135 Voices Alumni Spotlight
Kathy Hill Tunheim: Class of 1979
In my sophomore year at the U, within minutes of starting my Constitutional law course, I knew I was in the presence of a remarkable teacher and was going to love the intellectual challenges and sense of civil discourse. Thirty years later, there are lessons learned in that class that I still recall.
Professor Harold (Hal) Chase began with the quiet acknowledgment that he was not only our professor, but also the author of the expensive textbook we had been compelled to purchase. He then asked us to line up so that he could write each of us a personal check, equal to the amount of his royalty for the book.
We learned quickly that this was not a class to attend unprepared. While Chase was always patient, even ready with a quip if he sensed that a student needed a few seconds to gather her thoughts, he also sent the strong message that, if we had enough respect for him, our classmates, and ourselves, we wouldn’t make that mistake. He used a Socratic style to draw us into discussions about cases. The pace was demanding but exhilarating.
I came to appreciate the word collegial in that course. Chase was the professor and therefore “in charge.” But he so graciously shared the responsibility to engage that we students learned how to graciously accept the responsibility too. I also learned that some people have keen insight and it pays to listen to them. Chase had a wonderful capacity for showing enthusiasm for a new idea or observation. But during monologues by classmates who liked to hear themselves talk, he had a gift for respectfully telegraphing to the rest of us, with a subtle smile, that it was OK to multitask during these long recitations.
While it is true that I had the benefit of many great teachers throughout my CLA education, I freely confess that Chase was key to those years at the University being among the best in my life.
Ms. Tunheim is CEO of Tunheim Partners, a national communications consulting firm based in Minneapolis. She holds a B.A. in Political Science (’79) from the U of M.
December 2nd, 2007
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Accomplishments
- Clarence "Jasen" Peterson (B.A. 2003) was awarded a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship to pursue a career in the Foreign Service.
- Rachel Paulose (B.A. 1994) is the first woman and first Asian American to be appointed interim U.S. Attorney for Minnesota.
- Dean Mathiowetz (B.A. 1995) completed his Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of California at Berkeley in 2003 and is now Assistant Professor of Politics at the University of California--Santa Cruz.
- Scott Allard (B.A. 1992) earned his Ph.D. in 1999 from the University of Michigan and joined the faculty at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island as Assistant Professor of Political Science and Public Policy.
- Chad Baruch (B.A. 1988) was recognized as one of the outstanding teachers in Texas by the Texas Association of Accredited Private Schools.
- Karen M. Kedrowski (B.A. 1986) received her M.A. (1991) and Ph.D. (1992) in Political Science from the Carl Albert Center and the University of Oklahoma and is Associate Professor in the Political Science Department at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina.
- Jonathan Smaby (B.A. 1985) and his wife, Michelle Roberts, created an undergraduate scholarship for U of M political science majors.
- Myron Orfield (B.A. 1983) has a graduate school from Princeton, a law degree from the University of Chicago and a DFL house member who was also elected to the Minnesota State Senate.
- Tim Pawlenty (B.A. 1983) was elected Governor of Minnesota.
- Gene Sperling (B.A. 1982) received his law degree from Yale University in 1985 and served as the Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and the Director of President Clinton's National Economic Council.
- Ken Abdo (B.A. 1979) was elected 2004 Chair of the American Bar Association's Forum on the Entertainment and Sports Industries.
- Brad Eggen (B.A. 1970) was selected as a "Super Lawyer" by Minneapolis St. Paul and Law & Politics magazines from a poll of 18,000 Minnesota attorneys.
- Burnham J. ("Bud") Philbrook (B.A. 1969) and his wife, Michele Gran, founded Global Volunteers, a St. Paul nonprofit that offers ordinary individuals the opportunity to work with and learn from local people in struggling communities around the world.
Awards
National Scholarship Recipients
Rhodes Scholarship
- Diana Fu (B.A. 2006)
- David Simon (B.A. 2003)
Harry S. Truman Scholarship
- Joseph Walla (B.A. 2006)
- David Simon (B.A. 2003)
- Jessica Kimpell (B.A. 2001)
- Kjersten Nelson (B.A. 2001)
- Rachel Paulose (B.A. 1993)
- Judy Grew (B.A. 1986)
- David Linder (B.A. 1984)
- Steve Ansolebehere (B.A. 1982)
- James St. George (B.A. 1979)
David L. Boren Scholarship
- Matthew Connell (B.A. 2002)
Fulbright Grant
- Laura Hammond (B.A. 2004)
Glamour Magazine, Top Ten College Women
- Jennifer Carrier (B.A. 2001)
Luce Scholarship
- Joseph Walla (B.A. 2006)
George Mitchell Scholarship
- Zachery Coelius (B.A. 2004)
USA Today All-USA Academic Team
- Zachery Coelius (B.A. 2004)
Other Awards
- Dean Harvey (B.A. 2002), University of California—Berkeley Law School's William E. Swope Antitrust Prize
- Sheldon W. Simon (B.A. 1958), National Bureau of Asian Research's Directors Award for Outstanding Contributions in Research
Publications
- Kjersten Nelson (B.A. 2001) and political science professor James Druckman co-authored an article titled, "Framing and Deliberation: How Citizens' Conversations Limit Elite Influence" which was published in the AmericanJournal of Political Science,
- Tony Hill (B.A. 1994) has articles published in Encyclopedia of Politics and Encyclopedia of American Parties and Elections and a book Canadian Politics: Riding by Riding.
- John D. Bessler (B.A. 1988) is the author of two books, Kiss of Death: America's Love Affair with the Death Penalty and Legacy of Violence:Lynch Mobs and Executions in Minnesota.
- Rev. Dale S. Kuehne (B.A. 1981) published a short tribute to Emeritus Political Science Professor Mulford Q. Sibley in David Shribman's I Remember My Teacher.
- William Kaszynski (B.A. 1975) amassed a large collection of what he calls "Roadside Americana" and wrote a book titled The American Highway--The History and Culture of Roads in the United States.
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