Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Saint Mary’s in the news
The Winona Post featured Saint Mary’s in an article about area university plans for fall, including quotes from Ann Merchlewitz, J.D., general counsel, university secretary, and co-chair of the Pandemic Assessment Coordinating Team.
Winona universities plan for fall
Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine featured a profile on Leah Gordon, DNP, assistant professor and Nurse Anesthesia program director. Scroll to page 64 to read how COVID-19 has affected and will continue to affect healthcare professionals.
Data from Saint Mary’s GeoSpatial Services (GSS) was cited in a recent article from Cronkite News. The data referenced is part of the analysis GSS completed for Earthjustice, a legal advocacy firm that is filing an injunction against the new Navigable Waters Protection Rule.
Two Arizona tribes, advocacy group join suits over EPA’s clean-water rule rollback
Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) continues to offer online programming, which was shared in an article from the Winona Post. MCA camps and classes are available for children ages 2 and older through adults.
Saint Mary’s University announces May 2020 undergraduate graduation list
WINONA, Minn. — The following Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota students completed requirements for bachelor of arts degrees in May 2020.
Student name, hometown, parent or guardian names
Juan Altamirano Herrera, Appleton, Wis.
Cray Alvarez, Winona, Minn., Virginia Whalen
Tyler Amy, Chatfield, Minn., Julie Amy
Lydia Bacon, Rochester, Minn., Roger Bacon and Krista Affeldt
Joshua Balsiger, Camas, Wash., Alan Balsiger
Cassandra Barr, Eau Claire, Wis., Tom and Marcy Barr
Virginia Barrera, Long Lake, Minn., Saturnino and Artemia Barrera
Alexis Barth, Byron, Minn., Brian and Melissa Barth
Olivia Beauchamp, Jerseyville, Ill., Brett and Melissa Beauchamp
Kaycie Beissel, Hampton, Minn., Raena Reinardy
Kizzy Bell, Saint Paul, Minn., David and Brook Bell
Alice Bettag, Maple Park, Ill., Eric and Joan Bettag
Ellen Blackmer, Forest Lake, Minn., Richard and Karan Blackmer
Annika Blesener, Saint Paul, Minn., David and Sheri Blesener
Aimee Boggs, Browning , Mont., Cameron and Victoria Boggs
Madalyn Bollig, St. Croix Falls, Wis., Gregory and Lisa Bollig
Ben Borash, Bowlus, Minn., Ronald and Ann Borash
Zachary Bracken, Oseeo, Minn., Nicole Bracken
Lillian Braun, Mantorville, Minn., Jeffery and Kelly Braun
Kayla Burck, Algonquin, Ill., Phillip and Jonna Burck
Elizabeth Ciukaj, Alsip, Ill., Jeanne Ciukaj
Jacob Coleman, Aurora, Ill., Stephen Coleman
Daniel Collette, Stillwater, Minn., Tony and Jodi Collette
Joseph Costello, Victoria, Minn., Jennifer Costello
Bryanna Cross, Alsip, Ill., Lori Cross and Therese Cross
Andrew Cummings, Anchorage, Ala., Adam and Katherine Cummings
Jordan Danielson, Dover, Minn., Karen Danielson
Carol Dao, Rochester, Minn., Hiep Dao and Maria Le
Monet Datari, Minneapolis, Minn., Sibulu and Tiona Datari
Alexander DiBacco, Darien, Ill., Lorenzo and Kathleen DiBacco
Sadie Doering, Mosinee, Wis.
Zachary Drake, Westby, Wis., Dawn Drake
Justin Edwards, Marshfield, Wis., Janelle Edwards
Jordan Elwood, Hannon, Ontario, Canada, Brian and Lina Elwood
Ricardo Estrada Rodriguez, Oronoco, Minn., Itzel Estrada Rodriguez
Maxwell Faust, Stillwater, Minn., Scott Faust
Danielle Franke, Saint Paul, Minn., Dan and Karen Franke
Laura Gagnon, New Richmond, Wis., Alecia Gagnon
Bryce Galewski, Winona, Minn., Tamara Matthees
Christina Galvan, Racine, Wis., Cuitlahuac and Cynthia Galvan
Manuel Garcia, Racine, Wis., Daniel Garcia
Nicholas Gawarecki, Stewartville, Minn.
Dawn Gilyard, Winona, Minn., Cherie Gilyard
Kevin Gleason, Minneapolis, Minn., Jay and Peggy Gleason
Samantha Grabau, Wabasha, Minn., David and Jean Grabau
Madison Gueningsman, Winsted, Minn., Andrew and Tricia Gueningsman
Carla Guillen, Minneapolis, Minn., Victor Guilllen and Eva Ramirez
Jaime Gutierrez, Northlake, Ill., Ramon Gutierrez and Petra Gutierrez
Anya Hafiz, Saint Paul, Minn., Elizabeth Hafiz
Taliya Harris, Chicago, Ill., Shaundra Harris
Ian Hebeisen, Plymouth, Minn., Jim and Sue Hebeisen
Megan Hendrickson, Harmony, Minn., Scott and Laurie Hendrickson
Nayeli Hernandez Moctezuma, Austin, Minn., Hector Hernandez Morales and Carmela Moctezuma Romero
Jared Hippman, Bolingbrook, Ill., Scott and Elizabeth Hippman
Jordan Jacobson, Bloomington, Minn., Anna, Hanson
Quanlong Jiang, Yantai, China, Junhan Jiang and Yu Wang
Spencer Johnston, Brooklyn Park, Minn., Bob and Suzanne Johnston
Seth Kamrass, Norcross, Ga., Steve and Barbara Kamrass
Annabeth Kerr, Damascus, Ore., Jeffrey and Kimberly Kerr
Aaron Kibirige, Lino Lakes, Minn.
Jack Kinnunen, Chassell, Mich., Russell and Maria Kinnunen
John Kluge, White Bear Lake, Minn., Mark and Elaine Kluge
Patrick Kolias, Minneapolis, Minn., Paul and Monica Kolias
Jacob Kramer, Austin, Minn., Randall and Wendy Kramer
Kamila Kuchta, Woodbury, Minn., Waldemar and Aleksandra Kuchta
Hannah Lacina, Mankato, Minn., Matthew Lacina and Tres Lacina
Kaitlin Larson, Bloomington, Minn., Jammie Larson
Patrick Laughlin, Naperville, Ill., Dan and Dina Laughlin
Emma Lay, Houston, Texas, Newman and Sabrina Lay
Ahnika Lexvold, South Haven, Minn., Scott and Roberta Lexvold
Solomon Liebl, Fertile, Minn., Peter and Marcia Liebl
SamMichael Long, Andover, Minn., Mike and Kimberlie Long
Michelle Mangahas, Winona, Minn., Ednalyn Nillo
Michael Maniak, Wisconsin Dells, Wis., Mary Maniak
Michael Marlin, Sauk Rapids, Minn., Michael and Michelle Marlin
William Matthews, Geneva, Ill., Kevin and Janet Matthews
Abbie McCarthy, Portland, Ore., Timothy and Cheryl McCarthy
Cole McElwain, Sauk Centre, Minn., John and Katie Loxtercamp
Conor McGillivary, Minneapolis, Minn., Elizabeth McGillivary
Brennan McGuire, Minneapolis, Minn., George and Jenny McGuire
Kyle Meeh, Fenton, Mo., Cathy Meeh
Kristjan Meitz, Waukesha, Wis., Curt and Kristel Meitz
Rachael Menke, Winona, Minn., Tim Menke
McKenna Messling, Holmen, Wis., Jill Collum and Greg Messling
Emma Mockler, Dubuque, Iowa, John and Caroline Mockler
Mitchel Modic, Rhinelander, Wis., Marko and Tammy Modic
Robert Mondo, Roselle, Ill., Robert and Lisa Mondo
Molly Moran, Evergreen Park, Ill., Julia Moran
Victoria Mota, Melrose Park, Ill., Arturo and Nora Mota
Anna Muccio, Saint Paul, Minn., Dan and Jane Muccio
Brando Nava-Garcia, Minneapolis, Minn., Jose Dominguez
Barbara Ogiba
Joel O’Shea, Valparaiso, Ind.
Matthew Pearson, Byron, Minn., Jeffrey and Sherry Pearson
Gabriella Pederson, Chaska, Minn., Jeff and Sandy Pederson
James Perreault, Batavia, Ill., James and Margaret Perreault
Samantha Peterson, Osceola, Wis., Dale and Karen Peterson
Matthew Piechowski, Hutchinson, Minn., Dennis and Colleen Piechowski
Mitchell Plonka, Plainfield, Ill., Ronald and Lia Plonka
Steven Reamer, Saint Paul, Minn., John and Jill Reamer
Ana Reding, Stillwater, Minn., Kathleen Reding
Michele Remer, Grand Forks, N.D., James and Joann Remer
Dylan Robertson, Alpharetta, Ga., Scott Robertson
Lauren Rogers, Barrington, Ill., Scott and Jacquie Rogers
Rachel Rougas, San Diego, Calif., Stephen and Janice Rougas
Natalie Ruegsegger, Billings, Mont., Bill and Linda Ruegsegger
Celeste Russell, Las Vegas, Nev., Diane Russell
Natalie Ryan, Vill of Lakewood, Ill., Timothy and Mary Ryan
Juan Sanchez, Bogotá, Colombia, Diana Sanchez
Blair Sanders, Lee’s Summit, Mo., Brent Sanders
Andrew Sandoz, Menasha, Wis., Patricia Sandoz
Jacob Sandstrom, Altoona, Wis., Timm and Staci Sandstrom
Alex Schmid, Dubuque, Iowa, John Schmid
Daniel Schmidt, Woodridge, Ill., Alan and Barbara Schmidt
Marcella Schumacher, Minneapolis, Minn., John and Elizabeth Schumacher
Brendan Scott, Rochester, Minn., William and Katie Scott
Nicholas Sedlacek, Chicago, Ill., Kurt and Judy Sedlacek
Catherine Seifert, Stillwater, Minn., Jeff and Carrie Seifert
Grace Sharp-Madson, St. Anthony, Minn., Jim and Anne Sharp-Madson
Tangang Ashley Shikei, Lillington, N.C., Andrew and Seraphine Tangang
Gabrielle Shupe, Preston, Minn., James and Heather Shupe
Brooklyn Singleton, New Braunfels, Texas, Laura Casey-Singleton
Alyssa Sloneker, Blue Earth, Minn., Doug and Kelly Sloneker
Robert Sobczak, Cloquet, Minn., Nancy Sobczak
John Stang, Mendota Heights, Minn., Brian and Megan Stang
Collin Stehr, Cottage Grove, Minn., Mark and Kathleen Stehr
Emilie Steingraeber, La Crosse, Wis., Mark and Carolyn Steingraeber
Veronica Stevens, Delano, Minn., William and Sabrina Stevens
Tyler Stilp, Lindstrom, Minn., Cory and Laura Stilp
Signey Stoesz, Mountain Lake, Minn., Michael Stoesz
Emily Strezishar, East Grand Forks, Minn., Thomas and Michelle Strezishar
Paige Swanson, Anoka, Minn., David and Terri Swanson
Amelia Sweet, River Falls, Wis., Lynnette Sweet
Jonathan Swoik, Pekin, Ill., Terry Swoik and Timothy and Susan Wiley
Yi Tao, Wujiang, Suzhou, China, Fengbiao and Jianfang Tao
Adam Tapper, Minneapolis, Minn., Jay and Holly Tapper
Alyssa Thiel, Berlin, Wis., Brian and Debra Thiel
Benjamin Thompson, Winona, Minn., Paul and Jane Thompson
Jason Timm, Brillion, Wis., Patrick and Mary Timm
Jacob Tschida, Pine River, Minn., Joseph and Tracy Tschida
Yohanan Urbina, Milwaukee, Wis., Hector Urbina and Caroline Espinoza Urbina
Trevor Wagner, Minneapolis, Minn., David and Nancy Wagner
Abigail Williams, Orlando, Fla., Martin and Katherine Williams
Haley Williams, Littleton, Colo., William and Brenda Williams
Michelle Wing, Verona, Wis., Timothy and Kate Wing
Abigayle Wishy, Owatonna, Minn., Todd and Kris Wishy
Sydney Woerly, Lockport, Ill., Denise Woerly
Ryan Wolfe, Wabasha, Minn., John and Sandy Wolfe
Sarah Zastrow, Mendota Heights, Minn., Paul Zastrow
Tianbo Zhang, Beijing, China
Marissa Ziebell, Grand Meadow, Minn., Dori Ziebell
Fall 2020 dining transformation
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will introduce an all new dining program on the Winona Campus beginning fall 2020 with expected completion of all projects in summer 2021. Chartwells will offer new meal plans for residential and commuter students, creating greater value and satisfaction through available choices. Saint Mary’s retail dining program will be revitalized in summer 2020 to expand options and improve the overall quality of dining offerings on campus.
View program updates and new meal plan options
To select your meal plan, complete the appropriate form by 4 p.m. Friday, July 31:
Not sure which plan is right for you? Take our meal plan assistant survey to find out.
An information session will be held via Zoom on Wednesday, July 15, at 6 p.m. CT.
Join the Zoom meeting
Meeting ID: 949 0889 5640
Password: 586668
Questions? Contact Student Life at studentlife@smumn.edu.
Grading option for summer 2020
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Saint Mary’s is delivering all summer 2020 coursework remotely. The pass/no credit option made available for the spring 2020 semester is being extended for the summer 2020 semester for all schools and all programs.
Students may exercise this option on a course-by-course basis after informing individual faculty members; however, the decision to move to pass/no credit should not be made lightly and only after consultation with the adviser.
Often standard letter grades are required for those pursuing licensure, certification, or admission to graduate and professional programs. Standard letter grades are often also required by employers who reimburse the cost of tuition.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more information about the pass/no credit option, visit the FAQ page.
Lessons from the coronavirus for Catholic higher education
Dr. Michael Hahn
The Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities (ACCU) recently published a piece by Michael Hahn, Ph.D., assistant professor and the Character and Virtue Education program director.
The piece, “Lessons from the Coronavirus for Catholic Higher Education,” highlights learnings from the experience of reacting quickly to restrictions imposed to help contain the coronavirus, including the:
- Value of residential learning
- Necessity of online learning
- Significance of community
- Vulnerability of all institutions
- Centrality of mission
Remote teaching survey results, gift card drawing
This spring, the Academic Continuity Planning Group initiated a survey of faculty and students seeking feedback on the remote teaching measures taken by the university to ensure the safety of the Saint Mary’s community during the spring COVID-19 response.
The purpose of the survey was to guide actions moving forward. The Office of Assessment administered the survey in late May receiving input from 188 faculty and 597 students. Analyzing the survey provided insights on the teaching and learning experiences of our students and faculty across campuses which will inform continued improvement.
Overall, students and faculty took many positives away from the remote teaching experience, but those from classes originally intended to be face-to-face understandably missed seeing their peers in person, asked for more preparation and support on technology tools, and worried about diminished learning.
As a result of the survey findings, Saint Mary’s is already taking the following steps:
- Planning a self-paced course for students to better orient them to courses designed to be online, remote teaching courses, and tools for learning remotely.
- Adding additional training for faculty in online teaching (to complement the experience gained in remote teaching) and modular course design to prepare for any future needs to move classes online.
- Investing more in educational technology staff and support, with two positions already posted to support faculty teaching online, teaching with educational technology tools, and the transition to the new learning management system.
Finally, as an incentive to fill out the survey, we offered the chance to win one of four $25 gift cards to Target. Congratulations to the following faculty and student winners who recently received notification:
Faculty:
- Colleen Weis, course-contracted assistant professor in the education program
- Bill Knutson, MED facilitator
- Lindsay O’Shea, course-contracted voice instructor
- Benjamin Pauli, Ph.D., assistant professor of biology
Students:
- Melissa Johnsen, SGPP
- Amy Anderson, SGPP
- Caroline Woodle, College
- Melissa Varner, College
Purchase Metro Transit passes from Student Central
Metro Transit bus passes are available to purchase from Student Central for the summer semester. To purchase, send a check for $85 to the address below with “bus pass” in the memo line. Bus passes will be mailed to you once payment is received.
Mail checks to:
Student Central Services
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
2500 Park Ave.
Minneapolis, MN 55404-4403
Questions? Contact studentcentral@smumn.edu.
A critical time: Ed.D. student examines early childhood social skills for doctoral dissertation
Ah, the life of a 4-year-old: Always playing, learning, and experimenting as they prepare for kindergarten.
But in the childcare setting, do social skills rate differently between 4-year-olds enrolled in play-based preschools when compared to those in academic-based preschools where direct instruction is the top priority?
Lindsay Barnhart, a student in the Doctorate of Education in Leadership program at Saint Mary’s, is looking to gain insight into this question by surveying a set of preschool teachers in eastern Wisconsin as part of her doctoral dissertation.
“That timeframe in a children’s life is key in all areas of development. It is the true foundation, so wanting to support children in that key foundational timeframe just became a passion of mine,” said Barnhart, who works as the program director and senior lecturer of the B.S. in Early Childhood Education at the University of Wisconsin-Stout.
Lindsay Barnhart explains her research during the 16th annual Doctoral Research Symposium on March 7.
Through her research, Barnhart hopes to compare and contrast her findings with those reached by a number of researchers who found that any head start provided by an academic-focused curriculum can wane by the third grade, and even cause other issues to arise.
Barnhart presented her planned research during the poster session at the 16th annual Doctoral Research Symposium on March 7 at the Saint Mary’s University Center on the Twin Cities Campus.
“It is natural for parents of preschoolers to want to give their children a leg up on learning. Enrolling their preschooler in an early childhood education program that is academic-based opposed to play-based is intuitively desired by many parents. But is it the right leg up?” asked Sue Hines, Ed.D., associate professor of the Ed.D. in Leadership program, who is serving as Barnhart’s adviser. “Lindsay’s study is designed to objectively measure the difference in social skill development in both preschool settings.”
Barnhart was planning to begin surveying teachers this spring but had to postpone due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
When she is able to start the survey, she is hoping to interview teachers who instruct 4-year-olds (known as “4K” and “pre-K” in some circles) from at least three schools that are play-based and three that are academic-based, about eight weeks into the school year, so that the teacher has had an adequate amount of time learning the behaviors of each child. She plans on involving both private preschools and those that are run by the public school system.
The teachers will fill out Likert scale questionnaires that will inquire about students’ behavior based on eight aspects: five related to social skills (self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making) and three connected to academics (motivation to learn, reading skills, and mathematics skills).
A flexible path
Barnhart knew she wanted to be a teacher since the third grade, largely inspired by her third grade teacher. She initially thought her calling was in kindergarten before realizing how high the saturation of job applicants was to teach that age range. After finishing her undergraduate degree in 2005 at University of Wisconsin-Stout, she taught at the university’s child care center for a year before becoming a lead teacher at Kinderberry Hill, a chain of private child development centers in the Twin Cities metro area, in Woodbury, Minn.
In 2008, fate called her back to the University of Wisconsin-Stout campus where she became the lead teacher at the university’s early childhood center and has remained in various capacities.
Barnhart, who lives in Menominee, Wis., started the Ed.D. program in 2012. She hopes to finish her degree by the end of this year. She is grateful, though, at how flexible the program has been to accommodate her life.
“I started when my 7-year-old son was just 7 weeks old,” Barnhart said. “I appreciated the format of being able to be in class if I wanted to or take a class in an online format.”
She does not recommend other potential doctoral students in a similar situation in life to take eight years to finish the program, but …
“Just know that it’s doable, even though you might have things in life that come up and slow you down.”
Related stories:
Ed.D. graduate, former police officer examines use-of-force training throughout Minnesota
Homegrown ideas: DBA student duo hopes to answer key ag-related questions through doctoral research
Responding to Racism
The Lasallian Educational Community stands united in denouncing racism, calls for justice and action, and commits to bringing forth real change.
Saint John Baptist de La Salle, patron saint of all teachers, founded the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Christian Brothers) in 17th century France in response to systemic injustice. Saint La Salle and the first Brothers opened schools to provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor and socially marginalized. Today, Lasallian ministries continue to follow his vision by welcoming young people into inclusive communities centered on Catholic tradition, faith formation, personal relationships, academic excellence, respect and dignity, selfless service and social justice.
Brother Superior General Robert Schieler, FSC, released this message to Brothers and Lasallian Partners in RELAN on June 4, encouraging Lasallians to “persevere in our educational mission to bring about systemic change for a more just and peaceful world for everyone.” Read the full message >
Sit to Breathe Sit In. Courtesy Peg Hodapp
Among the efforts already in process, the District of Eastern North America (DENA) has established a Racial Justice Coalition to guide the District in thought and action and provided a page of resources, a number of colleges and universities have introduced plans for conversation, healing and action, and students and recent graduates of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis helped organize a “Sit to Breathe Sit In” at the Minnesota State Capitol. Lasallian Volunteers released a letter, committing themselves to support the fight for justice. Lasallian education is represented in the National Catholic Educational Association’s special August 2020 issue of Momentum addressing racism in this ad.
This page includes statements and actions from around the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). Brother Timothy Coldwell, FSC, General Councilor for RELAN, encourages Lasallians to review the information on this page, writing, “I hope you will be able to spend some time reading the many ‘cries from the heart’ that have emerged in these past days and allow them to join the emotions and passions of your own heart. The societies of our Region include many people and perspectives and yet in that diversity our Lasallian voice offers a unity; it is a prophetic voice that resides in the heart and memory of our Lasallian charism. And this voice echoes Isaiah’s in announcing that ‘Justice will bring about peace.’
“Every ounce of our conviction and energy is dedicated to building the Reign of God through our educational and evangelizing mission. All of our educational work is centered on the youth and young adults who hunger for justice and peace, and everything we do in our ministry has as its purpose the promotion of the dignity of the young person, who we are convinced is the loving face of Jesus abiding in our hearts. The prophetic voices in this groundswell call us to concrete action to stand against racism and stand with those whose life and dignity is assaulted. Let us unite in solidarity and love, passion and prayer, justice and action to build the Reign of God for God’s people, especially the young and poor.”
Click here to see original article.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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