Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents

New Cardinal Virtue series highlights the seven Christian virtues
The public is invited to Saint Mary’s Cardinal Virtue presentations, scheduled throughout the 2018-19 academic year. These speakers and topics were chosen to create thought-provoking dialogue as Saint Mary’s cultivates in its learners virtues that will guide them throughout their educational journeys and as they enter the world as leaders in their professions and communities.
Dr. Eleonore Stump, Robert J. Henle Professor of Philosophy, Saint Louis University, will discuss Temperance and “Gifts/Fruits of the Holy Spirit” Thursday, April 25, at 7 p.m. on the Winona Campus. Visit smumn.edu/cardinalvirtuepresentations to get more information and see previous presentations.
Photo caption: Catherine Pakaluk, Ph.D., of The Catholic University of America, visited our Minneapolis Campus to speak on “Justice, Dynamism, and Social Order” in December 2018.

Author and Political Commentator Cokie Roberts to give keynote address at 2019 Hendrickson Forum
Saint Mary’s 2019 Hendrickson Forum will feature Cokie Roberts, a New York Times bestselling author and renowned journalist and political commentator for ABC News and NPR. The Tuesday, April 16, event, “Weaving the Social Safety Net at Home and Around the World,” is presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership. In her more than 40 years in broadcasting, Roberts has won many awards, including three Emmys. Inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame, she was cited by the American Women in Radio and Television as one of the 50 greatest women in the history of broadcasting. Roberts graduated from Wellesley College in 1963, where she earned a degree in political science and now holds more than 25 honorary degrees. She serves on the boards of several nonprofit institutions, including the National Archives Foundation, Mayo Clinic, and Save the Children. In 2008, the Library of Congress named Roberts a “Living Legend,” one of the very few Americans to have attained that honor.
The Hendrickson Forum will be held on the Saint Mary’s Twin Cities Campus this year and is open to the public. More information and online registration is available at smumn.edu/HendricksonForum.

Students write blog posts on plant taxonomy
Environmental biology students Angela Soto ’19 and Erin Hettinger ’20 recently wrote blog posts for their plant taxonomy course. Check out their work about glacial relics, goat prairies, trees, and more.
Photo caption: Forest consisting of mainly coniferous trees. Photo Taken at Long Lake Conservation Center in Palisade, Minn., 2018.

Connecting in faith at World Youth Day
Fifteen Saint Mary’s students, staff, and alumni joined a crowd of more than 500,000 gathered in Panama City this past January for World Youth Day — an extraordinary emotional and faith-filled experience. Open to all young people, World Youth Day is an opportunity to experience the universality of the church and share in the hope of many who want to commit themselves to Jesus Christ. The week-long event is a unique way to deepen one’s faith through prayer and sacraments together with others from around the world who share the same interests and ambitions. This worldwide gathering is typically celebrated every three years in a different country. Each day was packed with festival programming and events, including encounters with Pope Francis. Read the full story, which includes thoughts from sophomore Brianna Jacobson and junior Kamila Kuchta.
Photo caption: The Saint Mary’s group poses in front of a statue of Saint John Baptist de La Salle at Colegio De La Salle, the Lasallian High School in Panama City.

Students present research at the Capitol
Two students representing Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota shared their undergraduate research posters at the 2019 Minnesota Private College Scholars at the Capitol on Jan. 23. Austin Kleman ’19, psychology major, presented “Alcohol Consequences and Aristotelian Subjective Well-Being.” Mark Leonard ’19 (above), biology major, presented “Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus) Scavenging: A Possible Alternate Dietary Substrate.”
Photo caption: Mark Leonard ’19

Jazz Combo 1 and Chamber Singers go on international tour
Saint Mary’s Jazz Combo 1 students brought the music of pioneering American jazz pianist, composer, and poet Horace Silver to audiences in Germany and Belgium during their recent spring 2019 tour. Concerts took place in Cologne, Germany, and various locations throughout Belgium. The tour culminated with a performance at Brussel’s premier jazz club, The Music Village. Local audiences welcomed the musicians back at their homecoming performance on March 5 in the Saint Mary’s Performance Center.
The 26-voice Chamber Singers, directed by Dr. Patrick O’Shea, toured in parallel with Jazz Combo 1, and performed in Wesseling, Germany (combined concert with Jazz Combo 1), Ternat, Belgium (jointly with the choir of the Sint-Jozefsinstituut, a Lasallian school), and Brussels Cathedral. The Chamber Singers also performed for Mass at the Sint-Gertrudiskerk in Ternat. Repertoire included the world premiere of “Father, Forgive” by A. Eric Heukeshoven, who directed Jazz Combo 1 on the tour, with Dr. Janet Heukeshoven on flute. The Chamber Singers performed their homecoming concert on March 7 at the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels in Winona.
Both groups have upcoming performances — the Chamber Singers and Concert Choir on April 27 and Jazz at Saint Mary’s on April 28.

X Games student program proves extremely beneficial
After working on national social media platforms, Saint Mary’s sophomore Alec Rudh knows to keep his statements short and to-the-point. So, in describing what it was like working at the 2019 Winter X Games in Aspen Jan. 22-28, he is concise: “best experience of my life, hands down.” Rudh was one of 17 Saint Mary’s business students who were part of the 2019 Winter X Games Student Work Program. Based on skills and personal strengths, students were placed into different departments throughout the event and received a variety of valuable skills that will transfer to future careers — and had access to the fast-paced action. The annual action sports event features snowbiking, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and skiing events, as well as live concerts with big-name musicians. Read the full story, which also highlights two other Saint Mary’s students, Heidi Ledermann ’19 and Blair Sanders ’20, who received #IMPACT awards.

Saint Mary’s dedicates new baseball clubhouse
As the Cardinal men’s baseball team entered their new clubhouse for the first time, selfies were taken; high-fives were given; and exclamations of excitement filled the air. A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held in January, as Saint Mary’s unveiled its new $704,000 baseball clubhouse to the team for the first time. The 2,500-square-foot facility was made possible by a generous lead gift from alumnus Marc Weisenburger ’75. The players walked around their new locker room and players’ lounge with big-screen TVs and couches — as well as the coaches’ space, bathrooms/shower facilities, and laundry and storage areas — all impressively branded with Cardinal Pride. Weisenburger, of Plymouth, Minn., made the lead gift in honor of his experiences at Saint Mary’s, both in school and on the field — particularly under the guidance of Hall of Fame Coach Max Molock. The clubhouse will be named “Pudge’s Place” after Weisenburger’s nickname from his playing days as a catcher with the Saint Mary’s baseball team from 1971 to 1975. A public open house for the clubhouse will be held the afternoon of April 27, and more details will be announced soon.
Photo caption: The lead benefactor of Saint Mary’s University’s new baseball clubhouse Marc Weisenburger ’75 (center) poses with head coach Nick Winecke (right) and current baseball player John Heim, a senior at Saint Mary’s.

Student-led campaign promotes community through handwritten letters
A student group ran a month-long letter writing campaign to promote positive vibes on campus. Now in its second year, Spread the Love was created with the idea of building community and expressing gratitude and appreciation for others on campus. The campaign works this way: people on campus submit names to the Spread the Love team, who then creates and sends personalized letters, accompanied with a Spread the Love button. The Spread the Love mission: Everyone has value, and we are on a mission to share it! Spread the Love promotes friendship and unity by sending personal messages to the Saint Mary’s community.