BSU News

Minnesota chainsaw artist Curtis Ingvoldstad has used his talents to bring new life to an ancient white pine log, which now stands as a lakeside monument to the wildlife found in the air, on the land and in the waters surrounding Bemidji State University.

The log for the Shoreline Sculpture came from one of three white pine trees, estimated to be over 100 years old, which were taken down by the university during the summer of 2013 as part of a project to install a modern artificial playing surface at BSU’s Chet Anderson Stadium.

The Nerstrand native started with a rough scale drawing showing an approximate position for each of the animals organized around a tree — birds at the top, with land animals such as bears or raccoons in the middle, leading to an underwater section featuring fish such as sunfish, pike or walleye.

Ingvoldstad’s sculpture is just one of several projects the university has planned that will allow the wood from those stately trees to live on. Among them is a new entry arch into Chet Anderson Stadium, built by students in Bemidji State’s Department of Technology Art & Design and installed this summer near where the trees originally stood.

BSU receives $623,000 grant
to support STEM students

Bemidji State has received nearly $623,000 from the National Science Foundation to fund scholarships for BSU students majoring in programs related to science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

The grant creates a program that will provide recurring $9,200 annual scholarships for a minimum of 22 students over a five-year period. They will be targeted toward students with interests and abilities in STEM fields, demonstrable financial need and from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM-related programs.

The scholarships also will spearhead the creation of support programs specifically targeting students in STEM majors. The university plans to create a STEM Scholars Learning Community that includes peer-to-peer networking and more direct mentoring opportunities with BSU faculty.

BSU begins academy for
international faculty visitors

Bemidji State has launched the NorthStar Visiting Scholar Academy, intended to improve understanding and cooperation between international and U.S. scholars. The non-profit academy will welcome four visiting scholars to campus this year.

Wang Hongxia and Li Wei, both professors from the Beijing Youth Politics College in China, have been at BSU since late August experiencing life and culture on campus and in the community. They were joined in September by Xiang Fei, who works for a Beijing-based non-governmental organization, and Tao Jun, from Jianghan University in Wuhan.

While at BSU, the scholars will attend seminars, workshops and classes focusing on cross-cultural and academic exchange. The program will help the visiting scholars better understand the U.S. education system, the cultural environment and other aspects of American life. In addition, they will have access to selected classes of their choice
on a non-credit basis.

U.S. News again ranks BSU
in the Midwest’s top tier

For the seventh consecutive year, Bemidji State has been ranked among the Midwest region’s best colleges and universities in U.S. News and World Report’s 30th annual review of America’s Best Colleges, published in September.

BSU tied for 33rd among public institutions in the Midwest region and tied with four other institutions for 99th among all colleges and universities in the region.

The rankings also list BSU 36th on its regional “Best Colleges for Veterans” list. These are the top-ranked schools in the Best Colleges rankings that participate in federal initiatives helping veterans and active service members apply, pay for and complete their degrees.

University ranks high for
online program affordability

Bemidji State has been named one of the most-affordable universities in the nation for obtaining an online education by Edudemic, a site that connects educators, administrators and students to the latest academic technology resources. The publication’s “2014 Most Affordable Online Schools” listed BSU 39th in its ranking.

Edudemic’s rankings score colleges and universities using a weighted formula that includes a variety of factors including retention rate, graduation rate, in-state and out-of-state tuition and breadth of offerings.

BSU’s Center for Extended Learning offers seven undergraduate programs and five graduate programs that can be completed entirely online. Students enrolled at BSU and living out-of-state pay the same tuition rates as Minnesota residents.

Bemidji Opera Theatre will
present “The Mikado” in February

Bemidji Opera Theatre will present Gilbert & Sullivan’s “The Mikado” on Feb. 26-28,
in the main theater of the Bangsberg Fine
Arts Complex.

Gilbert & Sullivan’s comic opera, first performed in 1885, is a satire set in a stereotypical
English version of feudal Japan.

BSU’s production will be directed by Dr.
Cory J. Renbarger, assistant professor of music. Music will be conducted by Scott Guidry, assistant professor of music. Costumes will be designed by professional designer Fred Rogers, and BSU’s Tom Skime will supervise the technical production.

Auditions for the show were held in late September, and casting was completed in early October. The cast and crew will include BSU students, members of the BSU faculty and staff and residents from the Bemidji community.

NTC students partner in
Laurel House reconstruction

Bemidji State University, Northwest Technical College and a number of other partners are collaborating on the construction of a new home on the site of the university’s former Laurel House honors residence. The home, being built primarily by students in NTC’s trade and construction programs with support from professional project managers and planners, will serve as a shared living and learning community for students in BSU’s honors program.

Demolition of the Laurel House was done in early September, and the reconstruction began shortly thereafter. Reconstruction has been in planning stages for several years, and a 2013 gift from Kraus-Anderson Construction as part of the Imagine Tomorrow campaign has allowed the project to move forward. That gift included cash and funds designated for project management services related to construction of the home.

U.S. Capitol Christmas tree
packaged at BSU for trip east

One of the country’s most famous Christmas trees was packaged at Bemidji State in preparation for its journey to the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C.

On Oct. 29, a tree was cut from Minnesota’s Chippewa National Forest and trucked to BSU’s John Glas Fieldhouse, where it was prepared before departing for the Capitol on Nov. 3. It took a team of six to eight people approximately 25 hours to prepare the tree for shipment.

The packaging stop at Bemidji State was one of many visits the tree will make in cities and towns as it journeys from the forest to Washington, D.C. Once the tree is installed, the lighting ceremony is broadcast live on C-SPAN.

University Heights residential
project moving forward

In July, Bemidji’s Joint Planning Commission recommended approval for University Heights, an apartment and commercial project slated for construction on the northwest corner of 15th Street and Bemidji Avenue, where Bemidji High School once stood. The commission recommended the necessary rezoning to multi-family residential and approved a conditional use permit for future development.

Construction on Phase 1 of the project is planned to begin in April and be completed by April 2016. That initial phase would include a four-story complex with first-level accommodations for six retail businesses and 42 apartments on the upper three levels, which would be operated by the Department of Residential Life in a manner similar to BSU’s on-campus residence halls. The university will have at least once facility manager on site once Phase 1 is completed and collect rent from student residents on behalf of the developer.

Plans call for further development in the future. Two additional phases of the project, which include a parking garage, additional multi-use buildings, a significant residential expansion and more retail space, could be completed by the spring of 2022.