Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
MCA to hold Summer Dance Intensive Showcase
WINONA, Minn. — Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) invites the community to the 17th annual Summer Dance Intensive Showcase on Saturday, July 27, at 7 p.m. in the Page Theatre on the Saint Mary’s University Winona Campus. The showcase, which is free and open to the public, will feature a variety of dance forms, including ballet, pointe, jazz, tap, hip hop, musical theatre dance, and modern dance.
This year, the performance will feature 28 intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12 to 16 from throughout Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. Each dancer was selected to attend the three-week dance intensive through auditions that were held in Minnesota and Wisconsin earlier this year. While in Winona, dancers spend 7-8 hours a day dancing or participating in dance-related classes. Dancers take ballet and pointe classes in addition to other genres, and also have the opportunity to take master classes in Hula, Irish, and Haitian dance; learn about costume design; and attend a Great River Shakespeare Festival performance.
The showcase will feature works choreographed and set by MCA instructors and visiting guest artists Christal Wagner of Milwaukee; Jessica Dienger of La Crosse, Wis.; Allan Kinzie of Dallas; Sharon Mansur of Winona; and Tammy Schmidt of La Crosse.
About MCA
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA), an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, is a nonprofit community arts school offering programming in dance, music, visual art, and theater. Classes, lessons, workshops, and camps are offered for students of all ages from birth through older adults at the Valéncia Arts Center. For more information about MCA or Galleria Valéncia, visit mca.smumn.edu, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
Photo caption: From left, Kaitlyn Shunemann, Carmelle Meyer, and Natalia Klinkski practice ballet during the Summer Dance Intensive.
Summer Jazz Jams continue
WINONA, Minn. — Rainy weather didn’t stop last month’s Jazz Jam from bringing a great crowd of performers and audience members together. But H3O Jazz Trio is hoping for better weather at their next Jazz Jam event on Sunday, July 21, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. so they can move to Island City Brewing Company’s beer garden just outside the taproom. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, the Jazz Jam will be in its usual location inside the taproom.
Now in its second year, the Island City Jazz Jam is an open mic night for jazz. Whether you play an instrument or sing, the Jazz Jam is a chance for anyone to sit in with a professional rhythm section. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to perform some of their favorite jazz standards.
Interested jammers can choose from a wide selection of jazz tunes. Players can pick music from Hal Leonard’s Real Books, bring their own, or ask the trio if they can play their favorite. Simply sign up on the clipboard and get ready to jam.
Island City Jazz Jam happens on the third Sunday of each month. Visit H3OJazz.com for an updated schedule. The event is free and open to all ages. And if you’re not quite ready to sit in, come and enjoy a great evening of jazz.
Contact Emily Johnson at taproom@islandcitybrew.com for more information.
About the H3O Jazz Trio
The father and son jazz trio H3O began performing together when bassist Max Heukeshoven was only 14 years old. Along with older brother Hans on drums and vibes and dad Eric on the piano, the group was asked to play for a private pool party and haven’t stopped since!
A. Eric Heukeshoven is an assistant professor of music and director of Jazz Studies at Saint Mary’s University. Hans Heukeshoven is a 2014 graduate of Saint Mary’s with degrees in music performance and computer science and works as a software engineer. Max Heukeshoven is a 2019 graduate of Saint Mary’s with a degree in music industry and plans to attend law school.
H3O Jazz Trio performs a wide variety of jazz styles including original music. They have worked as the rhythm section for numerous area professionals including Minnesota Music Hall of Fame’s Les Fields and Dr. John Paulson. Recent appearances include Midwest Music Fest, Great River Shakespeare Festival, HBC25’s Artwork Winona, Free Family Concert Series, Winona County Historical Society, Minnesota Marine Art Museum, Winghaven Pizza Farm, Salem Glen Winery, Grace Presbyterian Church, Faith Lutheran Church, and numerous other venues. The trio hosts the monthly Jazz Jam at Island City Brewing Company in Winona on the third Sunday of every month from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
More information about the H3O Jazz Trio can be found at H3OJazz.com.
Photo caption: Great River Shakespeare Festival’s Rachel Lann sings “Skylark.”
Saint Mary’s invites businesses to October career fair
WINONA, Minn. — Is your company looking for great interns and employees? You’re invited to the sixth annual Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Career Fair Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Toner Student Center of Saint Mary’s.
Saint Mary’s students gain the advanced knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities necessary to be lifelong learners, successful workers, good neighbors, and ethical citizens — in other words, ideal candidates for employment at your company or enrollment at your school.
Come introduce your organization to these outstanding students and explore internship, job, and continuing education opportunities with them. Registration fees are $75 on or before July 31 or $95 beginning Aug. 1 and includes up to two lunches. Register online at smumn.edu/careerfairregistration.
For more information, contact Michael J. Hagarty at 507-457-6695 or mhagarty@smumn.edu.
Alumni and friends raise $500,000 to name auditorium after beloved professor
WINONA, Minn. — In recognition of a renowned scientist, beloved professor, gifted alumnus, and treasured friend, Saint Mary’s University dedicated the Dr. Phil A. Cochran ’77 Auditorium July 12 in its Science and Learning Center.
The impact of Dr. Cochran’s sudden death in 2015 left a tremendous void at Saint Mary’s, particularly in its Biology Department where he had taught for 15 years.
Dr. Cochran taught students to revere nature, and he did it with a quick wit and more than a few well-timed puns. He inspired many students throughout his career and frequently involved them in his extensive field research.
His talent and his reputation extended far beyond Saint Mary’s, as he published hundreds of articles on countless topics, presenting his findings throughout the United States and Canada. He also frequently invited renowned speakers to Saint Mary’s, which is why the lecture hall was chosen as the space to best carry his legacy forward to new generations of learners.
The dedication ceremony also recognized the many alumni, friends, and family who generously donated $500,000 for the naming opportunity — to ensure the Cochran legacy would live on at Saint Mary’s.
Photo caption: Father James P. Burns, president of Saint Mary’s, unveils the donor plaque for the Dr. Phil A. Cochran ’77 Auditorium with Phil’s widow, Michelle (Galles) Cochran ’79, M’05, C’07.
Saint Mary’s to host open house for adults interested in returning to school
ROCHESTER, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will host an open house information session Tuesday, July 16, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at its Rochester Campus, 2900 19th Street NW. The event, which is free and open to the public, is particularly for adults who want to learn more about the university’s many bachelor’s completion, graduate, and professional school program options.
All are invited to attend, especially individuals who are interested in pursuing a Saint Mary’s program offered in Rochester or online which includes a variety of bachelor’s completion and advanced-degree options.
Saint Mary’s offers more than 60 programs for adults through its Schools of Business and Technology, Education, and Health and Human Services. For a list of bachelor’s completion, master’s, graduate certificate, specialist, and doctoral degrees offered, visit smumn.edu/academics.
For more information on open houses or programs offered at Saint Mary’s, call 507-285-1410, email mbigelow@smumn.edu, or visit smumn.edu/admission.
Building a future through X Games experiences
Alec Rudh ’21 has this advice: “You’ve got to show them that you want it.”
By continuing to network, Rudh has been able to further his social media work experience with the X Games.
His first taste with action sports events happened this past January, as the sport management and business analytics double major helped manage four social media platforms for the 2019 Winter X Games in Aspen. Back then, Rudh was one of 17 Saint Mary’s business students who were in the student work program — led by Saint Mary’s faculty member Assistant Professor Zakary Mayo.
As the launch of the inaugural Summer X Games China neared this summer, Rudh reached out to his former social media colleagues and asked if they needed help. They responded by giving him a to-do task, a deadline, and a paycheck.
In preparation for the event, Rudh worked remotely with the social media team. “For every single athlete in X Games China, I organized all their social media channels on a document spreadsheet in the same format as Aspen,” he said. “We worked on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts for each athlete. We had to sort and filter social media accounts to determine which were real and research what the athletes’ social media handles were and if they had changed from previous events.”
Rudh said he was given a completion date of May 28, but he purposefully organized the data ahead of schedule to impress them.
From July 31 to Aug. 4, Saint Mary’s will again send a team of student workers to X Games Minneapolis. Rudh will be with them, but he will be working an extra nine days.
“I’m going to the US Bank Stadium a week earlier than the rest of the X Games Student Work Program participants and staying after to work with the logistics team and help organize shipments and be a runner for them,” he said.
Although Rudh had originally never considered a career with X Games, he said working for ESPN had always been a dream of his. “All the people I’m working with are employed by ESPN,” he said. “And Zak Mayo reminded me that I can tell people I’m interviewing with that I’ve worked for X Games which is owned by ESPN. It’s giving me some chills that I still have two more years of college and there are more opportunities.
“I know X Games wants Saint Mary’s students to go to Shanghai, China next year, particularly some Chinese-speaking students,” he added. “I don’t speak Chinese but it’s my goal to try to pick up a bit. It might be a stretch, but I’m going to make it my free-time goal. They’ve also added an event in Calgary, Canada. I would love to go to one or both to work with the social media teams if there are openings.
Rudh said he’s learned so much being a part of these experiences, and he’s excited to be doing analytics for the next two years as part of an internship with Saint Mary’s Sports Information director. “I want to stick with analytics side but social media is also an option,” he said. “Next summer, I’m going to try to intern with a major league sports team. I hope to have had four internships by the time next summer rolls around.”
Highlighting student achievements and important events around campus
Summer at the Winona Campus is filled with different activities and energy, as we host a variety of camps and workshops, community events, and our alumni reunion weekend. This is also a time to freshen up the campus and facilities before we welcome students back in the fall. Still, I reflect on the spring semester and am reminded why we’re really here: to prepare graduates who have the knowledge, skills, and critical-thinking abilities necessary to be lifelong learners, successful workers, good neighbors, and virtuous, ethical citizens. Please enjoy this newsletter, as it contains updates about our university and provides details of the ways our students are making the most of their college years.
— Father James P. Burns, IVD (Summer 2019)
From classroom to career — the business advantage
For John Heim, Dixon Irwin, and Nathan Boice, success can be found in the acronyms. They received their B.A.s in May, which have prepared them for their future careers with 3M and IBM. All three are double majors in Business Intelligence and Analytics and Finance who are making it their business to help their future employers with their businesses. All three have a passion for understanding and interpreting data.
Irwin, who calls Red Wing, Minn., home, said he most enjoys the analytics component of business. “All the insights that can be discovered using the tools we’ve learned is what has excited me most about my major and business in general,” he said. Boice, who lives in St. Charles, Minn., hopes his knowledge in business intelligence can help companies thrive. Both he and Heim are headed to IBM to work as financial analysts, while Irwin will work as a frontline intern in business analytics for 3M’s Marketing-Sales Operations division. And all three say that having a job lined up long before graduation took a huge weight off their shoulders, allowing them to focus on schoolwork and athletics. Read the full story.
Photo caption: Graduates John Heim, Nathan Boice, and Dixon Irwin.
Regenerative medicine workshop provides eye-opening experience
As Saint Mary’s senior Danielle Franke dreams of a career in obstetrics, she was excited to learn more about how regenerative medicine will benefit her future patients. She, along with nine other college students from throughout the region, were invited to Saint Mary’s University’s second Regenerative Medicine Workshop, held in May on its Winona Campus. The event — funded in part by a $49,202 grant from Advancing Regenerative Medicine — featured innovative learning and hands-on activities and guest speakers, including a bioethicist, a physician assistant program director from Mayo Clinic, and a researcher from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden.
The transitional and groundbreaking discipline of regenerative medicine has tremendous potential to impact the treatment of diseases affecting different organ systems, from tissue growth for burn victims to growing new vital organs, like hearts and kidneys. The potential for self-repair can lead to an improvement in the quality of life — and even sustain life — for many patients.
Photo caption: Danielle Franke, Natalie Luo, and Zachary Bracken prepare samples of a strain of epithelial cells to be analyzed with the flow cytometer.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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