Office of Human Resources

Annual Recognition Awards for 2020-2021

• Board of Regents Faculty Achievement Awards
• Board of Regents Staff Achievement Awards
• Retirees
• Years of Service
• Staff Senate High 5 Recipients - April 2020 - March 2021
• Academic Advisor of the Year
• Distinguished Lifetime Educator Award

Minot State University honored its 2020-21 Board of Regents Faculty and Staff Achievement Awards award winners at the conclusion of the academic year.

Faculty Achievement Awards
This program was established in 1985 by the Burlington Northern Foundation. In 1990 the Board of Regents established a second award and now solely supports the awards to recognize outstanding university teaching. The intent of the award is to recognize, reward, and motivate excellence in teaching, scholarship, and service.

Teaching - Mark Singer , Division of Social Science
Recognized for excellence in Teaching is Dr. Mark Singer, Assistant Professor in the Division of Social Science since 2014. Dr. Singer’s concern for the academic well-being of students drives his teaching and has earned him a well-deserved reputation on campus for taking the extra step to ensure students succeed. He understands how important it is to accommodate varied learning styles and levels. He regularly calls coaches, works with student athletes to help them juggle the demands of World History alongside those of their sports, follows up on at-risk students, and has developed an advising style that is thorough and accurate while responding to the nuances and needs of each student. Mark’s commitment to teaching reminds all of his colleagues why they are in this profession.

Scholarship - Daniel Conn, Department of Teacher Education and Kinesiology
Recognized for excellence in Scholarship is Dr. Dan Conn, Associate Professor in the department of Teacher Education and Kinesiology. Dan started at Minot State in 2014 and since that time his scholarly work includes: co-author of the book Unraveling the Assessment Industrial Complex released in 2021; wrote 15 articles in peer-reviewed journals; completed three book reviews; provided peer reviewed presentations with colleagues at students at 26 conferences, and received three grants and has one in review. He also spearheaded the EdHeads podcasts that reaches a significant number of people interested in keeping up to date on latest trends in education. He has completed all these significant endeavors while achieving excellence in teaching and service.

Service - Gary Rabe, Department of Criminal Justice
Dr. Gary Rabe, Chair and Professor in the Criminal Justice Department is recognized for excellence in Service. Dr. Rabe has been with Minot State since 1993 during which time he has held a number of leadership positions including VP for Academic Affairs, Executive Director of the Rural Crime and Justice Center, Interim Dean of College of Arts and Sciences, and Director of the Rural Law Enforcement Project.

His service to the state, community, and Minot State University is immeasurable. Dr. Rabe has served as a consultant to the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center and the National White-Collar Crime Center. He has also served on the editorial Board for the Journal of Crime and Justice. Dr. Rabe was appointed by the Governors Hoeven and Dalrymple to three consecutive four-year terms on the North Dakota Commission on Alternatives to Incarceration. He also served on the Civil Service Commission for the City of Minot.

This past year, despite dealing with the challenges of teaching during a pandemic, he has worked tirelessly as co-chair of the MSU Recruit & Enroll committee. His commitment of time and expertise has been vital to a successful strategic planning experience for our campus.

Staff Achievement Awards
The Board of Regents Staff Achievement Award was established in 1991. The Board of Regents established the award to recognize university staff members for outstanding service to the University and the community.

Deborah Brothers, Division of Social Science
Debby Brothers, administrative assistant for the Division of Social Science, is recognized for her excellent service to the MSU community. Debby is dedicated to the welfare and active life of the university. A people person, Debby makes sure students and advisors connect, coordinates advising and faculty questions, and, perhaps most crucially, alerts the chair to issues that require attention. Her attention to detail is impeccable which makes for a very well-run and organized department. Newer administrative staff seek her out for her institutional history as well as her generous assistance in providing knowledge on office procedures, policies, and the budget process. Debby is active in her church community and volunteers when possible. Her 25 ½ year career is much appreciated and she will be missed upon her retirement later this spring.

Michael Linnell, Office of University Communications
University Communications director, Michael Linnell is recognized for his continued outstanding work, particularly during this past year’s pandemic. Linnell is in his 11th year at Minot State with his first seven spent in the Athletics Department serving as the sport information director and assistant AD for media relations before assuming his current position. Although he has maintained normal office hours in both positions, as a media voice for the university, his work does not end at 4:30 pm. He strives to always be reachable regardless of the hour of the day or the day of the week. His efforts over the past year keeping the campus and public informed of COVID 19 developments helped to ease anxiety and worries. He has maintained the constant reassuring voice of Minot State. Mike is very active in committees throughout the campus as well as at the state level.

Karina Stander, Residence Life
Karina Stander, Residence Life director is very deserving the achievement award. Karina’s prompt response in developing policies and procedures concerning the campus shut down last spring and her subsequent work in preparing and providing for quarantine lodging for on campus students was thorough and provided for little disruption for students. She is an integral part of our emergency response team and is always keeping the best interests of our students in all decisions made. She is a leader for many areas on campus such as behavior interventions, sustainability, retention and graduation committees, first year experience and the leadership advisory committee. She has initiated planning conversations with administration as we look to develop longer-range planning for our residence halls.

Years of Service

Retirees

Staff Senate High 5 Recipients
April 2020 - March 2021

Academic Advisor of the Year

Distinguished Lifetime Educator Award