Bemidji State University will host a grant-writing workshop by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health in April that aims to help university and health professionals develop more competitive grant proposals.

The April 26-27 University Vision Design Capacity workshop at BSU’s American Indian Resource Center is part of the DHHS Higher Education Technical Assistance Project. The project helps higher education institutions share resource-development strategies, regional health data and health-disparities research while creating opportunities for community engagement and networking. Grant-writing workshops are one of the project’s three strategies for developing capacity in under-served populations.

The workshop is free of charge and funds are available to reimburse travel expenses, but attendance will be limited to 35 and interested participants should register as early as possible.

The two-day, hands-on workshop is intended for junior faculty, staff and college or university health professionals who are interested in community-based participatory research; committed to working with underserved populations; and want to build their institution’s capacity to compete for and receive competitive grant awards. During the 2017 fiscal year, the workshop was found to be highly effective at increasing the knowledge and confidence of participants to pursue grant funding.

The workshop is coming to Bemidji State through the efforts of Dr. Misty Wilkie, associate professor of nursing. She says the workshop will benefit anyone looking for the skill and knowledge to help improve their institutions or communities through grant-funded initiatives.

“The workshop will provide valuable information to help grant writers develop more competitive proposals for federal grants,” she said. “In the end, this workshop can help institutions and communities take advantage of opportunities to pursue grant funding for their projects.”

Wilkie says the limited attendance at the workshop is meant to ensure those who attend can receive the maximum benefit.

“The attendance cap helps provide more one-on-one help to those who need it,” she said.

The workshop is a rare opportunity for grant writers to pursue this free training in Minnesota. Across the country, the Office of Minority Health has held this workshop only nine times, and just one previous time in Minnesota. Other upcoming workshops are scheduled in New Orleans and Nashville.

“I’m most looking forward to the opportunities to host the tribal communities and colleges in our area,” Wilkie said. “We want to grow that connection and show that we can grow our communities together. Plus, I’m proud of our campus. It will be good for other community organizations to see what we have to offer.”

Calendar

April 26-27 – University Vision Design Capacity workshop, federal grant-writing training from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health, at Bemidji State University. Workshop is free of charge with funds available to reimburse travel expenses. Capacity capped at 35 participants. Location: American Indian Resource Center, Bemidji State University, Bemidji. Information: (218) 755-2715.

CONTACT

• Dr. Misty Wilkie, associate professor of nursing; (218) 755-2715; mwilkie@bemidjistate.edu

LINKS

• Registration
• Higher Education – Technical Assistance Project

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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ST. PAUL—The leader of Minnesota’s largest higher education system will get $507,000 in annual salary and benefits when his new contract starts Aug. 1.

Minnesota State trustees Wednesday approved a three-year contract for Devinder Malhotra, who has been interim chancellor since August.

Trustees made Malhotra the permanent successor to the retired Steven Rosenstone this month after agreeing that a second national search did not produce the right candidate.

Malhotra, 70, had been plucked out of retirement after serving as St. Cloud State University provost and later interim president of Metropolitan State University. He is getting $408,000 in salary and benefits this year as interim chancellor.

Starting in August, Malhotra will get a $390,000 salary plus $117,000 in yearly benefits — $48,000 for housing, $27,000 for transportation, $12,000 for professional development and a $30,000 supplemental allowance.

That beats the $491,160 that Rosenstone made in the final year of his contract.

Malhotra also will get a big reward if he completes his three-year term: a lump sum payment worth three months’ salary (at least $97,500) and a two-year appointment as a distinguished senior fellow for academic affairs at half his chancellor salary (at least $390,000 over two years).

Rosenstone’s last contract gave him six months’ worth of severance pay and benefits.

If trustees fire Malhotra without cause before his term ends in July 2021, he’ll get six months’ pay.

Malhotra said Wednesday that he’s been “humbled by the outpouring of support” from those within the system of 30 two-year colleges and seven universities and from the community at large.

He pledged to provide campuses with the data tools to improve student outcomes and to demand innovation through the system.

“This kind of thinking needs to permeate everywhere in our organization. We need to encourage risk-taking, learn from our failures and incorporate risk assessment and management in all our strategies,” he said.

University of Minnesota President Eric Kaler has a $626,450 salary plus use of the Eastcliff mansion and retirement contributions worth $225,000 next year and $325,000 in 2020, the last year of his contract.

ST. PAUL—Three familiar topics were featured at the 13th annual Bemidji Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, with the proposed veterans home project as the headliner.

The project was the top priority both at a meeting with Gov. Mark Dayton’s staff and a House State Government Finance Committee hearing. At both, Veterans Services Officer Scotty Allison described the need for a home in Bemidji, citing the number of veterans in the northwest Minnesota area, which stands at 26,802.

According to Allison’s data, 77.3 percent of those veterans are age 55 or older, and the nearest veterans home for many of them is in Fergus Falls, a 128-mile drive from Bemidji.

“There is a huge waiting list and when one opens, it’s filled almost instantly,” Allison said while testifying before the committee. “We feel, considering how far we are from other veterans homes, that one should at least be built in Bemidji.”

Bemidji’s proposal is to construct a veterans home on the northern side of the city on land donated by Sanford Health. So far, the task force advocating on behalf of the project have received support from 33 communities, including the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, the White Earth Nation and the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. Additionally, Beltrami County has pledged $1 million in financial support.

When a veterans home is built, Allison said the federal government covers two thirds of the cost, with the state handling the rest. The average price of a facility is estimated at $45 million. However, in order to receive federal support, the state must first pledge money with either an appropriation or bonding.

If the state does pledge funding for the homes, the projects are placed on a federal list. Currently, there are three proposed veterans home locations, with Preston and Montevideo also having concepts for facilities. Once the projects are on that federal list, they must meet a certain criteria, and Allison said the Bemidji project meets most of the criteria for federal backing.

The communities of Bemidji and Montevideo have joined together on the effort, with an idea of a 70-bed facility in each city. Those numbers were based on an estimate of federal funding available for 140 beds in Minnesota. However, District 5A Rep. Matt Bliss, R-Pennington, said that new numbers from the Department of Veterans Affairs puts that number closer to 240.

During the meeting with Dayton’s staff, Bliss discussed how the governor took the project off the legislative table in 2017 and advocated on why the project is needed in Bemidji.

“Last year, when it was removed, the governor’s statement was that we hadn’t put enough thought into the location and into the money it takes to operate it,” Bliss said. “For these people in Bemidji, this has been their No. 1 priority for more than a decade. They have the land already dedicated and they have the designs. That’s why I suggested they get in touch with the governor’s office today, to let him know about that.”

“Generally speaking, relative to a bonding bill, the governor is always very interested. That is one of his priorities this legislative session,” said Erin Campbell, deputy chief of staff for legislative and policy affairs at Dayton’s office. “He always views it as a conversation with the Legislature… He’s really open to that conversation, so this information will certainly be helpful.”

Bliss also touted the project at the hearing later in the day, sharing the issue of distance with his colleagues.

“There’s one area in the state that’s completely void of veteran home services,” Bliss said. “That includes the Red Lake Reservation and the Leech Lake Reservation. That also includes Bemidji, Warroad and Thief River Falls. Those areas are unserved.”

“A crucial dimension to the Northwest Veterans Home concept in Bemidji is the close proximity to Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College,” said Beltrami County Legislative Liaison Joe Vene in his testimony. “Both have career preparedness programs in the healthcare area. So, we have immediate access to staffing.”

Education and roads

Other topics discussed Wednesday included the proposed replacement of Hagg-Sauer Hall on BSU’s campus and the idea of expanding Highway 371.

BSU’s plan is to demolish the 48-year-old building and replace it with a new academic learning center, while retaining the same name. The university is seeking $22.5 million from the state Legislature this year for the demolition and replacement.

The push for a new building is based on the current facility sustaining water damage and having poor accommodation for students with disabilities. The new Hagg-Sauer building is planned to be much smaller, with the current facility at 82,000 square feet and the proposed replacement set at 27,700 square feet.

“I was really encouraged today. I felt there was awareness of the project and appreciation that it’s No. 1 on the Minnesota State bonding list,” said Scott Faust, BSU executive director of communications and marketing. “You can’t take anything for granted, which is why this process is so important. I really appreciate the fact that we have all these people who are pitching in and promoting each other’s projects.”

“I believe that was included in the governor’s bonding bill. The governor feels strongly about higher education bonding provisions,” Campbell said. “In part, because these are the places where our students are trying to get an education to prepare them for a changing workforce. He’s wanting to make sure our facilities are able to accommodate those kinds of things.”

If approved, demolition and construction would begin in summer 2019 and completion would be expected in fall 2020.

The idea to expand Highway 371, dubbed the Paul Bunyan Expressway, has been an idea pushed by local advocates to increase the number of lanes between Little Falls and Cass Lake. Over the years, progress has been made on the expansion between Little Falls and Hackensack.

“We are focusing on improving the transportation to northern Minnesota,” Bliss said during the governor’s staff meeting. “It’s a long way before anything happens with this. But, north of Walker, there is fairly decent road. So, maybe we add a turn lane, or a passing lane. It doesn’t have to be a four lane all the way up, but maybe we can still improve corridors of commerce.”

Bemidji State University’s student-run Headwaters Film Festival returns for its sixth year beginning March 28 and will feature guests Wyatt Weed, a director and actor for Pirate Pictures, and Gayle Gallagher, a producer for Pirate Pictures, and culminate with a screening of the 1985 Robert Zemeckis classic “Back to the Future.”

Weed and Gallagher produced and directed “Four Color Eulogy,” which will be screened March 28 at 5:30 p.m. The pair will be in attendance at the festival and give a presentation on independent filmmaking March 29 from 12:30-1:45 p.m.

The March 28-29 festival, which will be held in the Upper Deck area of Walnut Hall on the BSU campus, is being directed by Samantha Bittner, a senior marketing communication major from Merrifield, Minn., and Judson Tharin, a junior mass communication major from Bemidji.

The Headwaters Film Festival opens with four sessions of International student films beginning at 1 p.m. March 28, and closes with the screening of “Back to the Future” March 29 at 5:30 p.m. In addition to screenings of films by international and Minnesota students, the festival again features a selection of entries to the Colorado Environmental Film Festival.

All Headwaters Film Festival events are open free to the public. The festival is sponsored by the BSU Department of Integrated Media and BSU Summer Programs.

Wednesday, March 28

• 1-1:50 p.m. — International Student Animated Films
• 2-2:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 1
• 3-3:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 2
• 4-4:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 3
• 5-5:30 p.m. — Blast from the Past Fashion Show
• 5:30-7:30 p.m. — “Four Color Eulogy”

Thursday, March 29

• 12:30-1:45 p.m. — Presentation on independent filmmaking by director Wyatt Weed and producer Gayle Gallagher of Pirate Films, Inc.
• 2-3:15 p.m. — Colorado Environmental Film Festival Selections
• 3:30-4:45 p.m. — Minnesota Student Films, with a question-and-answer session with select student filmmakers
• 5-5:30 p.m. — Movie Trivia
• 5:30 p.m. — “Back to the Future” (1985)

“Four Color Eulogy”

“Four Color Eulogy,” released in 2014, follows the travels of Chris, who returns home to St. Louis after a decade pursuing his dream of creating comic books in Portland to care for his ill mother. Upon his return, Chris and his girlfriend Anne, along with childhood friend and pop-culture aficionado Brian and bartending family friend Rich, explore Chris’s past — including the mysterious identity of his absent father.

The film was directed by Wyatt Weed, who also has a writing credit, and produced by Gayle Gallagher. Jason Contini, who wrote the screenplay with Weed, John Contini and Nicholas Hearne, stars as Chris.

Learn more about Weed and Gallagher at piratepictures.net.

Colorado Environmental Film Festival

The Colorado Environmental Film Festival, held Feb. 22-24 in Golden, Colo., uses the power of film to inspire, educate and motivate audiences to share stories about interconnected ecological, social and economic themes. The festival encourages sustainability in all aspects of its operation including waste reduction and recycling at its film screenings and events, use of recycled materials and supporting local, organic and fair-trade producers.

Back to the Future

Starring Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly and Christopher Lloyd as his mentor Doc Brown, “Back to the Future” follows McFly as he’s thrown 30 years into the past thanks to Brown’s newly-invented time-traveling DeLorean. There, he must ensure his parents-to-be meet and fall in love so he can return to the future. The 1985 blockbuster, which grossed more than $381 million worldwide on a $19 million budget, spawned two sequels and an animated television series.

Contact

• Deb Sea, assistant professor of integrated media, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-3358, debra.sea@bemidjistate.edu

Links

• Wyatt Weed and Gayle Gallagher bios at Pirate Pictures
• Colorado Environmental Film Festival
• “Back to the Future” at IMDB

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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Students in Dr. Janice Haworth’s MUS 2110 World Music course experimented with didgeridoos on March 23, 2018.

More than 150 high school students from across Minnesota are currently visiting Bemidji State University for the Department of Music’s annual Choral Festival. The festival concludes with a 7 p.m. performance March 24 at Bemidji’s First Lutheran Church, featuring the Bemidji Choir and the participating high school choirs.

Ēriks Ešenvalds, one of the most in-demand composers in the world, also is visiting BSU as head clinician for the Choral Festival. The festival features the Brainerd HS A Cappella Choir, the Princeton High School Concert Choir, and the Bemidji Choir. The March 24 concert features two pieces written by Ešenvalds, “Who Can Sail Without the Wind” and “Trees.”

Dr. Dwight Jilek, BSU’s director of choral activities, says of the Latvian composer, “Even if you are not familiar with his music, taking a brief moment to see Ēriks’ work is a once-in-a-lifetime artistic opportunity.“

Ešenvalds has won multiple awards for his work, including the Latvian Grand Music Award in 2005, 2007 and 2015, and he is in high demand as a . The International Rostrum of Composers awarded him first prize in 2006 for his work, “The Legend of the Walled-in Woman.” He was The Year’s New-Composer Discovery of the Philadelphia Inquirer in 2010, and his albums “At the Foot of the Sky by State Choir Latvija” (2013) and “O Salutaris by Kamēr… Youth Choir” (2011) were awarded Best Latvian Classical Album of the Year.

Students have the opportunity to speak with Ešenvalds about his music and receive direct coaching from him at the festival.

For more information about Ešenvalds, visit https://www.eriksesenvalds.com.

March 23 —

4:30 p.m.: Clinic with the Bemidji Choir on Ešenvalds works

March 24 —

10:30 a.m.: Festival Welcome and Introductions
10:40 a.m.: Massed Choir Rehearsal #1 – Main Theater
1:15 p.m.: Massed Choir Rehearsal #2 – Main Theater
2:45 p.m.: Choir clinics with Ēriks Ešenvalds at First Lutheran Church Bemidji

Performances:
2:45 p.m. — “My Song” by Princeton Concert Choir
3:15 p.m. — “Stars by Brainerd A Cappella
3:55 p.m. — “Trinity Te Deum” by the Bemidji Choir
4:30 p.m. — Massed Choir Rehearsal #3 i
7 p.m. — Festival Concert at First Lutheran Church featuring:

• Princeton Concert Choir
• Brainerd A Cappella Choir
• Bemidji Choir
• Festival Massed Choir
• “Who Can Sail Without the Wind” by Ēriks Ešenvalds
• “Trees” by Ēriks Ešenvalds
• “Unclouded Day” arr. by Shawn Kirchner

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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Ann (Aitken) Humphrey, has been named assistant director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College.

Humphrey, a member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, will join the BSU and NTC communities after spending the last three years at Leech Lake Tribal College. Since 2015, she has served as the college’s admission and outreach coordinator. In that role, she was in charge of the planning and implementing the recruitment of students, processing admission applications, created resources for recruitment and outreach and worked closely to ensure students were retained.

“American Indian student success is not only a success for that student, it is a big win for their tribe, their family and their community,” Humphrey said. “I want American Indian students to succeed because that means we have more educated Native voices speaking up.

“This position will give me the opportunity to grow in higher education, personally, professionally and with a great honor of working with some of the brightest and most caring minds at the AIRC,” she said. “I look forward to sharing this opportunity with students, faculty and departments to be able to build each other up and work towards the common goal of successful students across campus.”

Humphrey’s position is newly created to help the university achieve its strategic plan goal of becoming a destination university for American Indian students nationwide.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Ann join the AIRC team,” said Bill Blackwell Jr., executive director of the American Indian Resource Center. “Her skill set fits perfectly with our plan to increase retention, persistence and graduation rates for American Indian students.”

Humphrey has a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Her duties at BSU and NTC begin March 26.

Contact

• Bill Blackwell Jr., executive director, American Indian Resource Center; (218) 755-2032, william.blackwell@bemidjistate.edu

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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BEMIDJI—Ann (Aitken) Humphrey has been named assistant director of the American Indian Resource Center at BSU and Northwest Technical College.

Humphrey was Leech Lake Tribal College’s admission and outreach coordinator since 2015. There, she planned and implemented the recruitment of students, processed admission applications, created resources for recruitment and outreach, and worked closely to ensure students were retained, according to a release from BSU.

“American Indian student success is not only a success for that student, it is a big win for their tribe, their family and their community,” Humphrey said in the release. “I want American Indian students to succeed because that means we have more educated Native voices speaking up.

“This position will give me the opportunity to grow in higher education, personally, professionally and with a great honor of working with some of the brightest and most caring minds at the AIRC.”

Humphrey’s position is newly created to help the university achieve its strategic plan goal of becoming a destination university for American Indian students nationwide.

“We are absolutely thrilled to have Ann join the AIRC team,” said Bill Blackwell Jr., executive director of the AIRC. “Her skill set fits perfectly with our plan to increase retention, persistence and graduation rates for American Indian students.”

Humphrey has a bachelor’s degree in vocal music education from the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Her duties at BSU and NTC begin Monday, March 26.

Websites laud BSU

Several websites recently recognized Bemidji State University and the degrees it offers.

Here’s a list of them:

• BSU ranked fourth on list “2018’s Most Affordable: The Best Online Colleges in Minnesota” by Affordable Colleges Online.

• BSU’s online bachelor’s degree program in accountancy has been ranked 4th in the nation by Online Course Report.

• The bachelor’s degree in criminal justice ranked third on list, “Top 50 Affordable Bachelor’s in Criminal Justice Online 2018” by Great Value Colleges, as well as seventh on list, “The 15 Best Online Bachelor’s in Corrections Programs” by The Best Schools.

• BSU’s online bachelor’s degree in social work ranked sixth on list “50 Best Online Bachelor’s of Social Work Degree Programs 2018” by Best MSW Programs and eighth on list “30 Best Online Bachelors in Social Work Degrees” by College Choice.

• BSU’s Online Registered Nurse degree program ranked 46th on list “Best Online RN Degree Programs: 2018” by Affordable Colleges Online.

• Th online master’s degree in social work ranked ninth on the list “Best Online Master’s in Special Education Degrees” by Top Master’s in Education.

• And BSU’s online bachelor’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in marketing ranked 13th on the list “Most Affordable Online Marketing Degrees” by College Choice.

Leech Lake Tribal College lands $42,000 grant

CASS LAKE—Staff at Leech Lake Tribal College announced Tuesday they received a $42,000 grant from the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community. The grant will be used to purchase a transportation vehicle that will allow Leech Lake Tribal College to deliver more off campus educational and support services to students.

“The Leech Lake Tribal College is extremely grateful to the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community for their generous donation to assist us as we continue to grow programs and deliver high quality educational and support services to our students,” President Pat Broker said in a release. “This grant assistance comes to us at a time of great need and it is with our deepest appreciation that we accept this gift and put it to great use as we will be able to further engage our students in educational, cultural, and sporting events.”

The Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is a federally recognized, sovereign Indian tribe located southwest of Minneapolis/St. Paul. With a focus on being a good neighbor, good steward of the earth, and good employer, the SMSC is committed to charitable donations, community partnerships, a healthy environment and a strong economy, the release said. The SMSC and the SMSC Gaming Enterprise (Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Little Six Casino) are the largest employers in Scott County. The SMSC has donated nearly $300 million to organizations and causes since opening the Gaming Enterprise in the 1990s and has contributed millions more to regional governments and infrastructure such as roads, water and sewer systems and emergency services.

The Leech Lake Tribal College is a two-year degree granting institution open to the public, but mainly serving the population of the Leech Lake Reservation.

BSU to host free federal grant-writing workshop

BEMIDJI—BSU will host a grant-writing workshop by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health in April that aims to help university and health professionals develop more competitive grant proposals.

The April 26-27 University Vision Design Capacity workshop at BSU’s American Indian Resource Center is part of the DHHS Higher Education Technical Assistance Project. The project helps higher education institutions share resource-development strategies, regional health data and health-disparities research while creating opportunities for community engagement and networking, according to a release.

The workshop is free of charge and funds are available to reimburse travel expenses, but attendance will be limited to 35 and interested participants should register as early as possible.

The two-day, hands-on workshop is intended for junior faculty, staff and college or university health professionals who are interested in community-based participatory research; committed to working with underserved populations; and want to build their institution’s capacity to compete for and receive competitive grant awards.

The workshop is coming to Bemidji State through the efforts of Dr. Misty Wilkie, associate professor of nursing. She says the workshop will benefit anyone looking for the skill and knowledge to help improve their institutions or communities through grant-funded initiatives.

“The workshop will provide valuable information to help grant writers develop more competitive proposals for federal grants,” she said. “In the end, this workshop can help institutions and communities take advantage of opportunities to pursue grant funding for their projects.”

Headwaters Film Festival to begin March 28

BEMIDJI—BSU’s student-run Headwaters Film Festival returns for its sixth year beginning Wednesday, March 28, and will feature guests Wyatt Weed, a director and actor for Pirate Pictures, and Gayle Gallagher, a producer for Pirate Pictures, and culminate with a screening of the 1985 Robert Zemeckis classic “Back to the Future.”

Weed and Gallagher produced and directed “Four Color Eulogy,” which will be screened March 28 at 5:30 p.m. The pair will be in attendance at the festival and give a presentation on independent filmmaking Thursday, March 29, from 12:30-1:45 p.m.

The festival, which is being held in the Upper Deck area of Walnut Hall on the BSU campus, is being directed by Samantha Bittner, a senior marketing communication major from Merrifield, Minn., and Judson Tharin, a junior mass communication major from Bemidji.

The Headwaters Film Festival opens with four sessions of International student films beginning at 1 p.m. March 28, and closes with the screening of “Back to the Future” March 29 at 5:30 p.m. All Headwaters Film Festival events are open free to the public. The festival is sponsored by the BSU Department of Integrated Media and BSU Summer Programs.

Wednesday, March 28

• 1-1:50 p.m. — International Student Animated Films

• 2-2:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 1

• 3-3:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 2

• 4-4:50 p.m. — International Student Films, part 3

• 5-5:30 p.m. — Blast from the Past Fashion Show

• 5:30-7:30 p.m. — “Four Color Eulogy”

Thursday, March 29

• 12:30-1:45 p.m. — Presentation on independent filmmaking by director Wyatt Weed and producer Gayle Gallagher of Pirate Films, Inc.

• 2-3:15 p.m. — Colorado Environmental Film Festival Selections

• 3:30-4:45 p.m. — Minnesota Student Films, with a question-and-answer session with select student filmmakers

• 5-5:30 p.m. — Movie Trivia

• 5:30 p.m. — “Ba

• “Back to the Future” (1985)

It was easy to find Janice Haworth’s World Music class on Friday morning.

The hum of more than 40 student-made didgeridoos — the centuries-old indigenous Australian wind instrument — filled the music professor’s classroom at Bemidji State University and spilled out into Bangsberg Hall.

Haworth’s students made their didgeridoos out of PVC pipe that they sanded and painted to look like traditional wooden ones. They have no internal mechanisms — the students buzzed their lips against one end of their didgeridoo to produce the instrument’s unmistakable droning sound, punctuated with dingo-like yawps or shifting “e-o-e-o” warbles.

“It’s like a trumpet with no valves,” Haworth said. She brought in a saxophone teacher to help students learn their didgeridoos, which they put together for a broader lesson on the music of the Eastern Hemisphere. Fall semester students made Peruvian pan pipes as they studied Western Hemisphere music.

“This is the first instrument I’ve ever been able to play,” Trevor Poxleitner, a freshman business major at BSU, said with a laugh.

The most participants in a didgeridoo ensemble is 238, according to the Guiness Book of World Records — Haworth joked that her ensemble was only about 200 people short of that mark.

Dr. Jim Barta, dean of the College of Health Sciences and Human Ecology at Bemidji State University, will kick off a newly formed Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series April 2 with a presentation on mathematics and indigenous culture.

The lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. at BSU’s American Indian Resource Center. Admission is free to all.

Barta’s lecture, “Math and Culture: Indigenous Activities and Instruction for Our Students,” begins a five-lecture series that includes faculty from the University of North Dakota, North Dakota State University and the University of Manitoba.

Barta will be sharing his research into ethnomathematics, which studies the relationship between math and cultures.

“For most ‘math’ is a noun and thought of as something fixed, impersonal and rigid,” he said. “For others, including many sharing an indigenous paradigm, ‘math’ is a verb where people name it how they use it.”

His research involves interviewing elders in tribal communities to learn how math was traditionally used in everyday practice such as in beadwork, moccasin or mitten making, home construction, telling time or making a calendar. Using this knowledge as a framework, he explains these traditional activities using modern mathematical concepts. This work illustrates to teachers how the lived experiences of their students can create bridges of understanding and learn the relevance and application of their newly gained knowledge.

Barta has been dean of Bemidji State’s College of Health Sciences and Human Ecology since July 2017 after serving two years as interim dean from 2013-2015. In between, he was dean and professor at Mercer University’s Tift College of Education since 2015. There, he served as the college’s lead administrator at Mercer, which has campuses in Macon, Atlanta, Henry, Douglas and Newnan, Ga.

Before coming to BSU in 2013, he held a variety of administrative and teaching positions including director of the American Indian Teacher Education Program at Utah State University–Eastern, associate department head of regional campus and distance education at Utah State University, assistant and associate professor of education and human services at Utah State University, visiting professor in the Office of First Nation and Inuit Education at McGill University/Concordia University, and assistant professor of early childhood education and reading at Georgia Southern University.

Barta has developed a national and international reputation for his work in ethnomathematics, the study of the relationship between mathematics and culture with a focus on indigenous cultures in the United States, Canada and Central America. For eight years, he led teams of educators providing professional development for Mayan charter school teachers in the rural Highlands of Guatemala. Since 2012 he has served as vice president of Teachers-2-Teachers Global, which develops teams of mathematics coaches who travel to rural villages throughout the world to provide professional development to teachers.

He also serves on the boards of the United States National Commission of Mathematics Improvement and the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education’s Committee on Global Diversity.

Barta has a bachelor’s degree in industrial science education from Colorado State University, a master’s degree in learning disabilities and emotional behavior disorders from the University of Northern Colorado and a doctorate in curriculum and instruction in early childhood education from the University of Oregon.

Future presentations in the Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series include:

• April 9, 6:30 p.m. — Dr. Tanis Welch, University of North Dakota, “Environmental Influences on Children’s Physical Activity, Enjoyment and Bullying.”
• April 16, 7 p.m. — Dr. Joe Deutsch, North Dakota State University, “Using Fitness Testing Results to Access the Effectiveness of Various Intervention in the Gymnasium.”
• April 23, 6:30 p.m. — Dr. Bradford Strand, North Dakota State University, “Bullying in Sports: Differences in Player and Coach Perspectives and How Do We Change the Culture Through Coaching Education.”
• April 30, 6:30 p.m. — Dr. Joannie Halas, University of Manitoba, “Rec and Read/Aboriginal Youth Mentorship Programs for All Nations.”

The lecture series is sponsored by BSU’s American Indian Resource Center, the North Central Sport Pedagogy Network, Paul Bunyan Communications, Dick’s Plumbing and Heating of Bemidji and First National Bank Bemidji.

Contact

• Dr. Jim Barta, dean, College of Health Sciences and Human Ecology, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-2965, jim.barta@bemidjistate.edu
• Dan Ninham, director, Distinguished Scholar Lecture Series; [coach.danninham@gmail.com]

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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Wednesday, March 28th

1–1:50 p.m. — International Student Films – Animation

• “Cinematic Love Story,” directed by Patrick Büchting, Germany (comedy, 4 min.)
  A teenage-girl and a teenage-boy are on their first date, watching a romantic comedy in a theatre, but then the unexpected happens!
• “Sog,” directed by Jonatan Schwenk, Germany (animation, 10 min.)
  After a flood, some fish got stuck in old trees. In danger of drying out, they scream sharply. Woken up by the noise, the inhabitants of a nearby cave don’t feel happy about the unintended gathering.
• “Patrioska,” directed by Tiago Araújo, Portugal (animation, 10 min.)
  Five deities of power gather in an Underground Secret Society to discuss major themes about world domination and status-quo. Mr. Visionarius has Machiavellian prospects for the future of mankind, but he is warned by the Angel Auditivus about the spiritual awakening present in some avenues of Western society. WARNING: This video may potentially trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy.
• “Quarter Life,” directed by Sandy Barber, Australia (music video, 1 min.)
  Through the relationship between elements, the filmmaker wants to engage the viewer with the simplistic “contemporary still life” scene that brings into question global youth culture.
• “Plavba (Sailing),” directed by Anastasia Strockova, Czech Republic (animation, 5 min.)
  A pirate, content with his self-inflicted loneliness, sails his ship across the wide ocean. The animation is accompanied by a poetic voice-over commentary written by screenwriter Lucia Kajánková), narrated by the unique voice of the legendary Czech voice-actor Jaromír Meduna.
• “Catherine,” directed by Britt Raes, Belgium (animation, 12 min.)
  Catherine loves pets! But most of all, she loves her cat. As she grows up, she cannot connect with other people. Her cat is her life, and little by little she grows up to be a crazy old cat lady… Will she ever find friendship or love?

2–2:50 p.m. — International Student Films Part 1

• “Ngarksa (The Burden),” directed by Florim Likaj, Germany (drama, 13 min.)
  The story of two siblings. AGRON and DRITA fled from Kosovo to Berlin, Germany in 1999 after their parents were killed by the Serbian army. Agron has worked hard and purchased his own house to provide safety of a home for his sister. The two lead a happy life until a Serbian family moves into the neighboring house. WARNING: Violence, adult situations – not for children.
• “I Det Fri (I am Free),” directed by Edvard Karijord, Norway (documentary, 20 min.)
  An intimate documentary about loss, hope and living with unanswered questions.On the 8th of October 2013, Geir Karijord goes missing in Romsdal Valley, Norway. This leaves his family in limbo – should they mourn their brother and son, or should they hope for his return? I am Free depicts the family’s experience of Geir’s disappearance. It is an intimate documentary about loss, hope and living with unanswered questions. WARNING: Adult situations. Not for children.
• “Acheron,” directed by Matthias Kreter, Germany (thriller, 14 min.)
  We witness the rivalries between three gangsters and the growing panic of their hostage in the trunk. WARNING: Adult language, extreme violence. Not for children.

3–3:50 p.m. — International Student Films Part 2

• “Mein ist Die Rache (Mine is the Revenge) (Confessio),” directed by Antoine Dengler, Germany (thriller, 20 min.)
  While taking confession, a stranger comments on priest Benedikt’s latest sermon. As it turns out these two men know more about each other than either of them would be comfortable to admit. What started as a confession quickly turns into a game of life and death. WARNING: Extreme Violence, adult language, adult situations. Not for children.
• “Mia,” directed by Lukas Hablitzel, Germany (drama, 20 min.)
  While Viola seems to have a perfect life, Ellen has to deal with difficult family conditions and bad grades. Although Viola supports her as well as she can, it gets clearer that Ellen envies her secretly. She starts to invent stories about her that could destroy everything for Viola. A drama about friendship, where nothing is as it seems. WARNING: Drug use, adult situations. Not for children.

4–4:50 p.m. — International Student Films Part 3

• “Cinematic Love Story,” directed by Patrick Büchting, Germany (comedy, 4 min.)
  A teenage girl and a teenage boy are on their first date, watching a romantic comedy in a theater when the unexpected happens.
• “Der Grosse Tag (The Big Day),” directed by Will Kubica, Germany (dark comedy, 10 min.)
  Herbert has been more than peaceful for the last few years. Today he has the chance to meet his chaotic family one last time. The big day has come: Grandpa Herbert Maibach has become obsolete. Spending the last years in a coma, he didn’t exactly cover himself in glory. The family gathers to say their goodbyes. Easier said than done… WARNING: Adult situations. Not for children.
• “Growing Pains,” directed by Elijah Watson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln. (drama, 10 min.)
  When tragedy strikes in the middle of the night, a young boy is forced to pick up the pieces of his life and discover that everything is going to be alright.
• “Ingest,” directed by Carson Cary, University of North Carolina-School of the Arts (drama, 2 min.)
  A stimulant-fueled joyride through the semantic processes of your typical egomaniac millennial artist — a critique of the illusion of “originality as an ideal.”
• “Liebesbrief (Love Note),” directed by Marcus Hanisch, Germany (romance, 6 min.)
  A bored, lazy girl degenerates in her over-digitalized single apartment. She sends emojis to her love interest until a power outage forces her to write an analog love note.
• “Catherine,” directed by Britt Raes, Belgium (animation, 12 min.)
  Catherine loves pets — but most of all, she loves her cat. As she grows up, she cannot connect with other people. Her cat is her life, and little by little she grows up to be a crazy old cat lady… Will she ever find friendship or love?

5–5:30 p.m. — Blast from the Past Fashion Show

Put your best foot forward with a 1980s look. Prizes for the winners.

5:30–7:30 p.m. — Feature Film

“Four Color Eulogy,” directed by Wyatt Weed (comedy, 120 min.)
Growing up the only child of a single mother, aspiring comic book creator Chris escaped St. Louis ten years ago and moved to Portland with his girlfriend Anne, forging a new life for himself. But when Chris learns that his mother is ill, he and Anne have no choice but to pack up their lives and move back home. Uprooted, his life completely disrupted, Chris is forced to face his mother’s mortality and that nagging old childhood question: Who was his father, and why wasn’t he around? With the help of his childhood buddy Brian, (a pop culture geek), and family friend/mentor Rich, (a bartender with a creative secret), Chris will have to determine what is more important: The hero’s origin, or his ongoing journey?

Director Wyatt Weed and Producer Gayle Gallagher will introduce the film in person.

Thursday, March 29th

12:30–1:45 p.m. — Guest Speakers Wyatt Weed & Gayle Gallagher

Director Wyatt Weed and Producer Gayle Gallagher, Pirate Pictures will speak and answer questions about their experience creating small and large budget independent films. For all aspiring filmmakers – this is a must-see event!

2:00 – 3:15 pm – Selections from the Colorado Environmental Film Festival

• “Water,” directed by Mark Knight (4 min.)
  Take a journey to some of the planet’s most spectacular glaciers, waterfalls, beaches, rivers and waterways. Destinations include Iceland, Igauzu Falls, Atchafalaya Basin, Lake Tahoe, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Punta Cana. Country: USA
• “Prescription Strength Convenience,” directed by Malia Cahill (2 min.)
  This parody of a prescription drug commercial pokes fun at the many environmentally unfriendly actions we take on a daily basis in our convenience-addicted society, and how they impact our environment and quality of life. Country: USA
• “Strike Out,” directed by Abigail Slama-Catron (5 min.)
  A team of Utah sixth graders design a novel bird-scare device. It began as a First Lego League project to address a community need and come up with a solution; it turns into something much more and leaves a lasting impact. Country: USA
• “Cities Beneath the Sea,” directed by: Malia Cahill (9 min.)
  Featuring interviews with local marine experts, this documentary details the recent rise in coral bleaching, what this means for marine ecosystems, and the outlook for coral reefs in Hawaii and globally in a rapidly changing climate. (Huliau Environmental Filmmaking Club) Country: USA
• “Melting Away,” directed by Liam Walton (17 min.)
  Liam Walton, an 18-year-old Colorado high school student, has a passion for skiing that drove him to explore the impact of climate change on his favorite sport and the delicate multi-billion dollar ski industry. Country: USA
• “Walk on the Mountain,” directed by Madeleine Van Dam and Onika Richards (19 min.)
  Explore the environmental and economic distress of the coal fields in West Virginia through the eyes of anti-coal activist Junior Walk. Country: USA
• “Protecting the Blue Whales and the Blue Skies,” directed by Michael Hanrahan (7 min.)
  In an effort to educate and bring awareness about ship strikes and air pollution, the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary in Santa Barbara worked in collaboration with Earth Media Lab to create Protecting Blue Whales & Blue Skies. This film highlights the importance and significance of the 2016 Vessel Speed Reduction program, which incentivizes voluntary slowing of ships to reduce whale strikes and air pollution. Country: USA 

3:30–4:45 p.m. — Minnesota Student Films and Q & A session

Join us as we celebrate our talented local filmmakers. After the screening, student filmmakers will participate in a lively Q & A session about their films. The audience will vote on the best Minnesota student film, which will receive a $50 cash award. We will announce the festival prize winners.

• “Leo Quinn,” directed by Paul Bhajjan, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (experimental, 5 min.)
  LEO QUINN is an experimental project that both suggests and documents the ties a select visual artist has with two significant portraits he has created.
• “Missed,” directed by Emma Hudziak, Bemidji State University (narrative, 5 min.)
  The film is about a little boy and his relationship with his teddy bear.
• “A Slice of Action,” directed by Demi Turner, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (pixelation animation, 1 min.)
  A hungry, lonely woman waits for her delivery boy. 
• “Awkward,” directed by Hannah Cook, Bemidji State University (personal documentary, 3 min.)
  This is an autobiographical film I created for my Digital Cinema class at Bemidji State University.
• “Thin Enough,” directed by Zachary Howatt, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (narrative, 4 min.)
  This film takes the viewer into the mind of a girl struggling with anorexia and the desire for acceptance. What she thinks she wants, however, is the thing that is keeping her from what she really needs. In trying to lose weight, she neglects her friendships and lets herself be consumed by her fear of consuming food.
• “Quintessenza,” directed by Rodrigo Costa, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (narrative, 6 min.)
  A girl who just lost her adoptive mother has to escape from the mind-prison that she has set herself in and face the harsh reality of the world.
• “Clay,” directed by Sydney Jenkins, Minnesota State University, Moorhead (animation, 4 min.)
  A student creates a clay dragon that comes to life, only to realizes he is alone. The film follows him on his emotional adventure in trying to tell the student that he wants a friend.

5–5:30 p.m. — Blast from the Past Trivia

Join us for a specially developed 1980s trivia session with prizes for the winners.

5:30–7:30 p.m. – Feature Film – Blast from the Past

“Back to the Future,” directed by Robert Zemeckis (1985, Fantasy/Science Fiction, 1 hour 56 minutes)
Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown. Stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson and Crispin Glover.

Bucky the Beaver and the 18 Bemidji State University students traveling to the United Kingdom for EuroSpring 2018 visited the Ashmolean Museum, Avebury, Stonehenge and Salisbury Cathedral during the second week of their five-week adventure.

BEMIDJI — As she paged through decades worth of old files documenting Bemidji State University’s nascent environmental efforts, Erika Bailey-Johnson said three names kept showing up.

Those three men — Pat Welle, Rich Marsolek and Steve Spigarelli — all received Amik Awards on Monday at the university’s annual Feast of Green, which aims to celebrate the sustainability efforts there and recognize those who’ve been instrumental in them.

“I just noticed how many critical, historical building blocks for environmental work on campus was created by those three,” Bailey-Johnson told the Pioneer. “Steve Spigarelli and Pat Welle and Rich Marsolek’s names were just on lot of the early work that really established us as a leader in the field.”

The awards’ name comes from the Ojibwe word for “beaver.” Each award was made from the wood of a white pine tree that used to be on campus, Bailey-Johnson said, and carved into the shape of a small beaver by a local woodworker.

Welle is an emeritus professor of economics and environmental studies at the university who focused his research on estimating the economic benefits of preserving water and forest quality, Bailey-Johnson told a group of about 40 people in the school’s American Indian Resource Center.

Marsolek was a long-serving environmental health and safety officer at BSU who helped pioneer the school’s dual-sort recycling system, among other initiatives.

And Spigarelli is emeritus professor of environmental studies at the university who directed its Center for Environmental Studies for more than 20 years.

“Bemidji State has been a leader in environmental research and education since the mid-1960s,” Spigarelli wrote. “I encourage BSU to build on this foundation of research and education.”

That seems to be the plan. A series of BSU students recapped what they’ve been up to in the school’s sustainability office and what they’ve got planned for the near-future: an environmentally friendly tiny house they’re building with the school’s engineering students; a “bio bin” at the school and Sanford Bemidji; and a green-minded art festival next month.

Dr. Cornelia “Corrie” Santos has joined Bemidji State University as the lead faculty member for Niizhoo Gwayakochigewin, a unique academic program that brings indigenous perspectives into environmental sustainability initiatives.

Named for an Ojibwe phrase which translates to “two ways of making things right,” Niizhoo Gwayakochigewin draws from the university’s Sustainability Office, Department of Languages and Indigenous Studies, Department of Environmental Studies and American Indian Resource Center to create a single co-curricular program.

“We’re trying to build a dual-degree program using our strengths in indigenous studies and environmental studies together,” Santos said. “My dissertation was about indigenous ways of knowing and being, and I have a background in environmental science, so this is a perfect fit for me.”

Santos came to Bemidji State in January from the University of Colorado, where she was a post-doctoral fellow at the university’s Centers for American Indian and Alaskan Native Health. Prior to that, she spent time as a research consultant and as a researcher for Native American Cancer Research, Native American Cancer Initiatives and Denver Public Health. Many of her projects drew on her expertise in environmental science.

Santos says the program’s first goal will be to illustrate why the idea of combining indigenous knowledge with sustainability efforts is, in her words, a natural fit. She will lead that initiative along with Erika Bailey-Johnson, director of the Niizhoo Gwayakochigewin collaborative and BSU’s director of sustainability.

“It comes from something that, as an indigenous person, I already know at a very deep level,” she said. “Now the challenge is to convince others that it will be good for us to be looking at environmental issues through an indigenous lens.

“It’s rare to have this in a formal degree program. So that’s my charge — to develop courses that combine these perspectives.”

While there is one similar program in Canada — the Indigenous Environmental Studies/Science Program at Trent University — Santos said that in the United States, degree programs in that combine indigenous perspectives with Western knowledge are rare.

“We’re looking for innovative ways to approach our environmental sustainability issues, so this is a wonderful way to approach some new ideas,” she said.

“Bemidji State has a long history of leadership in environmental sustainability and is continuing to build deep partnerships with the tribal nations in our area. There’s no better place to try something like this.”

Santos said the program will hire six undergraduate students and two graduate students.

The undergraduates will be charged with identifying and pursuing collaboration opportunities between the program and local communities, while the graduate students will provide leadership in the program during the academic year.

Santos has a bachelor’s degree in biology & chemistry from Metropolitan State University of Denver, with a master’s degree in environmental science and a doctorate in education, educational leadership and innovation, both from the University of Colorado at Denver.

BSU expects to begin offering courses in Niizhoo Gwayakochigewin this fall. The program is supported by a $600,000 grant from the Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies.

Contact

• Dr. Cornelia Santos, assistant professor of indigenous and environmental studies; csantos@bemidjistate.edu

Links

• BSU News: “New Academic Program Will Bring Indigenous Perspectives into Sustainability Efforts”

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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A keynote presentation by a product-development researcher for Google headlines Bemidji State University’s 19th annual Student Achievement Conference on April 4.

The conference features nearly 150 projects and presentations by nearly 300 students representing a wide variety of academic majors and programs, with additional students participating in invitational displays featuring design, fine arts and music.

The theme for this year’s conference is “A Century of Inspiration.” The conference falls on the 100th anniversary of the groundbreaking for construction of Bemidji Normal School, a building that today is Deputy Hall on the Bemidji State University campus.

The conference begins at 8:30 a.m. with a keynote breakfast in the Beaux Arts Ballroom of BSU’s upper Hobson Memorial Union, which leads into the 9 a.m. keynote address by Dr. Robert Youmans, a lecturer at the University of California Berkeley. Oral presentations will be held in two sessions in Hagg-Sauer Hall, with a morning session beginning at 10:30 a.m. and an afternoon session beginning at 1 p.m., and poster presentations begin at 11:30 a.m. in Memorial Hall.

In addition, the American Indian Resource Center will hold a fry bread taco sale between 11 a.m.–1:30 p.m.

More than 140 students are giving oral presentations on subjects including theories of income polarization in the U.S., live-cell imaging of a protein called TCL, fish house rentals at the BSU Outdoor Program Center, CARE training for bystander intervention in sexual assault cases, and the relationship between working and grade-point average for college students.

Poster presentations by 159 students include topics such as facial recognition software, an examination of nesting habits of purple martins on Lake Bemidji, how different cultures reflect shapeshifting in their myths and legends, and an environmental impact assessment of Bemidji Brewing.

A complete list of presenters and presentation topics is available on the conference’s website, and Hagg-Sauer Hall will include signs with presentation schedules and locations on the day of the conference.

All activities of the Student Achievement Conference are open free to the public.

Conference Schedule

8:30 a.m. — Keynote Breakfast Buffet, Beaux Arts Ballroom, upper Hobson Memorial Union.
9 a.m. — Keynote Address: Dr. Robert Youmans, Beaux Arts Ballroom.
10:30-11:45 a.m. — Student Presentations: Morning Sessions, Hagg-Sauer Hall. Four 15-minute sessions with five-minute breaks in between.
11 a.m.–1 p.m. — Fry bread taco sale, American Indian Resource Center.
11:30 a.m.–1 p.m— Poster Presentations and Design, Fine Arts and Music Invitational Displays, Memorial Hall.
1–2:15 p.m. — Student Presentations: Afternoon Sessions, Hagg-Sauer Hall. Four 15-minute sessions with five-minute breaks in between.

Dr. Robert Youmans

Dr. Robert J. Youmans is a cognitive psychologist who directs product-development research at Google and is head of user experience research sciences at YouTube. Prior to joining Google, he was the director of the Creative Design and User Experience laboratory at George Mason University and an assistant professor of applied cognition at California State University, Northridge.

He earned his doctorate in cognitive psychology with a doctoral minor in industrial design at the University of Illinois at Chicago for his research on links between physical prototyping and creative design. He also has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from North Carolina State University and a master’s degree in experimental psychology from Wake Forest University.

Calendar

April 4 — 8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m. – 19th Annual Student Achievement Conference at Bemidji State University. More than 300 BSU undergraduate students share their academic and creative achievements through presentations, poster sessions and performances. Features 9 a.m. keynote address by Dr. Robert J. Youmans, head of user experience research at YouTube. Presentations begin at 10:30 a.m. in Hagg-Sauer and Memorial halls; complete schedule available on conference website (visit bemidjistate.edu and search for ‘student achievement conference’). All events open free of charge to the public.

Contact

• Dr. Travis Ricks, assistant professor of psychology, interim director of the Student Achievement Conference; (218) 755-2106, travis.ricks@bemidjistate.edu

Links

• Dr. Robert J. Youmans on LinkedIn

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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The Bemidji State University-led Trombone Choir, which includes BSU faculty and students and members of the Bemidji community, presents its spring concert April 10.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Thompson Recital Hall of BSU’s Bangsberg Fine Arts Complex. Admission is free.

The 15-member Trombone Choir includes eight BSU students, including students with music majors and minors and non-music students and seven members of the Bemidji community.

The concert will feature music for trombone choir, as well as small ensembles of BSU students.

Mike Newton, a senior music education major from Bemidji, and Levi Espeseth, a senior music major from Merrifield, Minn., will perform Eric Ewazen’s “Pastorale,” accompanied by Lindsay Marketon, a senior music education and music major from Howard Lake, Minn.

Noah Harstad, a junior music education major from Fertile, Minn., Tim Roehrich, a junior music education major from Baxter, Minn., and Espeseth will perform Ralph Sauer’s arrangement of ”Sonata No. 4″ by Giovanni Pergolesi.

The performance also will feature music composed by Richard Wagner, Enrique Crespo and others.

The Trombone Choir is co-directed by Curtis Olson and Ryan Webber, both adjunct instructors of trombone and low brass at BSU. The pair brought BSU’s Trombone Choir back in the fall of 2017 after the ensemble had been on a brief hiatus.

Olson is a BSU alumnus who has returned to his alma mater after a 37-year teaching career at Michigan State University, where he is now a professor emeritus. He taught trombone at Michigan State from 1976-2001, when he was appointed associate dean of the College of Music, a position he held until he retired in 2013 and returned to Bemidji. He has performed with a variety of symphony orchestras and has won numerous awards as a trombone instructor.

Webber joined the BSU faculty in 2017. He is an orchestral musician and conductor and is currently pit orchestra director for the Park Rapids-based Northern Light Opera Company. He has a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of California, Irvine and a master’s degree in music from the University of Kansas.

Contact

• Curtis Olson, adjunct instructor of trombone and low brass, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-2700, curtis.olson@bemidjistate.edu
• Ryan Webber, adjunct instructor of trombone and low brass, Bemidji State University; [Ryan.Webber@bemidjistate.edu]

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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An exhibition of ceramic and print work from collections held by Bemidji State University, including a lithograph by famed French printmaker Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, opens April 6 at the Harlow-Kleven gallery in Bemidji’s Watermark Art Center.

“Being Here” explores the use of the human figure, which has been an integral part of visual arts throughout history, as inspiration when creating works of art.

“Through the use of the human figure, the artist holds a mirror up to who we are and reflects on the human experience,” said Harlow-Kleven Gallery Director Laura Goliaszewski. “Whether the figure is a simple stick figure drawn on cave walls or a collection of human body parts in simple geometric forms, we still have a connection with each representation. We see ourselves in these images, we connect with the experiences portrayed and, hopefully, we are changed.”

“Being Here” draws from BSU’s ceramic and print teaching collections. The exhibition features 12 prints, including “Chambermaid” by Toulouse-Lautrec, and 16 ceramics works.

“The works here were collected so that students have the opportunity to be inspired by and hopefully experiment with different art techniques,” Goliaszewski said. “Also, having access to these works, they learn how artists use their voice to evoke a response from the viewer.“

“Being Here” will be open at the Watermark Art Center until Aug. 24.

The Watermark Art Center has operated in Bemidji since 1982 as a member-supported, non-profit organization. The Watermark Art Gallery is located at 505 Bemidji Ave N. It is open from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday—Wednesday and Friday–Saturday; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Thursday; and noon-4 p.m. Sunday.

About the Harlow-Kleven Gallery

Bemidji State University’s Harlow-Kleven Gallery at the Watermark Art Center is named for long-time art patrons and BSU alumnae Margaret A. Harlow and Lille M. Kleven. Harlow, a 1936 graduate, established the Harlow Ceramics Collection in 1973, and Kleven established a print collection at BSU in 1979. Both are used as teaching collections for current BSU students. The Harlow Collection includes more than 400 pieces from all eras, including Turkish work that dates to the first century A.D. The Kleven Collection includes more than 800 pieces and includes work by renowned printmakers such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

The Harlow-Kleven Gallery was dedicated at the Dec. 2, 2017, opening of Bemidji’s Watermark Art Gallery. Space for the gallery was secured in Feb. 2015 when the BSU Foundation Board of Directors voted to use a $500,000 unallocated gift raised as part of BSU’s Imagine Tomorrow campaign to fund an ongoing lease for gallery space in the center.

Calendar

April 6-Aug. 24– “Being Here,” an exhibition of work from Bemidji State University’s Margaret A. Harlow Ceramics and Lillie M. Kleven Print collections. Exploring the use of the human figure as an inspiration for art. Location: Watermark Art Center, 505 Bemidji Ave. N, Bemidji. Admission: free. Information: (218) 444-7570.

Contact

• Laura Goliaszewski, director, Harlow-Kleven and Talley galleries, Bemidji State University; (218) 755-3737, laura.goliaszewski@bemidjistate.edu

Links

• Watermark Art Center

Bemidji State University, located amid the lakes and forests of northern Minnesota, occupies a wooded campus along the shore of Lake Bemidji. Enrolling more than 5,100 students, Bemidji State offers more than 80 undergraduate majors and eight graduate degrees encompassing arts, sciences and select professional programs. BSU is a member of the Minnesota State system of colleges and universities and has a faculty and staff of more than 550. The university’s Shared Fundamental Values include environmental stewardship, civic engagement and international and multicultural understanding.

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BEMIDJI — She’s been on the job less than a week, but the new assistant director at Bemidji State University’s American Indian Resource Center is steeped in American Indian education.

Ann Humphrey will mainly work to retain American Indian students at the university. That means doubling down on programming designed to help students, particularly American Indian ones, feel comfortable at BSU: community get-togethers, Wednesday night childcare to take students’ children off their hands for a bit, and learning the ropes of other BSU departments so Humphrey can help students navigate them.

“Being able to have more Native graduates means having more Native experts,” Humphrey told the Pioneer. “It’s not just a win for that Native student, it’s a win for their tribe, their family, and it’s a win for BSU, it’s a win for the AIRC.”

BSU staff hope to turn the school into a destination for American Indian students, and the school’s new strategic plan aims to attract more students of color over the next five years. Humphrey will also run the resource center’s day-to-day operations while Executive Director Bill Blackwell, Jr., is out of town.

Humphrey graduated from Cass Lake-Bena High School in 2010. She’s a 2015 graduate of the University of Minnesota Duluth, where she studied vocal music; K-12 education; American Indian culture, history, and experiences; and coaching.

She’s also a Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe member. Humphrey’s mom is Ho-chunk, and her father is Larry P. Aitken, who helped found Leech Lake Tribal College in the early 1990s and mentored Blackwell at UMD.

Humphrey said she grew up at the tribal college.

“I don’t know how many kids grow up going to their dad’s classes and knowing what racial inequity is and racial disparities,” said Humphrey, who was an admissions outreach coordinator at the tribal college for nearly three years before she took her new job at BSU. “It’s been a really long journey and a really fun one, being able to work in academics for so long and being able to have it ingrained in me that it is a community thing, it is a whole town kind of thing.”