevada, south-ern California or Arizona are asked to forward their winteraddresses to the Alumni Office so an invitation can be mailed.

For further information, contact the BSU Alumni Office at1-888-234-2687 (toll free).

All BSU AlumniThe BSU Alumni Association now has a toll free number avail-

able to alumni calling from outside the Bemidji Area. It is:1-888-234-2687 Now it is easier than ever to call your alma mater,and BSU is waiting to hear from you!

File Change of Address Cardwith Post Office

The Alumni Association is now required to verify its addressesat least twice a year against the official database at the PostOffice. Every time alumni move, a change of address card shouldbe filed at the post office.

Not only will this ensure that mail is rerouted and delivered tothe most current address, but it will also make sure that the AlumniAssociation has the correct address on file.

Alumni planning to move should file a change of address format their local post office.

Where Do You Hang Your Hat?Bemidji State University hosts alumni receptions all over the

country and doesn’t want any graduate to miss the fun! Pleaselet the Alumni Association know if you have a second addressand the approximate dates you are there by filling out this cardand returning it to us.

We’d like you to receive HORIZONS, class mailings andreunion news in a timely manner. Would you like your BemidjiState University mail forwarded to your “winter” address? If so,please indicate so below.

Yes, I would like my Bemidji State University mail forwarded.Dates to mail to my “winter” address:

From_________________to _______________________________

Name: _________________________________________________

“Winter” Address ________________________________________

City ___________________________________________________

State______________________________Zip__________________

“Winter” Telephone ______________________________________

Fax ___________________________________________________

e-mail _________________________________________________

New Board Members ElectedDuring the 1997 annual meeting of the Bemidji State University Alumni

Association held in conjunction with Homecoming, Joanne Provo, vice presi-dent of the association, welcomed the new members to the Board who wererecently elected by ballot and a vote of active members.

New members include Harvey Westrom (‘57) who currently resides inBloomington, and Donald Gross (‘81) living in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Also elected to serve second terms were John Liapis (‘52) of Bemidji,Joanne Provo (‘82) from Minneapolis and Pam Raden (‘86) of St. Cloud.

Appointments to the Board included Melanie Benjamin (‘88) of Isle, MN.,who is serving her first term as well as Peggy Marvin Johnson (‘67) fromWarroad and Jeff Wallin (‘70) who are both serving their second terms.

Officers elected to serve the next two years include Jeff Wallin, president;Joanne Provo, vice president; Debra Kellerman, secretary/treasurer. ■

BSU Foundation Home Page RevisedThe BSU Foundation has recently updated and revised their home page.

Come take a look at: http://info.bemidji.msus.edu ■

Book Available for Parents who have Lost a ChildA member of the BSU Foundation has made available a supportive book

for parents who have lost a child.For Hearts That Had Hopes and Dreams was created by Jeanne Noehring

out of her compassion for those suffering a loss.“I realized how difficult it was for them to find closure for their loss of

hopes and dreams and how much they needed a way to acknowledge thesevery special babies,” Noehring said.

For Hearts That Had Hopes and Dreams is a special book filled withspaces for photographs and keepsakes, pockets to hold cards, and placesfor friends and family to show their support. The journal portion of thisbook provides pages for parents to record their thoughts and feelings.

The book comes boxed, and is available without charge from the BSUFoundation. Contact Dave Tiffany at (218) 755-2779 or 1-888-234-5718. ■

The second annual NorthernTier Institute explored the task ofprospering in the knowledge agethrough a series of workshopsand presentations this fall.

Sponsored by Bemidji StateUniversity, the Northern Tierbrought together leaders fromindustry, education, economicdevelopment, government, andbusiness for a day-long explora-tion of a topic that affects all fac-ets of a region along the U.S.-Canadian border from the GreatLakes across the Great Plains.

The conference began with theCampus-Community Breakfastprogram “Making Higher Edu-cation Work for You,” presentedby Morrie Anderson, chancellorof the Minnesota State Collegesand Universities (MnSCU) at7:30 a.m.

That was followed by a statusreport on the “School to Work”effort by Eugene Piccolo, assis-tant commissioner for the Min-nesota Department of Children,Families and Learning, andCharles Coskran of the Office ofLife Work Development.

A panel then explored intellec-tual property, specifically look-ing into provisions of the Eco-nomic Espionage Act and use ofproprietary knowledge. Panel-ists included Julie Finch of theMinnesota attorney general’s of-fice; Texas lawyer DennisGilstad; Leonard Ruiz of the SotaFoundation; Minnesota state

Northern Tier InstituteExplored Prosperity

senator David Ten Eyck; and Dr.Linda Baer, senior vice chancel-lor for academic and student af-fairs for MnSCU.

Completing the program wereroundtables held to address sixspecific topics.*Future Work: jobs, qualifica-tions, and employers; the cre-ators of the on-line site “Min-nesota Future Work” examinedthe future of work through 10profile areas and what the chal-lenges are for educating studentsto be prepared for careers thatdon’t yet exist.

*Diversity in the Workplace: fromwelfare to workfare; staff of theHeadwaters Regional Develop-ment Commission discussedtheir programs for integrating anew pool of workers, those cre-ated by the goal of “ending wel-

fare as we know it,” into theworld of work.

*Return on Investment: thevalue of a college education;a panel explored the topic in re-lation to job forecasters who saymany jobs won’t require a col-lege education while others con-tend that the amount of educa-tion needed to participate in themodern work force is increas-ing.

*New Entrepreneurs: doing globalbusiness in rural areas; repre-sentatives from rural businesses,capital formation groups, localand state governments discussedsuch efforts as the new BSUCenter for Research and Inno-vation, which was formed toprovide research services to ex-isting commercial enterprisesand help new businesses getstarted in the northern Minne-sota.

*The Value of Advisory Boards:internships, shadowing, andcurriculum; participants sharedtheir views on the costs and ben-efits of the direct interactionbetween higher education andthe private sector.

*A Virtual University: Minne-sota’s electronic academy; pan-elists addressed the delivery ofeducation at remote sites and thestate’s emerging presence in thisfast-growing arena. ■

MnSCU Chancellor Morrie Anderson at the Northern Tier Institute

○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○

Horizons Page 11

T Alumni MemoriesBSU

Deferred Gift Annuities - Popular at Any AgeWhen it comes to taking advantage of the benefits of a deferred gift annu-

ity, age isn’t a problem.Deferred gift annuities through the BSU Foundation enable the donor to

save taxes twice and get a lifetime income at a designated time in the futurewhile also providing a benefit to Bemidji State.

Deferred gift annuities pay dividends for individuals who want to make amajor gift to the BSU Foundation and also want additional retirement income.

By deferring income payments on a gift annuity until a specified futuredate, the following benefits are available:

■ Higher charitable deduction for gift value;■ Deferred higher fixed income for life;■ Reduction of capital gains tax; and■ Increased retirement income.

The following example shows how a deferred gift annuity works.

Joe, a 50 year-old banker and BSU alum, decides to increase his retire-ment income and make a major future gift to the BSU Foundation. He hasreached the ceiling on contributions to his Keogh plan and learns that thereis no ceiling on contributions to deferred charitable gift annuities. After con-ferring with the development officer at the BSU Foundation, Joe instructs hisbroker to transfer $50,000 of stock, which he originally purchased for $10,000,to the BSU Foundation in exchange for a deferred lifetime annuity starting athis retirement. He will qualify for a federal income tax deduction of approxi-mately $28, 536 in the year he makes the gift, and will receive fixed paymentsannually in the amount of $8,150 which begin when he turns 65. Joe will oweno capital gains tax at the time of his gift. Instead, a portion of the capitalgains tax he would have owed, will be spread throughout his lifetime, oncethe annual annuity payments begin. In contrast, if he were to sell the stocksoutright and reinvest them himself, he would owe capital gains tax on $40,000.

For more information on making planned gifts to the BSU Foundation,contact Marla Huss, director of development at 755-2876 or toll free at1-888-234-5718. ■

Comparison of Immediate and Deferred Gift Annuity Payment RatesAge Immediate Deferred to Age 6550 6.5% 16.3%55 6.7% 12.2%60 6.9% 9.1%

Joelyn Scriba has been named asthe acting dean of the Center for Ex-tended Learning at Bemidji StateUniversity.

An associate professor of nursing,Scriba will serve as the acting deanwhile Dr. John Quistgaard performs

Scriba Named Acting Dean for the Center for Extended Learningthe duties of the acting vice presidentfor academic and student affairs.

As the acting dean, she will be re-sponsible for leadership in the devel-opment and administration of off-campus learning programs, includingsummer sessions. Specific responsi-bilities include oversight of the Ar-rowhead University Center (AUC);shared leadership for cooperative ef-forts with community colleges; de-velopment of distance learning op-portunities through various media;and facilitating the conversion of ex-ternal studies courses and summersessions to a semester based format.

Scriba joined the BSU faculty in1982 and served as the chair of theNursing Department from 1983 to1995. During that time she coordi-nated the preparation for accredita-tion by the National League for Nurs-ing and served as the major writer onthe project.

Over the past 15 years, she coor-dinated several cycles of outreachprogramming through the AUC; wasa member of a system-wide taskforce on nursing outreach program-ming; designed and initiated imple-mentation of the RN baccalaureatecompletion program in collaborationwith 14 northern Minnesota institu-tions; and worked on collaborativeventures with several technical, com-munity and tribal colleges through-out the region.

Prior to her arrival at BemidjiState, she was a faculty member andchaired the Nursing Department atJamestown (ND) College.

Scriba has a bachelor’s degree fromJamestown College and a master’sfrom the University of Washington.She has completed further advancedstudy in adult and continuing educa-tion at Teachers College of ColumbiaUniversity in New York. ■

Baer Scholarship EstablishedDr. Linda Baer may be leaving Bemidji State University, but her legacy

will live on. The Baer Scholarship has been created in her name. Estab-lished within the BSU Foundation, this scholarship will provide a $250 an-nual award to a student in their junior or senior year with a declared majorand a GPA of 3.0 or better.

In addition, in order to be eligible the student must have a leadership po-sition or a strong record of participation in extracurricular activities, eitheron campus or in the community. Preference shall be given to students whohave earned either the Boy Scout’s Eagle Scout Award or the Girl Scout’sGold Award.

The senior vice president for academic and student affairs at BSU for sixyears and former acting president, Baer was named last fall as the seniorvice chancellor for academic and student affairs for the Minnesota StateColleges and Universities (MnSCU) system office.

Interested students should contact the Admissions Office at 1-888-345-1721 for more information. ■

■ “ I’ll always remember ourfamily’s involvement. My wifeMary Lou hand made ninety per-cent of the costumes and de-signed every one of them. Mydaughter has worked on thescript for the past two years, andboth of my children, Ahna andDavid, have performed in them.”

■ “Which one is my favorite?That’s like asking which of your29 children you like best. Myfavorite is always the one we’redoing now.”

he Madrigal Dinners will be staged in Bemidji for the 29th consecutive year. In the last issue of HORIZONS, requests were made for Madrigal memories to commemorate during this 75th anniversary yearof the Alumni Association. Since that time, Dr. PaulBrandvik, who has directed every Madrigal show atBSU, announced that he will be retiring following thisyear. So he was asked to share some of his memories.Thanks goes to all who submitted remembrances,especially Adeline Beltz of Bagley, who will receivetwo complimentary tickets for opening night.

■ “I remember one time we hadflaming cherries jubilee in glassbowls. The flame floated in thecenter, and worked its way tothe end of the bowl. They werecracking and it sounded likegunshots going off one right af-ter another.”

■ “The first Madrigals werereally elementary. You could tellthey had potential — anytimeyou’re in music and you sell outthree performances in one day,you know it’s promising. We hadto hold some of them early sopeople could go to the hockeygame at night. We haven’t hadto do that for a while. And wehad paper tablecloths. We wereglad they didn’t catch fire withthe flaming pudding.”

■ “A lot of the characters havebeen fun, but the jester will al-ways have a special place in theDinners. The jester started outsimply with the stage direction,‘Tell Jokes.’ Then it evolvedinto the emcee and special partswere written for the differentpeople who played the role. Asfor the other characters, uni-corns and dragons were alwaysnice to have.”

Financial support to Bemidji State University by members of the alumni associationcontinues to increase as demonstrated during Homecoming when Alumni AssociationBoard Member Rose Skyberg presented BSU President, Dr. M. James Bensen, a “check”in the amount of $246,085 which represented contributions made by alumni duringthe previous fiscal year.

Joelyn Scriba

Horizons Page 12

Annual Winter GolfClassic Set

The 4th Annual Beaver Pride Win-ter Golf Classic is scheduled for Sat-urday, January 24, 1998.

The event, 18 holes of golf on theice of Lake Bemidji, raises funds tosupport athletics. Teams of two golf-ers use putters and tennis balls to ne-gotiate the course.

“Winter golf is all about having funand making the most of our winterweather in Bemidji,” said TomFaecke, vice president for administra-tive affairs and co-chair of the WinterGolf committee. “No serious golfingskills are needed in this event. In fact,the team that won the event a fewyears ago hardly plays any real golf.”

The cost for the tournament is $25per player and includes green (ice)fees, an official Winter Golf me-mento, and a burger at Slim’s.

Prizes are awarded to the best andworst scoring teams and to the teamthat traveled the furthest to attend.

The event had to be canceled in1997 due to bad ice conditions. The1996 event drew 75 golfers. Theevent this year is scheduled earlierwhen ice conditions are typicallybetter and is one of the activities ofBemidji Polar Daze.

For information or to register forthe event, please call 1-888-234-5718 or (218) 755-4145. ■

Annual Phonathon UnderwayThe Bemidji State University Foundation annual Phonathon is well under-

way. The Calling Center in the Park House employs approximately 30 stu-dents who make calls to alumni, parents of current students, and prospectivestudents. Calling for fall quarter focused primarily on prospective students.

“We will concentrate mainly on calling alumni and parents during winterquarter,” said Tricia Bunten, director of annual giving programs. “We makeevery effort to contact all alumni at least once a year by phone, but we areunable to reach some alumni.”

Gifts made through the Phonathon help support scholarships, recruitmentefforts, special departmental programs and help the Foundation in its mission.

“Gifts from alumni are very important to the University,” said Bunten.“They not only provide much needed additional funding but also make astrong statement to current students that the alumni of Bemidji State valuedtheir educational experience and want to ensure that current and future stu-dents have the same or better experiences.”

If you have any questions about the Phonathon please call Tricia Buntenat 1-888-234-5718.

Name(s) _________________________________________________Address _________________________________________________City _______________________ State _____ Zip ________________Social Security Number _____________________________________

Please accept this gift of:$ ___ Other / ___ $500 / ___ $300 / ___ $100 / ___ $75 / ____ $30

METHODS OF PAYMENT:

Check (Payable to BSU Foundation)_____ I would like to be billed in_____installments between now

and June 30, 1998.

Please _____ send reminders or _____ charge my credit card._____

Please charge my gift to: _____ MasterCard _____ VISACredit Card Number __________________________Exp. Date ________Signature __________________________________

____ I work for a matching gift company that will match this gift.

Please mail to: Bemidji State University Annual Fund1500 Birchmont Drive NE #DPH, Bemidji, MN 56601-2699 ■

Larkin Named Acting Deanof Professional Studies

Dr. Dave Larkin, professor of education, hasbeen named acting dean of the College of Pro-fessional Studies to replace Dr. Gerald Norris,who resigned last summer.

Larkin first joined the BSU faculty in 1984.In 1988 he went to the University of Wiscon-sin-Platteville, where he chaired the Depart-ment of Teaching and directed the Center forthe Education of the Young Adolescent. Hereturned to BSU in 1990 and a year later as-sumed duties as the coordinator of the middlelevel education program in addition to hisclassroom assignments.

The president of the Minnesota Associationof Middle Lever Educators, he has served asco-editor of the Journal of the Minnesota As-sociation of Middle Level Education, the jour-nal Transescence, and Dissemination Serviceson Middle Grades Education. He was also aneditorial board member of the Rural SpecialEducation Quarterly and a reviewer of pro-posals for funding submitted to the UnitedStates Department f Education.

Larkin has made more than 150 presenta-tions at conferences on the local, state andnational levels as well as conducted 75 work-shops on such topics as managing the middlelevel classroom, characteristics of young ado-lescents, humor as a teaching strategy, and im-proving classroom instruction.

He received his undergraduate degree fromthe University of Wisconsin-River Falls,master’s from both the College of St. Thomasand the University of Wisconsin-Superior, anddoctorate from the University of Illinois. ■

Nominations Sought for Outstanding Alumniand Athletic Hall of Fame Awards

Nominations are now beingaccepted for candidates to beconsidered for the OutstandingAlumni Award or for inductioninto the Athletic Hall of Fame.Recipients of these two honorswill be recognized during specialprograms at Homecoming 1998.

Outstanding Alumni AwardThe Outstanding Alumni

Award is presented annually dur-ing Homecoming and is the high-est honor presented by theBemidji State University AlumniAssociation.

The recipients of the awardbring much recognition to theiralma mater through distinguishedand professional achievements.They are honored for exceptionalservice and contributions toBemidji State University and totheir community, state and nation.

All nominees must have gradu-ated from Bemidji State no lessthan 10 years ago. Nominationswill be accepted until February 1,1998, and can be made by any-one except from an immediatefamily member.

Current faculty, staff and mem-bers of the Board of Directors ofthe Bemidji State UniversityAlumni Association are not eli-gible for consideration.

A nomination form can be

obtained by calling the AlumniOffice at 1-888-234-2687 or218-751-3989.

Athletic Hall of FameNominations for the Athletic

Hall of Fame must be in writingand will be accepted until Janu-ary 1, 1998.

Nominees must have earned anathletic letter at BSU, must haveattended BSU for at least twoyears and not have graduatedfrom another University. Theyhave to have attended BSU noless than 20 years ago. Previouscoaches and/or administratorswho made significant contribu-tions to the development and suc-cess of BSU athletics may alsobe considered.

Selections will be based onmerit in four categories: athleticaccomplishments while at BSU;post collegiate professional ac-complishments; service and con-tributions to community, stateand nation; service to BemidjiState University.

Further information is avail-able by contacting the BSUAlumni Association Office at 1-888-234-2687 (toll free) or 218-755-3989 or by calling Bob Pe-ters, men’s athletic director, orDoreen Zierer, women’s athleticdirector, at 218-755-2940. ■

Homecoming

Notice to Parents ofAlumni

If this publication is addressed toa son or daughter who no longermaintains a permanent address atyour home, please notify the AlumniOffice at 1-888-234-2687 of his orher new mailing address. Thank you.

Images from Homecoming celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Alumni Association.

BEMIDJI

Y E A R S

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STATE UNIVERSITY

1997