Education Dragon Stories

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. 

Randall Flick learned two things in nursing school: he didn't want to be a nurse and he loved medicine. Now, as the medical director of Mayo Clinic Children's Center, he serves on the committee that oversees all of Mayo’s pediatric activity across the Midwest. Flick is the recipient of a 2020 Distinguished Alumni Award.

Craig Weiss, as a recipient of a 2022 MSUM Distinguished Alumni Award, honed his leadership and entrepreneurial skills with nearly 35 years in the banking industry.

2022 marks the MSUM Planetarium's 50th anniversary. After a half century of inspiring a curiosity in what exists beyond our sky, the people behind the Planetarium honor its significant milestone by sharing the historical orbit of this community asset.

Robert Nava, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Graduate Studies at MSUM, writes about new master's programs that MSUM is adding in 2023.