Deb (Geiver) Norlin '84 to Receive Alumni Achievement Award
Published Friday, October 04, 2024
Each year the SMSU Alumni Association seeks to recognize alumni and friends who have made significant contributions of time, talent or financial resources to help advance and bring positive recognition to Southwest Minnesota State University. This year, Deb (Geiver) Norlin is a recipient of the Alumni Achievement Award, presented to a graduate in recognition of their remarkable professional success and the positive reflection made on the reputation of all graduates of SMSU.
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Deb (Geiver) Norlin ’84 came to Southwest intending to become a health and physical education teacher. But Southwest had other plans for her.
Originally from Iroquois, South Dakota, Norlin was familiar with Southwest (SSU at the time) because her cousin was a student.
"I do recall the day I visited; I fell in love with the tunnels. But I also remember the atmosphere on campus that day, people saying hi to you and stopping to talk. The personality and the friendliness made an impression,” she said. “I told my mom when we were leaving, ‘This is where I’m going to school.’ She wanted me to be sure, so we did two other college visits I had planned, but I stuck with my decision and came to Southwest.”
Norlin majored in Health and Physical Education Teaching. She stayed on for a fifth year because Southwest was submitting a proposal to offer an adaptive PE certification. She took all the required classes, but the program wasn’t approved at the state level.
“Even though I didn’t receive the certificate, staying was worth my while. I was there when Southwest hosted the National Wheelchair Games. Lew Shaver was a big part of organizing those games along with RA Colvin,” she said. “I was one of two student assistant directors for those games. That was an incredible experience.”
“RA Colvin was the starting gunman. I still have one of the slugs that came out of his gun during those games. I keep it my little jewelry box to this day. That says what an impression that work and those games made on me,” Norlin said. “I would have to say those two (Shaver and Colvin) along with Carmen DeCoster were my three biggest mentors.”
In addition to working with the Health and PE Department, Norlin was widely involved. She served as student activities coordinator, planning events and bringing in entertainment acts. She was part of the Health & PE Club. She was on the cheer team for football. She also worked in the Financial Aid and Admission Offices. She lived on campus in Naoutha. She remembers the camaraderie everyone felt is what made her time special.
Upon graduation in 1984, she sought out a teaching job. She was offered a position in Texas, but turned it down to take a job in Ripon, Wisconsin where she taught Kindergarten through third grade physical education across five different elementary schools.
“I had enough class experience that I was able to teach in the adaptive PE field in Ripon,” Norlin said. “I was also coaching cheerleading, track, and soccer. As a PE teacher, you take on a lot of coaching responsibilities.”
She had been teaching for three years in Ripon when the admission counselor position at Southwest opened. It was an ideal opportunity to move closer to home. Having worked in the office as a student, she knew what an admission counselor did. The position was responsible for recruiting in South Dakota, and being from the state, it was a perfect match. She returned to Southwest as an admission counselor in August 1987.
“I recruited across the entire state. I would take the state car on Sunday, drive to my first destination, recruit all week, drive back Thursday night, and work in the office on Friday,” she said. “Sometimes we had Saturday visit programs. But you’d get in the car on Sunday and head back out.”
As an admission counselor, she was responsible for her recruiting territory and general education transfer evaluations. She learned how to assess college transcripts for transfer students.
“It was a great experience but recruiting was tough; we didn’t have cell phones or laptops. You’d schedule high school visits at a payphone,” she explained. “But the hard work we did cemented the relationships with my fellow counselors. To this day, we all get together the year.”
Norlin worked as an admission counselor until she was named Assistant Director of Enrollment Services. She was soon asked to serve as the alumni director on a half-time basis and serve the other half of her time in Admissions.
Southwest had just celebrated its 25th anniversary and never had an official alumni director until Norlin. Bill Turgeon, who worked in University Relations, had alumni focused responsibilities, but his title wasn't alumni director.
“I've never thought of myself as being the first alumni director. I always felt Bill was the first because he did the work. I just stepped into a position that finally dedicated time to the role,” she explained. “To dedicate a position, even half-time, was a big shift for the University. After me, it became a full-time position.”
“Working with a board, our goal was friend-raising so the Foundation could do the fundraising, that was the motto and mission, to figure out ways to help alumni feel connected, that they're still a part of the University, so when we did call and ask them for a donation, they felt inspired to give back.”
She looks back on everything she did at Southwest and is grateful for the people she worked with in both Admission and Alumni.
“I enjoyed my time with Alumni, but I met a guy who lived in Brainerd and at the time Southwest offered distance learning programs with Central Lakes College. I put together a proposal that allowed me to move there, coordinate the distance learning site, and continue recruiting with the admission office. I was giving up my alumni position but was happy to continue working for Southwest.”
In August 1998, Norlin moved to Brainerd and served as coordinator and academic advisor with the 2 + 2 bachelor’s degree programs, which included accounting, business administration, public administration, social work, and elementary education. Students took classes in-person or via ITV on the CLC campus to earn a four-year degree.
She served in that role until May 2007 when Southwest eliminated the distance learning site in Brainerd. By then, she was married with a three-year-old, so relocating was not an option. She worked briefly with Minnesota Care, the Department of Health and Human Services insurance program. She continued to watch for opportunities to return to education.
“I tell students now as an academic advisor, that while PE teaching was my major, education is my passion,” Norlin explained. “I haven't taught for many years, but I've always been in the education world and was eager to get back.”
Norlin returned to Central Lakes College when she was hired as the director of the Career Services Center. After six months, CLC needed seasoned academic advisors to meet enrollment demands. Her prior experience made her an ideal fit and she’s been in academic advising for the past 12 years.
“I love working with the students. Graduation is always a special time seeing them walk across the stage and knowing you played a small part in getting them there,” she said.
Norlin has been in the Brainerd Lakes area for 26 years and married for 25. She and her husband, Jeff, have a grown son who is attending the University of Minnesota Duluth, majoring in biology and minoring in psychology with plans to be a psychiatrist.
When asked about receiving one of this year’s Alumni Achievement Awards, she doesn’t feel deserving of the honor.
“I remember RA Colvin received an award and he said, ‘I just doing what they hired me to do.’ And that's exactly what I say,” said Norlin. “I don't deserve this award. I’ve just been doing my job. Lucky for me, my job was always focused on things I was passionate about.”
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Celebrate with Norlin and all of this year's Alumni Award Recipients at The Southwest Celebration on Friday, October 11, 2024 starting at 5:30pm in the SMSU Conference Center Upper Level.
The evening begins with a social hour with free drinks. The SMSU faculty and students will be on hand from several academic and support programs to showcase the special projects in their areas. At 6:30pm guests will be invited to be seated for a plated, formal dinner follwed by a short program recognizing this year’s award recipients. The evening will close with a Homecoming mixer that will offer a cash bar. The event will have valet parking outside the Conference Center. Tickets are $50 per person and available online at www.SMSUAlumni.com/celebration.
The 2024 Alumni Award recipients include: Graduate of the Last Decade (GOLD) Award presented to Doria Drost ’19/MBA ’21 of Sioux Falls, SD; Alumni Achievement Awards going to Stephen Klein ’75 of Marshall and Deb (Geiver) Norlin ’84 of Brainerd; and Honorary Lifetime Membership in the SMSU Alumni Association being given to Senator Gary Dahms of Redwood Falls.
Articles on each award recipient will be published over the coming days.
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