The College of Liberal Arts (CLA) prepares students for the future. 
One growing field, topic of study and 
way of life is sustainability.
“Since we are building a green 
economy, nationally, we have to prepare 
students,” says Dean Susan Maher.  
“Students need to know these concepts 
and know about green issues.”
Inside and outside the walls of UMD, 
CLA is reaching into the community’s 
interest in sustainability and developing 
projects that impact students and 
Duluth residents alike.
“We have a responsibility in the liberal 
arts to foster a crucial understanding 
about the environment and its use 
and value,” says Associate Dean Olaf 
Kuhlke.
Dr. Randel Hanson, of the Department 
of Geography and Environmental 
Studies, is the director of UMD’s 
Sustainable Agriculture Project (SAP). 
SAP is concentrated on introducing 
sustainable food systems by engaging 
students and the community. Their 
green work can be surveyed on 10 acres 
of farmland and 5 acres of orchard.
Food, Flood Plans and Other Projects 
Help CLA and the Community Become 
Sustainable 
By Manda Lillie
Published Work
by Faculty
Foundations 
of Community 
Journalism
Edited by 
William (Bill) 
H. Reader 
and John 
A. Hatcher, 
professor of 
Journalism
This book was 
put together to 
help journalists 
and scholars better understand 
community journalism. With a look at 
community journalism through different 
academic lenses this book explains what 
community journalism is and how to 
utilize it. 
Ma’s 
Dictionary, 
Straddling the 
Social Class 
Divide
A Memoir 
by Milan 
Kovacovic, 
professor 
of French 
language, 
culture and 
literature
 
Professor Kovacovic takes readers 
through his life with his family, as he 
lives in France, Slovakia, and the United 
States. The Minnesota State Arts Board 
and the Arrowhead Regional Arts Council 
have both given awards to chapters of 
this book.
WINTER 2011
>> Sustainablility cont’d on pg 7        >> Published Work cont’d on pg 4
CLA students engaged in SAP projects at the UMD Farm.
News from The College of Liberal Arts
In this Issue:
Research and CLA, The New Associate 
Dean, Scholarships, Awards and more!
Welcome to the first issue of CLARIOn, an annual newsletter to mark the accomplishments 
of students, faculty, and staff in the College of Liberal 
Arts and to feature stories on our talented alumni the 
world over.
Having now completed my first year as CLA dean, I 
can fully understand how lucky I was to be selected 
to lead this distinguished college during the second 
decade of the 21st century. There is much to celebrate 
in the college this year, from the scores of student 
internships, Undergraduate Research Opportunity 
Program (UROP), Sustainable Development 
Research Opportunity Program (SDROP), and 
scholarships to the book and article publications of 
our enormously talented faculty. CLA staff members 
have won significant national and university honors 
this year in recognition of their stellar professional work.
We have had our challenges this year, with state budget cuts, some unexpected resignations, and growing student numbers. 
Moreover, the college is preparing to welcome incoming students into the new liberal education program, the core set of 
courses that all UMD students must complete for their degree programs. CLA is offering well over 50% of these courses. 
Some CLA departments have not seen their faculty numbers increase since the 1990s, while the undergraduate student 
population at UMD has grown by leaps and bounds. Still, thirteen faculty members received tenure and promotion this year, 
and seven new tenure-track faculty have entered the college this fall.
I am impressed with how CLA departments have been adjusting strategically to pressures, but I also know that a perpetual 
state of coping is not the best long-term dynamic for sustaining CLA’s excellence. Students as well have seen tuition rise in 
response to the state’s reduced investment in higher education. Friends and alumni of CLA have helped tremendously—
thank you!—with their support of department and college scholarships, the Dean’s Excellence Fund, and other funds that 
underwrite college activities. With CLA Development Officer Adam Meyer, I have met with many generous 
alumni who understand that a strong liberal arts training gives value to all UMD degree programs 
and prepares students for the demands of a global, interconnected economy and the needs of 
multicultural, international societies. 
As another fall semester draws to a close, I feel enthusiastic about CLA’s future and the 
intellectual training that our major and minor programs offer. A liberal arts training, as 
our CLA motto states, cultivates tomorrow’s leaders, problem solvers, caregivers, and 
creative minds. Every fall, we welcome the future into our doors at UMD, and the 
portal into CLA is one of the best that students can enter.
 
 Susan n. Maher
 Dean
2       
The UMD College of Liberal Arts provides undergraduates 
a truly unique opportunity, one 
that highlights the importance of 
research to the education experience. 
Unfortunately, faculty research is 
sometimes seen as a practice that 
takes away from teaching and thus 
from the undergraduate educational 
experience. In CLA the reality is much 
different - faculty research contributes 
greatly to undergraduate education. In 
the Department of Communication, 
for example, this important synergy 
between research and undergraduate 
education continues to enrich curricula 
and student experiences. 
Our communication faculty are actively 
involved in research and regularly 
teach courses organized around their 
areas of research expertise. Faculty 
research also informs the content of 
Senior Seminar courses. These courses 
provide a capstone experience for 
every senior, culminating in a research 
project completed under the direct 
supervision of a faculty member 
conducting research in that area. As 
such, every communication student 
tops off their undergraduate experience 
working closely with communication 
faculty to conduct their own research 
project. This high intensity contact with 
researchers and the resulting research 
project often constitute one of the most 
challenging and rewarding educational 
moments for students.  
“Such things did not exist when I went 
to school,” says College of Liberal 
Arts Dean Susan Maher. “Often you 
were assigned a project but you never 
worked closely with a professor. It lived, 
breathed and died for a short amount 
of time.” 
Several UMD Communication 
undergraduates also work with 
faculty members on research 
outside the classroom. Recently 
several communication faculty have 
even published research with their 
undergraduates (see citations below). 
Many of the highest caliber students 
also work with faculty to advance the 
students’ own research ideas. These out-
of-class research collaborations between 
faculty and student are often catalyzed 
and supported by the Undergraduate 
Research Opportunities Program 
(UROP). 
“The UROP allows students, under the 
guidance of faculty, to pursue research 
projects they are interested in,” says 
Interim Associate Vice Chancellor for 
Academic Affairs Dr. Gerald Pepper. 
Dean Maher agrees, “UROP provides 
opportunities that you wouldn’t have 
otherwise.” 
One such collaborative opportunity is 
being enacted by Dr. Rebecca deSouza. 
Dr. deSouza has assembled a research 
team of five undergraduates to tackle 
the topic of prescription stimulant drug 
abuse among college students. The 
students have worked carefully with Dr. 
deSouza on several steps of the planning 
and development of the project. Team 
members are actively engaged in 
research design as well as scheduling, 
conducting, transcribing and coding 
interviews. 
While the immediate goal of the 
study is to enhance our knowledge of 
student prescription stimulant abuse, 
3
Research and CLA: Adding Value to 
Undergraduate Education
By Ryan Goei and Michael Pfau
Dr. deSouza analyzes data with her student research team at the new Media Research Lab in the Chester Park Bldg. 
From left to right: Nicole Polkowski, Kaitlin Paulsen, Rebecca deSouza, Jessica Peterson, and Abigail Kranz.
Student researcher Jessica Peterson conducts a mock 
in-depth interview as part of training for a qualitative 
research project.
>> Research cont’d on pg 4
Hybridity 
in Spanish 
Culture
By Maria P. 
Tajes, Emily 
Knudson-
Vilaseca and 
Maureen 
Tobin Stanley
Edited 
by Emily 
Knudson-
Vilaseca, Maureen Tobin Stanley and 
Maria P. Tajes, a professor of Spanish
This book explores the hybridity of a 
variety of texts through the history of 
Spain up to the present. These texts 
blur the lines between two categories, 
previously thought to be exclusive, to 
create an original.
Women and 
the Animal 
Rights 
Movement
By Emily 
Gaarder, 
professor of 
Sociology
The impact of 
gender on the 
animal rights 
movement 
is explored in this text as Professor 
Gaarder tackles stereotypes of women 
activists by looking at how and why 
they are advocating for animal rights. 
Gaarder is calling attention to more 
than just the rights of animals.
The Dance Boots
By Linda LeGarde 
Grover, professor 
of American 
Indian Studies
Awarded the 
Flannery 
O’Connor Award 
for Short Fiction, 
Professor 
LeGarde Grover takes readers to the 
history of Ojibwe tribes in Minnesota 
and their Western schooling. The 
collection of short stories includes the 
narrator Artense’s Aunt Shirley who 
recalls how her culture was broken by 
the education of young Ojibwe children 
in Western traditions. 
Splendor and 
Pageantry: 
Textile 
Treasures from 
the Armenian 
Orthodox 
Churches of 
Instanbul
By Marlene 
Breu and 
Ronald 
Marchese, 
professor of Humanities and Classics
The sacred textiles found in the 
treasury of the Armenian Patriarchate 
in Istanbul are presented in this book 
in great detail, including 175 colored 
photographs that feature the artifacts. 
It also includes the histories of the 
Armenian Orthodox community. 
From Sun Cities 
to the Villages: 
A History of 
Active Adult, 
Age-Restricted 
Communities
By Judith Ann 
Trolander, 
professor of 
History
Professor Ann 
Trolander has written a book that takes 
a look at what the life of an “active 
adult” and the communities made to fit 
the needs of retirees. Trolander looks 
at the challenges these communities 
face, the expectations of them and 
how they will change as the baby 
boomer population ages. 
Theology and 
Science in 
the thought of 
Francis Bacon
By Steven 
Matthews, 
professor of 
History
This work by 
Professor 
Matthews explores the underlying 
question of Bacon’s theological 
beliefs and the role they played in 
the development of his program for 
the reform of learning and the natural 
sciences, the Great Instauration. It 
offers a look into Bacon as well as the 
understanding of the religious context 
of empirical science in early modern 
England. 
>> Published Work cont’d from pg 1
4                                                      
Dr. deSouza believes the process of 
creating and discovering knowledge is 
profoundly rewarding educationally. 
“These research experiences are valuable 
for all students enabling them to learn 
how to bring order and organization to 
complex and messy situations and to 
build problem solving skills, which will 
be useful not only in their careers but 
also to the communities in which they 
live and work.”  
Her students agree.  
Kaitlin Paulsen found her work on the 
team an invaluable supplement to the 
traditional classroom, providing her 
a greater degree of  “freedom,” as well 
as more “choice and control” over the 
process, that gave her the opportunity 
to be “actively involved in creating 
knowledge.” nicole Polkowski, another 
member of the team argues, “… being 
part of a research team allows you 
to put into action the concepts and 
theories you have been learning about. 
It transforms your learning experience 
from a somewhat passive student to 
an active contributor; it expands your 
knowledge of what it means to be a 
Communication major.”
“UROP projects are special because 
they are the kinds of projects that 
never leave you. You’re illuminating 
something that hasn’t been illuminated 
before,” says Dean Maher. 
>> Research cont’d from pg 3
Student researcher Kaitlin Paulsen presents findings 
from her study entitled “Stimulant Abuse by College 
Students: A study of uses and motivations”, which was 
funded through the Undergraduate Research Opportunity 
Program (2010-2011).
>> Research cont’d on pg 4
For students, the experience of 
attempting to produce knowledge via 
research is like no other educational 
experience. According to Dr. Pepper, 
these experiences can afford the 
opportunity to participate in a national 
conference where their work is reviewed 
and commented on by researchers 
across the nation. Moreover, this is 
not only an opportunity for students 
to display their hard work, but also 
a chance for them to make valuable 
connections that will help their 
academic and professional futures. 
“Students nowadays need to capitalize 
on every option available to them to 
make them stand out.” 
In CLA the Communication program 
provides an example, one of many, 
of the unique pedagogical synergy 
that results from the meeting of 
research active faculty and quality 
undergraduate students at UMD.  
Research collaborations between 
students and faculty like those in 
the Communication Department 
help to make the undergraduate 
learning experience at the University 
of Minnesota Duluth both rare and 
extremely rewarding.]
Recent Faculty-Student Collaborative 
Publications in Communication
Titus, B. & deSouza, R. (2011). Finding 
meaning in the loss of a child: Journeys of 
chaos and quest. Health Communication, 26, 
450-460
Downs, E., Boyson, A.R., Alley, H., & Bloom, 
N.R. (2011). iPedagogy: Using multimedia 
learning theory to iDentify best practices for 
MP3 player use in higher education. Journal 
of Applied Communication Research, 39, 
184-200.
Hendrickson, B., & Goei, R. (2009). 
Reciprocity and dating: The effect of favor and 
status on compliance with a date request. 
Communication Research, 36, 585-608.
>> Research cont’d from pg 4
5
Mike Montano, a third-year Political 
Science major, has been awarded the 
Gates Millennium Scholarship. Every 
year 1,000 students from minority 
groups nationwide are awarded this 
full-ride scholarship. 
“It has taken a lot of weight off my 
shoulders knowing that my tuition and 
books will be paid for every semester,” 
Montano says. “It has made it a lot 
easier to focus on my academics.”
Montano was nominated for the 
scholarship by his high school 
science teacher. Then he filled out the 
application online.
“It has definitely increased my chances 
of succeeding in college,” Montano says.
The Gates Millennium Scholarship is 
a part of the Melinda and Bill Gates 
Foundation. The scholarship includes 
leadership learning opportunities for 
the recipients. 
Montano says he chose UMD “because 
of the area; the music scene in Duluth 
is pretty decent. Music is a big part of 
my life. Political Science has always 
interested me. Politics have played a 
part in most notable events in history, 
whether it be local, national or world, 
so to truly understand our past, we 
must be aware of politics.”
The college is excited and honored 
that the first UMD Gates Millennium 
Scholar is majoring in Political Science, 
says Dean Susan Maher.
“I hope we will have the opportunity 
to mentor other Gates scholars in the 
years to come,” Maher says. ]
Millennium Scholar
By Manda Lillie
“It has taken a lot of 
weight off my shoulders 
knowing that my tuition 
and books will be paid for 
every semester”
Mike Montano, scholarship winner
Mike Montano, Gates Millennium Scholarship recipient
Charter member of CLA’s Advisory Board Frank MCray Jr. passed 
away earlier this year, leaving behind 
UMD and friends who remember his 
generosity. 
Judy McCray, Frank’s wife, shared 
his story in an interview with Cheryl 
Rietan. 
The 1967 graduate (he earned his 
master’s in 1971) loved to read as a 
child. This passion pushed him to 
pursue higher education. Although he 
was born in Gainesville, Fla., he turned 
to Minnesota for education and chose 
UMD because of its small size. 
Frank earned high marks as well as 
friends throughout his college career. 
He was also involved on campus as a 
residential advisor.  
The Florida native had a difficult time 
adjusting to the cold, and walking to 
UMD from his home in town he would 
feel the “blood freezing in [his] legs.” 
English Professor Bob Owens would 
drive by and give Frank a ride. 
After graduation, Frank worked in 
Duluth Mayor Ben Boo’s office as well 
as in two public schools. Professor 
Owens and his wife eventually helped 
Frank earn a job teaching in Uganda. 
He learned Swahili, sold his possessions 
and spent two years in a school near 
the city of Entebbe. However, Uganda 
began to face political struggles and 
Frank had to leave the country. 
Once home, Frank taught ninth grade 
in Roseville, Minn. Shortly after, he 
met his soon-to-be wife, Judy. They 
married in 1974, their daughter was 
born in 1976, and their son Christopher 
was adopted a few years later. 
To support his growing family, Frank 
became a part-time instructor of 
human relations at Anoka-Ramsey 
and normandale Community College. 
While the school districts were 
undergoing reorganization and Frank 
was waiting for a teaching assignment, 
he sold insurance and found he loved it. 
It allowed him to help others and make 
life-long friends.  
The McCray family would forever be 
a part of UMD’s family because of the 
connections Frank McCray made while 
he was here.
“Visiting Duluth always felt like going 
home,” said Judy McCray. Bob Owens, 
along with his wife, always let the 
McCrays stay with them while they 
visited for events at UMD.  
Adversity brought Frank to UMD; 
because of his race he was not allowed 
to read in the library as a child. 
now, his family wants to help those 
struggling at UMD with a memorial 
scholarship.
“I’m very honored and grateful to have 
known Frank,” said Adam Meyer, 
director of development for CLA. 
“This is a piece of Frank that can live 
forever. Which, to me, is one of the 
reasons that I do what I do, to have that 
opportunity.”
Some of the qualifications of the 
scholarship include: the credits of a 
sophomore, good academic standing 
and a preference of a student who is of 
African American descent. Also, the 
money is specified for tuition.
For further information about this 
scholarship you may contact Adam 
Meyer at ameyer@d.umn.edu or 218-
726-6708. ]
6                                                     
The Frank McCray Jr. Achievement Scholarship
By Cheryl Reitan and Manda Lillie
Frank MCray Jr. with wife Judy, son Christopher, and daughter Elizabeth
Frank after addressing incoming CLA Freshmen 2010
7“As an institution we are looking 
to become more sustainable,” says 
Hanson.
Produce from the farm is making 
its way into kitchens on campus and 
businesses such as the Duluth Grill 
and Mount Royal Fine Foods. With 
everything from herbs to pumpkins, 
the variety of crops demonstrates the 
potential for the local food market 
while helping institutions learn how to 
integrate local foods into their systems. 
They are working with UMD’s Dining 
Services in hopes that it will lead to the 
use of more local produce.
“It’s often difficult to figure out where 
you get your food,” says Ryan Ritter, 
an Environmental Studies major who 
interned at the farm over the summer.
Other projects stemming out of 
CLA are innovative ways to have the 
environment do all the work.
Aquaculture is a unique system 
developed by Michael Mageau, an 
assistant professor of Geography 
on campus and director of the 
Environmental Studies program as 
well as the Center for Sustainable 
Community Development.
Aquaculture is a closed system 
involving the growth of fish, plants and 
biofuel. The fish grow in water that 
is fed to the plants through troughs. 
The plants and algae provide a natural 
treatment for the water before it is 
returned to the fish and are able to 
sustain themselves through the fish’s 
waste in the water. The algae that grow 
with the plants are then harvested for 
biofuel as well as food for the fish.
“This system is currently under 
construction in Silver Bay, Minn., and 
will serve as a research and educational 
facility for UMD faculty and students 
as well as other small communities like 
Silver Bay interested in creating local 
jobs producing their own healthy food 
and clean energy,” says Mageau.
Another food-based project was 
research conducted by UMD’s Adam 
Pine, also an assistant professor of 
Geography. Pine’s project is based 
on how people purchase food in the 
Lincoln Park/West End neighborhood 
of Duluth, where a grocery store is not 
available.
“It’s about making people’s lives better,” 
says Pine.
According to Pine, many of the 
residents have to borrow cars in order 
to go grocery shopping and “that’s not 
sustainable.” Pine wants the information 
from the research to persuade 
community leaders and entrepreneurs to 
start a market in the area.
“The economics of it are really good, 
if someone wants to develop a grocery 
store we’ve developed a plan for them,” 
says Pine.
Stacey Stark’s work with the 
Geographic Information Sciences 
(GIS) lab has overlapped with some of 
Pine’s research. The lab helps compile 
documents and information about 
regions to develop maps and plans for 
the communities.
Stark says, “The major projects in the 
GIS lab are almost all community-
based projects, and a lot of what people 
are doing in the community is about 
sustainability.”
For example, the lab mapped locations 
of food banks and what parts of the 
community those banks reached, 
looking for potential gaps. Stark also 
takes data given to her by counties 
and develops a flooding model to 
demonstrate how a flood would impact 
the county economically.
“These are all a part of community 
sustainability,” says Stark. “I think that 
the university has a responsibility to 
instill in students that community and 
regional sustainability is what we’re 
looking at in our future.” ]
>> Sustainability cont’d from pg 1
Bruce Carmen, President, Cedar Tree Enterprises, Silver Bay Eco-Industrial Development Project Coordinator; Peter Angelos; 
Dean Susan Maher; Michael Mageau, Director, UMD’s Center for Sustainable Community Development, Project Design 
Team; Lana Fralich, Silver Bay City Administrator; David Abaz, Director, Round River Farms, Project Design Team; Baylor 
Radtke, 2010 CLA Environmental Studies Program Graduate, Project Design Team. Not Pictured: Andrew Klemer, Professor 
Emeritus, UMD Biology, Project Design Team 
GIS Lab Director Stacey Stark
8                                                     
The American Indian Studies program was 
founded in 1972. Robert E. Powless, the 
renowned first Director, built a strong 
academic program that will celebrate 40 
years in 2012.
The New Associate Dean: Introducing Dr. Olaf Kuhlke
By Manda Lillie
The new associate dean, Dr. Olaf Kuhlke, will be joining the 
administrative staff with years of 
experience at UMD already behind 
him. 
Previous Associate Dean Dr. Jerry 
Pepper said, “I’ll miss the people in 
CLA, the really skilled, very excellent, 
very kind set of administrators in CLA. 
The associate dean’s job touches about 
every component of how a collegiate 
unit functions. That great range of 
responsibilities and challenges is 
something I will miss.”
Dr. Kuhlke has been with UMD since 
2002. He began as a faculty member 
in the Geography department from 
2002 until 2008, and then served as 
the department head for one year. After 
this he was interim dean of the College 
of Liberal Arts for one year. 
Dr. Kuhlke was born and raised in 
Germany, where he studied and 
completed his Diplom in Geography 
in 1997. He completed his Ph.D. 
in Geography in 2001 at Kent State 
University located in Ohio. He spent 
a year at the University of Wyoming, 
Laramie before he came to UMD.
Dr. Kuhlke is a cultural geographer and 
has studied the geographies of religion, 
the spatial representation of national 
identity and, recently, the ways in 
which dance utilizes space and place.
In regards to religion, Dr. Kuhlke 
focuses on the design and use of 
sacred space, particularly the design 
of Masonic ritual and lodge buildings. 
His most recent publication was a book 
entitled “Geographies of Freemasonry: 
Ritual, Lodge and Spatial Context,” 
which won the Duane Anderson 
Excellence in Masonic Education 
Award by the Grand Lodge of 
Minnesota in 2008. 
His interest in national identity 
stems from his heritage. Being born 
in Germany, Dr. Kuhlke watched 
the country unite in 1989 and was 
fascinated by the challenges his home 
country faced and the impact on the 
German national identity. In 2004, 
he published “Representing German 
Identity in the new Berlin Republic” 
as a result. 
Dr. Kuhlke’s current work is on a 
two-volume edited collection on 
“Geographies of Dance.” He is working 
with Adam Pine, an Assistant Professor 
in the Department of Geography, to 
bring together the work of 20 scholars 
in this set of volumes. 
Dr. Kuhlke’s time away from his 
work is spent with his wife, Kari, 
and children, Kiel and Anja. An avid 
outdoorsman, he enjoys running and 
biking as well as archery. He hopes to 
try cross-country skiing this winter. ]
“I am looking forward 
to the many challenges 
that this new position will 
provide. It will be exciting 
to work on new initiatives 
in CLA, and to lead the 
Student Affairs Office.”
~Dr. Olaf Kulke, Associate Dean
New Associate Dean Dr. Olaf Kuhlke
In April 1958, UMD broke ground on the 
new Social Science Building that would 
be renamed Cina Hall on May 4, 1985 in 
honor of former University Regent Fred Cina. 
9
Gus nordin never went to UMD, but thanks to his memorial 
scholarship, his name is known to 
journalism students and professors.
Sherry Hall, nordin’s stepdaughter, said 
that though he was not able to go to 
college due to economic circumstances 
caused by the Depression, nordin knew 
the importance of higher education. 
Later in his career, he pressed the 
Minnesota state legislature for funds for 
the University of Minnesota Duluth.
“He was a journalist his entire life, 
from the time he took his first writing 
assignments for local weeklies, while 
a high school student,” said Hall. “He 
believed in journalism. Believed in 
informing people as a critical part of the 
society we live in. That an important 
element of maintaining freedom in 
our country is a healthy journalism 
community. His leadership and 
integrity as a journalist were reasons 
why the idea of the scholarship came 
together for us.” 
nordin was born in Duluth in 1911; 
his parents and siblings were Swedish 
immigrants. He graduated from 
Denfeld High School in 1930, and right 
away began reporting for the combined 
Duluth Herald and news Tribune, 
where eventually he would become the 
managing editor and then executive 
editor in the 1950s. He was an active 
civic leader, father, and husband.
From 1944 through 1950, nordin 
was White House correspondent for 
northwest Publications, which included 
a number of Midwest dailies. During 
the period, he covered many fascinating 
political stories, including the death 
of FDR. From the nation’s capital, 
he also sent weekly political columns 
and hosted a radio show, interviewing 
national political leaders for outlets in 
Minneapolis and Duluth.
In 1958, nordin became general 
manager of the Pasadena, California, 
Independent-Star news. In 1964 he 
married Mary nordin, who would later 
established the journalism scholarship 
at UMD and who resides in Duluth. 
In 1970, he was nominated for a 
Pulitzer Prize for a series he wrote based 
on interviews with American Army 
deserters living in Scandinavia. In 1977, 
nordin retired from the newspaper 
business, eventually returning to 
Duluth to consult for KDAL-TV three 
years before he died at the age of 77.
“Good journalism is critically 
important,” said Edwin Hall, Sherry’s 
husband. “We were very much in awe 
and admiration of Gus. We are carrying 
on for Mary, but also UMD and the 
journalism scholarship are endeavors we 
strongly believe in ourselves.” 
“Though he never went to college, Gus 
shared his talent and mentored young 
college-educated journalists throughout 
his career. If he could come back today 
and meet these
nordin scholars, he would love it. He 
absolutely would adore these kids,” said 
Sherry Hall. ]
Gustaf Nordin Scholarship
By Fatima Jawaid and Manda Lillie 
Nordin Barbecue attendees Dr. John Hatcher, Kelly Harth, Fatima Jawaid, Chris Olwell, Dr. Chris Julin, Dr. Ken Risdon, and 
Sherry Hall
Gustaf Nordin
10                                                    
UMD journalism instructors Chris Julin and Catherine Winter were 
involved in a radio series that earned a 
Peabody Award earlier this year.
The award went to a new public radio 
program called “The Promised Land,” 
a series of profiles on “leaders and 
visionaries who are transforming lives 
and communities.”
Winter and Julin produced one of the 
hours in the program’s first season. The 
program profiled Winona LaDuke, a 
member of the White Earth Band of 
Ojibwe known for her work trying 
to recover land taken from native 
American people.
LaDuke is an environmental advocate 
who was named “Woman of the Year” 
by Ms. Magazine in 1998 because 
of her work with Honor the Earth. 
Honor the Earth is an advocacy group 
that helps fund and support native 
American environmental groups on a 
national level. 
“It was a fascinating program to work 
on,” Winter says. “It was neat that 
it focused on issues from northern 
Minnesota.”
Both Winter and Julin have many years 
of experience reporting on Minnesota 
issues, mostly for Minnesota Public 
Radio. Both have done reporting 
from reservations in Minnesota and 
Wisconsin.   
“We’re both admirers of Winona 
LaDuke,” says Winter. 
Winter and Julin agree that although 
they helped with the production, they 
were a small part of the program’s 
success. 
The journalism program at UMD gains 
from having staff that are dedicated not 
only to their teaching, but also to their 
passions.
“Journalism connects to the real world 
in ways that students desire,” Winter 
says. “The skills that employers say they 
want these days are critical thinking 
and communication, and that’s what 
journalism is all about.”
Julin adds that there is a need for 
capable writers out there. 
“We have more information available 
to us than ever before through the 
Internet, but so much of it is dreadfully 
written,” he says. “Being a good writer 
gives you a key to the realm.”
Julin originally attended Gustavus 
Adolphus College and graduated with a 
bachelor’s in psychology in 1983. Later, 
he went back to school and earned 
his degree in education in 1995 from 
Bemidji State University. At UMD, 
he earned his master’s in English with 
an emphasis on publishing and print 
culture. He started as an instructor at 
UMD in 2005.
Winter started teaching at UMD in 
1999. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 
literature from Claremont McKenna 
College in Claremont, Calif., in 
1985, and went on to earn a master’s 
in journalism from the University of 
California, Berkeley in 1989.  ]
Peabody Award
By Manda Lillie
Catherine Winter and Chris Julin, produced a portion of 
public radio program “The Promised Land.”
The College of Liberal Arts began as the 
College of Letters and Social Science (CLS) 
in 1984. Originally it was under the College 
of Science and Letters, which encompassed 
both the Social Sciences and Engineering. 
George Rapp, the dean of the College of 
Letters, said the division happened because 
of the growing interest in CLS.
11
The German Studies program at UMD offers students unique 
opportunities outside of education. 
nathan Paul, a double major in 
Political Science and Communication 
with a minor in German Studies, 
studied in Sweden and Germany. 
Because of his experience abroad he 
entered an essay for a contest sponsored 
by the Goethe Institute, a German 
cultural institution. He won the contest 
in March of 2011, which gave him the 
opportunity to attend an international 
relations conference in Berlin.
“I decided to study at UMD because 
of its unique programs, outstanding 
records and beautiful location,” says 
Paul. “Thanks to the university’s 
excellent staff and helpful study abroad 
services I was able to study in Växjö, 
Sweden and Lüneburg, Germany.” 
During the conference, Paul was able to 
see his roommate from Sweden.
“It was an absolutely amazing time,” 
he says.
Another student, Jonathan Kresha, 
was an intern in an English-language 
classroom at a Berlin elementary school 
because of the Center for German and 
European Studies Department’s annual 
Minnesota Goes to Berlin Program.
Kresha was placed at Schule am 
Zwickauer Damm (the School on 
Zwickauer Road), and visited grades 
one through six during their English 
lessons. He also performed research on 
current pedagogy and best practices 
in world language instruction in 
Germany, and participated in cultural 
events. 
Currently, Kresha is working on 
receiving his license to teach German 
as well as Spanish. He is also working 
at East High School in Duluth as a 
student teacher for both Spanish and 
German.
“I feel like I can really inform my high 
school students about what life and 
school are like for German kids their 
age,” Kresha says. “I was also able 
to establish some valuable contacts 
that will help me keep connected to 
Germany in the future.”
Finally, another program in German 
Studies that has gone well beyond the 
classroom is German Studies Instructor 
Michael Mullins and his study abroad 
program that brought German students 
into the community. In Potsdam, 
Germany, Polish, German and U.S. 
students came together and created 
an audio podcast describing historical 
and contemporary aspects of Potsdam. 
The podcasts were sent to the City of 
Potsdam, which used them for tourism.
Mullins saw the cooperation of the 
students as a great way for them to get 
into the community and learn from 
each other. 
The German Studies program brings 
together students and faculty with 
the common goal of exploring and 
celebrating cultural diversity. ]
Success in German Studies
By Manda Lillie
Jonathan Kresha
Nathan Paul (right) receiving the Goethe Award
The College of Liberal Arts is the core of the 
University, and plays a vital role in the education of 
every UMD student. The College upholds UMD’s 
commitment to promoting excellence in teaching, 
research and public service by emphasizing the 
foundations of knowledge and the techniques of 
analysis and expression essential for lifelong learning. 
CLA provides its graduates with the skills to do the 
work they love.  
 
All the programs mentioned in the CLARIOn - 
and hundreds more - can benefit from your support. 
Contact Adam Meyer for more information. A proud 
product of the Liberal Arts (Ph.D., English) Adam 
combines over a decade of undergraduate teaching with 
an equal amount of fundraising experience. His passion 
for the former led him to the later - empowering student 
dreams through increased financial support.
Call Adam to support the College of Liberal Arts:
Adam Meyer, Development Director
306L Kirby Plaza 
(218) 726-6708 Office 
(218) 355-8180 Cell 
ameyer@d.umn.edu
College of Liberal Arts
1208 Kirby Drive
Kirby Plaza 310 
Duluth, Mn 55812-3095
The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.