Prairie Strong

MEd alumni build leadership skills and support network through Mary’s Rural School Leadership Institute.

Teresa Risovi, ’24, loves to learn. With four degrees to her name, including master’s degrees in K-12 administration and special education strategy from the University of Mary, she is currently pursuing her doctorate in education. She is disciplined, dedicated, and professional — a stellar educational leader for any school district.

Earlier this summer, Risovi accepted the role of superintendent of McClusky-Goodrich Public School District #29, where she had served as principal for roughly 115 students and 20 teachers.

“I have interviewed in bigger districts, but that’s not for me,” she says. “Here, I know every student when they walk in the door: their first and last names, their siblings, their parents. I can tell if they’re having a good day or if they’re struggling. I wouldn’t be able to do that in a Class-A school.”

Many Hats, One Family

Education is Risovi’s second career; originally, she majored in psychology and worked in emergency management before stepping away to raise her three sons. She fell in love with education while serving as a substitute teacher, earned a degree in elementary education, taught third grade for a year, then passed the Praxis Special Education test to become a licensed special education instructor.

While completing her education degree, she received an email about the Rural School Leadership Institute (RSLI) at Mary, a cohort-based, online Master of Education program tailored to the needs and challenges of rural schools. A video call connected her with education faculty Dr. Jeff Lind and Dr. Brian Duchscherer; their shared love for rural schools inspired Risovi to enroll in RSLI’s 2024 cohort. She earned her MEd in school administration — and added a second MEd as a special education strategist for good measure.

A year later, she was hired as principal of McClusky-Goodrich — but in rural districts, you pitch in wherever you are needed.

“We all wear multiple hats,” Risovi says. “Some days I’m a janitor for the first two hours because it’s flu season. We all work together — the family atmosphere is what I truly love.”

MEd Perspective: Alex Scherr, '22, '24

Two-time University of Mary alumnus Alex Scherr coaches a student on shooting a basketball. Scherr teaches K-12 physical education and coaches at Linton Public School. He earned his MEd through the Rural School Leadership Institute in hopes of a leadership role one day — but along the way he gained a community of colleagues who are transforming rural education. Read more about his journey here.

That sense of community is critical, since staffing and budgets are tight.

“Unless they have local ties or fall in love with the district, people tend to not stay,” she says. “We are going to four-day weeks, which is huge for our staff, because it’s one day less of long commutes. And obviously, I’m a big advocate of continuing education, so I’m always looking for opportunities for our staff. But training is expensive, and I have three subs for the whole district. You have to get creative."

Common Ground

One of the most valuable aspects of the university’s online MEd programs is the two-week summer institute on campus, which enables students to connect with peers who share similar goals and challenges. But for Risovi, it was almost a deal-breaker.

“I didn’t want to leave my kids during the summer,” she recalls. “Dr. Brenda Tufte knew I was teetering. I told her, ‘I’m an online learner: give me the expectations, give me the due date, and it’ll be done.’ She said that meeting the other cohort members adds so much to the program — and she was 100% right!

“That first summer was hard — I don’t think there was anyone in my cohort who wasn’t second-guessing themselves. I called my husband, Jeremy, and said, ‘I’m not smart enough for this. I can’t hack it. I need to come home.’ And he said, ‘No, you made the commitment. You’re there.’”

MEd Perspective: Jill Wall, '14, '24

Another two-time Mary alumna, Jill Wall, assists a student with a lesson illustrating how dinosaur tracks can reveal how fast the animal was moving. Wall teaches third grade for Lakota Public Schools, near her family's farm. Earning her MEd through RSLI gave her a deeper appreciation for the challenges faced by rural districts — and strengthened her ability to help. Read more about her experience here. 

By the end of the institute, her classmates became her go-to group for ideas, advice, and solutions to shared problems. The experience inspired Risovi to pursue her doctorate even before she finished RSLI.

“It doesn’t get any easier — my kids are older; they’re more involved,” she says. “I missed 10 baseball games for the EdD institute this summer. But I love that, for two weeks, I am a student and can focus on that.

“I tell people all the time: Get your master’s, not for more money, but because you want to be a better educator. It’s made me a better person and a better teacher — better for the kids, the district, and rural North Dakota."

AT A GLANCE: The Cohort Model

• Students are accepted and move through the program as a close-knit community of scholars.
• Small class sizes and in-person institutes ensure that students know their faculty and classmates.
• Cohorts form a professional network of ideas, opportunities, resources, and support.

Cohort-based graduate degrees include our Master of Education, Master of Science in Counseling, Doctor of Education, Doctor of Business Administration, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and our new Master of Arts in Theology launching this fall. Our online-only degrees in social work, bioethics, music, kinesiology, and clinical exercise physiology follow a similar model, but without the in-person component.

Above. Risovi visits with a fellow doctoral student during the on-campus institute this summer. Risovi's rural roots run deep: She attended a two-room schoolhouse in Telfer Township before graduating from Century High School in Bismarck. At the top of the page: Risovi converses with Dr. Matthew Lonn, chair of graduate education, during her doctoral program summer institute.