Faculty and Staff News — May 2017

May 10, 2017

Employee Recognition Awards

Bemidji State recognized 68 employees with 970 combined years of service, four faculty members who have been granted emeriti status and winners of the university’s inaugural Awards of Excellence at its annual Employee Recognition Celebration April 27.

  • Spirit of BSU Award (individual) – Diane Renken, administrative and technical specialist in the Office of Admissions
  • Spirit of BSU Award (team) – The Student Achievement Conference planning committee, under the direction of Dr. Mahmoud Al-Odeh, associate professor of technology, art and design.
  • Outstanding Contribution Award – Bill Blackwell, Jr., executive director, American Indian Resource Center.
  • Excellence in Teaching Award – Dr. Glen Richgels, professor emeritus of mathematics.
  • Distinguished Service Award – Dr. Sandra Kranz, professor of accountancy.

BSU’s 2017 retirees, new emeriti faculty and employees honored with length-of-service awards are listed on BSU News.

Faculty and Staff Achievements

  • Erika Bailey-Johnson, sustainability coordinator, presented at the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy’s annual Women’s Breakfast in April. Bailey-Johnson was a panelist for “Be Your Own Environmental Hero:  Fresh Strategies Without The Politics”, which focused on ways women can be agents for positive social change outside of the political process.
  • Dr. Kelly La Venture, assistant professor of business, earned Quality Matters certification for the blended-delivery version of her course BUAD 4467 Marketing Research. Quality Matters is a faculty-centered peer review process designed to certify the quality of online and blended-delivery courses. It is La Venture’s sixth course to be certified by Quality Matters.
  • Dr. Jessamay Pesek, assistant professor of professional education, earned Quality Matters certification for her course ED 5100 Introduction to the Foundations of Public School Education. Quality Matters is a faculty-centered peer review process designed to certify the quality of online and blended-delivery courses. It is Pesek’s first course to be certified by Quality Matters.
  • Dr. Anton Treuer, professor of Ojibwe, was training facilitator at a two-day “Healing the Racial Divide: Native American Color, Culture and Consciousness” session held May 10–11 at Bemidji’s Calvary Lutheran Church. The training was presented by the Bemidji Area Truth and Reconciliation Initiative and Peacemaker Resources with funding support from the Northwest Minnesota Foundation.
  • Dr. James White, professor of human performance, sport and health, published “How to Plant a Food Plot the Happy Health Way” in the April 2017 edition of MidWest Outdoors magazine. The article explores the potential physical risks of planting wildlife food plots, including tips for minimizing the risk of poison ivy, tick and bug bites and becoming dehydrated while working in the woods.

New Hires

  • Clyde St. John has joined grounds maintenance as a groundskeeper intermediate, effective May 3.
  • Lindsay West joined the Office of Admissions as an admissions representative, effective May 1.