Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
DBA students present paper in Africa
Doctor of Business Administration students Berhanu D. Belete, Rene Pierre-Charles, Aniekan Udoh, and Beatrice Otieno presented a paper titled “The Influence of Customers’ Senses on Sensory Marketing” at the Postgraduate Scholars Summit 2020, sponsored by the Directorate of Research, Publications, and Innovation in Collaboration with Out Mbeya Regional Centre, held in September in Tanzania, Africa (via Zoom).
Words of unity during this election
Dear Saint Mary’s Community,
Our country’s national election will take place one week from today. Whether you have already voted by mail or in person, are planning to do so soon, or are waiting for election day to visit your polling place, I encourage you to make your voice heard. For many of our undergraduate students, this is the first of many elections you will participate in throughout your life. Each vote cast is a significant moment and an exercise of our rights in a democratic society.
Political seasons are always long and present topics of considerable importance for discussion and debate. The effects of COVID-19 and so much more has made this an election season like no other. Increased engagement with social and other media in our 24-7 world of news can create information overload. More impassioned levels of communication can create stress and anxiety, regardless of one’s political position and whether you are engaged in the process or apolitical.
The tension resulting from all that will have transpired before Nov. 3, which many have experienced, will not end after election day. While we do not know what the outcome will be or when the official results will be known, we do know the news coverage and commentary will continue, and sometimes with great intensity. So, what do we do? I suggest we continue to do what we have done all fall at Saint Mary’s — stay focused, strong, resilient, and faithful.
I am proud of our students on all three of our campuses. In Winona, the presidents of the College Democrats and College Republicans, along with Student Senate leadership, have worked collaboratively for weeks to register fellow students, advocate for engagement, and provide resources for those who want to learn more about the political process. Dr. Brian Schmisek, provost and dean of Faculties, and Dr. Tim Gossen, vice president of Student Affairs, along with many faculty and administrators, have successfully implemented several events including: pre-debate discussions on civil discourse; the Hendrickson Institute presentation by His Excellency, the Most Rev. John M. Quinn, DD, bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester titled, “Catholic Principles for Voting in the Upcoming Election;” and last week’s event: “Civic Virtues in the Classroom,” attended by faculty and staff.
No matter the outcome of the election, I am confident that Saint Mary’s will continue to model civil discourse, always search for common ground, and join in positive action in service of community engagement.
Finally, I ask you to please join me in a Prayer for Civility for our politicians and our nation.
May God’s peace and blessings be upon us.
GSS contributes to National Wetland Inventory
In mid-October, GeoSpatial Services’ (GSS) Andy Robertson, Kevin Stark, and Eric Lindquist spent a week in northeastern California and Western Nevada for the purpose of verifying GSS’s wetland mapping work. GSS has been a major contributor to the National Wetland Inventory and a long-time partner with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to complete much of their wetland mapping in the western United States and Alaska.
Much of the data taken to the field for evaluation and on-the-ground corrections was created by the team of students working with the GSS/BLM mapping team at Watters Hall on our Winona Campus. GSS student technicians are guided through a training and learning protocol of wetland mapping skills and exposure to geographic information systems software in order to be employed by GSS at Saint Mary’s.
Staff members Peter McColl ’13, M’19; Matt Hogan M’19; James Loken ’19; Shauna (Frahm) Larson ’19, M’20; and Eric Lindquist M’18 work with students who are in “real-world” paid positions within GSS. The students gain skills in the software used, data creation, natural resource mapping, and much more.
Currently, GSS employs approximately 40 students at both the Winona and Twin Cities campuses on various projects throughout the U.S.
Photo caption: GSS staff Andy Robertson, Kevin Stark, and Eric Lindquist in northeastern California.
Take the athletic attendance survey
You are invited to participate in a research study about Saint Mary’s-sponsored sporting events. This study is being conducted by Jordan Modjeski and Delaney Calabrese under the supervision of Dean Beckman, associate professor of communication, and Matthew Klosky, assistant professor of business.
There are no known risks or costs if you decide to participate in this research study. The information you provide will be used to create generalizations about sporting events with the hope of increasing attendance at such events. The survey will take about four minutes to complete.
This survey is designed to gather information about student attendance at Saint Mary’s sporting events. Your responses will remain anonymous unless you wish to participate in a qualitative interview regarding your survey answers.
View discussion on racial inequality and injustice
On Sept. 29, the Minnesota Catholic Conference hosted a public Zoom titled, “Read Open Wide Our Hearts: The enduring call to Love and more resources on racism,” which can be found at https://www.mncatholic.org/openwideourhearts/. Attendees heard from Archbishop Bernard Hebda of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis and Bishop John Quinn of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, along with the featured speaker and panelists.
The event was described as an opportunity for formation and reflection on the critical issues of racial inequality and injustice in America. How can the Church uphold the dignity of all human persons and foster the common good during these contentious times? What issues do we need to address with our own Church that prevent an appropriate response?
This forum was primarily for priests, deacons, educators, and lay ecclesial ministers and was also open to the public.
This panel discussion aligns with discussion on race, faith, and higher education that Saint Mary’s will host in November and into the new year. Additionally, one of the panelists was Lannette Turicchi, who will serve as the moderator for our Nov. 11 event, Race, Faith, and Higher Education.
Virtual Hendrickson Forum scheduled for Nov. 10
Saint Mary’s University’s first virtual Hendrickson Forum, shared noon today, Tuesday, Nov. 10, features keynote speaker, Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., director of Yale University’s Human Nature Lab and co-director of the Yale Institute for Network Science, addressing how certain kinds of social artificial intelligence (AI) might best be used to enhance our society. You can continue to access the video at smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.
The event, “Blueprint: How Artificial Intelligence Can Build on the Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society,” is presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.
Drawing on extensive research about the evolutionary origins of a good society, and based on his recent New York Times bestselling book, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, Dr. Christakis will present some new work from his Human Nature Lab regarding the interactions between humans and AI and what the disruptive introduction of AI in our lives could mean for the future of human social behavior. Dr. Christakis will take audiences on a journey from the ancient origins of human society to the forefront of innovation.
About Dr. Christakis
Named to TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and to Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” renowned physician and social scientist Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., helps us more deeply — and optimistically — understand our society as well as our individual and collective behavior.
Medal recipient
Saint Mary’s University will honor Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and social impact officer for General Mills and president of the General Mills Foundation, with the 2020 Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership at this year’s virtual Hendrickson Forum.
Melendez stewards the company’s sustainability and philanthropy efforts. Her role combines accountability for taking care of our planet and nourishing communities to amplify the impact of General Mills as a global force for good.
For more information about Melendez or Dr. Christakis and to view the virtual forum, go to smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.
Race, Faith, and Higher Education event Nov. 11
Join an esteemed panel of speakers on Wednesday, Nov. 11, to discuss the role higher education plays in understanding race, race relations, and the effects of racism in society, especially in light of faith and religious belief, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. via Zoom. Register today to reserve your space.
The event will be moderated by Ms. Lannette Turicchi, formerly head of Non-Theatrical Distribution for DreamWorks SKG. The dynamic panel will explore the current cultural climate while shedding light on how faith, race, and education can work together to create a positive and actionable path forward.
Lannette Turicchi
Ms. Turicchi will be joined by:
- Mr. Louis Brown, executive director of Christ Medicus Foundation and health care expert;
- Mr. Walter B. Hoye II, founder and president of the Issues4Life Foundation and the California Civil Rights Foundation;
- Dr. Jacqueline Rivers, executive director of the Seymour Institute for Black Church and Policy Studies;
- The Rev. Eugene F. Rivers III, Harvard-educated writer, committed activist-intellectual, and renowned worldwide speaker;
- Father Leo Pattalinghug, IVD, theologian, award-winning chef, radio, and TV host.
This panel will also discuss how each understands faith as a way to influence higher education for the good of all people.
This is part of our ongoing discussion on topics related to race and justice in our country. Capacity for this event is limited, so please reserve your space at your earliest convenience.
Drop-in advising for spring 2021 registration
Saint Mary’s virtual Hendrickson Forum Nov. 10 to address sustainability, evolution, AI
WINONA/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s first virtual Hendrickson Forum, to be shared noon Tuesday, Nov. 10, features keynote speaker Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., director of Yale University’s Human Nature Lab and co-director of the Yale Institute for Network Science, addressing how certain kinds of social artificial intelligence (AI) might best be used to enhance our society.
The event, “Blueprint: How Artificial Intelligence Can Build on the Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society,” is presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership.
Drawing on extensive research about the evolutionary origins of a good society, and based on his recent New York Times bestselling book, Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society, Dr. Christakis will present some new work from his Human Nature Lab regarding the interactions between humans and AI and what the disruptive introduction of AI in our lives could mean for the future of human social behavior. Dr. Christakis will take audiences on a journey from the ancient origins of human society to the forefront of innovation.
About Dr. Christakis
Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H.
Named to TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” and to Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers,” renowned physician and social scientist Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., helps us more deeply — and optimistically — understand our society as well as our individual and collective behavior.
His current research is primarily focused on two topics: the social, mathematical, and biological rules governing how social networks form (“connection”), and the social and biological implications of how they operate to influence thoughts, feelings, and behaviors (“contagion”).
The author of several books and more than 200 articles, Dr. Christakis was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences in 2006 and was made a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2010.
Medal recipient
Mary Jane Melendez
Saint Mary’s University will honor Mary Jane Melendez, chief sustainability and social impact officer for General Mills and president of the General Mills Foundation, with the 2020 Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership at this year’s virtual Hendrickson Forum.
Melendez stewards the company’s sustainability and philanthropy efforts. Her role combines accountability for taking care of our planet and nourishing communities to amplify the impact of General Mills as a global force for good.
For more information about Melendez or Dr. Christakis and to attend the virtual forum, go to smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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