WSU Pedestrian Tunnels Under Way
Incoming and returning WSU students will no longer need to negotiate a safe route across the railroad tracks that parallel the campus. Rather, they will walk under the tracks.
The WSU Pedestrian Tunnel project is a joint venture between WSU, CP Rail and Minnesota Department of Transportation, and has been under development since 2008.
The tunnels project broke ground last May and is being completed in several phases. Two pedestrian railway underpasses, one at Winona Street between the new residence halls, Kirkland-Haake, and one at Johnson Street near the entrance to Warrior Stadium, will improve pedestrian safety near the railroad tracks.
Kraemer North America, contracted by Canadian Pacific Railway, installed box culverts under the tracks. WSU is working with a general contractor to complete the construction of the approaches, ramps and stairs at each tunnel entrance, along with landscaping and site security improvements extending along the tracks to create a safe environment.
View an animated concept video of the Pedestrian Tunnels project.
McDowell Selected as VP for Enrollment Management and Student Life
Dr. Denise Lloyd McDowell, newly Services Program and appointed Vice President for Enrollment Head Counselor of the
Management and Student Life, will lead enrollment management at WSU, addressing recruitment and retention, as well as access and opportunity for underserved populations. She will also direct student life services, including housing, student conduct, and student wellness.
Dr. McDowell recently served as Dean of Enrollment Management and Registrar at Kansas City Kansas Community College. Prior to this appointment, she was Director of the Student Support Education Opportunity Center at MCC-Penn Valley Community College. Additionally,
Dr. McDowell served as an Assistant Director/Program Counselor with Emporia State University. She holds a doctorate in education from Nova Southeastern University, a master’s degree in counseling from University of Central Missouri, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Lincoln University.
Nature, Culture, and Two Friends Talking
This book is in part the story of a friendship of over thirty years, centering on love of nature and two mens’ quest to understand how to save what they love.
Kim Alan Chapman has been working in conservation biology for over thirty years; he is currently a consulting ecologist
with Applied Ecological Services. He has worked on hundreds of projects in the Midwest that try to find the balance between conservation and development. He is the co-author and editor of Valley of Grass (North Star Press).
James Armstrong has been writing about nature and culture for thirty years.He is the author of two books of poetry, Monument in a Summer Hat (New Issues Press) and Blue Lash (Milkweed Press). He teaches poetry, film, and literature of the environment in the English Department at Winona State University.
WSU Receives Sustainability Award
Winona State University was selected to receive the 2015 Leadership in Sustainability- Education Award from Sustain Winona.
The award recognizes Winona State for its campus sustainability efforts and its long-term work on recycling and waste reduction.
WSU was one of the first signatories of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment in 2007. Since then, the university has engaged in significant study and celebration of sustainability through its academic offerings, community events and residential living options, and has participated annually in the nationwide Recyclemania competition.
Sustain Winona is a partnership of Winona’s seven largest institutions that have worked collaboratively on sustainability initiatives since 2005. The partnership’s mission is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the promotion of energy conservation, low-carbon energy technologies and pollution-prevention strategies.
Warrior Waddle Raises $90K for Scholarships
Over the past seven years, the Warrior Waddle 5K has raised $90,000 for WSU Women’s Track and Field Scholarships.
Last year’s Waddle raised $13,810 in scholarship money, and supported seven WSU Women’s Track and Field student athletes.
Want to participate? The eighth annual Warrior Waddle will be held Saturday, Sept. 26, during WSU Homecoming. Register online.
Engaged Partnership Steward Award
Winona State University presented this year’s President’s Engaged Partnership Steward Award to the Nursing Department- Rochester Campus, Aurea Osgood, Nancy Dumke, and Carol Long. The President’s Civic Engagement Awards are given each year to celebrate and acknowledge individuals who have demonstrated a practice of civic engagement and commitment to student learning and scholarship; embracing our mission to be a community of learners dedicated to improving our world.
Osgood is an Associate Professor in Sociology and the Interim Director of Child Advocacy Studies and serves as a board member for the Winona State University Alumni Society. Dumke is the Assistant Director for Access Services for Students with Disabilities. Long is the Chairperson and special education professor.
Navy Recognizes Hatfield
Winona State University Professor Emerita Susan Rickey Hatfield received the Department of the Navy’s Superior Public Service Award May 21 at Marine Corps Base Quantico.
The award recognizes Hatfield’s performance while serving as a member of The Marine Corps University’s Board of Visitors from November 2001 to May 21, 2015.
The award is the second highest honorary award that the U.S. Navy can bestow on a civilian. It recognizes civilians who have provided exceptional services that have made a significant and positive impact on the Department of the Navy.
Hatfield retired in May 2015 after 34 years as a professor of communication studies at WSU. She also served as the university’s assessment coordinator for 13 years. Hatfield is currently a Senior Scholar with the Higher Learning Commission projects on Assessment and Persistence & Completion.
Extensometer Strengthens Student Experience, Industry Connection
Winona State University Composite Materials Engineering program students are getting valuable hands-on experience as they prepare to enter the industry. WSU was awarded a new piece of equipment, a biaxial strain gauge extensometer, through the Leveraged Equipment Program. The program is a partnership between the state and employers to fund equipment for academic instruction in areas of high employer need. In WSU’s case, Winona’s own RTP Company provided the match to acquire the extensometer.
Karl Hoppe, a composite material engineer with RTP and a 1998 WSU alumnus, said the equipment provides valuable data for his company as well as critical experience for the students.
“It allows us to provide excellent data for our customers to design parts,” Hoppe said. “It gives students exposure to these companies through interaction and report writing, and helps them understand how the tests and data are used when designing parts.”
The extensometer provides measurements, ratios and graphs of a composite material as it is stretched, flexed or compressed to the breaking point. A standard extensometer tells only how much the length has changed in one direction, but a biaxial extensometer evaluates changes in length and width. By measuring how much deformation can happen in both directions, materials can be designed to withstand various forces and stresses, and obtain, for example, zero change in dimensions in high- precision applications. An example of the use of high-precision applications include satellites and space telescopes. In space, extreme temperature changes can cause stretching and shrinking, and knowing the limits of composite materials can mean the difference between a clear image and a fuzzy image.
The extensometer also helps WSU’s composite materials students tremendously when it comes to building the skills they need to be successful in the composites industry.
“It’s not so much experience with the machine is so valuable, but experience with the data it provides that is critical,” Hoppe said. “They will have to work with the data they are testing, and in a company like RTP, understanding how the data is used is incredibly valuable, as well as knowing the good, the bad and the pitfalls of the data.”
The extensometer resides in the middle of a large warehouse-like room in WSU’s Stark Hall. Various materials of all types and sizes wait in queue around the room to be broken for the benefit of science and engineering.
New Data Science Program
Nicole Cullinan ‘16
Winona State University is addressing a growing demand for data scientists with a new academic program.
“Data is everywhere and training young professionals on the methods to extract information from data is becoming increasingly important,” said Chris Malone, professor of statistics and data science. “Winona State is leading the way in creating this new Data Science program. I believe ours is the first undergraduate data science program in the upper Midwest.”
According to Malone, WSU has been a leader in the development of undergraduate statistics curriculum for over 20 years. The department’s strong programmatic background and faculty depth will help ensure the success of WSU’s new data science program, said Malone.
The Data Science program focuses on the skills necessary to turn data into knowledge. It also reflects a collaboration between academic and industry partners.
“In the early stages of our program development, we conducted interviews with industry representatives from companies like Fastenal, Mayo Clinic, Target Corporation and Medtronic,” said Malone. “The demand for data scientists continues to outpace most other occupations, and we felt it was important that our students attain the skills businesses are most looking for in potential employees.”
The Data Science program features a major and minor and is offered through the Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
Schoh Named Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year
Winona State Athletics Director Eric Schoh has been named a 2014-15 Under Armour AD of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).

Chris Malone Green is the new Purple! Schoh is one of four NCAA Division II athletic directors to earn the honor and among 28 throughout various divisions of collegiate athletics. The award spans seven divisions (NCAA FBS, FCS, Division I-AAA, II, III, NAIA/ Other Four-Year Institutions and Junior College/Community Colleges).
Under Schoh’s direction, WSU teams have advanced to NCAA postseason play 10 times. In 2014-15, the Warriors recorded 26 NSIC All-Conference performers, accumulated 16 NSIC/ WIAC Players of the Week awards and crowned 11 All-Americans along with 15 All-Region honorees.
Off the field, Winona State student- athletes have continued to excel in the classroom, recording a department-record GPA of 3.30 in both the Spring 2013 and Spring 2014 semesters. In 2014-15, the Warriors had five Academic All-Americans and celebrated 217 WSU scholar- athletes. WSU student athletes also documented 1,873 hours of community service.
Green is the new Purple!
Winona State University has been recognized as one of the country’s most environmentally responsible colleges
in the 2015 edition of “The Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Colleges.”
WSU is committed to building and supporting a sustainable society and demonstrates sustainability through many platforms such as: campus infrastructure, course and program offerings, student housing, the Sustainability House, participation in the annual nationwide “Recyclemania” competition, and the Purple Bike program and annual Bike Week celebration.
This is the sixth consecutive year WSU has been recognized as a “green” college. Of the 353 colleges named to the list, only seven are in Minnesota. WSU is the only member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system to receive this designation.
“The Princeton Review’s Guide to 353 Green Colleges” was created in partnership with the U.S. Green Council. For the 2015 edition, 2,000 schools were invited to take a survey covering three key factors: healthy and sustainable quality of life for students, student preparation for an increasingly green economy, and environmentally responsible school policies. The 353 schools included in the guide were determined to have the highest green rankings and to enhance students’ academic experience and quality of life in significant ways.
O’Grady Joins WSU International Programs and Services
Winona State University named Dr. Carolyn O’Grady Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Department of International Programs and Services. Dr. O’Grady will be responsible for leading all programs and services related to international education, including International Student Services, faculty and student exchange, international and domestic travel study, the English Language Center, and study education abroad.
Dr. O’Grady previously served as Professor of Education and Director of the Center for International and Cultural Education at Gustavus Adolphus College. She received her Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada. She also holds a Master of Arts from Columbia University Teacher’s College, New York City, and an Ed.D. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, School of Education, Division of Cultural Diversity & Curriculum Reform.
DeFor Appointed HealthForce Minnesota Executive Director
Valerie DeFor was appointed executive director of the WSU Center of Excellence- HealthForce Minnesota.
DeFor has served as interim executive director since August 2013, during which time she led HealthForce Minnesota in developing a mental health workforce plan for the State of Minnesota, expanded Scrubs Camp offerings, and collaborated on numerous healthcare workforce initiatives.
Previous to this appointment, DeFor worked statewide with healthcare providers, state agencies and higher education partners, leading a variety of initiatives for the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. She earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise
science from St. Olaf College and a master’s degree in healthcare administration from Arizona State University.
Valerie DeFor Dr. Carolyn O’Grady HealthForce Minnesota is the healthcare Center of Excellence within the MnSCU system. HealthForce Minnesota is a collaborative partnership of education, industry and community that was created to increase the number and expand
the diversity of healthcare workers; to integrate health science education, practice and research; and to build capacity for education and industry to collaborate to enhance patient care. WSU has hosted HealthForce Minnesota since it was established in October 2005.
Gangeness Named WSU Rochester Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Dr. Jeanine E. Gangeness was appointed to the position of Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, serving as the chief academic and operations administrator responsible for managing the WSU-Rochester campus.
She will work with deans, faculty, and staff to create sustainable and collaborative programming at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and work closely with the Winona campus to connect student services programs. Gangeness previously served as the Founding Dean of the Bemidji State University School of Nursing. She graduated from the University of North Dakota and holds a Master of Science and Ph.D. in nursing.
Hines Receives Civic Award
Winona State University Director of Inclusion and Diversity Alex Hines has received the Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award.
This award is for a member of the faculty, administration or staff that has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic engagement, and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement.
As the Director of the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, Hines has worked to advance the campus’ civic mission. He has supervised and mentored students, successfully recruited underrepresented students, brought innovative workshops and speakers to campus, consulted with faculty to add curricular components to diversity programming, and worked closely with community partners. His office also provides civic resources for both campus and community.
