Morningside Connect

A first impression can have a major impact on a person’s life, especially when it comes to colleges. Is it going to be a good fit? Are the people friendly? How good of a program is it?

The first impression of Morningside College and the Nursing Department was what drove Kelsea Hoberg to signup to become a Mustang.

“I came for a visit, loved the campus and after meeting with the nursing faculty, made my decision that day to come to Morningside,” said Hoberg.

She had been working at St. Luke’s prior to coming to Morningside College. Many nurses had been coming in and being hired by St. Luke’s. A good chunk of them were graduates from Morningside College, which sparked her interest in the program.

Kelsea feels like the professors in the nursing department want to help them learn.

“They are so passionate about their profession and want to pass it on,” said Hoberg. “They want us to get the information being taught to us and teach in several different ways to get the same information across to the students.”

Besides being a busy nursing student, Hoberg is involved in the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority, Photo Club, Morningside Student Nurses Association, and Sustainable Environment Association.

“Photography is not my major, but here at Morningside, it does not matter if it is. The professors are willing to help you just the same,” said Hoberg.

Hoberg is in her third year at Morningside College and is planning on graduating in 2017 due to a hiccup with transferring in at a later date.

“After graduation I plan on working in a hospital on either a Medical/Telemetry floor, in the Emergency Department, or in the Intensive Care Unit,” said Hoberg.

On January 10, the Iowa BBQ Society Board of Directors and members inducted eight people into their new BBQ Hall of Fame.

Among the eight inductees was Morningside College 1980 graduate Anne Rehnstrom.

The Iowa BBQ Society Hall of Fame is intended to honor individuals, teams, businesses, local charities, and celebrities who have distinguished themselves in recognizing barbeque as “American Cuisine.” Those people also have helped celebrate and promote barbeque as a culinary technique, sport, and art form.

The first inducted members received a State of Iowa Plaque inscribed with their name, a Hall of Fame Certificate, and a lifetime membership in the Iowa BBQ Society.

The first inducted members were also the original founding members of the society.

“I was one of the original eight that founded the Iowa BBQ Society back in 1998; until 2014 I was the society’s secretary,” said Rehnstrom.

Throughout her years at the society, she has coordinated many barbeque competitions, written press releases, maintained the membership, searched for sponsors and judges, and completed many other various tasks.

Before helping start the Iowa BBQ Society, Rehnstrom was involved with the National Pork Board. She joined them in 1986.

“I helped with a contest that the Pork Board sponsored for a few years and then became the coordinator of one of the largest contests in the Midwest,” said Rehnstrom.

For her, this award meant a lot. She has dedicated over 16 years to getting the organization started and then keeping it running.

Greetings from Morningside College! The campus is a hive of activity as we get ready for commencement on May 9^th. This is a very busy, yet exciting time for our graduates. The class of 2015 is getting ready for finals, writing papers, finishing up internships, and student teaching positions. They are also getting ready to walk the stage and start a new chapter in their lives. We are excited to welcome the class of 2015, as they transition from being students to being alumni, and are looking forward to having them involved in all our events and activities around the country.

We are also working on launching another new chapter, our 5^th one, in Chicago. This chapter will be launched at an event on May 14^th. The event will be held at the Union League Club of Chicago located at 65 west Jackson Blvd. This chapter is being headed up by Patrick Murphy, class of 1997.

In addition to this chapter, we are looking at five additional metropolitan areas around the country to launch new chapters in the next fiscal year. We have also received inquiries from areas with smaller alumni populations about starting a chapter and are exploring opportunities in these areas as well.

If you are interested in more information about this program, or would like to volunteer to lead a chapter in your area please feel free to contact me: nathaniel@morningside.edu or 1-800-831-0806, ext. 5295.

Howdy!!

Wow! Since our last note to you – a great deal has taken place.

Tremendous progress has been made on the beginning stages of the remodel of the Dimmitt Residence Complex. Amber Burg, an aspiring photo-journalist, has been chronicling the progress. Please see her report on the “front-page” of our Alumni E-Newsletter.

In mid-March, President John Reynders, delivered to the campus community – the latest draft of the Strategic Plan. This plan is the culmination of a Strategic Planning Task Force formed last summer to look at where we are with the college and where we need to go by the year 2025.

As you know, the College recently polled alumni about a number of topics. Thank you to the hundreds of you that worked with us as we sought your input on how we did while you were here; what was important to you while here; how we impacted your life in some way. In the Spring-Summer issue of the Morningsider I want to direct your attention to President Reynders column. He will speak in some depth about the findings. At that same time, we will share with you – what you had to say to us and what it means.

All the best…until next time – SAVE THE DATE! HOMECOMING – 2015 – OCTOBER 9/10!!

Gene Ambroson

The Dimmitt Hall renovations are starting to pick up the pace and the work zones are spreading. The construction crew have been working on areas that are currently unoccupied or closed off to students. They have setup work zone areas around and throughout Dimmitt Hall.
They have even installed the first test window to see what it will look like on the building. They have also been busy laying new pipes for the building.

The front apartments on both sides of Dimmitt Hall have had work started on.

In certain rooms, trenches have been dug to lay out the new pipe.

This is the test window. All of the windows will look like this after the remodel is complete on Dimmitt Hall.

ODK, a national leadership honor society for upperclassmen, held Honors Convocation on April 8 to honor students, faculty, and staff that have been doing outstanding work during this year.

Faculty from each department come together to decide on which student has been excelling or doing outstanding work. The students recognized also are recipients of outstanding grades.

ODK members recognize an outstanding sophomore, staff member, faculty, and campus organization. This year’s winners were Jordan Heim was the Sophomore Cup recipient; Chris Spicer, associate professor of mathematics, received the Faculty Person of the Year; Gail Dooley, professor of music, was presented the First-Year Teaching/Advising Award; Donna Galati Huls, writing center consultant, received the Staff Member of the Year; and the Tommeraasen Award of Excellence was presented to two outstanding campus organizations, International Student Association and the Kiosk Magazine.

Jordan Heim, Sophomore Cup winner.

Donna Galati Huls, Staff member of the year.

The new officers for the 2015-2016 Student Government team.

Students being recognized for their outstanding work in the Business Department.

Jack Danks is a senior at Morningside College majoring in biology. Some might say he is the typical involved college student. He’s on the soccer team, in Beta Beta Beta, has held leadership roles in ACACIA, and participates in multiple other activities. However, he has a mindset and an outlook on life that’s different.

“I was raised in a household and an environment that taught me to always use the abilities that I have to help other people and to put other people’s needs in front of my own,” said Danks.

That mindset has taken him on a two-year journey that has had its ups and downs, but to him is worth it.

Jack started growing his hair out two-years ago, and not just for fun or for looks. It started because he wanted to help improve another person’s self esteem and outlook on life. He plans on donating his hair to Wigs for Kids once it’s long enough.

“By growing out my hair I feel that I am having a direct impact on another person’s life and that to me is the best thing a human can do for another human,” said Danks.

His hair is currently at twelve inches and he still has another eight inches to go.

His journey has not only allowed him to work towards helping another person but to grow as an individual.

“As a male with long hair some people think it is a little odd or feminine and occasionally I am even mistaken as a female,” said Danks.

Often people will stare at him as he walks or make comments. Danks throughout the process has adjusted to the stares and comments. After awhile, he stopped noticing them.

His advice for those who want to join in and grow their hair out to donate is to make sure you have lots of shampoo and conditioner. Also, if you’re a male, have female friends that can help you.

Danks plans on going to vet school after he graduates. If his future school and job allow it, he plans on taking this journey again and again.

Graduation is quickly approaching! As students get ready to graduate, they are starting to look at the next step in their lives and analyzing their options. This is a great time to add quality staff if your organization needs to fill a position or expand. Here are a couple of tips on how to help our students, yourself, and your organization by making employment referrals.

1. Talk to your organization about openings – If you are not a hiring/staffing professional, it is easy to lose touch with the needs of your organization, particularly if those needs are not in your area or department. Check your organizational website, or talk with human resources, or other department staff to determine if you have immediate needs. This time of year is the best time to hire new grads, so if you think you may have a need in the near future, consider posting a position soon so you don’t miss out on the very best candidates!
2. Make connections to Career Services or offer referrals to do so – Reach out to me at hays@morningside.edu or via phone at (7120 274-5032. I’m happy to talk to you about students/majors that might meet the criteria you are looking for. This can be done informally, with an alumni informing me of potential openings, through an introduction to Human Resources, or through a referral where an alum provides the hiring manager with my direct information. If your company offers a referral bonus for new employees hired, we can work to funnel all applicants to you first, and even provide faculty recommendations so you feel good about the referral you are making.
3. Learn about the recruiting process – At Morningside, we post all positions on our job posting site at collegecentral.com/morningside. Once posted, we tweet all full time openings on the Morningside College Career Services twitter account (msidecareers), and post them on the Morningside College Career Services LinkedIn Group (as well as on the Morningside College Business Department LinkedIn group if applicable). I also send direct e-mails to upcoming grads with the desired major, as well as the department chair of the applicable area. This ensures the student has multiple opportunities to see what positions are available. The best benefit of this process is that is completely FREE! There are no costs to promote your position on campus.

No one knows better than our alumni the kind of quality education our students receive. Time after time, I receive personal phone calls, e-mails, and in person visits from employers who are impressed by our students’ efforts. By making a targeted referral of a Morningside graduate to your organization, you can benefit by making an immediate and positive impact to your company. I would love to talk with you about your organization’s needs!

Stacie Hays