Ed Bok Lee, Winner of the American Book Award “every mind is an

Transcription

buzz
Metropolitan State University
FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS
S P R I N G 2 0 13 V O L U M E 5 , N O . 2
Ed Bok Lee,
Winner of the
American Book Award
“every mind is an
unfinished story”
Poppies I
Watercolor
Carol Lowe (’79) has painted with watercolor paints for more than 15 years.
She studies at Ghost Ranch, New Mexico, with Pamona Hollanback and in
Wisconsin with Karla Holman. A member of the Attic Artists for almost 10 years,
she finds inspiration and support from other artists.
Cover photo by Tom Roster
ToM RoSTeR
View From New Main
Metropolitan State continues to grow in size, stature and structure. In December, Twin Cities
Business ranked Metropolitan State University first in the state by enrollment growth.
We graduated 1,214 students at our winter commencement, and this May we will celebrate
our 35,000th graduate. We now serve more than 11,000 students a year, and our enrollments
continue to grow at a steady, healthy pace.
We are growing in stature as well. The American Council on Education—a prestigious
professional association—recently published a report from the National Commission on
Higher Education Attainment which cites Metropolitan State as a national model of excellence
in giving adult learners the flexibility they need to complete their degrees. The Commission
recommended that other universities and colleges follow Metropolitan State’s innovative lead
in providing adult students with an accessible, affordable and truly extraordinary education,
and it is most gratifying to see our model recognized as vital for America’s future.
Metropolitan State University’s home campus, perched atop the scenic Dayton’s Bluff in
Saint Paul, will grow as well over the next few years. A beautiful, state-of-the-art science
education center—MnSCU’s top-ranked construction project for the whole state—will be
built to house our rapidly growing science majors, undergraduate research and a new
professional graduate degree. A Student Center will provide amenities for our busy adult
learners as well as space for student organizations and activities, studying and group work.
This summer we will open the truly amazing David Barton Reflective Garden and
Community Labyrinth on the grounds just west of the library. I invite you to walk through
the labyrinth and garden the next time you visit campus. Finally, this summer we will
begin construction for a new parking ramp to meet the needs of a growing urban campus.
To keep pace with all this growth, we have authorized 10 new faculty positions in biology,
chemistry, criminal justice, alcohol and drug counseling, library science, management, nursing,
political science and psychology. In an era when so many other universities are contracting,
to be expanding in this fashion sends a message of vibrant energy and growth which will
attract top talent, and I look forward to welcoming these new faculty in the fall. We also have
begun new initiatives to more vigorously market the university, expand continuing education,
and reach future students for whom Metropolitan State is “the perfect fit.”
In the past year we undertook a diligent process to identify and acquire the facilities
necessary to expand our service to and presence in the West Metro region. Our goal is to be
able to offer our most popular majors in both the East Metro and the West Metro areas.
Unfortunately, no appropriate site for a major campus was found at that time, so we continue
to explore options. In the meantime, we will significantly expand our course offerings in the
West Metro by partnering with Normandale Community College in Bloomington. We will
offer both daytime and evening classes on the Normandale campus, including whole degreecompletion options.
Finally, we continue to grow as a strong community of friends and colleagues. This spring
I was delighted to join 45 other Metropolitan State faculty, staff, alumni and students for our
annual “Metro at the Met” event. We enjoyed the Metropolitan Opera production of
Rigoletto—broadcast in high definition and dolby sound—at the Marcus Oakdale Theatre.
It is such fun to enjoy great opera, great fellowship, and popcorn or nachos, all at the same
time. Next year, please join us for our next “Metro at the Met” event, sponsored by our
Metropolitan State University Alumni Association.
Thank you for your sustained interest in and support of Metropolitan State, America’s
premier university for lifelong learning.
Sincerely yours,
Sue K. Hammersmith, President
BUZZ 3
TAbLE oF CoNTENTS
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View from New Main
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Super Alumni
Four Things
About Four Things
Finding Gems in the Rough
What Are You Studying?
VoLUMe 5 NUMBeR 2 SPRING 2013
Metropolitan State University BUZZ is published twice a
year by Metropolitan State University, Alumni Relations
oﬃce, University Planning and Advancement Division for
alumni and friends of the university. Metropolitan State
University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges
and Universities system.
editor
Vicki Lofquist
Alumni Relations and Annual Giving Director
Art Director
Diane DeRosier Douglass (’05, ’09)
Managing editor
Susan Amos Palmer
Publications/News Services Director
Associate editors
Maureen Acosta
Darlene esko
Matthew Spillum (’06)
Contributing Writers
Stephen Burgdorf (’10)
Harvey Meyer
Matthew Spillum (’06)
Photographers
Anne Hodson (’07)
Tom Roster
Assistants
Chiara Marano
Noriko Ramberg
Lisa Ghylin (’11)
Everything’s Going Swimmingly
for Katie Koenig (’12)
Correspondence should be sent to
Alumni Relations, Metropolitan State University,
700 east Seventh Street, Saint Paul, MN 55106-5000.
Phone: 651-793-1808, Fax: 651-793-1825 or e-mail
alumni.relations@metrostate.edu.
An equal opportunity educator.
FSC
LOGO
HERE
ALUMNI ASSoCIATIoN
Greetings!
I want to share with you some ways we can help each other.
Professional development is a key reason many earn their degrees
at Metropolitan State. In that regard, alumni can be a resource to
our students and other alumni taking the next step in their careers.
There are several ways to do that.
Alumni can be mentors to students. The G.E.M.S. program is
one way to do that. For more information about mentoring in the
G.E.M.S. program, see the article in this issue by Matty Spillum (’06)
who spoke to mentor Larry Collette (’99) and mentee Anne Rusley
(’12) about their experiences in the year-long mentoring program.
In this fast-paced world, you may not have the time to volunteer
in a year-long program such as G.E.M.S., but you may have time to
volunteer to be a networking contact. Anyone can be a networking
contact and I encourage you to become one.
You can sign up to be a networking contact on our
streamlined Web link to the Professional Network, which is a
Metropolitan State-specific directory of professionals, alumni and
mentors who can be matched with an individual’s specific career
path and/or academic interests. The link is:
https://metrostate-csm.symplicity.com/mentors
If you have questions, call the folks at Career Services at
651-793-1528 or e-mail career.services@metrostate.edu.
Also, I want to thank the more than 700 alumni who’ve supported
the Annual Fund so far this fiscal year. If you haven’t yet made a gift,
I hope you will consider doing so before the June 30 deadline—it
makes a real difference in the education we can offer our students.
And stay connected with our alumni community—there are more
ways to serve and ways to be involved and you can find out about
them on the Web site: www.metrostate.edu/alumni and through the
Metropolitan State alumni groups on Facebook and LinkedIn. Also,
be sure to sign up for the monthly E-newsletter by sending a message
to alumni.relations@metrostate.edu.
Happy spring!
Regards,
Basha Shaik (’07)
President, Alumni Association Board
Alumni Association
Board Members
Shirley Cain (’85)
Tim Doherty (’94)
Anna Gryczman (’99, ’10)
Andrea Jenkins (’99)
Robbie Johnson (’03)
Ochen Kaylan (’08)
Akmed Khalifa (’08, ’10)
Caroline Lowe (’02)
ANNe HoDSoN
James Lukaszewski (’74)
Back Row (L-R) Jim Lukaszewski, ochen Kaylan, Virginie Sanchez, Basha Shaik
Front Row (L-R) Tim Doherty, Victoria Reinhardt, Sue K. Hammersmith
Victoria Reinhardt (’96, ’99)
James Rogers (’94)
Virginie Sanchez (’05)
Basha Shaik (’07)
Nancy Wolf (’07)
B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z Z Z Z B U Z
BUZZ 5
Super Alumni
1,214 students received degrees in December 2012.
At the Dec. 18 commencement ceremony, these alumni
were honored for being outstanding students.
Photos by Anne Hodson
Jeremy Green
Jeremy Green relied on his detailoriented and analytical skills to notch a
4.0 GPA and be selected the
outstanding student in the School of
Law Enforcement and Criminal
Justice. Moreover, the results of Green’s
capstone project, which discovered
considerable fraud in higher-education
financial aid, will be tendered to a
professional journal.
The Elk River resident is a public safety
officer who oversees a 10-member staff at
North Hennepin Community College, where
he earlier graduated with academic honors.
Community-minded, Green volunteers at a
food shelf and elementary school, and helps
coach youngsters in several sports. He hopes
to pursue a master’s degree and, perhaps,
even teach in college.
6 BUZZ
Ben Greiling
Nirvana for Ben Greiling, the
easygoing and committed outstanding
graduate student in the College of
Health, Community and Professional
Studies, is partaking in a tight-knit
community where people socialize and
support each other. The Dayton’s Bluff
homeowner and community activist is
working to make that happen in his
neighborhood. As part of his graduate
studies in psychology, he examined the
effects of vacant housing in Dayton’s
Bluff. And he hopes to launch a
farmer’s market and renovate
neighborhood homes.
Greiling, a mental health worker at
Regions Hospital, Saint Paul, earlier
graduated from the University of MinnesotaMorris with a general psychology degree.
Not surprisingly, his future plans revolve
around community, including perhaps doing
vacant-lot gardening in Dayton’s Bluff and
participating in other neighborhoodimprovement activities.
Dawn Hansen
Dawn Hansen’s Metropolitan State
classmates might react with a doubletake when the legal administrative
assistant for a Minneapolis law
firm boards a metro bus for her
Vadnais Heights home. The low-key
business major and some of her
“bus buddies” occasionally break
into song, enlivening otherwise
mundane commutes.
Community service has long been a
hallmark of the College of Management’s
outstanding undergraduate student. Hansen
has served as a Girl Scout leader, volunteered
at her children’s elementary school and
taught Bible School at her church. The North
Hennepin Community College graduate and
mother of four also launched and facilitated
an autism parents’ support group. Eventually,
she hopes to pursue a master’s degree and
work professionally helping older children
and adults with autism.
Laura Hern
For most of her 54 years, Laura Hern
dreamed about attaining a college
diploma. Unfortunately, life
circumstances intervened, including
her late husband’s two-year battle with
pulmonary fibrosis. Hern candidly
wrote about those struggles in a 2012
book called Transplanted Faith.
It wasn’t until she moved from Texas to
Willmar, Minn., in 2009 and remarried that
Hern sought a Metropolitan State degree
online. She not only ended up achieving her
dream while majoring in nonprofit
management and education; Hern was
selected both outstanding student in the
College of Individualized Studies and student
commencement speaker. Not to say all is
hunky-dory for the licensed insurance agent,
community volunteer and mother of two.
Hern is still adjusting to Minnesota’s frigid
weather, acquainting Minnesotans with her
Southern drawl and calculating how to
achieve another higher-education dream—
obtaining her Ph.D. by age 62.
Vance Holmes
Vance Holmes, who earned a graduate
certificate in the School of Urban
Education, has a passion—teaching
urban youth.
Holmes’ academic and professional
credentials are in theater. He earned a West
Virginia University undergraduate degree in
music theater and a University of Minnesota
graduate degree in directing for the theater.
The downtown Minneapolis resident penned
several musicals and served as a long-time
Twin Cities-area actor, director and
choreographer, both for the Minneapolis
Children’s Theatre and as an independent
contractor. In his spare time, Holmes even
launched a Web site about missing college
students that garnered considerable publicity.
But taking center stage for Holmes these days
is his passion to head up a classroom.
Catherine Miller
It wouldn’t be surprising these days if
Catherine “Cat” Miller is humming a
popular 1970s tune titled “Year of the
Cat.” The Savage resident with the
feline nickname has marked an
exceptional year. The writing major
was prose editor for Metropolitan
State’s student literary magazine, wrote
for the student newspaper and secured
a Student Senate scholarship.
Moreover, Miller was selected the
College of Arts and Sciences
outstanding undergraduate student.
Outside of Metropolitan State, Miller has
had plenty to sing about, winning customer
service and other awards as a full-time
hairstylist for JCPenney. Committed to
giving back, she offers free hair cuts to
cancer-stricken customers and is active with
Amnesty International. The future may
prove equally, if not more, promising for the
Inver Hills Community College graduate as
the married Florida native plans on seeking a
master’s degree.
BUZZ 7
Migmar Wangchuk
Even when he was a Tibetan refugee
for 29 years in southern India, Migmar
Wangchuk was all about serving
community. He mentored refugee
children and built desks for them and
raised funds for fellow camp residents.
So perhaps it’s not surprising that since
arriving in the United States in 2004, the
team-oriented School of Nursing
outstanding undergraduate student has
refreshed his community service. A
registered nurse and certified public health
nurse, Wangchuk has performed bloodpressure screenings of Minnesota State Fair
visitors and volunteered for Project
Homeless Connect, the Brain Injury
Association of Minnesota and the
Minneapolis YWCA. Future plans for the
Columbia Heights resident include obtaining
a master’s degree and working as a
psychiatric nurse—and, of course, doing
what he can for the community.
8 BUZZ
Jocelyn Wiedow
Serving and supporting youth is in
Jocelyn Wiedow’s DNA. As a
“sprockets network organizer” for the
Saint Paul YWCA, the College of
Management outstanding graduate
student collaborates with other youth
programs to help youngsters succeed.
The energetic Wiedow, who earned a
Master of Public and Nonprofit
Administration degree, has
coordinated and directed youth and
family programs for about 15 years
with three organizations.
The professional and personal overlap for
Wiedow, who assists with her son’s Boy Scout
troop. She’s won a prestigious award for
volunteer leadership and other long-time
contributions to a YMCA Youth in
Government program. More broadly, the
married mother of two—who earned a 1994
undergraduate degree in community
programs management from Metropolitan
State’s then-First College—has served the
community in both city government and
Rotary posts. The future for the Oak Park
Heights resident? Continue to make a
difference for youth.
Ross Womble
“I’m honored,” said Ross Womble
about being selected the outstanding
undergraduate student in the
College of Health, Community and
Professional Studies. He was an
alcohol and drug counseling major.
Womble is a full-time drug and alcohol
counselor at the Hennepin County
Workhouse in Plymouth. “I have a
knowledge and empathy for people who are
duly diagnosed with chemical dependency
and mental health issues,” said Womble, a
member of the Minnesota Association of
Resources for Recovery and Chemical
Health. He previously worked as a chemical
dependency technician at the Pride Institute
in Eden Prairie where employees recognized
him for excellence in his job.
A Rockford, Ill. native, Womble
graduated from Rockford East High School
in 1987. Future plans may include enrolling
in graduate school.
Who’s at Metropolitan State?
ed Bok Lee is an assistant professor,
Communication, Writing and the Arts
Department, College of Arts and Sciences.
His poetry collection, Whorled, recently won
both an American Book Award for Poetry
and a Minnesota Book Award for Poetry.
Lee studied Slavic and Central Asian Studies
at the University of Minnesota; Kazakh State
Al-Farabi University in Almaty, Kazakhstan;
Indiana University and the University of
California, and holds a Master of Fine Arts
from Brown University. He spoke to
Matty Spillum (’06).
Was writing always a vocation for you, or did it grow on
you gradually?
I love books—everything about them: how each one smells, feels and
how the good ones linger in the mind long afterward. So it’s almost
more like a biological function of procreation. For a couple of years
after high school, I traveled alone and worked temporary labor jobs
in more than a dozen cities and towns throughout the United States,
also spending time in Canada and Mexico. It was during that time,
thanks largely to used-book stores and the people who ran them that
I first started to fall in love with reading and keeping a journal.
How does teaching at Metropolitan State University fit into
your life as a writer?
In the words of Muriel Rukeyser: “The universe is made up of stories,
not atoms.” I’m constantly trying to imagine what a caveman would
think if he could see all the various, fantastical forms our
imaginations surrounded our lives with in 2013. It’s the same thing
here (teaching at Metropolitan State). I’m constantly trying to
encourage folks to see everything around us—books, films and TV,
yes, but also furniture, architecture, styles, cereal boxes, gardens,
graffiti, everything—is a story someone once invented as a kind of
offering to the world. And that anyone can participate in both small
and large ways, starting with each poem or story you begin, one
word at a time.
What was it like to receive an American Book Award?
The American Book Award folks are bona fide angels. My publisher
submitted the book for the award. I don’t know all the details, but
I’ve been told they get hundreds of submissions a year, which are
then judged by a national panel of writers and editors.
Whorled takes on some very broad topics, like politics,
culture and race, while communicating them through
specific details. What advice
“Find something
would you give to writers
trying to tackle big topics?
Find something you are possessed
to get down. Focus on the details
and a poem or story’s greater
context will eventually try to peer
over your shoulder.
you are
possessed to
get down.”
BUZZ 9
Four Things about Four Things
Expertise in a Nutshell
10 BUZZ
Is it possible to distill expertise to a few succinct statements?
Buzz magazine asked four members of the
Metropolitan State University community to share four things.
Four Things about Dental Hygiene
Four Things about Relaxing
By Louann Goodnough, coordinator of Metropolitan State University’s
Advanced Dental Therapy Dental Clinic and a Minnesota licensed
dental hygienist
By Cynthia Austin, community faculty member in psychology who is
teaching the course: Stress Management and Wellness
1. Your dental hygienist really can tell if you don’t floss! The
indications may be different from person to person, but it is
noticeable to a hygienist. It may be suspected due to an increase
in cavities, inflammation of the gum tissue, halitosis (bad breath)
or the type and location of the buildup found on your teeth.
Generally, flossing is recommended because for most people it is
the least expensive and easiest way to remove impacted food bits
between teeth as well as to stir up the bacterial colonies which
re-form every 12 hours. If flossing isn’t your thing, for the sake of
your health, ask your hygienist about alternatives.
2. Be honest with your hygienist about your medical history, they’re
not just nosey. Your medical history including recent surgeries,
medications being taken, even a change in your diet can affect
your oral health and the way your treatment proceeds for the day.
A dental hygienist has the knowledge base to connect researchsupported systemic health issues to oral health and assist you with
understanding these connections.
3. Confused when standing in the oral health aisle at the store?
With all of the ads and commercials about the newest and latest, it
can be very confusing! Your dental hygienist can help you make
informed decisions about the best products specific to your needs.
Science goes into the development of these products and your
hygienist has the education and background to help you weed
through the hype and empower you to make informed choices.
4. Hygienists typically like being told they are not liked! We hear
it constantly, “I don’t like you!” A good hygienist takes this as
a challenge to understand why dental visits are difficult for a
patient, and attempts to adjust to the individual needs and
situation. My favorite story is of a woman who was very
inconsistent with her dental care, and the first time I met with
her she was very gruff. After she spent 15 minutes telling me
how horrible it was for her to come to dental visits, I asked the
simple question, “Why?” The answer was a simple one, and I had
to bite my tongue to keep from laughing, “No one EVER tells me
when they are going to put the chair back, and it scares me!”
After that I saw her every four months for years, and always with
a big, beautiful smile!
Dental hygienists love their sweets! On any given day in a
dental office, there is likely a sweet for sharing in a break room.
Our justification—we have an office full of toothbrushes and we
aren’t afraid to use them!
1. Ordinary recreational and relaxing activities often don’t relax
people enough to prevent or reduce muscular tension and stressrelated symptoms. Although a person may think they are relaxing
when watching television or engaging in recreational activities—
which may be enjoyable and distract one from stress—the truth is
that often one’s arousal level remains too high to fully recuperate
from stress. It’s that the person has forgotten how it feels to be
deeply relaxed.
2. When a person learns to relax more deeply and intensively, she
or he feels better, is more energetic, has better concentration,
is calmer and more confident and feels as though their “batteries
have been recharged.” Maintenance and repair of the body take
place when we’re in the relaxed mode. 3. Relaxation exercises are a deceivingly simple, yet powerful, way to
gradually reduce muscular tension and reduce the negative effects
of stressed nerves and of other stressed parts of the body. This is
because letting go of muscular tension leads to relaxation of other
bodily systems that aren’t under our conscious control. 4. Techniques specifically designed to relax more deeply and
intensively are often recommended to prevent and reduce stressrelated symptoms. Simple exercises like these can make a
difference, if they are done regularly. Over time, the benefits of
relaxation and meditation keep increasing because a person
becomes more skilled and relaxes more deeply.
Resources
• Relaxation by Inner Health Studio Podcast.
http://www.innerhealthstudio.com/relaxation-by-inner-healthstudio-podcast.html
• Mayoclinic.com on how to begin meditating to calm your body,
mind and spirit.
www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?objectid=6DA127A9-D9BE421A-96ABD50B2262EC0D • Relax—Jacobson’s Technique
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6VI5UfdmF4
• Total Relaxation—10 Minute Meditation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=52-N3fSiXhc&feature=related
BUZZ 11
Four Things about Working with
Problematic People in the Workplace
By Becky L. Omdahl, College of Arts and Sciences dean and
co-author and co-editor of Problematic People in the Workplace,
Volumes 1 and 2.
1. Over 99 percent of the people in our studies identify one or
multiple people as problematic. Working with people who seem
difficult is part of being in any organization. One of the best
pathways is to fully engage in projects that contribute to the
mission and encourage others to do the same. 2. Instead of focusing on the individual as problematic, we need to
look at situations and structures that invite bad behavior. How
can we structure our work and interactions so that we promote
constructive behaviors rather than problematic ones? 3. When we are frustrated or hurt, we need to step away from the
computers and phones and “do no harm.” In the moment in
which another’s behavior makes us feel disrespected, hurt or
frustrated, we often respond with behavior that makes the other
feel “less than.” By getting back to better emotional spaces, we
regain our ability to see the constructive kernel in what the other
was attempting. Honoring the constructive action the person was
trying to achieve is often a very effective way to open the door to
a more complex conversation.
4. If we are bullied, demeaned or repeatedly pulled away from
constructive work, we need to let responsible, trustworthy people
know. Many people in leadership roles are working very hard to
build healthy organizations.
Four Things about
International business
By Roger Prestwich, professor of international business,
College of Management
As Target Corporation makes its first foray into the “global”
marketplace (such as Canada!), we can take a moment to reflect on
what “global” really means to all of us, not just to the large
corporation. Since this short piece is not intended for a Chinese
audience, we can at least feel comfortable identifying four key
elements demanding our attention—not a good idea if we were
trying to make the point in China, since the word “four” in Chinese
sounds very close to the word “death”!
12 BUZZ
1. Globalization really is upon us, and it is imperative that we
appreciate its current and future impact on our everyday lives—
it may vary in intensity from day to day, or even year to year,
just like the weather, but as with the climate, the overall trend
is undeniable; we are increasingly subject to what is happening
outside our borders, whether economic, social or political in
nature, but we are also a key player, capable of substantially
influencing the globalization process and its outcomes.
2. In an increasingly interdependent world, cross-cultural
knowledge and competence will become critically important to
mutually beneficial economic and political progress. This may
come as a surprise, or disappointment, but not everyone out there
is desperate to come to America. We do not always set a standard
to which the rest of the world aspires, so we cannot assume that
since everyone speaks English and is trying to emulate the
American way of doing business (and way of life?) that there is no
need for us to make any effort to understand their culture,
language, history, society, politics and so on.
3. While we fret about the “fact” that foreigners now “own” most of
our national debt, the truth is that we Americans own two-thirds
of it—non-U.S. entities own one-third, and of that the Chinese
and Japanese own one-third each, and all the other countries the
remaining third of a third. So, what’s the panic? The very fact that
foreigners are willing to use their hard-earned dollars to buy U.S.
Treasuries is a huge vote of confidence in our national ability not
only to survive economically but to prosper—why would anyone
buy an asset that they believe is about to fall off the edge of a cliff?
4. So why not look on the bright side of globalization? The choices
that we now enjoy in terms of products and services are
unprecedented, thanks to decades of growth in international
trade and investment, and contribute markedly to our quality
of life and standard of living. If you’d like to know just how much
you are helping to drive globalization, check the labels on
everything you have purchased recently and look at the
country(ies) of origin—it will be quite an education!
An appreciation of the international factors that are directly
and indirectly affecting the day-to-day operations and decisionmaking processes of your organization—whether it’s domestic-only
or already internationally involved—is crucial if
you want to give yourself some context for
understanding your place in the
world of tomorrow.
Volunteer opportunities!
Metropolitan State University encourages and appreciates graduate participation in
volunteer activities. Alumni can be proud to say Metropolitan State is an active community
partner and it regularly proves this commitment in a variety of ways.
Opportunities available through the Institute for
Community Engagement and Scholarship (ICES) are:
The Literacy Corps
The Literacy Corps is recruiting alumni to provide literacy tutoring
at inner-city schools, libraries and learning centers. Tutors may
choose to participate through a variety of programs throughout the
Twin Cities that offer opportunities during the day, after school,
evenings and weekends. Days and times are flexible. Free tutor
training sessions are offered in partnership with the Minnesota
Literacy Council and Saint Paul Public School Foundation Tutor
Partnership Program to university students, faculty, staff and alumni.
If you are interested in participating as a tutor or would like to
learn more about the literacy and library programs, contact Awo
Ahmed, literacy coordinator, Institute for Community Engagement
and Scholarship, at awo.ahmed@metrostate.edu or 651-793-1288.
Middle School/High School Campus Visits to Metropolitan
State University
Assist in the middle school and high school campus visits and create
a fun and welcoming atmosphere for students at our Saint Paul
campus. Secondary students have a college-like experience through a
campus tour, registering and attending fun classes designed and
taught by Metropolitan State students, alumni and community
members. Metropolitan State alumni can choose to design and teach
classes or serve as classroom assistants. Middle school/high school
visits are a great opportunity to give back to our community and
cultivate and explore the interests of our future generation.
Upcoming spring campus visits are scheduled: June 10–14 and
June 17–21.
For youth outreach and Literacy initiatives, contact Awo Ahmed,
literacy coordinator, Institute for Community Engagement and
Scholarship, at awo.ahmed@metrostate.edu or 651-793-1288.
First Saturday Science
ICES and the Saint Paul Public Library piloted the First Saturday
Science in spring semester. This program is for neighborhood
children of all ages with a goal of offering accessibility of science and
science literacy for everyone, along with the opportunity to discover
and experience the many diverse and realistic options for future
careers. This program is the first Saturday of each month, from
noon–2 p.m. Contact Nathan Fell, library community outreach
student coordinator, Institute for Community Engagement and
Scholarship at fellna@metrostate.edu or at 651-793-1482.
Meals on Wheels
Help provide nutrition and a safety check to those who need it.
Metropolitan State participates in the Meals on Wheels
volunteer program. Alumni interested in becoming a volunteer
should e-mail Jodi Bantley, community engagement coordinator,
the Institute for Community Engagement and Scholarship, at
jodi.bantley@metrostate.edu or at 651-793-1294. The meals
are delivered between 10:30 a.m.–noon. The time commitment
varies from one day a week to once a month, depending on
your availability.
Mary o’Neal (’10)
The Alumni Relations Office often needs volunteers to help at
Commencement, Grad Expo and other events. Contact us at
alumni.relations@metrostate.edu
BUZZ 13
Finding Gems in the Rough:
14 BUZZ
ToM RoSTeR
GEMS Mentoring brings out the best in Students and Mentors
Finding Gems in the Rough: GEMS Mentoring
Brings Out the Best in Students and Mentors
The GEMS Leadership and Mentoring Program is a yearlong
mentoring program that offers Metropolitan State University
students a chance to develop a close, positive relationship with a
mentor who will empower students in their career interests, personal
development and acquisition of life skills.
To get an inside perspective on how GEMS accomplishes that,
Larry Collette (’99), GEMS mentor, and Anne Rusley (’12), former
GEMS mentee who worked with Collette last year, spoke to Matty
Spillum (’06), Buzz writer. Collette served on the Metropolitan State
alumni board from 2002–2008, including two years as president,
and has worked in a variety of senior executive positions in both the
private and public sectors, while also serving as an instructor at
several institutions, including Metropolitan State. Rusley works as a
contracted e-operations coordinator at 3M.
How did you first hear about the GEMS program?
Larry Collette: I’ve been mentoring all my life. For 40 or more years,
I’ve been in business-related activities, and I’ve always been in
management and leadership positions. In all my work and life
situations, I’ve always been more of a mentor/coach rather than a
supervisor, working with and collaborating with people to
accomplish their individual goals and our collective or group goals.
I saw an announcement in 2011 that GEMS was looking for mentors,
and I signed up, applied for it, and the rest is history.
Anne Rusley: I went to an etiquette dinner, and Curtis Hall IV
(GEMS mentoring coordinator at that time) was there. He hit me up
right away; I mentioned that I’d seen the posters, and he said
“Oh, you should do that.” I didn’t think that I was necessarily a
good fit for it, but after talking to him, he said, “Just apply, and we’ll
find someone who will be a good fit for you.” Curtis was very
talented at that.
What was the mentoring process like in the GEMS
program?
Rusley: Once Curtis told me who my mentor was, things started to
roll pretty quickly. It was actually fairly intense because Larry was
willing to meet on a weekly basis. I think, for me, what was
important was that Larry had the skills to identify my strengths.
He gave me a sheet and had me label my strengths and challenges.
As I am very hard on myself, it was encouraging to have someone
say, “This is something you say you are not good at, and yet I see you
doing well at this all the time.”
Collette: Anne is a great example of the classic Metropolitan State
student: coming back to school after having left a successful career to
raise children, taking an opportunity to update her skill set and
finish out her degree plan. The GEMS program fits with what Anne
is doing and what Metropolitan State is doing. GEMS takes the time
to train both the mentor and the mentee, making sure that we are on
track. Metropolitan State goes that extra mile to encourage people to
develop themselves, and GEMS is a good example of that.
Why should someone get involved with GEMS as a mentor
or mentee?
Collette: I would encourage prospective mentors to provide some
of their expertise and experience to assist younger people as a
mentor. This knowledge is a
“Metropolitan State
great perspective for people, like
students, who are dealing with
goes that extra mile
changes. Providing that kind of
perspective is so important. It is
to encourage
really satisfying to know that
you have something to share.
people to develop
Rusley: It is really about gaining
a connection, not only to an
themselves, and
individual, who will mirror back
GEMS is a good
to you a bit of who you are from
their perspective, but to a
example of that.”
community to become a part of.
It is helpful to have a different
perspective on your skills and challenges, and to have someone to
help you gather your support network. GEMS really made me feel
like I had a community here. In general, Metropolitan State can feel
like less of a community without this kind of connection, and being
part of GEMS gave me the support network that helped me feel a
connection to the community.
Interested in GeMS? For more information contact
Adil Najmuddin, student peer leader and mentoring coordinator,
Student Life and Leadership Development at 651-793-1550 or at
gems.mentoring@metrostate.edu.
Guiding, Empowering & Mentoring Success
BUZZ 15
Institute for Professional Development
open for business
By Harvey Meyer
For the first time, Metropolitan State is offering a one-stop shop where individuals, businesses and organizations
can sign up for noncredit professional development courses, workshops and the like.
Quietly launched fall semester, the Institute for Professional
Development (IPD) helps address the Minnesota State Colleges and
Universities system’s resolve for MnSCU schools to more actively
engage in state workforce development. The institute also bolsters
Metropolitan State’s lifelong learning credentials, according to Bruce
Lindberg, IPD’s interim director.
“Noncredit continuing
education has been
“The institute fits in
occurring on an ad hoc
well with our
and less-visible basis at
Metropolitan State,” says
tagline—‘where life
Lindberg. With the IPD,
people can learn about and
and learning meet’—
select from all the
university’s continuing
and represents another
education opportunities
from a central
pathway to achieve
administrative source.
“The institute fits in well
our primary mission.”
with our tagline—‘where
life and learning meet’—and represents another pathway to achieve
our primary mission.”
For now, the institute is housed in the Management Education
Center on the university’s Minneapolis campus. The IPD shares staff
and expertise with Advance IT Minnesota, a MnSCU Center of
Excellence hosted by Metropolitan State that strives to boost IT
graduates statewide and help their workforce readiness.
16 BUZZ
The IPD’s offerings range from an eight-hour self-directed
course on understanding mental illness for law enforcement
personnel to an 80-hour “business architecture” program. Attendees
are taught by everyone from university faculty to experts within
particular professions.
Most participants will receive documentation for completing
“continuing education units” and some will obtain professional
development certificates. Lindberg says some Metropolitan State
departments may even offer optional academic credit.
Lindberg says the IPD intends to piggyback on Metropolitan
State’s stature as an affordable adult learning institution. It also plans
on making available offerings in law enforcement, business, nursing,
computer forensics and other areas where the university has
developed a robust reputation.
“For alumni, the IPD provides another opportunity for lifelong
learning,” says Lindberg. “I also think alumni will appreciate how the
institute raises recognition and visibility for Metropolitan State.”
“We are facing some challenges with this new business venture,”
he adds, “but we’re cautiously optimistic that we can create a viable
entity here.”
New Digital Media Lab
brings the Legacy of Gordon Parks to the
Modern Media Age
By Matthew Spillum (’06)
Metropolitan State University’s new digital media lab,
located in Founders Hall L122, was born in a thought
that occurred to Erica Rasmussen, associate professor,
Communication, Writing and the Arts: “I thought if we were going
to honor the celebrated American photographer Gordon Parks by
naming our gallery after him, we had best teach photography on
campus.” While analog photography had been taught using a rented
darkroom in the community earlier in Metropolitan State’s history,
any new offerings would have to focus on digital photography. Since
the lab would require high end digital equipment and Macintosh
workstations, outside funding was sought.
In stepped The Nicholson Family Foundation and The Harlan
Boss Foundation for the Arts, who together met the $100,000
budget for the lab with generous donations. Fully funded, the lab
allowed the studio arts major to offer a photography track in
addition to the drawing/painting track. In addition, Areca Roe
was hired as community faculty to teach the 100 and 300 level
photography courses.
“I’ve had many students remark about how excited they were to
see digital photography offered at Metropolitan State,” says Roe.
“I think photography is a useful skill for students to have under their
belts, whether they will continue to use it for artistic expression or
in their jobs or home life in the future. Likewise, the imaging editing
skills they learn on the computers are very valuable.”
In addition, those same workstations make the lab a valuable
resource for nonphotography classes. The 24 Macintosh workstations
can run in both Mac OS and Windows environments, and have
software suites suitable for web development, high-end desktop
publishing and video production. As Dr. Craig Hansen, professor
and director of the Master of Science in Technical Communication
program, notes, “We have designed a flexible space that allows us to
reconfigure the nonworkstation parts of the room, to accommodate
spaces for photography and video shooting. Reaction from
instructors and students has been overwhelmingly positive.”
As a result of that built-in flexibility, the lab can accommodate
many of the technical communication classes, document design and
publishing-focused writing classes, film and video production
courses and usability courses in addition to the digital photography
classes that inspired the space. That inspiration, of course, continues
to play a part in the life of the lab and the photography courses that
are based there: “I’ve been able to bring my classes to the Gordon
Parks Gallery as well,” says Roe, “making more students aware and
appreciative of this resource.”
BUZZ 17
What
are you
studying?
Lisa Ghylin (’11) served in the U.S. Army for over eight years. As an intelligence specialist, she wrote
and edited more than 2,000 intelligence reports a year. Two years ago she earned a bachelor’s degree from
the College of Individualized Studies and she’s continuing her studies at Metropolitan State University in
the technical communication master’s program. She spoke to Alumni Relations Director Vicki Lofquist
about her involvement in the veterans community at Metropolitan State and about her military service.
18 BUZZ
Why did you decide to study
at Metropolitan State?
I left for my basic training just after Sept. 11, 2001. Sept. 17 was
when all the flights got to head out to wherever their destination was,
and mine was South Carolina. Later I went to California and then
I went to San Angelo, Texas—there is a little air force base down
there and I learned to be an analyst. From there, I went to Augusta,
Ga., where I was stationed for four years. I also got to go to a couple
of different places for trainings. I did one deployment in Ethiopia
and came home. Then they sent me to Arizona to go through
interrogator training. I spent the last couple of years of my military
career as an interrogator, which included one deployment to
Afghanistan for a year.
What was your life like in Afghanistan?
I lived on an air field and we lived in wooden huts in the area that
I was in. We were in a valley and we had some villages that were
around us. When we had any kind of rocket activity, it was usually
one village shooting over to the other village and missing us
completely. If they did hit us, it was generally at the very far end of
the air strip. We had one suicide bomber who showed up. He got to
our front gate and didn’t get in further,
thankfully. We were on a base with
all the forces there. That was really
great—I had friends who were Koreans,
Australians and New Zealanders.
I understand you’re now working
on a television show?
I was discharged from active duty in 2008
and joined the Minnesota National Guard.
One of my fellow guardsmen said to me, “Why don’t you check out
Metro State? It’s a really military-friendly school.” When I came here,
I asked to talk with Bruce Holzschuh right away—he’s in charge of
veterans services here. Bruce has
“...the school truly
been amazing when it comes to
helping out veterans, and the
has been focused
school truly has been focused on
on helping out vets. helping out vets. Our Veterans
Center is one of the best I’ve seen.
Our Veterans Center It’s really nice. This school has
always been a good place for me
is one of the best
to hang out and to work.
I’ve seen.”
Were you involved in the student veterans group?
Yes, I was the treasurer. I had no idea how much work it was going to
be, and I was taking 16 credits per semester. I couldn’t keep
everything straight, but I still managed to pull it off. Then I was
asked to be president. I thought it was kind of crazy that they wanted
me to be the president, but they talked me into it. It turned out that
I could do it!
When I ended active duty, it was a tough transition to come back
into civilian life, to make all new friends and start life all over again
after having lived a certain way for so long. It was worth it,
everything that I did. It was just a completely different lifestyle.
When I came here, I was forced to be more social. I had to get out
of the shell that I had put myself in. In the student organization,
I had to start taking care of other people again. That’s where anybody
in the military thrives—when you feel responsible to take care of
someone else, when you have people who you grow to care about.
It was definitely something that was good for me. At Metro State, we
are being advocates for our veterans, and veterans are 10 percent of
this population. We’re able to say to new student veterans—thanks
for everything you’ve done and welcome to what we’re doing.
Yes I am. It’s called Veterans Update.
We broadcast on over 100 stations
here in Minnesota and also in
21 different states.
BUZZ 19
books in brief
By Matthew Spillum (’06)
Breaking My Silence:
Confessions of a Rat Pack Party Girl and
Sex-Trade Survivor
JANE McCORMICK with PATTIE WICKLUND (’85)
In Breaking My Silence: Confessions of a Rat Pack Party Girl and Sex-Trade Survivor, McCormick and Wicklund shine
an unflinching light on McCormick’s life as a fixture of Rat Pack era Las Vegas’ party scene, as well as the abusive
childhood that led her down the path to high-roller prostitution. McCormick’s experiences paint a stark picture
of the realities of the sex-trade, and her recounting serves less to intrigue than to show young women how easy
it is to get trapped, while giving hope to those already living that life.
Cowritten by Patti Wicklund, McCormick’s memoir is published by iUniverse, Bloomington, Ind.
Cool Dead People
SUZANNE
NIELSEN (’97)
Faculty member
and alumna
Suzanne
Nielsen’s
collection of
essays celebrate
weird, wild
and wonderful
things about
inspirational
and interesting
people who have passed on. originally written
as a regular column in Double Dare Press
magazine, Nielsen’s essays give her unique take
on the obituary, and, as fellow founding writer
and former Metropolitan State instructor M.
Laurel Walsh notes, create “a blend of memoir
and homage sprinkled with humor.” Nielsen’s
subjects range from literary figures to
performers, promoters to reporters; the sole
linking commonalities are that they are all
dead, and they are all cool.
Nielsen’s book celebrates the unique, the
unusual and the unsung, and in doing so, offers
an homage to the spirits who are “sacred to her,
and travel with her through life.” Cool Dead
People is published by So’ham Books, Ambala
City, India.
20 BUZZ
The Camel’s Shadow Has Four Humps:
African Myth Urban Mystery
AKMED KHALIFA (’08, ’10)
Set in a struggling black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pa.,
Akmed Khalifa’s story follows the clever and well-regarded
LeMar early as he tries to find his kidnapped friend Chip and his
girlfriend Venetia, taken by a gang paid to snatch people for a
scientific experiment. As LeMar searches, he is assisted by a
smart and beautiful private investigator Prudence, and the wit
and wisdom of neighborhood lore keeper Widemouth.
Together, the friends face a gauntlet of street gangs, shady
corporate interests and technologically modified humans out
to take over the world as they call on every resource they have
to find Venetia and Chip before it is too late. The Camel’s
Shadow Has Four Humps is published by iUniverse,
Bloomington, Ind.
Reading Classes: On Culture and
Classism in America
BARBARA JENSEN (’83)
Barbara Jensen sets out to discuss the difficult topic of class in
America from both a personal and an academic perspective,
weaving tales of her working class upbringing and observations
from the field of psychology to challenge many of the myths about
class that cloud discussion of the topic. In explaining the working
class experience from both a cultural and psychological perspective,
Jensen hopes to “show how class becomes classism,” and in doing
so to take a step toward bridging a gulf that, she points out, leaves
America “psychologically, culturally, economically and politically
poorer than we should be.” Reading Classes is published by Cornell
University Press, Ithaca, N.Y.
Trail of Pebbles:
No Time to Cry
Fatal Remedy
INGRID KVALL (’88)
Based on the experiences of her aunt and uncle as
recounted in personal letters and journals, Ingrid Kvall
brings to life a true story of pain, suffering and cruelty
endured by her relatives following their arrest by
Soviet forces at the end of World War II. Beginning in
Berlin, Trail of Pebbles relates the eight-year odyssey of
Gisela and Itze Sato as they endured separation,
incarceration in Gulags, squalid hospitals and endless
train and truck journeys across eastern europe, Siberia
and Asia.
Kvall’s candid style reveals the nearly constant physical
and mental abuse her aunt and uncle experienced, with rape and death a continual
companion in their lives until the two were finally repatriated to her uncle’s
homeland of Japan in 1953. Kvall wants the reader to learn from her relatives’
experiences, to see the aftermath of war, and to see their resolve to live in the face of
it all. Trail of Pebbles is published by AuthorHouse, Bloomington, Ind.
Lucky Lyle Ortiz
GRANT PYLKA (’96)
Lucky Lyle Ortiz follows Lyle ortiz, a
14-year-old growing up in Saint
Paul, who tries to keep control of
his own life and those of his
younger sisters when their
grandfather unexpectedly passes
away. Pylkas’ novel deals with the
questions of life and coming of age
as Lyle tries to make things work
on his own in the adult world, deals
with interfering distant relatives
and finally turns to the only
teacher he ever trusted. As Lyle
fights for control of his life, Pylkas
treats the reader to an exploration
of finding identity, recognizing
limitations and growing up.
ANTONIA FELIX (’89)
Inspired by controversial
antidepressant drug
prescriptions for children
and teens, psychiatric
practitioner ethical scandals
and the growing influence
of Big Pharma, Antonia
Felix’s first novel looks at the
confluence of medicine,
greed and lust in modern
psychology. Following a
Minneapolis psychologist’s
efforts to shut down a sexually predatory psychiatrist,
Felix’s story takes the reader through a chilling exploration
of the darker side of the medical profession. Felix draws on
extensive research into news stories and court cases
around the country, condensing these “all-too-real secrets
of modern medicine in a story of seduction, vengeance
and murder.”
Leading Ladies:
How to Manage Like a Star
MARIA B. MURAD and
JAN McCARTHY (’83)
Former faculty member Maria Murad and
Jan McCarthy combine their more than
40 years of experience in the corporate
world to provide women with guidelines
for leading and managing effectively and
ethically. Combining their insights into
the corporate world, a desire to help
women succeed in leadership positions
and a love of theater, Murad and
McCarthy provide an act by act approach
to getting results. Leading Ladies gives
both veteran managers and new rising
stars an opportunity to reflect on the
personal experiences of women who
have found success with common-sense
approaches, and is published by
outskirts Press, Denver, Colo.
BUZZ 21
Faculty Notes
By Susan Amos Palmer
Allen Bellas, associate professor, College of
Management, and Ping Wang, advisor,
College of Individualized Studies, formerly
First College, were selected recipients of the
2011–2012 Carol C. Ryan excellence in Advising
Award, the university’s top advising honor.
The awards were presented at the 2012 Fall
Faculty Conference.
Donna Blacker, CAS advisor, won the Lifetime
Achievement Award in Advising, becoming only
the fourth advisor to receive the award in
university history.
Jennifer DeJonghe, associate professor, library
services, and Alec Sonsteby, assistant professor,
library services, published the article, “Usability
Testing, User-Centered Design, and LibGuides
Subject Guides: A Case Study,” in the Journal of
Web Librarianship. The article describes the
methodology and results of usability research
conducted on the library’s online research
guides. An abstract of the article is online at
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1
9322909.2013.747366 or the full text is available
via the library’s interlibrary loan service.
This spring, Metropolitan State College
of Management graduated its first cohort
of Doctor of Business Administration
students. According to Tim Delmont,
program director and assistant professor,
College of Management, these students
have been prepared for postsecondary
faculty positions in business disciplines as
well as mid to senior level leadership and
management positions in for profit and not
for profit organizations. A new cohort of
students will be admitted in 2013. For
information about admission requirements,
program format and open house schedules,
see www.metrostate.edu/dba.
22 BUZZ
James Densley, assistant professor, Law
enforcement and Criminal Justice, will be
publishing a new book, How Gangs Work: An
Ethnography of Youth Violence, through Palgrave
Macmillan. The book is available for pre-order on
the Palgrave Macmillan United Kingdom website
or on Amazon. Densley’s work in the area of
youth and organized violence extends to both
practical and academic perspectives. In addition
to his work instructing at Metropolitan State
University, he is also a trustee and director of
Growing Against Gangs and Violence, an
educational partnership with London’s
Metropolitan Police Service.
Everett Doolittle (’91), interim dean and
associate professor, School of Law enforcement
and Criminal Justice, was named a higher
education administrator to the Minnesota Board
of Peace officer Standards and Training by
Governor Mark Dayton, effective April 2 through
Jan. 5, 2015. The PoST board licenses peace
officers, both part- and full-time, as well as
establishes minimum qualifications and
regulating standards for peace officer education.
August Hoffman, psychology professor,
College of Health, Community and Professional
Studies, along with Professor Barbara Curchack,
Inver Hills Community College, led Metropolitan
State and Inver Hills students on a community
garden project, which resulted in 1,500 pounds
of food being donated to food banks and
homeless shelters.
Maythee Kantar, professor, College of Arts and
Sciences (CAS), received the 2011–2012
excellence in Teaching Award.
Mary Kirk, department chair and professor,
individualized, interdisciplinary and lifelong
learning, College of Individualized Studies
(formerly First College), was recently invited
to contribute a chapter to the second edition
of John Dakers’ Defining Technological Literacy:
Towards an Epistemological Framework, originally
published by Palgrave Macmillan
in 2006.
Alice Magnuson (’76), advisor, College of
Individualized Studies, was named advisor
emerita following her fall semester retirement
after 38 years at the university.
David Means, associate professor,
Communication, Writing and the Arts
Department, College of Arts and Sciences,
was in charge of the music and sound design
for the Red eye Theater’s october production,
“Meronymy” by Rachel Jendrzejewski.
The theater is located in Minneapolis.
Daryl Parks, associate professor, english
education, School of Urban education, and
president, Minnesota Council of Teachers of
english, was cited in a Saint Paul Pioneer Press
article, “Minnesota students prepare for tougher
state reading tests,” by Mila Koumpilova.
The article can be found at
http://www.twincities.com/
ci_22667702/minnesota-students-preparetougher-state-reading-tests.
Doug Rossinow, history professor, College of
Arts and Sciences, was contacted by C-SPAN, the
national cable TV network about filming one of
his classes after they broadcast a lecture he
presented at an American Historical Association
annual meeting. In this particular class session,
Rossinow discussed the Iran-Contra scandal. The
course was HIST 344: From Reagan to obama:
America since 1980.
Social Sciences Professor Thomas O’Connell,
College of Arts and Sciences, along with
coauthor Tom Beer, was awarded the Solon J.
Buck Award in November for the best article of
2011 in Minnesota History magazine by the
Minnesota Historical Society. The article, “Father
Francis Gilligan and the Struggle for Civil Rights,”
appeared in the summer 2011 issue of the
magazine. It was cited for its thorough,
thoughtful exploration of the topic, showing the
interplay between the personal and political
aspects of the story, as well as placing the story
in the broader context of its time. The Minnesota
Historical Society’s Solon J. Buck Award is named
for the society director who founded Minnesota
History in 1915 at its annual meeting. Buck, who
served as the magazine’s first editor, went on to
become the second archivist of the United
States in 1941, serving under Presidents Franklin
D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman.
Jose Santos, assistant professor, social science,
College of Arts and Sciences, was a guest on
Minnesota Public Radio’s Daily Circuit with Kerri
Miller on Jan. 25. The discussion contained
commentaries about President obama’s second
term and the cultural divisions in the U.S.
Santos also published a commentary piece,
“If You Think Part-time Students Don’t Work as
Hard, Think Some More,” on Minnesota Public
Radio’s website on Feb. 15. The article, which
debunks several myths about part-time and
nontraditional students, can be found at
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2
013/02/15/santos.
Two Metropolitan State faculty members who
retired last fall have been designated professors
emerita: Ellen Schultz, professor, School of
Nursing, College of Health, Community and
Professional Studies, and Kathy Wellington,
professor, Communication, Writing and the Arts
Department, College of Arts and Sciences.
Schultz has been associated with the school for
26 years, 12 as a resident faculty member.
Wellington served the university for 23 years as
faculty and as an advisor.
Jennifer L. Schultz, associate professor,
human resource management, College of
Management, was the keynote speaker at the
Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
Conference of Scholarly and Creative Activity in
Mankato on April 8. This symposium is the
second system-wide initiative aimed at
providing a venue for undergraduate students
to present research, scholarly and creative
projects. Schultz spoke about the importance
and transferability of scholarly and creative skills
for undergraduate students.
Susan Spring Shumer, director, Institute for
Community engagement and Scholarship
(formerly called the Center for CommunityBased Learning), was named director emerita
following her fall semester retirement after 21
years at the university.
Glen Spielmans, associate professor,
psychology, College of Health, Community and
Professional Studies, was lead researcher and
author in a study published in the March PLOS
Medicine Journal regarding the relative efficacy
of antipsychotic medications on depressive
symptoms in adults. Among the other
investigators was Angela Perry, a Metropolitan
State student. Metropolitan State University
BUZZ 23
The David barton
Reflective Garden and Community Labyrinth
By Harvey Meyer
Metropolitan State’s beloved library dean passed away
last summer after a long battle with cancer. But David
Barton’s memory lives on in a peaceful oasis next to
the Library and Learning Center.
The David Barton Reflective Garden and Community Labyrinth
was inaugurated last fall. Metropolitan State employees and students
and Dayton’s Bluff residents are already enjoying the labyrinth, about
a two-fifths mile looped walking path that offers opportunities for
both exercise and contemplation. A reflective garden surrounding
the labyrinth will be installed this spring featuring crab, birch and
evergreen trees, shrubs and seasonal flowers along with picnic tables,
benches and additional paths.
“The labyrinth and garden are synergistic; they work together and
serve each other,” says Nancy Bagshaw-Reasoner, facilities director,
who helps oversee the project. “Ultimately, it will be a special place, a
peaceful refuge and small community park where you can walk or
simply take a quiet break from work or study while enjoying
beautiful flowers and other plants.”
24 BUZZ
“Individually and combined, the garden and labyrinth offer a
venue for university and community members to interact and reflect
and relax—rare opportunities in today’s increasingly hectic world,”
says August Hoffman, associate professor in psychology who helps
lead the project. Some of Hoffman’s students will plant flowers and
trees this spring while also benefiting from the labyrinth and garden.
Metropolitan State faculty librarians Michelle Filkins and Jennifer
DeJonghe, both of whom also spearheaded the project, say David
would have been thrilled with the one-third acre labyrinth-garden.
A tall, warm and witty man who favored colorful neckties, Barton
served as library dean from 2002 until he died in June 2012. He
cherished walking labyrinths and visited beautiful gardens around
the world. He was also an avid gardener who often toted flowers
from his meticulously-groomed home garden to the library.
Barton also embraced the library’s community-building
initiatives. Filkins and DeJonghe say he would have been delighted
that the garden and labyrinth are designed to serve both the
Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood and the university community.
“The community connection was important to David,” says
Filkins. “He very much saw the library as a community and
university resource.”
Labyrinths have been around for centuries as meditative spaces,
according to Ellen Schultz, professor emerita, School of Nursing,
who has walked dozens of labyrinths domestically and
internationally. She has delivered many presentations on labyrinths
and touted their value at health fairs and to students.
“The first time
I walked a labyrinth,
I had a deep spiritual
connection with it,”
says Schultz, who
installed a personal
labyrinth at her Hudson,
Wis., home. “I started
studying it and found
it was a wonderful tool
for connecting with
yourself and for problem
solving and other reasons.
Many also derive a
spiritual experience
from it.”
The labyrinth’s design and installation was funded by university
library endowment funds. For the project’s second phase, the
reflective garden, individual donations in Barton’s name are now
being accepted by the Metropolitan State University Foundation.
Naming opportunities are also available for engraved brick pavers,
benches, tables and trees.
“We’re hoping for broad participation,” says Bagshaw-Reasoner.
“Whether it’s $5 or $5 million, everyone can participate and feel
joyous about their donation.”
For more information about the labyrinth and garden, including
photos and a link to donate, visit
http://libguides.metrostate.edu/labyrinth.
David Barton
Annual Fund—the bedrock of Support
for a bracing, Exciting Era for Metropolitan State
As Metropolitan State grows and our innovative model gains
national attention, we encourage you to support the university
through the 2012-2013 Annual Fund. (The fiscal year ends on June
30, 2013.) If you can give $10 or $30 or $50 or more, you will
strengthen the university.
• Give online at www.metrostate.edu/foundation.
• Mail your gift in the donor envelope enclosed with
this magazine.
• Call the Annual Fund hotline at 651-793-1808.
If you have already given to this year’s Annual Fund, thank you!
If not, please consider doing so.
BUZZ 25
Everything’s Going Swimmingly
for Katie Koenig (’12)
By Harvey Meyer
Everything is going, well, swimmingly, for Katie Koenig. Clad in a wet suit
and scuba gear, she swims with and trains, monitors and feeds a dazzling
collection of underwater creatures in Orlando, Fla.
She also ushers guests on underwater tours and guides them in memory-making interactions with
sting rays, sharks, eels and the like. That is, when she isn’t educating folks about the marine animals
and performing other chores.
26 BUZZ
Koenig pinches herself in her “dream job” as an aquarist for
Discovery Cove, a section of Sea World.“I am able to do so many
things I love in life,” says Koenig, a 2012 Metropolitan State graduate
who majored in psychology. “It’s so much fun; I absolutely love it.”
Koenig, 22, credits Metropolitan State for springboarding her
career. A member of the student psychology club and a national
honor society, she is grateful for learning psychology principles that
guide her in contacts with both people and sea creatures.
Particularly valuable was a four-credit Discovery Cove internship,
which helped her land her job.
A competitive swimmer since age four, Koenig spent youthful
summers in the Fergus Falls area water skiing, tubing and enjoying
other lake activities. At age seven,
“…I can connect
she and her family visited Sea World,
where she told a dolphin trainer she
people to
aimed to follow in the employee’s
footsteps. Koenig recalled that 1998
animals and
encounter recently while chatting
inspire them to
with a youngster.
“It was this little girl’s dream to
chase after
work with marine animals just as
I did,” says Koenig. “I told her how
their dreams...”
I got my job, what I do and how she
could do it, too. It was so much fun to see the excitement and
passion she had for animals and the park itself.
“It is so cool,” she adds, “that I can connect people to animals and
inspire them to chase after their dreams.”
Katie Koenig at Discovery Cove.
“The internship was the biggest thing I could have done,”
she says. “It gave me the specific animal experience and training
I needed for the job. Plus, I got to build relationships with
supervisors who could see my work ethic.”
Katie Koenig underwater at Discovery Cove.
BUZZ 27
News and Notes
Note: All towns are in Minnesota unless otherwise noted.
Jesse Bethke Gomez (’87), Woodbury, vice
president of University Planning and Advancement,
was invited to attend the Presidential Inauguration
on Monday, Jan. 21. Vice President Bethke Gomez
was invited in recognition of his work since June
2011 on the first-ever Hispanic Policy Summit
hosted by the White House.
Jennifer Cherry (’00), Centerville, was hired as
District 11 Title IX coordinator for the AnokaHennepin School District. She has been working at
the University of Minnesota as a teacher education
coordinator and senior teaching specialist, and is
currently finishing her Ph.D. in human resource
education at the University of Minnesota.
Lore Cisar (’12), Maple Grove, has been named the
market manager for TopLine Federal Credit Union’s
Bloomington branch location. She most recently
served as manager of Guaranty Bank’s Shakopee
branch and has more than eight years of financial
services experience.
Barbara Bicha (’94), White Bear Lake, has retired
from her position as an administrative assistant at
Delta Airlines after 39 years of service.
Metropolitan State Alumna Touted as Among Elite in Social Media
By Harvey Meyer
Who wouldn’t be flattered to be saluted as one of
your industry’s stars? Lisa Grimm (’08) is honored to
grace lists like the “Top 25 Women Who Rock Social
Media” and the “Top 30 Women in Social Media.”
“Because it is so new, interesting, exciting but also
misunderstood, more work needs to be done to establish
social media principles and ethics and ensure it is properly
integrated with other communications,” says Grimm, 30, who
likens social media to digital word-of-mouth. “I love how
dynamic digital is and feel so lucky to live during this time—
to have opportunities to make a difference in shaping best
practices for social media and communication.
In 2010, Grimm was hired as the Mall of America’s digital PR
specialist and was quickly promoted to digital brand manager.
She oversaw a team that interacted with customers who
posted online messages, helping to “humanize” the brand of
the nation’s largest mall. Customer social-media engagement
flourished under Grimm in part because of her knack for
inventing attention-getting events like a pre-Christmas
parking space auction on Twitter.
Last May, she joined Imagination, a Chicago-based content
marketing agency. As a senior social-media strategist, she was
tasked with integrating social media with marketing and
communication for Pillsbury, Betty Crocker and other highprofile General Mills brands. Grimm, who blogs under
Communications Passionista, has flashed her social-media
expertise at conferences like BlogWorld, Minnesota Interactive
Marketers Association and others.
Lisa Grimm
But celebrity isn’t what stokes the director of public relations
and emerging media for space150, a Minneapolis digital
advertising agency. Grimm is crazy-passionate about working
in environments where technology and communication
intersect to connect people in meaningful ways. Perhaps that’s
no shocker from a public relations major whose capstone
project evaluated how social media affected PR.
28 BUZZ
Grimm credits the university with giving her a solid foundation
in marketing/communications. The former vice president of
the university’s Public Relations Student Society of America
characterizes as “super-awesome,” Metropolitan State’s diverse
student body and nontraditional nature. In particular, she says
several courses, especially one on interpersonal
communications, “rocked my world.”
“The university was easy for me to navigate,” she says, “I worked
closely with advisors about where I should go and what was
necessary for me to get there. Metropolitan State is a unique
and encouraging environment where professors and
instructors are working and experienced in their respective
fields. I really loved my time there.”
Jessica Kingston (’01) and Maggie Lorenz (’10) are Human Rights “HREEOs”
By Stephen Burgdorf (’10)
Two Metropolitan State alumnae are bringing their
skill and drive for advocacy to the city of Saint Paul.
Jessica Kingston (’01), the former chair of the edina Human
Rights Commission, was appointed the new director of Saint
Paul’s Department of Human Rights and equal employment
opportunity (HReeo). Kingston most recently served as
associate director for purchasing for Digital River Corporation.
“I look forward to
working in the city of
Saint Paul and bringing
my passion for diversity,
equality and inclusion
of all perspectives,”
said Kingston.
Maggie Lorenz
Maggie Lorenz (’10), the American Indian admissions counselor
and retention specialist at Metropolitan State,
was recently appointed to a three-year term as a HReeo
commissioner. Lorenz is excited, and “hopes to bring another
perspective for equal rights and help the department meet
its goals.”
Lorenz’s efforts have also translated to success at her current
job. Since 2011, she’s helped increase American Indian student
enrollment at Metropolitan State by 23 percent and increased
graduation rates by 53 percent. Lorenz strives to inspire others
to similar successes.
Jessica Kingston
“At the individual level, connecting with people is important
and stressing the work of the individual in the community.”
Bob Hawkins (’97), Lakeville, was among the 2012
Burnsville High School Hall of Fame inductees.
He served as Burnsville police chief since 2004 and
recently retired after 30 years of service.
Shirlesia “Lesia” Hawkins-Dembley (’09),
Minneapolis, was appointed by Governor
Mark Dayton to serve on the Governor’s Council
on the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. She is among
13 appointees on the Council.
Shirlesia “Lesia” Hawkins-Dembly
BUZZ 29
Carrie Hoffman (’02), Chisago City, has been
named high school associate principal for the
Chisago Lakes School District. She had previously
served as an emotional and Behavioral Disorders
and Learning Disabilities special education teacher
in the district from 2007 to 2011, and then as
program director for Chisago Lakes District’s
program, Pathway to Change.
Sandy Pappas (’86), Saint Paul, was reelected to
the Minnesota State Senate from District 65, and
was named president of the state senate when the
DFL took control of the chamber following the
election. Pappas, who also is a community faculty
member at Metropolitan State, has served in the
Minnesota Senate for 22 years and the Minnesota
House of Representatives for the previous six years.
Judy A. Johnson (’92), Plymouth, was reelected to
the Plymouth City Council, running unopposed for
her Ward 1 seat. She has served on the Plymouth
City Council since November 1997.
Steve Piekarski (’03), Minneapolis, was named
associate vice president for older adults at Lutheran
Social Service of Minnesota (LSS). He has been a
senior director at LSS since 2008, and worked
extensively in that role to expand services and
increase program enrollment.
Joni Kopitzke (’95), Lakeville, received her Doctor
of Nursing Practice degree from University of
Wisconsin, eau Claire. She works as a nurse
practitioner at Hennepin County Medical Center in
the urgent care unit.
Eric Lucero (’01), Dayton, was elected to the
Dayton City Council. He works as a team lead within
the computer security industry, and is the owner of
two businesses in Dayton: Pride of Homes, LLC and
Historic Village Properties, LLC. He is also a
community faculty member at Metropolitan State
teaching computer forensics, computer security,
and voice and data communications courses.
Sarah Lukemire (’07), Burnsville, was featured as a
guest on Twin Cities Live from oct.-Dec. 2012.
Lukemire, author of the Miss Candiquik blog and
marketing director for Log House Foods,
highlighted some of her easy and simple Candiquik
desserts on the show.
Olivia Moris (’04), Saint Paul, has been serving as
the campus librarian at Globe University-Woodbury
Campus since May 2010.
John Reynolds (’89), Hamel, was named Ceo of
Cielostar, formerly known as outsourceone, a
national health care billing and benefit
management technology company based in
Minneapolis. Prior to this, he was president of FIS
Healthcare, Government and Biller Solutions
Division, where he helped FIS business lines
become national market share leaders.
Jenn Ryan (’98), Duluth, has been hired as a senior
vice president commercial banker at National Bank
of Commerce’s Duluth bank. She comes to the
position with 15 years of banking experience,
including the previous seven years as a commercial
banker for US Bank’s Duluth branch.
Bernice Sisson (’86), Saint Paul, has been honored
as one of Century College’s Women of Distinction
for 2012. She was recognized for her work with
Sharon Rice Vaughan and Lois Severson in
founding Women’s Advocates, the nation’s first
shelter for battered women, in 1974.
Deborah Tix (’12), Inver Grove Heights, was
inducted by the United States Specialty Sports
Association into the Softball Hall of Fame at their
Nineteenth Annual Hall of Fame Banquet at Crowne
Plaza in Brooklyn Center. Deb is an outstanding
softball pitcher as well as the credentials evaluator
and graduation coordinator, Registrar’s office, at
Metropolitan State.
Victoria Reinhardt (’96, ’99), White Bear Lake, was
reelected to the Ramsey County Board of
Commissioners from District 7, representing White
Bear Lake, Maplewood, North Saint Paul and the
Hillcrest neighborhood in Saint Paul. This will be
her fifth term on the board, where she frequently
chairs the county budget committee.
Yussuf Shafie (’12), Burnsville, and his sister Ifrah
have opened Tawakal Restaurant in Burnsville. The
restaurant is the first Somali restaurant in Burnsville,
and the two hope to both serve Burnsville’s
growing east African population and expose other
members of the community to a different cuisine.
30 BUZZ
Sandra Sweep (’07), Burnsville, was reelected to
a second term on the Burnsville-eagan-Savage
School Board and is board chair. She was the
top vote-getter in a seven-person race for three
four-year seats on the board, getting 18.9 percent
of the vote.
Deborah Tix
Pat Trotter (’00), Saint Paul, owner of Trotter’s Café,
had her business featured in a Saint Paul Pioneer
Press article profiling restaurants that offer healthy,
locally-sourced foods at reasonable prices for those
trying to meet their New Year’s resolutions. The
article, by Jess Fleming, appeared in the Dec. 26,
2012 edition.
Revering (’05) and Schwartz (’95) Earn Law Enforcement Promotions
By Stephen Burgdorf (’10)
Two seasoned law enforcement veterans have paid
their dues and now hold new leadership positions.
Tanya Schwartz (’95) was promoted to patrol captain of the
Burnsville Police Department (BPD) after serving over 18 years
on the force. Schwartz worked her way up, and feels fortunate
to be part of the organization and looks forward to guiding the
BPD into the future.
“It is truly an honor and I am excited about providing solid
leadership into the future,” says Schwartz.
Stephanie Revering
Stephanie Revering (’05) was promoted to chief of police for
the Crystal Police Department. Revering has held numerous
positions during her 15 year long career, including her previous
position as deputy chief. She finds the job most rewarding
when she gets to know the residents.
“The most rewarding part is getting to know the citizens
better. I get to meet more people and that’s the joy of the job,”
says Revering.
Law enforcement runs in the family. Her father was a police
officer for 33 years and served 14 years as chief of police for the
city of Anoka. Revering became interested after taking a
criminal justice course at North Hennepin Community College.
Schwartz also
credits her
interest in the
BPD to a firearms
course instructor
at Metropolitan
State where she
earned a Law
enforcement
certificate.
“If I had not been
at Metro State
and they had
not provided
such excellent
instructors,”
Schwartz says,
“I may never
have found
my way to
Burnsville!”
Tanya Schwartz
“I guess it’s in the blood,” says Revering. “This is what I’m
supposed to do!”
BUZZ 31
ToM RoSTeR
Velasquez (’92) and
Mano a Mano Receive
Opus Prize for
Social Innovation in Bolivia
Segundo Velasquez (’92), Saint Paul,
and the nonprofit he cofounded,
Mano a Mano, were honored in
November 2012 by the opus Prize
Foundation for the organization’s work
in Bolivia. Mano a Mano, recognized
as one of the premier nongovernmental
organizations in Bolivia, serves rural
villages throughout that country by
building and managing medical clinics,
schools, roads and water retention
and irrigation projects. The opus Prize
Foundation identifies exceptional
unsung social innovators, anywhere
in the world, solving persistent
social problems.
Segundo Velasquez
Wells (’92) Takes On Tough
Problems, Addresses Economic
Development Issues
ToM RoSTeR
Tené Wells (’92), Minneapolis, was selected as a
Bush Fellow in 2012. The Bush Fellows, according
to Martha Lee, manager of the Bush Fellowship
Program, “take on tough, complex problems in their
communities and are committed to making them
better places for everyone.” Wells is addressing
economic development issues during her fellowship.
Since 2006, Wells has been a consultant specializing
in community organizing, strategic planning, branding
and business and nonprofit leadership development.
She is the former president of WomenVenture and
led that organization for seven years. Prior to joining
WomenVenture, she served as executive director
of the city of Minneapolis’ Youth Coordinating Board
and of the Minneapolis Way to Grow services.
Well’s corporate experience includes Honeywell
and Medtronic.
Tené Wells
32 BUZZ
Zelko (’09),
Super Star On Skis
ToM RoSTeR
Mary Zelko (’09), Buffalo, was honored
as the 2011–2012 outstanding Alpine
Patroller, an award given each year to
one patroller of the 28,000-member
National Ski Patrol. In addition to being
a nurse at Delano elementary School,
Zelko serves on the volunteer ski patrol
at Powder Ridge in Kimball. At Powder
Ridge, Zelko was named patroller of the
year in 2008–2009, and was selected as
instructor of the year for two consecutive
seasons from 2010 to 2012.
Mary Zelko
Lora Walker (’95), Stacy, was reelected to the
Chisago County Board of Commissioners from
District 1. She has served on the county board for
six of the past 10 years. Walker served on
Metropolitan State Alumni Board from 1996 to
1997.
Elizabeth V. Weir (’97), Wayzata, was reelected to
the position of vice mayor of Medina. She is serving
her third term in office.
In Memoriam
Errata
Cynthia Ann Stephens Bessler (’90), Saint Paul
Park, died Feb. 28 at the age of 57. Cynthia Ann, or
Cindy, as she was called, worked at Metropolitan
State University from 1993 to 2000 as a testing
administrator in Academic Affairs. Survivors include
her husband, two daughters, a grandson, mother
and siblings.
The Fall 2012 issue of Buzz, on page 32,
we incorrectly reported that Jesse Bethke Gomez
“is enrolled in the College of Management’s
Doctor of Business Administration program.”
More accurately, Bethke Gomez is accepted into
the Doctor of Business Administration program,
but has postponed enrollment at this time.
We apologize for any confusion the error may
have caused.
Dashawn Norris (’12), Saint Paul, died oct. 11 at
the age of 40. Norris is survived by her daughter
and two brothers.
Larry J. Rogers (’06), Woodbury, died Dec. 13 at
the age of 58. Rogers served his community as a
chemical health unit assessor for Ramsey County
and also served in the U.S. Army for eight years.
Known as “Dapper” to his friends and family, Rogers
was preceded in death by his father and brother. He
is survived by his mother, two brothers, a sister, his
wife and his son.
BUZZ 33
From You
My University
By Alice Magnuson (’76)
“Always attend an accredited university.”
“Your transcript will follow you wherever
you go forever.” Those thoughts went
through my mind as I entered the second
floor of Walgreen’s Drugstore on Seventh and
Saint Peter streets in downtown Saint Paul. It
was the early 1970s and I was remembering
what my parents taught my brothers and me
about going to college.
I entered the room to meet with John
Berge about applying to become a student at
Minnesota Metropolitan State College. This
was a new, upper division only, college for
adult students who had already earned at
least 90 quarter credits, where they could
finish their bachelor of arts degrees. The
room was small and several other staff
seemed to be working with other potential
students too. I’m not sure if Mr. Berge was
there or not but I clearly remember meeting
with Elizabeth Shippee in admissions.
Because I had not listened totally to my
parents’ words about the transcript
following-you-forever piece, Elizabeth said
I could be admitted only after re-taking an
English course and a chemistry course.
I successfully repeated those classes, was
admitted and then hired to be a student
worker. My primary duties were sorting the
mail and taking Phyllis Lee, the first registrar,
between the Saint Paul Campus, then located
in suite 121 of the Metro Square building at
34 BUZZ
After my Metro State graduation I worked
in the advising and students affairs area
as an academic advisor, as a community
faculty instructor for IEPC/Perspectives
and Metro 101: Your Academic Journey.
During this time the university went from
being a two-year upper-division university
to a four-year university that awards
bachelor’s, master’s and applied doctoral
degrees. We grew into four colleges and two
schools that awarded degrees while we
moved to the old St. John’s Hospital site
(our main current Saint Paul site) a
Minneapolis campus in the Management
Education Center and the Midway Center
site in Saint Paul.
I have been reflecting on all of this for
the past year since I notified the university
that I would be retiring after the Dec. 18,
2012, graduation ceremony. I have spent the
past 38 years working with the most
incredible students at the most incredible
university in the country. What an incredible
privilege and opportunity this has been.
Thank you.
Seventh
and Robert
streets, to the
basement of the IDS building in downtown
Minneapolis each day to deliver student
records and files. But, my main goal was to
be a student who wanted to finish her
bachelor’s degree.
Students worked individually with a
faculty member to develop their own
individualized degree programs to earn
competences to complete their degrees.
Students were individually evaluated on
each learning competence, and, when
successfully evaluated by the faculty, they
were nominated for graduation. This soon
became a huge task for
everybody, so, in fall 1974,
“I have spent the
I became part of the first
Individualized Educational
past 38 years working
Planning class (IEPC),
with the most
now called Perspectives:
Educational Philosophy
incredible students.”
and Planning. I graduated
in 1976 and am pleased
that the late Dr. David Sweet, the founding
president, was at the ceremony and his
signature is on my diploma. From there,
I went on to earn my master of arts degree
from Hamline University in 1994.
Dates
Xavier Tavera
Photograph
June 5 online Career Speaker Series, “Make Your
Network Work for YoU!” with author Diane Darling.
For more information go to
www.metrostate.edu/career.
Sept. 13–Oct. 4 Dulce Maria and Other Stories
featuring the photographs of Xavier Tavera. Saint
Paul Campus Library, Gordon Parks Gallery. Gallery
hours are Monday–Thursday, 11 a.m.–7 p.m. and
Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–4 p.m. The reception is
Thursday, Sept. 12, 4:30–7 p.m.
Oct. 17 Scholarship Luncheon in the Jackson
Room at Travelers from 11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.
Scholarship recipients, donors and alumni will be
honored at this by-invitation event. For further
information contact Maureen Acosta, development
director, at 651-793-1804.
For more information about events, sign up
for the alumni e-newsletter at
alumni.relations@metrostate.edu.
Dec. 17 Fall 2013 Commencement Ceremony,
Roy Wilkins Auditorium at Saint Paul RiverCentre,
7–9 p.m. ceremony. If you would like to volunteer,
contact Sue Amos Palmer, commencement
coordinator, at 651-793-1823 or e-mail her at
sueamos.palmer@metrostate.edu.
BUZZ 35
Nonprofit org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Twin Cities, MN
Permit No. 4591
700 east Seventh Street
Saint Paul, Minnesota
55106-5000
Our Garden (last panel)
Diane DeRosier Douglass (’05, ’09)
Watercolor and Ink

Ed Bok Lee, Winner of the American Book Award “every mind is an

Transcription

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