Campus Culture Dragon Stories

When Kevin Hanson walked into Gate City Bank one morning in 1983, he didn’t know if they were hiring. He had graduated with a bachelor’s in finance from MSUM two days prior and opened a phone book just hours before to look for job openings. 

Before Angel Fuentes knew what she wanted to study, or even whether college was the right path for her, she felt the pressure of being a first-generation college student.

As the MSUM Planetarium celebrates its 50th anniversary, it reflects on the many students, faculty and staff who have helped shape its success over the past half century. 

MSUM has recently been awarded a Federal grant that will allow us to take our commitment to veterans to the next level.

Mary Dodge came to MSUM expecting to study English, then took an astronomy class that led to a lifelong career in planetariums and film-making.

Dragon Pride runs deep for Tim and Kathy Peil. Beyond their legacy in the classroom, the Peils impact students by creating a scholarship and making a planned gift through their estate.

For the past 50 years, the MSUM Planetarium has been a place for inspiration and exploration. The planetarium’s director, Sara Schultz, expects it will play that role for another 50 years.

Ashley and Christopher Johnson, Ph.D., MSW, established the Gayel Marie Saude Scholarship Fund in 2022. The scholarship provides up to $2,500 annually to support social work students.

Matt Weil shares his success in the Audio Production and Entertainment Management field, starting from his beginning days on the campus stage. 

For Abigail Bormann, working at the MSUM planetarium was a way to lift up her love for both science and the humanities.

The 2022 graduate earned her degree in chemistry. During her time at MSUM. she started working at the planetarium as an honors apprentice.

Robin Ladd grew up in rural North Dakota, where the stars in the night sky were easily viewed. But it was the stories about the constellations that attracted the 1982 MSUM graduate to her first astronomy class. This eventually led to her working at the MSUM planetarium.

MSUM names sociology and criminal justice professor, Joel Powell Dahlquist, the 2022-2023 Roland & Beth Dille Distinguished Faculty Lecturer for his work on identifying critical junctures at which police officers can de-escalate situations.