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Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Dr. Lickona to address fostering character development in schools March 18 at Saint Mary’s University
WINONA, Minn. — Author, developmental psychologist, and renowned educator Thomas Lickona, Ph.D., will speak about “How to Create a Classroom of Character: 10 Strategies that Work” Monday, March 18, at Saint Mary’s University.
Dr. Lickona, education professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for the 4th and 5th Rs (Respect and Responsibility) at the State University of New York at Cortland, has done national award-winning work in teacher and parent education.
Dr. Lickona speaks around the world on fostering moral values and character development in schools, families, and communities. He has additionally authored nine books on character development, including Educating for Character: How Our Schools Can Teach Respect and Responsibility, Character Matters, and, most recently, How to Raise Kind Kids: And Get Respect, Gratitude, and a Happier Family in the Bargain (Penguin, 2018). He speaks to schools and parents on teaching kindness, respect, and other virtues and writes a “Raising Kind Kids” blog for Psychology Today.
His Center’s work was the subject of a New York Times Magazine cover article, “Teaching Johnny to Be Good,” and he has been a guest on national media such as “Good Morning America,” “Larry King Live Radio,” “Focus on the Family,” and National Public Radio. His Center’s best-practices education letter, excellence & ethics, goes out to thousands of educators and parents around the world.
Area educators, as well as the general public, are welcome to hear Lickona’s presentation from 4-5 p.m. March 18 in Room 200 of the Science and Learning Center. A question-and-answer period will follow, and refreshments will be served. Dr. Lickona’s most recent book, How to Raise Kind Kids, will be available for purchase and signing.
Saint Mary’s Department of Theatre and Dance to stage romantic musical comedy March 21-24
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Department of Theatre and Dance will perform the romantic musical comedy “She Loves Me” March 21-24.
Directed by Judy Myers and based on the book by Joe Masteroff (Caberet), “She Loves Me” is set in a European-style parfumerie and details shop clerks Amalia and George who don’t exactly see eye to eye. When both respond to a lonely hearts newspaper advertisement — without the other knowing — they live for the love letters they exchange, while wondering who their admirers could be. With a bubbly score by Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof) as well as a clever and energetic cast of characters, this Tony Award-winning musical is a timeless love story that will have audiences rooting for romance.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 21-23, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 24, in Page Theatre. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors or $10 for adults and are available at the Page Theatre box office, 507-457-1715 from noon to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at pagetheatre.org.
Helping others build their best story
Even though Jen Elmquist’s career path has moved through various vocations — including sales, acting, and modeling — she has always felt a strong calling to support others in their mental wellness.
In the many roles she currently serves (award-winning author, licensed therapist, wife, mother, consultant, 2007 Saint Mary’s University Master of Arts (M.A.) in Marriage and Family Therapy graduate, and faculty member at Saint Mary’s), Elmquist is ever focused on strengthening relationships and promoting strong mental health.
The Plymouth, Minn., native started off her career in sales and then moved to the entertainment industry where she spent 15 years acting and modeling in Minnesota and even briefly Los Angeles. But avocationally, she was always doing something in the helping and healing world — whether it was working in the juvenile court or leading groups for women and adolescent girls.
“I had a real passion to work on the preventive side of mental wellness, to help normalize and destigmatize mental health, make it more consumer friendly,” said Elmquist. “Whether it’s the sales or the entertainment side coming out of me, I had a passion to help people build their best story or find healing in their life.”
She decided to turn that passion into a career and pursue her M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Saint Mary’s University. Elmquist said this is what initially led her into counseling and eventually marriage and family therapy, which was a great fit for how she saw the world, people, and healing.
“I wanted to offer help to others in ways that felt easy to access, seemed more affordable, and were less stigmatizing than some of the ways our profession has been portrayed, which I think keeps a lot of people away from getting the help they need,” Elmquist said. “People think they can’t afford it, they don’t know where to go, or they think they’re crazy — or that it means they’re crazy if they go and see somebody. I wanted to do everything I could to dispel that and help make that path easier for people.”
After graduating in 2007, she felt supported in her decision to start her own private practice called Restoration Productions.
“Other therapists, many of them who had been professors of mine at Saint Mary’s, took me under their wing,” said Elmquist.
Just a few years later, she was asked to come back to Saint Mary’s and teach after the M.A. in Marriage and Family Therapy program director heard Elmquist speaking at the Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapy (MAMFT) conference. Elmquist has been a course-contracted faculty member in the program for nearly eight years, which she says was a catapult in her professional life.
Another catapult in her career came after she and her husband were asked to lead a church couples retreat. The material covered in the retreat would later become the outline for her first book, “Relationship Reset,” which successfully launched at the end of 2017.
“I was so disrupted by a statistic that said it took couples up to six years after problems start to get help. I knew that six years was too long,” Elmquist said. “Couples were coming to my office in really rough shape, and I kept thinking, ‘What if I could get to them before they got to me?’ ‘What if I could be one to many rather than one to one?’ ”
Elmquist says that although “Relationship Reset” is her first book, it probably won’t be her last. She has two other books already outlined, and the opportunities to grow in her field keep on coming.
“With my focus on preventive mental wellness and on getting ahead of the curve for people, I’ve had this incredible opportunity to build a holistic performance coaching program for Life Time, A Healthy Way of Life Company. In December 2018, we launched Life Time Mind to their employees,” said Elmquist. “The beautiful thing is actually one of my core hires and partners in this project was one of my students at Saint Mary’s. It’s all come together that we’re able to build this great coaching program in the spirit of mental wellness, and Saint Mary’s has a vital voice in that.”
Relationships, mental health, holistic wellness … As Elmquist’s list of expertise continues to grow, she is frequently asked to contribute written pieces for well-known publications like Bustle and Elite Daily. She was also recently honored with a 2018 Independent Book Publishers Association Ben Franklin Award.
Elmquist’s many experiences have no doubt helped her be successful both professionally and personally. Her 27-year-marriage to her husband, Jess, is just one testament to that.
“It’s as much a personal thing as it is a professional thing for us,” explained Elmquist. “We believe nobody signs up for a long-term relationship knowing how to do it and how to do it well. It’s something you have to learn along the way. We need teachers, mentors, helpers to come alongside us and support us in that. And when you’re someone that has had an opportunity to have those people in your life and have them teach you, I think one of the things we’re called to do is give those things back to others.”
Learn more about Elmquist and her work at jenelmquist.com.
MCA invites public to spring jazz performances
WINONA, Minn. — Community members are invited to attend two upcoming Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) jazz combo performances, free and open to the public:
- Wednesday, March 6, at 6 p.m. in the Academy Theatre at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 W. Howard St.
- Sunday, March 24, at 5:30 p.m. at Wellington’s Pub & Grill, 1429 W. Service Dr.
MCA is home to three jazz combos: the Duke, Dizzy, and Basie Combos. These combos are comprised of students ages 11-18 from the Winona area.
The jazz combo program, which began in September 2012 under the direction of Dave Gudmastad, has grown quickly. Each jazz combo rehearses for one hour each week beginning in September and continuing through March. The combos help students learn the art of jazz in a small ensemble setting. The rehearsal sessions provide basic instruction in jazz-related rhythm, tone, style, concept, listening skills, and improvisation. A new session starts each September and January for young musicians interested in joining a combo. MCA also offers private music lessons and variety of music classes.
MCA Music Division programs are made possible by the Hiawatha Education Foundation, Carl & Verna Schmidt Foundation, Slaggie Family Foundation, Elizabeth Callender King Foundation, and voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
MCA is an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. For more information, visit mnconservatoryforthearts.org, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
MCA to host classical piano benefit concert
WINONA, Minn. — Winona native Dr. Christopher Mechell will present a classical piano benefit concert for the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) on Saturday, March 9, at 6 p.m. inside the Academy Theatre at the Valéncia Arts Center.
The event, free and open to the public, will feature works of Grieg, Liszt, and Brahms. Freewill donations will be used to help establish a piano lab at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts.
MCA received a generous donation in fall 2018 from the Carl and Verna Schmidt Foundation that was used to purchase the majority of the pianos and equipment for the class piano lab, but additional funds are needed to complete the project.
MCA provides private music lessons to more than 100 students each week, but a class offering will make piano instruction more affordable and more accessible to a wider group of individuals, while at the same time creating a fun social environment for learning the piano not available anywhere else in the community. Plans are to open the lab by June 2019 with instruction by Lauren Mechell.
Dr. Christopher Mechell regularly performs and is on faculty at St. Cloud State University. He also maintains a piano studio at the Wirth Center for the Performing Arts in St. Cloud. Dr. Mechell has presented numerous benefit recitals in the Winona and the surrounding community; he gives back to the local community whenever possible, including benefit recitals for Big Brother/Big Sister of Winona, the Winona Historical Society, and Home and Community Options. Dr. Mechell’s 2004 piano recital fundraiser for the Winona Senior High School raised also generously performed a is probably best known for his 2004 piano recital that raised $7,000 to purchase a new grand piano for Winona Senior High School.
Dr. Mechell completed his doctorate in Piano Performance in 2016 at the University of Washington while studying under Professor Craig Sheppard. He earned his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Piano Performance with a concentration in Music Theory from the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind. A music scholarship and assistantship winner throughout his years, he studied with Evelyne Brancart and Edward Auer. He was the recipient of the Music Faculty Award Scholarship, the Friends of Music Scholarship, the Graduate Music Merit Fellowship Award, and the High Scholastic Achievement Founder’s Day Award.
About Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA), an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, is a nonprofit organization 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 the piano lab or how you can make a donation, go to mnconservatoryforthearts.org, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
Winona Campus and Rochester Center to close today, Feb. 25
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will close the Winona Campus and its Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow Monday, Feb. 25, due to road conditions. There will be no classes in Rochester.
University employees should not report to work. Evening staff who normally start at 5 p.m. or after should report as scheduled.
Employees traveling to campus are urged to use caution and contact their supervisor with any specific concerns.
Winona Campus and Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow delayed until noon today, Feb. 25
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has delayed opening until noon on the Winona Campus and Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow for today, Monday, Feb. 25, due to weather and road conditions.
University employees should not report to work until noon. Essential employees report as scheduled.
Employees traveling to campus are urged to use caution and contact their supervisor with any specific concerns.
Five to be honored for service, dedication at Saint Mary’s Founders’ Day
In celebration of its heritage, Saint Mary’s University will present awards to the leader of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, as well as one faculty member, one staff member, and two outstanding seniors at its annual Founders’ Day celebration Tuesday, March 12, on the Winona Campus.
Brother Robert Schieler, FSC, Superior General of the De La Salle Christian Brothers will be receiving an honorary doctorate of educational leadership. In his position, Brother Robert leads the largest order of religious Brothers in the Church dedicated to education. The honorary doctorate recognizes Brother Robert’s dedication to the Lasallian charism, especially his service to the poor and his commitment to education. Prior to being named Superior General in 2014, Brother Robert served as general councilor for the Lasallian Region of North America (RELAN). He also served as a trustee for Saint Mary’s University from 2011-2014. Brother Robert has said his mission is to “inspire the Brothers and all members of the worldwide Lasallian family to create and sustain communities of human and Christian education, especially for vulnerable young people who live on the margins of contemporary society.”
Dr. Tricia Klosky, Criminal Justice coordinator and department chair and associate professor in Social Science, will receive the Brother Charles H. Severin, FSC, Award. Given by the university every other year, this award is bestowed on a faculty member who demonstrates sustained excellence in teaching, contributes to the university outside of the classroom, builds community by serving as a model of the Lasallian spirit, and is a creative, passionate, and inspiring teacher. Dr. Klosky, who has taught at Saint Mary’s for 17 years, has successfully grown the Criminal Justice major and demonstrates her commitment to students both inside and outside of the classroom.
Alisa Macksey, executive director of the First Generation Initiative, will receive the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award. Presented each year, the award recognizes a member of the faculty, staff, or administration whose life of faith and service exemplifies the ideals of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The award is given by Lasallian institutions like Saint Mary’s in the Lasallian Region of North America of the De La Salle Christian Brothers to honor contributions and commitment to the Lasallian mission of education. Macksey has worked in various roles within the Lasallian network since 2000 and has has led the First Generation Initiative at Saint Mary’s since 2015. She also has been instrumental in developing the AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education and the International Symposium on Lasallian Research.
Nominees for the 2019 Outstanding Senior Awards are: males: Max Champa, Aldontae Guess, Zechariah Kitzhaber, Bailey Melz, and Nathan Young; females: Tatiana Jones, Marissa Kinzer, Erin McCoy, Bailey O’Hare, and Laura Sonday. Outstanding seniors have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, and services. Above all, these men and women have shown genuine concern for meeting the needs of others. One Outstanding Male and one Outstanding Female student will be announced at the end of the Founders’ Day ceremony.
Congratulations to all those being honored.
Saint Mary’s annual benefit to assist Winona boy battling leukemia
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University will present the 19th annual Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, March 9.
The beneficiary of this year’s formal dance — open to the public — is Joseph Row of Winona. Joseph is the 11-year-old son of Darren Row who teaches in the Mathematics, Computer Science, and Statistics Department of Saint Mary’s University. Darren and his wife, Jill (Arens) Row are also alumni of Saint Mary’s (Darren obtaining a bachelor’s degree in 1999 and a master’s degree in 2000, and Jill earning her bachelor’s degree in 1999).
Joseph was diagnosed with leukemia in July 2018 and faces a three-year course of treatments. Proceeds from the dance — and a silent auction — will assist the Row family with medical expenses and travel costs.
The theme of the evening will be “Super Joseph’s World.” The Hall of Fame Room in the Toner Student Center will be transformed into the Mushroom Kingdom, complete with a Mario Kart photo booth and video game stations.
The dance, featuring music by the Johnny Holm Band, will be held in the gymnasium. Ticket prices are $15 for students, $20 for faculty and staff, and $25 for the general public and are available at smumn.universitytickets.com. Dance tickets will also be available at the door.
A silent auction will be held on campus from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. March 7-8. A variety of homemade goods, gift baskets, and specialty items will be on display in the Common Room, located on the third floor of Saint Mary’s Hall. The public is welcome to bid. Donations are still needed.
The benefit has become an annual student tradition since its start in 2001 in honor of Taylor Richmond, son of Saint Mary’s staff member Nikki Richmond. Each year this event benefits someone in need who has ties to the university community.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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