Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Last Cardinal Update this semester
Although this is the final Cardinal Update until January, please continue to let Marketing and Communication know of any news you would like to share. We are happy to help you communicate over break. Have a wonderful Christmas and a hope-filled new year.
Online directory project nears completion
The Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota website offers a searchable directory with contact information for faculty and staff. As the need has increased to locate people, programs, and departments quickly via the university’s directory, so has the need for consistent formatting of job titles, department names, and other directory information. Several departments have teamed up to standardize and validate this information, including Human Resources, Information Technology, Marketing and Communication, and Academic Affairs. The project is close to being completed, and the directory will be updated in the next few weeks.
We will provide more information about validating your directory record in a future Cardinal Update.
MIAC votes to continue to plan for winter competitions
The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Presidents’ Council approved Monday, Dec. 14, to continue to plan for the possibility of competitions during the winter sports seasons. The council will reconvene in mid January to confirm plans for basketball and ice hockey regular seasons, as well as indoor track and field championships.
Accordingly, Saint Mary’s University intends to proceed with winter play. However, as it was acknowledged during the MIAC meeting, planning during a pandemic is difficult. Because changes can occur quickly, it’s impossible to make any guarantees about winter competition in advance.
Our ability to compete this winter also depends on our student-athletes’ compliance with testing, social distancing, continued Healthy Roster app usage, COVIDaware MN app usage, and mask wearing. Any non-compliance with COVID-19 protocols by any team member places the season at risk. It also may result in needing to move classes online. We expect that our Cardinals will be leaders in terms of adherence to COVID protocols.
We are pleased to announce that we are partnering with Hy-Vee, Inc., for COVID-19 testing. Through their generosity we will not only meet the MIAC testing recommendations, we’ll be able to better care for our student-athletes, and allow them to fulfill their college athletic career goals.
We promise to stay in frequent communication about any new information or changes. Again, we are hopeful but will be monitoring public health, state, and federal guidance.
At this time, no final decision has been made regarding the status of fall sports that have already been moved to spring, as well as regular spring competitions.
National Association of Black Accountants meets with Saint Mary’s students
On Saturday, Dec. 5, the First Generation Initiative (FGI) and Black Students and Allies (BSA) hosted the National Association of Black Accountants (NABA) for a virtual meeting with Saint Mary’s students, including graduate students, undergraduate students, and students from our Lasallian and Catholic high school partners in the Countdown to College program. Derek Jackson, chair of the Business Department at Saint Mary’s, made the initial connection with NABA and emphasized the importance of students of color having professional networks and mentors in their fields that look more like them.
Taliya Harris ‘20 FGI grad and NABA member who joined the call, said she was the only African American business major in her graduating class, so going into NABA provided a level of comfort. Her father had a contact in the Chicago Chapter of NABA and suggested she join. Harris landed her internship with Allstate at a NABA Regional Conference, which led to her current position at Allstate as a project management consultant.
NABA Corporate Partner representatives from Thomson Reuters, CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), and Best Buy showcased the work that they have been doing in diversity, equity, and inclusion and shared their personal journeys in the professional world, which included both traditional and non-traditional pathways. They emphasized the importance of networking and building relationships throughout their careers and being open to new opportunities. Enitan Onayiga, president of BSA, said, “The event gave insight on how you may start one journey but end up doing something else.” It was a great opportunity for students to engage and connect with real world professionals.
NABA is a nonprofit member association dedicated to bridging the opportunity gap for Black accounting and finance professionals by providing leadership and technical training, as well as networking and career opportunities. The president of the Twin Cities Chapter of NABA, Orlando Bryant, shared the benefits of joining NABA for students of color in accounting, business, finance, marketing, and related fields, including career development, internship and scholarship opportunities, and membership in a rich network of professionals.
The Saint Mary’s and NABA partnership will continue next semester. If you would like to participate in the next meeting or have any questions, please contact Tammy Brians at tbrians@smumn.edu.
A Saint Mary’s retelling of the story of Christ
While we cannot gather together for our traditional Christmas light service, the Office of Campus Ministry has put together a video retelling of the story of Christ, as told by faculty, staff, and students of Saint Mary’s. Christ is the light to lead us out of darkness. May Christ’s love surround you this Christmas and into the new year.
Spring semester planning engagement sessions scheduled
In an effort to provide the best educational and, in Winona, residential experience for students this spring semester, a task force has been commissioned to review what we learned throughout the fall semester and to recommend actions to improve operations and the student experience in 2021. The work of the task force is centered on optimizing instruction and learning in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A series of virtual engagement sessions via Zoom for students, faculty, and staff will be held in the coming days to gather input.
The SGPP Student Engagement session will be held at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 15, via Zoom.
The sessions will supplement input and feedback already gathered through a series of fall surveys of students and faculty at the College and SGPP that focused on the academic experience. While the survey results are positive, there is always room for improvement and we want to broaden the input. We encourage you to review the survey results, which include a narrative overview as well. We are committed to taking action where possible. One example of a change we will already make in the spring — based on the survey data we collected — is the addition of two “wellness/mental health” days for College students to be built into the schedule. After consultation with chairs, these days are scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, and Wednesday, April 28. We anticipate making other improvements like this based on the feedback already gathered and additional input this month.
Other resources being used to plan for the spring semester are information from the Minnesota Department of the Health, the Center for Disease Control, executive orders, and various higher education materials.
The task force consists of representatives from across the university, and the co-chairs are Ann Merchlewitz, senior vice president and general counsel; Ben Murray, executive vice president and CFO; and Brian Schmisek, provost and dean of faculties. Recommendations will be presented to Father Burns and the President’s Cabinet before Christmas break. Those recommendations that are approved will be communicated by early January.
Please see the related story on spring semester dates.
Student Central update
As the semester draws to an end, we wanted to take a moment to wish you a wonderful holiday season. We hope you have time to relax and stay healthy.
Please review the reminders below regarding campus hours and closures. There is also information on grades, transcripts, registration, and payment.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to Student Central at studentcentral@smumn.edu or 612-238-4566.
Limited hours Dec. 24 to Jan. 3
Please take a couple of minutes to note the limited hours below.
Offices will be closed Thursday, Dec. 24, to Sunday, Jan. 3, for the holiday break.
Normal business hours will resume Monday Jan. 4, 2021.
Important reminders for the Upcoming SP21 Semester
- Courses in Blackboard will open two weeks prior to the start of the course. Questions on course access should be directed to the instructor. Visit the bookstore website for details about your course materials.
- Courses in Canvas will open two weeks prior to the start of the course. Questions on course access should be directed to the instructor. Visit the bookstore website for details about your course materials.
- Courses in Engage will open two weeks prior to the start of the course. Questions on course access should be directed to the instructor. Visit the bookstore website for details about your course materials.
Instructors have up to 14 days to post grades after the course has ended.
Important pieces of information
- Request a transcript through the National Student Clearinghouse
- Bills can be paid in the Student Portal on the “My Bill” page
- Register for Spring 2021 courses in the Student Portal in term “SP21 SGPP”
Student Central
Temporary hours are Monday through Friday — 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Turn on COVIDaware MN
As we work to mitigate against the spread of COVID-19, we are asking you to add your phone to the fight against COVID-19 and to help Saint Mary’s University use every tool possible to slow the spread of the virus in our communities and on our campuses.
Minnesota’s exposure notification system, COVIDaware MN, will help create a safer environment in our communities and on our campuses. COVIDaware MN will notify you if you’ve been near someone who tested positive for COVID-19. If you test positive, you can use the app to anonymously notify anyone you’ve been near.
We encourage you to download the app now, but no later than Dec. 20, 2020, so you can be notified of potential COVID-19 exposures. When we understand our exposure risk, we can all make more informed decisions about our health and reduce the risk of spreading the virus to friends, classmates, and staff.
COVIDaware MN is free and does not collect any personal information or track your location.
The app was made available by the State of Minnesota, in partnership with PathCheck Foundation. It uses your phone’s Bluetooth signal and exposure notification technology developed by Apple and Google.
The app works with similar apps from the following states: Alabama, California (launching next week) Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Wyoming.
Thank you for doing your part to keep our community safe. You can learn more about COVIDaware MN online, and download it from the Google Play or Apple App Store.
Last CommUNITY newsletter for semester
Because of the upcoming semester break, this is the last CommUNITY newsletter until the beginning of January. Good luck on finishing the semester strong, and have a very happy holiday season.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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