UND Alumni Association and Foundation presents Sioux Award to outstanding alumni – Obituary

GRAND FORKS – Former Herald Publisher and Editor Mike Jacobs and his wife, Suezette Bieri, were among six alumni who were honored by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation during the Alumni Honors banquet Thursday, Sept. 26, at the Alerus Center.

They were selected to receive the UND Sioux Award for Distinguished Achievement and Leadership along with Chuck Kummeth, Dr. Monica Mayer, Cathy (Wilson) Rydell and Dave Miedema. Bieri was unable to attend the event due to her hospitalization.

The Sioux Award, the highest honor given by the UND Alumni Association and Foundation, is presented to UND alumni and friends who have distinguished themselves through professional achievements, have dedicated their lives in service to others, and are passionate about and loyal to UND.

The Young Alumni Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Tiffany (Stratton) Hamilton, Erica (Wondrasek) Thunder and Emily O’Brien. This award recognizes more recent UND graduates who have made significant strides in the short time since completing their studies. Recipients exemplify outstanding achievement, leadership and a strong commitment to supporting UND.

Jacobs served many years as editor and publisher of the Obituary before retiring from full-time work at the newspaper in 2014.

Bieri, a former administrator for UND Space Studies, served as deputy director of the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium for more than 20 years.

At Thursday’s banquet, in a video introduction, Brad Rundquist, dean of the UND College of Arts and Sciences, said Jacobs is deserving of the UND Sioux Award because of his “public, visible career.”

“I call him ‘Mr. North Dakota’ because he knows so much about the state,” Rundquist said.

He said Jacobs “is so well-connected with the state” that when the two traveled together across North Dakota, “he knew someone in every community we stopped in.”

Rundquist also praised Jacobs for his support of undergraduate research in the UND College of Arts and Sciences.

Jacobs set an example for others as one of the first to donate scholarship funds for students in the college’s forensic science program, a new program that is growing in popularity, Rundquist said.

In his remarks, Jacobs recognized several family members in attendance, as well as Mark Sanford, former superintendent of Grand Forks Public Schools, “who, next to my father, is the most important person in my life.” Prior to coming to Grand Forks, Sanford — now a member of the state House of Representatives — was a teacher in Jacobs’ hometown.

Citing his formative years on a farm near Stanley, North Dakota, he also noted that three of this year’s Sioux awardees are from Mountrail County, he said. “I don’t think that’s ever happened.”

Jacobs, who earned a degree in philosophy and religious studies at UND in 1970, said, “I’m proud to accept (the award) for everyone who’s worked at the Herald.”

He also received the Honorary Doctorate of Letters degree from UND in 2014.

While they were students at UND, Bieri quickly became involved in student government and Jacobs joined the staff of the Dakota Student newspaper, eventually rising to the position of editor. Their involvement in these activities connected them with a network of people who would become lifelong friends and mentors.

“From our time at UND, the thing that is most valuable is the people we have met and had long relationships with,” Jacobs said in a UND publication.

Jacobs began his career with the Herald in 1981, after working for newspapers in Dickinson, Jamestown and Mandan. His tenure with the Herald was marked by significant contributions, including his leadership when the newspaper won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service after the Flood of ‘97. During those trying times, the Herald never missed a day of publication, demonstrating the resilience and dedication of its staff, Jacobs said.

In the mid’1990s, a “keen interest in the future” brought Bieri back to UND, where she earned a master’s degree in space studies. She was among the first to earn a master’s degree in space studies at UND.

As deputy director of the North Dakota Space Grant Consortium, Bieri had the opportunity to introduce students across North Dakota to the wonders of space. She also had the extraordinary privilege of meeting several U.S. astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin; Karen Nyberg, a UND alumna; and Sally Ride, whom she greatly admired, according to a UND publication.

Bieri earned degrees from UND in 1969, 1970 and 1989.

In an earlier statement to the UND Alumni Association and Foundation concerning the Sioux Award, Bieri said she and Jacobs are “very proud to be honored with it.”

Kummeth, of Naples, Florida, a 1983 alumnus, is president and CEO of Bio-Techne Corporation, a Minnesota company that provides high-quality reagents, instruments, custom manufacturing and testing services for researchers in life science and clinical diagnostics.

Mayer, of New Town, North Dakota, and a 1995 alumna, has more than 20 years of clinical health care experience in the Great Plains area of North Dakota and South Dakota. A member of the Three Affiliated Tribes (Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara), she specializes in direct patient care in clinic and emergency room settings.

Rydell, of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, who represented District 47 in the North Dakota Legislature, is a 1988 alumna who served more than 20 years as the CEO of the American Academy of Neurology.

Miedema, of Surprise, Arizona, a 1976 alumna, retired in 2018 as a senior director of development for the UND Alumni Association and Foundation. He served in many roles, including director of development for the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, executive vice president and director of planned giving.

Hamilton, a pediatric cardiologist at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital, is a 2006 alumna. She served in the U.S. Air Force, studied at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center and impacted medical care for military families stationed in Japan.

Thunder, of Bismarck, senior associate and first tribal subject matter expert for K.L. Scott and Associates, based in Atlanta, Georgia, earned an undergraduate degree in 2011 and law degree in 2014. She worked nearly eight years in high-level cabinet positions in North Dakota state government and was named 2022 North Dakota Woman of the Year.

O’Brien, who represents Grand Forks’ District 42 in the North Dakota Legislature, is a 2015 alumna. She is chief operating officer for the Bioscience Association of North Dakota.