The Profession That Makes All Others Possible

Nibbe Family Gift Elevates Teaching at Minnesota State Moorhead

For Dawn Nibbe Guse, education is more than a profession – it’s a calling passed down through generations. The daughter of a teacher and a teacher herself, Dawn believes learning is the foundation of a strong society. Her family’s recent $5.5 million gift to Minnesota State Moorhead through the Nibbe Family Foundation ensures that the legacy will continue for generations of future educators.

Nibbe School of Teaching & Learning

Dawn grew up surrounded by lessons that extended far beyond the classroom. Her father, David Nibbe, graduated from Moorhead State and taught and led schools across Minnesota, instilling in his children that education is a lifelong pursuit. Her mother, Jean, worked with young people at the local grocery store, training, supervising and coaching them through after-school work.

“I spent my entire life around teachers and coaches and really respected and admired what they did,” she said.

Her teaching and coaching philosophy are the same: be firm, have rules, be kind, show you care, and provide structure. Dawn is a retired social studies teacher at Zumbrota-Mazeppa (Minn.) High School, where she still coaches track.

“I believe my willingness to listen and guide students has made an impact on their lives,” Dawn said. “Our family believes in the power of education, and educators, to change lives. By supporting students at Moorhead, we hope to inspire more young people to pursue teaching careers and ensure that schools in our region have access to highly qualified educators.”

Teaching isn’t an easy job. It takes grit, dedication, and a heart for kids – a combination of toughness and tenderness that has carried Dawn through over three decades of teaching.

The Nibbe Family Foundation gift will expand scholarships and stipends, create innovative learning opportunities, and provide professional development for educators. By strengthening the university’s capacity to prepare teachers, Dawn and her family hope to restore the honor, respect and joy that first drew her and so many others in her family to the profession.

Averie Burmeister, an early childhood education major who will graduate in May, attended the Annual Reading Leadership Conference in Chicago with full support from the Nibbe gift.

“The conference solidified my understanding of concepts I had already learned,” Averie said. “I got to dig deeper and build a better foundation on how to teach children to read and help struggling readers. Teaching is a lifelong learning experience. I will forever be thankful to the Nibbe family for giving me the gift of furthering my education and serving young children better.”

Beyond the new signage that adorns Moorhead’s Lommen Hall, the gift symbolizes the enduring value of educators: teaching matters.

A healthy community depends on educated citizens who can think critically, evaluate information, and learn from one another. Good teachers don’t tell students what to think; they teach them how to think. That principle, echoed through Dawn’s family and career, shapes the purpose of the Nibbe School of Teaching & Learning.

“We’re helping Moorhead students be the best teachers, not only in the state of Minnesota, but in the Upper Midwest and in the United States,” Dawn said. “Teaching is the one profession that allows every other profession to exist. There wouldn’t be doctors, lawyers or auto mechanics without teachers.”

As CEO of the Nibbe Family Foundation, Dawn looks forward to expanding programming and building on the excellence of the Nibbe School of Teaching & Learning. She reminds us that education is a calling, quoting Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani education activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate: “One child, one teacher, one book and one pen can change the world.”