University of North Dakota President Charles Kupchella will lead about 40 new faculty and top administrators and their guests on a three-day tour of northern and central North Dakota Aug. 13-15. This year’s tour—the 17th since the tour series was launched in 1990 by then-president Thomas Clifford—is the ninth for Dr. Kupchella and UND First Lady Adele Kupchella and also is their final tour before the president retires early next year.

Funded by the UND Alumni Association, these trips are designed to acquaint new faculty and administrators with the state and its landmarks as well as provide them with an opportunity to form connections with other people on campus, said tour coordinator Fred Wittmann, assistant to the UND vice president for student and outreach services.

The tours alternate each year between a southern and northern routes. Next week’s bus tour travels the northern route and starts with a community breakfast in Park River and a luncheon and tour at Turtle Mountain Community College on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Reservation near Belcourt.

"We want to help our new faculty and administrators to feel that North Dakota is their home," Wittmann says. "Our intent is to give them a sample of the state, a glimpse of what is available."

One of the new key administrators on the tour this year is Joshua Riedy, Joshua associate vice president for outreach services and dean of continuing education.

Tour participants will get an education about their new state which they will be able to translate to the classroom; the tour also gives new faculty a sense of where many of their students will come from, says Kupchella. "In order to help North Dakota, it is important for UND’s new faculty and administrators to see and understand the state."

"Every year on the bus the faculty begin talking about what they are learning about the state's agricultural and energy industries, and about North Dakota's historical and political roots, and how they could connect better with their students because of what they are learning on the trip," said Kupchella.

Dr. Douglas Munski, a UND geography professor with a solid repertoire of North Dakota geographic, cultural, and political lore, is the tour's color commentator for the seventh time. Veteran UND motor coach driver Fran Kryzsko—now officially retired—will be the tour driver again this year.

The full trip itinerary is attached as a pdf. You can follow the trip with daily commentary, photos, and stories by UND office of University Relations writer Juan Pedraza (for media inquiries, contact Juan by cell at 701-741-2035, or contact UND media relations coordinator Peter Johnson at 701-777-2731).

Among the new faculty and administrators on this year’s tour:

* Crystal Alberts senior lecturer, English

* Amanda Boyd, assistant professor, languages

* Kallio Brenda, associate professor, education leadership

* James Casler, associate professor, space studies

* Michael Flynn, assistant professor, English

* Cara Goodin, associate dean of students

* Keven Harrelson, assistant professor, philosophy and religion

* Travis Heggie, assistant professor, recreation and leisure

* Charles (Clint) Hosford, senior statistician, Office of Medical Education

* Eric Johnson, assistant professor, law

* Salah Khan, assistant professor, English

* Lynn Kubeck, CIO

* Steven LeMire, assistant professor, educational foundations and leadership

* Krista Minnotte, assistant professor, sociology

* Michael Minnotte, associate professor, mathemathics

* Cynthia Prescott, assistant professor, history

* Joshua Riedy, associate vice president, outreach services and dean, continuing education

* Kate Scheurer, assistant professor, political science

* Stuart Schneider, assistant professor, information systems and business education

* Nuananong "Lek" Seal, assistant professor, nursing

* Padosh Simlai, assistant professor, economics

* Wesley Smith, assistant professor, art

* Jiang Tao, assistant professor, atmospheric sciences

* David Whalen, chair, space studies

* Eleanor "Elly" Williams, assistant professor, English

Monday, August 13
Tuesday, August 14
Wednesday, August 15
Faculty comments/observations


>>Click here to View a Map of the Tour