Alumni benefits

All Bemidji State graduates, or former students who have completed at least 36 quarter credit hours or 32 semester credit hours, are considered alumni of BSU and are eligible for a variety of benefits.

Alumni awards

Each year, the BSU Alumni & Foundation office honors alumni for outstanding professional achievements, service to their communities and outstanding performance as student-athletes, coaches or Beaver supporters.

Alumni chapters

Being involved in a BSU alumni chapter is a fantastic way to stay connected to your university while making a positive impact on your community through service, networking and social events.

Upcoming events

Jul
08

BSU football’s War on the Shore

Jul
31

Bemidji State Men’s Basketball Golf Outing

Alumni stories

Marco Hunt Named CCHA’s director of officiating

May 25, 2023

Marco Hunt was hired by the Central Collegiate Hockey Association in May to be the conference’s director of officiating.

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Kate Lundquist hired as Vote Run Lead’s Minnesota deputy state director

May 8, 2023

Kate (Ocken) Lundquist has been hired by the nonprofit Vote Run Lead to serve as its Minnesota deputy state director.

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Aaron Trunt pioneers path to MLB through biomechanics

Apr 13, 2023

Aaron Trunt isn’t the first Bemidji State University graduate to reach the professional baseball ranks. But he may very well be the first to do it like this.

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Shannon Odell ’93 re-elected to Board of Directors of the Nursing Consortium of Florida

Mar 30, 2023

The voting representatives of the Nursing Consortium of Florida’s member organizations have re-elected Shannon Odell ’93 to serve a two-year term on its Board of Directors beginning March 29, 2023….

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Jason Bonde ’04 leads RCTC to national championship

Mar 20, 2023

Jason Bonde ’04, the head coach of the Rochester Community and Technical College women’s basketball team, led the Yellowjackets to the NJCAA Division III national championship on March 18, 2023,…

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Maria Berkeland ’15 holds a Canada lynx humanely captured and released during a recent research project.

Maria Berkeland ’15 works to conserve Alaskan wilderness

Jan 13, 2023

Maria Berkeland ’15 grew up with a deep love for nature and wildlife. Originally from Grand Rapids, she spent most of her life in Fairbanks, Alaska, after moving there at…

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After Transferring to BSU Johanneck ’22 Flourishes in Exhibit Design Program

Jul 29, 2022

Hailing from Merrifield, Minnesota, Alison Johanneck ’22 has always been creative. After starting college as a dentistry student, Johanneck transferred to Bemidji State University’s Technology, Art and Design program to pursue her…

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Bemidji Becomes Home Away From Home for Tchuamo ’20

Jul 29, 2022

Lyliane Tchuamo, from Cameroon, found a home away from home at Bemidji State University. Tchuamo graduated with a bachelor’s degree in applied engineering from Bemidji State in fall 2020 and…

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Johanneson’s Legacy as Outstanding Midwest Grocer Continues

Jul 29, 2022

Keith Johanneson and his company, Bemidji-based Johanneson, Inc., were honored with the Wisconsin Grocers Association’s Excellence in Operations Award at the KJ’s Fresh Market location in Chetek, Wisconsin, on August…

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Sauer Receives Prestigious Minnesota Golf Association Award

Jul 29, 2022

A member of the BSU golf team from 1966-70, Ray Sauer ‘70 is a six-time club champion at his home course in St. Cloud. He won Bemidji’s prestigious Birchmont Classic…

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Moberg Builds Trails Across North Country

Jul 29, 2022

Bemidji State University grad Tom Moberg ‘64 is making it his mission to honor the history of the Indigenous people who for centuries called southeastern North Dakota home along the…

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Trask’s Record Ride on Lake Bemidji Supports Cancer Research

Jul 15, 2021

Brad Trask ’17 is using a life-long passion to bring awareness to one of the leading causes of cancer in men. He will likely soon become a world-record holder in…

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Alum Rob Luke ’98 pens poems about his favorite BSU professors

Jul 14, 2021

So You Want to be an English Teacher I was an outsider to the first university on theMississippi River, rustic academia.Mark was my English Methods teacher.His classes seemed spontaneous, flashing…

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Lwin Supports BSU Nursing Graduates in Fight Against Virus

Nov 23, 2020

One of BSU’s young alums has made the fight against COVID-19 a top priority, not only in his home country of Myanmar, but by investing in Bemidji State nursing students….

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BSU alum grows colossal, record-breaking pumpkin

Oct 27, 2020

Charlie Bernstrom ’04 BSU grad Charlie Bernstrom ‘04 grows pumpkins. Great big pumpkins. On October 10, he entered his 1990.5 pound behemoth pumpkin at the 2020 Stillwater Harvest Fest in…

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Leah Gnitka ’16

Oct 22, 2020

Bemidji State University alumna Leah Gnitka ‘16 had multiple job offers before she even finished her nursing licensure exam. Now, she is working her dream job as a cardiac travel nurse…

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BSU grad helps usher in new era of waste reduction

Jun 22, 2020

Bemidji State University alumna Aili Kultala ’19 is working hard to convince you to think twice before throwing household food scraps in the trash. Hailing from Stacy, Minn., Kultala works…

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Mardy ’72 and Lynn ’91, ’96 Karger

May 11, 2020

It’s a typical Wednesday morning and BSU’s Gillett Wellness Center is abuzz — students lifting weights, BSU staff running the track and working professionals swimming laps before work. Mardy ’72…

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Aaron Clafton ’15

Apr 17, 2020

From downtown Bemidji to the twang of Nashville, Sauk Rapids native Aaron Clafton ’15 is primed to make his mark on the country music scene. Having played piano and guitar…

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Chrissy Koch ’02

Jan 7, 2020

Chrissy Koch has been named executive director of the American Indian Resource Center at Bemidji State University and Northwest Technical College. Koch, a 2002 BSU alumna and long-time advocate for…

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Danika Stelton

Danika Stelton

Jul 3, 2019

Design technology alumna Danika Stelton spent 12 months traveling the world with the Remote Year program, a curated travel experience which helps professionals explore the world without having to quit…

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Norman & Ginger Kramer

Norman “Norm” Kramer

Jun 26, 2019

Norman “Norm” Kramer ’58 came from humble beginnings, growing up on a small farm a stone’s throw from Grant Creek in Wilton. Always interested in the sciences, Kramer graduated from…

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Mychal Stittsworth

Mychal Stittsworth

Jun 14, 2019

From an unassuming log building on Bemidji’s Paul Bunyan Drive, Mychal Stittsworth is working hard to make Stittsworth Meats the premier meat supplier in Bemidji, the greater Bemidji region and…

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Cody Bartz

Cody Bartz

Jun 14, 2019

In April, university officials debuted a “tiny house” designed and built by students in Bemidji State’s School of Technology, Art & Design and its marketing and sustainability programs. But it…

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