Alumni Benefits
All BSU 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
The BSU Alumni & Foundation actively seeks nominations of individuals to be considered Distinguished Alumni each year. The Alumni & Foundation Board of Directors makes selections based on nominees’ personal and professional achievements and how they bring recognition to BSU through outstanding service and significant contributions to their community, state and nation.
Alumni Chapters
With over 40,000 alumni around the globe, 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
Alumni Stories
Maria Berkeland ’15 works to conserve Alaskan wilderness
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…
After Transferring to BSU Johanneck ’22 Flourishes in Exhibit Design Program
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…
Bemidji Becomes Home Away From Home for Tchuamo ’20
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…
Johanneson’s Legacy as Outstanding Midwest Grocer Continues
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…
Sauer Receives Prestigious Minnesota Golf Association Award
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…
Moberg Builds Trails Across North Country
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…
Trask’s Record Ride on Lake Bemidji Supports Cancer Research
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…
Alum Rob Luke ’98 pens poems about his favorite BSU professors
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…
Lwin Supports BSU Nursing Graduates in Fight Against Virus
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….
BSU alum grows colossal, record-breaking pumpkin
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…
Leah Gnitka ’16
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…
BSU grad helps usher in new era of waste reduction
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…
Mardy ’72 and Lynn ’91, ’96 Karger
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…
Aaron Clafton ’15
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…
Chrissy Koch ’02
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…
Danika Stelton
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…
Norman “Norm” Kramer
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…
Mychal Stittsworth
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…
Cody Bartz
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…