Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
Nestingen honored by U.S. Navy for providing outstanding Psy.D. student applicants
Signe Nestingen, Psy.D., a professor and director of clinical training for Saint Mary’s Psy.D. in Counseling Psychology program, is receiving two honors from the U.S. Navy.
This spring, she will receive the U.S. Navy’s Impact Influencer Award. Candidates for this award exemplify education and have been exceedingly impactful to the U.S. Navy Medical Recruitment Program.
Signe Nestingen, Psy.D.
According to Lt. David Acree, the officer in charge of U.S. Naval Medical Programs Talent Acquisitions Group for the Northern Plains, “Over the past two years Saint Mary’s has literally helped to fill one-fourth of the nation’s highly competitive Clinical Psychologist needs. This is due to three main facets, the first is the high caliber students, the second is your rigorous and outstanding program, and lastly is the efforts of Professor Nestingen. Every package that has come out of your school and passed my desk has her signature peppered throughout.”
Acree added that over the past two years, he’s been in regular correspondence with Nestingen about the high-caliber student applicants that she has recommended for several of his clinical psychologist programs.
As part of the recognition ceremony, three students Nestingen has been instrumental in preparing and placing will also be invited: James Selmon-Vasser M’16 and a 2021 Psy.D. graduate; Mariah Olvera M’19 (current intern); and Tuong Setala (a 2019 graduate of the Psy.D. program).
Additionally, in recognition of Nestingen’s work, she was chosen to take an education orientation visit (EOV), beginning Jan. 28, to the U.S. Navy Medical Center at Balboa in San Diego.
Navy Recruiting Command sponsors an annual EOV for Navy Talent Acquisition Groups and various recruiting departments. Competitively selected, civilians are offered the opportunity to witness the pride and professionalism of Navy Medical personnel serving our country. EOVs provide an actively engaged, compactly organized, two-day in-port tour of various Navy commands and installations to key educators with the overarching purpose of increasing their understanding of life in today’s Navy. Additionally, this will be an opportunity for Nestingen, as an educator, to see prior students at work in their new Navy medicine careers.
“I am honored by the recognition from the Naval Medical Program. I am a psychologist, in part because I believe that each of us can contribute to positive change in the world, and in the individual lives of those people with whom we come in contact,” Nestingen said. “As a psychologist and an educator, I am committed to the students finding their best way to make a positive contribution. I am delighted that the quality and caliber of our students and our doctoral psychology program are also recognized by the Naval Medical Program. Our students exemplify the Lasallian principle of together and by association as they bring their talent, passion, knowledge of the science of psychology to their service in the Navy. This recognition from the Navy demonstrates the quality of the Saint Mary’s Psy.D. program and the strength and skill of the faculty.
Psy.D. Program Director Ashley Sovereign, Psy.D., said, “Signe works so hard, so tirelessly, and I have never heard of a director of clinical training who does more to prepare students for internships than she does. I love that they see that and also that they’re happy with our students.”
Carroll-Glover named UPCEA board member
Andrea Carroll-Glover, vice provost of online strategy and programs at Saint Mary’s, is one of 13 new board members for the University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA), the Washington, D.C.-based association for college and university leaders in professional, continuing, and online education. Elected earlier in November 2021, these individuals will assume their roles at the conclusion of the 2022 UPCEA Annual Conference in Orlando, Fla., on April 14, 2022.
“UPCEA’s mission is vitally important to the future of higher education,” said Bob Hansen, UPCEA CEO. “Whether it is leadership in online learning or the rise of alternative credentials, the field needs a Board that is nimble, visionary, and strategic. These new officers and directors bring those attributes to the work of building a truly consequential Board.”
Andrea Carroll-Glover
Carroll-Glover joins representatives from Georgia Institute of Technology, Rutgers University, and Worcester Polytechnic Institute to name but a few, and will serve on the board for a two-year term.
What is the value of having Saint Mary’s represented on this board?
With the university’s new Strategic Plan and goals for national prominence and regional dominance, representation on the UPCEA board is a great way to build Saint Mary’s national reputation and thought leadership in an important dimension of higher education — online and continuing professional education. Beyond thought leadership, board membership provides Saint Mary’s a national voice and a thought leadership opportunity to inform the future of online education across national institutions of higher education.
What are the key initiatives the board is focused on around the growing demand for online and professional education?
As part of the board, members are responsible for strategic planning and governance of the association. This includes monitoring association implementation and serving on committees. Board members serve to support the advancement of UPCEA priorities in the dimensions of enhancing quality standards, excellence, and best practices in online and continuing education and furthering public awareness about online and continuing education by bringing together a community of close to 10,000 practitioners to provide opportunities for collaboration and to learn from one another. This helps colleagues within the UPCEA community grow and improve their online and continuing and professional education practice; support scholarship and research through professional publication and data collection, research, and insights across management discipline areas; and build awareness and connection with industry-leading partners to foster innovation and to support online and continuing professional education units.
Can you talk about the strategic initiative you are leading for Saint Mary’s; what are some milestones we reached already?
A few strategic initiatives and achievements over the past year include:
- One LMS – Moving from two LMS systems (to briefly three) to now one LMS that our students are loving = Canvas.
- Introducing 87 Digital Badges — Aiding in differentiation of our online programs across schools.
- High School Pathways — Introducing new high school partnerships and online learning modalities further extending access to high school students.
- Building brand and reputation — Sharing best practices in Saint Mary’s innovations by speaking nationally at UPCEA’s national and regional conferences, ACHE (American Council for Higher Education) and CAEL (Council for Adult and Experiential Learning).
The Global Online 6c initiative is one of the prioritized Strategic Initiatives for Saint Mary’s. Here a universitywide committee is made up of representatives from across the university and works together to advance Saint Mary’s online strategy by:
- Developing a revenue and funding model for an internal online education service model (internal OPM).
- Developing a comprehensive plan for advancing online operations.
- Evaluating and refining the infrastructure, organization, and online teaching and learning training to support faculty and students.
- Identifying avenues to optimize efficiencies with online partners.
- Defining strategies to incorporate our Lasallian Catholic mission and formation into online programs.
Kicking off in June of 2021, the Global Online 6c committee has made great progress in building a shared understanding of the current online learning ecosystem. The work has benchmarked nationwide best practices in partnership with UPCEA in teaching and learning while assessing our own internal needs to shape a re-imagined strategy for our Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching. Additionally, the committee has evaluated both marketing and admissions practices related to best practices in online support systems leveraging best practices from UPCEA. These are just a couple of great examples of how Saint Mary’s is drawing upon the UPCEA community to shape the future of global online across functional areas.
What do you see as the biggest challenge in this arena for Saint Mary’s?
With a decade of delivering online learning experiences, Saint Mary’s has grown and learned what is necessary to bring to life both high-quality online teaching and learning experiences, as well as the necessary support ecosystem that underpins the complexities in serving online students. Through the Global Online 6c strategic initiative, Saint Mary’s has clearly seen one of the biggest challenges is creating a shared understanding of the many facets of the online learning support ecosystem and the importance of building key capabilities and capacities that cut across traditional higher education silos to support long-term scalable growth. By building a deep understanding of the needs of online learners and thinking differently about support models and structure, Saint Mary’s continues to advance global online systems and processes that serve an online student’s unique needs.
What is one goal you have to advance online learning at Saint Mary’s in the next year?
Building upon what we have learned early in our Global Online 6c initiative, I look forward to advancing the initial strategies outlined in the re-imagined CELT and investing in Saint Mary’s capabilities and capacity-building recommendations tied to the marketing and admissions findings and recommendations. By making thoughtful investments across the multiple functional areas necessary to support a holistic online ecosystem, Saint Mary’s will continue to make strides in strengthening and scaling our global online systems.
Representatives from Saint Mary’s will make two presentations at the annual conference that coincide with the first board meeting? What are they about?
Digital Badges — “So Much More Than A Transcript: The Power and Potential of Digital Badges for Career Self-Advocacy,” has been accepted as a “Network Meeting Spotlight” session for the UPCEA 2022 Annual Conference, hosted April 11-14, in Orlando, Fla. This builds off of our continued work in digital badging.
Equity and Inclusion — “Inclusion and Human Dignity – Creating inclusive and supportive learning environments,” has been accepted as a poster session for the UPCEA 2022 SOLA+R and Annual Conferences This builds off of our fall faculty development series offered through the CELT.
Where no social work researcher has gone before
Like many of her colleagues at Saint Mary’s University, Mallory Knipe, DSW, has presented research at multiple academic conferences during her career in higher education. However, Dr. Knipe, chair of the social work programs at Saint Mary’s, is likely the first from the university to present research at a “Stark Trek” convention.
Throughout the pandemic, Knipe conducted research that looked at the interactions of people participating in the digital community Sid City Social Club. The online community was created by “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)” actor Alexander Siddig and production designer and moderator Melissa Lowery to help support fans who were experiencing isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Knipe wouldn’t refer to herself as a “Trekkie” but says she has a deep appreciation for the beloved science fiction series. Knipe’s connection to the show comes from her late father, who she says wouldn’t have shied away from deeming himself a Trekkie.
“I used to go stay with him for the summers, and that was kind of our thing, staying up to watch Star Trek together almost every night,” she said.
After her father passed away, feeling nostalgic, Knipe began watching “Star Trek: The Generation and Star Trek: DS9.” One night she Googled the actors from the series to see where their careers took them after leaving the sets of the Enterprise and the space station Deep Space Nine. She learned that Siddig had created Sid City Social Club, a social club that met twice a week on Zoom. During these meetings, participants had the unique opportunity to chat with Siddig.
Knipe found her way into the group’s Zoom room and was excited to meet the actor. At the time, she was unsure whether or not she would keep up with the meetings. That changed very quickly.
“So as soon as I joined Sid City, it was really clear that this was a very special community, and a very helpful community and meaningful community to so many people,” she said.
During one of her early visits to the community, Knipe met a friend of Siddig who does fandom research. The two connected, and Knipe asked if she planned to study the interactions in Sid City Social Club. While the fandom researcher had too much on her plate, she encouraged Knipe to undertake a study of the community. After having her research proposal approved by Siddig and the Saint Mary’s Internal Review Board, Knipe went about her mission of going where no social work researcher has gone before.
She spoke to 25 different people from seven different countries to find out what this digital community meant to them during a global crisis, and also frequently a time of isolation and anxiety. One of the biggest things Knipe found was that it provided Siddig’s fans with some form of stability throughout the week.
“During the pandemic, people who were let go from their jobs all of the sudden or were working from home felt kind of like being lost in space,” Knipe said. “People cited the group as something that provided stability during a time of change.”
With a desire to increase stability, the group grew beyond its regular meetings, adding trivia challenges on the weekend and social media groups where people could have extended discussions. It was here where Knipe saw members of the community reaching out to support each other. She found that Sid City Social Club also offered an outlet for socialization during a time when most felt disconnected from others.
“If people were struggling with their mental health or had a family member who was sick, they would say things like, ‘The people of Sid City were incredibly supportive of me, and I don’t know what I would do without this community,’” Knipe said.
After concluding her research, Knipe skipped presenting her findings at an academic conference and instead traveled to Destination Star Trek, a “Star Trek” convention that is held in London. Knipe presented the research on a panel that included “Star Trek: DS9” actors Nana Visitor and Andrew Robinson, and Rob Moriarity, a member of Sid City Social Club. Siddig was also included in a pre-recorded message. For Knipe, the most validating part of the convention was having her work affirmed by others on the panel.
“During the panel, Andy turned to me and said, ‘What you’re doing is so important and meaningful,” Knipe said. “And to have that coming from a ‘Star Trek’ actor was so impactful.”
During her research, Knipe had to distance herself from authentic participation in the activities of Sid City Social Club. However, while doing the research, Knipe she experienced many of the same benefits other participants in the community had found. Now that the research is done, Knipe is looking forward to returning to Sid City Social Club solely as a participant.
“This was my first experience with a fandom, and when I initially started, my intention was to be an outside researcher looking in,” she said. “I really became sucked into the community and loved my participation in this community.”
Knipe recently discussed her research on Saint Mary’s Currents, the university’s new podcast. These podcasts showcase the wide array of expertise at Saint Mary’s University. By weighing in on important and timely topics, we are enhancing our reputation to potential students, benefactors, and community partners. If you have an idea we should discuss, please contact Rodgers at brodgers@smumn.edu. You can listen to the conversation in the audio player below:
Knipe discusses ‘Star Trek,’ social work research on Saint Mary’s Currents podcast
Like many of her colleagues at Saint Mary’s University, Mallory Knipe, DSW, has presented research at multiple academic conferences during her career in higher education. However, Knipe, chair of the social work programs at Saint Mary’s, is likely the first from the university to present research at a “Star Trek” convention. Over the course of the pandemic, Knipe conducted research that looked at the interactions of people participating in the digital community Sid City Social Club. The online community was created by “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (DS9)” actor Alexander Siddig to help support fans who were experiencing isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the most recent episode of Saint Mary’s Currents, Knipe joins podcast host Ben Rodgers to discuss her research and what it was like to present it at Destination Star Trek in London.
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.
MCA to hold auditions for Main reACTion Improv Troupe
Ready to take your improv skills to the next level? If so, Main reACTion is for you! The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) is seeking creative quick-thinkers (ages 8 to 18) to join the Main reACTion Improv Troupe for the remainder of the 2021–2022 school year. Main reACTion’s troupe rehearses monthly and performs at one to two locations/events per school semester.
During auditions, actors and actresses can expect to participate in a variety of improv games. Those auditioning should also bring a calendar with any vacation, known school year activities, or end-of-summer activities on it to note conflicts on the audition form. Troupe members will be selected based on their ability to think on their feet, stage presence, ability to work with others, and variety of ideas. There is no fee to audition, but troupe members will be asked to pay $60 to participate from January to May 2022, which covers all instruction for monthly rehearsals and a t-shirt.
Main ReACTion was established in June 2019 as an activity that was part of Artists on Main Street, a partnership between Winona Main Street, the Preservation Alliance of Minnesota, and Springboard for the Arts with support from the Bush Foundation. Thanks to interest and success, the troupe will continue to provide a creative outlet to area youth and entertain community members of all ages. Auditions, rehearsals, and performances will follow MCA’s COVID-19 Code of Conduct. If you have questions, email mca@smumn.edu or call 507-453-5500.
Auditions: Sunday, Jan. 16, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Academy Theatre at MCA’s home, the Valencia Arts Center (1164 W. 10th St., Winona, MN).
Age: 8 to 18 years old
Cost: $60
Sign up to audition HERE.
Lysne, Haugen discuss teacher burnout on Saint Mary’s Currents
In recent years, the topic of teacher burnout has been a concern among educators. Now with the COVID-19 pandemic, new stresses are being heaped on educators, leading to faster burnout and shortages in community schools. In this episode, Tracy Lysne and Sarah Haugen, program directors for the M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning program, join Saint Mary’s Currents host Ben Rodgers to discuss what led to teacher burnout prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, how the pandemic has made the issue worse, and how to alleviate some of these concerns.
If you enjoy the show and the topics discussed, please be sure to subscribe to Saint Mary’s Currents wherever else you listen to podcasts. You can also listen to previous episodes by visiting the Saint Mary’s Newsroom.
Christmas Greetings
All of us at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota wish you and those you love a Merry Christmas and a joyous New Year filled with good health and abundant blessings.
Employee awards recognize staff dedication to Saint Mary’s
Honored Dec. 8 on the Winona Campus were:
Barb Schmidtknecht, administrative assistant to the provost and dean of faculties
Adjectives used to describe Barb Schmidtknecht include quick, concise, organized, and helpful. After working more than 35 years for the university, she has vast experience and a wealth of institutional knowledge that contributes greatly to the effective and efficient operation of her area. Most recently, she’s worked diligently to address and anticipate needs in academic affairs, specifically related to the pandemic. Moreover, she has continued to demonstrate her signature good cheer and a positive attitude during what has been a stressful time. She also has contributed willingly to the launch of Saint Mary’s nursing program by supporting our efforts to hire administrative staff for that area.
Winona Campus maintenance team
This past summer, the maintenance team put in long hours and worked hard to set up the newly renovated Aquinas Hall classrooms and workspaces on the Winona Campus. The project required preparing the 50,000-square-feet facility for use by faculty, staff and students — and included the single largest simultaneous move of faculty and staff offices in the history of the university (including seven departments and 53 faculty and staff members). While moving furniture, photographs, bulletin boards, and whiteboards — as well as testing the HVAC system and doing landscaping, they were ever pleasant, upbeat, and helpful, setting a superb example of working together and by association. Accepting this award was Lisa Jonsgaard, custodial supervisor; Judd Botcher, building maintenance supervisor; and Les McElmury, head of skilled trades.
Val Upsher, curriculum and assessment coordinator
Val Upsher has been serving and supporting Saint Mary’s faculty and students for nearly 25 years. In her current role, she organizes and oversees a number of critical processes to assist faculty with submitting curriculum and assessment. She also oversees the vast and unwieldy process of editing the course catalog every year. Credited with being the first to volunteer for projects related to annual reporting, she takes on University Program Planning organization, facilitating LifeCycle redesign. Completely organized, never flustered, and never frustrated, Upsher brings a gentle calmness to whatever she does. In her quiet and unassuming way, she has navigated the scope and complexity of change at Saint Mary’s over her 25 years and has helped faculty and staff by remaining patient, caring, and steadfast.
Erika Kim, assistant director of financial aid
Erika Kim is a vital part of the SGPP campus who has played a number of positions: program coordinator, a senior student services specialist learning the basics of international student advising, and now assistant director of financial aid. Her performance in all these roles is characterized by going above and beyond to serve students, consistently providing thorough and accurate responses in a timely manner. Regardless of how stressful a situation becomes or the volume of work in front of her, she is always kind, calm, and compassionate with students, taking the time to get to know them and their stories. A team player, she checks in regularly with her colleagues to be of service, and always has a kind word for those around her.
Students, faculty, and staff are all beneficiaries of Abram Hedtke’s dedication and commitment to serving those directly involved in teaching and learning. Hedtke has guided the university from multiple learning management systems to a single LMS, Canvas. Then, he developed training for two different faculty bodies to advance uniquely different teaching and learning approaches for both using Canvas. He also created an orientation course so students could guide themselves through the transition to Canvas. And, he lent his expertise to help pilot closed captioning for Access Services, provided tech support for the Fall Faculty Conference and the CELT website, as well as created an online professional development series focused on inclusion and human dignity. During a period of workforce restructuring, he also willingly and successfully took on additional direct reports on other campuses and a more visible leadership role.
Saint Mary’s spotlight on Kerri Carlson Anderson
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 Kerri Carlson Anderson, director of Career Services.
Kerri Carlson Anderson, director of Career Services
Name: Kerri Carlson Anderson
Title: Director of Career Services
How long have you worked at Saint Mary’s?
I have been at Saint Mary’s just shy of three months.
How would you describe your role at Saint Mary’s?
I work to promote the recruitment, retention, and graduation of our students through career development, career readiness, and career search strategies. Whether it is an incoming student trying to determine their major, a graduate student, or even an alumnus/na who is already established in their career, it is meeting them where they are at and helping to connect them with the resources, network, tools, and support to achieve their career goals.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy being able to connect with the greater community to learn about the needs of our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and employers and building out the future of career services at Saint Mary’s. To be able to lead the effort to build a strong Career Services program for our university is truly an honor that I don’t take lightly.
As director of Career Services, how do you hope to expand the services of the office to both campuses?
I am hoping we are able to find grant opportunities that the university might apply for along with donors who understand the importance of Career Services and want to contribute to our work so that we can add to our staff and more fully serve the majority of our students. In the short term, I am working with the associate director and our half-time administrative assistant to find ways to maximize the resources we do have. We will be rolling out a communication plan at the start of spring semester to show the ways we are here to help. I am also exploring ways we may partner with the counseling program to have practicum students in our office as well as tap into our talented Saint Mary’s alumni.
How do your role and the office you oversee help meet Saint Mary’s vision of developing “ethically-guided graduates leading in their communities and succeeding in their careers.”
Throughout college, students need to learn how to document and integrate what they are learning in the classroom, experiential learning, and involvement into the world of work. We are here to help students identify how they want to use their Saint Mary’s education and help them package it in a way to sell their experience and demonstrate to employers, graduate schools, etc., why a Saint Mary’s graduate is the best person for the opportunity.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
As a first-generation college student, I struggled as an undergraduate, and if you asked me or those who knew me during college, I was the last person you would have thought would go on to graduate school. However, I have learned to pay attention to the nudges. I fell in love with working in higher education and, to progress in my career, I needed to complete my master’s degree. I had wonderful mentors and supervisors who saw my potential, encouraged me, and provided the support and flexibility I needed to successfully complete my master’s program while working full-time and commuting three hours each week for two and a half years to do it. Of that same group of people who knew me in college, I was the first one to complete a master’s degree.
Looking at the “Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission,” which of the 12 declarations resonates with you the most? Why?
The declaration that resonates the most with me is No. 11, “We believe that today’s realities demand taking risks and being creative.” Part of what drew me to Saint Mary’s was the energy I felt and the commitment to respond to the changing needs in our world right now. If we intend to remain relevant and serve the needs of our students and the greater world, we have to change. Higher education is an investment, and students who are making the decision to invest their precious time and resources into their college careers need to see that we are preparing them to meet the needs of the time. While this change sometimes brings about endings and can be hard, it also allows for new growth and opportunities. In my career, I have often come into institutions at this point of key change, and I appreciated the challenge to work as part of the team to transform the work being done and see the results.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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