Three of our dedicated, long-standing faculty members retired this spring from the College of Education and Human Service Professions (CEHSP), concluding decades of academic excellence and tireless service to the University of Minnesota Duluth (UMD). Please join us in celebrating the legacy they leave behind. They have made an indelible impact not only on their respective fields but on the lives of the thousands of students they have educated and mentored along the way.
Nedra Hazareesingh, EdD
Associate Professor, Department of Education
After 40 years in the UMD Department of Education, Associate Professor Nedra Hazareesingh retired from the UMD Department of Education this spring. “I have mixed feelings about leaving because UMD was like a second home, and I have made lifelong friends here,” she says.
Hazareesingh obtained a bachelor’s degree in English in Sri Lanka, her country of origin. She went on to teach elementary, middle and high school English before coming to the U.S. to pursue graduate studies in elementary education at the University of Georgia. While studying, she also taught early childhood and elementary school students.
In 1986, Hazareesingh was hired at UMD. Over the years, she has taught a variety of pedagogical classes in the Department of Education, as well as courses on diversity and social justice. She has mentored countless education students and enjoyed following them into the field to observe and supervise them in area public schools during their student-teaching apprenticeship.
Investing in student success has taken Hazareesingh’s mentorship beyond the classroom. She is known for inviting advisees to coffee dates to help them build connections and a sense of belonging.
Along with teaching, Hazareesingh has an admirable record of service. A strong advocate for equity and inclusion, she has also mentored many students of color as well as international, tenure-track faculty over the years. She served on related committees during her tenure at UMD as well, tackling issues of structural racism at the university through the Employees of Color and American Indian group.
She also dedicated years of service to formal hearing panels for the Office of Student Conduct & Conflict Resolution, which she reports was one of her most challenging but also most gratifying experiences. “While the University carries on with its formal role, there is an underside that is invisible to the campus,” she explains. “Often the issues discussed were heart-wrenching, time-consuming, and consequence-ridden. I am glad I had the opportunity to be of service on these panels for many years.”
During retirement, she “is excited to have more time to spend with family and friends, both here and overseas, and to travel, garden, read, watch movies and take afternoon naps!” She hopes to discover some motivation for exercise, too. “Maybe pickleball will do the trick,” she says. “Luckily for me, I have a good friend and a dedicated pickleballer (also a retiree from UMD) who has offered to be my coach!”
Mark Mizuko, PhD
Professor and Head of the Department of Communication Sciences & Disorders
For more than four decades, Professor Mark Mizuko has been a pillar of UMD’s Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). His life’s work has centered on a fundamental human need — the ability to communicate — and finding innovative ways to support those who struggle to be heard.
Mizuko’s career at UMD began in 1985 after he earned his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Promoted to full professor in 2001, he spent much of his tenure exploring a central question: How can communication be made more accessible, intuitive and human?
Among his proudest accomplishments is the way his work bridged research and clinical practice, informing new approaches for individuals with intellectual disabilities, ALS and dementia, and directly improving the lives of patients and their families.
Mizuko’s scholarship has reached a broad audience, with publications cited nearly 500 times across over 30 countries. He also cultivated meaningful international partnerships, including serving as a visiting professor in Beijing and maintaining student exchange programs in South Korea and Japan for over a decade. Notably, he was the first American invited as a keynote speaker for Japan’s Academic Association of Speech Therapy.
As department head for 30 years, Mizuko remained equally committed to building a program grounded in clinical competence. He has mentored hundreds of students — including more than 1,000 CSD students through coursework and hands-on clinicals — helping them grow into capable professionals. He takes great pride in the program’s growth and the success of his former students, viewing their accomplishments as the truest measure of his work.
As he transitions into retirement, Mizuko looks forward to remaining engaged as a professor emeritus. He plans to spend more time with his wife, gardening, traveling to Japan, and staying connected with friends and family in Hawaii. He is also eager to spend time with his children in Edina — Lorrie (husband, Adam), Alan, and Megan — and is excited to follow his grandchildren's activities, from Chase’s golf tournaments to Rocco’s hockey training.
Chang’aa Mweti, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Education
At the end of April, Associate Professor Chang’aa Mweti gave an animated talk, “Breaking Cultural Barriers Through Storytelling: Why I Have Enjoyed Teaching at UMD,” to wrap up nearly two and a half decades of teaching. He offered stories, words of wisdom, and jokes — in keeping with his jovial nature.
Originally from Kenya, where he began his career as an elementary school teacher, Mweti moved to the United States to deepen his expertise in the field. He earned bachelor's degrees in English and drama and a master's degree in teaching English in secondary schools from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater. He later completed a PhD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Wisconsin–Madison before joining the UMD faculty in 2002, bringing his dynamic international perspective to the classroom.
Mweti is a passionate and charismatic teacher with an expertise in storytelling. Over the last two and a half decades, he has taught courses across the Department of Education’s licensure programs and in the African and African American Studies program, weaving educational narratives through a range of classrooms to help students learn and grasp disparate subjects.
His proudest accomplishment during his time at UMD is the collaborative work towards the founding of the African and African American Studies program in 2010. He served as the program's director from 2016 to 2026.
Mweti also worked to confront and dismantle systemic and structural racism at UMD. He mentored many underrepresented students over the years and notes how important it is for them to see people like them in leadership positions.
He notes that stories break abstract concepts into concrete examples, making it easier for students to conceptualize class materials. His philosophy is that perspective can help people overcome challenges in life. He says, “Ten percent of life is what happens to you, and 90 percent is how you react to it.”
Mweti prides himself on being approachable and accessible, even giving students his cell phone number. “How can you help a student if they can’t reach you?” he asks.
Teaching is much more than a job for Mweti; it’s a calling. “I have enjoyed seeing students succeed. It gives me satisfaction and joy.”
Though his love of teaching makes him reluctant to retire (he is even teaching through the May session), Mweti is ready to embrace his next chapter. He notes that he belongs to two countries and looks forward to having more time to travel and visit his family in Kenya.