New event celebrates endowed faculty at UND

First Endowed Faculty Celebration recognizes 17 faculty members and the donors who support their work

Seventeen UND faculty members were recognized for newly endowed positions during the University’s first Endowed Faculty Celebration, a luncheon honoring the faculty members and the donors whose generosity helps support their work.

Hosted by the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, the celebration is part of a new tradition to recognize endowed faculty members and featured speeches from . The luncheon will be held every other year to recognize newly endowed faculty while celebrating the work of all faculty who hold endowed positions at UND.

During his introduction, Mike Mannausau, vice president of development at the UND Alumni Association & Foundation, told attendees that UND now has 71 endowed faculty positions.

“An endowed faculty position is among the highest honors a university can bestow on a faculty member,” Mannausau said. “More importantly, it is a lasting investment in people.”

Supporting faculty, students and research

That message was echoed in a short video message featuring UND President Andrew Armacost and Provost Eric Link. In the video, Armacost emphasized the reputational value endowed faculty bring to UND, as well as the additional funding the positions can provide for research and students.

“It’s a real added value to our campus and the reputation of the individuals and also the whole university,” Armacost said.

After the message, Julia Ernst, Floyd B. Sperry Professor of Law, spoke and offered an example of what that endowment can make possible for educators and researchers.

For example, Ernst said funding from her endowed professorship has helped her purchase books and other materials for research examining Thomas Jefferson, the nation’s founding and constitutional interpretation. That work contributed to an article published this summer in the North Dakota Law Review and has led to opportunities to reach audiences beyond UND.

“I’m extremely grateful to the Floyd B. Sperry Endowment funding, which has enabled me to purchase a wide-ranging collection of books in support of this research, and to share this scholarship through my writings and presentations,” Ernst said.

She also emphasized the benefits endowed positions can have for students, giving faculty additional time and resources for teaching and mentorship.

Celebrating faculty impact

Before recognizing the new honorees, Randi Tanglen, vice provost for Faculty Affairs, described each endowed position as “a partnership between academic excellence and philanthropic generosity.”

“Most importantly, they represent the impact that these faculty members have on their students, on their disciplines, on their professions and throughout our communities,” Tanglen said.

Tanglen also recognized Kirsten Dauphinais, longtime School of Law professor and holder of the Law School Builders of the Profession Professorship, who died this summer. Tanglen said Dauphinais excelled as an educator, mentor and scholar whose influence is still felt by students and colleagues she touched.

The ceremony concluded with the presentation of medallions and drapes to the newly endowed faculty.

UND’s newly endowed faculty

Mentor Ahmeti, Kenneth S. Helenbolt, M.D., F.A.C.S., Professor in Surgery

Erin Barrett, Tareen Family Endowed Chair of Dermatology

Nikki Berg Burin, Baukol History Fellow

Jennifer Cook, Law School Builders of the Profession Professor

Nikola Datzov, Law School Builders of the Profession Professor

Cornelius Dyke, Wadhwani Family Endowed Chair of Translational Research

Tammy Gerszewski, Ghylin Family Accounting Fellow

Cullen Goenner, Aarestad Endowed Chair

Xiaoli Guo, Archie Unterseher Accounting Faculty Fellow

Ahmed Ibrahim, Michael and Sitney Lodoen Endowed Professor in Civil Engineering

Margaret Moore Jackson, Randy H. Lee Professor of Law

Benjamin Kassow, Edward T. and Eileen J. Bernhoft Fellow

Kwan Yong Lee, Clow Fellow

Sarah Sletten, Robert Arusell, M.D., and Janelle Sanda, M.D., Professor in Medicine

Paul Sum, Morrison Faculty Fellow

Akorede Teriba, Hopper Danley Faculty Fellow

Hanxiang Zhang, Charles Kummeth Professor