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Winona Campus Newsletter
Winona performers to join the pros in Page Series ‘Places Please!’ Nov. 10
WINONA, Minn. — The Page Series will present two performances of the cabaret-style KEIGWIN + COMPANY show Places Please! on Saturday, Nov. 10, at 7 and 9 p.m. at the Valéncia Arts Center, home to the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts.
In Places Please!, longtime collaborators Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott take audience members on a zany trip brimming with playfulness and anxiety from life behind-the-scenes. Set backstage during the final moments before the curtain rises, Places Please! features dance and performance set to music ranging from Broadway classics to contemporary classical music to ’80s pop hits.
The result is a cocktail of biting satire, quick-witted physical comedy, and gentle moments of deep pathos, all celebrating the duo’s exuberant and dynamic relationship. By basking in the artifice and then taking it to task, Keigwin and Wolcott highlight the absurdity and sublimity that put the show in show business.
Six performers from the Winona area will work with Keigwin and Wolcott in the days leading up to the event, using the duo’s signature process of mixing, matching, and editing as they learn choreography, improvise, and work to integrate their own content into the show. The local performers include Andrea Joy Shearer, Anne Williams, Becca Braun, Michael Chouanard, Raina Racki, and Amanda Pohlman, who won a spot as “Audience Choice Soloist” following an open voting process on Facebook.
The Page Series will also offer two workshops with Keigwin and Wolcott for intermediate and advanced dancers ages 12 and older. The first, Let’s Make a Dance, will guide participants through Keigwin and Wolcott’s collaborative choreographic process using games and guided improvisation to enable individuals to discover their own physicality and transform themselves into performers. Let’s Make a Dance will take place Thursday, Nov. 8, at 3:30 p.m. at Memorial Hall on the campus of Winona State University, located at the corner of Main and 8th streets. The second workshop, a contemporary and modern dance master class, will take place Friday, Nov. 9, at 3:30 p.m. at SG Danceworkz and Fitness Studio, located at 1733 Service Dr. Both classes are offered free of charge, but registration is required. Participants can learn more and register at pagetheatre.org.
Tickets to Places Please! are $22. Table seating and a cash bar will be available, with reserved seating for Page Series subscribers. The Valéncia Arts Center is located at 1164 W. Howard St. in Winona. For more information or to order tickets, visit pagetheatre.org or call 507-457-1715 from noon to 6 p.m. weekdays.
With occasional mature content, Places Please! may not be suitable for some young audience members. Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will be offering an on-site “Kids Night Out” program during the 7 p.m. performance for children ages 3-12. Additional information and registration is available at mca.smumn.edu.
A video preview of the performance can be found at youtu.be/Dme7Y4YHJxw.
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 a grant from the Xcel Energy Foundation.
About the Artists
Larry Keigwin is a native New Yorker and choreographer who has danced his way from the Metropolitan Opera to downtown clubs to Broadway and back. He founded KEIGWIN + COMPANY in 2003 with Nicole Wolcott, and as artistic director, he has led the company as it has performed at theaters and dance festivals around the world. KEIGWIN + COMPANY has performed at The Kennedy Center, The Joyce Theater, Works & Process at the Guggenheim, and New York City Center, among many others venues. Keigwin has created dozens of dances for himself and his dancers, as well as for Paul Taylor’s American Modern Dance, Royal New Zealand Ballet, the Martha Graham Dance Company, the Juilliard School, Vail International Dance Festival, and many others. His work in musical theater includes Tales of the City at ACT in San Francisco, the off-Broadway production of Rent, and the 2013 Broadway musical If/Then, starring Idina Menzel.
Nicole Wolcott is a Brooklyn based artist. Called “one of today’s finest dance comedians and a knockout dancer,” by the New York Times. She has enjoyed an exciting career with dance companies, rock bands and video artists and been the subject of a feature article in DANCE TEACHER magazine. Wolcott co-founded KEIGWIN + COMPANY with Larry Keigwin in 2003 and was the associate artistic director and a featured dancer until 2013. She continues to assist Keigwin on projects including the Off-Broadway production of Rent and Broadway’s If/Then. Wolcott’s choreography has been performed at venues ranging from The Joyce Theater to CBGB’s. Currently she is touring her evening length solo titled PaperPieces.
KEIGWIN + COMPANY, founded in 2003 by Artistic Director Larry Keigwin and Nicole Wolcott, creates and presents Keigwin’s electrifying brand of contemporary dance. K+C reaches national and international audiences and invigorates diverse communities with a refreshing vision of dance that embodies a theatrical sensibility of wit, style, and heart. Since K+C’s premiere performance at Joyce Soho in 2003, Keigwin has created 35 dances, including the acclaimed large-scale community project, Bolero, which has been commissioned in eleven communities across the country, Runaway (2008), a fashion-inspired choreographic ride, proclaimed “a thrilling coup d’theater” by James Wolcott of Vanity Fair, and Canvas (2013), heralded as “intricate, neat, rapturous” by the New York Times. Over the past decade, K+C has presented performances around the world at venues including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Summerdance Santa Barbara, New York City Center, The Joyce Theater, the American Dance Festival, Bates Dance Festival, the Guggenheim in Bilbao, Spain, and more. In 2017, K+C embarked on a tour to Cote d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, and Tunisia as a part of the sixth season DanceMotion USA, a program sponsored by Brooklyn Academy of Music and the U.S. Department of State.
Saint Mary’s invites community to submit ‘to-do’ lists for Lasallian Day of Service
WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Volunteer Mentors are encouraging individuals, organizations, and churches in Winona to submit requests for the annual Lasallian Day of Service event on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Lasallian Day of Service was started by Saint Mary’s University as a day for students and alumni to volunteer in their communities — in the spirit of the Lasallian mission of service to others. Volunteers will be available from 9 a.m. to noon on Oct. 27, to help with fall cleaning, raking leaves, painting, or other chores. Saint Mary’s will supply the workers, if you supply the materials needed (paint, brushes, rakes, tools, etc.).
Requests must be made by Wednesday, Oct. 24, to Kirsten Rotz the Office of Campus Ministry at Saint Mary’s at krotz@smumn.edu or 507-457-7329. In your email request, please include description of work, address of location, and estimated time it will take to complete with three students.
Besides Winona, Saint Mary’s alumni will also be volunteering in the Twin Cities, Chicago, and New York City as part of Lasallian Day of Service.
Exploring intellectual hospitality
SGPP faculty and staff discuss intellectual hospitality at a recent meeting on the Twin Cities Campus.
Last week, as part of the all Schools of Graduates and Professional Programs (SGPP) meeting on Oct. 9, faculty and staff members led an important discussion on intellectual hospitality. The discussion was based on an article from Dr. Aurelie A. Hagstrom, professor, entitled “The Role of Charism and Hospitality in the Academy.” Dr. Sarah Ferguson, associate vice president of academic affairs and academic dean, moderated the panel which included Dr. Matt Nowakowski, D.B.A. program director and core associate professor; Dr. Rustin Wolfe, Ed.D. in Leadership program core professor; and Dr. Farhiya Farah, Master of Public Health program director. They shared thoughts around intellectual hospitality, which included ideas of zeal, accompaniment, pedagogy, curiosity, understanding one another’s experiences, and establishing ideals and visions that are accommodating to everyone by building on commonalities and ensuring trust through a safe environment. Discussions like these engage Saint Mary’s staff and faculty in a way that helps to strategically enhance the university’s intentionality around inclusion.
Master of Public Health program launches
Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County commissioner, speaks at the Master of Public Health program launch event.
The new Master of Public Health program launched successfully last week with an Oct. 10 gathering on the Twin Cities Campus, which included a number of community leaders from state, county, health sector, and nonprofit organizations. The event featured guest speakers Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County commissioner, who has been instrumental in working toward a strategy for the nearby Hiawatha Avenue homeless encampment and is part of the Hennepin County workforce initiative. In addition, Megan Nieto, president of Community Health Worker Solutions, spoke about the grassroots organization that advocates health services for at-risk populations and for the health workers that serve them. They stressed the importance of this program launch and the need to understand persistent and emerging public health issues and teach students to advocate for systemic solutions, including addressing health disparity in all communities. Dr. Farhiya Farah is the Master of Public Health program director. The creation of this program is a response to Priority 4 – Achieve growth in the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs through innovation and disruption of the model.
![Saint Mary’s University inaugurates 14th president [video]](https://newsroom.smumn.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Fr-Burns-inauguration-1050x675.jpg)
Saint Mary’s University inaugurates 14th president [video]
SAINT MARY’S: A SIGN OF FAITH, HOPE, & KNOWLEDGE
As a sign of faith, inauguration events on Oct. 5 began fittingly with Mass, and Saint Thomas More Chapel was filled with celebrants in song and praise.
As a sign of hope, a crowd of approximately 1,500 gathered on the Winona Campus to congratulate Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., as he was inaugurated as Saint Mary’s University’s 14th president.
And as a sign of knowledge, Father Burns spoke of what sets an education at Saint Mary’s apart from the competition: “If we are open and unafraid about forming our students and ourselves, not only in intellect, but in heart and soul as well, we will be living into that which truly sets our schools apart.
“In fact, we could even say that just helping our students is not enough, just educating their minds is not enough, and even just forming them generally is not enough,” he added. “All of these are only part of our educational effort. Rather more deeply it is about forming them in a particular way, helping them to perceive, to know, to act, and to do the good in the right way at the right time for the right reason.”
Oct. 5 was a day filled with pomp and circumstance, a day that showcased Saint Mary’s University for its strong educational reputation and its welcoming atmosphere, all while introducing its new leader. The concert band and the concert choir performed specially commissioned music, and international students and friends led off the convocation by marching in with the flags of our international students’ native countries. A sea of students filled the bleachers.
Two former presidents, Brother William Mann, FSC, D.Min., and Brother Louis DeThomasis, FSC, Ph.D., sat beside Father Burns on stage, each no doubt reflecting back to their inaugurations in 2008 and 1984.
Special greetings were made by U.S. Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar (as read by emcee Brother Robert Smith ’76, Ph.D., chief academic officer and vice president for the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs, who served as emcee), Brother Gustavo Ramirez Barba, general councilor for Lasallian Higher Education for the De La Salle Christian Brothers; Dr. Susan Skinner, principal of Benilde-St. Margaret’s School in St. Louis Park, Minn., and a member of the Midwest District’s Lasallian Mission Council; the honorable Mayor of Winona, Mark Peterson; and Dr. Paul Cerkvenik, president of the Minnesota Private College Council.
“Saint Mary’s commitment to developing well-rounded graduates is guided by its core ethical values of respect, justice, citizenship, and responsibility for self and others,” said Sen. Klobuchar. “When I think of Saint Mary’s positive impact in the community, I am reminded of a quote from our late friend Senator Paul Wellstone: ‘Education and democracy have the same goal: the fullest possible development of human capabilities.’ That is the incredible work you are doing every day — you are helping to shape and change the lives of the young people in your care.”
Dr. Skinner welcomed Father Burns into the Lasallian family. “Father Burns, the Lasallian high schools share your passion and vision for what it means to be a Lasallian community of faith. We share your desire to provide young people, young in age or young at heart, with an educational experience that exudes faith, illuminates hope, and honors the pursuit of knowledge in service of love.”
Mayor Peterson told the audience, “ … this campus and its people have long been a treasured part of this community. Your faculty and staff are valuable contributors to our vitality. They live, volunteer, and donate their time and energy to Winona. Your students bring their talents as well; they volunteer on cleanups, they contribute to the food shelf with their community garden, they student teach in our schools, they intern with our businesses, and they enhance our reputation for being the safest college town in America.”
Internal welcomes were made by Ned Kirk, D.M.A., representing the undergraduate College; Teresa Taylor, Ed.D., representing the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs; Scott Walker ’91, C’96, M’98, representing Rochester programs, staff, and students; Heidi Ledermann ’19, representing undergraduate College students; Dinyar Mehta M’18, representing SGPP students; and Matthew Bilski ’07, representing alumni.
Each shared a glimpse into the Saint Mary’s they know.
“We’ve heard you talk about Minnesota nice, and I’m sure you are already finding that we have that in abundance,” Dr. Kirk said. “On this campus, that translates to faculty and staff who go above and beyond to help their students be successful.”
Dr. Taylor continued, “Saint Mary’s has been a pioneer in graduate education, and we continue to have one of the largest graduate programs in the state. Our faculty are experts in their fields who have often chosen to ‘give back’ by sharing their knowledge in the classroom.
“In keeping with this legacy, it is our hope that we will continue to adapt our programming needs to tomorrow’s educational needs,” she said. “Society looks to us to prepare our students for jobs that have tremendous community impact, and our students look to us for flexible yet meaningful education. I’ve often heard the most difficult part of getting a graduate degree is starting. Let’s get started, Father Burns.”
Dr. Walker told inauguration goers that Saint Mary’s is investigating how we might expand programming to support Rochester as the city continues to position itself as a global destination for health and wellness.
“Father, we welcome your forward thinking as we form collaborations in Rochester, and all of our surrounding areas, and as we discover how to best serve these communities,” he said.
Ledermann based her presentation on the word, “opportunity.”
“That’s what Saint Mary’s is known for, giving students an opportunity to stand out in a crowd and to be known. I’ve always felt like faculty and staff here know me by name, care about my thoughts and ideas, and want to help me excel in everything I do.”
Mehta, who also served on the presidential search committee, told Father Burns, “With your skills, ability, and deep experience honed over years of service in academia, you have a proven track record of growing enrollment, promoting online education, and securing gifts for projects and programs — all of which, the Board has astutely pointed out, are critical to Saint Mary’s present and future.”
And Bilski announced that Saint Mary’s 43,000 living alumni are truly scattered throughout the world. “Some have immigrated from other countries to come to Saint Mary’s, while others have grown up in the shadows of the Winona bluffs,” he said. “New alumni will be joining us at a graduation next week: others graduated more than 70 years ago. Some — our online degree alumni — may have never even set foot on a Saint Mary’s campus. The common bond that we all share transcends geography, field of study, and background, Our Saint Mary’s Experience.”
He furthered, “Throughout your presidency, keep in mind that you never know when you’ll run into another Saint Mary’s alum, because we’re everywhere, and we’re proud.”
Brother Larry Schatz, FSC, Visitor of the Midwest District of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and a university trustee, introduced Father Burns, highlighting his academic and administrative accomplishments at Boston College and beyond. He added — with a smile — that Father Burns is a good cook, enjoys riding horses, and loves watching hockey … and football.
Father Burns laid out a future in which Saint Mary’s must define what sets it apart from the competition. Staying true to the university’s Lasallian Catholic charism is one way that Saint Mary’s is preparing its students to affect change in the world, for the better.
“… as critical as it is to acknowledge what we have accomplished and what we can do or what we will build; as important as it is to be aware of and involved in disruptive education and adaptation while looking for the next great transformation, this cannot be enough. For we will have to be mindful that many others are seeking to do the same.
“That is why I believe over and above all of this, what is most critical for us to focus on is our distinctive difference; what we uniquely have to offer,” he said. “That is none other than our Lasallian and Catholic identity. An identity that has embedded in it the key import of virtue, ethics, and character education.
“The university is a singular and privileged place of dialogue and encounter that as a result requires much of those who are involved in its efforts. Being such a place, it allows us to uniquely address so many of the daily challenges we face in this world.”
Mary Ann (Wera) Remick CST’64, chair of the Board of Trustees, led the investiture of Father Burns, ending with her heartfelt wishes for the new president, “May God bless you with the strength, the courage, the conviction, and wisdom you will need as you carry out the duties of your office. While you will undoubtedly find frequent challenges, may you also find daily joys, knowing that the work is not only yours but all of ours, and ultimately knowing that the work belongs to God.”
As part of a full weekend of celebratory events, Father Burns met students and staff early the following morning for service cleanup work on campus and on Highway 14. Later in the afternoon the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies hosted an artisan fair on the plaza. Additionally, Student Activities hosted a soccer tailgater, complete with inflatables, food, and music, was held at the soccer field.
Watch the recording from the ceremony.
Photos from inauguration events
Saint Mary’s University ranked in top 30 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the Fall
Winona, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University has been ranked 26th nationally in the 30 Most Beautiful College Campuses in the Fall, a survey from College Consensus.
The ranking focuses on colleges across the U.S. that are known for their beautiful campuses, which are also located in areas that are known for beautiful fall foliage. The ranking is ordered according to each school’s College Consensus aggregate score.
Students, faculty, staff invited to Community Conversation
Community Conversation
Respect: Stop Sexual & Domestic Violence
October is National Prevention of Domestic Violence month. The Winona County Primary Prevention Project (PPP) is hosting a public meeting to address prevention of sexual and domestic violence in our community. The event is sponsored by the Winona County Primary Prevention Project: Stop Sexual & Domestic Violence, Beyond Tough Guise, and Women’s Resource Center Winona.
When: Monday, Oct. 22, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Where: Minnesota State College Southeast Auditorium, 1250 Homer Rd, Winona, Minn.
Who: Presentation and a Community Conversation with Chuck Derry, co-founder of the Gender Violence Institute, and other Winona community leaders
What: Your opportunity to learn, as an individual and as an organization, how to change the social norms that allow sexual and domestic violence to happen in our community
Also: Education on domestic violence prevention, handouts, information and the Women’s Resource Clothesline Project Display
Featured speaker Chuck Derry has worked to end men’s violence against women since 1983, providing training and technical assistance, nationally and internationally, to implement strategic intervention and primary prevention initiatives. Chuck is a founding member of the North American MenEngage Network and served on the governing board of the Global MenEngage Alliance from 2012-2017. He will engage the public to have a community conversation. A panel of local community leaders will respond to his presentation. They will share their view on how to prevent sexual and domestic violence in our community.
This event is one of a series of educational events that will be offered in October in the Winona area. Also check out the other PPP partners event via their websites. Contact Helen at thebagshaws1@charter.net if you have questions.
Cardinals’ Nest TV show features Saint Mary’s new athletic director [video]
Saint Mary’s in the news
Avian Oasis: Restoration at Indian Ridge Marsh has turned a wasteland into an important home for wildlife [South Side Weekly] — article featuring Saint Mary’s alumna Teri Valenzuela ’14
Our View: Saint Mary’s University expansion is welcome [Rochester Post Bulletin]
Rev. James Burns inaugurated as Saint Mary’s president [Winona Daily News]
How to clean up Lake Winona [Winona Post]
How are Winona colleges preparing for election day [Winona Daily News]
How they spent their summer … [Winona Daily News]
An artist entrepreneur
By Courteney Jacob ’19
Combining a love for creating artwork with an entrepreneurial spirit wasn’t always part of the picture for Kody Michaels ’18.
While drawing has been a part of Michaels’ life since the third grade, it wasn’t until he came to Saint Mary’s University that he started putting his passions together and realizing that he could share his artistic passion and make a profit.
Michaels, whose artistic focus is on freehand pencil sketching with some charcoal canvas experimenting, displayed and sold his work at the Artisan Fair on the Plaza on Saturday, Oct. 6, an event held in connection with the inauguration weekend and sponsored by the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies to bring the local artisan community together.
“The artisan fair not only allowed me to express my hobby, but it is a great way to showcase the beautiful campus of Saint Mary’s all while providing a great event for the community,” Michaels said. Currently serving as the assistant track and field coach for the university, Michaels has yet another reason to want to entice people to visit Saint Mary’s.
But Michaels may not have ever participated in the artisan fair without the experience and skills he says he gained while a student at Saint Mary’s.
“I never used to take the business side of my artwork seriously until I came to Saint Mary’s,” he said, adding that during his four years he learned essential marketing, technological, and social skills, especially how to make strong first impressions.
Beyond what he learned in the classroom, Michaels also credits the relationships he built at Saint Mary’s for shaping him into who he is now.
“Saint Mary’s has provided me with a large number of relationships that has helped me expand my business and showcase my artistic abilities,” Michaels said “I believe that the relationships I’ve created are just as important as the educational pieces I’ve acquired.
“I had an extremely rough start to my college life and was spinning my wheels for a few years,” Michaels said. So when the Saint Mary’s head track and field coach, who was Michaels’ former high school track coach (now Michaels’ boss) encouraged him to make a change, he took that advice wholeheartedly and transferred to Saint Mary’s.
Thanks to that leap, Michaels is just where he wants to be: He’s graduated college, landed one of his dream jobs, gotten engaged, and bought a house.
“I can truly say that I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for this university and the community around it.”
Alumna organizes African immigrant conference
S. Miata Getaweh D’18 speaks at the African Immigrant Professional Development Conference.
On Sept. 22, more than 140 African immigrant professionals gathered at North Hennepin Community College in Brooklyn Park, Minn., for the first annual African Immigrant Professional Development Conference, which was organized by S. Miata Getaweh D’18, Doctor of Business Administration alumna. A number of Saint Mary’s University doctoral students were in attendance. Opening remarks were offered by Nerita Hughes, dean of business, technology, career and workforce development at North Hennepin Community College and current Ed.D. student at Saint Mary’s. The afternoon session commenced with Dr. Getaweh’s presentation “The Experiences of African Immigrants who have Successfully Matriculated to Managerial Positions in Minnesota.” This dissertation research was the driving force behind the conference and a first step to bring African immigrant professionals together for networking and professional development purposes. The evening session concluded with a panel discussion about achieving career success and encouraging participants to network, build social capital, understand the culture, and continue to stand up against discriminatory practices in the workplace. Keynote speakers and panelists included many leaders from the Twin Cities community.
Celebrating peace with other Lasallians
Fr. James Callahan presents during International Lasallian Days for Peace on the Winona Campus.
In cooperation with the International Council of Young Lasallians, Saint Mary’s University recognized International Lasallian Days for Peace during the week of Sept. 30-Oct.5. Guided by the theme Ignite our Hearts of Peace, the Office of Campus Ministry collaborated with the Lasallian Honors Program, the department of English and World Languages, the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, and the Winona Interfaith Council to sponsor speakers and activities focused on prayer, dialogue, and community. Lasallian schools around the world are invited to recognize the days for peace each year.
The two main speakers were Fr. James Callahan of Worthington, Minn., and Justin Van Dalen of Rochester, Minn. Fr. Callahan spoke about creating churches of sanctuary to continue to welcome the migrant and build peace in communities. He also reflected on the ethical, spiritual, historical, and political reasons for which offering sanctuary to others is important. Van Dalen, an attorney, spoke about his experience of working toward legal rights in Uganda with International Justice Mission to build peace and freedom. Other activities included opportunities for students, faculty, and staff to pray together, a viewing of the documentary, “Pope Francis: A Man of His Word,” and hospitality for discussions was provided.
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