Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes

James Perreault, a junior finance major at Saint Mary’s, had an opportunity to pitch his idea for a sanitizing system for wheelchairs and other hospital equipment, called UVCanopy, to medical professionals at Mayo Clinic as part of the Mayo Walleye Tank competition. To qualify for the competition, he first had to pass a Student Entrepreneurial Showcase, a collaboration between Saint Mary’s Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Collider Coworking, and the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship. Perreault not only passed and qualified for the junior angler division of Walleye Tank, he also won the Audience Favorite Award and was the only undergraduate student to qualify for the competition. Other competitors included medical professionals and graduate students from Ivy League Schools.

UVCanopy uses germicidal Ultraviolet-C light to kill bacteria in a tunnel-shaped device. Perreault explains that medical equipment or wheelchairs would be pushed through the tunnel via a conveyor belt, eliminating human error, saving time, and reducing dependency on hazardous sterilization chemicals. Target users would be nursing homes and rehabilitation centers. Although he didn’t win, Perreault said several angel investors contacted him to tell him they’d like to hear more.

Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota alumnus Brother James Miller, FSC. The Vatican announced Nov. 8 that Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing Brother James died as a martyr on Feb. 13, 1982, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. While repairing a wall at the school where he worked, Brother James (also known as Brother Santiago) was approached by three men, who shot and killed him. It is suspected that Brother James was killed because he and the other Brothers fought to keep their young students from being forced into the military.

Brother James will be the first De La Salle Christian Brother from the United States to be beatified. The cause of beatification was undertaken by the Diocese of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, and received the Decree of Validity in Rome in 2010 when Brother James was designated a Servant of God and a martyr for the faith. The recognition of the martyrdom of Brother James clears the way for his beatification; the date and location of the beatification ceremony were not immediately announced. As a martyr, Brother James must have one miracle attributed to him posthumously to reach the next and final step toward official sainthood, which is canonization.

Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is celebrating the reaccreditations of two programs, the Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) graduate program and the undergraduate School of Business.

The MFT program recently received formal notice of reaccreditation by the Commission on Accreditation for Marriage and Family Therapy Education (COAMFTE). The program achieved the highest possible outcome — seven years of COAMFTE reaccreditation with zero stipulations.

“In 2018, there were 16 programs reaccredited by COAMFTE. Only three master’s degree programs, ours included, earned seven years with zero stipulations on accreditation,” said Samantha Zaid, Saint Mary’s MFT program director.

“It’s an exciting result that really shows the quality of the program and the wonderful community we are part of at Saint Mary’s,” she added. “From the application experience, student services, student resources (such as the Library and Writing Center), exceptional course-contracted faculty, quality community partnerships, and inspirational students, this achievement was earned by every person who makes this program great.”

The Saint Mary’s undergraduate School of Business also recently received reaccreditation by the International Accreditation Council for Business Education (IACBE).

At a recent ceremony celebrating IACBE reaccreditation, Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., president of Saint Mary’s noted that the undergraduate School of Business should be proud of its excellence in teaching, curriculum design, and operational effectiveness, as reflected in the strong endorsement from IACBE.

“IACBE reaccreditation reflects the department’s ongoing commitment to offering high quality programs that provide tangible results to our learners,” said Derek Jackson, Saint Mary’s Business Department chair and associate professor.

Dr. Tom Marpe, Saint Mary’s Business and Technology dean, thanks Jackson; Dr. Shelly McCallum-Ferguson, business professor; Tammy Pape, administrative assistant; and all the business faculty members for their efforts in writing the self-study and preparing for the site visit.

Photo caption: Posed from left, Dr. Shelly McCallum-Ferguson, business professor; Dr. Tom Marpe, Business and Technology dean; Derek Jackson, Business Department chair and associate professor; and Father James P. Burns, president. 

Check out a few photos from last week’s Senior Class Gathering, a special evening to honor all senior students with special recognition for mid-year graduates of the college. See more photos.

Over Christmas break, James Perreault ’20 is taking his UVCanopy concept one step closer to production.

The junior finance major at Saint Mary’s had an opportunity to pitch his idea for a sanitizing system for wheelchairs and other hospital equipment to medical professionals at Mayo Clinic on Dec. 7 as part of the Mayo Walleye Tank competition.

To qualify for the Walleye Tank competition, he first had to qualify during a Student Entrepreneurial Showcase, a collaboration between Saint Mary’s Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Collider Coworking, and the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship. Perreault not only qualified for the junior angler division of Walleye Tank, he also won the Audience Favorite Award and was the only undergraduate student to qualify for the competition.

As such, Perreault — a Batavia, Ill., native — competed against a group of medical professionals and graduate students from Ivy League Schools.

“It was one thing to be presenting in front of 500 people, but to also be presenting alongside people with that kind of background — Harvard and Stanford medical school graduates, Mayo Clinic professionals — was an honor,” Perreault said. “I was nervous but as soon as I got up there, I felt good. I feel such a sense of gratitude to Dr. Christine Beech and the Business Department for helping me get here.”

It helps that Perreault chose to pitch something he believes will truly benefit seniors in healthcare facilities. As Perreault’s family was researching nursing home facilities for his grandparents this past year, they read articles that contained disturbing facts about wheelchair sanitation. They discovered that 71 percent of wheelchairs failed to pass disinfectant tests and thought about how quickly viruses spread in nursing homes.

To improve the overall health of those living in these facilities, he began devising a way to sanitize wheelchairs and other devices. He originally pitched the idea during a Kabara Institute Elevator Pitch Competition at Saint Mary’s a couple of years ago and won. From there, his idea — and interest for the product — grew.

UVCanopy uses germicidal Ultraviolet-C light to kill bacteria in a tunnel-shaped device. Perreault explains that medical equipment or wheelchairs would be pushed through the tunnel via a conveyor belt, eliminating human error, saving time, and reducing dependency on hazardous sterilization chemicals. Target users would be nursing homes and rehabilitation centers.

The idea was a perfect fit at Walleye Tank. Although he didn’t win, Perreault said several angel investors contacted him to tell him they’d like to hear more. “It’s cool that people see the potential marketability in my idea,” Perreault said. “The experience was jaw dropping.”

Over break, Perreault has partnered with senior biology-pre-echocardiography major Daniel Narveson of Chatfield, Minn., to test different light volatility in the disinfection process. “He’ll set different bacteria on different materials to see how well the UVC lighting works in destroying the bacteria,” Perreault said. “Hopefully we’ll have enough evidence to move on and create our minimum viable product. Eventually I’d like to find an angel investor or collaborate with someone to produce this product. It’s something that’s a real problem, and I would like to see a solution.”

His grandparents, he said, especially love the idea. “They love anything I do because I’m their grandson, but they think this is a great idea.”

Last weekend, 38 students participated in the LIFT Retreat (Lasallians in Faith Together), formerly known as TEC (Together Encountering Christ). Students spent the weekend building community, reflecting on the Paschal mystery, and participating in faith-centered activities and discussion.

This retreat takes place each semester as an opportunity to further engage students in our Lasallian Catholic identity and give the space needed for reflection and growth. Among talks from several students, the retreat also started with a presentation by Brother Guillaume Yame, FSC, on Lasallian pillars and the work of Saint John Baptist de La Salle. At the core of La Salle’s work in catechesis is the spirit of evangelization through an authentic lived faith and a free and welcoming spirit of community.

Next semester’s retreat will take place the weekend of March 29-31.