Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Updates from Residence Life
Hall checks and cleaning
For health and safety reasons, Saint Mary’s staff will be entering residents’ rooms/apartments beginning Wednesday, April 8, to discard any remaining trash and food items and clean refrigerators.
All dorm-sized refrigerators will be emptied, unplugged, and defrosted.
University full-size refrigerators in apartments will be emptied of all perishable items. Items in the freezer of full-size fridges will remain.
If you have questions, please email studentlife@smumn.edu.
Retrieving your belongings
We know you are eager to retrieve your belongings from campus. We are working on a plan that will facilitate this process, while also providing the necessary flexibility for those from out-of-state who need time to plan. Minnesota currently has a “stay-at-home” order in place through at least Friday, April 10. Until this is lifted, we are unable to provide a timeline for retrieving belongings but will continue to communicate about the status of the situation as it evolves.
If you took all of your personal belongs home already and still have your residence hall room key, please:
- Contact Student Life at studentlife@smumn.edu to let us know.
- Mail your room key back by Monday, April 20.
Include your name, hall, and room number.
Mail key to:
Dr. Marisa Quinn, Assistant Vice President for Student Life
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
700 Terrace Heights, #50
Winona, MN 55987
Student Senate: Executive Board election deadline extended
Student Senate is continuing to collect ballots for students who are interested in being part of the Executive Board. For more information and to receive the official ballot, please reach out to Stephany Beck, vice president of Media and Communications, at sxbeck16@smumn.edu.
All Executive Board ballots must be submitted to Beck by Monday, April 13. Executive Board elections will be held on Wednesday, April 15.
Find position descriptions and time commitment specifications:
- Executive Board position roles and responsibilities
Celebration of Scholarship update
The university made the decision to suspend all on-campus events from late March until the end of May to protect the health and welfare of students, university personnel, and our communities. This has created challenges and disappointments for all of us.
One very important event impacted is Celebration of Scholarship. This event is a high point in our academic year where we are able to showcase the excellent work of our students. However, given our present circumstances, this event is not possible to coordinate. As a result, instead of classes being reassigned to participate in Celebration of Scholarship events, Friday classes will proceed as regularly scheduled on April 24. You may be invited to participate in smaller departmental presentations of scholarship. Please feel free to attend if you are able, but there will be no Collegewide class time assigned for these events.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to any of the deans, your adviser, or any of the faculty.
Workshop: Job search strategies during a pandemic
Join our upcoming workshop: Job Search Strategies During a Pandemic (And Economic Downturn) on Wednesday, April 8, at noon (CST).
Even though everything seems upside down right now, there are still strategies for helping you land the ”right fit” job or internship during the pandemic (and likely economic downturn). Participants in the webinar will identify:
- The smartest way to look for a job now (learn the 75/25 rule and what a job club is, for example)
- How to present your best self virtually (LinkedIn and other online strategies)
- How to land the right fit opportunity for you
Join Zoom Meeting
ID: 479355973
Enter 5 minutes prior to the start time
Last reminder to complete Wellness Center survey and enter $100 drawing
Saint Mary’s University is surveying students about their health behaviors, risks, attitudes, and access to resources.
Your participation will help Saint Mary’s prioritize health and wellness offerings to better meet your health needs.
An email from the National College Health Assessment (ncha-web@acha.org) was sent via your email and contained a link to begin the confidential survey — due Wednesday, April 8.
Participants will be eligible to win one of three $100 Visa gift cards.
Questions? Email wellnesscenter@smumn.edu.
The Sleep Challenge starts Friday
We know it can be difficult to stick to a routine these days, especially when it comes to sleep. That’s why R.I.S.E. and the Student Wellness Club have created the Sleep Challenge.
Just download the free app “Sleep Cycle” to track the quantity and quality of your sleep for two weeks and fill out a short, daily Google form with your sleep results. You might just win a prize! Keep an eye out for more information and a link to the challenge in Thursday’s newsletter.
Have a question? Reach out to Molly Cary at mgcary17@smunmn.edu.
Check out @studentwellnessclub.smumn on Instagram.
Resilience in the new normal
Michelle Wieser, Ph.D.
We are now a few weeks into our current reality: a new way of learning, thinking, and working in ways nobody was truly prepared for. This reality has caused some of you to “learn how to learn” in new ways, pulling you from your routine of interacting in person with your peers and instructors into a new virtual world of only online interaction.
Everyone, including those who have been learning online all along, is now learning to balance remote work, academic work, and the seemingly endless work of entertaining children while also homeschooling. No matter who you are, you have been faced with challenges. We all have.
As dean of the School of Business and Technology at Saint Mary’s, I have heard amazing stories of students and faculty coming together to not just get through this challenging time, but to thrive as we move forward. This is what makes Saint Mary’s so special. We all need this inspiration from time to time to keep us going and to remind us that this, too, shall pass.
To that end, I thought I’d share a few things that have helped me in these past few weeks, particularly around focusing on goals and building the resilience needed to accomplish them, no matter the obstacles I face.
I had the opportunity to visit the Henry Ford Museum in Michigan last summer. As you know, Ford was a master of finding innovative ways to solve problems. On the topic of goal-setting, Ford believed that “obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal.” Right now, our obstacles can indeed seem “frightful.” Despite the uncertainty and fear, it is important that we keep our eyes on our goals — professional goals, personal goals, and of course, academic goals.
In times like this, reaching for our goals requires resilience, grit, perseverance … choose your favorite. They all have similar meanings. I recently read the book “Resilient” by Rick Hanson. Among the many valuable lessons in this book, Hanson reminds us to:
“Be on your own side and have compassion for yourself.”
Remember this when the days are full of challenges we never imagined before. We are all doing the best we can, and sometimes a little grace with ourselves goes a long way.
And know this … we are here for you — as administrators, professors, staff, and advisers. We may be scattered to our respective homes, but our commitment to you remains the same. We are here to support you as you stay focused on your goals. We are all stronger together, and we have the resilience to keep moving forward.
You’re invited: Art contest to raise awareness for sexual assault prevention
Join the Saint Mary’s community in an art contest raising awareness for sexual assault and its prevention on our campuses. All are welcome to submit!
Theme
April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). The goal of SAAM is for individuals and organizations to raise public awareness about sexual harassment, assault, and abuse and educate communities on how to prevent it. This year, SAAM is celebrating its 19th anniversary with the theme “I Ask.” All submissions must address sexual assault (awareness and/or prevention) and should tie into this year’s SAAM theme: “I Ask.”
You may use any medium you choose: Poem, short story, essay, painting, drawing, sculpture, song, dance, skit, etc. Or download a coloring sheet and send it in.
All submissions are due by Friday, April 17, at 4 p.m. (CST).
Judging criteria
- Does the submitted artwork fit the theme of the competition?
- Is there a creative interpretation of the subject/theme?
- Is the originality of the work interesting?
- Is there overall quality and command of the medium being used?
- Does the work impact the viewer in relationship to the theme?
- Does the work stand on its own as a complete and outstanding creative image?
The composition and design of the work are also judging criteria. Pieces will be judged by selected faculty and staff.
Work must be original and appropriate
No artwork needs to be shipped as this will be an online exhibit. You must be the creator of the art and image file you submit to the competition. Your art must be your own original concept and not a copy of anyone else’s copyrighted material. If your image infringes upon another’s copyright, it will be disqualified. Upon submission of your work to this competition, you are solely responsible for any infringement on copyrighted materials.
We reserve the right to refuse any submissions that are potentially offensive, insensitive, or inappropriate in nature and that are inconsistent with our institutional values.
Entry process
- Sign up and submit via Google form. Please be sure your entry does not exceed 1 GB in file size. If it does, contact Jodi Payne at jpayne@smumn.edu to troubleshoot. By initialing at the end of the form, you agree to submit an original piece of work, to allow Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota to post/display the work electronically, and to abide by the contest’s rules.
- In the upload form, fill out the information about the artwork you are submitting and select your image/file, then click the “Upload” button. All submissions are due by Friday, April 17, at 4 p.m. (CST). If you would like to submit multiple submissions, you must submit every piece through the form. No more than three submissions per person will be accepted.
- Agree to preserve/keep pieces for the potential use/display by Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
Why should you participate
During this time of uncertainty and distance, we hope to bring students together through expression and solidarity. While we may not be able to honor SAAM together on campus, we aim to still show our support for the Saint Mary’s community, as well as survivors everywhere. No piece of art is too minuscule, and we plan to send out a virtual exhibit with the judged artwork showcased.
Winners and art showcase
Artwork will be displayed at the end of the month in a CommUNITY newsletter, and winners will be invited to share their pieces via Zoom. Our hope is that the winner’s art will be displayed on campus next year. Happy art making!
Homegrown ideas: DBA student duo hopes to answer key ag-related questions through doctoral research
One has dairy farming roots. One developed an appreciation for farming as a result of a 30-year (and counting) career in the agricultural industry.
Now, both Renee Thompson ’03, M’07, and Jenifer Zinsmaster ’16, M’17, are hoping their passion for their doctoral dissertation research will help create reference materials for farm families long after they complete their Doctor of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota.
So, it was only fitting that they set up their posters next to one another at the 16th annual Doctoral Research Symposium on March 7 at the Saint Mary’s University Center on the Twin Cities Campus.
Tough conversations, decisions
For 119 years, Thompson’s family has owned a dairy farm of approximately 300 acres in central Wisconsin near Stanley (between Wausau and Chippewa Falls), after her great grandfather arrived from Norway and settled on the land. Although Thompson lives south of the Twin Cities area, her parents continue to live and farm on the homestead. The family has had many conversations about succession planning for the family farm.
A photo of Renee Thompson’s family barn and house in Wisconsin from 1913. The farm was built in 1891 by her great grandparents, Peder and Christina Thompson. Below: A photo from the 25th wedding anniversary of Renee Thompson’s great grandparents taken in 1914 at the front of the house.
Those talks have formed her doctoral dissertation, in which she will compare qualitative and quantitative data generated by interviews of fellow century family farms in Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. The end goal is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of family farm succession planning by addressing complex managerial and operational issues, such as fear of disappointing the older generation, sibling rivalry, daughter exclusion, and discounting family traditions.
“What I’ve already found in my research is the important role that communication and family dynamics play in these discussions,” said Thompson, who has worked as a senior accounting analyst for Best Buy since 2013.
Matthew Nowakowski, Ed.D., DBA program director and Thompson’s dissertation chair, said this was one of the most important topics in Midwest agriculture right now because it can amount to multimillion-dollar decisions.
“She’s taking a very analytical look at a very human and emotional challenge,” Dr. Nowakowski said. “Renee loves Wisconsin and deeply understands farming. She is at a point in her career where she wants to give back. She is applying her significant business savvy to help farm families think through this often difficult and painful process, and that is in alignment with our Lasallian mission. This is truly about helping family farms.”
Thompson began her journey with Saint Mary’s in 2001 through the bachelor’s completion program to obtain her business degree. After finishing in 2003, she went on to earn her MBA from Saint Mary’s in 2007 before serving on the Alumni Board from 2010-2016. She is currently a course-contracted assistant professor in the M.S. in Accountancy program at Saint Mary’s. Upon completing her DBA later this year, Thompson hopes to create literature to share with family farms, give traveling guest lectures on the topic, and find other avenues of support.
“If I can give information to somebody else that’s going to help them in the future, why not?” Thompson said. “You help others move forward.”
‘So many facets’
Zinsmaster grew up in Minneapolis but quickly found herself drawn to the agricultural industry after accepting a job at Harvest States Cooperatives, located near the Minnesota State Fairgrounds in St. Paul. That organization would eventually become what is now known as CHS Inc. She celebrated 30 years of service there in February.
“I’ve been very privileged to learn about agriculture for 30 years and help farmer-owners make the best decisions they can,” said Zinsmaster, who has worked in her current role as an accounting and risk analyst in trade commodities since 2017.
Jenifer Zinsmaster speaks with someone about her research at the 16th annual Doctoral Research Symposium on March 7.
When determining the best topic for her dissertation, she drew upon her many years of agricultural accounting and collaboration with traders. One crop in particular stood out: corn.
“There’s so many facets of corn utilization,” Zinsmaster said. “It’s one of the staple crops because it’s used for feed, energy, other types of food processing, and is the largest commodity of a natural resource that we have at our disposal. It has so many different uses and impacts worldwide.”
This summer, Zinsmaster hopes to interview representatives of 15 to 20 small farms and 15 to 20 large farms to collect qualitative data on what influences when farmers can get the best price for their corn. She will then look at quantitative, statistical analysis centered around market volatility.
She is also analyzing ways farmers can protect themselves in downturn markets, such as agriculture industry partnerships, financial institutions, hedging firms, and other risk mitigation tools.
“Jennifer is very analytical,” said Dr. Nowakowski, who is also serving as her dissertation chair. “What she’s trying to do is apply very sophisticated mathematical and accounting thinking to a real-world agricultural problem, which is, how do I price my commodities? Is it art? Or is there science behind it?”
“If I could help even a couple of farmers make better business decisions to improve and increase their financial flexibility… I would be extremely happy.”
–Jenifer Zinsmaster
Like Thompson, Zinsmaster is currently working on her third degree from Saint Mary’s after enrolling in the bachelor’s degree completion program for business administration and accounting in 2014. She later earned a master’s degree in accounting in 2017 before deciding to pursue her DBA that same year.
Upon completing her D.B.A., she envisions giving motivational speeches on the topic at various seminars and conferences, such as the Women’s Agricultural Leadership Conference, of which she is currently involved. She, too, would like to teach about the subject in a more academic setting and create additional information to give to farmers and others in the agricultural industry.
“If I could help even a couple of farmers make better business decisions to improve and increase their financial flexibility, and give back to the farming and agricultural community, I would be extremely happy,” Zinsmaster said.
Featured image: Renee Thompson ’03, M’07, and Jenifer Zinsmaster ’16, M’17, stand next to their posters at the 16th annual Doctoral Research Symposium on March 7 on the Twin Cities Campus.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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