Bemidji State University adds five inductees to its Education Hall of Fame

BEMIDJI, Minn. (April 15, 2011) — Five new members will be inducted into the Bemidji State University Professional Education Hall of Fame during a Friday, April 29 ceremony on campus.

The Professional Education Hall of Fame honors Bemidji State graduates who have demonstrated excellence in the profession and have been named either a teacher of the year or administrator of the year.

A banquet honoring the recipients will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Bemidji State’s American Indian Resource Center. Tickets to the banquet are available for $22 per person by calling the Bemidji State University Alumni Office at (218) 755-3989 or (877) 278-2586.

Bemidji State’s 2011 Professional Education Hall of Fame induction class includes:
• Janet “Jan” E. Anderson (Aune); Red Lake Falls, Minn.; principal of J.A. Hughes Elementary School, Red Lake Falls, Minn.
• Bruce D. Brinkworth; Canmore, Alberta, Canada; Betty Gibson School, Brandon, Manitoba, Canada (retired).
• Terry P. Goziaman; Roseau, Minn.; superintendant of Roseau (Minn.) School District.
• Lisa L. Laing (Bailey); Red Wing, Minn.; instructor, Southeast Technical College (Minn.).
• Pamela “Pam” M. Olson; Bemidji, Minn.; principal, Cass Lake Elementary School (retired).

Jan Anderson won the 2010 Northern Division Leadership Award from the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association and a 2009 Profile of Excellence Award of Distinction from the Minnesota Rural Education Association. In 2007, she participated in “What Works in Public Education,” a documentary produced by Edutopia. She graduated from Bemidji State with a degree in elementary education in 1969.

Bruce Brinkworth taught physical education for 36 years, with 26 years as a Jump Rope for Heart coach and four years as a physical education supervisor, before retiring. He has won Quality Daily Physical Education Awards at the provincial and national levels in Canada and also has won a Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Association Award and an Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Builder’s Award. He graduated from Bemidji State in 1967.

Terry Goziaman has spent the past 24 years as a teacher and administrator in Roseau, Minn. He was principal and athletic director 1987-2010, and he is now finishing up his 10th year as the district superintendant. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Bemidji State in 1969 and holds a master’s degree in secondary education and an education specialist degree from the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Lisa Laing taught at  both the Red Wing and Winona campuses of Southeast Technical College from 1993-2010 before passing away unexpectedly in 2010. She received a Teacher of the Year award from Minnesota Business Educators, Inc., in 2007. She received her bachelor’s degree in business education from Bemidji State in 1984 and also earned a master’s degree in vocational education from the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

Pam Olson retired as principal at Cass Lake Elementary School in 2005 to conclude a 36-year career. She was a recipient of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association’s School of Excellence and Northern Division Leadership Achievement awards. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Bemidji State and also earned a principal certification at St. Cloud State University.

The Bemidji State University Education Hall of Fame is located in the Education-Arts Building on the Bemidji State campus and is co-sponsored by the Department of Professional Education and the BSU Alumni Association.

For more information on the hall of fame, please contact the Department of Professional Education at (218) 755-3734 or the BSU Alumni Association at (218) 755-3989; toll free (877) 278-2586.