Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Higher education in the headlines
Higher education is a field that is constantly changing. With this roundup, we hope to keep you informed about what is going on at universities and colleges around the country.
- Minnesota is losing more college students than it attracts, a troubling trend (Star Tribune)
- New Minnesota law assists college-bound youth in foster care systems (Inside Higher Ed)
- Paper exams, chatbot bans: Colleges seek to ‘ChatGPT-proof’ assignments (Associated Press)
Important calendar dates
As the 2022-23 academic year is approaching, the President’s Cabinet would like to provide faculty and staff with a number of events that can be added to calendars.
Convocation
Convocation will be held Tuesday, Aug. 22, and will be held on the Minneapolis Campus. The event will be live-streamed to the Winona Campus for those who are unable to attend in person in Minneapolis.
Convocation provides an opportunity for the university community to gather together and kick off the 2023-2024 academic year.
A full day of events will be highlighted by remarks from our president, Father James P Burns, IVD, Ph.D., and Brother George Van Grieken, FSC, Ph.D., the keynote speaker.
Br. George is a Lasallian Scholar, whose life has been dedicated to the research and study of Lasallian education and spirituality. He has taught at all levels, was the president/CEO of a Lasallian International School, and has presented at regional and international formation conferences.
Bus transportation from Winona to Minneapolis will be provided. The bus will depart from the front of the Toner Student Center at approximately 7:15 a.m.
Please RSVP for Convocation by Aug. 4.
Summer picnics
Later this month, the university community will hold its annual summer picnics on both campuses. All staff and faculty are welcome to attend one or both picnics. Staff and faculty take this moment to appreciate all that has been and all that is to come as we anticipate a successful year ahead. The picnics will be:
- Thursday, Aug. 17, at noon at the University Center on the Twin Cities Campus
- Wednesday, Aug. 23, at noon at the plaza on the Winona Campus
RSVP by Friday, Aug. 4, to ensure accurate attendee counts.
Philanthropy and Development program celebrates relaunch with summer residency
The M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program celebrated its relaunch in July, with students traveling to the Winona Campus to take part in a summer residency program.
The two-week program welcomed eight students from all over the country, as well as one student from Canada.
Previously, the yearly residency program was three weeks long, with students coming to the Winona Campus every summer for three years. However, with the launch of the new program, students take classes online, as well as taking part in the summer residency for two weeks.
“The reality is, it’s harder for students to take three weeks off in the summer. Organizations are just not prepared to allow people to be away for that long,” said Audrey Kintzi, vice president emerita and executive director of the M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program. “So, as a university, we had to really rethink how we can respond to market needs and keep our reputation as an outstanding masters program.”
While the residency program has been shortened, Kintzi says it remains an important experience for students.
“What we keep hearing from our alumni, and from other people in the marketplace, is that our residency is part of what makes us stand out,” Kintzi said. “For these students, it’s a wonderful time to be with other people who are passionate about what they do and to be able to dig into what it is to be a development professional.”
With the relaunch, this marks the 30th cohort of students to go through Saint Mary’s M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program.
“I am thrilled that the university has supported the relaunch of the program,” Kintzi said. “It has been part of Saint Mary’s history for 30 years, and has provided Saint Mary’s an excellent national and international platform for visibility.”
Higher education in the headlines
Higher education is a field that is constantly changing. With this roundup, we hope to keep you informed about what is going on at universities and colleges around the country.
School of Education hosts 3rd annual Summer Institute
The School of Education hosted its Summer Institute on June 15 and 16 for candidates in the Education Specialist (Ed.S.) in Educational Administration program on the Minneapolis Campus. Supported by the $1.7 million grant received from the Kern Family Foundation, the Summer Institute featured nationally recognized speakers and formation activities aimed to equip participants to become leaders of character and lead schools of character. This is the third Summer Institute, and over 70 educators attended.
Saint Mary’s was happy to welcome back Elizabeth (Liz) Huntley, Esq. as the keynote speaker for the Summer Institute. Huntley is the president and co-founder of the Hope Institute, an organization in Alabama that helps schools build a culture of character for their students. Huntley is also an accomplished litigation attorney, dedicated child advocate, author, and lecturer. She regularly speaks to groups throughout the U.S., often on the importance of character and education. Huntley first spoke at Saint Mary’s as the Convocation speaker in 2018.
Marcia Nelson, Ed.D., director of the Ed.S. program, introduced candidates to the revised curriculum that will be introduced this fall. “Our new Wise Leadership curriculum is a virtue-based approach to professional ethics for educational leaders,” Nelson said. “Wise leadership is more necessary for school leaders than ever before.”
Dr. Lance Forman and Dr. Robin Cayce of Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee, presented “Finding a Path in the Gray Areas of Leadership.” This interactive presentation used videos of realistic ethical dilemmas to help prepare candidates to navigate ethical dilemmas in education by applying Saint Mary’s Wise Leadership framework.
The Summer Institute concluded with a panel discussion with distinguished educational administrators throughout the state including Bret Domstrand, principal of Lake Marion Elementary, Erin Jensen, director of special education in the Elk River School District, Karin Lopez, principal of Woodbury Middle School, Bruce Miller, principal of Eastview High school, and Dr. Mary Wolverton, associate superintendent in the Anoka-Hennepin School District. The focus of the discussion was how educational leaders can foster flourishing school communities.
St. Mary’s Education Specialist (Ed.S.) program continues to be one of the largest in the state. It prepares students to become educational leaders as licensed K-12 principals, directors of special education, and superintendents. Graduates of the Ed.S. program not only serve as moral leaders in their schools but often in their communities as well. “We desire our graduates to be competent professionals as well as individuals who practice moral virtues such as honesty and justice; civic virtues such as civility and service; and intellectual virtues such as open-mindedness and patience,” said Michael Hahn, Ph.D., assistant dean of the school of education.
Nursing program enrollment update
As the Saint Mary’s community prepares for the upcoming school year, the B.S. in Nursing program is excited to welcome over 40 new students to the program, nearing the cohort’s capacity of 50 students.
With the incoming class of 43 students and the existing two cohorts, the program now has 72 students enrolled in total.
“It’s surprising that the program has grown so fast,” said Sister Agnes Mary Graves, RSM, DNP, director of the B.S. in Nursing program. “I know that we need nurses at this moment, and so it feels like a great responsibility and opportunity to form these students who have come to learn not just the science of nursing, but also the holistic approach to nursing.”
Sister Agnes Mary attributes the growth and interest in the program to recent marketing and admissions efforts put forth by the university. She says the school’s athletics program has also been key in recruiting students who are interested in nursing.
“About 30 percent of our nursing students are athletes,” she said. “The coaches have been recruiting these players over the last couple of years, and we’re starting to see the fruit of that.”
Another major selling point for incoming students is the program’s direct entry and cohort model. When students are accepted into the program, they begin classes immediately when they arrive on campus, something that differentiates Saint Mary’s program from other universities.
A majority of the students in the incoming cohort program are from Minnesota and Wisconsin, with five students coming from other states. Sister Agnes Mary says this is critical, as the university looks to build a regional nursing workforce.
“Our goal is to have our students go back and work in their local communities,” she said.
Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts to join Cotter Schools Aug. 1
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University has announced that it will transfer ownership and operation of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts to Cotter Schools on Aug. 1.
Cotter will continue to offer community arts education and performance programs — furthering the vision set forth by its founder, the late Stefannié Valéncia Kierlin, 50 years ago.
With Saint Mary’s academic program restructure, announced in May 2022, the department and academic courses connected to MCA have closed. To maintain a thriving arts resource for the community, Saint Mary’s engaged Cotter, a longtime community partner, to continue the great legacy of MCA. A majority of students served by MCA throughout its history are elementary and high school-aged youth in the Winona community, and the transfer aligns well with Cotter Schools’ expansion of programs on their growing Saint Teresa Campus.
“The university has been incredibly honored to be affiliated with the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts since 2003,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., Saint Mary’s president. “Thousands of students have furthered their love of the arts through the community programming provided by the talented MCA staff. We are incredibly glad that this valuable space and resource will be utilized in its fullest capacity under Cotter’s leadership.”
Cotter will continue MCA’s legacy of quality arts programming for the Winona Community. “With further planning, we look forward to what the future holds for this space and all those whose appreciation for the arts has been enhanced within its walls,” said Mary Eileen Fitch, president of Cotter Schools.
As part of the transfer, Cotter Schools will assume full ownership of the MCA property and assets as well as responsibility for its operations. Jacque Paulsen will serve as the director of MCA and will provide administrative oversight, effective immediately. All summer programming will continue as scheduled and fall programming will be announced later this summer.
More information can be found at cotterschools.org/mca-news.
Update on Jenzabar
Saint Mary’s has reached a new milestone and has officially entered the Go Dark period for the university’s Student Information System (SIS). The new SIS, Jenzabar, will go live on July 17, and most will know it by the new portal name, The Nest.
What does this mean to me:
In the portal, the data you see is read only and a snapshot from the end of day, June 23. Essential and time sensitive updates to student records will be made manually during this time to minimize dual entry into two systems. We ask that non-critical changes wait and are made in our new system after it goes live on July 17.
A few things to note:
- Canvas is separate and will not see any downtime.
- Payroll is separate and will not see any downtime. You can still submit hours worked, view payroll information, submit vacation requests, and make other modifications.
- Students can still make payments. Payments made after 3 p.m. on June 23 will not be reflected in the portal, but will show up in the new portal on July 17.
Thank you to our Jenzabar module managers and our IT application team. A significant amount of time has been invested into this implementation and without this team, it wouldn’t be possible. Module Managers include Alison Block, Kelly Boice, Tricia Dobrient, Michelle Dougherty, Colin Malay, Niki Peterson, Amanda Schock, Paul Terrio, Kara Wener, and Chris Verch. Application Team members are Long Dao, Chris DuRose, Patrick Garry, Ryan Kenaga, and Jeff Wanger.
If you have any questions, here are a few resources to help you navigate through our Go Dark period:
Faculty, alumna of Saint Mary’s P&D program recognized by Association of Fundraising Professionals
Kintzi named Distinguished Fellow
Audrey Kintzi is recognized by the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP) as one of this year’s Distinguished Fellows.
Audrey Kintzi, director of the M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program
The Distinguished Fellows Program recognizes individuals who have made significant leadership contributions to the association and the fundraising profession. The designation represents the pinnacle of service to the tenets of giving, volunteerism, and philanthropy.
Kintzi, an Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE), has been working in the development field for over 35 years. She is currently serving as the executive director of the M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program and previously as vice president of Development and Alumni Relations as well as Marketing and Communications at Saint Mary’s.
At Saint Mary’s, she has engaged benefactors in the mission of the university, successfully raising just over $74 million as part of the university’s “Discover, Inspire, Lead Campaign,” the largest completed campaign in the school’s history.
Previous positions include roles at the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Courage Center, the Girl Scout Council of St. Croix Valley, and the American Red Cross of the St. Paul Area.
Outside of her professional accomplishments, Kintzi currently serves as a member of the AFP Research Council, the AFP Ethics Committee, and the ACFRE Credentialing Board. She is an AFP Certified Master Trainer and holds a Certificate of Philanthropic Psychology (with Distinction) from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy.
“I am so deeply humbled to have been named a Distinguished Fellow by the Association of Fundraising Professionals this year,” said Kintzi. I am honored to be joining my incredible colleagues who were also named Distinguished Fellows this year, as well as those selected previously. For me, this recognition is the culmination of a lifetime of service to the profession and a deep commitment to professional education and building the body of knowledge.”
Calhoun a Lifetime Achievement Award recipient
Peggy Calhoun, a 1995 graduate of Saint Mary’s M.A. in Philanthropy and Development program, was honored by the Association of Fundraising Professionals with the 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award.
Peggy Calhoun, M’95
Calhoun, ACFRE, enjoys over 35 years of advancing philanthropy, marketing, and volunteerism.
Beginning her career as executive director of a crisis intervention agency serving three states, her extensive experience includes raising $3.7 million in nine months for an art museum, overseeing a $60 million national campaign for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation at the University of Miami School of Medicine, and successfully concluding a capital campaign while increasing the endowment from $2.6 million to $55 million – for The Salvation Army. As a staff professional, she has raised annual, capital and endowment funds for the Boy Scouts of America, YMCA, and United Way. While with United Way, she was credited with tripling the amount of money raised in four years. With her experience, she has been called upon to serve as interim executive director or chief advancement officer for several institutions including Families of Flight 93, Habitat for Humanity, Chapman Partnership, and others.
Calhoun was among the first 35 professionals to receive the lifetime designation of the Advanced Certified Fundraising Executive (ACFRE); a distinction earned by only 122 colleagues of the 33,000 members of the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP).
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
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