Essential Studies Director Search

Three finalists for the Essential Studies Director Position will be visiting campus on December 6th, 9th, and 11th.

---

Jacob Rapp - December 6

Jake Rapp (Ph.D., U of Kansas) is an Associate Professor of Spanish at Whitworth University in Spokane, Washington, where he serves as the Shared Curriculum Director, responsible for the planning and assessment of the general education program. He is also Whitworth’s Academic Transitions Director, responsible for coordinating the first-year experience and academic advising. During the last two years in these positions he has led the implementation of a revised general education plan by convening dozens of collaborative meetings with large groups of faculty and students. He was recognized for his leadership skills and potential with the Whitworth Provost’s Junior Faculty award in 2018.

The range of Rapp’s research and teaching interests is both an expression of his intellectual curiosity and the product of his creative engagement with colleagues and students. A specialist in Latin American Cultural Studies, he has published and presented papers on Mexican novels, Uruguayan poetry, and U.S. Latinx film. He teaches Spanish language courses for second-language and heritage-language learners and has taught advanced seminars on theatre, Latin American history, and women writers. At Whitworth he has taught in the Honors program, led trips with students to Guatemala and Hawaii, and accepted invitations to teach first-year composition, first year seminar, and an introduction to US Cultural Studies.

Rapp grew up in Colorado and studied History, Spanish, and Women’s Studies as an undergrad at Wartburg College in Waverly, IA. He enjoys spending non-work time cooking, baking, and riding bikes with his wife, Angela, and their two children.

Breeann Flesch - December 9

Dr. Breeann Flesch is currently Professor and Interim Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at Western Oregon University. Dr. Flesch earned an M.Ed. in Interdisciplinary Studies (Computer Science and Math Education) from MSU Billings, and Master’s and PhD degrees in Applied Mathematics from the University of Colorado Denver. She has served Western Oregon University as co-chair of the General Education Task Force, Mathematics Department Head, and Computer Science Division Chair. Much of Dr. Flesch’s externally funded work has focused on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented women and minorities in STEM.

Dr. Flesch is currently co-PI of a multi-institution NSF EPIIC (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) grant, working to enhance the applied research capabilities of primarily undergraduate institutions, and recently presented on the technological, economic, and social impacts of artificial intelligence to Congress in DC in September. Throughout her career, Dr. Flesch has been dedicated to fostering student, faculty, program, and institutional success across disciplines, including her work as General Education Committee Chair, her support and advocacy for undergraduate research as Interim Dean, and her wide-ranging work at WOU and the Monmouth community to promote a diverse, welcoming, inclusive environment for all. Dr. Flesch is a passionate advocate for providing access to high quality undergraduate education, with the success, satisfaction, and timely graduation of students as her highest priority. She is eager to bring that wealth of experience in developing initiatives in support of, as well as in removing barriers to, student success, to the University of North Dakota.

Danielle Johannesen - December 11

Danielle Johannesen is currently Associate Professor of Composition & Writing and Morse Alumni Distinguished University Teaching Professor at the University of Minnesota Crookston, where she coordinates the lower-division writing program. Danielle earned a Ph.D. in English from the University of South Dakota (2012) where she studied American literature, Great Plains literature, and creative writing. She is co-editor of the book Iconic Sports Venues: Persuasion in Public Spaces (Peter Lang, 2017) and has a scholarly monograph under contract with Routledge Books titled The Literary Legacy of the Kennedy Assassination: True Crime Tragedy. Johannesen has published scholarly articles and book chapters on Great Plains history and literature, popular culture, and rhetorical studies. She is also an active creative writer with work appearing in The Best of Brevity, South Dakota Review, 605 Magazine, and elsewhere.

Johannesen has been recognized by the University of Minnesota for her outstanding contributions to undergraduate education. She has mentored several exceptional undergraduate research projects. Her students have presented their work at prestigious national conferences. Johannesen founded the UM Crookston Honors Program and has been instrumental in developing and teaching in the first-year experience program at UM Crookston. She has taught a wide range of undergraduate courses, including a first-year course on sports and social justice and Honors courses on Bob Dylan and J.R.R. Tolkien. In her free time, Danielle enjoys arts and crafts, sports, nature photography, traveling, and spending time with family. She currently lives in Crookston with her husband and their basset hound.

Open Forum Sessions