Alumnews/Fall 2002

Inside this issue:
* Dean Ortner: A Million Volts of Faith
* Six inducted into Dragon Hall of Fame
* Alumni reunions and activities
* Homecoming
* Paul art show honors two alums
* Six new endowments
* Alumnotes
* College news
* Engen named new men's basketball coach
* Alum Barnier named new Dragon track/cc coach
* Six distinguished alumni to be honored
* We remember
* 2nd annual Drone endowment dance
* Dean, prof, administrator retire
* What's new? Lots: A letter from Doug Hamilton
* Alum Tysdal semifinalist in Van Cliburn competition
* Alumni hosts New York City theatre tour
* MSUM study looks at  painted turtles and China's appetite for them

In a few minutes, a million volts of electricity will course through Dean Ortner’s body, enough power to kill all 100-plus people sitting in the studio audience for the TBS Superstation’s premiere episode of “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”

Ortner doesn’t look like a man who’s about to tempt electrocution.

That’s because he has an unwavering faith in the natural order and design of the world.

“I certainly wouldn’t try this if I didn’t,” he said.

The audience is hushed as Ortner removes his shoes and socks, then stands barefoot on an elevated platform topped with a metal plate that’s connected to an electric coil. The lights dim. When he shouts “fire,” an associate pulls a lever, similar to what you’d see in your typical prison movie execution, and a transformer sends a loud and visible million volts of electricity through his blood and bones.

The voltage rips the air with snapping tendrils of electricity, creating a scene that would make Dr. Frankenstein swoon. The audience gasps, then screams when the board in Ortner’s right hand bursts into flames and sparks of blue lightning bolt from the fingers of his left hand.

“Truly amazing,” the host of “Ripley’s Believe it or Not” says. “Do not try this at home.”

Ortner looks a little dazed. “You have good trips and bad trips,” he says. “Sometimes it leaves me drained or burns the tips of my fingers. But otherwise I’m unharmed.”

That debut broadcast of “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” first aired in 1999 and drew an audience of over 100 million viewers, at the time the highest rating for any premiere in cable television history.

Ortner, now 55, has been performing this feat for 30 years, first as part of Moody Bible Institute’s “Sermons from Science,” now as his own independent program, “Wonders of Science.” He’s presented the program at several World Fairs and Olympic Games, at the Pentagon, at Camp David, and at thousands of churches, schools and military bases.

Known as “The Million Volt Man,” he grew up across the street from MSUM’s King Hall, the eldest of eight sons raised by Inez and the late Henry Ortner, both MSUM alums. From kindergarten through high school, he attended the university’s campus school. In 1969 he graduated here with a biology degree.

“I got my scientific and religious start at the Moorhead campus,” he said.

Don’t confuse Ortner’s histrionics with the side-show antics of the fictional Elmer Gantry, the legendary Billy Sunday, or the rising tide of bumper sticker televangelists.

“I don’t twirl snakes or drink poison,” he said. “There are already too many sensationalists in the world. I’m both a scientist and a Christian, and what I do on stage is use science as a vehicle to illustrate the Gospel. My message: if you are not in tune with God’s spiritual laws, you cannot tap into His source of power. The demonstrations are dramatic, educational and logical and are intended to make an impact that won’t be forgotten.”

A full-time “Sermons for Science” evangelist with the Moody Bible Institute for nearly 30 years, he now teaches and chairs the science department at Whittier Christian Schools in Whittier, Calif., and continues to travel the country trailering 2,000-pounds of equipment with his Chevy Suburban under his newly renamed “Wonders of Science” program. Moody Bible Institute, which started “Sermons for Science” nearly 70 years ago, dropped its sponsorship in 1999 as part of an overall downsizing.

But during those years, more than 7 million people witnessed these exotic science demonstrations, a four-part  program that includes experiments in light and color, sense perception  and natural law, recording devices and resonance. Low key but strongly evangelical, “Wonders of Science” weds Christian parable with modern technology.

That’s clearly evident in the million-volt demonstration. Ortner typically takes the million-volt ride once a week when he’s on the road. But during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, he did it 16 times in 15 days. And in one day, working with a photographer, he took the ride 20 times.

“I really don’t want to overdo it,” he said. “You get a little warm afterwards. It’s not debilitating. It’s just something I don’t look forward to.”

No magic tricks or miracles here. This is pure science, anointed by scripture. And here’s how it works:

“Your body’s electrical system and muscles are in tune with an energy frequency of 60 cycles per second,” he said. “What we do, using an Oudin Resonator and a transformer, is change that to 65,000 cycles per second, similar to radio frequency energy. That’s because our bodies are not in tune with that frequency, so the power goes right through me like a wire. When it happens, I feel a little buzzing in my joints and sometimes my fingers get burnt from escaping energy. The sound of electricity ripping through the air, however, is very scary.”

Once he was thrown against a wall and broke his wrist when a short-circuit in the system threw him from the coil. And grounding himself at any point in the demonstration would be fatal.

Why does the board catch on fire? “As any electrician knows, anytime an arc is established with electricity, it always burns whatever it jumps from. There’s so much current in the million volts that the power it discharges raises the temperature of the wood to its burning point, catching on fire. Now if I drop the wood, then my hands will burn from the power there. I wouldn’t be hurt by the electricity, because it’s out of tune with my body. But I am in tune with the heat that’s generated, and the board is used to dissipate that energy.”

And the electrical sparks that snake from his fingers? “Electrical energy ionizes the air, and the gasses in the air glow as energy goes through gas, causing electrons to jump around in the gas molecules. It’s the same way a neon sign lights up. The energy that’s released is light, not electricity.”

The million-volt ride is a trademark of the “Wonders of Science” program, but it’s the theology behind it that’s a testament to Ortner’s evangelism.

“Because I’m not in tune with the electricity that surges through me, I’m unaffected by it,” he said. “So I take it the next step and say, this is similar to how a person can go through life and miss out on the greatest opportunity ever, of being in tune with God’s power. But if you can’t tap into it, it isn’t going to help you.”

These live demonstrations, he said, are meant to examine natural laws that govern the world, and give insight into the Creator who fashioned it all. “I believe in the existence of an intelligent Creator who reveals himself in creation. The design is so intricate that mathematicians tell us it precludes a random chance event. Science, I believe, can be used as a tool to give authority to the scriptures.”

Science and religion have been at wits end since way before Galileo discovered that the Earth revolves around  the sun. “But science and religion aren’t mutually exclusive,” Ortner said, pointing out that  Sir Isaac Newton, Copernicus, Francis Bacon, Gregor Mendal, Louis Pasteur, Ben Franklin and a host of other noted scientists were also Christians.

“They saw God’s finger in nature and used theological arguments with their science,” he said. “Even in today’s secular world, we still find affirmations of faith among the scientific community.”

He noted Astronaut Frank Borman’s reply to a Soviet cosmonaut about not seeing God in space: “I did not see Him either, but I saw his evidence.”

He also points to British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawkings’ observation: “The remarkable fact is that the values of these numbers (the fundamental constants of nature) seem to have been very finely adjusted to make life possible. The odds against a universe like ours emerging are so enormous that there must be religious overtones to it, but most scientists prefer to shy away from that side of it.”

A born-again, conservative Christian, Ortner said his quest for spiritual certainty followed in the wake of his intellectual curiosity about science.

“It was during a second-grade summer school class at the MSU Campus School when another student brought in a tub of a jelly-like substance he said were frogs’ eggs,” he said. “I just couldn’t figure out how frogs could come out of this glob of goo. I’ve wanted to be a scientist ever since.”

His parents—Inez, who taught school when she wasn’t raising her eight children, and Henry, a crop duster who eventually graduated from MSUM and became a shop teacher at Moorhead High­­advocated a year-round education system, putting their eldest son in summer school from nursery school on, and later sending him to France twice to study music and art.

“My parents were friends of Dr. Genevieve King (former MSUM biology professor and namesake of King Hall) and I remember her regaling us with stories about the life sciences,” Ortner said. “I also remember professors who were members of our Congregational church, coming to our home and telling us Bible stories. It was quite inspirational.”

Following his dad’s example, he started taking flying lessons in high school and earned his pilot’s license while he was a student at MSUM. “It was expensive, but I saved the money I earned flipping hamburgers at the M&H gas station & restaurant, operating the elevator at the old F-M Hotel, and working on the campus grounds crew and physics lab.”

He began studying aeronautical engineering at MSUM, then switched to biology. But he spent just as much time singing in the university’s concert choir and opera workshop as he did studying in science labs.

At MSUM he met his future bride, Terry, then a born-again Christian, who earned an English degree here in 1970. They married in 1969.

After graduating, Ortner became a coordinator for a research team at North Dakota State University looking for a biodegradable plant extract to replace DDT. It was about this time when his life took a deeply spiritual leap of faith.

“I attended church and my wife was a new Christian, but I wasn’t very committed to religion,” he said. “I was a strong proponent of evolution and saw life in strictly logical, scientific terms.”

Like the process of giving birth, his conversion was a gradual process that peaked when he attended a Billy Graham crusade at the Fargo Civic auditorium hosted by evangelist Layne Adams and Maria Von Trap of “The Sound of Music” fame.

“I don’t remember much about the message itself, but it spoke directly to my heart and I knew then that I couldn’t be a fence-sitter on these issues. The common term, I guess, is to say I was born again into a family of believers.

“My eyes were a little wet that evening, but it wasn’t something that happened in an instant. No bells or whistles went off in my head. I had been studying the scriptures and talking with other Christians, and had a role model in MSUM Professor Monroe Bartell (who retired in 1998). He showed me I could be a scientist and still have a strong faith.

“It was a weight off my shoulders, all my uncertainties disappeared. That’s when Terry and I decided to take the next step and become totally committed to our faith by working for God.”

Focusing on missionary work, they discovered that formal Bible training was a prerequisite for acceptance by the Missions Board. It was sheer coincidence when they ended up at a table sponsored by the Moody Bible Institute at a missions conference that summer.

Not long after that, they were accepted and enrolled at the Moody Bible Institute (which occupies a 12-block area in downtown Chicago), starting an intense study of the Bible, designed for people coming out of secular life who were trying to get certified by the Missions Board. Moody, fortunately, subsidizes its students’ tuition, underwritten by its graduates and its publishing house.

“About two weeks after classes started, I got called into the president’s office. He told me they were praying they would find a Christian scientist to take over its ‘Sermons from Science’ program from Dr. George Speake, a former Navy fighter pilot and mechanical engineer, who was planning to retire in three years.”

Speake took over the program in 1946 from its original creator, Irwin Moon, a California pastor who developed the concept of using science to illustrate the Gospel. In 1938, under the auspices of Moody Bible Institute, Moon began traveling full time as evangelist using his “Sermons from Science” program.

Ortner accepted the offer from the school’s president, and the rest is history. He began working with Speake in 1973, starting out as a gopher, cleaning floors, shipping boxes and maintaining equipment. But by the time of the 1974 Spokane World’s Fair, Speake finally pushed Ortner onto the stage and said, “It’s just you and the Lord now.”

For nearly 30 years, Ortner traveled the nation nine months a year, presenting his “Sermons from Science” to crowds as large as 22,000 at Detroit’s Cobol Hall downtown convention center and as small as six soldiers in a remote radar site. The military connection was established by Dr. Speake, who saw “Sermons from Science” as a tool to reach young troops who were away from home for the first time and needed a spiritual road map.

That’s why Ortner has also delivered “Sermons from Science” at the Pentagon, at all four military academies, and once to Ronald Reagan’s presidential staff at Camp David.

Ortner and his wife Terry­­who’s active as a homemaker, community volunteer and as a member of the Whittier Christian School’s board of directors­­have three children.

“It was a quick transition for us,” he said. “When the Moody Bible Institute decided to close down its ‘Sermons from Science’ program, I found a job teaching at the Whittier Christian Schools right away. It’s a perfect fit for me, a job that allows me to be both a classroom science teacher and to continue my ministry through the ‘Wonders of Science’ program.”

He’s fully aware that conservative Christians like himself are often demonized in the media and on main street as “kooks,” “Jesus freaks” or “right-wing zealots.”

“You might note that Jesus had similar crowds attacking Him constantly because He didn’t fit their preconceived ideas of what the Messiah was to be like,” Ortner said. “But no one wants to be considered a nut, because the valuable things you have to say will then be dismissed outright without consideration.”

That’s why “Wonders of Science” takes a non-threatening, non-denominational approach to science and scripture. “It’s for folks who may be uncomfortable in a religious setting,” he said. “We’d like them to be intrigued enough by the presentation to take a closer look at the Bible and its potential to change their lives.”

It seems to work. His “Wonders of Science” program is booked up this summer, and he has commitments through 2005.

While the million-volt ride is the show-stopper of “Wonders of Science,” Ortner’s intent isn’t to shock.

“What I really want to do is encourage people to learn more about the Mind, Intelligence or Creator behind the woven tapestry of life and the universe,” he said. “After all, where in all the universes of space is there a mystery more inscrutable than life itself?”

Six athletes who charted memorable careers on and off the athletic field will be inducted into the Dragon Hall of Fame October 5.

Dennis Anderson, Ron Graham, Wendy (Granum) Frappier, Bob Hopek, John Morley and Al Santwire will be honored by the MSUM Alumni Association and the Dragon Athletic Department at the annual Homecoming Awards Dinner at 7 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, at the Ramada Inn Suites in Fargo, ND.

The selection increases to 99 the number of inductees in the Dragon Hall of Fame. The legendary Alex “Sliv” Nemzek was the charter member in 1961. A closer look at the induction class of 2002:

A Moorhead native and a graduate of MSC High School, Anderson was a starter in the Dragon backcourt during his undergraduate career and was elected co-captain and Most Valuable Player as a senior in 1959-60. Anderson began his coaching career at Hendrum High School, and led Ada High School into the 1966 Minnesota State Basketball Championships. He also had successful prep coaching stops at Fergus Falls and Frazee. Anderson spent three seasons as head basketball coach at Moorhead State from 1972-75. He and his family currently reside in Detroit Lakes.

A long distance standout as an undergraduate at MSU Moorhead, Graham became the first Dragon runner to win an individual national title when he posted a winning time of 9:17.3 in the two mile at the 1979 NAIA National Indoor at Kansas City, MO. He was also a member of the distance medley relay team that placed seventh.  A native of St. Paul and a graduate of Highland Park High School, Graham was a four-year track letterman at MSU Moorhead and lettered in cross-country as well. A Finance major at MSUM, Graham is currently a Vice-President for CCH, Inc., a California-based company that provides compliance and regulatory information and software.
 

A graduate of Fargo South High School, Frappier logged a sparkling career in track at MSU Moorhead. She was decorated with NAIA All-American honors as a senior for a sixth place finish in both the 100-meter hurdles, and the 400 meter relay, at the 1989 NAIA National Outdoor. An NAIA Academic All-American as a senior, Frappier captured the 100 meter hurdles title at the 1989 NSIC Outdoor, and was a member of four conference championship relay teams. She is presently an assistant professor in the Health and Physical Education Department at MSU Moorhead and resides with her husband John Frappier in Horace, ND.

A product of Phillipsburg, NJ, Hopek was an outstanding defensive back at MSUM and was named to the All-NIC honor team as a senior in 1968. He set a Dragon single game record with three pass interceptions against Concordia College in 1968, and shares single season theft mark of seven. Hopek has served North Hunterdon (NJ) High School as Athletic Director since 1974, and was elected President of the Director of Athletics Association of New Jersey and the National Council of Secondary School Athletic Directors from 2000-2001. Hopek was one of eight national awardwinners at the 1999 National Federation of State High School Associations workshop at New Orleans, LA.

An Oceanside, NY native, Morley was a member of the high-flying Dragon wrestling fraternity of the 1960s. He won the NIC title at 115 pounds in 1969, placed second at the NCAA Division I Nationals in 1969, fourth at the NAIA Nationals in 1965, and fifth at the NCAA Division I championships in 1969. A two-time Olympic Freestyle member in 1972 and 1976, Morley was the number one alternate for the 1972 U.S. Olympic team. For the past 30 years he has been a teacher and coach in Rockaway, NY, and served as Athletic Director of the NYAC Saturday Morning Program for wrestling for more than 20 years.

A graduate of Mahnomen High School, Santwire earned 19 prep letters in five sports. At MSU Moorhead Santwire lettered in basketball and baseball, and was decorated with all-conference honors in both sports as a senior. He started 87 consecutive games at guard in basketball, and later served as an assistant men’s basketball coach as well. A longtime sales representative for Josten’s, Santwire was presented the Distinguished Service Award from MSU Moorhead in 1997.

The two alums­­Chuck Paul, who died from cancer, and Paul Gorsche, who died from injuries received in a motorcycle accident­­were both art majors.

The opening reception from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 5 will be held in conjunction with MSUM Homecoming festivities.

Last year, a group of friends gathering at the funeral for Paul Gorsche came up with the idea to celebrate the lives of Paul and Chuck with an exhibit of their own work, and at the same time turn it into a fundraiser.

Artists will make a monetary contribution to participate in the show, and will be responsible for the shipping and insurance of their work.  Other exhibit costs will be offset by donations and in-kind support from MSUM and the Alumni Foundation. All contributions will go establishing the Gorsche/Paul Scholarship Fund.
 

Among the artists participating will be; Tom Erickson, Dean Colin Fay, Richard Gruchella, Joel Hegerle, Bob Hest, Spider Johnk, John McMillan, Dennis Terhark, Dave Thompson, David Wallace, Dwight Williams and Paul Wong.

For more information contact Jane Gudmundson: gudmunja@mnstate.edu , 218 236-2284.

Ward Dunkirk Memorial Music Scholarship ­ established May 28, 2002 ­ in memory of musician Ward Dunkirk.  Ward graduated from MSUM in 1959 and then earned a master’s in music from Northwestern University, Evanston, Ill.  He taught music in Wisconsin and Fargo. He was music director and pianist fro Bobby Vee from 1961-64.  He also co-owned the Lamplight Lounge, Moorhead, and Gaslight Lounge, Fargo until 1975.  He formed the ward Dunkirk trio in 1965. He moved to the Twin Cities in 1982 and played in piano bars.  He also served as director of the 188th Army Band.

This scholarship will be awarded to students participating in music ensembles, preferably jazz.
 

Gerry Haukebo Endowed Scholarship ­ established February 28, 2002 ­ in honor of Gerry Haukebo, MSUM Vice President Emeritus.  Among his many efforts to develop international awareness, Dr. Haukebo notably created the Office of International Programs and was instrumental in beginning the Student Teaching Abroad Program, which is one of the most successful in the country.  His innovative concept of teaching language by totally immersing children in a foreign culture blossomed into the Concordia College Language Villages.  Starting over forty years ago with only 72 students, the Language Villages now attract over 6000 students each year.

The endowment will provide scholarships for students to study abroad.
 

Sharon R. Mendola Memorial Scholarship ­ established June 10, 2002 ­ in memory of artist design professor Sharon Medola.  Ms. Mendola served on studio faculties at MSUM from 1974-1976.  Her art was widely exhibited at a national level and was highly regarded, as evidenced by numerous awards including the Adam, Meldrum and Anderson Award in both 1977 and 1978.

The scholarship will be awarded to art students, junior year or higher, seeking a BA or BFA in painting, drawing or design.
 

Kelsie J. Merritt Track & Field Scholarship ­ established March 21, 2002 ­ in memory of MSUM student, Kelsi Merritt.  Kelsi enrolled at MSUM in the fall of 2001 where she was pursuing a physical education degree.  Kelsi was a thrower for the MSUM track and field team.
Kelsi graduated from Fargo North High School in 2001. While attending North High, Kelsi earned numerous team awards as a member of the North High track and field, swimming, and diving programs. Kelsi was a tremendous leader at Fargo North and MSUM.

The scholarship will be awarded to a thrower, with preference given to a student who is a sophomore or higher, majoring in Education.
 

Dr. Don Pate Student-Athlete Scholarship ­ established March 22, 2002 through the sale of donated land ­ in honor of Dr. Don Pate and family. Dr. Pate was a two-sport standout who created a legendary career with the Dragons in football and wrestling in the 1960’s. A native of Bloomington, Ind., Pate was a member of the Dragons’ 1964 NAIA National Wrestling Championship team.  He was also an all-conference runningback with the football Dragons and led the NSIC in scoring.

The scholarship will be awarded to a student participating in at least two varsity sports with wrestling or football being one of those teams.

Earl, Violette and Louise Warner Scholarship - established March 26, 2002 from a bequest by Violette Warner - in memory of Earl, Violette and Louise Warner.  Violette Warner was awarded a bachelor of science degree with an individualized major at MSUM in 1982.  She and her husband, Earl, farmed for many years near Hillsboro, North Dakota.  During that time, their family employed migrant farm workers. The scholarship will be awarded to a student of Mexican-American descent who has either worked as a migrant sugarbeet worker or is a descendent of a migrant sugarbeet worker.

If you would like to make a donation to any of these endowments please send your donation to MSUM Alumni Foundation, 202 Owens Hall, 1104 Seventh Avenue South, Moorhead, Minnesota 56563. For additional information,  contact Judy Peterson at peterju@mnstate.edu or  218-236-2093.  

Ann Cichy was recently named to the Relocation Directors Council, Inc., the premier professional organization specifically designed for relocation directors of residential real estate firms across the nation. Ann works for Park Co./GMAC Real Estate, focusing on relocation. She and her husband Michael live in Fargo, ND.
Karl Rakow works for Financial Planning Centers Network in Bismarck, ND, where he lives with his wife Ruth.
Mike Welken just finished a study abroad program at Nankai University in China. He has a full scholarship to pursue a Master’s Degree in East Asian Studies at Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield.

You may submit information for Alumnotes by e-mailing alumni@mnstate.edu or sending it to Alumnotes, MSUM Box 68, Moorhead, MN 56563.

College of Arts and Humanities

MSUM appoints new arts and humanities dean
Peter Quigley, dean of academics at Embry Riddle University in Prescott, Ariz., has been named dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. He replaces Virginia Klenk, who retired this summer.

Quigley, 50, will oversee a division of eight academic departments and nearly 100 faculty members—art, speech-theatre, English, music, languages, philosophy, humanities and multicultural studies, and history.

Originally from Fullerton, Calif., he holds a doctorate in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a master’s and undergraduate degrees in English from California State University Fullerton. His academic specialty is environmental literature.

Quigley had been with Embry Riddle for more than 20 years, serving as dean of academics since 1998. He also chaired the humanities/social sciences department there for two years.

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

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

MSUM prof awarded $25,000 McKnight Composer Fellowship
James Harley, a music technology professor and composer here, is one of four Minnesotans selected to receive a $25,000 McKnight Composer Fellowship this year.

The awards, announced this summer, also went to Brent Michael Davids and Barb Ryman of Minneapolis and Preston Wright of St. Paul. Besides the $25,000 in unrestricted funding, the fellowship is supplemented with an optional $5,000 for each composer to carry out a community resident project.

Harley, a Canadian native who’s been teaching at MSUM for three years, will use the award to create a new composition and purchase recording equipment. He intends to present a public performance of his composition during the 2003-04 school year.

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

MSUM offers China tour May 18-June 6, 2003
MSUM will offer a 20-day study tour to China May 18-June 6, 2003, led by languages professor Jenny Lin. Lin has traveled extensively in China and led a study tour there this year and two years ago. Scheduled stops include nine UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage Sties designated by the United Nations: the Great Wall, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven, and Summer Palace in Beijing, the Terra Cotta Museums in Xi’an, Nine-Village Gully, Leshan Giant Buddha, Mount Huangshan, and Suzhou gardens. Lin, a native speaker of Chinese, has taught Chinese language and culture at MSUM since 1985.

The tour is open to students, faculty, staff and the general public on a space available basis. Credit is available for Chinese 390 during spring semester, 2003. Students can apply for financial aid for the tour.

For more information, contact Lin at 218.236.2913 or linjj@mnstate.edu or visit the Web site, www.mnstate.edu/chinese
 

College of Business and Industry

Bookin’ It helps accounting students
The accounting department’s new Bookin’ It Awards Program rewards the top 10 students in Accounting 230 (Principles of Accounting I) with a $200 “mentoring” scholarship. Ten area businesses individually partner with one of the qualifying students. Students take part in a one-day internship at their sponsor’s business and have lunch with the business’s accounting professionals. This program gives students the opportunity to network, learn about how businesses run, and learn what businesses look for in their employees.

The accounting department first implemented The Bookin’ It Awards Program during the 2000-01 academic year.

Students in Free Enterprise coming to MSUM
Students in Free Enterprise (SIFE) is a program under consideration at MSU Moorhead. Vinod Lall, assistant professor of business, says it’s a program started by Wal-Mart to promote entrepreneurship.

Students involved in SIFE must be a part of a project that takes private enterprise into account. The project is entirely for the students to decide and may include anything from developing marketing plans to presentations to elementary schools. At the end of the year, a regional conference is held in the Twin Cities, where students present their project and are evaluated by judges from Fortune 500 companies, including Wal-Mart. Winners proceed to a national conference.

North Dakota State University will sponsor MSUM for SIFE this year. Lall, a SIFE adviser at NDSU before coming to MSUM, says SIFE will benefit the university and is open to students in any major, including accounting, marketing, business administration and mass communications.

Williams receives Outstanding Service Award
Ron Williams, chair of the department of technology and director of the pre-engineering and pre-architecture programs at MSU Moorhead, received the 2001 Outstanding Service Award by Chapter 4 of the North Dakota Society of Professional Engineers. The award recognizes Williams’ efforts in coordinating the annual toothpick bridge competition and in recruiting students to the engineering field.

Williams, who has been at MSUM for 11 years, has coordinated the Toothpick Bridge Competition as a part of National Engineers Week for 10 years. Students must build a bridge from toothpicks and glue. “They load lead weights on to see which bridge is the strongest,” Williams said. “The most any bridge has held is just over 300 pounds.” This year’s winner held 203 pounds.

Williams says recruiting engineering students to MSUM is a challenge. “Engineering is a pretty good field for many students—good jobs, high starting salaries. It’s not hard to recruit students to the field, but most don’t know we have a pre-engineering program. Once I’ve told them about our program, I still have to convince them to come here and then transfer to another school. I have to assure them that all their classes here correspond to similar classes at the engineering school, and that they’ll lose little or no time coming here.”

College of Education and Human Services

Several departments receive, seek accreditation
Several departments in the College of Education and Human Services are getting ready for accreditation or have recently completed the accreditation process.

* Since our last Alumnews, MSUM received official word that MSUM’s teacher education programs have received continued accreditation by the Minnesota Board of Teaching and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education. (www.mnstate.edu/edhuman/Accreditation/index.htm)

* The graduate program in counseling and student affairs within the College has specialized accreditation for its “Community Counseling” and “Student Affairs Practice in Higher Education” programs. Both programs received accreditation status through June 30, 2007 from the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs. The “Secondary School Counseling” program is approved by the Minnesota State Board of Teaching. All three of the Counseling and Student Affairs programs have institutional accreditation through the North Central Association and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

* The athletic training program is seeking accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Education Programs. Candidacy is a two-year process to ensure universities are meeting CAAHEP Standards and Guidelines. MSUM submitted a self-study report this summer and anticipates a site visit in early 2003.

* The MSUM nursing department will participate in the accreditation process for the Tri-College University Nursing Consortium this fall. The process includes a self-study along with evidence documenting faculty work along with student work products that demonstrate the quality of the programs. The accrediting body for this effort is the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The site visit is scheduled for Nov. 6-8, 2002.

* The National Association for the Education of Young Children recently granted re-accreditation to MSUM’s Early Education Center. This prestigious recognition is achieved by approximately seven percent of early childhood programs nationwide. Continuously accredited since 1987, the Early Education Center was one of the first programs in the nation to go through the process.

MSUM study hopes to improve reading, writing skills
A yearlong MSUM study aimed at improving the reading and writing skills of middle school students is being funded by a $23,208 grant from the Otto Bremer Foundation. Results of the study will feed directly into MSUM’s teacher training program, and a curriculum based on the study’s successes is expected to be available to other educators.

Recent MSUM licensed education graduates, employed through the grant, are working with a group of 20 students who, for a variety of reasons, are functioning below their grade level. The goal is to develop a curriculum that can repair deficiencies in their reading and writing skills.

One aim of the study is to determine whether an intervention program is effective with students at this stage in their education.  The teachers provide direct teaching to all students one hour each day, five days a week, along with individualized instruction as needed.

Mills appoints Van Berkum, Shreve to new posts
Dean Ed Mills appointed Dr. Denny Van Berkum to associate dean of the College of Education and Human Services. His term began July 1, 2002. He succeeds Dr. Beth Anderson who served as associate dean from 2000-02.

Van Berkum was promoted to full professor this past year and is chair of the MnSCU Graduate Council. His teaching responsibilities are concentrated on adult development and school administrators. During the past seven years, he has served as chair of the Tri-College University educational administration program. Van Berkum’s experience also includes that of a school principal, K-12 athletic director, public school teacher and coach, college instructor and coach at the undergraduate level, admissions counselor, and a continuing role as consultant for accreditation and school improvement processes.

Dean Mills appointed Dr. Roberta Shreve to the position of director of Teacher Education. This half-time position began in January. Shreve will oversee and coordinate issues affecting the teacher education unit, which includes licensure areas from early childhood to K-12/seconeary education to special education. She will also coordinate efforts for the next accreditation cycle.

Shreve taught at both NDSU and Concordia College before joining MSUM in 1986. She chaired the EECE department from 1996-2000 and coordinated the process of licensure renewal across campus in teacher education. She was a member of the BOT/NCATE team in the most recent accreditation effort.

College of Social and Natural Sciences

MSUM science laboratory addition moves forward
The university’s largest ever construction project is finally underway. The MSUM science laboratory project has been in the works for four years. In 2000, MSUM received $1.6 million of state money to fund the architectural design of the science building.

MSU Moorhead requested money for a new science building because of poor ventilation and aging labs in our current facilities. Upgrades and changes needed to meet safety standards are so significant and complicated that it’s actually cheaper to build a new facility rather than to remodel the existing building. In addition to meeting state health, safety and building code standards, the Hagen Hall renovation will allow space to be remodeled for other student and faculty uses, such as classrooms, a science/technology library and computer rooms.

The project consists of two phases: the construction of a science laboratory addition and the renovation of Hagen Hall.

The new science laboratory addition will include:
* 16 science labs
* two large lecture halls
* research rooms and storage space
* ventilation to protect students and faculty from chemical emissions
* a sprinkler system, fire alarm system and fire-rated egress pathways for laboratories
* gas shutoffs at each lab
* code-compliant chemical storage
* appropriate ratio of fume-hoods to students

Designed for the way we teach
The design of the new science laboratory will complement today’s science teaching style, which is group oriented, problem based, and participatory. MSUM biology professor Mark Wallert said a new science center addition will improve access to science education and will provide a better learning environment for students.

Contemporary and aesthetic facilities, effective classroom design, and proper equipment are critical to creating a learning environment that allows science-teaching goals to be met.

But it’s not just future scientists and health and medical services personnel who will pass through these new and remodeled facilities.

A potential of 3,000 MSUM students will use the new science building each semester, and the majority of our students will use the new science facilities at some point during their academic career. That’s because our liberal studies core requires all students to take at least two science courses. Hagen Hall, designed in 1958 for a campus enrollment of 1,295, was not designed for contemporary teaching methods or for the kind of traffic it sees today, with a 2002 fall enrollment expected to exceed 7,400.

Additionally, more than 750 of MSUM’s elementary education majors are required to enroll in at least three science courses with laboratories. Increased science content and greater involvement in inquiry-based laboratory exercises conducted in cooperative groups make our graduates more qualified to teach science than they have ever been before.

MSUM expects steadily increasing enrollments in growing science programs, such as biotechnology and health and medical services. The new facilities will accommodate that growth.

“MSUM’s biotechnology program and its graduates will play a key role in the development of our region into the Silicon Prairie. The new science building will make this one of the premier undergraduate biotechnology programs in the United States,” Chambers said.

Biology major receives Goldwater scholarship
MSUM biology and chemistry major Hillary Thronson won a $75,00 Goldwater Excellence Scholarship. She is among 309 college students in the nation selected to receive the award from the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, books, room, and board up to $7,500 for each of the next two years. Thronson, a 1999 graduate of Watertown (S.D.) High School, is specializing in biotechnology and intends to pursue a doctorate in biomedical research. Hillary was selected for the Goldwater award from a field of 1,155 students who were nominated by the faculties of 491 colleges and universities throughout the country. Thronson is the fourth MSUM student to win this prestigious scholarship. Previous winners were Nicole Korpi and Dan McEwen (Biology, 2001) and Steven Muhle (Biology, 1995).

Biology major wins Winchell Award
Forty-six students from the departments of biology, chemistry, and physics and astronomy presented their research results at the 70th annual meeting of the Minnesota Academy of Sciences and competed in the 16th annual Winchell undergraduate research symposium at Gustavus Adolphus College in April. This is the largest MSUM contingency ever to present at the Academy.

Biology major Sarah Olmschenk won a Winchell Award for the best presentation in the Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Physiology section, and she also won the award for the Best Undergraduate Presentation at the meeting. Olmschenk graduated in May and will attend optometry school this fall. This is the third year in a row than an MSUM student has won the Winchell Award. “It says an awful lot about the caliber of faculty and student research at the university,” said Shawn Dunkirk, biology professor and associate dean of the College. “They are competing against students at all of the other state universities and the University of Minnesota.”

A finalist for the vacant men’s basketball post here in 1999, Stu Engen, head basketball coach at University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse the past two seasons, was named head coach at MSUM in June.

Engen replaced Mike Olson, who resigned in June after three seasons at Minnesota State Moorhead to accept an assistant post at Dartmouth College.

Engen, 39, posted a 17-9 record at UW-L last winter, including a 10-6 mark in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. He was 28-24 in two seasons with the Eagles, and 204-108 overall in 12 years as a head coach.

Engen faces a unique challenge in his first season on watch at MSUM with nine of last year’s 10 most productive players returning.

“If you look at most of the experience I’ve had in the past, it was to turn teams around,” Engen said. “Now this is a different challenge, hitting a program in midstream. . . I have to be careful inheriting a program of upperclassmen.”

A native of Minneapolis, Engen earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Augsburg College in 1986 and a Master’s Degree from the University of South Dakota in 1990. He began his coaching career as an assistant at Augsburg from 1986-88, and spent two seasons at USD from 1988-90.

Engen served a two-year stint as head coach at Western Wisconsin Technical College in LaCrosse, WI, and logged a record of 41-16 with an appearance in the NJCAA Division III National Championships. He was named District XIII Coach of the Year and Conference Coach of the Year in 1991-92 as well.

Engen accepted the head coaching post at Upper Iowa University in 1992, and guided the Peacocks to three Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and seven top fives finishes in eight years. He compiled a 135-70 record at UIU and was saluted as the IIAC Coach of the Year three times. He also led the Peacocks to a single season record 22 victories in 1995-96. During Engen’s tenure, UIU twice received bids to NCAA Division III National Championships.

Engen, the 12th head coach in Dragon history, will fill the assistant coaching vacancies on his staff this summer.  

Barnier (Barn-YEAH), 38, replaces James Williams as the Dragons' head track and cross-country coach.

A native of Elk River, Barnier competed in the hurdle events for the Dragons from 1983-87.  He received an undergraduate degree in fitness management in 1987, and later added a master’s degree in athletic administration from the University of St. Thomas in 1990.

Barnier spent four years as an assistant track coach at St. Thomas from 1987-90 and three years at Alabama (1990-92). He was appointed head coach at Carleton College in 1993.  In the fall of 1993, he accepted an assistant coaching position at Clemson, and was appointed recruiting coordinator and associate professor. In 1997, he returned to Alabama as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Crimson Tide.

Barnier entered into private business in 1999, and most recently was a sales representative for Josten's.

During his collegiate coaching career, Barnier coached 85 NCAA All-Americans, eight NCAA Division I second place finishers, Olympic Games gold and bronze medallists, and five other Olympians.  He also developed a NCAA Division I national 110 meter hurdle champion, and a NCAA III 400 meter hurdle national champ.

Receiving the awards: Frank Leidenfrost (’57, phy ed/’65 HPR), a retired high school coach and teacher; Mildred Hegrenes Stenehjem (’62, business), a retired college teacher; Vickie Boutiette (’97, MS in reading), a North Dakota Teacher of the Year; Ken Peeders (’69, MA in English), president of Fergus Falls Community College; Kimberly Maluski Sarte (’93, economics), a senior analyst for the state of Virginia; and Wayne Ingersol (’67, English), a junior high teacher in Moorhead.

’24 Viola Hamre, Elem. Educ., Erskine, MN
’28 Vivian D. Mero, Educ., (’59 MS Elem. Educ.), Fargo, ND
’30 Sadie “Evelyn” Borud, Elem. Educ., Fargo, ND
’30 Frances Anderson, Elem. Educ., Fergus Falls, MN
’30 Madge Minge, Elem. Educ., Pelican Rapids, MN
’33 Helen M. Sonnenberg, Elem. Educ., Vergas, MN
’35 Bernice E. Herfindal, Elem. Educ., Sebeka, MN
’37 Mervin N. Lysing, Music/Phys. Sci., Minneapolis, MN
’38 Nadine Krajeck, Elem. Educ., West Fargo, ND
’38 Edwin M. Erickson, English, Fergus Falls, MN
’40 Miriam Cornell Rogers, Elem. Educ., Roseville, CA
’41 June Crook, Elem. Educ., Dent, MN
’44 Alma Gustafson, Elem. Educ., Grand Forks, ND
’59 Fern A. Nelson, Elem. Educ., Tampa, FL
’60 Ward C. Dunkirk, Music, Mound, MN
’63 Norma J. Jerdee, Elem. Educ, (’69 MA Elem. Admin), Breckenridge, MN
’69 Keith Geiszler, Health-PE, Phoenix, AZ
’72 Sister Joyce (Mary Ann) Selander, English, Crookston, MN
’71  Eleanor B. Allen, Elem. Educ., Wahpeton, ND
’71 Warren Meyer, Bus. Admin., Wahpeton, ND
’74 Mark McKibbin, Accounting, Omaha, NE
’82 Kent Langerud, Accounting, Fergus Falls, MN
’86 Susan Kaye Sorenson, Mass Comm., Rochester, MN
’87  Caryl J. Penner, Soc. Work, Moorhead, MN
’89 Dan Darling, Math, Calvin, ND
’95 Gayle Gram, English, Middle River, MN

No graduation date available:
Charles F. Thorpe, Detroit Lakes, MN
Agnes Nornes Aanden, Fertile, MN

By Jeff Burrill

 If at first you succeed—go for it again.

Thus, the second annual ‘Drone Dance’ will be held Saturday, Nov, 2, at J.C. Chumley’s bar in Moorhead. The gathering will resume its status as a fundraiser for the Larry “Drone” Peterson endowment for MSUM student scholarships.

Last year’s guest band, Shakers, will be on stage rocking the 50s, 60s…and beyond.

J.C. Chumley’s owners Gary and Deb Peterson (no relation to Larry, but close friends) will once again donate all cover charge proceeds from the dance to the Larry “Drone” Peterson Scholarship Fund. Monies will be shared with both the MSUM Straw Hat Players and the Dragon Athletic Department.

Last year’s inaugural event took in just over $1,000 from the cover charge, along with raffles and auctions held during the course of the evening.

 (As if they hadn’t done enough, Gary and Deb rounded off the total of Minnesota State University Moorhead scholarship money to an even $1,200.)

Larry “Drone” Peterson was a 1966 English major graduate of then-Moorhead State College. As a Dragon, he served as an officer in the Owl Fraternity, was a freshman orientation counselor, was active in intramural sports, and became an integral part of the school’s theater program--including the Straw Hat Players.

At the time of his death in December 2000, “Drone” was  working in script development for his nephew, Rick Ramage. (Ramage--an acclaimed screenwriter--has recently co-created, written the pilot for, and is executive producer of a television series set to air on the UPN network this fall entitled “Haunted.”)

A screenplay of “Drone’s,” “Like a Rock,” is currently being considered for production as a made for television movie.

The ‘Drone Dance’ begins at 9 p.m. at Chumley’s, which is located at 1608 Main Ave. S., Moorhead; (218)-236-2093. However, friends are encouraged to arrive earlier to visit and share stories.

For additional information concerning the Second Annual ‘Drone Dance,’ please e-mail MSUM Director of Annual Giving, Judy Peterson, at peterju@mnstate.edu, or phone her at (218) 236-2093.
     (Members of the Larry “Drone” Peterson Endowment for Student Scholarships Committee include: Chairperson LaVonne Langord, Jeff Burrill, Doug Hamilton, Wayne Ingersoll, Susie McDowell, Dave Miller, Jim Paulson, Greg Peterson, Judy Peterson, and Aaron Puppe.)

A dean, a professor and an administrator retired from MSUM this spring.

They are: Virginia Klenk, dean of Arts and Humanities; Curtis Bring, a professor of Computer Science and Information Systems; and Jim Aasness, who for 24 years was supervisor of the MSUM Bookstore.

Klenk came here in 1996 from the West Virginia University philosophy department where she was a professor and former chair for 20 year.

A specialist in logic and the philosophy of mathematics, she oversaw a division of eight academic departments and more than 100 faculty members. Klenk also served five years as secretary-treasurer of the Central Division of the American Philosophical Association and wrote a textbook, “Understanding Symbolic Logic,” published by Prentice-Hall, which Amazon.com gives a four-star rating. She earned her doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh

A Mankato, Minn., native, she intends to remain living in Moorhead.

Bring, originally from Galesburg, N.D., taught public school for two years in Colorado and then at North Dakota State University and the University of Saskatchewan before joining the MSUM faculty in 1973. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from NDSU and his doctorate at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley.

A specialist in microcomputer applications and educational computing, he and his wife Susan now live in Rochert, Minn., where he maintains a software consulting business.

Aasness, originally from Doran, N.D., began working as assistant manager to the campus bookstore after graduating from MSUM in 1968 with an accounting and business degree. Two years later, he was promoted to bookstore manager, and remained in that position for nearly a quarter century. He later moved into Campus Security and ended his career as the university’s vending coordinator.

Aasness, who’s been a part-time policeman in Dilworth for 16 years, intends to continue that work in retirement. He’s currently vice district governor of the Lions Club #5M-11, which covers Northwestern Minnesota, and will assume the district governorship next year.

(A Letter from Alumni Foundation chief Doug Hamilton)
Dragons who attended MSU Moorhead during the late 1960’s and 70’s remember a building boom on campus.  Enrollments shot up and classrooms and residence halls were bursting at the seams.

There’s another building boom underway. This time aging facilities and new initiatives are driving the construction.  The highest-priced project in the history of the university is underway between Hagen and Weld Halls.  Over the next two years, a $19,000,000 science teaching laboratories facility will go up—to be followed (pending bonding approval) by a $10,000,000 renovation of Hagen.  The entire project is slated for completion in 2006.

This summer we will erect a $400,000 temporary building to house Hendrix Health Center, the campus clinic.  It’s a high-priority solution to a mold problem that resulted in the clinic’s space in the basement of Dahl Hall.  The Alumni Foundation will play a role in securing the financing for the project.

Meanwhile, a new $4,000,000 apartment-style residence hall, will be open for students by the time you read this.  The Alumni Foundation also assisted with that financing.  It’s the first new residence hall built on our campus since the 70’s.  It will be named John J. Neumaier Hall in honor of our seventh president.

There’s more.  During spring semester, the Student Senate approved a special fee to support the construction of a fitness center.  The last time the senate made a decision of that financial magnitude was when Comstock Memorial Union was authorized.  At this time, there isn’t a firm construction date for the center, but planning is underway and the potential is wonderful.  This proposal will become a major campus attraction.  By the way, the union will undergo significant improvements during the summer of 2003.

President Barden and the cabinet are looking at solutions to the chronic space problems that confront some of our popular academic and service programs.  In the coming year, we expect to announce our course of action.

Oh—one more thing… Over the past year, Alumni Foundation staff and the board of directors have discussed a project that will give our 47,000+ living alumni a special place to visit —an alumni center. Former director Jerry Feder was instrumental in advancing the concept.  As he said, it’s long overdue.

Add it all up, and we expect construction and improvement projects that will exceed any other time in our history.  So, if someone asks you what’s happening at Dragonville, the answer is a lot!

A private investigator, a flight attendant purser, a doctor of internal medicine, a chemistry professor, an electrical engineer, a hedge fund manager, a blind sales associate and a lawyer were among the 18 amateur pianists who reached the semifinal round of the third International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs last month hosted by the Van Cliburn Foundation.

And so was MSUM alum Darin Tysdal (’89, music), a Glyndon native who works in the sheet music department at Groth Music in Bloomington, Minn.

The amateur competition, held every two years, is designed to encourage and recognize the importance of music-making, both off and on the stage. It features pianists above the age of 35 whose principal source of income is not derived from piano performance or teaching.

“It’s for pianists like me,” said Tysdal, “who decided not to pursue a professional career, but still take lessons, perform in informal and formal situations, play in church or just play for fun.”

Tysdal started playing piano relatively late in life, at the age of eight. Later, he went off on his own and pursued his study independently. “I was pretty headstrong at the time and learned many wrong habits that I wouldn’t have if I had more structured lessons. It wasn’t until about five years ago, when I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder and started taking medication that I became more focused and my concentration improved.”

The competition, held in Forth Worth’s Texas Christian University, is an offshoot of the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. It’s popularly called “the amateur Cliburn.”

At the age of 23, the competition’s namesake, Van Cliburn, won first prize at the 1st Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow in 1958. He performed so brilliantly that, with the approval of Premier Nikita Khrushchev, the judges relented in proclaiming him the gold medallist.

It was at the height of the Cold War and when Van Cliburn returned to New York he was honored by a ticker-tape parade, the only one ever honoring a classic musician. He became one of America’s most bankable musical superstars, nicknamed “the American Sputnik,” for besting the Russians at their own game. His 1958 recording of Tchaikovsky’s Concerto No. 1, which he played at the Moscow competition, was the first classical record to go platinum.

Today his Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is considered one of the elite piano events in the world.

Of the 130 pianists who applied for the amateur competition (applicants were required to submit a resume, a 15-minute tape or CD of recent performances and an essay on how the competition would benefit them), 75 were selected for the preliminaries in Ft. Worth.

“I played Copland’s Piano Variations for the preliminaries, which got reviewed in the Dallas Morning News and the Fort Worth-Star Telegram,” Tysdal said. “There were six judges for this round, which took three days. Van Cliburn was there to award certificates and CDs to all of the preliminary contestants.”

Tysdal, who’s been working in the Groth Music sheet music department for 10 years and is just beginning his fifth season as conductor of the Linden Hills Chamber Orchestra, was among the 18 selected semifinalists.

In the semifinal round, Tysdal played Bach Prelude and Fugue, Etude Tableaux Op. 33 No.3 by Rachmaninov, Sonata No. 1 by Ginastera (2nd and 4th movements) and Kapustin Etude in Jazz Style Op.  54 No. 17.

Michael Hawley, a media technology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Victoria Bragin, a chemistry professor at Pasadena (Calif.) City College, split the first prize in the final round. Paul Romero, a CD-ROM game composer from Los Angeles, took second place.

Tysdal also appeared in the TCU-Cliburn Piano Institute in a master class with TCU piano professor Tamas Ungar, playing a Bach Prelude and Fugue from the Well-Tempered Claver.

Tysdal, who lives in Minneapolis with his wife Lynda and their cat, Louis Prima, is the principal keyboardist with the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. He won its concerto competition twice: once with the Ravel Concerto for the Left Hand and the second time with the Rachmaninov Piano Concerto No. 4. Last year he won the Fourth Annual Masters Concerto and Aria Concert sponsored by the Kenwood Chamber Orchestra playing the Rimsky-Korsakov Piano Concerto. He’s also played with big bands and for MSUM alum Stevie Ray’s Comedy Cabaret in Minneapolis.

Tysdal said he intends to enter the competition again in 2004. “The question is: do I play the same repertoire or should I move on?” he said. “ Depression does creep in when one is finished with a program or repertoire—it’s like a break-up in a way. That’s what this summer is for: rethinking and researching.”

The ground portion of the trip includes:
* Hotel accommodations at Manhattan’s Edison Hotel in the heart if Times Square.
* An orientation seminar with a New York native who will answer questions and tell us how to use the subway, the best places to eat, where to shop, etc.
* Theatre tickets to four shows—BEST seats available
* A private visit with a star from one of the featured productions. This may even be an MSUM alum!.
* Hotel baggage handling.

The Edison Hotel is located in the heart of the theatre district and is within easy walking distnce of wonderful eating places. You’ll have ample free time to tour the sights, shop, attend sporting events or see other shows.

Tentative price: $1150 per person double occupancy, single and triple occupancy also available. If you would prefer a 5-day New York trip rather than a full week, please let us know and that can be arranged.

If you’re interested in going on the New York Theatre Tour, please contact Betty Gunderson, Alumni Director, by e-mail gundersn@mnstate.edu or call 1-877-270-2586, or 236-2497. We’ll send you information at a later date.

The nation of 1.2 billion people has nearly decimated its turtle population by eating them and grinding them up for folk medicines.

That’s one reason about half the 270 turtle species around the world are in deep trouble. And why a recent international conference on the “turtle crisis” concluded that China’s pursuit for turtles beyond its borders may bring several species to edge of extinction

Donna Bruns Stockrahm, a biology professor at Minnesota State University Moorhead, and senior biology students Deanna Thompson and Candice Zemlicka, are marking and radio-tracking painted turtles near Rollag, Minn., a study the Minnesota DNR is interested in partly because of the international turtle market’s potential.

“We just don’t know how this pressure on the world turtle populations will eventually affect the ecosystem here,” Bruns Stockrahm said.

Already more than seven million turtles are exported from the United States every year for food, folk medicine or pets.

This week the Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate approved legislation that will phase out commercial turtle harvesting in Minnesota. It now awaits the governor’s signature.

But Bruns Stockrahm also wants to know if the decline in wetlands, the increase in pollution, and the infringement of human activity on sandy shores—where turtles often prefer to lay their eggs—may also have an impact on turtle populations.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources agrees.

“The painted turtle isn’t a listed species yet,” said Carrol Henderson, supervisor of the non-game wildlife program with the Minnesota DNR. “But in the last few years there has been pressure from commercial turtle trappers to increase their take so they can be sold on commercial markets.”

He said many Minnesota turtles are being exported to the Orient as food because turtle populations there have already been depleted, extirpated or endangered by the demands for turtle meat.

Painted turtles, the most widespread turtles in Minnesota and North Dakota, are found across the northern half of the United States and southern Canada. They’re often seen basking in the sun on logs, rocks or stumps in lakes and ponds—sometimes by the dozen.

Basking, Bruns Stockrahm said, allows them to maintain their body temperature and synthesize essential vitamins, while the sun's ultraviolet rays help eliminate skin parasites.

Their name comes from the brightly colored yellow, red, and green markings on their bodies and their orange, yellow and black patterned undersides (or plastrons).

They prefer soft-bottomed ponds, lakes, swamps, ditches and slow-moving streams with lots of aquatic vegetation.

“Which makes them perfect for undergraduate research,” Bruns Stockrahm said. “The other turtle we could have studied here is the snapper. But it’s just too dangerous to handle.”

Zemlicka, a senior from Highmore, S.D., began live-trapping turtles last summer at two sloughs by Bruns Stockrahm’s farmstead in Rollag as part of a wildlife research project funded in part by the MSUM Alumni Foundation and Faculty Grant. She invented her own trap: a floating net with an attached see-saw plank. When a turtle climbs up the plank to bask in the sun, its weight tilts the board downward, dumping the turtle into the trap.

Zemlicka paddles her makeshift canoe out to her traps daily to check the catch. Then she marks each turtle by notching the shell using a numerical system. After weighing and measuring them, then determining their sex and recording the data, she releases them back into the slough.

So far Zemlicka has marked more than 250 turtles. She’s also equipped three with radio transmitters.

“All together we have 10 transmitters,” Bruns Stockrahm said, “We intend to put them all on females, to try to find out where they lay their eggs and where they hibernate.”

Their goal is to learn more about turtle habitat, populations, reproduction and survival.

“We’re being pressured by some turtle trappers to further liberalize the regulations,” said the DNR’s Henderson. “But we do not have adequate information on turtle populations, on the ecology of unexploited turtle populations or on lakes where turtles are being trapped and removed. We have just begun the process of doing studies that will help us answer those questions.”

Henderson said that Wisconsin has banned all commercial trade in turtles. But Minnesota’s turtle harvest laws are still very general and not very restrictive.

Turtles first emerged on the evolutionary spectrum more than 200 million years ago, sharing the stage with the first mammals, dinosaurs and frogs.

Today, China’s rich eat them as delicacies, their poor eat them for subsistence, and their hopeful believe consuming turtle parts can assure long life, cure cancer and boost athletic performance.

“I think most Minnesotans” Henderson said, ”would agree that a painted turtle looks a lot better on a basking log in a Minnesota lake than in a soup bowl in China.”.”