Mayville State Home
   -Distinguished Alumni Recipients
   -Distinguished Service Recipients
   -Athletic Hall of Fame Recipients

Award Recipients

Distinguished Service Recipients

2004

Ron Semmens
Ron Semmens was a teacher and leader in the Mayville State University Division of Teacher Education and Learning Resources for thirty years, from 1970 until 2001. He served as the division chairperson, helped obtain approximately three million dollars in federal funding for Mayville State University, began the first teaching and learning center in the state of North Dakota, started the nature study program, and helped to organize the cohort-block program for training elementary teachers with Dr. Dennis Kost.

Together with Dr. Nannette Bagstad, Dr. Paul Batesel, and Dr. Mark Skean, Dr. Semmens was a co-writer of Bush Grants to implement innovative teaching practices. In addition, Ron was a co-founder of Mayville State’s Mathematics Specialist Program, a program which trained mathematics specialists throughout the state of North Dakota. His colleagues on this project were Dr. Don Cannon, Dr. Merwin Lyng, Dr. Rick Holman, and Mr. Darryl Gulbranson. Ron co-authored a $1.7 million Title III grant with Dr. Don Cannon, Dr. Gary Hagen, and Dr. Tim O’Keefe.

Dr. Semmens is known as a master teacher who practiced what he preached. He was selected as MSU Teacher of the Year twice. Upon his retirement, he was named an emeritus professor of education. He continues to assist in the teacher education division at Mayville State.

2000
Marian Johnson

1999
Shirley Gummer

1998
Bob Brown
Margit Eastman
Rodney Gunderson
Jack Landwehr
Merwin Lyng
Myrna Lyng
James Neilson