Bemidji State University's 50th annual Powwow

Council of Indian Students Celebrates 50th Powwow

For the 50th time, Bemidji State University’s Council of Indian Students hosted its annual powwow, April 29 in the BSU Gymnasium. The council’s powwow is one of the university’s longest-running campus events and among the longest-running annual powwows in the northern Minnesota region. The event hosted hundreds of dancers and drummers from across Minnesota, with cash prizes for the top performers.

Saying Good Luck to the Class of 2023

More than 1,000 students celebrated the culmination of their college journeys at BSU’s 2023 Commencement ceremonies, May 5 at Bemidji’s Sanford Center. Continuing recent tradition, each of BSU’s three colleges held its own ceremony. In total, 1,014 students received undergraduate degrees and 76 students earned master’s degrees. This year’s graduating class also included 67 American Indian students and 35 military personnel or veterans. Tuleah Palmer, president and CEO of the Grand Rapids-based Blandin Foundation, provided this year’s commencement address as the 39th recipient of the Distinguished Minnesotan award, which for the first time was jointly bestowed by BSU and Northwest Technical College.

Students from 5 Minnesota High Schools Attend BSU Sings! Day

Nearly 150 high school singers from TrekNorth in Bemidji, Grand Rapids High School, Falls High School, Clearbrook-Gonvick High School and Chanhassen High School attended the second annual BSU Sings! Day on March 15. The singers joined BSU faculty and students for a day of music theory and rehearsals before participating in a recital in the Beaux Arts Ballroom.

Created by Dr. Jennifer Olson, assistant professor of music, BSU Sings! is an online educational video series for high school choir instructors that reaches more than 44,000 students in 23 states.

Internationally Renowned Artists Visit Bemidji State

Internationally renowned artists and Louisiana State University instructors Dr. Brandon Hendrickson and Elena Lacheva joined Bemidji State’s Dr. Jennifer Olson, assistant professor of music, for a Bemidji Concert Series recital on March 31 in the Carl O. Thompson Recital Hall. Called “Heaven and Earth,” the recital featured a performance of “La Chanson d’Ève” (The Songs of Eve) by Gabriel Fauré and “Chansons gaillardes” (Ribald Songs) by Francis Poulenc.

BSU Recognizes Faculty & Staff Milestones, Retirements

Bemidji State celebrated 58 employees with 615 years of combined years of service, 12 faculty and service faculty members who have been granted emeriti status and 31 retiring staff members at its annual Employee Recognition Celebration on April 27 in Beaux Arts Ballroom.

Randy Ludeman Named Minnesota State’s 2023 Service Faculty of the Year

Dr. Randy Ludeman, dean of students and director of housing & residential life, was named 2023 Service Faculty of the Year by the Minnesota State Board of Trustees. Ludeman was nominated for the award by BSU President John L. Hoffman and selected by a system-wide review committee. Ludeman is the second consecutive BSU employee and third overall, to win Service Faculty of the Year honors. Erika Bailey-Johnson, sustainability director, was the 2022 honoree and Kierstin Hoven, director of campus recreation, won the inaugural award in 2017. Ludeman was formally recognized at the Minnesota State Board of Trustees spring luncheon on April 19.

Students Showcase Service-Learning Projects on April 20

BSU students exhibited several service- learning projects they completed in the Bemidji community at the Community Partner Meet-and-Greet event on April 20 at downtown Bemidji’s Mayflower Building. Projects included increasing college-aged attendance at Bemidji’s Headwaters Science Center, updating educational spaces at the Boys & Girls Club of the Bemidji Area and supporting Adult Day Service’s ability to provide enriching activities for Bemidji’s older adults.

1,088 BSU Students Named to Fall Semester Honor Rolls

Four hundred forty-one students who were enrolled in 12 or more credits and earned a GPA of 4.0 were named to the President’s Honor Roll at the end of the fall 2022 semester. An additional 647 were named to the Dean’s List, which celebrates students also enrolled in 12 or more credits with a GPA between 3.5 and 3.99 during the semester.

Minnesota State Awards Grant to Cut Textbook Costs

Bemidji State was awarded a $25,000 grant from Minnesota State to explore implementing baccalaureate programs that can be completed without students needing to purchase textbooks or other resources. Minnesota State’s Z-Degree initiative lists complete associate or bachelor’s degree programs that can be completed using course resources that are at no cost to students, including open educational resources, open textbooks and library-curated materials. BSU is one of eight system colleges and universities currently in the process of developing Z-degree courses at their institutions.

New Administrators

We’re excited to welcome three new administrators to Bemidji State and Northwest Technical College.

Henoc Preciado

Henoc Preciado was named interim head of staff for BSU and NTC in January. He comes to Bemidji having most recently served as the systemwide manager of the Basic Needs Initiative at the California State University Office of the Chancellor, which serves the university system’s 23 campuses by providing food assistance, emergency housing and mental health services to its students.

Ben Hoffman

Ben Hoffman was named registrar and executive director of admissions in January. Hoffman previously worked as registrar and director of academic advising at Northland Community and Technical College in East Grand Forks and Thief River Falls. Prior to that, he spent over 21 years in the admissions office at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, N.D.

Krisi Fenner

Krisi Fenner was named vice president for finance and administration for BSU and NTC in February. She was previously Bemidji Area Schools’ director of business services overseeing an annual budget of nearly $80 million, assisting with employment contract negotiations and oversight of facilities operations.