STUDENT AFFAIRS 21 ANNUAL REPORT Mammenga named Student Affairs Support Staff Partner of the Year Brenda Mammenga, director of institutional research, was selected by Student Affairs staff for her outstanding service to staff and students. Pirlet Named Student Affairs Faculty Partner of the Year Christian D. Pirlet, Assistant Professor of Educational Technology within the School of Education, was selected by Student Affairs staff for his outstanding service to students and Northern State University. Within his first year at Northern, Dr. Pirlet jumped into volunteering to support Wolfpack Welcome, greeting parents and incoming students during move-in day as well as serving as a faculty panel member for new student orientation, HOWL (Helping Our Wolves Learn). His commitment to serve students comes from his personal experience as an alumnus from Northern. Within his first three years, he has actively supported students through advising student organizations like South Dakota Education Association (SDEA), participating in Northern Bound Day, and advising honors students. Dr. Pirlet has also contributed to campus-wide committees within the School of Education and our Strategic Enrollment Management plan. As a supporter of our students, Dr. Pirlet is no stranger to getting pied in the face for GiveNDay efforts or serving up pancakes at Late Night Breakfast. Krista Bau, director of student rights and responsibilities, said, “Dr. Pirlet cares deeply about the student’s experience beyond his classroom. His eagerness to participate across campus to support students for their overall success is second to none.” Dr. Pirlet’s commitment to students, student engagement, and the campus community has earned him the Student Affairs Faculty Partner of the Year. Dr. Pirlet, his wife Gina, and their four sons (Liam, Judah, Callum, and Ezekiel) enjoy camping with extended family and traveling across the country. For those who don’t know Brenda, she serves in a pivotal role as Northern’s institutional research and assessment leader. She has been instrumental in gathering, sharing, and analyzing Northern’s data, particularly in retention, persistence, engagement, and degree completion. Brenda has been the driving force behind a critical engagement assessment, the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). She has been instrumental in the 2022 ARC3 Sexual Misconduct Survey, multiple administrations of the SkyFactor Benchwork’s Student Campus Climate, Safety and Sexual Assault Assessment, and the Biennial Review as required by the DrugFree Schools and Campuses Regulations. She has been a key member of the Enrollment Management Council (EMC) and serves as chair of the Data Governance Committee. Over the last many years, Brenda has answered countless data questions for Student Affairs and was key to the development of the Student Affairs Assessment Report (2020-2021). In addition to her data management and analytical skills, Brenda is kind, professional, and loyal to Northern and her colleagues. She has successfully and passionately advocated for datadriven decision making, assessment, and a student-centric campus ethos. As a high school freshman, Brenda won first place in the Algebra I division of Northern’s annual math contest, prompting her to major in mathematics once at college. (This math contest continues to this day at Northern). She ultimately earned her Ph.D. in the field and can now claim to be one of 220,038 mathematical descendants of Guarino da Verona, who earned a Ph.D. in the year 1408. Brenda is active in her community, running a legendary sand volleyball league in Bristol every summer and directing a children’s live nativity program each Christmas. Her dedication to this corner of South Dakota coupled with her mathematical background make her role as Northern’s director of institutional research a great fit! Brenda’s commitment to students, student engagement, datadriven decision making, and Northern make her the ideal Student Affairs Support Staff Partner of the Year. Brenda lives with her husband and three kids on the same farm where she and her mother were raised near Bristol, S.D.
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