A Celebration of Scholarship

A Celebration of Scholarship

In spring 2008, the Center for Excellence in Scholarship and Research recognized professors Suzanne Bunkers, David Dickau, and James Robertson as Minnesota State Mankato's first Distinguished Faculty Scholars. Combined, the three recipients have taught at Minnesota State Mankato for over 70 years—during which they have achieved national prominence for their scholarly and creative work.

Robertson, who teaches in the Department of Sociology and Corrections, came to Minnesota State Mankato in 1980 after working in a research center at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law. "I came to this university with anything but a concrete research agenda," says Robertson. "Diverse work and educational experiences had honed my research skills but not my interests."

When Robertson arrived, the department asked him to teach a course on correctional law. Because prisoner rights had been unheard of until the late 1960s, it was a relatively new subject. Little research had been done and few publications were available at the time—which gave Robertson the perfect opportunity to make his mark. "I was lucky to get in at the ground level," he explains. "My career evolved as the field evolved, and there were a lot of opportunities to explore areas that other scholars hadn't yet."

Twenty–eight years later, after publishing more than 50 individually authored journal articles, Robertson is known as one of the leading figures in the field of correctional law. His articles are read regularly by law students and scholars and are also consulted frequently by both judges and lawyers. As a result of his work, drastic changes have been made in prisoner rights, especially with regard to prison rape. "Thanks in part to Dr. Robertson's work in drawing public attention to this horrible problem, action is being taken by the government to address it," states Dr. Michael B. Mushlin, a professor of law at Pace Law School.

While Robertson is busy providing prisoners a voice, Bunkers is working to create a platform for a different group of unknowns: female diary authors. Currently one of a few internationally known diaries scholars, Bunkers joined Minnesota State Mankato's English department in 1980 and immediately began creating new courses related to women's literature and life writing.

Bunkers was familiar with life writing—which consists of shorter pieces about a person's life and relationships—as she had been writing and publishing her own personal stories while in graduate school. "My own writing led to my interest in other women's diaries," explains Bunkers. "I wanted to be able to study women whose lives were unknown and forgotten."

Bunkers' initial research on unknown women's diaries eventually led to something much deeper. She began to care about the women and their stories, and she spent a significant amount of time researching their background information, the contexts of their diaries, and the ways in which the diaries came into the public domain. "I learned that it was impossible to stay detached and objective," says Bunkers.

Her detailed research on the lives of these women has led to eight published books, including scholarly editions of previously unpublished diaries and her own creative nonfiction, In Search of Susanna—a memoir based on Bunkers' own experiences and memories in combination with her research. "I found the research so captivating that I not only want to read about these women, but I want to write about them as well," she says. "That's the goal for me—to find value in these works and then communicate that value to others."

Dickau, a professor in the Department of Music and the third Distinguished Faculty Scholar, expresses a similar sentiment when speaking about his choral compositions. After an early career working with orchestras and choirs in large churches, Dickau joined the Minnesota State Mankato faculty in 1991. One of his major goals after leaving the world of church music was to take recognized poetry and set the lyrics to music for choirs. "It was something that I really wanted to do…that I desired to do," says Dickau.

In doing so, Dickau has carved himself a niche in the musical world. He's been commissioned by local, state and national organizations, ranging from the Minnesota All–State Choir to the Charles A. Lindbergh Foundation. "I've been really fortunate to have had people ask me to write music for them," he says. "I didn't plan it as a career, but one of the greatest things about it is that it leads to a personal connection I would not have made otherwise."

For example, Dickau was commissioned by Timothy Sawyer, the Director of Choirs at Northwestern College, to write a piece to be performed by Sawyer's choir as a musical gift for the people of Dresden, Germany. The performance was in honor of the rebuilding of their church, where thousands of innocent refugees were killed when the church was bombed near the end of World War II. Both Dickau and his wife accompanied the choir to Dresden to hear the premier of the piece and were able to speak with several survivors of the bombing following the concert. "It was a humbling and moving experience to talk with these survivors and feel like I somehow had been honored to touch history," says Dickau.

And that's only one example. Dickau's compositions are being used across the nation to express the thoughts and feelings of many. And although he enjoys the composing process, it is experiences like the one in Dresden that make his work worthwhile. "It really is a cathartic event," he says. "It's the power of the text and the music. It helps people communicate and express their innermost feelings—that's what it's all about."

It is clear that Robertson, Bunkers, and Dickau have distinguished themselves as outstanding scholars in their fields. While their careers have earned them national recognition and acclaim, they are grateful for the University's recognition of their accomplishments through the Distinguished Faculty Scholars Award. "I was happy and honored," says Robertson, "but also very humbled because I was in such good company."