School news

USD announces dean’s list

The University of South Dakota has announced its academic honors and dean’s lists for the Fall 2018 semester. To be named to the dean’s list, students must earn a minimum of 12 graded credits with at least a 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale. Part-time students are named to the academic honors list.

The following area students were named to the dean’s list:

Adrian: Aaron Marsh, Hannah Bullerman, Skylar Polzine.

Hills: Ashley Esselink, Tim Hartman. 

Lismore: Dustin John.

Luverne: Amanda Jensen, Bailey Jacobsma, Maddie Stegenga, Mike Van Wyhe, Morgan Haugen, Jazmine Maria Aakriti Olson.

Steen: Jordan Bosch.

Amanda Walker and Paige Paquette, both of Luverne, were named to the academic honors list.

MSU Moorhead names honor students

Three area students were named to the Fall 2018 semester dean’s list at Minnesota State University Moorhead. To be eligible, students must earn a minimum of 12 graded credits with at least a 3.25 on a 4.0 scale.

Earning recognition were Grace Holthaus, Hills, speech/language/hearing science; Bryan Stanley, Luverne, music industry, commercial music; and Bryana Thorson, Luverne, theater arts.

Vaselaar earns 

master’s degree in international studies

Local student Rona Vaselaar received her master’s degree from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies with concentrations in International Economics, Conflict Management and Chinese/Asian Studies.

Vaselaar, daughter of Eric and Meredith Stanton Vaselaar, rural Adrian, graduated from Luverne High School in 2012 and from Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana.

The first year of her master’s program was in Nanjing, China, followed by 18 months in Washington, D.C.

In China she wrote for the school newspaper, conducted research in Mandarin, and traveled to Yixing and Hangzhou. 

In Washington, D.C., she was chosen to travel to South Korea to research the conflict on the Korean Peninsula. She indexed a book for prominent international relations scholar Ira Zartman and co-edited the SAIS China Studies Review, a scholarly journal about China-related issues.

Sawtelle receives UW-Stout chancellor’s award

Kammon Sawtelle, Luverne, was a recipient of the chancellor’s award for the Fall 2018 semester at the University of Wisconsin-Stout in Menomonie, Wisconsin. The chancellor’s award is given to students who earn a  GPA of 3.5 or higher.

Sawtelle is a sophomore working toward a Bachelor of Science degree in human development and family studies.