UMC Commencement Set for Saturday, May 5

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Peggy (Lee) Hilton from the Class of 1968 will address the University of Minnesota Crookston Class of 2018 during commencement exercises on Saturday, May 5. Graduates will take part in the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium, Sports Center. All are welcome to attend.

Hilton is a member of the Class of 1968, the first graduating class from the University of Minnesota Crookston Technical Institute.  Graduating with high distinction, she earned an associate degree in applied science, specializing in legal.  She started her 30-year career in Crookston working as a legal secretary/paralegal and went on to work for noteworthy law firms in both the Twin Cities and in Seattle, Wash.  In 1998, Hilton retired early in order to thru-hike the 2,660-mile Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada with her husband on his 7-month sabbatical. During her non-work life, Hilton has been a competitive runner and has engaged in extensive mountain climbing and hiking adventures. She currently lives in Seattle with her husband, Jim.

A reception in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center, precedes the commencement ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events; no tickets or parking permits are required. Additionally, online graduates will have an opportunity to meet faculty at 11 a.m. in the Prairie Room, Sargent Student Center followed by a special recognition for students who are Veterans, Active Duty, Reserves, and National Guard members taking place from 12:30 to 1 p.m. in the Prairie Room. 

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the formal procession of faculty, candidates for degrees, and platform guests will begin from the Sargeant Student Center to the gymnasium led by Mace Bearer Professor W. Daniel Svedarsky, The procession also includes Faculty Marshal Sharon Stewart, associate professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department.

Bringing greetings from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the Honorable Richard Beeson, St. Paul. Minn., who also will assist with the conferring of the degrees.

University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association (UMCAA) Board President Eric Morgan 2012 will bring greetings from the UMCAA and welcome the new graduates to the alumni association. The U of M Crookston Community Band under the direction of TJ Chapman, lecturer in the Math, Science, and Technology Department, will perform along with selections during the ceremony by the campus choir under the direction of Associate Professor George French.

Crookston Student Association (CSA) President Dalton Javner, a senior majoring in health sciences from Hardwick, Minn., will speak on behalf of the Class of 2018. Junior Ben Koisti will accept the torch of education, a Crookston campus tradition, as the incoming CSA president.

A reception for international student graduates will be held following commencement exercises at 4 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.

The 2018 commencement exercises mark the 110th graduating class to be recognized on the Crookston campus. A live audio stream of the commencement exercises will be available at www.crk.umn.edu/units/media-services. 

For more information, visit the commencement website at www.crk.umn.edu/umc-commencement.

UMC Commencement Saturday, May 7

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Outdoors enthusiast, fishing expert, and wildlife damage extension specialist for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Mandy Uhrich will address the University of Minnesota Crookston Class of 2016 during commencement exercises on Saturday, May 7, 2016. Graduates will take part in the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium. All are welcome to attend.

Uhrich, a 2005 graduate in natural resources, started her career with the Minnesota DNR in 2001 with the Farmland Wildlife Populations and Research Center near Madelia, Minnesota. Since that time, she has worked in a variety of roles including the Parks and Trails Division as well as Wildlife. She worked with the United States Department of Agriculture as a wildlife conservation biologist where she was recognized for enrolling 9,650 acres of private land into conservation programs—an outstanding achievement.

She spent the next six years working for the Minnesota Department of Transportation as an operations specialist and integrated resource coordinator managing several natural resource programs and research. In 2013, she returned to the DNR in the position she now holds assisting private organizations, citizens, commercial agricultural producers, and all wildlife staff throughout the state of Minnesota experiencing wildlife damage problems. 

Living amid the lakes in central Minnesota, it is no surprise when Uhrich isn’t at work, she is on the water. In 2016, this professional angler will fish some 30 tournaments for three bass circuits, speak at seminars on fishing, and volunteer her time to encourage women and girls through organizations like Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW), Keeping Kids in outDoor Sports (KKIDS), and others.

A reception in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center, precedes the commencement ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events; no tickets are required. Additionally, a special reception for online graduates will be held at 10 a.m. in the Prairie Room, Sargent Student Center, and a reception for international student graduates will be held following commencement exercises at 4 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the formal procession of faculty, candidates for degrees, and platform guests will begin from the Sargeant Student Center to the gymnasium led by Mace Bearer W. Daniel Svedarsky, professor and director of the Center for Sustainability. The procession also includes Faculty Marshal Lynnette Mullins, assistant professor in the Liberal Arts and Education Department.

Bringing greetings from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the Honorable Darrin Rosha, Independence, Minn., who will also assist with the conferring of the degrees.

University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association (UMCAA) Board President Alisha Aasness 2012 will bring greetings from the UMCAA and welcome the new graduates to the alumni association. The U of M Crookston Community Band under the direction of TJ Chapman, lecturer in the Math, Science, and Technology Department, will perform along with selections during the ceremony by the campus choir under the direction of Associate Professor George French.

Crookston Student Association (CSA) President Tareyn Stomberg, a senior double majoring in animal science and agricultural business from Menahga, Minn., will speak on behalf of the Class of 2016 and pass the torch of education, a Crookston campus tradition, to the incoming CSA president.

The 2016 commencement exercises mark the 108th graduating class to be recognized on the Crookston campus. A live audio stream of the commencement exercises will be available at www1.crk.umn.edu/services/mediaservices/live/. 

For more information, visit the commencement website at www.umcrookston.edu/commencement.

UMC Commencement on Saturday, May 9, 2015

CROOKSTON, Minn. – Entrepreneur David G. Ekman will address the University of Minnesota Crookston Class of 2015 during commencement exercises on Saturday, May 9, 2015. Graduates will take part in the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium. All are welcome to attend.

Ekman, a 1981 graduate of the U of M Crookston, grew up in Argyle, Minn., and has more than 30 years of business experience. During his time at the U of M Crookston, he played college basketball, served as student senate president, and earned his associates degree in agricultural business management. While attending North Dakota State University and majoring in agricultural economics, Ekman started in the computer business by purchasing a ComputerLand franchise at the age of 20. This began a series of business ventures including a technology company, an internet service provider, a travel agency, hotel development and investment, a self-storage business, and various real estate projects.

He recently retired as the CIO of Multiband Corporation, a NASDAQ-listed field services company with more than 3,000 employees which he helped start.  He serves on various boards and committees, including the Campus Advisory and Advancement Board for the Crookston campus, and stays active in his many business dealings. Ekman and his wife, Paula, reside in Fargo, N.D., with their three teenage children.

A reception in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center, precedes the commencement ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events; no tickets are required. Additionally, a special reception for online graduates will be held at 10 a.m. in the Prairie Room, Sargent Student Center, and a reception for international student graduates will be held following commencement exercises at 4 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the formal procession of faculty, candidates for degrees, and platform guests will begin from the Sargeant Student Center to the gymnasium led by Mace Bearer William Peterson, professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department. The procession also includes Faculty Marshal W. Daniel Svedarsky, professor and director of the Center for Sustainability on the Crookston campus.

Bringing greetings from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the Honorable Peggy Lucas, from Minneapolis, Minn., who will also assist with the conferring of the degrees. 

University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association (UMCAA) Board President Lauralee (Nicholas) Tupa '05 will bring greetings from the UMCAA and welcome the new graduates to the alumni association. The U of M Crookston Community Band under the direction of TJ Chapman, lecturer in the Math, Science, and Technology Department, will perform along with selections during the ceremony by the campus choir under the direction of Associate Professor George French.

Graduating senior Justin Goodroad, a horticulture major from Lindstrom, Minn., Crookston Student Association (CSA) president, will speak on behalf of the Class of 2015 and pass the torch of education, a Crookston campus tradition, to the incoming CSA president Tareyn Stomberg, a junior double majoring in animal science and agricultural business from Menahga, Minn.

The 2015 commencement exercises mark the 107th graduating class to be recognized on the Crookston campus. A live audio stream of the commencement exercises will be available at www.umcrookston.edu/people/services/mediaservices. 

For more information, visit the commencement website at www.umcrookston.edu/commencement.

UMC Commencement on Saturday, May 10th

CROOKSTON, Minn. – The Class of 2014 will be honored during commencement exercises at the University of Minnesota Crookston on Saturday, May 10. Nearly 250 students will take part in the ceremony, which begins at 2 p.m. in Lysaker Gymnasium. Graduates will represent 13 countries and 29 states and include more than 35 online graduates who are setting foot on the campus for the very first time. The ceremony also recognizes the 20-year anniversary of the Class of 1994, who were the first to earn baccalaureate degrees on the Crookston campus.

A reception in the Northern Lights Lounge, Sargeant Student Center, precedes the commencement ceremony from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome to attend both events; no tickets are required. A special reception for international student graduates will be held following commencement exercises at 4 p.m. in Bede Ballroom, Sargeant Student Center.

On Saturday at 2 p.m., the formal procession of faculty, candidates for degrees, and platform guests will begin from the Sargeant Student Center to the gymnasium led by Mace Bearer William Peterson, professor in the Math, Science, and Technology Department. The procession also includes Faculty Marshal W. Daniel Svedarsky, professor and director of the Center for Sustainability on the Crookston campus.

Bringing greetings from the University of Minnesota Board of Regents is the Honorable Clyde Allen, from Moorhead, Minn., who will also assist with the conferring of the degrees. 

U of M Crookston alumnus Tyler Grove ’94 will give the commencement address. Grovewas one of the first to earn a four-year degree from the University of Minnesota Crookston. His major was in plant industries management with an agronomy emphasis. While at the U of M Crookston, he participated in the Crops Team and in NACTA (North American Colleges and Teachers of Agriculture) competition. In 2007 he earned his master's degree in agronomy from Iowa State University. In 1995, he was employed with American Crystal Sugar Company as an agriculturist for the East Grand Forks district, and in February, 2013, he accepted a position as the ag strategy development manager at the corporate office in Moorhead, Minn. He was named Outstanding Alumni during Homecoming 2013.

University of Minnesota, Crookston Alumni Association (UMCAA) Board President Rory Held ‘11 will bring greetings from the UMCAA and welcome the new graduates to the alumni association. For the first time, the U of M Crookston Community Band under the direction of TJ Chapman will play along with selections during the ceremony by the campus choir under the direction of George French.

Graduating senior Alexmai Addo, Crookston Student Association (CSA) president, will speak on behalf of the Class of 2014 and pass the torch of education, a Crookston campus tradition, to Justin Goodroad the incoming CSA president. Addo, from Monrovia, Liberia, is a communication major.

The 2014 commencement exercises mark the 106th graduating class to be recognized on the Crookston campus. A live audio stream of the commencement exercises will be available at www.umcrookston.edu/people/services/MediaServ/Stream.htm.  

For more information, visit the commencement Web site at www.umcrookston.edu/commencement.