By Micah Friez
Published 6:00 pm on March 17, 2026
It wasn’t long ago that Bemidji State University’s For the North targeted-initiative campaign was just a dream.
Today, its finish line is in sight.
The second major campaign in the history of BSU has officially eclipsed the $24 million checkpoint and is within reach of its $25 million goal. We still need your help reaching (and surpassing) our target, and you can get involved today at bsualumni.org/forthenorth. But we also need to celebrate our wins — and namely who’s behind them — because progress like this isn’t possible without an army of people who believe in the North.
So now, meet the folks who personify the latest wave of momentum.
Paul and Sarah Jensen: Remembering where they came from
At a pivotal era in their lives, Paul and Sarah (Farsdale) Jensen discovered Bemidji State. And what they found there has motivated them to support new students who now walk in their same shoes.
“BSU gave us a lot of opportunity,” Paul said. “It impacted our lives very positively, and that’s something we want to give back to. When you get to a position where you can do this, it’s a way to say that we didn’t forget.”
The Jensens recently made an estate gift to the football program, supporting the team that Paul played for in the 1990s. But he wouldn’t have played for the Beavers if not for a gracious coach who gave him a second chance.
After Paul played junior college, both Moorhead State and Bemidji State recruited him. He chose the Dragons. But a year later, acknowledging that the fit wasn’t right for him, he called BSU “with my tail between my legs,” Paul said.
Paul talked with then-head coach Kris Diaz, explaining his situation and asking to be considered again for the team. Not only was he welcomed in with open arms, but Bemidji State gave Paul his original scholarship offer and also arranged his housing and class schedule.
“They set me up with everything they possibly could to help me be successful. I will never forget that,” the 1995 alumnus said. “It really matured me and set my life forward. I learned that this is how you should treat people.”
Likewise, Sarah experienced incredible support within academics. As a transfer student herself, coming to Bemidji State showed her how far the right professors would go to accommodate her needs. They adjusted class schedules so she could take the CPA exam and allowed her to take a class remotely while completing an out-of-town internship — long before online classes were commonplace. She could find faculty support however she needed it.
“BSU is near and dear to our hearts because of all the positive experiences we had there,” said Sarah, a 1995 grad. “Yeah, we could give to any school. We could give to a hundred schools. But because of what Bemidji State did for us, it makes us want to put our money there. And to give other kids that chance means the world.”
They’ve had chances to return to campus over the years and have even met one of their scholarship recipients. It was an eye-opening experience that brought them right back to their own college years.
“It was very impactful to actually meet him face-to-face and see what you’re doing for their life,” Sarah said. “We were back there 30 years ago. It puts more of a personal feel to it.”
“It took me back to many years ago and that feeling of, ‘Thank God someone stepped up,’” Paul added. “Because of that opportunity, it catapulted us to where we are. If we can give that opportunity to someone else, it’s everything.”
Margo and Darrell Magnussen: Keeping all students in mind
By the time Margo (Pickett) Magnussen was 6 years old, she knew she wanted to be a teacher.
What she didn’t know then, but would learn over her 46-year teaching career, was that standing at the front of the classroom would open her eyes to the needs of the students looking back at her.
“There are a lot of kids who just can’t afford higher education,” she said. “I had students with so much potential, but not always the means to go to college. Helping them is what we want to do.”
Margo and her husband, Darrell, made a recent gift funding scholarships to make higher education more accessible. The scholarship doesn’t require a high GPA, removing barriers for applicants who wouldn’t otherwise be eligible, and it’s geared toward northern Minnesota students to combat some of the poverty that exists in the top half of the state.
It’s a unique philosophy tailored to the students Margo often taught.
“I hear all her stories about these kids in high school,” Darrell said. “She’s tried encouraging them to go to college, and some of them just absolutely can’t. Their grades aren’t high enough where they’d get a scholarship.”
Margo is a 1976 alumna of Bemidji State University. She attended college part-time for eight years — while raising three children and without scholarships — and graduated even though others thought she wouldn’t.
She spent nearly half a century teaching, primarily as a substitute, and was even named the 2003-04 National Substitute of the Year. Perhaps even more prestigious, her students came to call her “Grandma.” Many of those same students achieved more than they thought possible because they had someone pushing them and believing in them.
“If you don’t have an education, your chances aren’t as good,” said Margo, who retired in 2024. “A lot of these kids I really harped on did manage, one way or another, to go to college.”
Behind their deep personal connections to the region and the kids who fill it, the Magnussens are proud to build a bridge they know can change the trajectory of students’ lives. Because for some, it’s the first opportunity created with them in mind.
“We see a need for this. And it’s excess money that we don’t really need,” Darrell said of their donation. “It just gives you a good feeling to know that you’re doing something good for them.”
Doug and Sue Fredrickson: Recognizing their time to help
Like many others, Doug Fredrickson’s philanthropy stems from his own experiences.
“For many donors who end up giving back, they remember some specific events that happened while they were undergrads that were so instrumental in steering a segment of their life,” he said. “I had those. Those occurred at BSU. So, what do you do when you’re extremely lucky, at the right place at the right time? You have a strong feeling of wanting to give back and see if you can’t make those things happen for other people.”
Doug, now the president of the Alumni & Foundation Board of Directors, first enrolled at Bemidji State from 1975-81. He completed a vast majority of his education in that span but didn’t graduate — that moment waited until 2010, when he returned to attain his degree in Industrial Technology and Management.
Now, he and his wife Sue want to help others who have begun their journey and invested plenty, perhaps got sidetracked by life, and are now looking to complete their education.
“You don’t get that job interview, you don’t get that promotion for having three quarters of a college degree,” Fredrickson said. “It’s a hard goal to finish. That’s where Sue and I want to supply our money, for students like that.”
The Fredricksons are also investing in BSU outside of scholarships, namely with classroom technology upgrades and upgraded advancement technology for the Alumni & Foundation.
As a donor and as the board president, Fredrickson operates out of a unique intersection — one where he answers the call to invest in the university and also sees how gifts are implemented to make an impact. He rightfully feels plenty of pride for his positioning within the For the North campaign, and he urges others to step up into an important role of their own.
“My story isn’t that unique, but I hope it encourages other people to also think back at how fortunate they may have been,” he said. “There are very few of us who went through college without some sort of help. I hope everyone can keep their minds open when it’s their turn to help someone else.”
