Feature Stories
Curing Health Care
Heath care reform doesn’t need to be complex, says George Halvorson ’68, CEO of Kaiser Permanente, the country’s largest nonprofit health plan and health system. Halvorson recommends universal coverage and better linking between caregivers and patient medical records.
Powerful PARTNERS
The Red River Flood of 2009 forced Dr. Roger Gilbertson ’59 into uncharted waters. Kelby Krabbenhoft ’80 came to his aid. Unexpectedly united in crisis, the leaders of two health care giants have joined forces permanently.
Valuable Vaccine Research
Student researchers in Concordia’s Global Vaccine Institute are targeting potential vaccines for global diseases. This summer, a group will travel to Bangladesh with biology assistant professor Dr. Jennifer Bath to gather information on diseases in local villages.
She’s Back
When a rare form of cancer struck one of Concordia’s top athletes, the community rallied around her. Sara Sorbo ’10 pushed through the toughest summer of her life to come back stronger than ever.
Delving Outside Their Discipline
Fifteen communication, business and graphic design students teamed up in a new course to create new branding concepts for the city of Moorhead. They interviewed city leaders about the community’s goals and presented their finished products – helping the city while gaining real-world experience in a college course.
Orchestrating Hope
The Hamiltons, string faculty at Concordia, recently traveled to Argentina to perform and teach. While there, they interacted with impoverished students whose lives were changed through music. At the end of the week, those students changed the Hamiltons.
Innovative Staging
After five years of running her own home staging business in Los Angeles, Lisa Lynch ’90 has struck gold. The art and communication major now has her own design show, “Stager Invasion,” on the TLC network.
Returning the Dream
Joan (Urbaniak) Wodiska ’96 credits the Washington Semester Program and Concordia’s commitment to service and mentorship with leading her to the job of her dreams, as director of education at the National Governors Association. Now, she’s giving back to the college in her family’s estate planning.
Netting National Goals
The 2009 Cobber women’s soccer team enjoyed a magical run to its first-ever NCAA Sweet 16 appearance while piling up individual and team honors. On their way to a school record 18 wins, the Cobbers captured their third MIAC title in four seasons and earned their third trip to NCAA postseason play. They conquered virtually every goal they set for the season – and then some.
A Faithful Performance
A six-month world tour with the performance group Up With People taught Megan Luebke more than she could ever have imagined. She left me with a strong desire to reach out to those in need and continue spreading a message of hope and peace.
Reduce, Reuse … Bon Appétit
Hungry animals and the absence of trays are helping Concordia reduce and recycle leftovers. The college eliminated food trays in summer 2009 and now supplies scrap fruit and vegetables to the biology’s department animals, including insects, iguanas and a tortoise named Gloria.
