The NCAA Division II Student-Athlete Advisory Committee has selected Dean Frantsvog from Minot State as the recipient of the 2022 Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award.

Frantsvog, who died in August after a battle with cancer, was honored posthumously at the NCAA Convention this month in San Antonio, Texas. He was a business law professor at Minot State for 18 years. He graduated from Minot State in 1997 with a degree in criminal justice and earned his juris doctorate in 2000 from Hamline. He was Minot State's faculty athletics representative and a steadfast advocate for Minot State athletics and student-athletes. Frantsvog was inducted into the Minot State Athletics Hall of Fame in October.

"Dean was an absolute pillar at Minot State for the past two decades, educating thousands of students in the College of Business and providing terrific support to Beaver Athletics as our faculty athletics representative," said school President Steven Shirley, chair of the NCAA Division II Presidents Council.

The Dr. Dave Pariser Faculty Mentor Award is named after a Bellarmine physical therapy professor who died in 2013. It recognizes faculty members at Division II schools for their dedication to supporting and mentoring student-athletes, as well as their commitment to Division II student-athletes' lifelong learning, competition and well-being.

As Minot State's faculty athletics representative, Frantsvog also helped review and advise the athletics department on compliance and policy issues during the university's transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. He became the department's first FAR in 2010 and served until 2022.

Minot State honored Frantsvog as a Professor of the Year in 2018. He also won a Faculty Achievement Award in 2012, the Young Alumni Achievement Award in 2011 and the Vision 2013 Merit Award.

In nominating Frantsvog for the faculty mentor award, Madeline Schorlemmer, associate athletic director of compliance, student life and academic success, said he was "the embodiment of the NCAA Division II core values."

Minot State University is in the process of a $25 million complete renovation to Hartnett Hall on the MSU campus.

The project began with relocation of Minot State academic departments in May 2022, followed by demolition last summer. Construction is expected to be completed in late 2023 or early 2024 with the newly renovated building being occupied in 2024.

The Hartnett Hall renovation project was awarded by North Dakota Legislature in a special session in 2021 and will utilize American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) funds for a complete renovation of the building.

“Hartnett Hall houses important educational programs at MSU where large numbers of our students in a variety of academic disciplines take classes,” said MSU President Steven Shirley. “We are grateful to the North Dakota Legislature and Gov. (Doug) Burgum for supporting this important campus renovation and look forward to Hartnett remaining a vital campus space for future classes of MSU students.”

The project seeks to revitalize and modernize Hartnett Hall, built in the early 1970s, helping to relieve congestion, improve entrances, enhance flexibility of spaces, upgrade ventilation, and improve daylight throughout the building. Interior work will continue for the next 11 months to improve the look and functionality of interior spaces with all new labs, workspaces, classrooms, offices, a new gathering space, and a new recital/lecture hall.  Aleshire Theater will undergo a renovation to upgrade and modernize the 200-seat auditorium and the University plans to house its newly established esports program within the new space.

The Minot State University Development Foundation is pleased to announce a new scholarship endowment of $100,000 has been created for MSU College of Education and Health Science students thanks to the generosity of the Minot Eagles Aerie 2376.

“We are grateful to the Minot Eagles Aerie 2376 for all that they have done in creating this scholarship,” said Rick Hedberg, MSU Development Foundation executive director. “The Minot Eagles have supported our community for so many years and this endowment will continue that legacy in perpetuity. We can’t thank them enough.”

The Minot Eagles Aerie 2376 Scholarship Endowment Fund will be awarded to sophomore, junior, senior, or graduate students studying in the College of Education and Health Sciences, who possess a 3.5 or greater GPA.

“As an organization, we thought it might keep the Eagle's name alive as our motto is ‘People helping People.'” said Eagles member Leon Wedar. “For me, the main reason I supported donating to MSU is both of my children are in the medical field, my son is a physical therapist at Trinity Health and my daughter is an RN at Sanford in Bismarck, and they have shared with me about the shortage in the medical field. Giving to someone who otherwise might not be able to go into medicine a boost with a scholarship is a good thing, and I think the education field goes right along with that; we need more teachers also.”

In 2022, the Minot Eagles Aerie 2376 surrendered their charter, thus creating the scholarship endowment.

“The Eagles is a charitable organization and through the years, the Minot Eagles has donated over $2 million to the local community,” said Eagles member Roger Wahus. “We wanted to continue this legacy after we disbanded and gave up the charter in October 2022. The best way to accomplish this was a final donation to MSU in the form of a scholarship endowment to benefit students for their educational expenses for years to come.”

Northwest Arts Center
The gallery is located on the lower level of the Gordon B. Olson Library, with its own entrance on the south side of the library. The arts center is open Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday 1-5 p.m., and by special arrangement. It is closed holidays.

Flat Tail Press
Flat Tail Press is an educational printmaking studio at Minot State University. The gallery is located in the landing space on second and third floor of the Minot State Student Center, west entrance. It is open Monday-Friday, 7 a.m.-12 a.m.

Mary Huston, communication sciences and disorders, presented original research at the American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA) national convention in New Orleans on Nov. 19. Huston’s presentation, "Oh No, Not Again! Why are Students Cheating and What Can We Do?," explored the phenomenon of academic dishonesty with an eye toward what programs and graduate schools can do to help reduce the behavior. The presentation was accepted as an option for required continuing education units in ethics this year.

Elizabeth LeRud, associate professor of English, participated in a panel discussion at the Modern Language Association annual conference in December. The title of the panel discussion was "Unsettling Poetry Pedagogy." It was organized around the essay collection on pedagogy that LeRud is co-editing with Caroline Gelmi (UMass Dartmouth).

Holly Pedersen, associate professor of special education, and Jolynn Webster, director of human potential, NDCPD, published a research article titled "An Investigation of Spirituality in Person-Centered Planning for Adults with Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities” in the Journal of Social Change.   

Bonnie Trueblood, office manager for advancement, was named November’s Staff Senate High Five Award winner. She is pictured HERE with MSU President Steven Shirley and Staff Senate President Katy Allers. Trueblood has been at Minot State for 11 years in the Advancement Department and the MSU Development Foundation

Janessa Brown was selected as the ASC Student of the Month for November. She has contributed to the Academic Support Center’s programs as a POWER Peer Mentor.

Brek Thompson and Malachi Brown represented Minot State at the first-ever Dakota Collegiate Rocket League LAN finals on Dec. 3-4 at the North Dakota State University campus. Thompson and his team “Team Name” finished in third overall in Division A. Brown and the rest of "Team Instinct" played in Division C.

Minot State University students Duong Pham, Liela Koguchi, Sam Aannerud, and Alex Sandoval and assistant professor Serena Pontenila received an honorable mention in Best Use of External Data at the Fall Data Challenge, After the Bell. There were 72 teams and 262 students who submitted their data analyses on how to enhance familial involvement in the K-12 education experience. Their presentation can be viewed HERE.

The Gordon B. Olson Library has been awarded a $6,000 grant from the LaCount Foundation for the purchase of e-books.

The Department of Special Education has been awarded a $7,500 grant from the Thomas & Frances Leach Foundation for student support.