Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes
Winona Campus NewsletterFostering diversity at Saint Mary’s
In creating a welcoming and inclusive community, within Saint Mary’s programming is being offered to bring together members of our community in important discussions. These opportunities lead to valuable dialogue and the chance to learn from those whose experiences and perspectives are different from our own and to — in turn — better serve our richly diverse student body.
African Diversity Inclusive Initiative connects students from African diaspora
To help students of the African diaspora connect and share experiences, students from the Doctor of Business Administration program recently formed the African Diversity Inclusive Initiative.
Since the DBA program has a relatively large group of continental African students, the organization allows students to meet learners from cohorts in the program and help each other navigate the U.S. educational system.
The African Diversity Inclusive Initiative held its first in-person event on Feb. 11, which included a social hour, a potluck, and breakout sessions. The breakout sessions covered topics about financial literacy and home buying, how Europe underdeveloped the African continent, and the importance of Pan-Africanism.
“The conference has enlightened me on many issues that we encounter on a daily basis. The interventions and breakout sessions were very dynamic and emotional moments — dynamic because of the insights. Emotional because of our history. It is salient to know where we come from,” said one student who attended the event. “Through this event, we have once again discovered that our community abounds with great minds.”
While the organization consists of DBA students at this time, program directors who know students who may want to participate are encouraged to connect them with Antar Salim, an adviser for the group, at asalim@smumn.edu.
Speaker to give talk on United States Bishops’ pastoral letter against racism
Next week, the Saint Mary’s community will have two chances to hear from nationally renowned speaker Danielle Brown, who will be giving talks on the United States Bishops’ pastoral letter against racism: Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love. Brown will be visiting both campuses on Monday, March 20.
She will present at noon during a luncheon event at the University Center on the Minneapolis Campus. Brown will also speak at the Winona Campus at 7 p.m. in the Toner Lounge. Find links for information for both the Twin Cities and Winona events.
Update on Jenzabar rollout
March 15 will mark 100 days until Saint Mary’s enters the “Go Dark” time of switching from our current Student Information System (SIS) to Jenzabar J1. During this time, transactions in the software will be limited to minimize dual entry of data into both systems. More information about this will be shared as the time gets closer.
In celebration of this major milestone and to bring awareness, the IT staff will be handing out dark chocolate. Watch Saint Mary’s Today for more information!
As part of a project in Dean Beckman’s Campaign course, one of his students, Anna Kelly, is assisting with a campaign to “name” our student and faculty portal. Students and employees will have a chance to enter their suggestions and the top three will be chosen by Marketing and Communication. The Saint Mary’s community will then vote on the final name.
What is Jenzebar?
In February of 2022, the university selected Jenzabar J1 as our new Student Information System after going through an extensive review with multiple vendors. Exclusively serving higher education, Jenzabar will help us manage our current and potential students throughout their time at Saint Mary’s. It will be replacing our current student and faculty portals and our CAMS administrative system. Please click here for a short summary video.
Why did we switch?
Concerned with the long-term financial stability of our current software company and our evolving needs as a growing university, it was time for us to explore other software options. Strategic Initiative 6B – Optimizing Academic Operations was based on consolidating to a single university calendar and creating pathways for students from the College to the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, and a new system would help support our university efforts to support our students through their educational lifetime.
What’s the timeline and process for implementation?
Starting June 23, 2023, we will implement some temporary workarounds as we will enter our “go dark” period for approximately three weeks. During this time, we will limit processes to minimize the amount of data entered into our current system and focus on bringing Jenzabar up. Jenzabar will be live on July 17, 2023.
The next four months will be full of continued system configuration and training for our administrative offices.
What improvements are expected?
- More modern, easy-to-use portals for students and employees
- Improved degree audits
- Easier course registration
- More automated workflows
- A more stable and secure system
Who is involved with the project?
Our module managers have spent countless hours over the past 12 months learning how Jenzabar functions and mapping our current data into the Jenzabar system. In the next few months, we are excited to share more as we learn how the system will look and feel for students and employees. If you see any of our module managers, please thank them for their continued hard work.
Alison Block – Director of Academic Records and Systems
Amanda Schock – Director of Enterprise Applications
Chris Verch – Registrar
Colin Malay – Director of User Services
Kara Wener – Director of Institutional Research
Kelly Boice – Controller
Michelle Dougherty – Associate Director of University Enrollment Operations
Niki Peterson – Dean of Students
Paul Terrio – Director of Financial Aid
Tianna Johnson – AVP of IT
Tricia Dobrient – Senior Director of Student Success
How can I get involved?
Continue to watch Saint Mary’s Today for more information about go-live information and training.
Hall of Fame Profile: Mark Staub B’88
WINONA, Minn. — If you ask Mark Staub B’88 what his most treasured memory of his time at Saint Mary’s was, he would undoubtedly say back-stopping Saint Mary’s run to the MIAC regular-season championship during his senior season.
That memory could quite possibly be dropped to No. 2 on Saturday, as Staub takes his place among the all-time greats in Saint Mary’s history when he is inducted into the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Staub, along with Bruna Bucciarelli B’76, George Drouches B’78, Jenni (Gutterman) Becker B’06, and Jen (Schipp) Stewart B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona.
“This is such a great honor to be a part of,” said Staub of his HOF induction. “When I got the (HOF) call, I laughed, I cried, I got the chills … I knew it was going to mean something, but it means way more than I ever imagined.
“A lot of guys who I played with have already been inducted, and in the back of my mind I always thought, what a great honor it would be to be inducted,” Staub added. “But I just figured I was good, but not good enough.”
He was good enough.
A four-year letterwinner, Staub, a goalie, was named First-Team All-MIAC following both his junior and senior seasons, and helped lead Saint Mary’s to a regular-season conference title in his final campaign in 1987-88.
Staub, who made 74 career appearances between the pipes, saved his best season for last, appearing in all 29 games, while compiling a 3.84 goals-against-average and an .886 save percentage. Staub remains No. 1 all-time in career wins as a goalie with 50 — including a single-season school-record 22 wins in 1987-88 — and is No. 2 all time in saves in a season (872) and a career (2,266).
“I was never a stats guy – I never really cared about my own stats, I cared about wins and losses,” Staub said. “And my senior year, everything came together, it was the greatest season of my life. To win that regular-season title, I will never forget that — winning that title is the greatest accomplishment.”
Until Saturday’s induction, that is.
Hall of Fame Profile: Jen (Schipp) Stewart B’06
WINONA, Minn. — When Jenny (Schipp) Stewart B’06 graduated from North St. Paul High School, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to play collegiate softball.
And now, the hard-throwing right-hander — who was as much a threat at the plate as she was in the pitcher’s circle — is days away from being inducted into the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Stewart, along with Bruna Bucciarelli B’76, George Drouches B’78, Mark Staub B’88, and Jenni (Gutterman) Becker B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona on Saturday.
“It’s an honor to have your name up there with all the great softball players who have been inducted before me,” said Stewart, who was a four-year teammate with fellow inductee Becker. “To be inducted into the Hall of Fame is an amazing honor, and to get to go in with (Becker) makes it even more special.”
Special is the perfect adjective great way to describe Stewart, who was a dual threat for the Cardinals fastpitch softball team, causing opponents fits both at the plate and in the pitcher’s circle.
A four-year standout, Stewart joined Becker as a member of the NCAA Regional-qualifying 2005 team and earned First-Team All-MIAC and Second-Team All-Region accolades following each of her final three seasons. In the circle, Stewart is among the program leaders in virtually every pitching category, including ranking No. 1 in career strikeouts (545) and shutouts (22), while sitting No. 2 all-time in complete games (52), innings pitched (516 2/3), and appearances (99). Stewart put together her best season in 2005, when she set single-season program records for wins (25) and shutouts (9), closing out the year with a 27-7 record and a 1.80 ERA. At the plate, Stewart boasted a career .289 batting average — including hitting .358 in 2006 — with 24 doubles, five home runs, and 71 RBIs.
“I didn’t really think about the numbers and where you sit in the record books when I was playing”, said Stewart. “I just wanted to do well and help the team succeed.”
And succeed they did.
A calling to help youth spurs career change
Aleksa Khamda has worked in healthcare since 2014, serving as a medical technician while she was in the Air Force and most recently at Mayo Clinic as a medical administrator. She also has a bachelor’s degree in healthcare management.
But an important part of her history has led her to a different career calling — and to attend classes at Saint Mary’s University’s Rochester Campus.
At the age of 9, Khamda was adopted from Russia and brought to the United States. Armed with this first-hand experience and the knowledge she is obtaining from her courses, she hopes to counsel children, particularly foster children or adopted children and their families.
“That’s one of the reasons I really want to do counseling and get my M.A. in Counseling and Psychological Services,” she said. “I want to work with children who have experienced adversity and their families. My goal is to work with kids and to help them obtain tools to get them through hard times.”
As a veteran, she looked for schools that were veteran friendly; as an adult learner, she looked for flexibility and a school whose mission aligned with her own.
“One of the main reasons I chose Saint Mary’s is because it was an in-person program which is what I was looking for,” she said. “As I am using my GI Bill, it was important to me that I find a school that has experience working with veterans using the GI program. The VA (Veterans Affairs) has had a lot of changes, and the school has been so good at keeping up with all that information,” she said. “When COVID hit, and everything switched to online, the VA was good about letting us take online courses. Once everything was back to normal, the VA said no more online courses, but Saint Mary’s was still doing online courses, so they offered for me to sit in person with a teacher. No other school was providing that.
“Also, (the university’s) values align with mine,” she added. “What really stood out to me is Saint Mary’s vision in supporting students’ needs and success in their careers. I’ve found this to be true, because our program director is so wonderful in keeping in touch with us all. She ensures we are where we need to be in the program and asks if we’re having any difficulties. Even my husband decided to go to Saint Mary’s (in the MBA program) because they have flexible programs that meet our needs.”
Khamda said the idea of going into counseling has been in the back of her mind ever since she was a teenager.
“I just had a huge fear of failing, so I never considered going to school for it,” she admitted. But after the birth of her second child, she took some time off work and examined the direction she wanted her career to take.
“It gave me time to think about things and what I truly want to do,” she said. “I was happy in my job (at Mayo Clinic) and with my coworkers, but I just didn’t feel like the passion was there. I loved dealing with patients, but it was more so on the back end of things. I really wanted to be able to help the patients.”
Her husband cheered her on to apply. “He said, ‘You just have to go for it.’ We did a lot of praying about it, and I decided that counseling is what I wanted to do. My passion lies in making a difference. Even if I make the smallest impact in an individual’s life to improve their well-being, then I’d be happy.”
Now halfway through the program, Khamda said she’s happy with the decisions she’s made.
“I know they are offering this program online, but I enjoy going in person,” she said. “In person, there is more discussion. The teachers have been wonderful and make the classes very interactive. If you ever have a question, they’re always ready to address it and are willing to help with any issues you may have. I have two children, ages 2 and 4, so it’s sometimes difficult to attend in person, but they’re always willing to accommodate by sending a Zoom link.
“There’s a lot of reading, which is expected in a masters level program,” she added. “But the teachers make the information easy to understand and it’s very engaging. They make you think about how you can apply these techniques when you are out in the career field.”
Khamda advises students that graduate school is doable, particularly because of evening courses, but advises students to look for support. “The faculty and program directors are always there to assist you if you are in need of anything,” she said. “I definitely love the program. I am enjoying it and learning a lot from the program, and I can’t wait to apply it all in the field.”
Hall of Fame Profile: Jenni (Gutterman) Becker B’06
WINONA, Minn. — Jennifer (Gutterman) Becker B’06 never paid any attention to her statistics during her playing days as a member of the Saint Mary’s University fastpitch softball team.
Maybe she didn’t, but others certainly did, and those numbers were jaw-dropping — so much so that Becker has solidified a spot among greatest of the Cardinal greats, and earned her rightful place in the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Becker, along with Bruna Bucciarelli B’76, George Drouches B’78, Mark Staub B’88, and Jen (Schipp) Stewart B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona on Saturday.
“When I first found out I was being inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame, I had to pause — I was speechless,” said Becker, who played four years alongside fellow inductee Stewart. “It’s such a great honor to be inducted, and it’s really hard to put into words how much it means.”
A four-year regular on the Cardinal fastpitch softball team, Becker helped lead the Cardinals to an NCAA Regional appearance in 2005, while closing out her collegiate career as one of the most prolific hitters in program history.
Earning conference post-season honors in all four seasons — an honorable-mention selection as a freshman and a First-Team pick as a sophomore, junior, and senior — Becker was also named Second Team All-Region following each of her final three seasons. Becker, who started every game during her four-year collegiate career, boasted a career batting average of .379 (209-for-552) with 30 doubles, 16 triples, six home runs, and 62 RBIs. She holds single-season records in games played (49), at-bats (168), and triples (8), and is the program leader in games played (162), at-bats (552), and triples (16), while sitting No. 2 all-time in hits (209).
“When I was playing, I never really worried about what my stats were — I was just out there having fun playing the game of softball with an amazing group of teammates,” Becker said. “Now, looking back, it’s pretty crazy to see all that I’ve accomplished.”
Hall of Fame Profile: George Drouches B’78
WINONA, Minn. — Juggling the demands of being a student and an athlete is a daunting task for any college student-athlete. Throw in a second sport, and those demands more than double.
To play two sports at the collegiate level is one thing — to excel at two sports at the collegiate level is another.
And George Drouches B’78 did just that as a member of the Saint Mary’s men’s basketball and baseball teams.
Drouches was so prolific on both the hardwood and the diamond, that on Saturday, he will be among five who will be inducted into the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame.
Drouches, along with Bruna Bucciarelli B’76, Mark Staub B’88, Jennifer (Gutterman) Becker B’06, and Jennifer (Schipp) Stewart B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona.
“It’s truly very humbling to be going into the Hall of Fame — I was very tearful when I got the news,” Drouches said. “I cried when I came to Saint Mary’s, and I cried when I left. Saint Mary’s has always been very near and dear to me, and I am very grateful for this wonderful honor.”
A First-Team All-MIAC selection during his junior and senior seasons as a member of the men’s basketball team, Drouches averaged 15.5 points-per-game and ranks 16th all-time in career scoring with 1,176 points. He enjoyed his best season as a senior, averaging 13.5 points-per-game, while dishing out 67 assists and adding 88 steals.
On the baseball field, Drouches enjoyed his best season as a junior, hitting .314 (33-for-105) with three doubles, three triples, and a home run in 28 games. For his career, Drouches hit .267 (70-for-262) with eight doubles and four triples, while going 22-for-26 in stolen bases.
“I wish they had a 3-point line during my playing days,” joked Drouches, who not only played basketball and baseball at Saint Mary’s, but also served as the head coach of both programs in the mid-1980s. “I have been very blessed to have Saint Mary’s and the Christian Brothers in my life — and being selected to the Hall of Fame is another one of those Saint Mary’s blessings.”
Noyce Scholar wants students to know math is not a barrier
Kelsey Philipsek remembers ending her first day of teaching middle school in tears — not because she was frustrated or overwhelmed but because of immense joy. For the first time in her professional life, she found where she felt she belonged.
“It was truly the best day,” she said. “And I’ve continued to have even better days since.”
Philipsek is now in her second year of teaching eighth-grade algebra and technology education at Valley Middle School of STEM in Apple Valley. She is also working toward her Master of Art in Teaching at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, where she was recently named a Noyce Scholar.
This past year, the university was awarded a $1.18 million NSF Robert Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program grant in support of the university’s Inclusive STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Teacher Education Pipeline (iSTEP) Project. iSTEP is designed to increase the number of secondary STEM teachers from diverse backgrounds who are committed to teaching in high-need areas to help alleviate teacher shortages in the area of science and mathematics.
For Philipsek, it was a long road to becoming a teacher.
“When I graduated from high school, I really didn’t know what I wanted to do, and all of my school counselors said, ‘Well, you’re really good at math and science, you should become an engineer because that’s what successful people do,’” she said.
Taking their advice, she enrolled in a civil engineering program at her undergraduate college. Philipsek took to the math courses that were required for her degree, but she didn’t find herself enjoying the core engineering.
“I loved the math courses so much, I decided to get a minor,” she said. “And then I finished all my math courses, and I wanted to take more as a way to cope with my engineering degree because I didn’t like it. But I was so far along in the degree, I didn’t change.”
With the desire to take more math courses, Philipsek left college with two degrees: civil engineering and math. After graduating, she found herself working at several engineering firms, but she still wasn’t enjoying the profession.
“I tried everything,” she said. “I worked all over the U.S. and I worked on all kinds of projects scaling from multibillion-dollar projects to smaller projects and nothing really kept me intrigued.”
After serious contemplation of what she wanted to do with her career, Philipsek decided her skills could be best used in the classroom. She says her decision to become a teacher wasn’t solely based on her love of math. Philipsek wants her students to be able to pursue their interests.
“The reason I wanted to get into education wasn’t necessarily to teach math. Obviously, I love math. But that’s not my goal,” she said. “My goal isn’t to get kids to like math. My goal is for students to realize that math isn’t a barrier to pursuing something that they want.”
As a student at Saint Mary’s and Noyce Scholar, Philipsek knows she’ll be well equipped to continue that goal.
“Since I was named a Noyce Scholar, I’ve had so many people reaching out to me and connecting with me, and it’s been amazing,” she said. “Being able to know that going into my career, I know I’ll have this network of people and community (from Saint Mary’s) that I can rely on.”
Hall of Fame Profile: Bruna Bucciarelli B’76
WINONA, Minn. – It seems fitting that with the celebration of 50 years of Title IX, Bruna Bucciarelli B’76 Is among this year’s induction class into the Saint Mary’s University Sports Hall of Fame.
After all, Bucciarelli was a true pioneer for women’s athletics at Saint Mary’s, being among the first — and the best — to put on the Cardinal uniform in the inaugural stages of women’s sports.
Bucciarelli, along with George Drouches B’78, Mark Staub B’88, Jenni (Gutterman) Becker B’06, and Jen (Schipp) Stewart B’06, will be recognized and honored as part of the second annual Cardinal Excellence Fund Dinner, which will be held at Visions Event Center in Winona on Saturday.
“It was a surprise, let me tell you,” said Bucciarelli on being notified of her upcoming induction. “I certainly wasn’t expecting it. I always considered hall of fame inductions as reserved for someone who scored 100 points in games, something like that — and that wasn’t me.
Bucciarelli may not have scored 100 points in a game, but she certainly excelled in her fields of competition — all three of them.
A three-sport standout in basketball, cross country, and volleyball, Bucciarelli epitomizes greatness and boldly led the way for decades of talented women athletes. Just as 50 years ago, Title IX made history in creating equal opportunity for all, Bucciarelli’s pioneering achievements led to greater opportunities for all women at Saint Mary’s.
“It is truly an honor to be inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Bucciarelli said. “And I am humbled that I was chosen to go in at this time, representing women’s athletics in such a big and important movement as the celebration of 50 years of Title IX.”
Nontraditional path to higher ed
Advanced degrees lead to career advances
Growing up, Emy Johnson B’07, M’15 was taught by her mother that one can get by in life with “a little bit of grit, a whole lot of grace, and a whole lot of faith.” That determination launched Johnson, who now serves as the chief security officer at Allina Health, into a successful career in the corporate business world.
When Johnson first entered the corporate world at Target Corporation, she had only a high school degree. During her first few years, as she moved up within the company, she had no plans to further her education. However, Johnson said she reached a point where she knew she would need to obtain a bachelor’s degree to further advance her career in the retail sector. But enrolling in college was a daunting thought.
“I just wasn’t sure I could do it at the end of the day,” she said.
What she needed to return to the classroom was a little push, and she received it from a Saint Mary’s faculty member before she even enrolled.
While working on a project for a local law enforcement organization, Johnson had the opportunity to meet Don Winger, the program director for the B.S. in Law Enforcement Leadership program at Saint Mary’s. During their interactions, Winger asked Johnson where she received her degree.
“I answered the way I always did in professional settings: The school of hard knocks,” she said.
Upon hearing her response, Winger insisted that Johnson return to the classroom and suggested she do so at Saint Mary’s. Still feeling she lacked the confidence to return to school, she had to think about it. To help ease those feelings, Winger said he would assist Johnson through her education any way he could, even on Day One.
“I still felt I wasn’t ready to go back, and so to Don’s credit, he said, ‘I’ll walk with you to your first class, and I will help you be successful,’ ” she said.
It was that promise, and follow-through, that led Johnson to enroll in a bachelor’s completion program.
“I just saw myself as someone who needed to get a degree but I didn’t actually see myself as a student,” she said. “And the idea of being a mom and a wife and a worker, while being a student on top of that, seemed overwhelming. But the day I walked into Saint Mary’s, I knew I had the support of the administration, faculty, and my fellow students. I knew I would be successful.”
After finishing the bachelor’s completion program, Johnson wanted something that would complement her B.S. in Police Science, which led her to enroll in the M.A. in Human Development program at Saint Mary’s.
Now equipped with two degrees, Johnson says her experience at Saint Mary’s informs how she leads as the chief security officer at Allina Health.
“At the end of the day, when I think about what I took away from Saint Mary’s, the most important thing is community,” she said. “And that’s something we believe in at Allina. We’re not just a healthcare provider, we’re a healthcare provider that is making the community better. And Saint Mary’s taught me whether I was going to a class, an event, or even graduation, all of that was being part of a community.”
Johnson knows continuing schooling can be daunting for nontraditional and adult learners; however, she wants those considering returning to school to know it’s never too late to do so.
“Going back for my degree cemented in me the idea that I don’t have to do everything for everybody all the time. Completing my degree was doing something for me,” she said. “And I knew by doing that and making that single decision, it would change the pathway for my future as a professional.”
Compassionate care: Former patient studying to become PA
Britney Blacker ’23 can’t remember a time when she didn’t want to go into medicine. She has photos of herself, dressed in scrubs, at the age of 4. And when Blacker wasn’t dreaming of medicine, she was dreaming of softball.
She chose to leave her hometown of Castle Rock, Colo., to attend school nearly 1,000 miles away after doing an online search for Division III schools where she could both play softball and study in the sciences. She found Saint Mary’s University.
A campus visit further narrowed her search, and when she was accepted into Saint Mary’s 3+2 physician assistant program with Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences, her decision was solidified.
“When the No. 1 hospital in the nation says, ‘Hey want to come study with us?’, you don’t really say no,” she said.
What draws Blacker to medicine is twofold. She loves the combination of solving problems and interacting with people. “Healthcare is a beautiful world where I get to help people but also be a scientist,” she said. “It’s about being able to make a difference.”
The past few years, Blacker has gotten an in-depth look at healthcare from the other side — as a patient.
Her sophomore year, she required hip surgery. Blacker next suffered a blood clot, and through the surgeries and extended hospital stays, she struggled to keep her grades at the required GPA level to continue in the highly rigorous program.
Appropriately, Blacker — a former Cardinal infielder — summarizes life using a softball metaphor.
“Life sometimes throws you curveballs, but God also gives you a bat,” she says with a smile and a shoulder shrug.
Despite the obstacles, Blacker — now in the +2 portion of the program — has persevered and credits her team, both on the ballfield and in the classroom, with helping her stay in the game.
“I ended up dropping down to 12 credits at one point because I was in a wheelchair, so getting around was difficult,” she said. “All the professors, and my adviser, were super understanding. And the softball team too. The support that I had from them was awesome. In this program, I have never once felt like a number. I tell stories to my family members who went to big colleges about how my faculty doesn’t just ask me, ‘How was our game?’ They know how the game was because they already know if we won. It’s a community.”
Blacker hopes her in-depth knowledge as a patient helps her become a better PA.
“I hope it will help me be more empathetic with a better understanding of what it feels like to be a patient,” she said. “In the ICU on my third day, my hair was a mess and I didn’t feel human. A nurse asked if she could braid my hair, and it made me feel so much more human. That’s something I will carry through with me for my PA career and the rest of my life.”
All PA students spend their first three years on the Winona Campus; the following two years, they learn from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences faculty at the university’s Rochester Campus. In Rochester, they engage in clinical learning experiences at Mayo Clinic in Rochester and throughout the Mayo Clinic Health System.
At the end of this year, Blacker will earn a B.A. in Biology Health Sciences, and at the end of next year, she’ll earn a Master of Health Sciences degree in Physician Assistant Studies from Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences.
Blacker said her experiences on both campuses have been great. And she’s excited that learning is more hands-on and clinically based. “Now it isn’t just ‘What is this bone?’ It’s ‘There’s a 65-year-old man experiencing pain in this region; where is the fracture?’ It isn’t just a true or false question.”
She’s also performing pap smears, drawing blood, and working on both manikins in the sim center or on nurses from Mayo Clinic who volunteer as patients but also expertly guide students through the process.
“Every day I feel like I don’t deserve it,” Blacker said. “This is a world class education. From the livestreams of the cadavers, to the quality of the videos, to the way they teach, it’s a whole other level of education.
“And the emphasis is not only on the learning but about humanity,” she added. “You are treating people, and you need to be compassionate.”
Blacker said any students who know with certainty they want to be a PA should apply to Saint Mary’s for several reasons. “I absolutely would recommend the program,” she said. “It’s a great option to be graduating earlier, and you are going to be challenged and be building your relationships with Mayo Clinic professionals early. It does take a year of your undergraduate experience, which is a sacrifice I knew I wanted to make, because I’m passionate about the PA program.
“I think there are very few programs out there like this one that provide the opportunities that this one does.”
Faculty and staff are ‘all in’ for every student
Alex Zuzek B’18, M’22 wasn’t sure, at first, that he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older sisters and study education at Saint Mary’s.
But he’s glad he did. And by the time he was ready to enroll in an M.Ed program — largely because of his meaningful undergraduate experience and the university’s quality reputation — Zuzek said, he “didn’t really even think twice about going back to Saint Mary’s.”
Zuzek was first introduced to the university as a ninth grader, while touring with his sisters, Katie (Zuzek) Nye B’14, M’17 and Abbie (Zuzek) Budin B’15. When it was his turn to look at undergraduate schools, Zuzek was hesitant to automatically go where they did.
“But then I Iooked back and decided I liked the setting in Winona and the bluffs, and I knew I wanted to be a teacher. My dad was a principal, so he knows quite a bit about different schools, and he thought Saint Mary’s was a really strong one.” The combination, he said, “kind of made it the perfect place for me.”
Zuzek, in turn, became grateful for the early introductions to the department. “I do feel like I was lucky having sisters who were both studying to be teachers, too,” he said. “I met the Sorvaags and another education professor so I knew them ahead of time. We all ended up teaching in different areas. One sister and my wife, Aleaha (Zabel B’18), are elementary teachers, and my middle sister studied K-12 music. We could talk to each other about what to expect from certain teachers, but not so much detail that you had this full concept.”
Zuzek quickly settled on studying social studies secondary education, with a goal of being both a teacher and a tennis coach, and he was soon creating his own path in education — one encouraged by supportive faculty.
“I was able to learn so much from them,” he said. “It felt like another level of connection in the sense that when you would see them around campus, it wasn’t just a passing ‘Hi, how’s it going?’ It was more meaningful. I also remember (faculty) coming to different events, and some of the education faculty hosted a kickball game at their house. It might sound hokey, but to me that’s the good stuff, that’s what makes it.
“It’s really important in education to model what it can look like, as far as being a mentor and teacher. At the undergrad campus, it felt like faculty would have met any need that you had. If you needed a re-explanation or an extension, it was at your fingertips, at your disposal; it was fantastic. If you go to a bigger school, that’s not going to happen there.”
Now, Zuzek said he, his sisters, and his wife reminisce about the professors who had such a positive impact on them personally and professionally.
At the graduate level, though his experiences have been quite different — especially because he was in the first fully virtual M.Ed. community — he found the same close connections with faculty.
“The master’s programs are popular in the Twin Cities, especially among teachers,” he said. “To already know their educational philosophy and beliefs was huge. It gives me a sense of cohesion between my degrees. I have just loved that cohesive piece and how personal it is.”
Zuzek, who graduates this June, points out he’s been able to earn his degree while working full time at Hastings High School and raising a family.
“My wife and I had our first child, Arthur ‘Archie,’ a year ago in April, so out of the 15-16 month program, for a year of it, I also had a young child,” he said. “But the way faculty laid it all out still made it all doable. They make it so clear what’s expected.
“A master’s is more difficult in the sense that the standard of work is higher and also because you have a job while doing it,” he added. “In both the master’s program and in my undergrad studies, I’ve been very fortunate to have teachers, facilitators, and mentors who truly care and know you.”
Zuzek is applying what he’s learned back to his alma mater in Hastings, where he teaches social studies (and where his dad was once principal). Previously, he had served as a long term sub in Farmington, Minn. And, he’s also a tennis coach at Hastings High School.
“I would say I hope to stay connected with Saint Mary’s faculty and facilitators at some level,” he said. “It’s been a really impactful thing for me.”
Saint Mary’s University students to stage ‘Sondheim on Sondheim’ March 16-18
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts will stage the delightful musical tribute “Sondheim on Sondheim” March 16-18 in the university’s Page Theatre. Admission is free and open to the public. Reserve tickets now at bit.ly/sondheim2023.
This revue of Stephen Sondheim’s work features the appearance of the master teacher himself. Video clips of Sondheim narrating the progression of his writing career provides insights into the mind of Broadway’s most revered musical theatre writer, as well as the world of the Broadway business. Humorous and heartfelt, the cast embodies some new arrangements which transcend their original settings. Come and enjoy old favorites from “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum,” “Company,” “Sweeney Todd,” “Into the Woods,” “Follies,” “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Merrily We Roll Along,” “Passion,” “Assassins,” and more.
The show was conceived and originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine.
This is the final theatre performance under the direction of Judy Myers, who is retiring after 24 years of service. Shows run 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, March 16-18, with a 3 p.m. matinee on Saturday, March 18. “Sondheim on Sondheim” is production number 42 for Myers at Saint Mary’s, including 18 musicals, 20 plays, and four Candlelight revues. Additionally, Myers chaired the department for almost 10 years.
“Stephen Sondheim’s career pretty much took off with his production of ‘Company’ in 1970,” Myers said. “I was a seventh-grader at the time and knew nothing about him. However, when I was offered the opportunity to work on ‘Sweeney Todd’ in my junior year of undergraduate school, I discovered the treasure trove and have been obsessed with his work ever since. For me it is the sheer genius of lyric construction and music composition that allows actor and score to become one in the storytelling. You may not be able to hum that melody when you leave the theater, but you will be taken on a journey of human experience and artistic vision that you won’t forget.”
Myers added that Sondheim considered himself a teacher and was invested in students. “His direction to them was always simple and direct; getting to the heart of the characters’ needs and actions. When he talks about teaching at the end of this production, I am reminded every time that his sentiments align with my own career goals. And, I hope that the past 24 years of teaching at Saint Mary’s has provided a similar foundation for my own students. Choosing this piece for my last production at Saint Mary’s was ideal in terms of providing an appropriate platform for the talents of the students finishing their majors. I am very proud of this cast for stepping up to this challenging material. I think it is an appropriate finale for my academic career.”
The cast includes Aidan Indhal ’25, Gabrielle Johnson ’23, Katie Kitchen ’23, Shawn Mugo ’24, Emma Paquette ’23, Gunnar Rorholm ’23, Isabel Sugrue ’23 and Sam Wersch ’23 with lighting by Isaac Worple ’23.
Music director is Ian Schultz; choreographer is Claire Penning; scenic designer is Niffer Pflager; costume designer is Anastasia Goodwin; stage manager is Brittany Clipsham; and sound engineer is Robert J. Stuber.
© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Site Feedback/Changes | Accreditation