SMSU_Focus_Fall05

fall 2005 focus magazine for alumni & friends of smsu

WHEN OPPORTUNITY

KnocksTHE SCHWAN ACCESS AND

OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIPS

CHANGING THE LIVES OF

11 SMSU STUDENTS

Matissa Koubonou Cherkos Dessalegn Randi Berthiaume

John HerreraMichelle ScaramuzzoAdam Hawkinson

DeOnna Gray-Lige Bob Wandey DesJonna Gray-Lige

Derek Cantwell Chantell Ford

Call 1-800-260-0970 for details or go online at www.SouthwestAlumni.com

The trip includes:• Round-trip trans-atlantic air transportation from MSP to Shannon, Ireland• Seven nights in first-class hotels • Professional tour guide• Full Irish breakfast daily • Round-trip transfers between airport & hotels• Sightseeing via deluxe motorcoach • Luggage handling & related tips• Local government & hotel taxes • Complete pre-flight information

ClassicAn

September 15-23, 2006from Minneapolis/St.Paul

(other departure cities are available)

Ireland is a country unlikeanywhere else in the world, aland of constantly changingcolors, magnificent and variedlandscapes, a land of folkloreand legend. Experience it foryourself from the colorful town ofKillarney and Galway, the“Capital of the West.” VisitBlarney Castle, and enjoy thespectacular scenery of theDingle Peninsula from Killarney.From Galway, perhaps journey tothe Aran Islands or thespectacular Cliffs of Moher.Discover this beautiful landwhere a hundred thousandwelcomes await you.

Space is limited. Sign up today!

Irish

The Southwest MinnesotaState University AlumniAssociation is proud topromote the SMSU customlicense plate to alumni andfriends who are Minnesotaresidents.

Drive with PrideDrive with Pride

For more information contact Tyler Bowen at 1-800-260-0970 or

visit www.SouthwestAlumni.com

fall 2005

focus magazine for alumni & friends of smsu

volume 26 number 1

FOCUS MAGAZINE FALL 2005 1

Alumni SpotlightTwo alumni talk about their careers andhow Southwest helped them get there.

5

Opening DoorsSchwan Access and OpportunityScholarships are already making animpact on the lives of 11 SMSUstudents like Chantell Ford.

6

Marshall Festival ’05A celebration of rural writersand writing at SMSU

4

The lure of poetryBart Sutter ’72 is a versatile a writer asthere is, yet it’s the genre of poetry thatholds his fascination.

11

PresidentDr. David C. Danahar

Vice President for AdvancementDr. Vincent M. [email protected]

EditorTyler Bowen ’[email protected]

DesignerMarcy Olson ’93/MBA’[email protected]

Senior Writer and PhotographyJim [email protected]

ContributorsKelly Loft ’97Sara Granheim ’02/MBA’04Jake Strait ’03Ryan Wendland

Feature Story PhotographsTodd Finlo, Prairielight Photography

In every issue

3 Southwest News

12 Alumni Connections

13 Profiles

14 Mustang Athletics

16 Class Notes

Focus (USPS 565-770) is published twice each year for alumni and friends of SouthwestMinnesota State University by the Alumni Office.

Opinions expressed in Focus do not necessarily reflect official University policy. Sendcorrespondence, name changes and address corrections to: Focus, Alumni Office, SouthwestMinnesota State University, 1501 State Street, Marshall, MN 56258 or call (507) 537-6266.

Focus is not copyrighted. Unless otherwise noted, articles may be reprinted withoutpermission if credit is given to Southwest Minnesota State University.

Southwest Minnesota State University is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action educator andemployer.

Southwest Minnesota State University is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system.

This document can be made available in alternative formats to individuals with disabilities.Please make your request by calling 507-537-6266, 1-800-260-0970, or through theMinnesota Relay Service at 1-800-627-3529.

CORRECTION:We apologize for the misspelling of

Dick Frisch’s name in the Summer

2005 edition. Thank you to Dick

Frisch for 22 years of service to

SMSU. We appreciate you.

dearfriends

2 FALL 2005 FOCUS MAGAZINE

President:Jason P. Hoffman, Esq. '99Attorney-J. P. Hoffman LawOffices, LLCFaribault, [email protected] Expires: 2006/2009

Vice-President:Bill DeLay '85President- McMillian, Truax andAssociatesOrono, [email protected] Expires: 2003/2006

Secretary/Treasurer:Karen VanKeulen '87Ghent, [email protected] Expires: 2007/2010

G. David Peterson '75 Flexible Benefits, LLC West Des Moines, [email protected] Expires: 2007/2010

Kathy Paxton '69Paxton SignsMarshall, [email protected] Expires: 2003/2006

Sedric McClure '94Multicultural Counselor-Macalester CollegeBrooklyn Park, [email protected] Expires: 2007/2010

Chuck Larsen '75President and OwnerSynchronized ManagementMinneapolis, [email protected] Expires: 2006/2009

Jason Mortvedt '78PresidentIGlobalteam Inc.Blue Earth, [email protected] Expires: 2006/2009

Carole Jean Toft-Ness '80GE Healthcare Mahtomedi, [email protected] Expires: 2005/2008

Bruce Bossuyt '96Bossuyt Development GroupSioux Falls, [email protected] Expires: 2008/2011

Michelle Anderson '88IBMRochester, [email protected] Expires: 2008/2011

Alumni DirectorTyler Bowen '95Marshall, [email protected]

Still the Best!This fall, SMSU was named the

number one comprehensive

college—bachelor’s division in the

Midwest for the ninth straight year.

A letter from the Alumni Director

Alumni Board

Dear Alumni and Friends,

As alumni of Southwest Minnesota State

University, the relationships that we formed

during our time at SMSU may be some of the

most significant of our lives. Many of us met the

very people who have helped shape our future—

our spouses, our lifelong friends and our role

models—during our time at Southwest. We also

met countless other people who touched our lives

in some fashion before we went our separate

ways.

As I am so often reminded when I visit with

alumni, one of the fondest memories of Southwest

is the strong sense of community everyone

experienced during their time on campus. There

are many ways to bring a community together and

maintain the ties that bind, but one proven method

has always been regular communication.

Recently it was my privilege to share with you

the latest edition of the Southwest Minnesota

State University Alumni Directory. Along with

this printed directory, our online community

(www.SouthwestAlumni.com) is growing every

day with over 2,000 registered users.

Southwest Minnesota State University is proud

of its alumni, and our print and online directories

display the successes our graduates have attained.

As alumni, we have been a part of the rich

tradition of educational excellence at Southwest.

Our experiences have been uniquely of our own

and yet we share a common bond. It is my hope

that you will use these communication tools to

connect and reconnect with fellow alumni, to

maintain the relationships that have been such an

important part of your life, and to rediscover the

heart of the university you call home.

As you discover those relationships I encourage

you to stay in touch with the SMSU Alumni

Office. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Tyler Bowen ’95

Alumni Director

[email protected]

The Alumni Board is thegoverning body of the SMSUAlumni Association. The Board

promotes the social andeducational interests

of fellow alumni. Meetings areheld three times per year.

NOTICE: Do you know of SMSU Alumni serving in the armed forces? Let us know about them. Contact: [email protected]

southwest news


Senior College Partners with Good Samaritan Society

For more great moments, visit the photo history section of the Alumni Web site at www.SouthwestAlumni.com/history

Do you remember? E-mail [email protected] if you recognize any of the people in these photos.

2005 University Gala Raises over $45,000 for Scholarships

The annual University Gala made its Student Centerdebut on Sept. 23 and raised over $45,000 for

Music, Fine Arts and Presidential Scholarships.It was the second year the University Gala was held

in conjunction with Homecoming, and the first year itwas held in the new Student Center.

“I think people really enjoyed the new venue,” saidBill Mulso, Assistant Vice President of Advancementand SMSU Foundation Executive Director.

A total of 337 people attended the event, an all-timehigh, said Mulso.

The evening featured a unique dining experience,including a dessert auction where five gourmet dessertswere auctioned off and served to the winning bidders’tables. Both live and silent auctions were also held.

The evening entertainment was provided by the KurtJorgensen Band of the Twin Cities area.

“The Gala is the Foundation’s largest fund-raisereach year, and we continue to see it grow inpopularity,” said Mulso. “It’s a unique event toMarshall and the region. It’s nice to see how peoplehave supported it over the years.” ■

Senior College took a giant leap forward with anagreement between Southwest Minnesota State

University and the Good Samaritan Society to bringcourses to Good Samaritan care centers across thecountry.

SMSU is currently transmitting Senior Collegecourses to 15 Good Samaritan independent livingcenters in 10 states. The courses are an extension of thepopular Senior College, started five years ago, whichbrings non-credit courses to the area’s seniors.

The SMSU relationship with Good SamaritanSociety has grown from 10 centers to 18 in the lastyear, with more centers joining the partnership eachsemester.

Technology plays a big role in how the courses aredelivered. They originate either on the campus ofSMSU or at Good Samaritan headquarters in SiouxFalls. The signal is relayed to Cheyenne, Wyo., thenuplinked to a satellite and downlinked to theparticipating Good Samaritan centers.

“Nobody in the state is doing this,” said JohnBowden, Distance Learning Director. “It’s a uniquepartnership and one that has unlimited potential.”

The relationship came about when Bowden was

meeting with Good Samaritanrepresentatives about the possibilityof credit programs for itsemployees. “We got to talkingabout our Senior College. They arethe largest non-profit care providerin the country, and so I asked them,‘What do you think about offeringcourses for the paying side of thehouse?’ and that’s how it started.”

Good Samaritan Centers inMinnesota that receive courses arein Pipestone, Waconia, Rosevilleand Brainerd. Courses are alsodownlinked to sites in Florida, New Mexico, Arizona,Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota,Wisconsin and Colorado.

Courses are taught by SMSU faculty or adjunctfaculty, said Bowden. “They have over 100 independentliving facilities and it’s a market that nobody istouching right now.”

More information about the partnership can beaccessed at the Web site: www.senior-college.com. ■

Senior CollegeHerb Pagel gave a demonstration ofcooking outdoors as part of his SeniorCollege class, Mountain Men, in October.Pagel brought his tent and supplies tocampus and showed Senior Collegeparticipants how food was prepared in anearlier time.

southwestnews


SMSU At a Glance

SMSU construction projectsTop Photo: The new Resident Apartmentsare taking shape on the site of the old “C”parking lot at SMSU.

Bottom Photo: Renovation of the CommuterLounge marks the final phase of the Libraryconstruction project with the new entrancescheduled to be complete by the end of thefall semester.

Pictured left to right: Larry Gavin ’81, FaithSullivan, and Bill Holm were among the authorswho participated in Marshall Festival ’05.

Marshall Festival ’05 Lives Up to its Reputation

“It was one great party.” That’s the way AssistantEnglish Professor Judy Wilson described Marshall

Festival ’05, the week-long writer’s festival that ranfrom Oct. 23-28 at SMSU.

This week-long event had its theme “A Celebration ofRural Writers and Writing and More!” and lived up toits reputation as one of the finest writer’s festivals in theMidwest.

The event was originally started by former facultymember Phil Dacey. Wilson took over as coordinatorlast December upon Dacey’s retirement. It has beenseven years since the last Marshall Festival.

Authors with international reputations as well asemerging artists took part in the festival. “We werelooking for authors who were from a rural background,or, if they weren’t from a rural location, wrote aboutrural places,” said Wilson, the director of the CreativeWriting program.

Names such as Bart Sutter, Bill Holm, Robert Bly,Linda Hogan, Greg Keeler, Faith Sullivan, StephenDunn and Linda Hasselstrom all took part.

Marshall Festival ’05 drew visitors from across the

country, and Wilson said that she actually had authorscalling her to ask if they could be a part of the festival.

“The festival has really gained quite a reputation,”said Wilson. “I had a lot of authors call and ask if theycould be a part of it, which you just don’t see.

“I think the format was one that was appreciated byboth the participants and those who attended.”

Each day started with a gathering social at the Barnes& Noble Campus Store, followed by a morning session,lunch, an afternoon session, dinner, and evening events.Each lunch included a reading or panel discussion.

There was something for everyone’s taste at MarshallFestival ’05. While the emphasis was on the literaryarts, there was also dancing and music included duringthe week.

Wilson said she hopes that another seven years won’tgo by before another Marshall Festival is hosted bySMSU. “When Phil retired, he handed things over to meand said ‘Here you go, I’ve created a monster,’” saidWilson, laughing at the memory. “What we’ve created isa great writer’s festival, one that seems to get bigger andbetter each time.” ■

■ 3,700 undergraduate and graduate studentsenrolled

■ 97% placement rate either in jobs or grad school

■ Full-time Tuition 2005-06: $6,016 Fees: $839

Room & Board: $5,120 Total: $10,975

■ Student population: 60% female, 40% male ■ Student to faculty ratio of 20:1 ■ 224 international students from 27 countries

(6.2% of student body)■ 232 students of color (6.4% of student body)

■ 1,000 students live in the residence halls. A new142-bed hall is under construction

■ Scholarships, grants, work-study and loans are

awarded to more than 85% of SMSU students. Theaverage package is $7,500.

■ Academic programs: 43 majors, 40 minors, 5 master's degrees, 4 associate degrees

■ Largest majors: Business, Accounting, Education,Computer Science, Literature, Biology, Psychology,and Social Work

■ Average class size: 23 ■ 85% of the student body is from Minnesota

■ 13,738 alumni (9,216 live in Minnesota)


About his career…Bruce is the Senior Vice President of Schwan’s Home Service West, a

position he has held since January 2005. He is in charge of the homedelivery business in the western half of the U.S., a territory thatincludes 250 depots and 2,500 sales routes.

Bruce is a 1989 graduate of SMSU with degrees in Math andComputer Science. It was during his senior year that he started workingpart-time at The Schwan Food Company in the Information Servicesarea as a programmer.

It was his intention to work for the company for a year, until hisfiancée, Linda (Seid), graduated. That plan soon went by the wayside,however, as he began to climb the corporate ladder. Positions includedprogrammer/analyst; database analyst; Consumer Brands Divisionproject manager; Consumer Brands Division business systems manager;Director of IT Operations; director of Information Services; andCIO/VP of Information Services.

“There’s never a dull moment,” he said of his position.

About his SMSU days…Bruce and his twin brother Scott visited SMSU together. “I decided I

liked it,” he said. “I was able to play football as well.”He played strong safety for head coach Gary Buer and was a team

captain while earning all-conference and Academic All-Americanhonors. He graduated with a 3.98 GPA and was a Rhodes Scholarcandidate.

“SMSU was a great experiencefor me. I’m happy I chose to gothere,” he said. “Some of myclosest friends today I met atSouthwest, and I was able to get agreat education. That allowed meto get a foot in the door atSchwan’s and they have given meopportunities that I have takenadvantage of.”

He recalls fondly his advisor, JoeVan Wie, and professors PaulEnersen and Dave Simpson.

About his family…Bruce and his wife Linda are the parents of a trio of active children:

Austin, 10; Morgan, 8; and Lexi, 7. Bruce is a Huron, S.D., native,while Linda is from Jefferson, S.D. Linda was a women’s basketballplayer at SMSU and their children are active in sports.

“I truly love coaching my children and watching them grow anddevelop through sports. This is my favorite pastime,” he said.

About SMSU in the region…“SMSU is a vital part of the community,” said Bruce. “We employ

over 300 SMSU alumni here, and the college produces qualityemployees for the region. It’s a good partnership for employers and thecommunity, and having SMSU here helps grow the community andmakes Marshall into a primary regional player.” ■

Bruce SaugstadMathematics and Computer Science, 1989

About her career...Stacy (Vander Hamm) Frost is the Director of Annual Giving at

SMSU, a new position within the Advancement area. She graduatedwith an HRA degree in 1993, and went on to earn a master’s inLeadership from Augsburg in Minneapolis.

In her current position, Stacy coordinates all annual giving programssuch as the community, parent, campus and alumni drives. A componentof these programs is the student call center, which employs 30 studentsand student supervisors. The call center is utilized for solicitation offunds, thank-you calls, survey work, and student recruitment.

“We want to use the call center to its fullest extent,” she said. “Wechoose student leaders to work in the call center, students who areknowledgeable about the university and who have a story to tell aboutwhy they are here. Training is a big part of the job.”

Prior to coming to SMSU, Stacy was the director of youth ministriesat Easter Lutheran Church in Eagan, Minn.

“It’s my goal to learn about all the fund-raising efforts on campusso they can be more centralized,” she said.

About her family...Stacy and her husband, Neil, a 1993 SMSU graduate, are the parents

of a son, Landon, 4. “We use theSMSU Daycare Center, so we’rekeeping it in the family,” she joked.Her family likes to camp andexplore parks.

About her days at SMSU...“The liberal arts education I

received was essential in my workexperience, it exposed me todifferent courses I probably wouldnot choose on my own, andchallenged me,” she said.

She lived on campus all four years, “and that helped me meet morepeople than if I had moved off campus.” She was a resident assistant fortwo years, and a program assistant her senior year. She was a studentworker in the scheduling office for three years, as well.

The faculty person to influence her the most was the late JimBabcock. “I only had a couple of business courses with him. He wasn’tmy advisor, but he would connect with me and see how things weregoing; he kept encouraging me and affirming my career paths.”

She chose SMSU because of its HRA program, and its size. “It had abetter student-faculty ratio,” she said. ■

Stacy FrostHotel Administration, 1993

Alumni Spotlight SMSU alumni shine brightly in their chosen fields.

hen Chantell Ford was a child, she was usually asleep when her mother, Alicia, headed off for work

as an emergency room technician. Alicia worked thenightshift, and once a week and every other weekend sheworked a double shift. While mother and daughter bothsay those years were difficult, they do not complain.Alicia did what she had to do to provide for not only herchildren’s day-to-day necessities, but also futureopportunities. Though Chantell respects, admires andloves her mother, she does not wish to follow in herfootsteps. Both mother and daughter are determined thatChantell’s life will be different because of highereducation.

“When I was younger, I got to see how hard mymother had to work to support us,” Chantell said ofherself and her 15-year-old brother Dennis. “She workedthe nightshift and that is basically what I saw her do waswork. She put my brother and me ahead of herself. Icommend her for what she has done, but I do not want tolive a life like that.”

As Chantell’s graduation neared at Arlington HighSchool in St. Paul, she began visiting universities, manyout of state. When Chantell’s advisor through AdmissionPossible, an organization that helps make collegeadmission possible for economically disadvantagedstudents in the Twin Cities area, approached her with ascholarship opportunity at Southwest Minnesota StateUniversity, Chantell was wary. She said she had made upher mind that she would attend college at now hurricane-ravaged Xavier, in Louisiana.

Alicia also encouraged her daughter to apply for theSchwan Access and Opportunity Scholarship. Chantellfollowed her mother’s advice, and was awarded ascholarship. The new four-year scholarships aredesigned to provide Minneapolis and St. Paul studentswith the necessary financial resources to attend SMSU.

The Schwan Food Company will provide a minimumof $800,000 in support of these 11 students and futurerecipients of this scholarship. The Schwan scholarship isdesigned to cover all academic-related costs such astuition, books, and room and board for the students. Inaddition, scholarship recipients can apply for internshipswith the company.

To Alicia, the scholarship means her daughter willremain close to home during the next four years. Evenmore importantly to Alicia, the Schwan scholarshipmeans Chantell has a chance for a better life through hereducation at SMSU. She is the first of her family toattend a four-year university.

“I always knew that I wanted things to be different forChantell than they were for me,” Alicia said. “Ever sinceChantell and her brother were little, I always wanted thebest for them, and I always wanted them to further theireducation. I want Chantell’s life to be totally differentthan what mine was.”

Chantell and her mother share more than a birth date,separated by 18 years. They share a special friendship.

“My mom has always been a mom and a best friend,”Chantell said. “She’s more like a best friend now than amom.”

“We are like best friends, but I’m still her momthough,” Alicia said. “I mean, she tells me everything.Even things a mom doesn’t want to hear, but I’m justglad that she knows that door is always open to her andthat she can always talk to me.”

The women also share a disarmingly refreshinghonesty rooted in the understanding that they alwaysgive their best, and a sense that, in life, there are noimpossibilities. For example, when Chantell lists all theplaces she wishes to visit (Thailand, Nigeria, Ethiopia,


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(continues on page 8)

KnocWHEN OPPORTUNITY

The Schwan Access andOpportunity Scholarships are opening doors and changing lives for students like Chantell Ford

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Spain and England to name a few) her eyes brighten and there isan airiness in her voice which intimates that those far away places,still unseen by her eyes, are somehow within her reach and notlarger than her expectations.

Chantell is filled, like all freshmen should be, with an exuberantoptimism, at once certain of an uncertain future. Chantell is one of11 equally earnest freshmen attending SMSU under the SchwanAccess and Opportunity Scholarship. Director of Enrollment,Richard Shearer, describes the students as a tight-knit group withillimitable enthusiasm.

“It’s been a lot of fun. They are excited and they have energythat just doesn’t quit. They have got me excited,” Shearer said. “Itjust shows you that there are students out there who are not taking(their education) for granted.”

David Paskach, President of Schwan’s Venture Group, said theimpetus behind the Schwan Access and Opportunity Scholarshipwas the desire to attract more urban students to the university.

“I think both Schwan and SMSU recognized the fact that whilethe university draws some great students, few of these studentscome from urban areas. Our thinking was that providing urbanstudents with an opportunity to attend school here would not onlyhelp broaden their view of rural America, but would alsointroduce the traditionally rural students that SMSU draws to amore urban experience,” Paskach said.

Shearer agrees. He said students from Minneapolis and St. Paulbring an exciting quality to SMSU.

“It enriches us. It is the way they think,” Shearer said. “Studentsfrom rural areas think differently than students from urban areas,and it is always good to get students to think differently.”

SMSU President, Dr. David Danahar, agrees that students fromthe Twin Cities bring with them a unique urban experience;however, he prefers to accentuate the similarities shared by allfreshman students.

“These students have grown up in an urban area, and they bringtheir experience of growing up in an urban area with them. Butremember, they are 18 and 19 year olds and like any other 18 and19 year olds, they face many of the same issues. They bring theirhope with them and their concerns, and they bring their curiositywith them,” Danahar said.

For Schwan, there is a very practical reason to entice urbanstudents to SMSU. Since the university provides a hiring pool forSchwan, an increase in the diversity of SMSU makes the hiringpool that much deeper. The scholarship is a chance to familiarizepotential employees with a rural experience.

“As a company with deep roots in rural America, we understandand value the unique perspective that a rural experience offers,”Paskach said of Schwan. “Giving urban students a broaderperspective of America is vital. ‘Selling’ a commitment to comingto work in a rural setting can be difficult for those who’ve neverexperienced it and whose perceptions of rural America comesolely from the media. Changing those perceptions and providingrural opportunities to urban students is important not only to the


(continued from page 6)

THE SCHWAN ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTSFrom left: DeOnna Gray-Lige (Southwest High School), John Herrera (Southwest High School), Bob Wandey (South High School), Michelle Scaramuzzo (Southwest High School), Matissa Koubonou(Southwest High School), Chantell Ford (Arlington High School), Derek Cantwell (Arlington High School), Cherkos Dessalegn (Highland Park High School), Randi Barthiaume (Johnson High School), AdamHawkinson (Southwest High School), and DesJonna Gray-Lige (Southwest High School).

success of Schwan, but to the long-term success of the lifestyle weall enjoy here on the prairie.”

If there is an intangible gap between rural and urban students, itis imperceptible when speaking to Chantell. To her, the dilatorypace of Marshall offers ample opportunity to concentrate andfocus on her education. A scholarship is only as good as theeducation it offers a student, and Chantell said her earlyexperience at SMSU has emboldened her with the confidence thatcan only be garnered when commencing on a quality education.The facilities and resources at SMSU are great, Chantell said, butit’s the faculty that has made the greatest impression.

“My experience here has been just the opposite of what they tellyou college is going to be like when you’re in high school. Theysay that the professors won’t care and that they are just doing theirjob, but that hasn’t been my experience here,” Chantell said.“They just have nice faculty, point blank. No matter what problemyou have, there is some one there who can help.”

Chantell is the first to admit that attending university under suchan extensive scholarship, like the Schwan scholarship, relieves

stress.Because of funding stagnation at the state level, and recent

tuition increases, “We look more and more to other funds to helpstudents out,” Shearer said.

“I haven’t seen this many scholarships in one package,” he said.“It reaches in and it takes the whole money thing out of the mindof the student. New students are concerned with starting at a newschool, making new friends and doing well in their classes. If wepull money out of the equation, they will have a much richerexperience.”

President Danahar said private contributions are increasinglyimportant to public universities. Partnerships, like those betweenSMSU and Schwan, are important to the university’s future.

“It’s a great statement of Schwan’s interest in providingfinancial aid to these students. And it is a great statement aboutthe students and the community as a whole,” Danahar said.

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Chancellor, James H.McCormick, said partnerships between businesses and universities

(continues on page 10)

Clarence Hightower, a member of the Board of Trustees ofMinnesota State Colleges and Universities, is enthusiastic aboutthe opportunities the Schwan scholarship program opens up formore urban minority students.

For the 1977 alumnus, scholarships opened the door toopportunity.

“There were eight kids in our family, and there was no wayfor a single-parent mom to pay for college,” Hightower recalled.He was a high school basketball star in Alton, Ill., when theSouthwest coach offered a basketball scholarship that madecollege affordable.

“I’d never been to Minnesota,” Hightower said. “When thebasketball coach came through recruiting, we embraced himmore than the college.”

But for a kid from Alton, it wasn’t easy to go to ruralMinnesota.

“I remember when I got to college that it was lonely,” he said.“There weren’t many African-Americans. Most of those studentsof color were athletes, and most were men. It was a growingtime. I really had an opportunity to grow. It broadened myhorizons culturally, and I credit that with where I am today.

“Where I had gone to high school, all of my buddies wereAfrican-Americans. At Southwest, you learned to appreciatepeople who were not African-American and not athletes. Youalso learned to appreciate students with disabilities, because itwas a premiere school for providing accessibility for studentswith disabilities.”

After receiving his bachelor’s degree at Southwest, Hightower

earned a master’s degree in human and community service fromGeorge Williams College in Downers Grove, Ill. Also anordained minister, he is married and has a teenage daughter.

Hightower is president and chief executive officer of theMinneapolis Urban League. He said his decision to serve on theBoard of Trustees of Minnesota State Colleges and Universitieshinged on having an opportunity to make a difference.

“It’s so worthwhile if we can open up pathways for morestudents of color to attend college and have a better experienceon campus,” Hightower said. “The fact that it was a low-costinstitution and I was able to get financial support made mymom’s investment in college possible.”

Hightower ’77 Knows Firsthand the Importance of Scholarships


The Board of Trustees identified increasing access andopportunity for students as one of the top strategic goals forthe 32 Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Thatdepends on affordable tuition, financial aid for those who needhelp paying for college, effective outreach and strongretention programs to help ensure success, particularly amongtraditionally under-served students including first-generationstudents, students of color, those from low-income familiesand students for whom English is not their first language.

To meet this goal, SMSU partnered with The Schwan FoodCompany to establish the Schwan Access and OpportunityScholarship. The new four-year scholarships are designed toprovide Minneapolis and St. Paul students the necessaryfinancial resources and opportunity to attend SouthwestMinnesota State University (SMSU), one of Minnesota’s mostrecognized higher educational institutions.

Schwan will provide a minimum of $800,000 in support ofthe Schwan Access and Opportunity Scholarship for studentsentering the university over the next four years. In partnershipwith SMSU, the Schwan scholarship is designed to cover allacademic-related costs (tuition, books, and room and board)for the students. In addition, scholarship recipients will be ableto apply for internship opportunities with the company.

Students must be from the Minneapolis or St. Paul schoolsystems, have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 and anACT score of 22 or higher to be eligible to apply for thescholarships.

Schwan and SMSU representatives worked closely withstaff members of Admission Possible, an organization thathelps make college admission possible for economicallydisadvantaged students in the Twin Cities area, and ClarenceHightower, president of the Minneapolis Urban League,member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities(MnSCU) board and SMSU alumni, to help create thescholarship program.

“I would like to express both my appreciation and myexcitement for what Schwan is doing relative to helpingstudents of color at Southwest Minnesota State,” saidClarence Hightower.

The Schwan Food Company has been a major financialpartner with SMSU since its inception. The Schwan Accessand Opportunity Scholarship is in addition to more than$3,000,000 already provided to SMSU over the past 25 years.


not only provide opportunities to qualified students, but also provevaluable to Minnesota.

“The Schwan Food Company partnership with Southwest MinnesotaState University for this scholarship program is a wonderfuldemonstration of how businesses can create opportunities for qualified,academically prepared students to attend our state colleges anduniversities,” McCormick said.

“So many young people need this kind of boost to make college areality. We know that about 80 percent of our graduates stay inMinnesota to work or continue their studies, so making collegeopportunities more available will ultimately benefit the entire state.”

However, to Chantell and her mother, the Schwan scholarship is morethan dollars and cents. The scholarship is an auspicious opportunity thatpotentially will change, in a very real way, not only Chantell’s life, butalso those close to her. All some people need is a chance to change theworld around them.

“Even though I didn’t have all the money in the world, I still had asuccessful childhood,” Chantell said. “I’m going to college and my

brother sees that; he seeswhat is possible.”

But maybe Chantell’smother, Alicia, and herdesire to give her daughter abetter life, has put thegreatest amount of energyinto her daughter’seducation. The Schwanscholarship has presentedChantell with a tremendousopportunity, but just asimportant are the solidfoundation and optimismthat Alicia provided whileworking double shifts at theemergency room so that herdaughter would feel free todream of a better life. Aliciahopes when Chantellfinishes college, she will goon to obtain a Master’sDegree, and work at a jobshe enjoys. Nothing is toogood for her daughter.

When Chantell speaks ofher future, she exudes theenergy and excitement of a

runner fresh off the blocks. Chantell knows that with the help of theSchwan Access and Opportunity Scholarship, and the education atSMSU that entails, she is optimistic.

“I have this great opportunity,” she said. “I’m going to take thisopportunity and run with it.” ■

(continued from page 9) ANewMission

“Even though I didn’t have all

the money in the world, I still

had a successful childhood,”

Chantell said. “I’m going to

college and my brother sees that;

he sees what is possible.”

alumniconnections


Bart Sutter is as versatile a writer as there is, yetit’s the genre of poetry that holds his

fascination.“It’s always been the easiest for me and provides

a bigger rush. The talent for poetry seems more rareto me than for good prose writing, from what I cansee.”

Sutter is a 1972 graduate of SMSU with a degreein Language Arts. Following graduation, he went tothe east coast and later earned a fellowship tograduate school at Syracuse University, where hereceived a master's in Creative Writing. He movedback to the Midwest, living and working in St.Cloud and Minneapolis before packing up forDuluth and his beloved north country for good in1987.

Sutter is the only author ever to win threeMinnesota Book Awards in separate categories, yetit’s poetry that is his passion. “It’s the most excitingto write,” said Sutter. “You do have to be called to itthese days; clearly, there is not a living to be madethere.”

Sutter teaches English, Creative Writing, Poetryand Introduction to Literature courses at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Superior, where he hasbeen for the last eight years. He lives with his wife,Dorothea Diver, in Duluth. He has twostepdaughters.

His full-time teaching load has cut down on thehours he can write, but he carves out the time wherehe can. “I’m reduced more or less to summers andbreaks now,” he said. “Usually the beginning ofterms are okay too, before the student writing startsto pile up.”

Sutter is a man of the north. He was born in Iowaand grew up in small towns there and in southernMinnesota before following his heart and enrollingat a college near lakes and trees, Bemidji StateUniversity.

During his second year at Bemidji, the schoolhired the husband-wife English team of Delbert andEdith Wylder. “We had a close relationship. Theywould invite students to their lake, we'd read poetry.We became good friends.”

So when an upstart university called SouthwestMinnesota State College courted and hired theteaching duo after Sutter’s second year, he followedthem to the prairie.

“It was a very exciting place on the prairie, and itcontinues to be,” he said of SMSU. “I knew farmcountry from growing up in Iowa and Minnesota,and it certainly has its attractions—the golden stalksof corn, the snow, sunsets and big sky—butsomething in me likes to hide. I like trees aroundme.”

His time at SMSU yielded many closerelationships. “I made friends with professors there,am still friends today with many of them. And they

introduced me to others whohave become friends.”

People who made adifference in his life while atSMSU include Phil Dacey,Steve Dunn, Hugh Curtler, DonOlson, and Jack and MaryHickerson.

Though Sutter has writtenmany books over the course ofhis career, he still remembersone in particular.

“When I was in the secondgrade my parents helped puttogether a story I had about acamping trip. They stapled itbetween two sheets of orangeconstruction paper. It wasexciting, it was my own book.

“And see? All these yearslater, I’m writing about thesame thing, only now, I’m more long-winded.”

Sutter has become something of a northernMinnesota celebrity over the years, and has to, attimes, turn down reading requests. He appears withhis brother, Ross, at many events. “He does themusic, I do the poetry,” said Sutter.

Poets often draw from personal experiences. Onegood example is Sutter’s poem, “Sober Song,” fromhis latest book, “Farewell to the Starlight inWhiskey.”

“I had to quit drinking when I was 40,” he said.“I was going nutty, life was cracking up.”

“Sober Song” was selected to be included in theAmerican Life in Poetry project of Poet Laureateand 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry TedKooser. Kooser writes a syndicated columnhighlighting great American poetry, and selected thepoem for inclusion. “I saw him at a writer’s festivalin Duluth, and he said that poem had a potentialaudience of 10 million people. That was a thrill,” hesaid.

Sutter said some of the best poetry is derivedfrom personal pain, or joy. He thinks a combinationof the two works well. “It’s best to have a blend ofboth, then it’s complex enough to be true to lifemost of the time, and you get a nice tension goingtoo. You get lots of teen-agers and college-agestudents and they have to be in agony in order towrite, which means they’ll be dead at 32. Theytorture themselves.”

He’s passionate about teaching, and has his eyepeeled for the next Bart Sutter to sit down in hisclass.

“There are a lot of students here from working-class families, and that’s a plus; they tend to have alot of life experiences. They are the ones who havegot things to write about.” ■

BART’S LATEST BOOKFarewell to the Starlight in Whiskeywas released by BOA Editions inOctober 2004.

Bart Sutter ’72 on the lure of poetry

get toknow us


2

4

1

3

ALUMNI EVENTS

Clockwise from top left photo:

1. Sioux Falls area alumni enjoy a night of

baseball at the Sioux Falls Canaries. Back

from left: Lonnie ’98, KaCey and Bailey

Struckman; Lillie (Brown) ’96 and Hayden

Arndt; Melissa Moerike ’96; Angie

Gunderson; Abbey Bonte; Mark Menning

’01; Mike Burke; and John Rokeh ’83.

Front from left: Brian ’95 and Jackson

Geerts; Lisa (Bonte) White ’94; and Bruce

Bossuyt ’96.

2. Jeff Mordhorst enjoys his time at the

Marshall Area Alumni Chapter

homecoming social at the new Landmark

Bistro in Marshall.

3. Dian (Norcutt) Preuss ’77, Susan

(Harbeck) Marsh ’75, Karen (Lachman)

Champine ’77, Chuck Larsen ’75 and

Laurie (Mertz) Blanchard enjoy

Homecoming 2005 at the football game.

4. Tony Alcorn ’90 and Patty (Griese) Alcorn

’91 hang loose at a Hawaiian Luau during

the Hoop N Surf Classic with the Men’s

and Women’s Basketball team last winter.

Dec. 17 Skate with the MN Wild St. Paul, MN

Jan. 24 Thoroughly Modern MillieSioux Falls, SD

Feb. 3 Mustang Gold Rush RaffleSMSU Conference Center

Feb. 4 Hawaiian Night Post-Game SocialWooden Nickel

May 13 SMSU CommencementJune 9 Down the Stretch at Canterbury ParkJuly 23 Xtreme Fun at ValleyfairSept. 29-30 Homecoming 2006

Visit www.SouthwestAlumni.com for information on AlumniEvents scheduled for 2006. Contact Tyler Bowen at 1-800-260-0970 to host an alumni event near your hometown.

ALUMNI DIRECTORYThe 2005 Alumni Directory is nowavailable. Contact Harris Connect at 1-800-877-6554 to purchase yours today.

Alumni Directory2 0 0 5

C r

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS...

Interested in developing a network for all alumni that live near your hometown? The SMSUAlumni Association is looking for individuals who share a sense of community and pride inSMSU to help develop alumni chapters and clubs across the nation. For more information goonline at www.SouthwestAlumni.com/chapters or call the alumni office at 1-800-260-0970.

Alumni Chapters

get toknow us


Erin Kooiker, senior, daughter of Roger and JanelleKooiker of Rock Rapids, Iowa.

Gerald Toland, professor of Business Administrationand chair of Business and Public Affairs Dept.

Linda Kruse, office manager in Career Services andCounseling and Testing office.

Erin Kooiker enjoys her leadership role at SMSU

Erin Kooiker looks out onto the second floorof the new Student Center and likes what she

sees. As president of the SMSU StudentAssociation, student satisfaction is important.

“The students really enjoy the new building,”said Kooiker. “The computers are always in use,the students like all the couches, the food court isbusy, it seems as if the students moved into thespace quickly and made it their own.”

Kooiker is a senior Literature and PublicAdministration double major from Rock Rapids,Iowa. The Student Government offices are on thesecond floor of the Student Center.

Kooiker heads a Student Association thatincludes 15 senators and a six-member executiveboard. She was a member of the Student Activity

Fee Allocation Committee (SAFAC) for threeyears before deciding to run for StudentAssociation president last year.

She is enjoying her time as president. She saidone of her proudest moments was early in theschool year. “I had a couple of students come inand complain about something,” she said. “I tookpride in that, because it showed that they trustedme, and felt I was accessible.”

Kooiker is the daughter of Roger and JanelleKooiker of Rock Rapids. She will graduate inMay and plans on attending graduate school.

She chose SMSU because it was the right sizeand the right distance from her home in Iowa.“After visiting other schools, I picked SMSU. It’sa good fit for me.” ■

Gerald Toland believes in the importance of teaching

Gerry Toland is where he belongs.

“I always wanted to be a teacher, and I likebeing at a place where teaching and learning arethe priority,” said Toland, a professor of BusinessAdministration and in his third term as chair ofthe Department of Business and Public Affairs.

Toland is a Pennsylvania native who came toSMSU 15 years ago. He’s spent his professionalcareer in education, and is amazed at the changesin course delivery, and in students themselves, hehas seen over the years.

“Technology has really changed education,” hesaid. “It has helped us take courses off campus, tostudents who are place-bound. They have familiesand jobs, but want to continue their education.

“Students, too, have changed. We are seeingmore non-traditional students as more and morebusinesses expect their employees to be lifelonglearners. We are also seeing a much more diversestudent population,” said Toland.

The former Fulbright Scholar enjoys thematuration process of his students. “I like seeingstudents develop themselves and grow,” he said.“I like them learning about the economy andbecoming better citizens because of that.”

He is active in the community, and enjoys hisposition at SMSU. “I like the collegialatmosphere, the emphasis on teaching excellencehere,” he said.

Toland and his wife, Mary, have three children:Mary Kay, Michelle and Maggie. ■

Linda Kruse is dedicated to helping students

Linda Kruse works in an office whose missionis to help students.

“It's such a positive environment,” said Kruse,“I like people, and this job allows me to workwith all different types of people—students andemployers.”

Kruse is the office manager in the CareerServices and Counseling and Testing Office, aposition she has held since 1992.

She came to SMSU in 1978, and has worked inmany areas, including Student Association,Housing, Scheduling, Health Center and PhysicalMedicine.

She is a Vermillion, S.D., native and worked atthe University of South Dakota for two yearsbefore coming to SMSU. She loves the collegeatmosphere here, and the fact that people whowork in her office help students.

Career Services offers many tools to helpstudents prepare for their professional lives aftergraduation, such as resume tips, interviewingtechniques, identifying interests and matchingstudents with potential employers.

Counseling and Testing assists students whomay be having difficulty in an area of their life,such as homesickness. The office also administersa variety of tests including post-graduateadmission tests such as the LSAT and GRE.

Kruse and her husband Allen enjoy dancingand camping, and they are volunteer campgroundhosts at Garvin Park. They also like to entertain,and host an annual Kruse Bean Bag Tournamenteach year. “I like people,” she said.

She has one son, Jay Yates, who is married andlives in Portland, Ore. She is a proudgrandmother to two grandsons. ■

mustangathletics


Colby Pack

Mike Power

The Mike Power era begins this season for the SMSU women'sbasketball team. Power, who has spent the past three seasons as

the head coach at Bemidji State University, was named the newhead women's basketball coach at SMSU at the end of last season.Power becomes the fifth head coach in the program's 36-yearhistory.

“We're excited about the possibilities,” said SMSU Director ofAthletics Dr. Howard Gauthier. “Mike brings with him a wealth ofexperience and we look for good things in the seasons to come.”

Power recently completed his third season as head coach atBemidji State University and his 16th season as a collegiate headcoach. During his three seasons at BSU he led the Beavers to 28victories which included a tie for third place in the Northern SunConference during the 2003-2004 season and the program's first-ever trip to the NSIC Tournament semifinals.

Power came to Bemidji State following a four-year stay at MetroState College (Colo.), where he led the Roadrunners to a 56-52record. Previously he built an NAIA power at Briar Cliff College(Iowa). He inherited a program that finished 0-29 the season prior tohis arrival. In six seasons he posted a 127-73 record. He was namedNAIA Independent Midwest Region Coach of the Year threeconsecutive seasons while at Briar Cliff. His teams led the nation inscoring and scoring margin in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and during histenure developed three players who earned All-America honors.

Power earned both his bachelor’s degree in social science and hismaster’s degree in physical education from the University ofNebraska. ■

SMSU junior third baseman Colby Pack (Lamberton, Minn.)became the first-ever Mustang baseball player last spring to

earn All-America honors at the NCAA Division II level. Pack,who was named the Northern Sun Conference Player of the Year,batted a team-high .414, while leading the team with 15 homeruns and 50 RBIs. He also set two SMSU single-season records in2005 collecting 70 base hits while also racking up 130 total bases.

In the SMSU career record book, Pack is second in home runswith 29 (five behind the all-time leader) while his career .389career batting average ranks third all-time in school history andhis .696 career slugging percentage ranks second all-time.

Southwest Minnesota State had five players earn honorablemention All-America honors at the NAIA level. Mike Tobin (P)and Gary Pearcy (OF) in 1986, Jason Fischer (1B) in 1989 andTim Knapper (P) and Jeff Deming (OF) in 1993. ■

Power Named Head Coach of Mustang Women’s Basketball

Pack Earns All-American Honors

Mustang Flashback

LESLIE (JACOBSEN)

BOSCH

Sports at SMSU: Tennis

Graduation Year: 1992

Major: Political Science

Sport Memories: Myfreshman year when the tennis team,under coachHugh Curtler,defeatedGustavusAdolphus 6-3. Itwas the sameweek Gustavuscame out ranked#1 in NCAAdivision III.

Since Graduation: I live inEstherville, Iowa and have spent thepast eight years working as a USPTAcertified tennis pro at ArrowwoodResort (formerly Village East) inOkoboji, Iowa. I am married to MikeBosch ’91. He’s a math professorand women’s softball coach for IowaLakes Community College. We havethree children ages 11, 8, and 6.

Athletic Involvement

Today: I still play “social doubles”once a week. I’ve only been playingtwo tennis tournaments a year. I ammostly active with my children whocompete in swimming, football,softball and basketball. ■

A chance to win $5000 while helping support the Mustangs!The Mustang Booster Club is sponsoring the 3rd annual Mustang Gold Rush Raffle on Friday,February 3rd. All ticket holders have a chance to win cash prizes along with various Mustangcollectibles. All tickets are drawn and the last Mustang fan standing will win $5000 cash! Need not bepresent to win and ticket sales help support Mustang Athletics.

For more information visit www.MustangBoosterClub.com or contact Sara Granheim at 507-537-7204 or [email protected].

Mustang Gold Rush Raffle

mustangathletics


Shawn Plumley

Southwest Minnesota State University wrestlerShawn Plumley is currently at Bethesda Hospital

in St. Paul, Minn., where is going through extensivetherapy after suffering an accident on an off-roadmotorcycle Wednesday, August 3, near his hometownof Bird Island, Minn.

In the late afternoon of August 3, Plumley left hisfather at the their work site on his off-roadmotorcycle with his helmet on. Later that evening aneighbor discovered him lying in the ditch with hishelmet broken off and lying 10 to 15 feet away

cracked in half. Plumley was then air-lifted to theNorth Memorial Medical Center-Trauma Unit inRobbinsdale where he has spent the past week.

Plumley, who completed his sophomore season onthe SMSU wrestling team this past year (157pounds), advanced to the NCAA II NationalChampionships in March and finished with a seasonrecord of 20-14.

The Plumley family has set-up a Web site to keepindividuals updated on his progress atwww.caringbridge.org/visit/shawnplumley. ■

SMSU Wrestler Shawn Plumley Injured in Motorcycle Accident

Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament

The Southwest Minnesota State volleyballteam earned their first-ever national rankingon October 5 when the CSTV/AVCA pollhad them ranked 24th in the nation. Thevolleyball team defeated then-ranked 23rdAugustana College (S.D.) 3-0 on Sept. 27breaking a 20-year, 25-match losing streakot Augustana. Erin Contons (So., AppleValley, Minn.) has been named NSICOffensive Player of the Week three timesthis season. Sarah Quiram (Fr., LeSueur,Minn.) picked up her first-ever NSICDefensive Player of the Week award on Oct.10.

Mike Wierson (Jr., Maxwell, IA) wasnamed the NSIC Special Teams Playerof the Week after he blocked two puntswhich were recovered fortouchdowns in the Mustangs’ 30-14 non-conference victory over Upper IowaUniversity. Jon Kubat (Jr., Dawson,Minn.) was named the NSIC Defensive

Player of the Week after leading SMSU withseven tackles including sixsolo stops, while also recording two sacksand one interception in theMustangs’ 16-10 season opening victoryover Jamestown College. Ray Denson (Sr.,Fort Meyers, FL) is fourth all-time in theSMSU career touchdown receptions recordbook with 24. Ray also became just theseventh Mustang player to reach 2,000 yardsreceiving for his career.

Joelle Dean (So., Maple Grove, Minn.) ofthe Mustang soccer team was named NSICOffensive Player of the Week on Oct. 10. Itwas the first time this season that Dean haswon the award and the third time in hercareer. Dean, who is halfway through hersophomore season, already ranks third onthe SMSU all-time list for goals scored with23 as she is tied with Heidi Savre (1998-01)

and is fourth in points scored with 50.

The Mustang women’s golf team won theirsixth straight Northern Sun Conference teamchampionship this October at Eagle CreekGolf Club in Willmar, Minn. SMSU won thetitle by ten strokes over second placeWinona State University. Junior ErinOakland (Fulda, Minn.) won medalisthonors and was named the NSIC Golfer ofthe Year, becoming the third SMSU playerin school history to win the NSIC individualchampionship. Laura Lundbohm won threetitles from 2001-2003 while Jackie Schultzwon the individual title in 2004. SeniorLindsey Nelsen (Ortonville, Minn.) andfreshman Abby Oakland (Fulda, Minn.)both finished in the top ten to earn All-NSICaccolades.

For complete schedules, results, and stats,visit www.SMSUmustangs.com

UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE • UPDATE

The SMSU football program hosted their first-ever “Alumni & Friends Golf Tournament” this past July16, in Redwood Falls, Minn. The tournament raised over $5,000 for the SMSU football program withthe proceeds going towards equipment upgrades in the program. There were many great prizes givenaway during the tournament, including Minnesota Twins tickets, golf packages, SMSU clothing,autographed memorabilia and a television.

For more information on who to sign-up or donate for next year’s tournament, which will take place onJuly 15, 2006, please contact Tim Steinbach at 507-537-6816.

Pictured on the right: former SMSU football players Nate Rudolph ’00/MS’03, Dan Van Rider ’97 andChad Young ’96 line-up a putt in the SMSU Alumni & Friends Tournament.

classnotes


1970sMARY LOU (EHRREICH) PETERSON’71was one of the leads in the recentMarshall Area Stage Company'sproduction of "On Golden Pond."

DOUGLAS WALDOCH ’73 is startinghis 14th year at the American Schoolof Dubai in the United Arab Emirates,where he is chairperson of the EnglishDepartment.

GREG NELSON ’76 is manager ofTwin City Avanti Stores and lives inStillwater. He is the father of threesons.

VICKY SCHWARTZ ’79 was recentlypromoted to Northeast Region VicePresident for Schwan's Global HomeService Group. She has worked forThe Schwan Food Company since1988.

1980sTODD NEUBERGER ’87 has

been an investment representative withEdward Jones in Sioux Falls, S.D., for15 years. His wife, Cheryl (Hanson),recently completed her master’s inCurriculum Instruction and teachesESL at Terry Redlin Elementary Schoolin Sioux Falls.

KURT GRENIGER ’87 is a mechanicalengineer for United Defense in Fridley,Minn., a company that buildsarmaments and launching systems forthe U.S. Army and Navy. He has beena world-class wheelchair basketballplayer, and is enshrined in the state

Wheelchair Softball Hall of Fame. Kurtand his wife Teresa have four children.

1990sSCOTT DEHN ’91 earned his MBAfrom Metropolitan State University onAugust 30. Scott works as anaccountant for The St Paul Travelers.

JENIFER (NAVRATIL) SKJERVEN’93 was recently promoted to VicePresident, Membership Sales &Retention, at AAA Minneapolis.

LISA WHITE ’94 sent a photo of theirson, Jackson, in the Baby Mustangshirt, pictured on the right.

COREY FOX ’95 has joined TheSchwan Food Company as anassociate tax accountant for thecompany’s Corporate Tax Department.

2000sNATALIE (THOREAU) POHLMAN ’01was named “Best Newcomer” at theSpencer (Iowa)CommunityTheater’s annualawards banquetlast summer. Sheplayed the leadrole of Dorothy inthe springproduction of“The Wizard ofOz.” She recentlycompleted a nine-month researchproject with theUniversity of

Minnesota Tourism Center and is asafety director at the Monsanto SeedResearch Lab in Spencer. She alsovolunteers with the Humane Society ofNorthwest Iowa.

KATHERINE STANOCH ’02 marriedANTHONY WOLFE ’02 on August 20,2005 in St. Paul, Minn. Tony iscurrently a Credit Analyst at CHS Incand Katie is a Manager, PublicRelations at HighJump Software, a 3MCompany. They reside in Inver GroveHeights, Minn.

MARTIN OIAN ’02 married ErinVriesen in April 2005. Martin works inthe payroll department for AndersenCorporation in Bayport, Minn. Erin is ateacher. They live in North St. Paul.

SHANE WEIBEL ’02 had his book,Wineries and Breweries: Your Guide toGrapes and Grains published byAdventure Publications in 2005.

WELCOME NEWMUSTANGS!

Let us know about the new additionto your family and receive a free

Baby Mustang T-shirt!Go to www.SouthwestAlumni.com

and click on “PROGRAMS.”

STAY IN TOUCHAs life changes, your classmates

and friends want to know. Tell us

what has been going on in your life.

You may also submit a color photo.

Send your news to: Alumni

Association, Southwest Minnesota

State University, 1501 State St.,

Marshall, MN 56258. Fax to 507-

537-6577. E-mail to

[email protected]

Submit your news online at

www.SouthwestAlumni.com

Submit your news for class notes

and your name is automatically

entered in a drawing for a free

SMSU sweatshirt!

Congratulations to this

issue’s sweatshirt winner: Todd

Neuberger ’87!

Becoming a United States citizen could beconsidered a big day for anyone. When you throw

in $1.89 million, it makes it something special.That's what happened to 1993 SMSU graduate Moses

Bittok of West Des Moines, Iowa, in September.In one day’s time, Bittok was sworn in as a citizen

during a naturalization ceremony. He then checked alottery ticket he had purchased and found out he hadwon $1.89 million in the Iowa Hot Lottery game.

Bittok is a Kenya native who came to the U.S. in1989. He has been a correctional officer at the statewomen’s prison in Mitchellville for over eight years.

Bittok and his wife, Leonida have chosen to take thejackpot in annual payments of $75,600 for the next 25

years, or $52,900 peryear after taxes,according to anarticle in the DesMoines Register.

Bittok told theRegister he has noplans for spendingthe extra money. Thecouple will establisha college fund for their daughter, Mindy, 4.

“My daughter is number one. I don’t want tosquander this. I want to make sure… that she goes tocollege,” he said. ■

Moses Bittok ’93 Celebrates Two Life-Changing Events in One Day

Contact the SMSU Foundation at 1-800-260-0970 or E-mail [email protected] for details.

Mary and Jack Hickerson, long-time English professors atSouthwest Minnesota State University, have grown to appreciatethe unique challenges faced by non-traditional students. That’swhy they established the Mary and Jack Hickerson EndowedScholarship through the SMSU Foundation. The scholarship willgo annually to a non-traditional student in the Arts andHumanities.

“We believe strongly in the future of the University and haveenjoyed nontraditional students in our classes,” said Jack.

“Non-traditional students are highly motivated and have manylife experiences, and they make excellent students,” said Mary.“We wanted to help them out.”

The Hickersons came to SMSU early in the institution’shistory, met, and were married in the Campus Religious Centerin 1970. Their love of the University has grown over the years,and both say the time has come in their careers to give back tothe students in the form of the Mary and Jack HickersonEndowed Scholarship.

Making a difference for future generations of Mustangs

Creating an Endowed Scholarship at SMSUYou can establish a named, endowed scholarship at Southwest MinnesotaState by making a gift of $10,000 or more. A scholarship can be in yourname or in honor of someone dear to your heart. An endowed scholarshipcan be funded over one, five or 10 years, depending on your wishes. Youmay designate your endowment to academic scholarships, a specificcollegiate unit, or to students in need of financial assistance. In somecases, donors prefer including a scholarship gift in their will. For moreinformation contact Bill Mulso, SMSU Foundation Executive Director at 1-800-260-0970.

Consider These Advantages:• Tax Deduction for charitable contribution• Membership in the Heritage Society• Doing something special for future generations of Mustangs• Leaving a lasting legacy at Southwest

L eaving a L egacy

Jack & Mary Hickerson

Non-ProfitOrganizationU.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 97Marshall, MNPublished by:

SMSU Alumni Office1501 State Street

Marshall, Minnesota 56258

A member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System.

If Focus is addressed to a son or daughter whohas graduated and no longer maintains apermanent address at your home, please clip theaddress label and return it with the correct addressto the address above or E-mail the updatedaddress to [email protected]

14,000 SMSU friends at your fingertips!

Check it out at www.SouthwestAlumni.com

Featuring:• Online Directory • Business Card Index • Class Notes• E-Mentoring • Event Registration • New Baby Mustangs

Post a Class Note or Online Business Card by December 15, 2005for a chance to win a free SMSU Sweatshirt!

14,000 SMSU friends at your fingertips!

Documents

SMSU_Focus_Fall05