Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes
Winona Campus Newsletter
Heukeshoven’s new composition to be premiered internationally
WINONA, Minn. — A new composition by A. Eric Heukeshoven of the Saint Mary’s University Department of Music will receive both international and national premieres in the coming weeks. The piece, titled “Father Forgive,” focuses on reconciliation and forgiveness.
A. Eric Heukeshoven
The work for the choir and flute is based on the “Coventry Litany of Reconciliation,” written by Canon Joseph Poole in 1958. The text was inspired by a relentless bombing raid on the city of Coventry, England, and its famous cathedral on Nov. 14, 1940. In the days that followed, two enduring symbols emerged from the rubble: two charred roof beams which had fallen in the shape of a cross were bound and placed at the site of the ruined alter, and three medieval roof nails were also formed into a cross, which would become the original Cross of Nails.
Shortly after, the words “Father Forgive” — deliberately neutral in content — were inscribed on the wall of the ruined chancel. Provost Dick Howard made a commitment not to seek revenge, but to strive for forgiveness and reconciliation with those responsible.
Heukeshoven said he first read the “Coventry Litany of Reconciliation” while visiting the Dachau Concentration Camp near Munich, Germany, last summer. After reading, he knew he wanted to set the words to music.
The Saint Mary’s University Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Patrick O’Shea, will premiere the new music on their 2019 international tour of Germany and Belgium in late February and early March. Dr. Janet Heukeshoven of the Saint Mary’s Music Department will accompany the choir on flute.
Local audiences can attend the U.S. premiere at the group’s homecoming concert on Thursday, March 7, at 7:30 p.m. in Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels (1155 W. Wabasha St.). The concert is free and open to the public.
For more information, contact A. Eric Heukeshoven at 507-457-7292 or eheukesh@smumn.edu.
Saint Mary’s in the news
Connecting in faith at World Youth Day
They were just 15 in a crowd of more than 500,000 gathered in Panama City this past January for World Youth Day.
Although relatively small in number, the 15 Saint Mary’s University attendees (comprised of students, staff, and alumni) had an extraordinary emotional and faith-filled experience. Not only did they have the opportunity to see Pope Francis and travel to Panama City, they also had the reaffirming opportunity to encounter their worldwide Catholic community of peers.
Saint Mary’s sophomore education major Brianna Jacobson said that, for her, World Youth Day was a chance to grow in her faith and experience other cultures.
“Being surrounded by so many different people made me think, ‘Yes, God is real because there are so many people who believe.’ And not all of them were Catholic,” said Jacobson, a Sycamore, Ill., native who is also a peer minister on campus.
Open to all young people, World Youth Day is an opportunity to experience the universality of the church and share in the hope of many who want to commit themselves to Jesus Christ. The week-long event is a unique way to deepen one’s faith through prayer and sacraments together with others from around the world who share the same interests and ambitions. This worldwide gathering is typically celebrated every three years in a different country.
Each day was packed with festival programming and events, including encounters with Pope Francis, which Jacobson said was a highlight for her.
“We were in shoulder-to-shoulder crowds,” she said. “He had just given a talk to the youth and then drove right by us in his popemobile. Here we were 15 feet away from the pope. He goes by so fast. It was surreal. We were hugging and crying.”
Another trip highlight occurred during one of Pope Francis’ presentations as he told attendees that you have to let youth grow and can’t cut them down; they need to sprout — which is the exact theme of a Bible study group she leads on campus called Sprout. “During that moment, I got the chills all over! It was crazy,” she said.
This wasn’t Saint Mary’s junior Kamila Kuchta’s first World Youth Day and probably won’t be her last. She’s already looking into the next World Youth Day 2022 in Portugal.
“Before coming to Saint Mary’s, I attended World Youth Day in Poland, which is where my family is from and many family members still live,” said Kuchta, a Woodbury, Minn., native who is involved in Campus Ministry and Student Activities at Saint Mary’s. “My faith is very important to me, so I knew I wanted to go back to World Youth Day if I had the chance.”
A memorable part of World Youth Day for Kuchta was the International Lasallian World Youth Encounter that took place. The gathering brought together Lasallians from Panama, France, Mexico, Nicaragua, Columbia, Cuba, Costa Rica, Honduras, Guatemala, the United States, and more for shared community and association.
“Before coming to Saint Mary’s, I didn’t know what it meant to be Lasallian. I knew Saint Mary’s was a Catholic university, but Lasallian was a new thing to me,” said Kuchta. “I’ve learned a lot about it through my years at Saint Mary’s, but that gathering really stood out to me. We believe in the teachings of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. It was cool to be there with people from other countries and see that they pray the same prayers we do, just in their respective languages. I got to see that there are Lasallians all over the world.”
Kuchta said she hopes to bring back the same fire, energy, and pure happiness experienced every day of the event.
“It’s hard when you’re back in classes and you have so many responsibilities … I hope I can inspire others to hear the word of God,” she said. “And keep the friendships that were made on the trip alive.”
Kuchta is active in her faith and on campus. She has also participated and led TEC (Together Encountering Christ) retreats, now called LIFT (Lasallians in Faith Together) retreats, and has been on S.O.U.L. (Serving Others United in Love) trips with Saint Mary’s.
“As youth, now is the perfect time to live out our faith,” she said.
While at World Youth Day, the Saint Mary’s group stayed with host families, which both students agreed was a good way to immerse themselves into another culture.
Jacobson, who is also a Spanish minor, said she was able practice using her Spanish speaking skills, communicating with and even translating for others from different countries.
“Experiencing different cultures is important,” Jacobson said. ““You need to go and experience new things. If you stay in one place your whole life, you might be missing out on meeting your best friends or people from different countries … and on creating new memories.”
Learn more about World Youth Day.
The Saint Mary’s group poses with the bishop of Bangued in the Philippines.
Top photo caption: The Saint Mary’s group poses in front of a statue of Saint John Baptist de La Salle at Colegio De La Salle, the Lasallian High School in Panama City.
Twin Cities, Apple Valley, Rochester locations closing at 4 p.m.
The Saint Mary’s University Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs (SGPP) Twin Cities Campus, Apply Valley Center, and Rochester Center at Cascade Meadow will close at 4 p.m. today, Wednesday, Feb. 20, due to extreme weather conditions; there will be no evening classes in these locations.
Essential employees will be contacted individually by their supervisor to determine the need to report for work. When traveling, please take necessary safety precautions.
The Saint Mary’s Winona Campus remains open.
College enrollment update – college admission and institutional research
The second semester official enrollment numbers for the College includes 996 total students, with 963 attending full time. These numbers represent the lowest enrollment for a spring semester in our recent history. While we all have been made aware of our enrollment challenges at the College, we also know that there are some positive indicators behind these numbers, particularly as we consider that the College started the academic year with 1,044 total students, with 1,023 attending full time.
- The retention of the first-year first-time students who started classes in August 2018 and who continued into spring 2019 is 97.1%, which is the highest retention of this group of students in more than a decade. Visit this link for information since 2006.
- The attrition rate (the percent of students not returning of those expected to return) from fall semester to spring semester is 4%, the lowest it has been in recent history. The rates for the last five years respectively were 5.4%, 6.5%, 6.2%, and 5.1%; the range in the last decade has been a low of 4% and a high of 7.6%. Another way to look at this is that we retained 96% of the students who we expected to retain.
- The retention rate of the first-year first-time students who started classes in August 2017 and who continued to this current academic year is 82.3%, which is the highest retention rate of this group of students in more than a decade.
As we continue to address our enrollment challenges across the university, we want to acknowledge our successes along the way. While these are early indicators and clearly only part of the story at the College, we believe that a number of initiatives over the past two years have contributed to this progress, including new approaches in recruitment/admission, new financial aid approaches to address student need, New Student Orientation efforts, new initiatives in residence life programming and student support areas, implementation of Student Central, new innovations in the classroom, the new Science and Learning Center, among others. Increasing enrollment is not only about increasing new incoming student numbers, but about retaining and completing those students who are already part of our community, which is something that we all can contribute to. Thank you to our faculty and staff for this important work!
If you have questions regarding any of the data provided here, please contact Kara Wener, director of Institutional Research, at kwener@smumn.edu or in 123 Saint Mary’s Hall.
Saint Mary’s Missing Voices: Equity in Education Summit advocates for equitable education for all
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Youth, educators, administrators, families, and community members will gather together at the Saint Mary’s University Center on Thursday, Feb. 28, for the sixth Missing Voices: Equity in Education Summit — titled Advocate: Access & Act! Attendees will engage in solution-oriented dialogue to discuss how to take action to increase equity in education.
Active community leaders will take the stage to unpack the terms “advocacy” and “civic engagement.” A panel presentation and a keynote address will be complemented by two breakout session presentations. Audience members will come away with a better understanding of advocacy and civic engagement and hear inspiring examples of how individuals have advocated for themselves, their schools, and a more equitable education system for all students.
Breakout sessions by local leaders, although focusing on different areas, will connect their content to the main theme of the summit. Artistic opportunities will be involved with the program. Guests can expect to engage in conversation with one another and explore new perspectives throughout the day.
Leaders from the Youth Equity Solutions (YES!) team will direct the day’s events. These young people help make decisions regarding the summit and facilitate transition activities, ask reflective questions, direct the audience, and participate in breakout session presentations.
Speakers at the 2019 summit will include:
- Sandra Vargas, senior executive leadership fellow at the Humphrey School of Public Affairs. She is a well-known community leader in the Twin Cities and has won a number of awards for her work in equity and racial justice.
- Zuki Ellis, chair of the Saint Paul Board of Education. As a lifelong citizen of Saint Paul, she wants to give back, support, challenge, fight for, and lead the community that has helped to raise and shape her life, as well as the lives of all the students of the district.
- Mónica Segura-Schwartz, a member of the Board of Education in School District 742. She has been a consistent advocate for disengaged or underrepresented groups and encourages others to participate in public life by getting involved in community making.
- Rose Chu, senior policy fellow at Minnesota Educational Equity Partnership. Her industrial and systems engineering background, coupled with her experience as a classroom teacher, has continued to ground her life’s work in educational reform and transformation.
Breakout session presentations will be facilitated by a number of equity leaders, including:
- Kenneth Eban, senior organizing director at Students for Education Reform Minnesota.
- Eden Bart and Rose McGee from the Minnesota Humanities Center.
- Syra Yang, equity specialist at Robbinsdale Area Schools.
- Jim Knutson-Kolodzne, director of the American Indian Center at St. Cloud State University.
The summit will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Saint Mary’s University Center, located at 2540 Park Ave. in Minneapolis. Check-in and continental breakfast begins at 7:30 a.m. Youth, family members, parents, and community organizers are invited to attend at no charge. Tickets for education professionals and general admission tickets are $125. Guests can register online at smumn.edu/missingvoices as well as on the day of the event. Any questions about registration or the event can be directed to ccre@smumn.edu.
Moore and Arnold interviewed on Cardinals’ Nest
Bill Moore, men’s hockey head coach, and Austin Arnold, men’s hockey senior captain, were recently featured in an episode of Cardinals’ Nest, a TV program that airs on Winona cable access HBC TV-25. Cardinals’ Nest is cohosted by Donny Nadeau, sports information director, and Dean Beckman, Communication Department chair and faculty athletic representative.
Watch the interviews:
Kabara Institute receives award, collaborates with local businesses and universities
The Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Saint Mary’s was awarded the Downtown Activation Award for helping to found the Garage Co-Work Space, 123 Lafayette St. The Winona Area Chamber of Commerce honored the Kabara Institute along with its partners in the Garage Co-Work Space Cohort (Winona Port Authority, Winona State University College of Business, and Winona Area Chamber of Commerce).
The Garage Co-Work works to promote and foster entrepreneurship. The innovative office space, meeting, and event venue offers shared professional workspace for independent workers such as telecommuters, startups, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and more. Visit thegaragecowork.com for more information.
Collaborating across universities
Students from Saint Mary’s, Winona State University, and Minnesota State College Southeast will come together at the Co-Work Space for a new initiative on Wednesday, Feb. 20, to launch a Winona Area Student Startup. Faculty from all three institutions will facilitate, and the students will create teams that will present to the community at the end of the program.
Jazz at Saint Mary’s to depart on international tour
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University Jazz Combo 1 students will bring the music of pioneering American jazz pianist, composer, and poet Horace Silver to audiences in Germany and Belgium during their spring 2019 tour.
From Silver’s first hit, The Preacher, to his moving ballad, Peace, Jazz Combo 1 will honor the legacy of this legendary American jazz artist through many of his original compositions.
Concerts will take place in Cologne, Germany, and various locations throughout Belgium starting Saturday, Feb. 23. The tour will culminate on Sunday, March 3, with a performance at Brussel’s premier jazz club, The Music Village.
Local audiences can welcome the musicians back at their homecoming performance on Tuesday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the Saint Mary’s Performance Center.
Led by Director of Jazz Studies, A. Eric Heukeshoven, Jazz Combo 1 students participating on the tour are Sam French, alto sax; Jacob French, trumpet; Sam Price, guitar; Cray Alvarez and David French, percussion; and Max Heukeshoven, bass. Vocalists Erin McCoy and Liam Hahn will join the combo to bring Silver’s words to life.
For more information, contact Eric Heukeshoven at 507-457-7292 or eheukesh@smumn.edu. Ticket information is available at pagetheatre.org or by calling the Page Theatre box office at 507-457-1715, between noon and 6 p.m.
About Jazz at Saint Mary’s
Jazz has played an integral role at Saint Mary’s University since the mid-1950s when the locally famous big band known as the Marinotes (led by Brother Paul Turner, FSC ’46) was formed. Today, the Jazz Ensemble, Jazz Workshop Combo, and Jazz Combo 1 are staples of the curriculum.
In March 2015, Jazz Combo 1 was featured at numerous venues in Ireland, including the Castle Hotel in Dublin and Galway’s No. 1 jazz club, Busker Brownes. In March 2012, the group toured and performed in Germany. A fundraiser for the Dreifaltigkeits-Krankenhaus (Trinity Hospital) in Köln (Cologne) drew a packed house of more than 450 and raised in excess of $8,000.
Students engage with local business
Students in Saint Mary’s Small Business Management class visited the DCM Tech campus in Winona and were given a tour by Dan Arnold, owner of DCM Tech and also a Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies Advisory Board member. Students learned first-hand about the opportunities and challenges of running a local manufacturing company that ships globally.
Art and Design faculty exhibition displays in Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries
“la la” ©2019
painting by Rob McColl
Be sure to check out the 2019 Art and Design faculty exhibition on display now through Saturday, Feb. 23, in the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries. The exhibition, titled “Pentimento: The Mark That Remains,” features paintings, photos, ceramics, and sculpture from Saint Mary’s Art and Design faculty: David Herwaldt, Preston Lawing, Rob McColl, Lisa Truax, and Brother Roderick Robertson, FSC.
Communication students attend PR North Conference
Students in the Public Relations/Business Club attended the 2019 PR North Conference in Minneapolis on Feb. 9, hosted by the Minnesota Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). Students met Minnesota Chapter PRSA president and Saint Mary’s alumnus Greg Zimprich ’86, attended sessions on media relations and influencer relations, learned how to negotiate a job offer, and participated in a job fair and mock interviews.
Photo caption: Attending the PR North Conference were, from left: David Gutierrez, Heidi Ledermann, Dean Beckman (faculty adviser), Greg Zimprich ’86 (Minnesota PRSA president and Saint Mary’s alumnus), Allie Grengs, Kelly Ferguson, and Morgan Prokosch.
Saint Mary’s Page Series to present ‘Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad’
WINONA, Minn. — The Page Series at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will present Virginia Repertory Theatre on Tour with a relaxed performance of “Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.” This stirring drama, written by Douglas Jones with music by Ron Barnett, is a classic tribute to the great American who freed herself and hundreds of her people from the bonds of slavery.
The nation’s second largest touring company for young audiences will perform at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 20, in Saint Mary’s Page Theatre.
As Tubman and her friend, Sarah Bradford, narrate her adventurous life, the audience will share in the joys, sorrows, and challenges faced by Tubman, who changed the world through her courage.
This deeply moving musical history lesson is inspiring, heart-warming, and comical while also full of the good humor, determination, and charity of its subject. The audience will find a new appreciation for Tubman and a deeper understanding of her times.
The production is based largely on Bradford’s book, “Scenes in the Life of Harriet Tubman,” and does contain a scene in which Tubman is the victim of discrimination through use of a racial slur. The company explains, “The playwright made a conscious decision to include this scene because it is historically exact, and it is an illustration of the degradation and humiliation African Americans endured even after emancipation.” Audiences are invited to read more about this scene and use of historically accurate language in the program note, “Why We Say It,” which can be found at pagetheatre.org. A performance guide is also available to help families prepare for the performance and learn more about Tubman.
This will be a relaxed performance with limited sound and lighting effects. There will also be flexible seating options to provide for sensory needs or wiggle room for children. Page Theatre staff are available to assist patrons in setting up their orders and will work to accommodate special requests or considerations. Running time is approximately one hour, and the production is open to the public and recommended for children in grades three and up.
All tickets to this performance are offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, thanks to the support of WNB Financial. For more information or to order tickets, visit pagetheatre.org or call the Performance Center box office at 507-457-1715 (noon to 6 p.m., weekdays).
The Page Series will also partner with the Winona County Historical Society and the Winona Public Library for a Gathering at the History Center on Saturday, Feb. 16, at noon. The event will feature story time and a lesson on freedom quilts with members of the Winona Area Quilters Guild. Attendees will be invited to create a paper quilt square that can be added to a community-generated “freedom quilt” that will be hung in the Page Theatre’s Ben Miller Lobby during the performance. This event is free and open to participants of all ages.
About Virginia Repertory Theatre on Tour
Virginia Rep on Tour, founded in 1975 as Theatre IV, has been internationally acclaimed for excellence as a theatre for young audiences. On Feb. 1, 2002, Virginia Rep on Tour’s production of “Buffalo Soldier” was performed, by request, at the Pentagon to open their celebration of Black History Month. The company performs live for more than 500,000 students, parents, and teachers each year throughout 33 states and the District of Columbia.
About the Page Series
Now in its 32nd annual season, the Page Series connects professional performing artists from around the globe with thousands of Winonans each year. With events at the Joseph Page Theatre on the Winona Campus of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, as well as at locations across the Winona community, the Page Series offers dance, music, and theatre performances, workshops, classes, and more that inspire, uplift, educate, and invite community members to discover the relevance of the arts in their daily lives.
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Minnesota State Arts Board Operating Support grant, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Page Series community programs are made possible, in part, through grants from the Elizabeth Callender King Foundation and the Xcel Energy Foundation.
© Copyright 2016. All Rights Reserved. | Privacy | Site Feedback/Changes | Accreditation