Saint Mary's Newsroom / Campus Notes
Winona Campus NewsletterUniversity to honor five during Founders’ Day celebration
In celebration of its heritage, Saint Mary’s University will present awards to one faculty member, two staff members, and two outstanding seniors at its annual Founders’ Day celebration Tuesday, March 14, on the Winona Campus.
Andy Robertson, executive director of GeoSpatial Services, will receive the Distinguished Lasallian Educator Award. Presented each year, the award recognizes a member of the faculty, staff, or administration who exemplifies the ideals of
Saint John Baptist de La Salle, expressed in the Twelve Virtues of a Good Teacher. 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. Robertson, who has worked at Saint Mary’s since 2004, has led the expansion of GeoSpatial Services to uniquely engage students in serving the needs of federal agencies, tribal nations, and nonprofit organizations in the areas of land management and water conservation. Similar to De La Salle and his first schools in 17th Century France, GSS engages education to respond to community needs at this particular time in history. Today GSS employs more than 65 students at the College and Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs (SGPP) in a co-operative education model, with plans for further expansion.
Sarah Haugen, interim director of the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) will receive the
Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC Award. Presented every two years, the award recognizes a full-time SGPP staff or faculty member who demonstrate excellence, innovation, and ethics in their work and build community by serving as a model of the Lasallian Catholic spirit. After serving for eight years as a facilitator and adjunct faculty members, Haugen joined Saint Mary’s full-time in 2016 as the associate director for the M.Ed. in Teaching and Learning program. In these roles, she trained teachers in developing currica, managing student mental health challenges, and collaborating to improve student learning. In 2022, Haugen became the associate director of CELT, and later the interim director, leveraging her experience to help Saint Mary’s faculty, especially adjunct faculty at SGPP, develop innovative methods to engage their students and foster a community of learners.
Michael Ratajczyk, associate professor of Business and program director for the Masters of Business Intelligence
and Data Analytics, will receive the Brother Charles H. Severin, FSC Award. Presented every two years, the award recognizes tenured College faculty members who carry forward Brother Charles’ legacy of sustained excellence and creativity in teaching. Since joining Saint Mary’s in 2013, Ratajczyk has built the university’s business intelligence and data analytics programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has leveraged industry collaborations and emerging technologies to build a community of engaged learners and practitioners, including the launch of the annual Business Intelligence Summit. Like Brother Charles did decades ago, Ratajczyk implements new learning tools into his courses, most recently creating gamification applications for course lessons.
At this event, Saint Mary’s also announces its Outstanding Male and Female Seniors. Outstanding Seniors have demonstrated the ideals of scholarship, character, leadership, service to colleagues and the university community, as well as genuine concern for the needs of others. Nominees include: males Guy Cardinal, Brady Lindauer, Brandon Merfeld, Joseph Schauf, and William Sepsis; females, Grace Howard, Christa Ingabire, Mackenzie Kelly, Sophia O’Neil, and Catherine Pierpont.
Saint Mary’s Spotlight: Alison Block
The Marketing and Communication Office will be profiling Saint Mary’s University leaders regularly in the Cardinal Update. Our goal is to showcase those overseeing and guiding key areas important to our strategic initiatives. This week, we feature Alison Block, director of academic records and systems.
Alison Block, director of academic records and systems
Name: Alison Block
Title: Director of academic records and systems
How long have you worked at Saint Mary’s?
I have worked at Saint Mary’s for 18 years in student services. In 2004, I began working in the financial aid department. I became the director of student services in 2009, the associate registrar in 2014, and the director of academic records and systems in 2021.
How would you describe your role at Saint Mary’s?
My role is to provide leadership and oversight of academic records, academic policy, and procedures related to academic records, academic schedule, and student registration for the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs (SGPP). I work with an amazing team to make all that happen! We do this by partnering, educating, and serving the members of our community with patience and generosity. We adapt quickly to the changing needs of our students, faculty, and staff.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I enjoy every part of my job! Every day is different and provides opportunities for learning and engagement with the community. Our community’s dedication and commitment to students inspires me every day.
What are your hopes for the future of Saint Mary’s?
My hope is that we continue to think creatively to solve the challenges we face as an institution, while keeping the traditional and adult students at the heart of those solutions.
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
I have had many experiences that support our mission. I am proud of the work I have done meeting students and working together to remove barriers to their graduation. As the director of student services, I changed our service model to work with the students holistically by creating our one-stop Student Central. As the associate registrar, we established a registrar’s office, centralizing registrar functions and collaborating with our academic programs on processes and policies to support their work.
My most meaningful experience was being the recipient of the Lasallian Educator Award in 2017. It was an honor to be recognized by the community for my contribution to the Lasallian mission.
Looking at the “Declaration on the Lasallian Educational Mission,” which of the 12 declarations resonates with you the most? Why?
Today, Declaration 11: “We believe that today’s realities demand taking risks and being creative” resonates the most with me. In these challenging times, we have to be able to look at what our students need today and in the future. The solutions to meeting those future needs will require us to think creatively and be comfortable taking risks. Our future depends on it.
Kelly Shannon, vice president for marketing and communication, announces retirement
Kelly Shannon, vice president for marketing and communication, announced that she will be retiring later this spring. She indicated that this is the right time for her to transition out of working full time after a 40-plus year career with more than 15 of those years in higher education.
She has made significant contributions in her more than two-and-a-half years with Saint Mary’s. “Ms. Shannon shared her many gifts and talents with Saint Mary’s and gave her full attention, commitment, energy, and creativity to our collective work,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D. “She has been an excellent colleague and accomplished a great deal, which leaves the university in a stronger position as we focus on our future.”
Among her accomplishments, Father Burns noted the following initiatives led by her and her team that have positively impacted the strategic plan and operating goals of the university:
- Rebuilt, set metrics, and developed the marketing and communication function and team.
- Created and launched Saint Mary’s new brand; one that is consistent, compelling, and relevant to our many stakeholders.
- Launched a new website that is already seeing a significant increase in new and repeat visitors, length of time spent on the site, and major increases in clicks on request for information forms and applications.
- Improved the amount and quality of internal communications around key news and information, important for all stakeholders, including faculty, staff, and students.
Shannon provided advance notice to ensure a smooth and orderly transition for the marketing and communication team and the many partners the team serves. To that end, and through a targeted search, Michelle Rovang, a communication and marketing strategist with significant experience and success in Catholic higher education, will join Saint Mary’s in April as vice president for marketing and communication.
Rovang consulted with Saint Mary’s for several months in 2021 on several strategic academic and enrollment marketing and communication projects, and her work and leadership was recognized and well received. Rovang served as the director of the Veritas Institute at the University of St. Thomas, Opus College of Business for a dozen years. While in that role, she handled branding, social media, partnerships, and connected the larger university community and external partners to the mission and vision of the institute, focused on socially responsible organizational conduct.
Additionally, she served as vice president for advancement for a healthcare foundation, has significant experience in community outreach, was managing director for a full-service marketing and advertising firm, and has experience in the classroom as a course-contracted faculty member in the areas of public relations, public speaking, and interpersonal communications. She holds a Master of Business Communication from the University of St. Thomas and a Bachelor of Arts in Communications from the University of Notre Dame.
“I believe strongly in the transformative power of education, particularly Catholic education, and am excited to be joining Saint Mary’s at this time in its storied Lasallian history,” said Rovang. “Saint Mary’s has a great story to tell and I will be privileged to spread the good news in collaboration with excellent colleagues.”
Shannon will work with Rovang to ensure a smooth transition.
Inaugural Noyce Scholars committed to teaching STEM
When Saint Mary’s University junior Evelyn Sanchez started school in Melrose Park, Ill., near Chicago, her mother anticipated that her young daughter would cling to her anxiously, not wanting to head off into a classroom of strangers.
But instead of tears and trepidation, Evelyn barely looked back as she bounded into the classroom, excited to begin an adventure in learning.
Evelyn’s career path was soon clear, and she began playing school with her stuffed animals, and even her grandparents, as her pupils.
It was her grandfather who encouraged her to teach mathematics specifically.
“My grandfather has always taught me the importance of education and why I should be thankful for every single lesson taught to me,” she said. “He grew up in Mexico, migrated to the United States and worked double shifts every single day to have a roof on top of our family and food on the table. He always wished for an education. He did not have the opportunity as he left school to help his family to pay bills.”
Her grandfather told Evelyn she deserved an education and the job of her dreams, but would need to work hard. “Un sueño tan grande mijita, solo échale ganas,” he would tell her, which translates to “A dream so big, all you have to do is give it all you’ve got.”
Likewise senior Simon Warmkagathje of rural St. Charles, Minn., has always wanted to teach, and throughout his life, others have encouraged him to go into teaching, recognizing the traits of a good educator in the outgoing and personable leader. Having seven younger siblings, he’s had lots of practice working with young people already.
For Warmkagathje, who grew up on his family farm, it’s about being outdoors. On campus, he’s the president and founder of the fishing club and vice president of the tri-beta biology honors society. It’s his goal to teach biology — sharing an understanding and appreciation of the world to future young students.
“My passion is teaching people how to pursue their dreams, no matter the circumstances,” he said. “For that reason, I believe education is the field in which I can make the biggest impact on my community.”
Warmkagathje and Sanchez are Saint Mary’s inaugural Noyce Scholars.
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 local educational agencies in places like southeastern Minnesota — to help alleviate severe teacher shortages in the state, particularly in math and science.
For the next five years, this funding enables Saint Mary’s to provide scholarships and stipends to more than 20 undergraduate and graduate students pursuing teacher licensure in a STEM-related field.
Undergraduates, typically awarded scholarships their junior years, promise to teach for four years (two years per year of scholarship received) in a high need school.
Sanchez believes this opportunity gives her the chance to be a good role model.
“I am not ashamed to say I still struggle with math,” she said. “I want to show future generations that everyone can learn STEM. I also want to share my story on the importance of grit and perseverance.
“I want to show my Mexican-American community that we can become STEM educators. I want to see more people like me, standing in front of the classroom,” she added. “And I want to show students who struggled with math and English growing up that they too can become an educator. My background, story, skin color, and the education I received as a child were not a disadvantage, but more an advantage and opportunity.”
Warmkagathje wants to be the kind of teacher who makes an impact on a student’s life — be the teacher students remember forever.
“To be named a Noyce scholar means such a great deal to me,” he said. “I think that finding STEM teachers to teach in the local area is important because there are not many of us out there. I see school districts in dire need of good teachers who will stick around, and I believe this program will support those who never thought they had the chance.
“This opportunity will help me lead a life of change and love. I cannot wait to help my future community grow in a positive way.”
Switching to Saint Mary’s was one of the best decisions of her life
Awar Ongach knows that a life-changing decision can be made by clicking on an “apply” button.
Ongach had been studying in a nursing program that didn’t feel like the right fit. After hearing about Saint Mary’s from her uncle, she investigated program opportunities further.
The B.S. (Bachelor’s Completion) program in Healthcare Management caught her attention. “I liked that you could complete the program at your own pace and tuition was less expensive than other schools I looked at,” she said. “It was between Saint Mary’s (and another school in the Twin Cities), and Saint Mary’s had more to offer and more certificates. I knew I didn’t want to just stop at the B.S., so there’d be different opportunities for growth.”
Ongach also liked that the B.S. in Healthcare Management curriculum was broad enough, it would apply well to a variety of career paths. When she completes her degree in August, she hopes to obtain a certificate in healthcare analytics from Saint Mary’s as well — while she uncovers what area of healthcare she’s most interested in for a future career.
“I’ve always been an education-driven person,” she said. “Eventually I want to move on to get my master’s as well. With a bachelor’s degree, you have more opportunities to find more jobs, so that’s why I wanted to complete my degree.”
Ongach currently works for Twin Cities Orthopaedics as a patient service representative, checking in patients, registering new patients, doing referrals, and scheduling appointments. She has already found her courses applicable to her job, particularly a cultural competency course, which she said has helped her see things from a different perspective.
“I would recommend Saint Mary’s because it’s a good school. I tell my friends all the time this is one of the best decisions I’ve made in my life, to switch schools,” she said. “I’ve learned a lot in a short amount of time. And I’m taking classes that I’m interested in. I actually enjoy completing school work and completing classes, so I would recommend it to many people.”
Ongach said the things that set Saint Mary’s programs apart also include faculty, whom she describes as super nice and helpful and the flexibility of the course.
“The staff, you can tell, they actually like their job, and they’re willing to help students,” she said. “I like that you can complete the program at your own pace. Many people may think that completing all the work in eight weeks is too much, but I’ve found it’s a good amount of time to complete work. I do work full time, so I would say it’s very manageable. They give you your syllabus and you can plan ahead. It’s very flexible, so as long as you communicate with your teachers, they’re open to helping you succeed and find a plan that’s best for you.”
Bitten by research bug
After his first taste of field research, Mark Leonard B’19 was bitten.
And now, the biology major has built a career studying and controlling dangerous mosquito populations.
Leonard’s end goal, as a research scientist at Iowa State University, is to control populations of these vector species, because they can transmit diseases to us and to animals. According to the World Health Organization, vector-borne diseases account for more than 17% of all infectious diseases, causing more than 700,000 deaths annually.
If he gets bitten in the process, it’s a risk he’s willing to take.
“You get used to it,” he said. “You develop a habit of not itching them.”
Armed with long sleeves and long pants, and typically walking around marshy areas in humid conditions, Leonard also battles the heat, various weather conditions, and many interesting people who are wary of him being near their property.
But Leonard wouldn’t have it any other way.
“The biggest focus is making sure people are safe, keeping diseases out of human circulation, as they can be chronic and even lethal,” he said. “And they’re often underreported. There’s lots of risks out there, but the work being done is definitely helping.”
Leonard came to Saint Mary’s with the goal of becoming a veterinarian.
After taking standard biology courses, he realized the versatility of a biology degree. And, after working on tick research with one of his professors, Dr. Jeanne Minnerath, and observing woodpecker scavenging behaviors with his adviser, Dr. Benjamin Pauli, he became fascinated with field research.
His work with Dr. Pauli was published in The Wilson Journal of Ornithology.
“That was my first time ever doing highly detailed scientific writing for a journal, and it was a big learning experience. I found it exciting,” he said.
The summer before grad school and during the summer of 2020, he began working with the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District (MMCD) as a control technician and inspector. “Most of what I did was fieldwork, going to various sites around the Anoka-Hennepin area, doing treatments and surveillance for both larval and adult mosquitoes. I also went out to wetlands with dry material in trucks and applied the material treatment. And I determined where and how much material should be distributed aerially by helicopter,” he said.
Leonard continued in public health entomology, graduating early from the University of Minnesota, earning a Master of Public Health degree in 2020. In grad school, he and colleagues came up with a concept for a sampling tool, and he ended up making a prototype; the results of this process were published in the Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association.
In 2021, he became a vector control director/GIS manager for Lake County Health Department in Crown Point, Ind.
“There I was in more of a directorial position,” he said. “I was responsible for leading a small crew of technicians who did what I did at MMCD and made bigger decisions for control methods. I also processed the data generated and what was reported to the state.”
Since June, Leonard has been working at Iowa State University, where life has come full circle and he is now working with students on research.
“In the summer months when it’s warm, we have a handful of counties who collect mosquitos with their own health departments and send them in for identification,” he said. “I work summers with another colleague and students to identify these samples and log them into a data form so at the end of the season, my colleague and I can pick up on patterns, determine where to sample in the future, and make recommendations.”
Looking back, Leonard says the hands-on learning he received with Saint Mary’s faculty set him up for a successful graduate experience, as well as career.
“It is one of, if not, the strongest bricks in the foundation that was laid in my professional academic life,” he said. “Having the opportunity to work in that capacity and work on projects affiliated with the internship and working with Dr. Pauli on the publications and in general with my thesis, it set a lot of really strong precedents, habits, and ways of thinking as I moved through my education and into the professional working sphere.
“The Biology Department is great. Professors are amazing. They do a great job teaching. If someone has an interest in life sciences or chemistry or biochemistry, I would definitely recommend Saint Mary’s.”
Saint Mary’s receives $25 million gift commitment, the largest benefactor investment in school’s history
MINNEAPOLIS/WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is announcing a $25 million gift commitment — the largest gift in the university’s 111-year-history — from an alumnus and his family. This unprecedented donation, directed to the university’s endowment, will support current efforts underway to revitalize the university and cement the vision recently laid out by the president and university administration to position it for a strong and successful future.
“We are forever grateful for this truly transformational gift to Saint Mary’s. Such a generous and major investment inspires and motivates us to advance our inspirational Lasallian Catholic educational mission, benefiting students and, in turn, society, as they work, lead, and serve others,” said Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., Saint Mary’s president. “In these challenging times across higher education, this gift affirms that we are setting the course necessary to continue to serve students for decades to come.”
While the benefactors wish to remain anonymous, they shared they felt compelled to invest in Saint Mary’s, stating how much they appreciate the hard work of the president and administration to boldly address the future course of Saint Mary’s. They see the university as one of the few that have a clear plan to steer through the turbulent waters facing all in higher education today.
“Saint Mary’s has refocused its program offerings to directly meet workforce needs while maintaining a liberal arts core,” said Father Burns. “We know that today’s students (both graduate and undergraduate) are looking for a solid return on their investment, which is why our university is partnering with health care and other major industry leaders to ensure that Saint Mary’s can continue to respond to the evolving marketplace. We must ensure our graduates, who are tomorrow’s leaders, have the right skills for both work and life including problem solving, critical thinking, and communication. This is because our liberal arts foundation remains central to our undergraduate experience thus providing students with a well-rounded perspective that will benefit them throughout their lives. Our work is guided by our identity as a Lasallian Catholic community, which calls us to be student-centered, welcoming, and forward thinking.”
As a stipulation of the gift agreement, in order to inspire others to step forward to provide support, the family has challenged the university to raise an additional $100 million between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2024. The family also has set an expectation that the university will make significant progress toward increasing undergraduate enrollment from 800 to 900 during that same timeframe. Both stipulations are intended to further position the university for the future.
“In addition to the historic magnitude of the gift, it is special for other reasons as well,” said Gary Klein, vice president for advancement. “The benefactors’ primary goal is to grow the university’s endowment from $70 million to close to $100 million and — with the match — close to $200 million, an increase of 180%. They believe strongly that with this solid foundation, and guidance by Father President James Burns and the Board of Trustees, many generations of students will benefit from a Saint Mary’s education — and, in turn, society will benefit from graduates who are both skilled and demonstrate strong moral and ethical character.”
Previous record gifts to the university included $8 million in April of 2014 to our First Generation Initiative and an unrestricted gift of $7 million in June 2000.
Board Chair Terrence Russell said, “We are grateful beyond words to this family for their gift. It is now a challenge for all of us who want to see our beloved Saint Mary’s thrive and flourish in the future to step forward and make a philanthropic commitment to help us realize this gift. Our president has set a course that is innovative, visionary, and grounded in our faith-based mission. We could not be better poised for the future with his leadership and those of his team along with our faculty and staff to create the best learning environments for our students now and into the future. We are blessed.”
Former Viking, Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Alan Page to receive Saint Mary’s University’s Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Former Minnesota Viking and State Supreme Court Justice Alan Page (retired) has been named this year’s recipient of Saint Mary’s University’s Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership; he will receive the award Tuesday, April 18, at the university’s annual Hendrickson Forum.
Alan Page, recipient of Saint Mary’s University’s Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership
Page, a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, started his football career at Notre Dame University and went on to play for the Minnesota Vikings for 11 years from 1967 to 1978. While still playing for the Vikings, he attended the University of Minnesota Law School and received his Juris Doctor. Page officially retired from football in 1981, after three years with the Chicago Bears.
After practicing law for a number of years, Page was elected to the Minnesota Supreme Court in 1992, becoming the first African American man to serve on the state’s highest court. Page served on the court until his retirement in 2015.
Dedicated to education, Page has been a proponent of the Page Amendment initiative in Minnesota, which would amend the state’s constitution and mandate “that quality public education is offered to all people.” The amendment is named in Page’s namesake.
In 1988, Page and his wife, Diane Sims Page, founded the Page Education Foundation. It provides financial and mentoring assistance to students of color in exchange for those students’ commitment to further volunteer service in the community, an idea suggested by their daughter Georgi.The Page Education Foundation has awarded grants to more than 7,500 students, who in turn have given more than 475,000 hours of their time to young children.
Recipients of the Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership have made significant contributions to the Twin Cities community and exhibit ethical leadership that is globally oriented, innovative, and creative. Further, recipients advocate for engaged citizenship that significantly improves the lives of others’ appreciation for diverse ideas and perspectives. Past medal recipients include Tony Sanneh of the Sanneh Foundation; Mary Jane Melendez of General Mills; Brad Hewitt of Thrivent Financial; Rhoda Olsen of Great Clips; Inge Thulin of 3M; and Mary Brainerd of HealthPartners.
The keynote for this year’s Hendrickson Forum is political analyst and author David Brooks, presenting “Navigating the Road to Character.”
Brooks has a gift for bringing audiences face to face with the spirit of our times with humor, insight, and quiet passion. He is a keen observer of the American way of life and a savvy analyst of present-day politics and foreign affairs. He holds several prestigious positions as a commentator including bi-weekly op-ed columnist for the New York Times and regular analyst on PBS NewsHour and NPR’s All Things Considered. His New York Times bestseller, The Road to Character, “explains why selflessness leads to greater success. He tells the story of 10 great lives that illustrate how character is developed, and how we can all strive to build rich inner lives, marked by humility and moral depth. In a society that emphasizes success and external achievement, The Road to Character is a book about inner worth.”
The Hendrickson Forum, which begins at 11:30 a.m. in Saint Mary’s Event Center, 2540 Park Ave., is open to the public. Tickets are available at smumn.edu/hendricksonforum.
Student affairs organizational changes announced
Several organizational changes in the student affairs area are taking place, effective immediately. All of the changes below continue to emphasize how we can best serve our students and meet our mission to awaken, nurture, and empower learners to ethical lives of service and leadership.
Ann Merchelwitz, J.D., senior vice president and general counsel, will add student affairs for the undergraduate residential experience to her scope of responsibilities. As a constant presence on campus and at student events, Merchlewitz will be a valuable resource for student affairs and students in Winona. This change will provide an opportunity for Marisa Naryka, Ed.D., to concentrate her work on mission and ministry, as well as adding responsibility for inclusion and human dignity and a focus on the student life experience for our adult students.
Student affairs update
- Merchlewitz will oversee undergrad student affairs, including the dean of students (who manages campus safety, residence life, and the mailroom), in addition to the R.I.S.E. coordinator, director of club sports, Chartwells, student senate, and health and counseling.
- Athletics will move under the president, a transition that recognizes the importance of student athletes and the leadership role our athletes play in student life at Saint Mary’s. It also affirms the contributions of our student athletes to our enrollment growth efforts and is a natural transition as Father James Burns, IVD, Ph.D., is the current chair of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (MIAC) and serves on the Division III NCAA President’s and Chancellor’s Advisory Council. Cardinal athletics continues to grow in reputation and impact in the MIAC. Dr. Naryka will continue to support athletics in the transition at the direction of Father Burns and will be in regular contact with athletics for the foreseeable future. Father Burns also looks forward to now being able to engage athletics in the university character initiative directly.
- The key initiative around co-curricular arts offerings to the full undergrad student body, which moved from academic to co-curricular last year, will continue to be managed by Dr. Naryka, Merchlewitz, and Max Bonilla, SSL, STD, newly appointed provost, who will support this student enriching and critical effort along with Lynette Johnson, recently appointed senior director of arts and events services.
Mission, ministry and inclusion, and human dignity update
- Dr. Naryka, vice president for mission and ministry, will add responsibility for our inclusion and human dignity efforts with the recent departure of Leon Dixon. Given the initiative is grounded in our Lasallian Catholic mission of respect for the dignity of each person, this alignment is intentional and will help advance the work.
- Related to mission and ministry, Dr. Naryka will put together a plan and execute it for our adult students in Minneapolis and online. She will be able to devote concentrated time on serving our adult students as a student affairs professional and through mission and ministry offerings, both key to initiative one of our strategic plan. A recent survey of our grad students will inform this work.
The talented and committed people working in student affairs will continue their efforts with our students under the new leadership, and these changes are expected to be as seamless as possible.
Update on general education
One of the major academic planning initiatives identified by leadership last May was the revision of the general education program.
On Jan. 13, faculty voted to support a general education revision proposal approved by the curriculum committee. Faculty, academic advisers, coaches, and other staff will soon have all of the information needed to answer student questions and support their learning goals.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to creating this revised program in time for implementation for fall 2023, which should continue to serve our students well.
This plan — now referred to as the General Education Program — eliminates several elements of the previous Integratus program that were not sustainable with current staffing and resources. It is also transfer friendly, key to our critical goal to grow enrollment.
Under the new General Education Program, students will take 39 credits in the following:
- First Year Experience – 9 cr
- INT101 First Year Seminar (3cr, reduce from 4 cr)
- E130 First Year Writing (3 cr)
- TH111 Thinking Theologically (3 cr)
- COM202 Communication Fundamentals or COM204 Professional Public Speaking – 3 cr
- Disciplinary Distribution requirements – 24 cr
- Arts, Communication, and History (3 cr)
- Computer Science & Natural Sciences (6 cr w/ 1 lab)
- Literature (3 cr)
- Mathematics/Statistics (3 cr)
- Philosophy (3 cr)
- Social Sciences (3 cr)
- Theology (3 cr)
- INT499 Interdisciplinary Capstone course – 3 cr
Eliminated are:
a) the Integratus minor requirement
b) the Integratus minor offerings
c) the Integratus minimum upper division credit requirements
d) Wellness Experience requirement
e) Cultural Engagement Experience requirement
The changes will not directly affect current students since they are under a different catalog year, and because the university will continue to teach-out those in the Integratus program, unless they decide to change catalog years through the registrar’s office.
On that front, we continue with our teachout implementation for majors and minors that are being phased out, which will now include the Integratus minors.
Our primary goal is for faculty and advisers to have what they need to best help students. The Student Success Center is always a resource for advisers. They can reach out to advising@smumn.edu with questions.
Saint Mary’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts announces an evening of one-act plays
WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University’s Department of Fine and Performing Arts is inviting the public to an evening of one-act plays. Two productions — featuring Saint Mary’s student actors and designed and directed by Saint Mary’s students — will run Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 16-18 in the Studio Theater, located on the second floor of the Performance Center. Pick a night and attend both shows, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Admission is free but seating is limited.
- “The Drowning Girls” by Beth Graham, Charlie Tomlinson and Daniela Vlaskalic, directed by senior Livy Potthoff — This haunting play highlights three brides who share two things in common: they all married the same man, and they are all dead. Emerging from the clawfoot bathtubs they were drowned in, Bessie, Alice, and Margaret share the evidence against a murderous man in a chilling ghost story that recounts the shocking crimes. “Reflecting on the misconceptions of love, married life, and the not-so-happily ever after,” Playwrights Canada Press writes, “The Drowning Girls is both a breathtaking fantasia and a social critique, full of rich images, a myriad of characters, and lyrical language.”
- “The Stonewater Rapture” by Doug Wright, directed by senior Emma Paquette — In this poignant and funny emotional journey, we watch as two teens, Carlyle and Whitney, growing up in a conservative Texas town with a big high school football program, grapple with the pain of adolescence, sex, religion, and the pressure of living in a small town. In the second scene, according to dramatists.com, “Carlyle seeks Whitney’s help after she has been the victim of a sexual assault. Rather than face the grim reality of her experience, Carlyle transforms the attack from an act of violence to a vision of glory, in which the bodies of her assailants become the angels torn from the Sistine Chapel ceiling, and the alcohol they forced upon her becomes the blood of Christ. As Carlyle’s delusions grow, Whitney must convince her of the unfortunate truth. Together they struggle to wed their simplistic religious doctrine with the often painful complexity of the real world.”
Mature Content: Mention of violence and sexual assault. Viewer discretion is advised.
Update: Feb. 18 cross-country ski races canceled due to snow conditions
Update 02/15/2023:
Due to snow melt, the cross-country ski races planned for Saturday, Feb. 18, have been canceled.
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The general public is invited to the Saint Mary’s Winona Campus on Saturday, Feb. 18 for the university’s annual cross-country ski race.
In-person registration will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at Saint Yon’s Valley, where the race will take place. Skiiers can also register at smumn.universitytickets.com.
The races will begin at 11 a.m. A full list of races and the time they begin can be found below:
- 10k classic race – 11 a.m.
- 5k classic race – 11 a.m.
- 1k children’s race – 12 p.m.
- 10k skate race – 1p.m.
- 5k skate race – 1 p.m.
Entry is free for Saint Mary’s students and $15 per race for non-students.
For more information, contact Nick Pritchard at 507-457-1618 or npritcha@smumn.edu.
Advocating for education
In his current position as a policy adviser for Third Way, Chazz Robinson B’16 says he’s always thinking about low income students, racial minorities, anyone who could be left out of the conversation.
He can’t forget them, because he once was them.
As a young man growing up in poverty in inner city Milwaukee, Robinson describes himself as someone who was too quick to anger and frequently in the principal’s office. School wasn’t a priority.
“My upbringing, in a tough environment, was rough around the edges,” he said. “I didn’t even know a world existed outside of my neighborhood.”
Ironically, in high school, Robinson transferred to a charter high school, primarily so he didn’t need to walk so far from his home, and it ended up being a step in the right direction. There he was required to wear a dress shirt and tie every day, and for the first time, his grades became a priority.
Suddenly, college seemed like an option as a way up and a way out.
“I was the first one in my neighborhood to go to college, to get away,” he said. “It was a big weight to carry but was something I wanted to do. It changed my life, just leaving and going to Saint Mary’s.”
For two years as a young teen, Robinson said his family moved up to middle class, back when his mother’s job as a realtor was flourishing. Then, with a 2008 recession, they lost everything. “We had moved to a different neighborhood. We had a nice rec room in the basement,” he said. “It was enough of a taste. When the recession hit and we lost it all, I was still motivated to get that back.”
He credits Saint Mary’s for accepting him and for giving him the confidence and support he needed to further his studies and his career.
“Education changed my life, short and sweet,” he said. “I didn’t really have any confidence, didn’t know if I could do a degree in general, didn’t know if I could do college. At Saint Mary’s, I had the supportive faculty and staff to encourage me and build confidence in me, saying ‘You can do this!’ After a while, you start to believe it a little bit. Saint Mary’s was big for me, because it was so close knit. Every office knew me.”
Robinson also credits his mother for instilling the importance of education in him. In fact, she started college at the same time as he did; the two graduated on the same weekend.
And now, the young man who once dreaded school has never left school — earning a B.A. in Psychology from Saint Mary’s in 2016, and an M.Ed. in Higher Education Administration from the University at Buffalo. He then went on to receive the Arthur A. Schomburg Fellowship and become a Presidential Fellow at the University at Buffalo, where he is currently completing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Policy.
At Saint Mary’s, Robinson studied psychology because he was fascinated by human behavior. “I used to wonder why people did the things they did and think the things they think,” he said. “I enjoyed learning how our environments play a big role in the things we accomplish. “
His background in psychology and in education are pairing well in his new position at Third Way, in which he is working to improve student outcomes, particularly for low-income students. Third Way is a national think tank which provides information to legislators and federal policy makers. Its website describes the organization as “fighting for opportunity, so everyone has the chance to earn a good life; progress on social issues, so all have the freedom to live the lives they choose; and security, so we are protected from 21st century global threats.”
His most recent research has been on graduate student debt. He is delving into topics like the true return on investment for graduate students and for taxpayers. Seven months into his job, he’s learning more about the intensive political divide. “No one size fits all in this work,” he said. “That’s probably the hardest pill to swallow. There’s not a policy or bill in this world where everybody says, ‘We all love it.’ ”
He puts his psychology knowledge to good use regularly. “It’s important to question why someone, even those people you are not fond of, feel the way they do. People think how they think based on how they are raised, their environment. People may be different from me politically and racially, and we can still have a good conversation. I might not agree with you, but I can understand your perspective.”
It all starts with a conversation, and Robinson wants other youths to know he’s there for them. “Now when people reach out to me, it’s a full circle moment,” he said. “Those are very dear to my heart, because people were there for me.”
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