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Saint Mary’s spotlight on Michael Lovorn
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 Michael Lovorn, Ph.D., dean of the School of Education.
Name: Michael Lovorn
Title: Dean of the School of Education
How long have you worked at Saint Mary’s?
I have been with Saint Mary’s and the School of Educations for about eight months.
How would you describe your role at Saint Mary’s?
Michael Lovorn, Ph.D.
The School of Education has a current enrollment of about 1,300 students across 10 programs. As dean of education, my role includes providing leadership and advocacy for these programs; envisioning technological and curricular innovations; ensuring our student-centered, Lasallian learning environment; supporting our expert faculty and staff as they engage in high-level teaching, research, and service; and effectively stewarding our school’s resources.
What’s your favorite part of your job?
Without a doubt, my favorite part of this job is working with talented faculty and staff as they provide our students with invaluable learning and professional advancement opportunities. Saint Mary’s University School of Education alumni change our world for the better every day. In large part, this is a credit to our student-centered faculty and staff.
What are your hopes for the future of Saint Mary’s?
I have many hopes for the School of Education and Saint Mary’s. Notably, my immediate hope is that we continue to emerge from the pandemic by making positive gains in enrollment and student services. I also hope we continue distinguishing ourselves from peer institutions by remaining agile and prominent in the field, thinking creatively about Lasallian education, promoting life-changing programs, and pursuing innovation. Longer range hopes include growing the School of Education footprint to include international programs.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
I have two answers to this question. First, I am perpetually proud of the fact that, for over 15 years now, I have been actively engaged in teacher preparation and education research. Schools of education provide indispensable services to communities across this country and beyond, and I am proud to have been a small part of such an essential process. Second, I can’t help but express how proud I (STILL) am to be the first person in my family to attend college. Even more so, I am proud of the fact that my daughters followed in my footsteps. Today, Aubrey (26) is a fifth-grade teacher, and Kelly (25) is a social worker, noble careers. Yes, I’m a proud dad.
Looking at the “Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission,” which of the 12 declarations resonates with you the most? Why?
Each of these declarations resonates with me in some compelling way, but as I complete this survey, my thoughts are immediately drawn to #6: “We believe that education makes possible the search for and transmission of the truth.” My life continues to be marked in no small part by a personal quest for truth. Of course, I attribute this often humbling enterprise to education, and believe this may be one of the greatest life lessons we can pass along to our students.
Eubank and Fox receive Brother John Johnston, FSC Award for contributions to Lasallian mission
Two longtime Lasallian professors and scholars from Saint Mary’s University will be honored with the Brother John Johnston, FSC Award for their significant contributions to the Lasallian mission on Saint Mary’s campus and beyond.
Roxanne Eubank, Ed.D., and Mary Catherine Fox, AFSC, Ph.D., will be celebrated during the opening session of the Huether Lasallian Conference on Thursday, Nov. 18, in Baltimore, Maryland. Established by the former Regional Education Board in 2009, the Johnston Award is now presented by the Lasallian Education Council (LEC). It was named in honor of Brother John, the 25th Superior General of the Brothers of the Christian Schools, for his uniquely significant lifetime contribution to the Lasallian mission. Eubank and Fox will be the first women to be honored with this award.
Eubank served at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota for 30 years in a variety of roles, including as director of the Institute for Lasallian Studies and faculty member in the Ed.D. program. She is a pioneer in scholarly research on women in the Lasallian story and fosters research by others on this topic. Among her many contributions to her university and beyond, Eubank led the International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU) Leadership Program for many years, co-founded AXIS: Journal of Lasallian Higher Education and founded the International Lasallian Research Symposium, which is co-sponsored by Christian Brothers Conference. She has served Regional programs as a presenter at the Huether Lasallian Conference and the Buttimer Institute of Lasallian Studies, along with helping to design the Brother John Johnston Institute of Contemporary Lasallian Practice. She was a participant in the Region’s first Lasallian Women’s Symposium and the 2nd International Mission Assembly, both held in 2013. The Midwest District honored her as a Distinguished Lasallian Educator in 2012.
Roxanne Eubank, Ed.D.
Speaking to Eubank’s commitment to the Lasallian mission, Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D., longtime president and chancellor at Saint Mary’s, noted, “From my very first encounters with Roxanne until this day, I have admired and have been amazed how she so clearly makes real our beloved Lasallian refrain to ‘teach minds and touch hearts.’ Her students consistently share reflections about Roxanne’s patience, caring, and warmhearted style that she brings as she accompanies them on their learning journeys. Her faculty colleagues seek out her advice and counsel as how to better reflect Lasallian values with their students.”
Brother William Mann, FSC, former Saint Mary’s president, described Eubank as a “worker, initiator and servant leader. Her loyalty, humility, self-sacrifice, and dedication to the deepening and furthering of the Lasallian educational mission is remarkable.”
Fox, an alumna of Saint Mary’s, returned to the university in 1990, where she served for 28 years in a variety of roles, including service as the first dean of the School of Business, Computer Science and Media Communications, vice president of University Relations, and professor in Interdisciplinary Studies. She currently serves as professor emerita at Saint Mary’s and on the Lewis University Board of Trustees. Among her many contributions beyond her university, Fox served the Midwest District over many years through District Chapters and Assemblies and on the District Council, served as a delegate to the Regional Assembly in 2005 and to the International Assembly on Association in 2006, and taught for many years in the International Association of Lasallian Universities (IALU) Leadership Program. The Midwest District honored Fox as a Distinguished Lasallian Educator in 2013, and she was recognized as an Affiliated De La Salle Christian Brother in 2014.
Mary Catherine Fox, AFSC, Ph.D.
“Dr. Mary Fox, AFSC, has completely embraced and has been embraced by the charism that animates our significant mission of the human and Christian education of youth, especially the poor,” shared Brother Michael Fehrenbach, FSC, Midwest District Visitor. “Her service to the Midwest District, the Region and the international Institute has been incredibly valuable to individual ministries, as well as the global mission. We treasure her presence and her ministry.”
Describing Fox as a “genuine, devoted and passionate champion of all that is Lasallian,” Brother Louis shared, “To know and work alongside Mary Catherine is to be seized and captured in her unwavering dedication and commitment to the essence and spirit of the Founder. Mary Catherine proclaims, teaches and lives her Lasallian values and spirit. She is not content with ‘being’ Lasallian because Mary Catherine is all about ‘doing’ Lasallian!”
Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., Saint Mary’s president, congratulated Eubank and Fox and acknowledged their significant work, writing, “They each have made a unique contribution to the Lasallian mission, thereby influencing the lives of so many, especially students.”
Calling them “exemplary Lasallian educators,” Brother Superior General Robert Schieler, FSC, wrote, “Their professional lives are dedicated to improving the lot of others by witnessing to the Gospel and providing them with holistic formative and academic experiences. In addition to their duties at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, Mary and Roxanne have been assiduous in modeling and describing the Lasallian charism and heritage to countless Lasallian educators around the world.”
The Johnston Award recognizes Brothers and Lasallian Partners who, like Brother John, have endeavored on the international or Regional levels over the course of many years to advance the Institute’s mission to provide a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor. It is presented to those whose leadership, teaching, evangelization, or scholarly research and writing have borne witness to an abiding faith and zeal, and whose efforts have had a transformative impact upon the founding story as lived today.
Previous distinguished recipients of the Johnston Award include: Brother Miguel Campos, FSC; Brother Luke Salm, FSC; Father Kenan Osborne, OFM; Brother Frederick Mueller, FSC; Brother William Mann, FSC; Brother Lawrence Goyette, FSC; Brother James Gaffney, FSC; Gery Short, AFSC; Brother Jeffrey Calligan, FSC; and Brother Gerard Rummery, FSC.
Saint Mary’s continues conversations around character and virtue education with visit from Dr. Julie Nagashima
As Saint Mary’s continues facilitating conversations around character and virtue education, the School of Education hosted Dr. Julie Nagashima, Ph.D., Nov. 10 to discuss faculty perceptions regarding the teaching of character education.
Nagashima led a seminar for faculty, staff, and administration, focusing on an article she co-authored for the Journal of Moral Education, titled “Sensegathering and iteration: the evolution of a character education framework in higher education.” Nagashima later presented “Faculty Perceptions of University Character Education” to 25 members of the Saint Mary’s community and visitors.
As part of her research, Nagashima studied a large, public university’s implementation of a character education program. During her research, Nagashima looked at the faculty’s sentiments toward character education and how their practices in the classroom were already connected to character education.
According to Nagashima, faculty members at the university became increasingly supportive of the idea of teaching character within the classroom. In fact, during a small group conversation around the topic, instructors realized many of them had already embedded character education into their work.
Some of the Saint Mary’s faculty in attendance saw a similarity between the two schools. They agreed that character formation is present in a lot of the work they already do, and Saint Mary’s renewed focus on character and virtue education is an added benefit.
“Looking at Saint Mary’s and the virtues that we’re already embedding in our instruction, the character education, I would say, is a perfect fit with what we’re already doing here,” said Craig Sundberg, Ed.S., program director of the Ed.S. in Educational Administration program. “So it’s strengthening what I consider to be an already strong program.”
Christine Beech, D.M., executive director for the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, could visualize other aspects of Nagashima’s study working well at Saint Mary’s as the university continues to make character and virtue education a priority.
“I love the idea of gathering in small groups,” she said. “Dr. Nagashima talked about being able to bring together a small group of people to process and bring out their thoughts around the topic of character education. I think that would work really well here.”
One of the visitors in attendance at Nagashima’s lecture was Barbara Shin, a retired administrator of Minneapolis schools and an active member of the Minnesota Character Council, a local organization that advocates for the development of character and ethical leadership. Shin said she is pleased to see Saint Mary’s put an emphasis on character formation inside of the classroom.
“The fact that Dr. Nagashima was here today speaking on the topic is a real sign of support that Saint Mary’s is trying to develop this concept of moral education and character education,” she said.
“The School of Education is continually trying to find ways to support the university’s renewed focus on character and virtue education for the benefit of our students,” said Michael Hahn, Ph.D., assistant dean of the School of Education. “Inviting speakers like Dr. Nagashima to campus in order to learn from their experience is one important way we do this.”
Nagashima is a visiting assistant professor of ethical leadership and the coordinator of the character education certificate program at North Central College. She graduated from University of Pittsburgh with a Ph.D. in Education. Her dissertation focused on relationships and their significance for fostering student agency. She began her educational career as an intern and program coordinator supporting programs including UNESCO associated schools project at University of Pittsburgh. Following her internship, she worked for a nonprofit organization as an educational program coordinator and developed mentoring programs for undergraduate and graduate students in the Pittsburgh area for six years. After graduating with her doctorate, Nagashima worked as a postdoctoral research associate for two years where she supported the research and development of character initiatives at Arizona State University.
Nagashima’s visit to Saint Mary’s was made possible through the $1.7 million grant awarded to the university by the Kern Family Foundation to support the school’s renewed and invigorated focus on character and virtue education.
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, University of San Diego form partnership benefiting students nationwide
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota and the University of San Diego are pleased to announce a new partnership that provides flexibility and an added academic pathway for students studying innovation and entrepreneurship at both schools.
Beginning with the spring semester 2022, students at Saint Mary’s who successfully complete a graduate certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship can earn 6 credits in the M.S. in Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship program at the University of San Diego. Both programs are taught online, broadening the opportunity for students nationwide to participate.
According to Michelle Wieser, Ph.D., dean of the School of Business and Technology, the partnership celebrates both universities’ missions and service to students. “We share similar missions, and our goals and outcomes for students are closely aligned,” she said. “Together, we will provide students with the best education possible in the areas of innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship.”
Saint Mary’s certificate students can not only continue into a full master’s degree with the University of San Diego, their students can also earn our certificate, with those courses counting toward their full program. Students in Saint Mary’s certificate programs have many additional paths they can choose, from taking the one certificate, building micro-credentials of a few certificates, to having a certificate count toward other online degrees.
Wieser says, “We’ve designed our certificate programs to be flexible and beneficial to our students, and this new partnership is another example of how we are thinking outside of the box to help our students excel in their careers.”
Dr. Brian Schmisek, provost and dean of faculties, said, “This partnership continues our efforts to enhance academic options available to our students. Like other such agreements we have signed, this provides Saint Mary’s students with even more degree pathways. Fostering innovation and serving our students are essential elements of our strategic plan and this partnership advances both.”
Alumni receives regional Emmy for work in live sports programming
Covering 120 Twins baseball games throughout an entire season, even if it’s your dream job, can become tedious.
For Rick Palermo ’16, who produces pre and post-game TV shows for the Twins, Timberwolves, and the Minnesota Wild for Bally Sports North, there is one baseball game from the past season that now stands out. And that’s the game that’s post-game show landed Palermo a 2021 Upper Midwest Emmy for Outstanding Achievement for Live Sports Programming.
The award-winning sports broadcaster didn’t always see himself working in this field. . When he arrived at Saint Mary’s University in the fall of 2012, Palermo decided to major in business. However, he found his niche after a few classes.
After switching his major to communications, Palermo saw a path to working in sports. He caught the bug pretty quickly after he started doing play-by-plays for Cardinal volleyball, hockey, and basketball.
“I tried it and just fell in love with it,” Palermo said. “I ended up broadcasting a lot of sports for the college and even worked for the local TV station in Winona. I really just loved the opportunity to work in the TV industry and live sports.”
Just months after graduating from Saint Mary’s in 2016, Palermo landed a producing job with Fox Sports North, now Bally Sports North, leading him to several exciting career opportunities. Focused on pre and post-game show production, he’s spanned the Twin Cities sports scene, covering the Wild, the Timberwolves, the Lynx, and, of course, the Twins.
With a vast amount of experience now under his belt, Palermo is pleased to see his hard work receive recognition from the Upper Midwest Emmys. The specific pre-game show that received an Emmy broke down Twins pitcher Kenta Maeda’s heat maps after the pitcher was struggling on the mound and giving up several home runs.
“Receiving this kind of recognition is awesome for the fact that you work so hard putting these shows together, and especially with baseball, where it can get monotonous, I’m working hard to find something that is unique or a way to tell the story differently than a simple package,” Palermo said. “It’s pretty cool to see.”
To receive an Emmy, Palermo had to submit pre and post-game shows to be considered for submission. This year, two of his shows were submitted, which is quite a feat in the world of live sports television.
“You have to be lucky to execute everything perfectly because it’s live TV,” Palermo said. “So to have a show that was on live TV and executed perfectly, that’s huge.”
With an Emmy under his belt, Palermo continues to advance in his career. Coming up this season, he will be producing live Gopher hockey games, while continuing to produce pre and post-game shows for other sports teams. This is a big step for the Saint Mary’s graduate, as he hopes to become a full-time live game producer, preferably for the Timberwolves or Wild.
As he’s stepping into newer roles and considering what’s next, Palermo is reassured about the work he is doing after receiving recognition from one of the top organizations in the TV industry.
“It’s really humbling,” Palermo said. “It’s like ‘Wow, you’re doing things that are top-level in your field.’ ”
Students encouraged to participate in Campus Climate Survey
As the Saint Mary’s University community looks to better understand its student makeup and increase a sense of belonging for all, students on the Winona Campus are encouraged to participate in the upcoming Inclusion and Human Dignity Campus Climate Survey.
The first-of-its-kind survey will be open to students from Nov. 8-30.
“The campus climate survey is really trying to get at who we are as a university,” Leon Dixon, vice president for inclusion and human dignity, said.
Saint Mary’s is initiating the survey after a request from students and the campus community.
“I think this is a great step forward,” said Saint Mary’s junior Christa Ingabire. “It’s going to give students a voice to raise their concerns, speak their truths, and give any suggestions about how the whole campus can be improved.”
Students are asked to be as honest as possible when responding to the survey.
“We’re asking students to be brutally honest, because this is something that not only the student senate is going to use, but also the university’s administration will use it to help shape policies and other initiatives around campus,” said Elijah Williams, a Saint Mary’s senior and president of the student senate. “And having that brutal honesty, I think, will better shape those initiatives to better reflect students’ goals.”
There are several incentives for students to participate in the upcoming Inclusion and Human Dignity Campus Climate Survey. The first five students who complete the survey will receive a $50 Target gift card, while 35 students who complete the survey will be selected to receive a $10 gift card, and five students will be selected to attend lunch with Dixon.
As stated in the Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission, “Our educational perspective aims to build societies where peace, equity, social justice, civic participation, the raising up of common dreams, and respect for freedom and difference are possible.” As a Lasallian Catholic school, it is imperative that our students use their voices and complete the survey so we are able to build a more welcoming and inclusive campus community.
Please watch your email next week for the survey link.
Research led by Wieser finds inequities in experience, outcomes of MBA students and graduates
During her time working in the corporate world, Michelle Wieser, dean of the School of Business and Technology at Saint Mary’s University, said she regularly saw men advancing in their careers further and faster than women in similar roles.
Several years later, while serving in a career development role at Washington University in Saint Louis, Wieser said she saw similar scenarios play out in her work with MBA students.
“I saw the different ways that men and women approached their career search and the results that they attained, both immediately after obtaining the MBA and then down the road, further into their careers,” she said.
It’s those two experiences that eventually led Wieser to research inequities in business education and the greater business world. And she’s had great success doing so.
This fall, Wieser, along with the Forte Foundation, released research findings that reveal inequities in the academic experience and career outcomes of female and minority MBA students and graduates of top-tier business schools. This research served as a follow-up to previous research Wieser conducted with the Forte Foundation in 2016 that explored whether MBAs assisted women and minorities in increasing equality in their workplaces, as well as their earnings.
“As a researcher, I’m always wondering whether things are getting better,” Wieser said. “Are pay gaps closing? Are women starting to achieve more? What, if any, differences might exist between now and the last time we studied it? Even though it’s only been about four or five years since that original study, we still found some pretty surprising, and in some cases, really positive results.”
In this current round of research, Wieser looked at the MBA application process and student experience from a diversity, equity, and inclusion perspective, as well as career outcomes based on gender and race. For the research, Wieser polled more than 3,000 MBA students, prospective students, and alumni from nearly 60 MBA programs.
Findings from Wieser’s research include:
- Most respondents had favorable views when asked about diversity, equity, and inclusion in the admissions process for MBA programs. However, men were more likely to have a positive response than women.
- While respondents had favorable views of the admissions process in regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion, more than one in five survey respondents said diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in their MBA program did not meet their expectations.
- In 2020, men with MBAs earned $177,112 on average, where women with an MBA earned $147,412, a pay gap of $27,900.
- The gender pay gap between men and women with MBAs has narrowed since 2016. However, the gap widens for women as they progress in their careers from 9% for those with zero to two years of work experience to 35% for those with nine or more years of work experience.
- Women are more likely to strive for early leadership positions within organizations. However, women trail when it comes to striving for executive-level leadership.
Those findings are now receiving quite a bit of attention in both the national and international press. Wieser’s research has been included in the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, and Bloomberg, along with multiple TV and radio segments. The findings getting press coverage is significant for Wieser, but it doesn’t end there.
“I always consider press coverage adding to the conversation,” Wieser said. “Though findings may not be what you want them to be, or may reveal that there’s still some room for improvement, I think overall, when something is grounded in data, it provides a foundation from which people can then go and make improvements. And to me, that’s the most important thing.”
And those conversations are already happening, according to Wieser. After the headlines hit LinkedIn and other social media channels, Wieser said she began hearing from current and former colleagues. Many of them came to her with questions about what they can do to encourage women and find ways to support and advocate for them.
Wieser still knows there is a way to obtain better outcomes for female and minority MBA students, and she says that begins in the MBA programs themselves.
“One of the things that I say often is, we know that there is a need for more inclusive leadership in general in business, and I believe it is the responsibility of MBA programs and other business programs to model that and to create inclusive leaders so that when they go out into the world, they’re making real and lasting change,” she said.
With an MBA program housed in the school Wieser oversees, she says there are many opportunities that Saint Mary’s can take to be a part of the solution to the issues of inequity found in her research. This includes reviewing the school’s application process, looking deeply at the curriculum and making sure it is truly representative of the business world, and offering career development that encourages students to reach their full potential.
“I think at the core of what we do is delivering a quality educational experience. So we’ve got to keep our eye on that while also really intentionally building in experiences and education that bring some of these diversity, equity, and inclusion topics to the forefront. I think a lot of times, it’s easy to just assume that when you bring a diverse group of people together, the magic is going to happen,” Wieser said. “As leaders and as faculty, as educators, we need to focus and bring that to the front so our students are not just learning the nuts and bolts of business, but also character, virtue, honesty, ethics, and how to take all of that out into the world and be successful.”
Department of Fine and Performing Arts to stage The 39 Steps
The Saint Mary’s University Department of Fine and Performing Arts will perform The 39 Steps, adapted by Patrick Barlow, Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 4-6, in Page Theatre. All shows in the 2021-2022 academic year are free and open to the public.
If Alfred Hitchcock had met Monty Python at a party in 1935, they might have come up with something like The 39 Steps. This fast-paced witty spoof of Hitchcock’s famous spy thriller is a hilarious two-time Tony award winner, performed by only six Saint Mary’s actors. The plot unexpectedly propels Richard Hannay out of his boredom and into international intrigue, beautiful women, mistaken identity, and good old-fashioned romance. Pursued by train, plane, and automobile, by both British police and a notorious German master spy and his mysterious “thirty-nine steps,” our hero finds himself the subject of a nationwide manhunt that climaxes in a death-defying finale! A riotous blend of virtuoso performances and wildly inventive stagecraft, audiences will experience an unforgettable evening (or matinee) of pure frivolity and fun!
Saint Mary’s University is welcoming audiences back in person (with safety protocols in place). Unlike last year, there will be no live-streamed performances.
The audience will be restricted to no more than 75 attendees to ensure that social distancing guidelines are followed. Additionally, masks are to be worn by audience members throughout the performance. Those who plan to attend must register online via our Google form. Evening performances Thursday through Saturday will start at 7:30 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. On Saturday, we are including a matinee that will start at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
To reserve seating and for more information about the production, go to: https://sites.google.com/smumn.edu/the39steps
Response to Blackhawks, McDonough mishandling of sexual misconduct
As a Lasallian Catholic university, Saint Mary’s University is centered on the respect and dignity of each person. We are disturbed by the allegations made against our alumnus John McDonough and other senior leaders in the Blackhawks organization related to mishandling sexual misconduct 11 years ago. We stand with any and all individuals harmed or hurt in anyway related to sexual harassment or assault. We have read the independent investigation and the official statement from the NHL and understand the serious implications of these findings. We believe all sexual assault allegations must be taken seriously and investigated thoroughly and promptly.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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