Sep 27, 2011

Book donation

A Central Lakes College alumna who is an associate professor at Hamline University has donated to CLC a copy of the book she co-wrote. Dr. Jennifer (Pecarich) Carlson’s research focus on reading methods led to her co-writing of “Multimedia Text Sets: Changing the Shape and Engagement of Learning” (2010, published by Portage and Main Press. The book explores how to respond to the need for multimedia in multimodal literacy instruction. The 1987 Brainerd High School and 1989 CLC graduate presented a copy of the book to Jan Bedard, a reading instructor at the college. It is considered an instructional framework to provide all types of learners with lifelong tools to explore and interpret texts. The signed copy includes Dr. Carlson’s statement: “For giving so many their first opportunity to move forward.” Dr. Carlson has followed her educational dreams that started at CLC. She earned degrees at Winona State and Minnesota State (Mankato) universities, received her doctorate in 2001 from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Her focus is curriculum and instruction, literacy and children’s literature. Dr. Carlson said she is happy to donate a copy of her book to her alma mater, where she had met her eventual husband, Pete Carlson, when students. He came to Brainerd from Eau Claire, Wis., and played hockey for the Raiders. They both went on to Winona State for bachelor’s degrees. Today he manages the world’s largest indoor ice arena in Blaine. Dr. Carlson’s father, Crosby native John Pecarich, and her brother Matt are also CLC graduates.