President Robert Kelley (left) honors Carolyn Nyberg (right), Manager of the Analytical Research Laboratory and the Energy & Environmental Research Center, during the 131st Founders Day celebration. Photo by Shae Bonifacio/The Dakota Student.

A special birthday was recently celebrated at UND — the university’s own.

Last Thursday marked the 131st Founders Day, which is the anniversary of the signing of the territorial legislative act to place UND in Grand Forks. This day has been celebrated as UND’s “official birthday” since 1904.

For several decades, Founders Day has been celebrated with an annual banquet. The event was held in the Memorial Union this year to honor faculty and staff.

The university recognized 52 employees who have retired or will be retiring this year.

Also receiving honors were 58 faculty and staff members who have been employed at UND for 25 years.

Several professors also were honored with a variety of departmental and teaching awards.

One of these awards included the UND Foundation/B.C. Gamble Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching, Research or Creative Activity and Service. The recipient was Paul Sum, professor and chairman of the political science and public administration department. This is not the first award Sum has received from UND, but he said it stands out from the others.

“This is the first award that takes into account all three aspects of my position,” Sum said. He was nominated by the former chair of his department and received many letters of support from other faculty. Sum attributes his success to his students and the university’s support that allows him to conduct unique research in Romania.

“The students here are outstanding — I bring any research problems I have to the classrooms, and they are helpful. Getting questions or comments in class is also beneficial to me as a professor because it helps me rethink my stance on an issue. I really enjoy working with students.”

Patricia Nies, who was honored at the banquet, also shared appreciation for the people at UND.

“I love the UND community,” Nies said. She will retire in June after working for admissions in Twamley for 38 years and in the Gorecki Alumni Center the last two years.

President Robert Kelley said the spirit of the Founders Day carries on throughout the year with other staff and student award ceremonies, but the people of UND can be especially proud on this day.

“We are in our 131st year as a school, and I think we can be very proud because we have come a long way,” Kelley said. “We are now a distinct research university and a highly respected institution. I think that is far more than could have been imagined when UND was first founded.”

Emmy Erbes is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].