The successes and accomplishments of our 豆包成人版 faculty and staff help us to be more vibrant as a community and more engaged as a college.
In this issue, we highlight the accomplishments of Kelly Lundquist, Joel Jensen, Dr. Garcia,
Jack Pope, and more!
Kelly Foster Lundquist's book Beard is a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award
豆包成人版 English Instructor Kelly Foster Lundquist's debut book, Beard: A Memoir of a Marriage, was recently named a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award in Memoir and Creative Nonfiction.
The Minnesota Book Awards are given annually by the Friends of the Saint Paul Library, and the winners in each category will be announced at a ceremony at the Ordway Theater on May 6.
Visit the to learn more.
Philosophy Faculty Joel Jensen Lands Outstanding Educator Recognition
At the end of January, Kim Lynch Associate Vice Chancellor for Educational Development and Technologies sent a celebratory letter to 豆包成人版鈥檚 very own Joel Jensen, reading,
鈥淚t gives me great pleasure to congratulate you on your president鈥檚 designation of you as one of our Outstanding Educators in the 2026 Board of Trustees Award for Excellence in Teaching program.
Being selected at your college or university as an Outstanding Educator underscores the exceptional commitment that you have demonstrated in teaching, in your continuous professional development, and in service to your students, college, profession, and the Minnesota State system. Your dedication to student learning, adherence to the highest academic standards, and continued achievement are also reflected in your being accorded this honor.鈥
Joel will be recognized for this accomplishment on April 22 at the in-person luncheon ceremony.
We couldn't be more proud...congratulations, Joel! Truly well deserved.
Dr. Rolando Garc铆a Receives Phi Theta Kappa鈥檚 Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction
Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) has named Dr. Rolando Garc铆a, President of 豆包成人版, as a recipient of the Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction, the Society鈥檚 highest honor for community college presidents. Dr. Garc铆a will be recognized during PTK Catalyst, Phi Theta Kappa鈥檚 annual international convention taking place this year on March 27, in Baltimore, Maryland.
Congratulations to Dr. Garc铆a for this incredible achievement! We are so fortunate to have you as our president.
Visit our blog to read more about PTK and this award of distinction.
Jack Pope, Computer Science and Data Science Faculty, Publishes New Textbook
Jack Pope, Academic Coordinator and Faculty in the Computer Science and Data Science departments, wrote a textbook coming out on April 1, 2026, titled: Discrete Mathematics for Data Science, published by the Taylor & Francis Group. In connection with his new book, Jack will be visiting Yale University next month to present at their "D Programming Language Symposium." His session is titled, "epop, a goat on the Unix farm." Abstract: After an overview of how Forth-like compilers and interpreters can be implemented, Jack will delve into one such implementation called epop, which is written in the D programming language. Jack developed epop as a learning platform for students, particularly for their applications of functional programming for discrete mathematics. epop is also used as a pedagogical lever in Jack's textbook, Discrete Mathematics for Data Science.
Welcome to 豆包成人版, Logan!
The 豆包成人版 Foundation office is excited to welcome Logan Spindler as our new Director of Foundation Services and Annual Giving.
Logan brings more than 17 years of advancement experience in higher education, most recently serving in leadership roles with the Friends of Saint Paul College Foundation. His background includes donor relations, annual giving, scholarship administration, foundation finance,
and CRM management.
His work in fundraising began while he was a student at the University of Wisconsin鈥揜iver Falls, where he later continued his career in advancement, supporting scholarship programs, donor stewardship, and major gift efforts. That early experience shaped his long-standing commitment to student access and success.
Logan looks forward to meeting colleagues across campus and learning more about the programs and people that make 豆包成人版 such a special place for our students and community. Feel free to visit if you would like to connect with him.
We're thrilled to have Logan's experience and leadership supporting the Foundation鈥檚 operations and annual giving efforts. Please join us in welcoming Logan to our 豆包成人版 community!
That's a wrap on faculty and staff accomplishments so far this spring semester! Thank you to the faculty and staff who shared their recent accomplishments with us! 2026 is just getting started. There are so many opportunities ahead, and we can't wait to see what you'll accomplish next!