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 Dakota Wesleyan University began the
academic year with 10 more students than the previous year and retention
was the highest it had been in a very long time.High profile speakers
such as best selling author Stephen Ambrose and Ambassador George McGovern
came to campus and Wesleyan's nursing graduates made us all proud with the
first-ever 100 percent pass rate on their licensing exams. The academic
year of 2001-02 was filled with promise and marred with tragedy. Reviewed
here are the highlights of the year.
 Molly Peugh, Forest River, N.D., and
Danita Thomas, Kimball, are two of the 146 graduates who received degrees during
the May 5 Commencement at the Corn Palace. Bachelor of Arts degrees were
presented to 110 students and 36 students received Associate of Arts
degrees.
Justin Portenier, DWU's first individual
national champion in any sport, wrestled in the 125-pound division and was
named All-American.
The starting five on the 2001-02 women's
basketball team: Emily Janssen, Victoria Drefs, Amanda
Williams, Randi
Morgan and Nikki Weber. The team won the GPAC Championship and went on to
play in the Final Four of the NAIA National Women's Basketball Tournament
in Sioux City, Iowa. They ended their season ranked fourth in the nation.
Russ Willis, vice president for academic affairs and dean, addresses the
student body, faculty and staff on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The
Wesleyan community had just learned about the terrorist attacks on America
when the administration decided to hold a campus-wide memorial service.
Dakota Wesleyan opened its theater season
with Euripedes' classic tragedy, "Medea." This timeless tale of
a wronged woman driven to extreme acts of despair and revenge featured 11
DWU students and two elementary-aged students in its cast. "Medea"
was performed three evenings in November.
 A sea of fans came out to cheer at the DWU
Blue and White Day football game. Dakota Wesleyan took on Doane College
during the annual homecoming game.
In the News
DWU nurses have 100 percent pass rate on licensing exam
The Dakota Wesleyan University Nursing Department celebrated a milestone
when all members of the graduating class passed their state board
licensure exam on their first attempt.
Members of the Class of 2001, all 33 of them, scored high enough on the
exam to give the program its first ever 100 percent pass rate. Also unique
about this class of graduates is that they are all employed, with more
than 90 percent of them remaining in the state of South Dakota to work.
"This is a tribute to the hard work and persistence of both our
students and faculty," said Russ Willis, vice president for academic
affairs and dean. "Our nursing faculty have developed an excellent
program that is designed to provide our students with the skills and
knowledge necessary for modern nursing, the very skills and knowledge
measured by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing."
Women's Center created at DWU
A new organization dedicated to raising awareness about issues important
to women was formed on campus during the fall of 2001. The Women's Center
was discussed a year earlier when a student brought the idea to Anne
Wessels-Kelly, professor of psychology.
"It's rare for a college not to have a group that addresses women's
issues," said Wessels-Kelly, who serves as the group's adviser.
Topics that the group will discuss include domestic violence, sexual
harassment, rape, women's health and childcare.
Bowen keynoted Opperman lecture series
Dawn Bowen, assistant U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida,
was the annual Opperman alumni lecturer in September. Bowen presented
"The Path to Public Service: A Career Federal Prosecutor's
Perspective" and "Federal Law and the War on Drugs: Noriega and
Beyond."
Bowen, a 1975 DWU graduate, is a noted attorney who began her career as a
clerk for a district judge in South Dakota's fifth circuit. She served as
chief of the appellate division during the appeal of Manuel Noriega, and
in 1998 received the John Marshall Award for the handling of the Noriega
case.
Star Party draws crowd
Stargazers had the opportunity to see Jupiter at its best thanks to the
efforts of Mike Farney, professor of astronomy and mathematics at
Wesleyan, who hosted a Star Party in January.
A caravan traveled six miles to the New Home Lutheran Church Cemetery
where they viewed Jupiter, Saturn, the Orion Nebula and craters on the
moon through a 6-foot telescope built and recently upgraded by Farney.
The Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship
becomes a reality
The Kelley Center for Entrepreneurship became a reality in May when
students opened DAKOTA WESLEYAN, Ink., a retail store that sold
merchandise typical of a college bookstore.
Eric Walth, a senior from Mandan, N.D., served as CEO and was responsible
for the daily operation of the store. "This is a good way to put into
practice what I've learned in the classroom," Walth said. "It
will also help me decide if I want to own a business some day."
Enrollment up at DWU
Fall semester enrollment at Dakota Wesleyan was up by 10 students over the
previous year's count, with the retention rate being 64 percent compared
to 58 percent in 2000.
"We all know that students who come back are the best
ambassadors," said DWU President Bob Duffett. "As with repeat
customers in the business world, we need to pay attention to the wants and
needs of our returning students." Duffett was also pleased with the
number of transfer students, which has gradually risen from 54 in 1997, to
72 in the fall.
U.S. Olympic training psychologist
visits
Kirsten Peterson, sports psychologist for the U.S. Olympic Training Center
in Colorado Springs, Colo., presented a workshop and lecture on campus in
November.
Peterson presented "Your Mental Links to Excellence: the Fundamentals
of Sport and Performance Psychology" at an 11 a.m. lecture. She
joined the staff of the U.S. Olympic Committee as a sports psychologist in
1996. She provides services to individual athletes and coaches, as well as
to various resident and off-site teams.
She also conducts educational performance enhancement workshops with such
teams as wrestling, volleyball, figure skating, soccer, hockey and more.
She was part of the 2000 sport psychology staff at the Olympics in Sydney,
Australia.
Sports milestones
Baseball
The DWU baseball team won its first GPAC Championship and was ranked
second in the region at the end of the season. Jacoby Marshall threw the
first no-hitter in DWU history.
NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes
Cross Country: Andrew Zoller
Football: Ryan Evans, Donald Hedrick, Walter Moody, Danny Wright
Men's Basketball: Clay Dellos, Kelly Pfeifer
Volleyball: Meridee Olson, Danita Thomas
Women's Basketball: Emily Janssen
NAIA All-Americans
Men's Basketball: Austin Ledeboer, honorable mention; David Nour,
honorable mention
Women's Basketball: Randi Morgan; Emily Janssen, honorable mention
Wrestling: Justin Portenier
Dakota Wesleyan University
1200 W. University Ave
Mitchell, SD 57301
800-333-8506 |
