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Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Jonathan Haidt to keynote Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Forum
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota announced today that renowned author and speaker Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist widely considered to be one of the world’s leading experts on the psychology of morality, will speak on the topic “What Capitalism Does To Us and For Us” at its 2022 Hendrickson Forum.
At the Thursday, April 7, event, presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership, Haidt will specifically address the ethics of capitalism, which requires that we first understand why the left and the right disagree so sharply about what it is and what its effects are. It’s Haidt’s hope that in the 21st century, we may come to understand capitalism and the human person well enough to better control our own destiny and that “we may attain forms of capitalism that exemplify dynamism with decency.”
Jonathan Haidt
“At the Hendrickson Institute, we strive to empower leaders with tools to become creative, ethical, and globally oriented,” said Brother Robert Smith, FSC, Ph.D., vice president of university initiatives and special advisor to the president, who leads the Hendrickson Forum. “We look forward to hearing Professor Haidt’s insight into business ethics and how to develop tools and techniques business and organization leaders can use and should use.”
Drawing on extensive research surrounding the book he is currently writing — “Three Stories about Capitalism: The moral psychology of economic life” — Haidt will help people think about capitalism, business, prosperity, and ethics, not just in North America and Europe, but in the world’s many rapidly developing countries, where he’s found great interest in understanding the relationships between morality, prosperity, and society. Any country that gets capitalism right will prosper; the costs of getting it wrong are immense.
About Haidt
Haidt’s research has helped people to understand those who differ from them morally — not just across nations, but across the political divide within each nation.
Haidt has excelled as a teacher and public speaker. He won three teaching awards from the University of Virginia, and one from the governor of Virginia. His four TED talks have been viewed more than 7 million times. He has presented his work at the World Economic Forum, the Aspen Ideas Festival, the British Academy, and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts.
He was named a “Top 100 Global Thinker” by Foreign Policy magazine in 2012, and one of the 65 “World Thinkers of 2013” by Prospect magazine.
Haidt earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University in 1985 and his Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. He then did postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago and in Orissa, India. He was a professor in the department of Psychology at the University of Virginia from 1995 until 2011, when he joined the NYU Stern School of Business.
He is the author of more than 100 academic articles and four books. Haidt is the author of The Righteous Mind: Why Good People are Divided by Politics and Religion; The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, Flourishing: Positive Psychology and the Life Well-Lived, and The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure.
The Hendrickson Forum
Once a year, during the Hendrickson Forum, Saint Mary’s brings an internationally recognized speaker to its Twin Cities Campus to engage Saint Mary’s faculty, staff, and students, and the wider community in timely and important conversations.
This year’s event will be held Thursday, April 7, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., with check-in and networking beginning at 11 a.m. at the Saint Mary’s University Center at 2540 Park Ave. in Minneapolis. The event is open to the public and general admission tickets are $75 per person, which includes lunch. Reduced rates are offered to faculty, staff, and students. Advance registration is required. More information and online registration is available at smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.
The program also includes a presentation of the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership. The recipient of that award, given by the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership, will be announced at a later date.
Haidt will join a distinguished roster of former speakers: Nicholas Christakis, the late Cokie Roberts, Zanny Minton-Beddoes, Jon Huntsman, Jr., James Stavridis, Sheila Bair, Ian Bremmer, John Micklethwait, and more. Focusing on issues ranging from global migration to microfinance, world-altering events to the new world order, the Hendrickson Forum is a venue for thought-provoking information and discussion.
About the Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership
The Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership is an educational enterprise of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and serves as an educational and transformational resource to the community. Founded in 1994 and located in Minneapolis on the Twin Cities Campus of Saint Mary’s University, the institute serves both current and emerging leaders. It is an academic resource for the university and the wider community, and a forum for exploration of ethical issues. As part of its mission, the institute provides programs that encourage and develop ethical, globally oriented leaders; offers integrative leadership models; promotes practical ethical principles; and infuses leaders with an appreciation of spirituality and free enterprise. For additional information, visit smumn.edu/HendricksonInstitute.
Sandbar Storytelling Festival to launch in Winona
The Sandbar Storytelling Festival, the first of its kind in Minnesota, will premiere in Winona Oct. 13-15, 2022. With a mission of promoting the art of storytelling for all ages, this three-day event will include exciting performances and compelling chronicles by renowned international storytellers.
In addition to the public two-day festival Oct. 14-15, which will include food, workshops, concerts, and — of course — storytelling at Saint Mary’s University, multiple events are also planned for Winona schools, universities, and other venues on Oct. 13.
The public is invited to join in celebrating and preserving the power and pleasure of our varied cultural traditions and human experiences.
The idea for this event originated with Winonan Hywel “Taff” Roberts, president of the Sandbar Storytelling Festival. Thinking back on particularly meaningful periods in his life, Roberts was inspired to explore an annual gathering to promote the art of storytelling “as a way of teaching, understanding, respecting, and appreciating other cultures, nations, races, and religions.”
The inaugural list of festival storytellers will include:
Bil Lepp — five-time champion of the West Virginia Liars Contest. Although a champion liar, Lepp’s stories often contain morsels of truth, which present universal themes in clever and witty ways. His children’s books and audio collections have won numerous awards. He’s been featured on, and guest hosted for, NPR’s Mountain Stage.
Carolina Quiroga-Stultz — a Colombian social communicator who graduated in 2013 with a Masters in Storytelling from East Tennessee State University. Her bilingual stories explore the Native Latin American and Hispanic myths, legends, and mysteries. She is one of four teacher artists selected to undergo a year’s residency by the Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through ArtsFound at San Antonio.
Rev. Robert Jones Sr. — a native Detroiter and inspirational storyteller and musician celebrating the history, humor and power of American Roots music. For more than 30 years, he has entertained and educated audiences of all ages. At the heart of his message is the belief that our cultural diversity tells a story that we should celebrate and not just tolerate. He has recorded six albums of original and traditional songs, and is the former host of award-winning radio programs on Detroit Public Radio’s WDET-FM Detroit.
Alton Takiyama-Chung — chairman of the board of directors of the National Storytelling Network. Takiyama-Chung grew up hearing the stories, superstitions, and magic of the Hawaiian Islands. He tells the stories of the plantation days, the Japanese American experience of WWII, Asian folktales, Hawaiin legends, and ghost stories. He has been a featured teller at numerous international storytelling festivals.
Regi Carpenter — the youngest daughter in a family that pulsates with contradictions. She will share these contradictions, described as religious and raucous, tender but terrible, unfortunate yet irrepressible. These tales celebrate the lives of four generations of Carpenters from Clayton, New York.
Mark your calendars and watch for additional upcoming storytelling events. Tickets will go on sale later this spring. For more information, go to https://sandbarstorytellingfestival.org/.
Schissel discusses depression, suicide on Saint Mary’s Currents podcast
With news of the tragic suicide of former Miss USA and correspondent for ‘Extra,’ Cheslie Kryst, our focus has again turned to Mental Health in the United States. According to the CDC, suicide was responsible for more than 47,500 deaths in 2019, and is on the rise in almost every state. In this episode of Saint Mary’s Currents, core assistant professor Ann Schissel, Ph.D. joins us to discuss depression and suicide, and offer advice and resources.
If you enjoy the show and the topics discussed, subscribe to Saint Mary’s Currents wherever you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to previous episodes by visiting the Saint Mary’s Newsroom.
Intercultural Communication class takes group project to a global level
Students in one of Lori Charron’s communication classes last semester took the word “group project” to a global level.
In the Intercultural Communication class, Charron had her students tackle solving a world problem by teaming up with students at UniLasalle-France, another Lasallian Catholic university. For the project, the students were tasked with identifying a current issue and potential solutions for a specific problem by learning from each other’s country’s perspectives and initiatives. The topics could range from global hunger to climate change.
Upon completion of the project, the students from the two universities had to produce a roundtable discussion with their group where they discussed the issue and the solutions they had come to within their group. The Saint Mary’s students also had to give presentations about what it is like to work in an international team.
“This was really a win-win project,” Charron said. “For the students from UniLasalle, they had the opportunity to practice their English. What my students got out of the project is the opportunity to work on an international team.”
Public relations and digital media major Felicity Bieker said she felt extremely overwhelmed when she heard about the project.
“Prior to this, I had never worked with anyone abroad,” she said. “I’ve traveled abroad but have never worked one-on-one with someone from another country.”
Bieker said her concerns about long-distance coordination and potential language barriers did not last long. The first, and only, hurdle to get over was finding times to meet. According to Bieker, it became apparent quickly that conversing over email would not work.
After switching communication to a messaging app, the group was able to nail down a regular meeting time.
Bieker and her group chose to examine disability rights and laws in France and the United States. For the senior, the project not only allowed her to learn more about what laws relating to the topic exist in both countries, but it also allowed her and the entire group to find parallels the two countries share regarding the issue.
“The biggest thing we found is that stigmas surrounding handicaps and disabilities are pervasive throughout the world,” Bieker said. “It’s not just the United States and France.”
As an added benefit of the connection, the students also got geography lessons by learning more about each others’ countries.
“During the first few Zoom meetings, we took the time to learn the differences between our cultures, like holidays and the education system,” she said. “It was really fascinating to identify differences and similarities.”
With a semester of school left, Bieker is unsure of what she wants to do when she graduates. However, she says she sees herself using the tools she gained from the class project in her personal and professional life moving forward.
“I think the project itself has helped me to communicate more clearly. It also taught me to ask questions and ask for clarity \ if you don’t understand what someone is saying.”
Saint Mary’s named NCAA Division III Team Works Service Challenge winner
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University has always touted that those who play collegiately for the Cardinals are not only great athletes, but great students as well.
But being a successful student — and an athlete — are just two of three prongs to being a Cardinal.
The third? A desire, drive, and determination to give back.
Cardinal student-athletes learned today (Wednesday, Feb. 2) that in recognition of their community service, the NCAA office named Saint Mary’s the NCAA Division III Team Works Service Challenge winner.
“NCAA student-athletes continue to give back to the communities that support them on a regular basis across the nation. It is our pleasure to recognize their tremendous efforts to impact their communities in this great time of need nationwide,” said Victor Hill, associate director of Team Works, which is an NCAA championships initiative. “In addition to earning a degree and having the privilege to compete at a national level, we see that doing community service also contributes to the overall student-athlete experience in a very positive way that in many cases produces a life-long commitment to social responsibility.”
“At Saint Mary’s, our athletic department prides itself on developing the whole person, not just the athlete,” said Saint Mary’s women’s hockey coach Sarah Murray, who serves as the department’s volunteer coordinator. “Serving others is one of the best ways for our athletes to develop empathy, cooperation, and gratitude, shifting the focus from themselves to the needs of others. It also allows us to meet and learn from a range of new people and create memorable experiences with our teammates and members of our community that will last a lifetime.”
NCAA Team Works, which coordinates community service efforts at the NCAA championships, and Helper Helper, a volunteer management and tracking platform, launched the community service competition to recognize student-athletes who give back to their communities. The competition, which ran from September through November, is based on the number of service hours completed and the number of participating student-athletes. Helper Helper tracks the school participation data throughout the competition.
This is the Cardinals’ first year competing in the challenge, and Saint Mary’s student-athletes jumped into action logging more than 2,000 hours — helping make a $34,219 economic impact on their community during the challenge. Through the first semester, Cardinal student-athletes — who have a goal of 5,000 volunteer hours during the 2021-22 school year — have logged 2,204 hours since June 1.
“I truly feel it is important to volunteer, because even though we may be student-athletes, that is only part of who we are,” said Jordan Keeley, a senior goalie on the Cardinal women’s hockey team — and a nominee for the 2022 Hockey Humanitarian Award. “There is so much more to our identity than our athletic performance and abilities. We have other passions, values, and beliefs.
“Getting out in the community gives us the opportunity to learn and grow through experiences we have while serving others,” Keeley added. “As athletes, we have a platform to advocate for what we believe. We can be the change we wish to see in our communities — which makes volunteering incredibly gratifying. Not only does serving others make you as an individual feel good, but being able to see the difference you can make in someone else’s life is an incredible experience of itself. “
Teams have already taken part in a number of significant volunteer endeavors, including the Think Pink Breast Cancer Awareness Color Run; assisting with freshman move-in; working with the seniors in the Winona community; taking part in the Adopt-A-Highway campaign; and organizing and running Saint Mary’s Cardinal Fest, as well as the Green Bandana Mental Health Awareness Run.
“I believe community service is an amazing opportunity for student-athletes to get involved in their community and create a positive environment for the people we live alongside,” said Kyle Palmberg, a sophomore member of Saint Mary’s men’s soccer team. “Acting as a servant leader and providing strong examples of the good deeds that can be done for the betterment of the community are extremely gratifying to me as a student-athlete.”
“We are thrilled to be atop the standings for the Team Works Service Challenge,” said Saint Mary’s athletic director Brian Sisson. “This is a testament to all of our student-athletes and staff and for the large impact they make on a daily basis both in the Winona and the surrounding campus community. Service and making an impact on others is a huge part of what we are about at Saint Mary’s within the athletic department. We look forward to a great upcoming semester with our student-athletes and staff and continuing to make a positive impact in the local community.”
Also honored by the NCAA were the University of North Dakota in the Division I category and Arkansas Tech University in Division II. Finishing behind North Dakota in the Division I competition was Towson University, and the University of Miami. Division II second-and third-place finishers included Georgian Court University and Georgia Southwestern State University, respectively, and Shenandoah University and the University of the Ozarks rounded out the Division III second and third-place spots.
Saint Mary’s will no longer host the International Lasallian Research Symposium
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has made the decision to no longer host the International Lasallian Research Symposium. Begun in 2012, these gatherings have had a good run, have been both meaningful and enjoyable, and have served the purpose of bringing together Lasallians engaged in higher education globally.
In the past two years, with the many unknowns about the COVID-19 pandemic, we were forced to cancel both the 2020 and 2021 meetings. Further, given the current surge of the Omicron variant and its attendant implications on health, travel, and related challenges, additional issues and concerns are again raised for us and our institutions in regard to shorter- and longer-term planning.
As university leadership stated in a communication canceling last year’s Symposium, Saint Mary’s is continuing to plan for the future, exploring ways to exchange ideas, share practices, and strengthen our networks locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Specifically, The Very Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., president of Saint Mary’s, has asked the School of Education to begin to explore the design of a possible new conference to ensure the university’s Lasallian identity continues to enrich our pedagogy, scholarship, and practice.
Saint Mary’s Spotlight: Amy Heinz
The Marketing and Communication Office will be profiling Saint Mary’s University leaders regularly in the Cardinal Update. Our goal is to showcase those overseeing and guiding key areas important to our strategic initiatives. This week, we feature Amy Heinz, O.T.D., dean of the School of Health and Human Services.
Name: Amy Heinz
Title: Dean for the School of Health and Human Services (SHHS)
How long have you worked at Saint Mary’s?
I’ve been at Saint Mary’s for a little over three years. I started at Saint Mary’s in the in the role of program director for the M.A.in Health and Human Services Administration. I began serving as interim dean for SHHS in October 2021 and have taken the position on permanently as of this month.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
I love collaborating with colleagues through problem-solving, creating, developing, and learning! Another favorite part of my job is seeing students complete their degrees despite all sorts of life challenges. This past weekend, it was deeply meaningful to see graduates in the SHHS come across the stage at commencement, several of whom I have had the pleasure of working with since I started at Saint Mary’s in 2018.
What are your hopes for the future of Saint Mary’s?
One of my hopes for Saint Mary’s it to continue to grow in regional and national recognition. We have amazing staff, faculty, administrators, and programming with an abundance of opportunities for students to benefit from! I hope we can cast an even greater net of awareness of the good work we do at Saint Mary’s!
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
I am most proud of completing my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy with an emphasis in education in 2015. The degree was fully online with travel onsite four times to Rocky Mountain University in Provo, Utah. I am proud of this accomplishment because I was able to excel at my studies while working full time and raising three young girls. Going forward, I hope that this, along with my current and future professional accomplishments, serves as an inspiration to my daughters of all the things working moms are capable of.
Looking at the “Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission,” which of the 12 declarations resonates with you the most? Why?
Declaration nine (We believe that Lasallian education is an expression of Christian humanism) resonates with me the most. I am proud of the Lasallian education that we provide Saint Mary’s University. Grounded in academic excellence, lifelong learning, and the formation of faith, character, and virtue. Lasallian education aims to develop learners into leaders who can meet the needs of society in ways that are ethical, inclusive, and socially just. This is undeniably intrinsically aligned with a Christian humanistic lens. Saint Mary’s works not to just foster the development of those we serve with practical skills sets that meet industry needs, but we strive to meet the demands of society in a way that is holistic and serves the greater good. This is needed now more than ever and is indeed something we should be proud of!
U.S. News ranking, published op-ed help elevate Saint Mary’s in the public eye
As Saint Mary’s University continues to strive to be nationally prominent and regionally dominant, we look to identify ways to stand out for prospective students and their families. In the past few weeks, Saint Mary’s has been elevated in the public eye with new rankings released by U.S. News and World Report, as well as an opinion article penned by two faculty members that was published in the Star Tribune.
U.S. News and World Report rankings
Saint Mary’s University is listed No. 1 in Minnesota for its online MBA and its online business master’s programs, according to U.S. News and World Report’s latest rankings, announced Jan. 25.
Saint Mary’s ranks 191 in the 2022 “Best Online MBA Programs” category and is the top Minnesota school listed. It also ranked No. 103 in the “Business, Non-MBA Master’s” category and is again the top school in the state listed.
U.S. News evaluated both online business categories using five criteria: engagement, expert opinion, faculty credentials and training, student excellence, and student services and technology.
“These rankings are particularly meaningful for Saint Mary’s because their criteria for excellence is the same as ours,” said Michelle Wieser, dean of Saint Mary’s School of Business and Technology. “It’s our goal to provide students with instructors who are accessible and responsive as well as knowledgeable and current in their field. We are grateful that employers hold our MBA programs in high regard. This is a testament to our graduates, their ambitions, and skill levels. This combination, paired with advancing online learning technologies, is the recipe for successful outcomes-focused programs.”
Opinion article by Haugen, Lysne published in Star Tribune
On Sunday, Jan. 23, an opinion article written by Sarah Haugen and Tracy Lysne, program directors for the M.Ed. program at Saint Mary’s, was published in the Star Tribune’s print edition, as well as the paper’s website.
The article discussed the issue of teacher burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and how it might be addressed moving forward. The article was written after Haugen and Lysne discussed the same topic on the university’s official podcast, Saint Mary’s Currents.
Having faculty, staff, and administrators highlighted in local and national media is an excellent way to display the expertise they hold in their field.
With the success of having this article published, the Marketing and Communications Department will continue to identify ways to share the expertise of the university’s employees.
More than 300 graduates honored during SGPP commencement
On Saturday, Jan 22, the Saint Mary’s University community gathered to celebrate the graduates of the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs.
Inside Orchestra Hall in downtown Minneapolis, a new venue for the university’s SGPP commencement ceremonies, bachelor’s completion, master’s, and doctoral degrees were conferred upon nearly 330 graduates.
During the ceremony, graduates heard words of encouragement from their classmates as they began the next steps in their personal and professional lives.
“As we embark into the world, newly minted graduates, the world presents challenges and opportunities,” said Peter Kazeminejad, who received his Ed.D. in Leadership degree. “Oftentimes, the same event can be perceived as a challenge or an opportunity. It all depends on your perspective, and I encourage each of you to seek out the opportunity side of each event you encounter. It is easy to find people who begin things with ‘you can’t.’ Seek out those who begin sentences with ‘You can,’ or ‘I believe in you’. Trust me these people help you to identify the possibilities that exist in every situation. They seek to better the lives of themselves and those around them. Their encouragement can help light the path on the darkest days. As we go into the world and turn to our lives and careers, my advice is to seek out those positive influences, those encouragers who make life valuable and rich. And while you’re at it, make sure to be the one to light someone else’s path on their darkest day.”
Graduates also took time to uplift the faculty they interacted with and spoke of the general sense of belonging they found while at Saint Mary’s
“The biggest reason I decided to go to this school was because of the sense of community. I really didn’t understand the phrase ‘Minnesota Nice,’ until I witnessed it myself,” said Haley Williams, a Colorado native who received her B.S. in Marketing. “Whether online or in person, it never felt like I wasn’t a member of the Saint Mary’s community.”
Being the first group from SGPP to gather for commencement since the COVID-19 outbreak, The Very Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., commended the graduates — the first to be able to gather for an in-person commencement since the pandemic began — for their hard work during such a trying time.
“You know better than most what it’s like to achieve an education in a time of great challenge. A time that is already changing how we work and how we live, and how and with whom we spend our time and interact,” Burns said. “The pandemic, for many, has brought sadness and loss. It has also shown a light on our need for connectivity, adaptability, and creativity. This requires courage and balance. In this time, you all have been examples of the kind of fortitude, resilience, will, and determination necessary to advance us all toward a better tomorrow.”
Since the number of guests was limited due to COVID-19 precautions, Saint Mary’s offered a video streaming options for those who could not make it to the ceremony in person. As of Friday, the stream had just over 4,100 views.
Watch video footage of the ceremony in the video box below:
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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