Saint Mary's Newsroom

Seniors Parker Kaeding (Stage Management) and Rebecca West (Acting) and junior Cole McElwain (Acting) each received Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship nominations. The three students were nominated by our Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival (KCACTF) respondent and Judy Myers, Theatre and Dance department chair, for their performances in “She Loves Me.” The students are now eligible to audition for the scholarship at the KCACTF in January 2020.

From the KCACTF website:

The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships provide recognition, honor, and financial assistance to outstanding student performers wishing to pursue further education. The Irene Ryan Foundation awards 16 regional and two national scholarships annually. One nominee and partner from every region will be invited to the national festival, and the nominee will receive a $500 scholarship. The runner-up in each region will receive a $500 scholarship, but will not attend the national festival to audition for the national scholarship. Students and coaches are encouraged to consult their regional chair or regional Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Auditions Coordinator for information on other regional awards. The Irene Ryan Acting Scholarships are, indeed, scholarships; so the Foundation disburses the award through a school designated by the winner, to pay tuition and fees for further education, not necessarily limited to theatre arts. 

During the first week of April, Andy Robertson, director of GeoSpatial Services, attended and presented at the national conference of the Association of State Wetland Managers (ASWM) in Leesburg, Va. Conference attendees included representatives from federal, state, and tribal agencies, as well as non-profit groups. Robertson gave a presentation titled “Integrated Mapping and Functional Assessment of Riverine and Coastal Floodplains and Wetlands: Data Gaps and Challenges.” He was also elected to the ASWM board on the first day of the conference. ASWM is a non-profit professional organization that supports the integrated application of sound science, law, and policy in development and implementation of state and tribal wetland programs.

On behalf of the Office of Admission, thank you to the following student workers, faculty, and staff for helping to make the Celebration of the Class of 2023 event a success. The Admitted Student Day event had 100% attendance.

Student Tour Guides:
Aimee Boggs
Tatiana Jones
Sarah Zastrow
Liam Hahn
Stephany Beck

Presenters:
Charissa Jakusz
Mike Ostman
Colleen Dunne

Departments:
Business: Tom Marpe, Dennis Pedrick, and Andrew Scott
Education: Rebecca Hopkins, Karen Sorvaag, and Elizabeth Donahue
Science: Todd Reinhart, Ben Pauli, and Josh Lallaman
Arts and Humanities: Michael Charron and Jimmy Bickerstaff

Bookstore Staff:
Sue Shadle
Anna Botcher

Chartwells:
Curt Coshenet
Andy Modjeski

Event Services and Camps:
Kathy Pederson
Helen Philipps

Marketing and Communications:
Terri Lieder

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow will close at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday April 10, due to extreme weather conditions; there will be no evening classes in Rochester.

All other Saint Mary’s locations remain open. Students are advised to check their email before driving to class, should anything change for specific class sessions. When traveling, please take necessary safety precautions.

Saint Mary’s University honors outstanding alumni each summer during Reunion Weekend who have made outstanding achievements in their professional careers, who best exemplify the Lasallian charism Saint Mary’s was founded upon, and who have generously contributed time and talent to the goals and objectives of their alma mater. This year, four alumni will be honored during a reception and ceremony Saturday, June 22, on the Winona Campus.

This year’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipients are Jerome “Jerry” Colletti ’69 of Scottsdale, Ariz., and Michael Morsberger M’97 of Orlando, Fla.; the Alumni Appreciation Award recipient is John Domanico ’77 of La Grange, Ill.; and the Lasallian Service Award recipient is Alan Peters ’74 of Minneapolis.

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Jerome “Jerry” Colletti ’69

Jerry Colletti ’69 has made it his business to be successful — and to help others find success in business. After earning his M.B.A., he returned to Saint Mary’s from 1970-72 to teach marketing and management. After subsequent positions with Lake Center Industries in Winona and Manpower, Inc., in Milwaukee, Wis., he joined Sibson & Company in Princeton, N.Y., and rose to the rank of chief operating officer, overseeing the firm’s day-to-day management of eight locations (domestic and international). In 1985, Colletti and two colleagues founded The Alexander Group, a management consulting firm specializing in sales management which served Fortune 500 clients. For his leadership, he was recognized as an Entrepreneur of the Year nominee/finalist by Ernst & Young, LLP. In 1999 after the sale of The Alexander Group, he and his wife Mary Fiss (CST’71) founded Colletti-Fiss, LLC, a management-consulting specializing in sales compensation and performance management. The firm, headquartered in Scottsdale, Ariz., helped top executives design programs that increase sales results and focus on three areas of sales effectiveness. Now retired, he is the also author or co-author of over 200 articles and four books, and he currently serves on Saint Mary’s Business Advisory Council.

Distinguished Alumnus Award: Mike Morsberger M’97

Mike Morsberger M’97 is an accomplished advancement professional with 30 years of experience in nonprofit fundraising and development. Most recently, in June of 2015, he joined the University of Central Florida as the vice president for advancement and CEO of the UCF Foundation, and he has guided their $500 million IGNITE Campaign through two back-to-back record breaking years to an expected completion in June of 2019. Morsberger started his career in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland, with several smaller charitable institutions. In 1995, he joined the major gifts team at Johns Hopkins Medicine, and worked his way up to executive director of oncology development. In 2001, he was involved with securing the largest (then) gift in Johns Hopkins’ history, $150 million. Following his tenure at Johns Hopkins Medicine, he worked in development administration for number of organizations including: the University of Virginia Health System and the UVA Health Foundation; Duke Medicine; and George Washington University in Washington, D.C., where he oversaw the planning and launch of their $1 billion Making History Campaign, and helped to secure the two biggest gifts in university history ($50 million and $30 million). Morsberger also serves on two dozen nonprofit boards and is a frequent guest speaker at national and international conferences.

Alumni Appreciation Award: John Domanico ’77

John Domanico has continued to support his alma mater by sharing his time, talents, and treasures since he graduated in 1977. While a student, he was active with Phi Mu Alpha and assisted with many musical acts including Blue Angel and Gaslight; he also served as the College Center Concert Committee chair. As his professional career as an oral and maxillofacial surgeon grew, he returned to Saint Mary’s to talk to students about potential careers in dentistry. In more recent years, he was a member of the alumni board from 2005-2010 (serving as president in 2008-2010). He has also served as a Saint Mary’s trustee since 2013 and on the First Generation Initiative Advisory Board since 2011. He also co-chaired the Celebration of Excellence event in Chicago in 2015. In recognition of his dedication to Saint Mary’s, he received the Presidential Award for Outstanding Merit in 2010. John and his wife, Joanie CST’79, are familiar faces at university functions, and they have generously supported many initiatives that further Saint Mary’s mission. The idea to start Lasallian Day of Service originated with John during his time at the alumni board. In the past 10 years, due to his vision, hundreds of alumni from throughout the United States have gathered together on this fall day in service to their communities to honor their Lasallian heritage.

Lasallian Service Award: Alan Peters ’74

Alan Peters founded Can Do Canines in 1987 and serves as executive director of the organization. Under his leadership, the organization has grown from an interesting idea to an industry-leading organization with 35 staff and a 25,000 square foot training facility. Can Do Canines has placed more than 650 fully trained assistance dogs into the community, all at no cost to their clients with disabilities. Under his direction, Can Do Canines has become a fully accredited member of Assistance Dogs International and has received awards from the Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, the Minnesota State Council on Disability, the Minnesota Corrections Association, The Arc of Minnesota, and the Commission of Deaf, DeafBlind, and Hard of Hearing Minnesotans. Peters was personally given the Minneapolis Award for his contribution to the community. Three of the Lasallian Core Principles are: Respect for All Persons, Concern for the Poor and Social Justice; and Inclusive Community. In his work Peters also abides by these principles. Can Do Canines is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities by creating mutually beneficial partnerships with specially trained dogs. The work of his organization brings freedom, independence, and peace of mind to people with disabilities — free of charge.

The Science Department is excited to welcome Mayo Clinic physician Dr. Joseph A. Murray to speak at one of our weekly seminars on Wednesday, April 10. Dr. Murray, a Gastroenterology specialist, will be presenting “What happens in the gut does not stay in the gut.” All are welcome to attend the seminar which will be held in the Science and Learning Center Room 200 at noon.

Minnesota Campus Compact announced the winners of the 2019 Presidents’ Awards, which include three members of the Saint Mary’s community.

The Minnesota Campus Compact Presidents’ Awards provide an opportunities for member presidents and chancellors to give statewide recognition to effective leaders in the development of campus-community partnerships.

This year, 88 awardees were selected from 27 colleges and universities across the state. Awards will be presented at the annual summit and awards luncheon on Wednesday, April 10, at St. Catherine University.

Presidents’ Student Leadership Award

Goly Yang will be honored with the Presidents’ Student Leadership Award. This award is for an individual student or a student organization that models a deep commitment to civic responsibility and leadership, evidenced by initiative, innovative, and collaborative approaches to addressing public issues, effective community building, and integration of civic engagement into the college experience. Yang is actively engaged in community youth advocacy work in Saint Paul. She has developed and implemented youth literacy courses and coordinated a variety of community events, including hands-on opportunities for teacher education candidates, at the Conway Community Center.

Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award

Dr. Christine Beech will be honored with the Presidents’ Civic Engagement Steward Award. This award is for a member of the faculty, administration, or staff or for a group (e.g., advisory committee, task force, project team) that has significantly advanced their campus’ distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships, supporting others’ civic engagement, and working to institutionalize a culture and practice of engagement. Dr. Beech serves as the executive director of the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Saint Mary’s. In that role, she has advanced the university’s distinctive civic mission by forming strong partnerships in Winona and Rochester that have allowed students to foster their entrepreneurial spirits.

Presidents’ Community Partner Award

The Sanneh Foundation (Tony Sanneh) will be honored with the Presidents’ Community Partner Award. This award is for a community-based organization that has enhanced the quality of life in the community in meaningful and measurable ways and has engaged in the development of sustained, reciprocal partnerships with the college or university, thus enriching educational as well as community outcomes. The Sanneh Foundation serves the holistic youth development needs of the increasingly diverse Twin Cities metro area. It seeks to unite communities by advancing diversity and equity. Saint Mary’s joins those efforts by partnering with the foundation to prepare high-quality educators who reflect the diverse communities in which they work.

Founded in 1994, Minnesota Campus Compact aims to integrate civic work and learning into the curriculum and operations of its diverse network of colleges and universities, so students graduate with the determination and capacity to contribute to the public good throughout their lives — and higher education institutions are fully engaged with their communities, working together to educate citizens, solve problems, and build a strong democracy. Minnesota Campus Compact is the only organization in the state that works with public and private, two and four-year institutions on the democratic purposes of higher education. Learn more at mncampuscompact.org.