UND celebrates gift of Kathleen Gershman Student Lounge
Investment in imagination is ‘powerful way to truly pay it forward,’ says College of Education & Human Development dean
“We really need some fresh questions. That’s where your imagination will be put to its most noble use.”
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Those are the words of Kathy Gershman, retired longtime professor and former chair of UND’s Department of Educational Foundations & Research.
And those are the words that now stand as a centerpiece in a new student space in UND’s Education Building.
The College of Education & Human Development celebrated the grand re-opening of the Dr. Kathleen W. Gershman Student Lounge, Room 100, with a reception on Oct. 30.
CEHD Dean Shelbie Witte later shared with UND Today that Gershman, along with husband Hal Gershman, a longtime Grand Forks businessman and former president of the Grand Forks City Council, had gifted money for the lounge in a series of two donations.
“The Kathleen Gershman Student Lounge isn’t just a renovated space — it’s a crossroads for ideas and a home for conversation,” Witte said. “Philanthropy like the Gershmans’ reminds us that investing in the imagination and curiosity of students is a powerful way to truly pay it forward.”
As a beloved professor and mentor to countless students over her 38 years of service at the University, Gershman’s main focus always has been the students, and now she has made possible a space they can call their own, said Patricia Lopez, recruitment and retention specialist with CEHD.
Gershman shared with reception guests the origin for her vision for the student lounge.
She said she recalled walking into the office each day and seeing students gathered on the stairs — studying and chatting — in the same spots where wet boots had trod.
Gershman said she wanted students to have a safe, comfortable — and dry — place to gather, form questions and discuss topics that would deepen their learning.
And now they have a brand-new space to do just that. The lounge, complete with comfortable seating and tables, along with a cozy fireplace, is already becoming a popular spot for students.
Faith Vasicek, a senior in Composite Social Studies Education and a speaker at the reception event, said members of the newly formed College of Education & Human Development Student Council plan to host some of their meetings in the lounge.
She thanked both of the Gershmans for their kindness and generosity in creating a “community space where students can build bridges.”
And Komal Mangle, a doctoral student in Kinesiology, also expressed gratitude and called the student lounge “more than just a space, but a place where ideas can grow and thrive.”
The Gershmans also are the benefactors and namesake of the Gershman Graduate Center on campus. That generous donation enabled a full-scale renovation of the Stone House building.
The Stone House — originally built in 1902 as the Oxford House — was home to some of UND’s earliest presidents.
