Saint Mary's Newsroom
Campus ConnectionAn update from the president to alumni and parents
University Program Planning Committee update
The University Program Planning Committee (UPPC) met on April 21 as a follow up to its March 24 meeting to consider available university resources and opportunities related to current and proposed programs. At the meeting, the UPPC reviewed recommendations from the school deans and curriculum committees regarding new, closing, and revised programs for the 2021-22 academic year
Based on the data-informed discussions and UPPC recommendations, I am approving the following program launches, changes, and closures.
The following new programs are approved to begin in fall 2022:
- Graduate Certificate in Supply Chain Analytics (online)
- Graduate Certificate in Digital Marketing (online)
- Minor in Natural Resources Management (College)
- M.S. in Computer Science and Information Systems (depending on continuing talks with our OPM)
The following program will be redeveloped for a fall 2022 launch:
- B.S. in Information Technology (online)
The following degrees and programs will begin the closing process, overseen by the appropriate school dean:
- B.A. in Political Science (College)
- M.S. in Accounting (blended in Minneapolis)
- M.A. in Special Education (blended in Minneapolis)
The following department mergers and name changes are approved:
- Programs and faculty in psychology, human services, criminal justice, and political science will be moved to the School of Health and Human Services into a department of psychology and social sciences.
- The history program and faculty will be moved into a department with English and world languages, named “Literature, Language, and Culture,” which will be in the School of Arts and Humanities.
As a reminder, the UPPC, constituted in 2019, is comprised of academic and administrative leaders from across the university. The committee meets for regular consideration of programmatic decisions to maintain vibrant, relevant, and marketable programs in alignment with the goals in our strategic plan. This planning is especially important now, in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic and its impact on the economy. We continue to focus on student outcomes and market needs. Learn more about the UPPC, its role, and its membership.
Please direct any questions you have to the appropriate school dean.
End of the academic year mailroom reminder
Before those on the Winona Campus depart for summer break, they should please check their individual faculty/staff mailboxes. On Friday, May 14, the mailroom will empty all individual faculty/staff mailboxes.
If you have questions or need to make arrangements for your mail, please contact Neal Nixon, mailroom coordinator, at 507-457-1571 or mailroom@smumn.edu.
Have a safe and wonderful summer!
URGENT: Advocacy needed for Minnesota State Grant
We have one final opportunity to communicate with Gov. Tim Walz and key state legislators about the importance of helping college students by increasing funding for the State Grant program. These need-based grants help 43% of the Minnesota students going to college in the state, at both public and private nonprofit institutions. And here at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, more than 360 students students receive these grants. You can find out more about why the MN State Grant matters.
As the legislative session is coming to a close, now is a critical time to ask Minnesota policymakers to invest in college students and increase the size of these grants. The State Grant program, which provides need-based financial aid similar to the Pell Grant, is the only way that the State of Minnesota supports students at our institution and other private colleges throughout the state.
Through the Minnesota Private College Council’s advocacy system, Advocates for Minnesota Student Aid, you can easily send a message to the Governor and key legislators stating your support for increased funding for the State Grant program.
I have taken this step, and I ask you to consider doing so as well. Find out more and take action.
Speaking up for our students during this difficult pandemic is more important than ever. Your voice can make a difference for students here and across the state.
Upcoming Mass schedule at Saint Mary’s Winona Campus
Baccalaureate Mass for Graduating Seniors | Friday, May 7 | 4 p.m. | Saint Thomas More Chapel
Please note that we are unable to accommodate guests at this celebration.
Sunday, May 9 | 10:30 a.m. | Saint Thomas More Chapel
Monday, May 10, through Friday, May 14 | 12:15 p.m. | Saint Thomas More Chapel
Cardinal athletics week in review: May 3
It’s Tuesday, and before we start looking ahead to all the Cardinal action this week, here’s a quick look back at last week, which included action in baseball, fastpitch softball, volleyball, track and field, and women’s soccer.
Saint Mary’s University names Leon Dixon vice president for inclusion and human dignity
Leon Dixon
WINONA/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota — in its ongoing focus to advance diversity and inclusivity initiatives across the university — has appointed Leon Dixon, MBA, as vice president for inclusion and human dignity.
Dixon — who begins June 1 — will assist with establishing an innovative culture of diversity, inclusion, and engagement within the Lasallian Catholic tradition. He is charged with engaging faculty, staff, and students in building a welcoming culture of hospitality, and he will collaborate across the university in creating, implementing, and monitoring programs to support this strategic initiative.
“This position supports and reaffirms that Saint Mary’s honors and respects the human dignity of all individuals, and we welcome Mr. Dixon to our community,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D. “He brings to us a rich understanding and thick, textured discourse in the diversity, inclusion and human dignity space, as a man of deep faith and compassionate understanding.”
Dixon brings extensive leadership experience providing guidance and coordination of efforts to build more inclusive cultures, where people from all backgrounds thrive. Most recently, Dixon served as director of mission integration for inclusive excellence in the office of equity and success at Mount St. Mary’s University. Before Mount St. Mary’s, he held various leadership positions at the Archdiocese of Detroit, Kingdom Visions Human Services, and Detroit Cristo Rey High School. Dixon is a veteran of the U.S. Army and holds a B.S. in Management and an MBA from the University of Phoenix.
“What I have to offer is what Saint Mary’s is seeking, which is an approach to inclusion through the lens of Catholic Social Teaching,” Dixon said. “The opportunity to document and support what diversity, equity, and inclusion can be at a Lasallian Catholic institution is enticing as is the ability to walk with students through complex issues and trying times. The dignity of each person is at the core of my work and is the vision Saint Mary’s has set for the position.”
Saying goodbye to Brother Finbar McMullen, FSC ’46
Brother Finbar McMullen, FSC ’46, longtime faith-filled fixer, connector, builder, and inventor on Saint Mary’s Winona Campus, died Sunday, May 2, 2021, at the age of 97.
Brother Finbar joined the De La Salle Christian Brothers in 1940. When asked what it means to be Lasallian, he shared these words, “I cannot say what Lasallian means because it is all I’ve experienced. Everything about me comes from being a Brother … Being a good Brother means being dedicated to education, being dedicated to young people, and being dedicated to justice.”
Brother Finbar McMullen, FSC
He first came to Saint Mary’s in Winona in 1943 as a college student. After graduation, he began his career teaching biology, algebra, and geometry, as well as shop courses, in Memphis, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. He also trained a group of young men called the “mobile crews” — Brothers who were not going to be educators but would serve education in other ways — in industrial skills.
In 1967, he returned to Saint Mary’s to do repair work for the science department and he stayed in the community until recent years. Even when he could no longer live on campus because of his health, his heart remained on Terrace Heights.
During his career, he oversaw Aquinas Hall (now Vlazny) for 15 years, and had the challenging job of overseeing Saint Mary’s first co-ed residence hall. In the process, he made lifelong friends and furthered his understanding of and respect for women.
From 1984-85, he became director of the La Salle Community and served as a hall director in Watters and La Salle halls in the late ’80s. The Brother Finbar McMullen Award, established in 1981, is presented to a professional member of the Saint Mary’s Winona Campus community who unselfishly meets the needs of the undergraduate community.
At age 65, he retired from residence hall work but worked in the science shop until he was 75.
During his semi-retirement, he began a commercial sideline, and because of this, he’s been called the “Brother of Invention.” His collective work became known as Finovations.
In the early ‘70s, and late ’80s, he ran a program of camping courses, including winter camping at Saint Mary’s. During this time he made his first “Finbar Hood.” He fashioned a separate hood that would roll with the person at night and could be more easily dried than a sleeping bag. He made enough for the whole class and eventually patented his creation. He received endorsements from Paul Shurke, co-leader of the Steger North Pole Expedition and Bering Bridge Expedition, and Ann Bancroft, leader of the American Women’s Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
Then, when winter campers got their skis caught in the marshland grass, he devised a piece of riveted sheet metal to solve the problem. Where he saw a need, he invented the solution — from a fabric tucker, to a grape cutter, to a collapsible fire grate.
He was also an accomplished woodworker and even taught courses in constructing items from cardboard. When walking became difficult, Brother Finbar could be seen riding a Segway (with an adapted cardboard cane holder) around campus. As remembered as he is for the items he created, he will forever be cherished for the relationships he cultivated.
The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to Brother Finbar’s family, including his Brother Arnold ’53 on the Winona Campus and the De La Salle Christian Brother community and affiliated De La Salle Christian Brothers.
The funeral will be 7 p.m. Monday, May 10, in Saint Thomas More Chapel, located on Saint Mary’s Winona Campus. Visitation will be one hour prior in the chapel. Burial will be in the Christian Brothers section of Saint Mary’s Cemetery, Winona. View the ceremony virtually.
Gifts in memory of Brother Finbar can be sent to Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Office of Advancement for the Brother Finbar McMullen Endowed First Generation Initiative Scholarship, 700 Terrace Heights #21, Winona, MN 55987
We invite you to join us in sharing your memories of Brother Finbar or other condolences by posting a comment below.
Featured photo courtesy of Keith Moore ’03.
Cardinal Club modified hours
The Cardinal Club on the Winona Campus will have modified hours this week. The Club will be closed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Wednesday, and open for dinner from 4 to 10 p.m., Monday through Wednesday. The last meal served in the Cardinal Club will be Wednesday dinner as the Cardinal Club will be closed on Thursday.
The Market and Cardinal Club will be operating as normal. Both officially close for the academic year on Thursday, May 6, at 5 p.m.
Direct scheduling for COVID-19 vaccination sites
Minnesotans can now use the Vaccine Connector to directly schedule COVID-19 vaccine appointments at the state’s COVID-19 Community Vaccination Program locations.
These sites are strategically located around the state to give Minnesotans another option to get their COVID-19 vaccine. There are currently locations in Saint Paul, Bloomington, Oakdale, Mankato, Duluth, Rochester, Lino Lakes, and St. Cloud. A federally-supported location at the State Fairgrounds specifically serves residents of socially vulnerable zip codes in and around Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
If all appointments are full, Minnesotans can also sign up to be informed when they are able to book a Community Vaccination Program appointment and be notified about other vaccination opportunities near them.
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D.
President
Saint Mary's University of Minnesota
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