Saint Mary's Newsroom

Campus Connection

An update from the president to alumni and parents

Registration open for CELT’s diversity and human dignity workshop series

Saint Mary’s Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) is thrilled to announce the launch of a new workshop series on diversity and human dignity, open to faculty in both Winona and the Twin Cities campuses starting this September. The workshop series will be facilitated by Leon Dixon, vice president of inclusion and human dignity, and Carrie Wandler, Ed.D., our new interim director of CELT, and will focus on blending theoretical perspectives on human dignity with the practical application of inclusion-based teaching and learning strategies in the classroom.

The workshop series will be offered in a blended format at each campus, with faculty participating in four, face-to-face physically distanced sessions, in addition to completing various discussion and self-reflection exercises online via Canvas.

Minneapolis cohort in-person meeting dates:
All in-person sessions will take place in BLH ‎105

Saturday, Sept. 11, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Oct. 9, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Nov. 13, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Saturday, Dec. 4, from 9 to 10:30 a.m.

Winona cohort in-person meeting dates:
All in-person sessions will take place in Aquinas Hall (formerly SLC) 200

Wednesday, Sept. 15, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Oct. 13, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 10, from noon to 1:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 1, from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Spaces are limited and filling fast! Please register via the CELT website.

Online Strategy and Programs team organizational updates

As we turn the page to fall, we continue to underpin our academic support structures to enable the success of our students and faculty. Below are a few organizational updates on the Online Strategy and Programs team that will continue to support the institution while advancing critical university-wide initiatives.

Online Operations

Sarah Dampier has a new title Director of Academic Operations to more fully acknowledge her expanded role in continuing to provide program operations leadership across the university. Additionally, the new title recognizes her expanded high school program responsibilities and leadership of the PACC and Catholic Virtual Academy in partnership with Associate Director Denise Sharrock-Mueller.

Instructional Technology

Abram Hedtke has an expanded role of Director of Instructional Technology across the university and has welcomed two new team members in the last couple of weeks. Please welcome both Jared Oxborrow (housed in Winona) and Garey Gill (housed in Minneapolis), who will join Matt Isiah and Spencer Wanlass, bringing us to 4 Instructional Technologists serving the university’s continued advancement of our Canvas LMS efforts and lending instructional technology support institution-wide.

CELT

Carrie Wandler has been appointed to serve as our Interim Director of CELT and Manager of Online Learning Product Development. Carrie will continue to build on the great traction she has made since joining the university last year leading our Digital Badging initiative. With an Ed.D. in Postsecondary Education, Teaching, and Learning, Carrie will leverage her teaching experience at Boston University and Harvard Extension, along with her academic Program Leadership roles at Colorado Technical University and Argosy University to help us continue to advance our Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching supporting faculty across the institution.

We are grateful for the many contributions this team has made over this past year and look forward to continuing to partner across the institution to support the fall start and advance Saint Mary’s mission and strategic plan in the coming year.

M.S. in Project Management receives reaccreditation

The Saint Mary’s University M.S. in Project Management has successfully completed the accreditation process through Project Management Institute Global Accreditation Center (PMI GAC). The accreditation happens every five years and takes a little over a year to complete. Only 40-50 universities in the United States and 130 universities globally have this accreditation.

“PMI’s GAC accreditation is the gold standard of accreditation for project management programs. It ensures that the program aligns with PMI’s standards and practices and meets a high level of academic rigor,” said Bill Johnson, program director.

The accreditation is a comprehensive and detailed process involving a 16-month review of the program and university. The primary components of the process include a letter of intent, self assessment report, site visit, and approval by PMI’s GAC Board of Directors. GAC examines the program’s mission, learning outcomes, curriculum, assessment processes, program information in the public domain, faculty and staff, students and alumni relations, financial resources, university support, and program improvements during this comprehensive process.

“Our program provides students with a comprehensive education to manage projects in the United States and worldwide. Also, it prepares students to sit for the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam,” Johnson said. “With this degree and certification, students are ready to lead large and complex projects for organizations and businesses in any industry, including healthcare, manufacturing, IT, retail, and finance, to name a few. It significantly increases the employment opportunities and earning power of graduates.”

The program has been ranked in the top project management programs nationwide, including 8th in the Top Master’s in Project Management Online Degree Programs for 2021 by BestColleges.com. Digital badges and graduate certificates in project management are also available at Saint Mary’s.

Upcoming webinars

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) virtual session
Thursday, Sept. 23, noon to 1 p.m.
Register

Thursday, Sept. 30, 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Register

On Aug. 1, PMI released the 7th edition of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Guide. The new edition is a significant change from its predecessors moving from a processed-based to a principle-based guide. Alumni and students are invited to join either of these webinars as Bill Johnson, director of the Saint Mary’s project management program, provides an overview of the new guide, how it has changed, and the implications of these changes.

Bishop Quinn named affiliated De La Salle Christian Brother

In recognition of his inspirational dedication to and support of the De La Salle Christian Brothers, the Most. Rev. John M. Quinn, Bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, was named an Affiliated Christian Brother Aug. 25 in the Brothers’ residence on Saint Mary’s University’s Winona Campus.

The highest honor the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools can bestow, affiliation is given to those who have demonstrated knowledge of, interest in, and commitment to the charism and heritage of the Brothers. As an affiliated Brother, the person may use the initials AFSC after their name. These initials stand for Afiliatus Frater Scholarum Christianarum, Latin for Affiliated Brother of the Christian Schools.

Bishop Quinn has had a longstanding connection to the Christian Brothers, beginning with his ministry in Detroit, and he has taught in the Theology Department on the university’s Winona Campus since he arrived in Winona in 2008. He has befriended the Brothers and regularly joins their community for Mass and dinner. Most recently, he received approval from the Vatican to allow the Diocese of Winona-Rochester to officially celebrate the feast of Blessed James Miller (Saint Mary’s alumnus) each Feb. 13.

Bishop Quinn joins a number of previously affiliated De La Salle Brothers connected to Saint Mary’s University including: the late Father Andrew Fabian, OP, AFSC; Mary Catherine Fox, AFSC ’75, Ph.D., Jeffrey Highland, AFSC, Ph.D.; Anthony Piscitiello, AFSC ’69, M’82; and the Rev. Robert Stamchror, AFSC ’57.

Updates from Human Resources

Flu shot clinics

The annual flu shot clinic is scheduled for both the Twin Cities and Winona campuses. Social distancing will be practiced while waiting for your flu shot.

Twin Cities: Thursday, Sept. 23, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Brother Louis Hall 105
Winona: Thursday, Oct. 21, from 7:30 a.m. to noon in Toner 14

Tuition exchange applications due Oct. 1

The university is beginning another year as a member of the Tuition Exchange (TE) program. The TE program enables eligible dependent children of faculty and staff to apply for undergraduate scholarships at participating member institutions. A list of more than 700 national colleges and universities participate in the TE program and can be viewed at tuitionexchange.org. If you and your child are interested in applying to the TE program you will be required to complete the four steps below:

Review the TE policy and print the Saint Mary’s application from the links on the HR website under “Benefits.”
Submit the Saint Mary’s application with a $35 check to the HR Office by Oct. 1, 2021. Electronic signatures are acceptable.
Visit tuitionexchange.org and complete their online application (you may select up to 10 schools).
Child must apply for admission to each school of interest.

The following information is specific to Saint Mary’s membership with TE:

Dependent children of full-time employees are eligible for tuition scholarships at member schools of TE.
Applications are reviewed based on the employee’s seniority or other qualifications per the policy.
Decisions are communicated in November.

If you have applied in past years but have not been awarded a scholarship, you should submit a new application to be reconsidered for fall 2022. If your child is currently receiving a TE scholarship and is continuing in the fall 2022, you should complete a new Saint Mary’s recertification by March 1, 2022. The online TE application is not required for renewals. Saint Mary’s University is also a member of the Catholic College Cooperative Tuition Exchange. You can find information for this program on the HR website under the benefits link or through the Financial Aid Office on the Winona Campus. There is not an application deadline for CCCTE.

Interim DBA program director announced

Jennifer L. Schultz, Ph.D.

Jennifer L. Schultz, Ph.D., has agreed to serve as interim program director of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) while Matt J. Nowakowski, Ed.D., is serving as the interim vice provost for faculties and academic affairs.

Schultz has been a core faculty member of the DBA program since 2018 teaching in the areas of leadership, governance, and research methodology. Beyond teaching and dissertation advising, Schultz has been instrumental in helping DBA students engage in scholarship with the Academy of Management, Midwest Academy of Management, Southwest Academy of Management, and the Management and Organizational Behavior Teaching Society. Schultz holds a B.S. from the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, M.Ed. from the University of Georgia, MBA from Our Lady of the Lake University, and Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.

Please welcome Schultz to this new role.

2020-21 Outstanding DBA Dissertation awarded to Dr. Joseph Schneider

Several years ago, a memorial fund was established to honor two of the Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) program faculty founders, Dr. Rick Callaway and Dr. Lee Gremillion. At the end of each academic year, the DBA faculty, at the request of the Callaway and Gremillion families, review all of the DBA dissertations that have been successfully defended that academic year. If an outstanding dissertation has been identified, the recipient receives a plaque and stipend of $500 to commemorate this academic achievement.

The criteria for evaluating the dissertations are:

Excellent application of research methodology.
Practical application.
Significant contribution to the welfare of others.

For the academic year 2020-21, the DBA faculty are pleased to announce that this year’s recipient of the Outstanding DBA Dissertation Award goes to Dr. Joseph Schneider for his research entitled “Does Racial Bias Exist in Traffic Stops Made By Saint Paul Police?”

Congratulations, Dr. Schneider!

Ethical Leadership 101: How You Can Impact Others For Good

The Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership will be offering an ethical leadership training session for student leaders Friday, Sept. 3, from 4:15 to 5:30 p.m. in Salvi Lecture Hall. The session will introduce student leaders to our ethical leadership framework and engage them in leadership development.

After the session, students will be able to:

explain what leadership, virtue, and vice mean
explain the traits and characteristics of a good leader
explain why leadership is tied to virtues/vices
identify their personal leadership strengths and weaknesses
plan leadership growth over the semester

Select your meal plan, to-go containers available

Choosing the meal plan that’s right for you can be confusing. Take a look at the descriptions below to help you understand your plan options. You can also take the meal plan assistant survey, view menus, and add more flex dollars to your card by visiting dineoncampus.com/saintmarys. Also note, cash will not be accepted at any of our on-campus dining locations.

Terms to understand:

Flex dollars are just like cash and can be used at any on-campus dining location
Meal exchanges mean you can get a meal at the Cardinal Club (Burger 507 or Bowl Life) instead of Toner Dining Hall

Resident meal plans

These plan options are for students who live on campus.

All Access plan: Designed for the busy student who needs flexibility. Perfect for student-athletes, students in lots of clubs and organizations, and students with a full course load. For $2,475 per semester, you’ll get:

Unlimited meals in Toner Dining Hall
$150 flex dollars
1 meal exchange each day
1 Cardinal Coffee beverage each week

Lifestyle 15 plan: Offers lots of flexibility for a little lower cost. Great for students who primarily eat in the cafeteria but occasionally like to eat at the Cardinal Club or bring a friend. For $2,320 per semester, you’ll get:

15 meals each week in Toner Dining Hall
$200 flex dollars
1 meal exchange each week
2 guest passes to Toner Dining Hall

Lifestyle 12 plan: More flex dollars and less meals in the cafeteria. A good fit for students who want a less expensive plan that offers options. For $2,215 per semester, you’ll get:

12 meals each week in Toner Dining Hall
$250 flex dollars
1 meal exchange each week
2 guest passes to Toner Dining Hall

Essentials 19 plan: This is the default meal plan for first-year students. The least expensive plan but with the most structure. For $2,185 per semester, you’ll get:

19 meals per week in Toner Dining Hall
1 meal exchange each week

Commuter meal plans

These plan options are for students who live off campus.

Lifestyle 8 plan: For students who are on campus regularly and need some flexibility. Offers the most meals. For $1,445 per semester, you’ll get:

8 meals per week in Toner Dining Hall
$75 flex dollars
1 meal exchange each week

Base 100 plan: Simple and easy to use. Students get flexibility but with a set amount of meals. For $930 per semester, you’ll get:

100 meals in Toner Dining Hall or meal exchanges
$75 flex dollars

Lifestyle 5 plan: A good option for students who need flexibility or options but want to pay a little less. Students can also get their caffeine fix. For $875 per semester, you’ll get:

5 meals per week in Toner Dining Hall
$75 flex dollars
1 meal exchange each week
1 Cardinal Coffee beverage each week

Base 50 plan: No muss, no fuss. This plan is good for students who need a few on-campus dining options, but do the majority of their cooking at home. For $570 per semester, you’ll get:

50 meals in Toner Dining Hall or meal exchanges
$100 flex dollars

Update your meal plan

Now that you understand the plans, did you decide you want to change your meal plan? Now’s the time! The meal plan change period is open until Friday, Sept. 10, at 4 p.m. Learn more.

To-go containers available

For a one-time, $5 fee, you can also get a reusable to-go container from the Toner Dining Hall. These can be used if you want to take your food to-go and eat elsewhere. (It’s not for packing up leftovers or taking extra with you when you leave.) Bring the empty container back and throw it on the dish line to be washed. Grab a clean one to use next time!

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Email: chahn@smumn.edu