Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients

Minnesota State University Moorhead will present alumni awards to seven of its graduates at the Distinguished Alumni & Outstanding Service Celebration Friday, Sept. 27 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Moorhead.

Distinguished Alumni Awards
Bob Bowlsby ’75 (health and physical education)
Christina Broadwell ’00 (biology)
Bob Mikkelson ’72 (mass communications)
Gregory Smogard ’72 (history)

Eva Vraspir Excellence in Nursing Award
Evelyn Quigley ’82 (nursing)

Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Emily Beck ’06 (film studies)

Outstanding Service to the University*
George Sanderson
Marlane Sanderson ’77 and ’81 (accounting and master’s in business administration)

*Recipients recognized for outstanding service and need not be alumni

Distinguished Alumni Awards

Bob Bowlsby ’75 (health and physical education) is the Commissioner of the Big 12. Prior to his role at the Big 12, he spent six years directing the Stanford University athletics department that sponsors 35 varsity sports and claimed an unprecedented 17 consecutive Learfield Sports Directors Cups, emblematic of the top overall athletics program in the country.

Bowlsby arrived at Stanford after a 15-year stint as the chief administrator for the University of Iowa Department of Athletics, where he guided and supervised the merger of the Hawkeye men’s and women’s athletic departments.

In 2002, President George W. Bush chose Bowlsby to be a member of the Commission on Opportunities in Athletics. He was appointed to the United States Olympic Committee Board of Directors in 2007 and will complete that term at the 2014 Winter Olympiad in Sochi, Russia.

Bowlsby serves on the Alumni Foundation Board of Directors.

Christina Broadwell, MD, ‘00 (biology) is an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility at the University of Wisconsin Madison. She is board certified in obstetrics, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility.

Broadwell has received numerous awards and has been recognized for excellence in research and teaching at each of her training positions including, Medical School at the University of North Dakota, Residency at the University of Iowa, and her Fellowship at the University of Vermont.

Robert Mikkelson ’72 (mass communications) is the owner of Winged Vision, his Maryland based company, and the pioneering leader in aerial sports broadcasting since the early 1980’s. Mikkelson brought together military gyro-stabilized camera mounts and large broadcast telephoto lenses, enabling aerial play action coverage of sports for the first time. The state of the art coverage is now common throughout the world. He has won two primetime and four sports Emmys and was featured in the 2008 CBS Sports special “The Best Shot in Golf,” the story of the MetLife Blimp’s coverage of the PGA golf tour. Mikkelson’s current credits include PGA golf, Sunday Night NFL Football, Olympics, and major college sports.

Mikkelson finds time to mentor and share his experiences and connections with MSUM faculty and students and is working to create partnerships with MSUM and the sports broadcast industry. Winged Vision covers about 150 events a year with Mikkelson traveling close to 150 days a year. Yet he still finds time to spend summers with his family at their lake home near Walker, Minn.

Greg Smogard, Ph.D., ’72 (history) is founder and CEO of 4catalysts consulting and author of the new book, A World of Opportunities for Aspiring Entrepreneurs—Creating Your Own Job in the “New Normal.” He specializes in helping companies and startups quickly and profitably improve their operations by enhancing customer relationships, improving processes, launching new businesses, and identifying new trends and opportunities.

Smogard spent much of his career as an international business executive working with American Express, Blockbuster/Viacom and global brands in over 40 countries. Smogard is currently an advisor to a private equity firm, an investor, a speaker, mentor, trend watcher and entrepreneur. He is also a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, National Leadership Honor Society and various technology, business and entrepreneurial organizations.

Smogard has lived and traveled extensively abroad and speaks Spanish. He and his family currently reside in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Eva Vraspir Excellence in Nursing Award

Evelyn Quigley ’82 (nursing) was a senior executive with Sanford Health for 23 years and was named Chief Nursing Officer Emeritus.

Quigley has been recognized as a Distinguished Alumni by MSUM for her leadership in establishing the Upper Division BSN Program and the Externals Degree Program. She served two terms on President Barden’s Advisory Board and two years on President Szymanski’s Visioning Task Force & Strategic Planning for MSUM.

Quigley was a consultant to the Master’s Program in public, human services, and health administration. She most recently served on the MSUM Founder’s Scholarship Committee, Strategic Planning Committee and the Golden Dragon Retiree Group.

Locally, Quigley serves on the United Way Board of Directors, Sanford Health Partners Organization, First Lutheran Church of Fargo Foundation Board of Directors, YWCA, Heart Association, Diabetes Association, and numerous nursing organizations. Quigley is in the North Dakota Nurses Association Hall of Fame.

Outstanding Young Alumni Award

Emily Beck ’06 (film studies) is the executive director of the Fargo Theatre Management Corp. Beck has worked as the executive director for more than a year, but began working at the Fargo Theatre three years ago

As a young professional in the F-M area, she has become a visible leader of the iconic Fargo landmark. Open every day of the year, Beck’s responsibilities include giving tours of the theatre, writing grants, marketing the membership program and booking films.

Beck recently helped complete a capital campaign in order to buy digital equipment for the Fargo Theatre. Beck, the Board of Directors and volunteers raised $200,000 in less than a year.

Beck is now the director and programmer of the Fargo Film Festival.

Outstanding Service to the University

George and Marlane Sanderson
MSUM Retired Professors

Marlane Sanderson ’77 & ’81 (accounting and master’s in business administration) worked in public accounting for Eide Helmeke and taught two years at the University of Nebraska Lincoln before teaching and advising MSUM students for 24 years. She was involved in the National Association of Accountants, the North Dakota CPA Society as well as other professional organizations. After a 26-year teaching career, she retired in 2007.

George Sanderson earned a degree in math and a master’s in accounting, both from UND. He completed his Ph.D. in business at the University of Nebraska in 1985. George dedicated more than four years on active duty with the Air Force and worked as a staff auditor at an accounting firm in Minneapolis before joining MSUM in 1976 to teach accounting. He served as the Accounting Department Chair for nine years. George was active in the North Dakota CPA Society and served a term as Chair of the Minnesota Council of Accounting Educators. After a 31-year teaching career, he retired in 2009.

Teachers and mentors, George and Marlane have been student supporters in numerous capacities: MSUM faculty athletic representative, Lutheran Campus Ministry Board, assisting in financial reviews, MBA program coordinator, New Rivers Press financial advisor, accounting internship coordinator and much more.

“Giving is one of the most rewarding things we do,” they said. “We support students because college education opened up opportunities for us.”

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