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Winona Campus NewsletterSaint Mary’s hosts 17th annual Doctoral Research Symposium
Approximately 150 students, faculty, alumni, and guests gathered for the 17th annual Doctoral Research Symposium March 5 and 6. The event included people from the three current doctoral programs (Psy.D., DBA, and Ed.D.). It was held virtually using a new platform, Remo, as well as Zoom.
Friday evening included an engaging keynote presentation from Eden Wales-Freedman, Ph.D., vice provost of Faculties and Academic Administration, titled, “Trust me, I’m a Doctor!: The Power and Potential of a Doctoral Degree.” Student poster presentations were done at tables in the virtual conference center (on the fifth virtual floor!). Lisa Sanderson, associate director of Alumni Relations, offered greetings. Krista Soria, Ph.D., associate professor in the Ed.D. program, also presented “Publishing Your Research: Opportunities and Obstacles” with Jennifer Schultz, Ph.D., core associate professor in the DBA program, facilitating discussion.
Saturday included many more virtual conversations about student projects in the virtual conference center. Participants then moved to Zoom for more extended presentations including an Ed.D. Comp Exam Workshop, Carrie Bowler’s Ed.D. dissertation defense: “An Exploration of Women’s Experience of Advocacy Actions Throughout their Leadership Career within Academic Medical Centers.” Student projects that included complete or nearly complete dissertations included: “The Success of Boys and Single Gender Classrooms,” “The Impact of Attitudes Toward Mental Illness on Prospective Jurors’ Perceptions,” “The Lived Experiences of Hmong Women Leaders in the Hmong AG Churches,” and many others.
There was also a round of faculty presentations by:
- Jennifer Schultz, Ph.D., core associate professor in the DBA program, (with DBA students Danielle Campeau, Nathaniel Siats, and Belinda Gardner): “A Session on Sessions! Facilitating Academic Conference and Professional Meeting Sessions”
- Stacy Dean, Ph.D., director for university writing services: “Are We There Yet?: Strategies for Finishing (and Even Enjoying) Doctoral Writing Projects.”
- Molly O’Connor, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, and Emma Erdahl, coordinator of academic administration: “Working with IRB”
Krista Ratcliffe, Ph.D.
Back in Remo Saturday, the event continued with a thought provoking and informative keynote from Krista Ratcliffe, Ph.D. (Arizona State University) titled “Rhetorical Listening to Cultural Logics of Race.” The day concluded with the very exciting Tenure Tank Competition facilitated by Kathryn LaBore, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Psy.D. program, where students “pitched” their research project to a distinguished panel of judges (Ken Solberg, Ph.D., Nancy Johnson, DBA, and Michael Lovorn, Ph.D.). Winning presentations were delivered by Nancy Duong (from DBA): “Successful Ethnic Entrepreneurship: Southeast Asian Owned Restaurant Experiences in the Twin Cities,” and Lindsay Barnhart (from Ed.D.): “Social skill Development in Preschool Children: A Comparison of Two Curriculum Models.”
Nurse anesthesia alumnus weathers COVID-19 storm as CRNA
For three years, David Johnson M’19 precariously balanced his work, family, and school schedule by utilizing time management skills — and a fair amount of caffeine.
As a student in the Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Graduate Program in Nurse Anesthesia, Johnson would get up around 3 a.m. at his home in Duluth to make it to the Twin Cities Campus by 6 a.m. He would go to class (or clinicals), drive back home to tuck his children to sleep, and study for a few hours before calling it a day around midnight.
“Usually when I would leave, I would make a whole French press coffee, put it in a thermos, and I would just drink that all day,” said Johnson.
All of the effort, though, has been worth it.
David Johnson M’19
After finishing the master’s program in August 2019, Johnson, 33, became a certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth.
Johnson began his current role in September 2019, just six months before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Within a few weeks after new safety protocols took effect at hospitals, Johnson and his fellow nurse anesthetists — many of whom have degrees through the program at Saint Mary’s — decided to conduct research on how to properly use personal protective equipment (PPE) while mitigating the threat of contamination.
“We educated ourselves and then took that education to help calm the fears of our co-workers,” Johnson said.
On a larger scale in Minnesota, during the height of pandemic, CRNAs have been called upon to perform some duties that are generally done by intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, such as putting in central venous lines and intubating patients. That’s because Minnesota is one of a few states where CRNAs must hold both a registered nurse (RN) license and an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) license — along with an anesthesia certification.
Building ‘a good base’
Johnson began at Saint Mary’s in May 2017, after working at St. Luke’s as a RN in the general ICU for four years, following three years as an RN in Milwaukee.
“I wanted to build a good base of nursing knowledge and intensive care knowledge — and then make an informed decision from there,” he said.
He is grateful for his experiences as an RN, but always gravitated toward the idea of working as a CRNA.
“It’s everything that you can do as an ICU nurse, amplified by 100 in a lot of ways because you have to make split-second life or death decisions and be ready at any second to act,” Johnson said.
Johnson began to gain a sense of autonomy in particular while completing two clinicals at rural locations: in Hayward, Wis., and Aitken, Minn. The hospitals are just two of 40 locations where Saint Mary’s nurse anesthesia students can take part in clinicals throughout the region.
“There are things that you learn as an independent practitioner that you could never learn in the team approach, because you’re making the decisions for the anesthesia plan,” Johnson said, adding that his rural clinical helped train him into the CRNA he is today.
“I think that’s the real benefit we have at Saint Mary’s is the ability to have our students out in rural locations, for eight, 16, or 24 weeks,” he said. “Students in other programs only get perhaps two weeks of rural clinical, and then they’re working under an anesthesiologist the rest of their clinical rotations. They don’t have that ability to have that independent side that we have at Saint Mary’s.”
Additionally Saint Mary’s M.S. in Nurse Anesthesia program is one of just four programs in Minnesota to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Nurse Anesthesia Educational Programs. It recently celebrated its 10-year reaccreditation.
Volunteering to help
Upon arriving at Saint Mary’s in 2019, Leah Gordon, DNP, Nurse Anesthesia program director, was touched by Johnson’s kindness. Gordon said she was fairly dependent on the students to help her appreciate the program’s nuances.
“David was one of the students who told me different things about the program — and did it in a really professional and respectful way,” Gordon said.
Furthermore, Johnson volunteered to interview prospective students before finishing. After graduating, Johnson became a remote part-time professor for a portfolio course on the variations of professional writing and presentations.
“I wanted [incoming students] to have as good of an experience as they could coming through school, and to be as prepared as they could be when they were done,” he said.
Photo caption: David Johnson M’19 and his wife, Melinda, find a way to balance two careers while taking care of their six children. David works as a CRNA at St. Luke’s Hospital in Duluth, Minn., where Melinda also works as a surgical technician.
In the news
This issue of the Rochester Chamber publication contains an article on the WE Forum, a mention in their upcoming events, and a recap of Rochester Chamber higher education event Provost Brian Schmisek was involved with recently.
The Winona Daily News covered our new nursing program.
Happy (almost) Saint Patrick’s Day!
Don’t rely on on luck this Saint Patrick’s Day. Social distance, don’t share drinks with other people, and keep shamrockin’ those masks!
Learn more about HECUA domestic programs
HECUA (Higher Education Consortium for Urban Affairs) offers off-campus academic programs for students to do integrative intellectual, political, and artistic work in support of movements for social justice, peace, and environmental sustainability in the U.S. HECUA is making the Race in America program a special Twin Cities-based offering for summer 2021.
The five programs offered are:
- Movements and Media (FALL, SPRING)
- Environmental Justice (FALL, SPRING)
- Inequality in America (FALL, SPRING)
- Art for Social Change (FALL, SPRING)
- Race in America (SUMMER TERM)
For more information about these programs, visit hecua.org.
These programs include eight academic credits and eight internship credits.
To learn more, contact the Career Services Office by emailing mhagarty@smumn.edu or calling 507-457-6695.
Student Senate presidential election – candidate speeches and ballot
Cardinals,
The Student Senate presidential election is tomorrow, Tuesday, March 16!
All undergraduate students have the opportunity to elect the Student Senate president for the 2021-22 year. Meet the candidates before voting tomorrow by checking out the Saint Mary’s Senate Instagram page (@smumnsenate) and watching the candidates’ nomination speeches that occurred at last week’s Student Senate meeting:
Cast your vote using the official ballot between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. on election day! The link will not be live until then. Ballots can also be accessed through QR codes which will be posted around campus on election day, and the link will be included in the Student Senate Instagram bio (@smumnsenate).
Take this opportunity to select the candidate who will represent your voice in Student Senate and with administration and the greater Winona community. We look forward to your participation and hope you seize the opportunity to be support the Student Senate.
Kendall Archer
Student Senate president
Saint Mary’s announces spring season fan policy
Saint Mary’s announced its fan policy for outdoor sports in 2021. No fans are allowed at any indoor sporting events for the 2020-21 school year. Read more.
Taylor Richmond Benefit Dance, call for silent auction donations
Dear Winona community members,
It is time again to honor and support a cause in connection with the Saint Mary’s University community. On behalf of the Office of Recreation, Involvement, and Student Engagement (R.I.S.E.), and the Taylor Richmond Benefit Committee, it is our honor to announce that all proceeds for the 21st Annual Taylor Richmond Benefit are to be donated to AT Children’s Project in honor of Taylor Richmond.
Taylor was the son of former Saint Mary’s staff member, Nikki Richmond, and was born with ataxia-telangiectasia, a degenerative genetic disease that severely limits movement, depresses the immune system, and leads to a host of debilitating symptoms. AT Children’s Project works to fund international research in an effort to find life-improving therapies and a cure for ataxia-telangiectasia. With this year’s fundraising efforts, we are looking to provide monetary support to this group, who provides a host of information and resources for individuals with ataxia-telangiectasia and their caregivers.
The benefit dance and silent auction has become an annual student tradition since its start in 2000 in honor of Taylor. Each year, this event benefits some person or organization in need who has ties to the Saint Mary’s community. Although Taylor passed away in 2013, his memory lives on at Saint Mary’s.
The silent auction for the Taylor Richmond Benefit will be held Thursday and Friday, April 15 and 16, online via 32auctions.com. (The specific link will be shared in future communications.) The silent auction has been very successful in the past. We have been blessed with the support of both the Saint Mary’s community and the southeastern Minnesota community, and we hope that we can have that same blessing this year. We are asking the members of our Saint Mary’s community, along with local businesses, to help by donating items to the silent auction. Items we have received in the past have included electronics, dinners, themed baskets, tickets to sporting and music events, and gift cards.
Any donation you can provide would be greatly appreciated by the Taylor Richmond Benefit Committee. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the dance will be for the Saint Mary’s community only this year. The committee greatly appreciates any support, and proceeds from student dance ticket sales will also go towards the foundation.
Donations for the silent auction or monetary donations will go to the foundation in Taylor’s memory. All donations and items can be sent to:
Marisa Naryka
Saint Mary’s University
700 Terrace Heights #9
Winona, MN 55987
You can also arrange drop off/pick up of your donations from your office or business by contacting Marisa Naryka at 507-457-1781 or mnaryka@smumn.edu.
We need your help to make this event the great success that it has been in the past. We would like all silent auction donations to arrive by April 9, 2021. Thank you in advance and we hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Sarah Fowler, president
Caroline Cummings, co-vice president
Catie Schiltz, co-vice president
Gigi Centeno, secretary
Marisa Naryka, adviser
Win big at Holy Word Squares
Celebrate De La Salle Week at Holy Word Squares. On Thursday, March 18, at 7 p.m. in the SLC Auditorium, our celebrity guests will answer questions about our Lasallian heritage, and student contestants determine whether their answers are true or false. Play or join the raffle for prizes from Campus Ministry!
Theology on Tap!
Join Campus Ministry this Wednesday at the first-ever Saint Mary’s Theology on Tap during De La Salle Week! This is an upperclassmen event where you and your COVID-pod can come, get free beer, and talk with Brother Larry Schatz, FSC. You can sign up for the two different sessions we are having on Wednesday, March 17, at either 6:30 or 8:30 p.m. We ask that you sign up in advance, so you are assured a spot. But as seating allows, walk-ins are more than welcome. As always, email campusministry@smumn.edu if you have any questions!
Student Senate agenda for March 16
Cardinals,
- Call to order
- Prayer/reflection
- Roll call
- Chartwells representative Abel Valencia’s presentation on changes for 2021-22 academic year
- Figure Skating Club budget
- Yoga Club budget
- Biology Club budget
- Zumba Club budget
- ASCD Club budget
- E-board reports
- Class officer reports
- Senator concerns
- Adjournment
R.I.S.E. Wellness Bingo continues with week two; you can still join!
R.I.S.E. challenges YOU to Four Week Wellness Bingo week two! Didn’t do week one? That’s okay! Join in the fun and health now! Check out the Google form for the new challenges!
Here’s how to play: Each week, complete the challenge for an area and cross it off (for example, physical, spiritual, or nutritional). Some challenges are for five days per week; some are one a week. Once you connect three areas, you’ve got a Bingo. You can get more than one Bingo by connecting different combinations of three areas. Each Bingo gets your name in a drawing for a grand prize.
Blackout Bingo: Complete the entire board to get a blackout Bingo, and you will get 10 entries for the grand prize drawing. At the end of challenge, R.I.S.E. will collect your Bingo sheets OR you can fill out your results in the Google form, which you can edit it as you go!
For everyone: Want to participate but feeling anxious? If you need an accommodation, please reach out at RISE@SMUMN.edu. If you have any concerns about your participation at any point, you should consult your health care provider. R.I.S.E. hopes you take the challenge wherever you are at. (See the Google form for alternative options.)
Prizes to pick from will include an exercise ball, a yoga mat, an essential oil diffuser, and more!
To fill out your Bingo card and for more info, check out the Google form or stop by R.I.S.E. in Vlazny 106.
Challenge your friends, and let’s take a step toward health, Cardinals! Together, we are Saint Mary’s!
Take survey about research, writing and get $20 gift card
We are conducting a study on Saint Mary’s students’ research and writing practices, and we would like to hear about your experiences. The study consists of a 30-60 minute interview over Zoom. In exchange for your time, you will receive a $20 gift card for Saint Mary’s Barnes and Noble Bookstore.
To participate, please complete this brief screening questionnaire. After you complete the screening questionnaire, we will contact you to arrange the interview at a time that is convenient for you.
We hope that you will be willing to share your experience with us.
Sincerely,
Dr. Stacy Nall Dean,
Director of Writing Services
Rachel McGee
Associate director of Library Services
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