Faculty and Administrative Retirements

May 21, 2009



FOR MORE INFORMATION:
AMY KELLY, News Bureau director
(218) 299-3642

FACULTY AND ADMINISTRATIVE RETIREMENTS
AT CONCORDIA COLLEGE

    Concordia College, Moorhead, Minn., honored eight faculty and administrative retirees for their years of dedicated service to the college at the Faculty and Administration Appreciation dinner in April.
    Dr. Albert Bartz ’55, professor of psychology, is retiring after 50 years at Concordia, but will continue to serve the college as a psychologist-in-residence. Bartz has remained an active scholar and has the distinction of publishing in every decade since the 1950s. He wrote a college textbook, “Basic Statistical Concepts in Education and the Behavioral Sciences” which is currently in its fourth edition. In 1994, he was honored as the Minnesota Psychological Association Undergraduate Teacher of the Year.    
    Helen Cermak, assistant professor in the Communication Studies and Theatre Art department and the women’s studies program, came to Concordia in 1972. Cermak, noted for her work as a director and acting coach, is also known throughout the area as a teacher, costume designer, publicist and specialist in Readers Theatre. During her 36 years at Concordia, she has been involved in hundreds of productions and each April she and her students put on the One-Act-Play Festival at Concordia.
    After teaching in Moorhead Public Schools for 35 years and serving as an adjunct instructor at Concordia from 1991-95, James Ellingson became assistant professor of education in 1998. He was the department’s representative at the Minnesota Graduation Standards meetings of the Minnesota Department of Education in 1999-00 and 2001-02. He published “Standards Count: NAEP Frameworks Released Items and Scoring Guides as Resources for Educators,” and presented it to select members and staff of the US House of Representatives in 1998.    
    Robert Foss ’65, assistant professor of the Concordia Business School, specialized in financial accounting and taught business law, managerial finance and investments and also led May Seminars. From 1976 to 1985, he was the controller at Concordia and after working for three years as an independent financial planner in Fargo he returned to Concordia to teach in 1988. He retires after a combined 30 years at the college.
    After 32 years of service, Ansel Hakanson retired as director of campus facilities planning. Until 2006, he was director of the Physical Plant and oversaw the major remodeling and renovation of every residence hall, Memorial Auditorium, the president’s residence and several classroom buildings. He also supervised the new building construction of Jones Science Center, Olson Forum and Skyway, the bell tower, the Townhouses and others, culminating with the new Knutson Campus Center.
    During his 43 years as a physical education faculty member, Bob Nick ’65 served  as offensive coordinator for the football team, coached tennis for 36 years, assisted in basketball for 17 years and worked as assistant athletics director. Since 1961, he worked with the Minnesota State High School League running tournaments and for 40 years he officiated at Minnesota high school basketball and football games. A member of the Cobber football and basketball teams as a student, Nick was inducted into Concordia’s Hall of Fame in 2006. One of the highlights of his career was three national football championships.
    During her 11 years as Concordia’s registrar, Carole Stalheim helped implement the new core curriculum and introduce students and faculty to online grade posting. Faculty submit grades via the Web and students check the Web immediately, rather than waiting for the hard copy to be mailed.
    Linda Widme joined Concordia in 1977 as the Cobber Bookstore textbook manager when everything had to be typed – shelf tags, orders for publishers, faculty information and more. In the mid 1980s Widme became the assistant director of auxiliary services and Bookstore director. She was instrumental in transitioning the Bookstore to the PRISM computer system, a complete inventory control and point of sale system and implementing a system allowing students to order textbooks online.

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