Saint Mary's Newsroom

In June, several Saint Mary’s representatives attended the annual program celebration for the Eddie Phillips Scholarship, a dinner hosted by the Minnesota Private College Council. Saint Mary’s students Desmond Steward, Bradley Hill, and Stanley Wright are currently participating in the Eddie Phillips Scholarship program. Created and coordinated by the Minnesota Private College Fund, the Eddie Phillips Scholarship for African-American Men is funded by The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota. Students are named in the spring of their sophomore year and participate in their junior and senior years. Program participants receive significant scholarships along with valuable experiences, including advising, mentoring, and leadership development opportunities. They participate in internships, attend a national conference, and network with local African-American leaders. Saint Mary’s is proud of the work these young men have done in the program.

Photo caption: Saint Mary’s representatives attended the annual Eddie Phillips Scholarship celebration, from left: Octavia Brown, Countdown to College coordinator and Eddie Phillips Scholarship site coordinator; Ann Merchlewitz, then interim president; Desmond Steward, Bradley Hill, and Stanley Wright, students and Eddie Phillips Scholarship recipients; Alisa Macksey, First Generation Initiative executive director; and Anne Conway, First Generation Initiative literacy specialist.

The Study Abroad Office collaborated with the Business and English departments to facilitate two short-term study abroad trips in May, helping prepare students to be global citizens and immersing them in dynamic and transformational learning experiences.

As part of BU460: Business and Culture in Europe, 18 students traveled to Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany with their Business professors. Students developed their knowledge of international business concepts and culture through traditional classroom studies and a 17-day tour to various European sites. Tour highlights included visits to the U.S. Embassy in Prague, Czech Republic; the BMW plant in Munich, Germany; the Watlow plant near Salzburg, Austria; and the Fastenal plant near Brno, Czech Republic.

As part of E360: Literature on Location, 13 students traveled to England with their English professors. Students explored English culture and history through an examination of literature and a subsequent 18-day literary tour of England focusing on sites related to course readings. During their travels, students stayed at St. Cassian’s Centre, a Lasallian retreat facility on beautiful grounds near Kintbury, England. Visit highlights included trips to Shakespeare’s home and Anne Hathaway’s cottage and attending a Royal Shakespeare Theatre production in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Photo caption: Saint Mary’s students and professors from BU460: Business and Culture in Europe pose with workers at the Fastenal plant near Brno, Czech Republic.

To Saint Mary’s University women’s soccer coach Neil Cassidy, the student-athletes in his program are more than just collegiate soccer players — they are family. A family whose roots span from coast-to-coast and beyond. From Chula Vista, Calif., to New York City, N.Y., to Copenhagen, Denmark, Cassidy has brought together players from 14 different states and one foreign country to form this year’s “family” — a group that has kicked off the season with wins in four of its first six games. Experiences like those of a student-athlete are an important part of a Saint Mary’s education that help us create a vibrant campus and transformational life at the College.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota was once again ranked in the annual U.S. News & World Report ratings of best colleges and universities in the nation. Saint Mary’s was ranked 50th in the Best Regional Universities of the Midwest category of the U.S. News Best Colleges 2019 guidebook, among a list of 165 schools ranked in this category. Saint Mary’s was also ranked 49th in the U.S. News category of Best Value Schools Regional Universities of the Midwest, among a list of 75 schools ranked in this category. The annual rankings are available at usnews.com/best-colleges.

“We appreciate these rankings because we know that U.S. News & World Report is a source that many students and families look to when comparing higher education institutions,” said Father James P. Burns, president of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota. “The report includes such areas as retention and graduation rates, strength of faculty, and employment outcomes, all of which are topics important to students, their families, and all of us at Saint Mary’s. It’s imperative for us to be constantly improving in order to provide the best possible formative and educational experience.”

Though she doesn’t yet have the credentials M.D. behind her name, Saint Mary’s senior Kynzie Smedsrud is already collaborating on potential lifesaving research — research that could one day help women fighting breast cancer. Smedsrud’s summer internship at Gundersen Medical Foundation’s Kabara Cancer Research Institute gave her a hands-on experience that far exceeded her expectations. A biochemistry major from Luverne, Minn., Smedsrud was a Saint Mary’s University Fellow at Gundersen, an academic collaboration brought about through 1958 alumnus Dr. Jon Kabara (now deceased) and his wife Betty, founders of the Kabara Cancer Research Institute in La Crosse, Wis. The experience at Gundersen gave Smedsrud an opportunity to see what choices she has as she looks toward her future. Smedsrud intends to apply to medical school this fall, a dream she set her sights on in the ninth grade, and will hopefully start continuing her education the following year. Read the full story.

Photo courtesy of Gundersen Health.

You are invited to participate in activities being held Saturday, Oct. 6, as part of the celebration surrounding the inauguration of our president, Father James P. Burns.

VOLUNTEER SERVICE — 10 a.m. to noon

• Take part in a service project to clean up Saint Mary’s portion of Highway 14 near campus.
• Volunteers will meet outside of the art gallery in the Toner Student Center at 9:30 a.m.
• Free coffee, juice, fruit, and Bloedow’s donuts will be available during check-in. Sign up here.

SOCCER TAILGATER — Noon to 5:30 p.m.

• Join in the fun of gameday near the soccer field.
• Watch a double-header as women’s soccer takes on the College of Saint Benedict at 1 p.m. and men’s soccer takes on Saint John’s University at 3:30 p.m.
• Enjoy food from noon to 3 p.m. at the soccer field. (Lunch will only be served in this location.)
• The event also includes lawn games, as well as a giant soccer dartboard and bungee run inflatables. A tug-of-war will be held during the halftime of the women’s game; a bubble soccer game will run during the halftime of the men’s game; and a giant hamster ball 100-yard-dash will be offered between games. Check out the giveaways for students while supplies last.

ARTISAN FAIR ON THE PLAZA — 1 to 4 p.m.

• Regional artisans, musicians, and nonprofit organizations will fill the plaza with the aim of bringing together the local artisan entrepreneurial community.
• Approximately 20 artisans will showcase and sell a large variety of their work that ranges from artisanal soaps to jewelry to wood carving.
• Longboards created by Saint Mary’s students under the guidance of Dr. Joe Tadie and art by Monta May of the Marketing and Communication Office will also be available for purchase.
• Entrepreneurship students will sell refreshments, and music will run throughout the event with Amanda Grace performing at 1 p.m., Dust Settlers at 2 p.m. and a Saint Mary’s student-led band at 3 p.m.
• This event is sponsored by the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies.

Ms. Kelly Holstine, an English teacher at Tokata Learning Center in Shakopee, Minn., and the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, visited Saint Mary’s University on Sept. 20. She spoke to an audience of 80 students in the Science and Learning Center Auditorium about the importance of acknowledging every person you encounter as someone with a heart and a unique story. Ms. Holstine shared her personal story of struggle and growth and noted the importance of personal well-being in meeting learner needs and professional obligations in teaching. She is the 13th Teacher of the Year to speak at Saint Mary’s since the Saint Mary’s Student Chapter of the Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) was founded in 2004.

Photo caption: Ms. Kelly Holstine (center), the 2018 Minnesota Teacher of the Year, poses with Dr. Scott Sorvaag, Education professor, and ASCD officers Emily Strezishar, Jacob Kramer, Erin Budin, and Spencer Johnston.