Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes
Winona Campus NewsletterEden Wales Freedman, Ph.D., named vice provost for Faculties and Academic Affairs
Eden Wales Freedman, Ph.D., will be the next vice provost for Faculties and Academic Affairs, beginning Monday, July 13. Dr. Wales Freedman, a published scholar, comes to us from Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where she is a tenured associate professor and serves as director of Diversity Studies and chair of the Department of Communication, Literature, and the Arts. Prior to that, she taught at Boston College, the University of New Hampshire, and Adams State University. She was also named Dr. Thomas R. Feld Chair for Teaching Excellence for 2018-2020, and served as deputy Title IX coordinator.
In her role at Saint Mary’s University, Dr. Wales Freedman will oversee the Institutional Review Board, the libraries, the Writing Center, and many aspects of academic administration including curriculum and assessment.
Her hire is the result of a national search which attracted scores of candidates. Presentations from finalists were shared with the community, whose feedback greatly informed the process. Many thanks to the search committee: Alisa Macksey, dean of Student Success and First Generation Initiative; David Ulaszek, assistant vice president for finance; Andy Dirksen, chief of staff; Moni Berg-Binder, Ph.D., associate professor and associate dean for sciences; and Barb Schmidtknecht, administrative assistant.
Meet Dr. Fant, Master of Social Work assistant professor
Maima Fant, DSW, joined Saint Mary’s University as an assistant professor in the Master of Social Work program in February.
In addition to her new responsibilities at Saint Mary’s, Dr. Fant also runs her own therapy clinic in Eagan, Minn., where she specializes in supporting and educating women about perinatal mood disorders and related mental health treatments.
Previously, Dr. Fant served as a mental health therapist in different capacities in the Twin Cities and Madison, Wisc., metro areas, including working for the City of Minneapolis to assess and treat adolescents with mental health issues. She has been in practice since 2009.
“I’ve always been curious about human behavior,” said Dr. Fant, who is teaching two courses this summer. “Learning about the brain, emotions, and mental health have always been of interest to me. I’ve also had an inherent calling to help.”
Dr. Fant has been a member of the National Association of Social Workers and Minnesota Social Services Association since 2015. She is a previous board member of Pregnancy and Postpartum Support Minnesota and is currently involved in the organization’s local chapter.
Before joining the Saint Mary’s community, she worked as an assistant professor and field coordinator at The College of Saint Scholastica for more than five years. She also served in a course-contracted role at the University of Wisconsin-Madison during the 2012-13 school year.
Dr. Fant recently defended her dissertation for her DSW degree from the University of St. Thomas. She also has an MSW and two bachelor’s degrees in social work and African American studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Dr. Fant grew up in the northern suburbs of the Twin Cities as the first American-born child in her family. Her parents immigrated from the West African country of Liberia. She said her family’s background has played a role in shaping her research and scholarly pursuits.
“There really isn’t a structure or system within that culture in Africa that provides something like mental health services or specializations,” Dr. Fant said. “So it was important for me to focus on ways to support communities that have historically experienced oppression and marginalization.”
When not spending time with her husband and two daughters, Dr. Fant enjoys cooking, yoga, and traveling.
Join us in welcoming Dr. Fant!
FGI Scholar spotlight: Recent graduate discovers love of language
The academic journey of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota student Carla Guillen ’20 has been full of letters and documents, especially since her sophomore year when she began translating items from English to Spanish. The letter that will always stand out to her the most, though, was the one announcing her acceptance into the First Generation Initiative (FGI).
“It means the world,” said Guillen, who is also in the Lasallian Honors program. “I still remember the day I got the letter saying I received the scholarship. It was life-changing. I don’t think there was going to be any other realistic way that I would have been able to attend a university if it hadn’t been for the generous benefactors, the organizers of the program, and my hard work to earn the scholarship.”
Octavia Brown ’15, Countdown to College coordinator and FGI alumna, said Guillen is always willing to help her fellow peers.
“She is patient and always willing to lend a helping hand,” Brown said. “Carla has a very calming presence about her that makes it easy to talk to her and get to know her. She has a positive attitude and is willing to share her experience with others around her.”
On April 24, Guillen was one of more than 100 undergraduate students scheduled to present her research at the Celebration of Scholarship on the Winona Campus.
In her case, though, her presentation was more of a personal narrative titled “English Spanish Translations: Building Bridges.” The Spanish major’s story is one of helping translate documents for several offices at the university — namely Access Services, Financial Aid, and FGI — most of which while interning in the Student Success Center this past year.
Most recently, Guillen translated two documents related to the COVID-19 response before leaving campus in March.
Carla Guillen ’20 with her brother, Juan-Pablo, and her sister, Daniela, who works on the Twin Cities Campus as an administrative assistant.
“Carla has a great attitude and work ethic, and has been fabulous working with other students, both in the classroom and as a tutor,” said John Reed, Ph.D., associate professor in English and World Language who served as Guillen’s adviser and helped oversee her internship. “I could always count on receiving very high-quality work from Carla, and these translations were no exception.”
In her presentation, Guillen mentioned the “several points of cultural tension” she witnessed while growing up, especially while sitting in waiting rooms at hospitals and medical clinics. She would see children, perhaps no older than 10 years old, trying their best to interpret what doctors and nurses were saying to their parents.
“It was heartbreaking seeing that kind of responsibility being put on children who already have their own struggles, simply trying to help their parents understand what vaccines or what medicines they needed,” Guillen shared.
Luckily for Guillen, she never had to play the role of that overwhelmed 10-year-old. Her parents are both fluent in English, having been in the United States for more than 30 years, moving from Mexico to San Diego to Minneapolis.
‘Realizing my love for linguistics’
She is the second youngest of four children, one of whom is Daniela (Guillen), who works as an administrative assistant on the Twin Cities Campus and recently earned a 2019 Employee Recognition Award for her service and dedication.
Carlia Guillen ’20 with her brother, Juan-Pablo, and her father, Victor, at a soccer game at Estadio Morelos in Morelia, Michoacán, in Mexico.
Guillen came to Saint Mary’s by way of DeLaSalle High School in Minneapolis with the initial plan to take a large number of science classes as a pre-veterinary student. She was not planning on taking any Spanish classes, but did so at her parents’ recommendation.
In spring of her sophomore year, she took a phonetics class taught by Dr. Reed and an introduction to translation course taught by Kyle Black, Ph.D., associate professor of English and World Languages.
“That’s when I started to realize my love for linguistics,” Guillen said. “And that’s when I decided to change career paths entirely.”
At first, she entertained the notion of being a medical interpreter to support Hispanic families who need help speaking with doctors, like the ones she witnessed as a child. As she started to delve into other languages, though, she realized that she has a talent — and the interest to match — to possibly learn several languages and work in a role such as a freelance translator or even an interpreter for the United Nations.
In addition to being fluent in English and Spanish, she has dabbled in French, Japanese and Korean and is about to start learning Russian.
“To be exposed to all different kinds of literature,” she said, “sounds wonderful to me.”
Fall semester planning update
As the spring semester ends for our graduate and undergraduate students, we now look to fall 2020. To this end, the university is focusing its attention on preparing for the return of students in the fall.
Please know we plan to resume on-campus classes for the fall 2020 semester while keeping the health and safety of all students, faculty, and staff — as well as excellence in teaching, learning, and student services — as our top priorities. These priorities have been and continue to be central to our Lasallian Catholic mission.
We have developed multiple scenarios for re-opening campus operations based on state and federal guidance, though our various locations may open differently based on student needs. For example, the size of the residential campus and the small-city setting of Winona may make it easier for students to maintain social distancing and avoid the potential for environmentally mediated pathways of exposure to the coronavirus, should an outbreak occur. The lack of residential halls in Minneapolis and Rochester will inform our opening of those campuses. In fact, the life situations of some graduate students may support more online learning and be better suited to such.
Subcommittees comprising faculty and staff representatives are exploring the following areas to determine the varying impact and need in the different areas:
- Academics and Student Services
- Student Life
- Facilities
- Personnel and Operations
- Admissions
- Marketing and Communication
The university will continue to share additional updates in an ongoing manner via Cardinal Update, especially as the university remains informed, as always, by the latest state, federal, and CDC guidelines. Please know we will do all we propose with the health and safety of our students, faculty, staff, and communities at the forefront of our thinking.
Looking ahead
The next issue of CommUNITY will be sent on Thursday, May 28, because of the Memorial Day holiday. Starting in June, CommUNITY will be shared biweekly on Thursdays.
Spiritual offering
Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry continues to share spiritual offerings to provide much-needed perspective and a focus on faith in this time of uncertainty.
“As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love.” — John 15:9
Visit Saint Mary’s Campus Ministry on Facebook.
FGI Scholar spotlight: Junior turns Twin Cities tech internship into academic journey in Winona
Jimmy Cumbe-Paucar ’21 is a student of few words, but others in the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota community will be glad to tell you about the positive impact he has made on both the Twin Cities and Winona Campuses.
“He is always willing to help with projects and assignments,” said Peggy Walters, administrative assistant to the president, who supervised him in his student work role in the President’s Office for the past three years. “Jimmy is extremely dependable and competent. He possesses a calm demeanor. I do not ever hesitate to ask for his assistance, no matter the task.”
“Jimmy is a quiet leader,” said Alisa Macksey, dean of Student Success and the First Generation Initiative. “He leads by example through his actions and behaviors. When he does speak, it is well thought out.”
“The first thing — from a distance — one notices with Jimmy is his unique and perfectly coiffed and classy hair style,” said Brother Robert Smith, FSC ’76, Ph.D., senior vice president for university initiatives and special adviser to the president. “The second thing one comes to know about Jimmy is his professionalism, maturity, thoughtfulness, and good-natured personality.
“He is, in his own way, a Lasallian through and through and is the kind of young man who will surely ‘pay it forward.’”
Brother Robert first met Cumbe-Paucar during the student’s sophomore year at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School in Minneapolis. His family came to the City of Lakes by way of Ecuador. Cumbe-Paucar started working on the Twin Cities Campus as part of Cristo Rey’s Corporate Work Study Program (CWSP), being assigned to various instructional technology-related tasks by Bob Andersen, director of instructional technology.
Cumbe-Paucar said he was interested to learn more about Andersen and his role and came to see him as a mentor.
“He worked with us one day a week,” Andersen said. “Immediately, he showed an amazing work ethic, aptitude, and maturity. So we hired him in the summer [to work outside the CWSP] and kept giving him more and more work.”
In the two summers he spent as an intern, Cumbe-Paucar set up a multitude of cameras and tripods to record classes, used cameras to record events at the Saint Mary’s University Center, and administered a variety of tasks related to the upkeep of the university’s learning management system at the time, Blackboard.
Jimmy Cumbe-Paucar ’21 with Bob Andersen, director of instructional technology on the Twin Cities Campus.
Through his work on the Twin Cities Campus, Cumbe-Paucar eventually found out about the First Generation Initiative (FGI), which led to him enrolling at Saint Mary’s as an FGI Scholar after completing Countdown to College.
Cumbe-Paucar, who also plays midfielder on the club soccer team, said he felt happy at Saint Mary’s “since day one,” a feeling he attributes to taking part in the Countdown to College program.
“I know a lot of students feel homesick, but Countdown to College really helped prevent that,” he said. “We were able to adjust to the Saint Mary’s environment beforehand.”
He began his undergraduate journey as a computer science major, but is now pursuing a graphic design major, hoping to find work in the Twin Cities metro area upon graduation. For now, he is looking forward to his senior year in Winona.
“I’m just thankful for all the people who have donated to us,” said Cumbe-Paucar. “It really means a lot because it shows that people do count on us and they trust that we can, in the end, help make a change — here and in the world.”
MCA offers DIY postcard course for older adults
WINONA, Minn. — Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA) is offering a unique home-based program for adults ages 55 and older. In this workshop, Art in a Box: Playful Postcards, participants will receive supplies to create their own postcards using guided lesson plans over an eight-week period.
Students will send the postcards they create to other Winona-area classmates and receive postcards from classmates in return. The class instructor will also check in with participants throughout the program online or by phone.
Each art kit will include blank postcards, stamps, colored pencils, dual tip markers, and more. Students will learn new artist techniques, be encouraged to set aside time for creativity, and feel more connected to others during this challenging time.
This self-paced weekly project-based class will take place June 1 to July 18 and be taught by Brianna Haupt. The cost is $22, which includes the art kit and Winona delivery or pickup. To register, visit mca.smumn.edu.
Art in a Box: Playful Postcards is offered at a discounted fee thanks to the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation.
About MCA
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts (MCA), an affiliate program of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, is a nonprofit community arts school offering programming in dance, music, visual art, and theatre. Classes, lessons, workshops, and camps are offered for students of all ages from birth through older adults at the Valéncia Arts Center. For more information about MCA or Galleria Valéncia, visit mca.smumn.edu, email mca@smumn.edu, or call 507-453-5500.
![Saint Mary’s University presents two faculty/staff awards [video]](https://newsroom.smumn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/SMU_News-FSA-v1.jpg)
Saint Mary’s University presents two faculty/staff awards [video]
WINONA, Minn. — In celebration of its heritage, Saint Mary’s University virtually presented awards to one faculty member and one staff member in honor of Founders’ Day. Visit smumn.edu/virtualevents or play below to view the ceremony.
Karen Hemker, director of access services, received the Bishop Heffron Award. Given by the university every other year, this award is bestowed on an employee who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to the values of the university, is a positive member of the university community as demonstrated by their ability to work successfully across constituencies for the good of the university, and is a model of the Lasallian Catholic spirit. Hemker, who has been part of Saint Mary’s for 15 years, has worked with countless students, parents and guardians, and educators over those years to ensure all students have the needed accommodations to be successful at the university.
Matthew Nowakowski, Ed.D., program director of the Doctor of Business Administration program, core associate professor, and interim vice provost of Academic Affairs, received the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award. Presented each year, the award recognizes a member of the faculty, staff, or administration whose life of faith and service exemplifies the ideals of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. The award is given by Lasallian institutions like Saint Mary’s in the Lasallian Region of North America of the De La Salle Christian Brothers to honor contributions and commitment to the Lasallian mission of education. Dr. Nowakowski has taught and been an administrator at Saint Mary’s for 12 years and is a mentor, teacher, and scholar who is deeply committed to the success of faculty, staff, and students at Saint Mary’s.
Graduating seniors to be honored virtually May 22
WINONA, Minn. — On Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m., Saint Mary’s will celebrate 198 graduating students during a virtual commencement ceremony. We invite faculty, staff, students, their families, friends, and supporters to take part in celebrating graduating seniors and all of their academic accomplishments.
Watch the ceremony at smumn.edu/commencement2020.
Saint Mary’s partners with program for Latin American Sisters
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has entered into a partnership with the Catholic Extension Society to educate nearly 40 Latin American religious sisters over the next five years. These religious sisters will be in mission dioceses in the United States, ministering among Latino immigrant populations while earning their degrees online and in a hybrid format at Saint Mary’s. The program is made possible through Catholic Extension’s partnership with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, which has the goal of enhancing congregational vitality for religious sisters in the Global South. The program will begin in fall 2020 and conclude by spring 2025.
Saint Mary’s receives high approval from the Higher Learning Commission
On May 5, Saint Mary’s received notification from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that our efforts to respond to the coronavirus outbreak “demonstrate the institution’s commitment to the public good and attention to the general well-being of its constituents.” Furthermore, we were informed that the university is approved at the highest level of distance education approval and does not require any waiver or approval to change its offerings.
Our commitment to quality education (whether online or on-campus), a core Lasallian principle, is reflected in this notification from the HLC.
Emergency grants allocated to students under the CARES Act
The United States Congress recently passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. As a part of this legislation, colleges and universities have been allocated federal funds to provide student emergency grants for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus. Saint Mary’s University received an allocation of $830,548 for student emergency grants.
The Federal Department of Education provided guidance and parameters for distributing the emergency grants for students under the CARES Act as follows:
- Funds are restricted to Title IV eligible students, demonstrated by filing a completed FAFSA, a completed verification if required, and not being on Satisfactory Academic Progress Probation.
- Funds are for students who have expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus.
- Housing – expenses related to moving off-campus or to a permanent residence
- Food – unanticipated grocery bills due to cancellation of a meal plan
- Course materials or technology – expanded internet connectivity or computer hardware/software/equipment necessary to complete coursework online
- Other expenses directly related to the disruption of campus operations due to the coronavirus
- Funds cannot be allocated to students who were exclusively enrolled in distance education courses when the declaration of national emergency related to the coronavirus was declared on March 13, 2020.
- Funds are not taxable as income to the recipients.
- Funds cannot be retained on student accounts by colleges and universities and must be paid directly to students.
Saint Mary’s directed its student emergency grants to undergraduate students who are claimed as dependents on their FAFSA form, as these students are not eligible for other forms of relief provided by the CARES Act.
Saint Mary’s is allocating student emergency grant awards in amounts ranging from $500 to $2,000 based upon a student’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) as calculated by the 2019-20 FAFSA.
Student emergency grants were disbursed to 832 eligible students on May 15.
© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Site Feedback/Changes | Accreditation