UND history professor James Mochoruk to retire after 31-year career

May 12—GRAND FORKS — In his first year as a university student in Winnipeg, James Mochoruk was not thinking about a career as a history professor.

"I had no idea what a historian was," said Mochoruk, who is retiring this spring after 31 years as a UND faculty member. "I come from a working class family."

Early on in his university studies, he majored in political science and considered becoming a journalist or a lawyer.

"All the poli sci courses I liked the most were the ones that were most historical. ... I just fell in love with history," said Mochoruk, originally from Winnipeg. "Like many Canadians, I hadn't realized how fascinating the country's history was, and so I just became enthralled. By the time I was in third year, I was absolutely committed to going on and doing a Ph.D.

"Ironically, it was really the teaching aspect that drew me into the profession. ... I came to realize how much I enjoyed the research, which is kind of what you get rewarded for at university," he said. "But it was always the teaching that drew me in. I wanted to be just like those really smart people up at the front of the classroom that I admired so much.

"And I wanted students to understand that history was not boring, and it wasn't just one damn fact after another. It was about how you understand it, and the way people lived their lives I find endlessly fascinating."

Mochoruk, who joined the UND faculty in 1993, earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Winnipeg and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Manitoba.

During his tenure at UND, he has earned numerous awards, including Outstanding Graduate Teacher in 1998, Outstanding Faculty Scholar, 2011, and the Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship in 2013.

He developed courses in Canadian history, U.S.-Canadian comparative history, and British and British Imperial history. Related to his work in northern and western Canada, he has developed a strong interest in First Nations history on both sides of the border. His scholarly interests include the social, ethnic, political and labor history of western Canada.

As his retirement nears, Mochoruk has been sorting through decades' worth of accumulated books and files of research materials in his office in O'Kelly Hall. He's been re-reading — and reluctantly tossing — notes and letters of gratitude from former students.

"You can't keep everything," he said.

"I have loved almost every class I've ever had," Mochoruk. "There's something about walking into a classroom of young folks, who are really quite bright — and, especially the big survey classes, the ones that aren't for majors — (such as) U.S. history. I love to get them to care about their national history, to see this as interesting.

"I can't tell you how good I feel when someone comes up at the end of class and says, 'could you tell me something' or 'could you show me where I should read more about this,' or just want to chat. You know you've sort of gotten through," he said.

"It's never about the dates or anything like that," Mochoruk said. He wants students to grasp "the big concepts and the big events. I love that challenge."

His colleagues reinforce the value and importance of Mochoruk's contributions to the UND community.

Bradley Rundquist, dean of the UND College of Arts and Sciences and professor of geography, wrote in an email to the Herald, "Dr. Mochoruk's career at UND has been one of distinction. He is a popular and well-respected lecturer, a renowned scholar and an admired colleague."

Rundquist cited Mochoruk's service as co-chair of the committee that took on "the major effort" to develop the UND LEADS Strategic Plan.

"His leadership on that committee, along with his long-standing commitment to faculty governance, proved key in the resulting first-rate plan now in place," Rundquist said.

Another UND colleague, Cynthia Prescott, professor of history and chair of the Department of History and American Indian Studies and the Department of Anthropology, shared a portion of a letter she wrote nominating Mochoruk for the Chester Fritz Distinguished Professorship. Although it was written more than a decade ago, she said, "it remains true today."

"His teaching is consistently top-notch, drawing high enrollments, enthusiastic student evaluations, teaching awards, and — even more importantly — inspiring students to deeper critical thinking and clearer communication," Prescott wrote.

"His work ethic and commitment to students' and colleagues' intellectual development and personal well-being never cease to amaze me. But I believe that Jim's greatest contribution to UND is embodied in his tireless service to the university community and its many individual members."

Prescott also praised the history professor's work in UND's effort to develop a new logo and on committees devoted to executive-level searches and the current strategic plan.

"Jim is beloved by his students despite his reputation for challenging them," she said. "He sincerely cares for his students to the point that it grieves him when one stumbles, and he has always gone out of his way to support them when they do."

She will miss him most "for the way that he has mentored me throughout my nearly 17 years at UND, she said. "He mentored me informally in my first year in the history program, then formally through the Alice T. Clark program in my second year. Over the years he has provided me invaluable advice on everything from navigating publishing in my field to being an effective department chair.

"Jim has supported me throughout my career, even watching my toddler for me when she was too sick to go to daycare and I needed to teach a class," she said. "I will miss his friendship, his mentorship, and his devotion to our department and the university."

William Caraher, UND associate professor of history, said Mochoruk "has been a vital part of our department's effort to teach and research on the Northern Plains, (from) a transnational perspective."

"(He) has been a conscientious and consistent leader largely 'from the ranks' (of the faculty)," Caraher said, noting that Mochoruk also served as department chair and as a North Dakota Quarterly board member for more than a decade, and led a number of important campus initiatives.

It is clear that Mochoruk has brought an expansive understanding of history to UND.

About his field of study, Mochoruk said, "There's something about history that, I think, encapsulates the human experience so well in all of its complexity, as we try to understand it, and to understand it in our own terms, while at the same time trying to be true to those people. ...

"Sometimes, as historians, we kind of speak for the dead and let people have their voice and treat it with respect, even if we don't agree with it — which is a challenge."

As one who has delved deeply into Canadian history, Mochoruk said, by paying attention to the history of another country or another region or continent, "we learn so much about ourselves. We also put things into perspective."

Looking back on his career at UND, Mochoruk said, "It has been the best job in the world."

It's a place where "we treasure research and teaching has always been valued."

Teaching "upper-division classes and ... the graduate seminar, of course, it's always fun, it's always rewarding. But that's like preaching to the choir. Everyone's there because they really want to be. ...

"It's the first-year classroom that I find is the most challenging and, in some ways, the most rewarding. It's a lot of fun, it really is," he said.

"I'm going to miss teaching a lot."