Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Scott Walker B’91, M’98 named vice president for student development at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota
Reflecting an ongoing commitment to student success and retention, Scott Walker B’91, M’98 has been named vice president for student development at Saint Mary’s University. As vice president, Walker will combine his duties as interim vice president for student affairs and interim dean of academic support services. Strategic planning functions will be reassigned among various departments.
“As a loyal alumnus, educator, and leader, I am elated to be in a role that reflects my love for Saint Mary’s and my commitment to student success and retention,” Walker stated. “As we spend the summer preparing for a new class of remarkable Saint Mary’s students to join us on campus, I am grateful for the team we have in place to share our mission and commitment to a quality Lasallian Catholic education.”
Walker has a solid background in academic leadership, having previously served as principal and educator prior to Saint Mary’s. Throughout his life, Walker has demonstrated his deep commitment to Saint Mary’s and its mission. His unwavering dedication to Saint Mary’s University and its objectives has been widely recognized by his colleagues and contemporaries, who have praised his vision, steady leadership, and extensive experience. Walker will immediately assume the new position.
Benefactor expresses support and $100 Million Challenge extension
Benefactor expresses support and $100 Million Challenge extension
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has continued to be blessed with generous benefactors and alumni during a tumultuous time in higher education. In 2023, at a time when many universities pointed to shrinking enrollments and struggling finances, Saint Mary’s celebrated a $25 million gift commitment – the largest in the university’s history. The anonymous donation was made with the intention to help revitalize the university, while encouraging and inspiring others to invest in its future with a challenge to secure contributions totaling $100 million and increase undergraduate enrollment numbers from 800 to 900 by May 31, 2024.
“Since the announcement, the Saint Mary’s community has been working tirelessly on both objectives and we have achieved good success, yet there is still work to be done,” said Gary Klein, vice president for advancement. “Graciously, and in good faith, the anonymous benefactor and his family have agreed to extend the deadline to reach both goals, as long as the university continues to demonstrate such continued progress.”
In the words of the benefactor, “We can ask for more and greater gifts, and our recruitment efforts will continue to be heightened, but we know that the decision-making timeframe is based on other benefactors and the potential student, not us. As long as our Saint Mary’s teams remain resolute in implementing their plans and we see advancement, we will hold to our commitment as partners in this effort.”
To date, Saint Mary’s has raised $40 million toward the $100 million goal with more than $80 million in requests in planning or pending. Recruitment has dramatically improved, up 33 percent for incoming students from fall of 2022 to fall of 2023. Enrollment is on pace, as planned, to exceed 900 full-time students at the Winona campus in the fall of 2026.
“We are genuinely grateful to have the support and trust of our generous benefactors,” Klein continued. We will continue to enthusiastically and fervently move forward to accomplish these milestones as swiftly as we can. Saint Mary’s is blessed.”
###
Higher education in the headlines
Higher education is a field that is constantly changing. With this roundup, we hope to keep you informed about what is going on at universities and colleges around the country:
- New Commission on Faith-Based Institutions Launched – Inside Higher Ed
- New ChatGPT version aiming at higher ed – Inside Higher Ed
- There’s even more evidence that a college degree is worth it – Forbes
Saint Mary’s partnership spotlight
The Saint Mary’s Partnership Collaborative is an initiative populated with key partners from the Schools of Business and Technology, Health and Human Services, and Education that provide students, faculty, and alumni with opportunities for professional development, research, internships, externships, employee pipelines, targeted accelerator certificates and degree completion. This partnership spotlight is meant to highlight the exciting partnerships Saint Mary’s has entered.
Partnerships that have recently been formed this fall include:
- Saint Mary’s has launched a new partnership with The Sanneh Foundation, a community-based organization whose mission is to empower and improve the lives of youth in the Twin Cities metro through in-school and after-school support. The partnership will provide academic scholarships and educational opportunities for Sanneh Foundation employees.
- A new partnership has been forged with Project for Pride in Living. The organization offers affordable housing and career development services to individuals and families throughout the community. This partnership will provide academic scholarships and educational opportunities for Project for Pride in Living employees.
- Saint Mary’s is pleased to announce the Diocese of Saint Cloud has joined the Trusted Partner Program. Through the Trusted Partner Program, educators at the diocese’s 28 K-8 schools may receive monetary assistance to obtain bachelor’s, master’s, and graduate certificates at Saint Mary’s.
Future Saint Mary’s partnerships will continue to be announced in Cardinal Updates.
June update on FAST progress from Dr. McMahon
Dear Saint Mary’s Faculty and Staff,
I trust that this message finds you in good health and high spirits as we enter the summer months. Reflecting on the exceptional commitment and pride permeating Saint Mary’s, I am reminded of our shared purpose and the deeply ingrained values that define our institution.
I would like to provide an update on the Financial Accountability and Strategic Thinking (FAST) Task Force. As I indicated to the FAST steering committee last week, we have just achieved a significant milestone in our project. After successfully completing Focal Area #1 (Financial responsibility analysis) in February, we have now completed initial proposal reviews for Focal Area #3 (Strategic alignment, prioritization, and investment). These proposals for innovation were created by cross-departmental teams and proposed investment opportunities to utilize innovation funds secured through our university’s efforts in advancement. We have now made the decision to move forward on several of those proposals, while others will be reserved for future consideration. The academic leadership will continue to work on Focal Area #2 (Extended school review) as we approach the fall semester.
The initial funded proposals encompass a diverse range of initiatives, including academic programs (exploration and designing of an MBA in Educational Leadership) and enrollment organizational support (partnership account managers and SGPP call center), in addition to a marketing investment from another philanthropic fund. We have assigned these projects to executive sponsors, who will continue to provide updates on their progress. Of course, like any new academic program, the MBA in Educational Leadership will still need to go through appropriate academic approval processes. Please know that we will continue to evaluate proposals and encourage ongoing submissions during Unit Level Plan reviews and strategic planning sessions. The infrastructure and documentation we utilized during FAST will be leveraged, and improved upon, for those ongoing discussions.
Many in our community contributed to achieving this milestone, and we appreciate their hard work. We are extremely grateful for the support that was extended during the process, and we look forward to this spirit of innovation in the future. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!
Michael McMahon
Vice President for Enrollment Management
Escape room simulations prepare nursing anesthesia students for clinical rotations
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Anesthesiology program has gradually incorporated elements of both gamification and simulation into its curriculum for the last decade. However, the idea to merge the two into a single activity first ignited at Saint Mary’s in 2023 when part-time professor, Dr. Rachel Edgerton proposed using an escape room for continuing education at a clinical facility.
Dr. Edgerton and Dr. Carol Daniel, academic director of the nursing anesthesia program, created two different patient operating room case scenarios where they could build and incorporate multiple learning objectives related to the specific surgeries and simulated skills recently taught. These patients had varying complex patient health histories, and Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists (SRNAs) were able to combine and apply the treatment and surgical planning content together.
There is a vast difference between book learning and the real world, and by creating a surgical case scenario, we can incorporate the two. The adult learners we educate appreciate the hands-on, active learning style, as students entering this program are highly skilled intensive care registered nurses. SRNAs must learn didactic anesthesia content and new technical skills before entering their clinical rotations.
Simulation allows a SRNA to build confidence before entering the hospital where these skills are delivered. The anesthesia skills students learn in Saint Mary’s simulation lab include airway management, intubation, central line placement, and regional anesthesia, including spinal, epidural, and peripheral nerve blocks. Creating an escape room surgical case simulation was a way to incorporate the entire surgical experience in a truly interactive way from beginning to end, and it allows the SRNA to evaluate, diagnose, treat, and perform skills that can occur in potentially stressful life-threatening situations in a non-stressful and safe environment — all while having fun!
This year, the nursing anesthesia program implemented its second escape room, which included a preoperative area where students gathered patient information in an operating room. Students had to solve clues to get the patient to each next step and through the surgery safely, with staged emergencies. Clues were immersed with content in different ways and incorporated into various puzzles. Directional locks, numerical locks, deciphering directions with a black light and invisible ink, puzzle boxes, and diagnosing conditions on word locks were some examples of puzzles that students solved. 35 students participated, forming six teams. Two teams arrived on campus for the designated time and went through each scenario. Seven senior student helpers and four faculty participated by being the patient, timing the teams, setting up, and cleaning up the rooms. Overall, the lab met many learning objectives related to all the content, students had a lot of fun and positive feedback, and faculty plan to incorporate more of these scenarios into the curriculum for different content areas in the future.
“It was nice to work as a team, providing input so we could find clues together,” one student shared. “I was able to work with individuals I never interacted with much before, and it was a really nice experience. The escape room helped me look at the entire picture for the patient and the information we have for resources.”
More activities like the escape room are being incorporated into Saint Mary’s nursing anesthesia program because students continue to express a preference for this learning type, and the faculty believes it plays a significant role in boosting the confidence and reputation of students entering clinical practice.
Three alumni to be honored during Reunion Weekend
Saint Mary’s University will welcome more than 300 alumni, family, and friends back to the Winona Campus June 21-23 for Reunion Weekend. This year, the Class of 1974 will be celebrating its 50th reunion, alumni from 1973 and older are invited to an alma mater banquet, and a special Veteran’s Ceremony will also be held during the weekend’s activities.
A highlight of Reunion Weekend every year includes the alumni awards, where Saint Mary’s honors alumni that 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’s awardees include: Distinguished Alumna Award recipient Candace “Candi” (Langan) Lynch B’83 of Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Lasallian Service Award recipient Thomas “Tom” J. Evon B’76 of Schaumburg, Illinois; and Outstanding Young Alumnus Santiago J. Escobar B’12 of Eden Prairie, Minnesota.
Santiago J. Escobar B’12
Outstanding Young Alumnus Award
Attending Saint Mary’s was life changing for Santiago J. Escobar B’12. The entire experience and community prepared him for what was to come next. Beyond academics, he enjoyed many campus activities and service opportunities. However, one activity quickly rose to the top of his list: Ultimate Frisbee.
Combining his love for Ultimate Frisbee and his degree in International Business, Spanish, and Sport Management. Escobar became involved with the management side of the sport after graduation. He took a regional director role with USA Ultimate, and also became an event organizer and/or volunteer for local, regional, and national events, as well as international competitions in Italy and Denmark. Within months of graduating, he pushed the expansion of an Ultimate Frisbee professional league by earning territory rights and becoming the founder of the Minnesota franchise. Escobar became the youngest owner of a professional sports franchise, and with involvement and support from many Saint Mary’s classmates and alumni, he built the organization from the ground up, managing all business operations, competition aspects, and game-day events during its first five seasons.
Simultaneously, Escobar earned a master’s degree and worked as a program manager at Scholarship America, where he could connect students with academic scholarship opportunities.
In 2016, Santiago accepted a role at Thrivent, a Fortune 500 financial services organization. He is now part of the business operations team for a societal impact program with a national footprint that closely aligns with his values. While at Thrivent, he continues to volunteer with organizations like BestPrep. His own experiences as a student have driven his continued involvement and support of educational organizations so others can have similar and better opportunities. His volunteer work was recognized with the 2022 BestPrep Service Award. He also enjoys volunteering with Saint Mary’s, especially with events that involve student development.
Thanks to Saint Mary’s, great memories were made, and doors were opened. However, the best part was attending alongside his brother (Luis Escobar B’12), and meeting the love of his life, Kelly (Wagner) Escobar B’11. Santiago and Kelly currently live in the Twin Cities with their son, Jacob.
Candace ‘Candi’ (Langan) Lynch B’83
Distinguished Alumna Award
Candace “Candi” (Langan) Lynch B’83 is a recently retired lifelong educator whose passion revolved around working with populations of students and families who were deemed difficult by most. Her educational philosophy always focused on school culture and climate and the belief that all students, families, and staff deserved to feel seen, heard, and feel that they matter as a valued member of the learning community.
Throughout her 33-year career, she held a variety of roles. She worked as a classroom teacher and elementary school counselor for 18 years. She then moved into a role at the District level as an Elementary Student Services facilitator. In that position, she coordinated the work of the 24 elementary counselors, oversaw 504 compliance, was directly involved in District Bullying / Harassment policy and staff development, and worked collaboratively to assure that supports were in place to ensure learning for all students through the Social Emotional Behavioral curriculum and Positive Behavior Intervention Supports at all elementary schools.
In 2013, she became the principal of Johnson School of the Arts, which was designated by the state as a school in need of assistance due to high staff turnover, multiple principals in a short period of time, high absenteeism rate, and low achievement scores. The school was designated by the district as a Turnaround School, and during her time as a principal there, Johnson reopened as the first Magnet School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and was renamed as Johnson STEAM Academy.
During her eight years as principal, significant changes took place due to her ability to work with multiple stakeholders and her collaborative leadership skills.
Under her leadership, Johnson STEAM Academy became certified as a Magnet School with the national Magnet Schools of America organization. In addition, they received a Merit Award from Magnet Schools of America for innovative practices. This was followed by national recognition as a demonstration magnet school, exceeding criteria. Johnson STEAM Academy was highlighted in a national case study by Successful Practices Network (SPN) and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, as one of 25 national Innovative Successful Practice schools. In 2019, Lynch was named as Iowa Elementary Principal of the Year and as a National Distinguished Principal representing the state of Iowa.
Thomas ‘Tom’ J. Evon B’76
Lasallian Service Award
Thomas “Tom” J. Evon B’76 is a product of an all-Catholic school education, having attended St. Giles Elementary and Fenwick High School, both in Oak Park, Ill., before coming to Saint Mary’s to major in Business Administration. With the help of his two brothers, he took over a small family packaging business and continued to build it over the years. In addition to his work, Evon has continued to give back to the Church and the Catholic Schools who helped to shape him.
He’s been an active member at Church of the Holy Spirit in Schaumburg, Ill. His most meaningful role was serving as chairman of the annual Family Fest, a five-day carnival with food and music, for over 30 years. It was the largest fundraiser for the parish, but more importantly, it was a wonderful bonding event for his faith community. He also is currently involved with Help Hope Live; Fenwick High School; San Marco Church, Marco Island, Fla.; St. Matthew’s House, Naples, Fla.; and St. Bellarmine Jesuit Retreat House, Barrington, Ill., as well as Saint Mary’s. Many of his closest friends today are from his three schools — with ties all the way back to kindergarten. He’s a loving husband to Monica (Herriges) Evon B’77; father to Kate, Paul ’03, and Mary; and grandfather of eight. He brings his faith and Lasallian sense of service to every day of his life.
Hurley maps out web accessibility after studying Geographic Information Science
A middle school geography project started Kitty Hurley M’09 on what would become her lifelong career.
Before the dawn of MapQuest or Google Maps, Hurley and her classmates were asked to construct a detailed map from the school to their homes and back, using landmarks and other directions.
“I had a really fun time thinking about how you navigate someone,” she said. “That broke the ice for me.”
Fast forward to Hurley’s undergraduate experience. After taking a geography course and once again falling in love with the subject, she was pleased to discover she was only one credit short of having a degree in geography.
Then, during the recession, Hurley decided to pursue graduate school. She discovered Saint Mary’s Master of Geographic Information Science (now Data Intelligence and GeoAnalytics) program.
“I was excited about making it easier for people to have access to water, especially in the Arizona desert area, and Geographic Information Science (GIS) was something that could help do that,” she said. “From there I kept going down the GIS route but instead of thinking about it as the be all, end all, that it was more of a tool … and how do we apply that tool to the work or the question at hand?
“That’s how I’ve gone from being a GIS analyst to a developer over time — by taking that path of how it can be applied in a different way and just shifting the way that technology has shifted.”
Now a senior product engineer at Esri, Hurley is focused on web accessibility and usability.
“We do a lot of testing. I give a lot of recommendations for the team. I’m providing the code that needs to be modified to fit accessibility to make it more usable,” she said, explaining that she’s working with assistive technologies like a screen reader or eye tracking software. She’s also on the Calcite Team (a collection of design and development resources for easy to use, cohesive experiences across apps) and with Maps SDK for the JavaScript team (using maps to make everything more accessible).
She also does quality assurance, quality control, and works with developers and designers to create cohesion and keep things on schedule.
“Every day is different which marks it fun and exciting,” she said, adding that having 100 percent accessibility makes it unusable. “You might have a solution that works for you, but then how does it work for other people? We’re designing for millions of people, so how do we make it usable? It’s a fun discussion.”
Before coming to work with Esri, Hurley worked about 10 years for the State of Minnesota, beginning as a student worker in a GIS field technician position while attending Saint Mary’s. She then worked for both Hennepin County and the City of Brooklyn Park before coming back to the state to work as a junior developer, through which she rewrote interactive maps to be more accessible.
“That’s where my passion for accessibility started,” she said. She then moved from the Department of Health to the Department of Natural Resources and dove more into advanced mapping capabilities, and she then rose in leadership, qualifying her for her current position.
It’s not a surprise to Hurley that women represent just 33 percent of GIS workforce globally (Mackenzie 2022), as it reflects what she’s generally seen through her career.
But with growing opportunities in the field of data science and geographic information systems, Hurley encourages students to pursue what can be a very meaningful career — one that can better the world.
Third time is the charm for Daniels and doctorate
Regina Daniels D’24 has a motto: “Let’s strive and fly.”
“Don’t limit yourself because only the skies are the limit,” she adds.
As she presents during Saint Mary’s June graduate commencement ceremony in Minneapolis, Daniels hopes to inspire others.
“I am honored, especially being a black woman who is deaf getting her doctorate,” she signed. “When barriers come up, I want them to know, If I can do it, anyone can do it.”
Daniels has always looked at obstacles as adventures.
Growing up in a deaf family, her first language was ASL. And her first love was dance. Even as a child, others could see she was born to perform.
“I started dancing at the age of 3,” she signed. A teacher saw Daniels dancing and told her, ‘Wow, Girl, you can dance. You’re little, but you can dance.’ She prompted Daniels’ mother to enroll her in a dance club.
Daniels felt the vibrations of the bass on the floor to help her keep tempo. Sometimes a hearing aid can help her further connect to the rhythm. Other times, she watched for head bobs from the audience or for them to tap their feet.
She danced her way to a bachelor’s degree in dance and a master’s degree in Performance Arts Management and performed with a variety of dance companies.
Then, others began to see the teacher in her — even if she was skeptical at first.
“I said, ‘I don’t think so,’ ” Daniels signed. “They said you already have a performance background, and you make students feel inspired and want to learn.”
“I stopped dancing when I was in the master’s program,” she explained, adding, “It’s quite difficult to be in dance companies because of travel and the high expectations of training and practice, and I didn’t have an interpreter during the traveling portions. I was still learning about my own rights as a deaf individual. I was working full time and going to school at night, so it was impossible to dance too.
“I also thought, ‘I need to make a living.’ So I decided to actually become a teacher. Performance is still incorporated into my work as an interpreter. I grew up with a deaf family so I feel like I’ve been teaching language all my life. I’m able to communicate with people and navigate the world just fine. But I didn’t know how to teach, and develop the curriculum. I was pretty resistant.”
Following the structure of the book she used in her ASL 1 classroom, she began to gain confidence. “I have used interpreters for a variety of points in my life. How can I help influence those students to become amazing interpreters? Many have become fantastic interpreters today. I have to give back. It’s a gift that came from God and how can I use that? I saw the need out there,” she signed.
Daniels is now a full-time program director and associate professor at North Central University (NCU) in Minneapolis, and program director and lead American Sign Language instructor in the Carlstrom Interpreter Training Program, based at NCU.
She teaches college-age hearing students to become interpreters, and she also teaches them deaf culture, what’s appropriate or not appropriate.
“We are not broken. We just can’t hear. It’s helping students understand that. How can we lead — not in front of or behind — but alongside an individual?”
Daniels admits that Saint Mary’s Ed.D. program was her third.
“The first one, I started for two years and struggled to get through the program. I thought it was what I wanted but it wasn’t. The second, I still wasn’t sure. The third go around, Saint Mary’s was recommended. I was very new (to the area) but several teachers had gone to Saint Mary’s for this program,” she explained.
After meeting with the program director, Dr. Jack McClure, Daniels said, ‘I’m ready to wrap it up.’
Finding interpreters and working through accessibility issues the first year wasn’t easy, but she said she found the help she needed. “I needed a live interpreter, and Saint Mary’s was instrumental in figuring out what that would look like for me. All the teachers worked with me and made sure everything was set up. They were very accommodating. They were like, ‘What do you need?’ They provided that access and were able to meet me where I was at.
“That’s why I was able to graduate. I was able to actually finish it and have access to the information that I needed. I am grateful for their support and their willingness to learn.”
She nods when asked if what she learned was applicable to her work. “I have learned so much that has improved my own teaching,” she signed.
“During the second year, we learned about how to make course improvements and how to organize the sequence, which was something I needed in my own program. Because of Saint Mary’s instruction, I learned leadership skills, how to talk with people, how to design things, and what students need in terms of access. Even today, I know students get a bigger benefit because of how the curriculum is structured. We’re able to pull in trends. Those classes taught me, don’t just keep the old things. Preserve the knowledge but tailor it to the needs of current students. Everything I learned I instantly applied.”
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Site Feedback/Changes | Accreditation