Thursday, September 12, 2013

More than 1,000 come to view Stanley Cup, rally with John McDonough Sept. 6

John McDonough with the men's and women's hockey teams
McDonough triumphantly lifts the Stanley Cup to the roar of the rally crowd.

More than 1,000 people came to Saint Mary’s Friday, Sept. 6, to get a photo taken with the Stanley Cup, thanks to 1975 alumnus John McDonough, President and CEO of the Chicago Blackhawks, who chose to share the Stanley Cup with his alma mater and with the greater Winona area.

Just prior to the public viewing, McDonough triumphantly lifted the Cup over his head to the cheers of a large crowd in Gostomski Fieldhouse during the rally. SMU hockey legends were also recognized, and the crowd enjoyed presentations by McDonough and Brother William, as well as a Blackhawks highlight video. During the event, a plaque recognizing McDonough’s accomplishments was unveiled. The plaque will permanently hang in the Regan Lobby of the SMU Ice Arena.

“My academic prowess wasn’t great but I learned a lot about commitment; I learned a lot about drive. I learned a lot about relationships,” McDonough told the rally crowd. “I am grateful for what this great university has given to me.”

He told audience members, “Please be brave enough to have big dreams; they just might come true.”

McDonough’s visit also included a meeting with the SMU Athletic Advisory Council and a luncheon with Winona-area business leaders, during which Winona Mayor Mark Peterson presented McDonough with a proclamation declaring Sept. 6, 2013, as “John F. McDonough Day” in Winona.

“We are grateful to John for sharing his time, for sharing the Cup and for sharing his championship spirit and inspiring leadership with our communities,” said Brother William. “We look forward to John’s continued success; we know that he will continue to accomplish amazing things, and we’re proud to call him one of our own.”

To see photos from the day, go to www.smumn.edu/photos.

Cross/Purpose exhibit on display until Oct. 5


The Lillian Davis Hogan Gallery is hosting an exhibit titled Cross/Purpose, a collection of 49 works of art exploring the image, symbolism, and event of Christ’s crucifixion. Beginning with a 6th century coin, the works represent centuries of interpretation and reflection on this pivotal moment in history. Renowned artists such as George Rouault, Marc Chagall, Otto Dix, and Jacques Villon are represented in the exhibit.

The collection is part of a traveling exhibition series by CIVA, Christians in the Visual Arts.

Please note that the Cross/Purpose exhibit has been extended for one week and will run through Saturday, Oct. 5.

Three to be added to Hall of Fame during ‘M’ Club Weekend


The Cardinal 'M' Club, in association with the Alumni Association, will induct three members into the SMU Sports Hall of Fame during Cardinal 'M' Club Weekend Friday-Sunday, Sept. 13-15.

The 2013 Saint Mary's University Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will honor former student-athletes Greg (Dick ’84) Arens, Todd Borndale ’85 and Ashley (Dingels ’05) Gossen.

The trio will be honored during an awards ceremony on Friday, Sept. 13. Along with the induction of this year’s Hall of Fame class, Friday’s ceremony will also honor SMU’s 2012-13 postseason award-winners, and recognize the 2012-13 Outstanding Male and Female Athletes, and Outstanding Scholar Athletes.

Annual Young Alumni Weekend is Sept. 13-15


Saint Mary’s graduates from the past decade have been invited back to campus for Young Alumni Weekend, Sept. 13-15.

More than 150 alumni are expected to attend the full weekend of events which will include a faculty and staff social, a young alumni gathering at Mulligan’s, ropes course activities, a barbecue with live music on the plaza, disc golfing and the Cardinal Dash 5K. New this year is an alumni party at Jefferson Pub & Grill, featuring the young alumni band Ali and the Scoundrels, 8 p.m. Saturday.

The weekend also coincides with Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend, giving SMU alumni opportunities to cheer on Cardinal athletics.

For more information, contact Bob Fisher at Ext. 6658 or rfisher@smumn.edu. To read more about this event, or to register, go www.mysmumn.org/yaw13.

Page Series presents pianist Christopher O’Riley Sept. 17



Christopher O’Riley, NPR’s most famous pianist, will continue to stretch the piano beyond conventional boundaries Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Saint Mary’s University as part of the Page Series. Audiences will hear O’Riley interpret contemporary popular music including Elliott Smith, Radiohead and Pink Floyd.

O’Riley has taken his unique vision to both traditional classical music venues and symphonic settings, as well as to entirely new audiences on the radio, at universities and even clubs. As host of the popular classical music show, National Public Radio’s “From The Top,”  O’Riley works and performs with the next generation of brilliant young musicians, demonstrating to audiences that these young artists are as interesting and diverse in their personal lives as they are in their music-making.

He has toured the U.S. with the world-famous Academy of St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Orchestra. He has appeared with the philharmonic orchestras of Los Angeles, New York, Moscow and the Royal Philharmonic in London, the Minnesota Orchestra, and the symphonies of Pittsburgh, Atlanta, Baltimore, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

The show will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Page Theatre.

Tickets are $24 for adults, $22 for seniors and students and are available online at www.pagetheatre.org, or at the SMU Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. There will be a limited quantity of $6 tickets available for youth 5-14 years old.

A Page in History event is planned for 12:05 p.m. Sept. 17 in the Winona County History Center. This free event includes a unique opportunity to talk with O’Riley about the making of his popular radio program and the mission behind the program, heard on over more than 200 radio stations nationwide. This is a time for fans of both his music and this program to ask questions about this aspect of his career. He will be in the Slaggie Family Lobby on the 1884 Steinway.

Saint Mary’s is ranked in top tier of U.S. News ‘Best National Universities’


Saint Mary’s is once again ranked in the top tier of the annual U.S. News & World Report ratings of best colleges and universities.

Saint Mary’s is ranked No. 173 in the National Universities category of the U.S. News Best Colleges 2014 guidebook, moving up one slot from No. 174 in the 2013 guide. Saint Mary’s is one of only three public or private schools in Minnesota listed in this elite category.

The ranking of more than 1,500 schools is available online at www.usnews.com. Results were announced today, Sept. 10.

U.S. News ranks Saint Mary’s in the “National Universities” category, which includes schools that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.

Taking top honors in the “National Universities” ranking are Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Stanford University.

Along with “National Universities,” the other main U.S. News institutional groupings are “National Liberal Arts Colleges,” “Regional Universities” and “Regional Colleges.”

U.S. News categorizes schools primarily by mission and region, and ranking data is gathered from each institution on indicators of academic excellence.

SMU ‘In the News’


Here are some ways Saint Mary’s is making the news this week:

Coverage of the Stanley Cup visit circulated widely in both publications and online news throughout the U.S. after the Associated Press picked up the story.

After-event coverage included: KTTC, Winona Radio, Winona Post, KSTP and the Minneapolis-St. Paul Business Journal. Even John Buccigross, an anchor from ESPN, tweeted a picture of Donny Nadeau’s granddaughter, Avery, sitting in the Stanley Cup.

Check out:

• WKBT La Crosse – http://bit.ly/17HluBV

• Winona Daily News – http://bit.ly/18XJ26R

• WXOW La Crosse – http://bit.ly/15XWOp7

Constitution Day panel presentation is Sept. 17



A Constitution Day panel presentation titled “Justice and the Constitution: The Right to Counsel, Gideon v. Wainwright, and its Legacy at Fifty” will be held Tuesday, Sept. 17, at Saint Mary’s.

The event, free and open to the public, will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. in the President’s Room of the Toner Student Center.

Panelists will include:

• Rich McCluer, J.D. — Criminal law attorney with Price, McCluer & Plachecki; formerly chief trial lawyer for the Third Judicial District Public Defenders Office and named a “Minnesota Superlawyer” by the Minnesota Journal of Law and Politics

• Larry Price, J.D. — Assistant professor, Department of Business, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota

• Karin Sonneman, J.D. — Winona County attorney; formerly public defender for Minnesota’s Third Judicial District and two-time Gideon Award recipient, awarded to a public defender best exemplifying the principles of Gideon

• Judge Jeffrey D. Thompson, J.D. — Chief judge for Minnesota’s Third Judicial District, formerly Rice County attorney and assistant Winona County attorney

Gideon v. Wainwright was the 1963 Supreme Court case which led to the government appointing defense attorneys at no cost to those not able to afford it. This is widely believed to have made the U.S. legal system more accurate and fair, but 50 years later, some question whether the ideals upheld in Gideon have been eroded by underfunding, heavy case loads and plea-bargains. This panel of legal experts will explore the original case and the state of justice in the U.S. court system 50 years later.

This Constitution Day presentation is sponsored by the Department of Social Science. For more information, contact moderator Dr. David Lynch, professor and chair, Department of Social Science, at dlynch@smumn.edu or Ext. 1526.

Leadership workshop series offered at SMU


Saint Mary’s business professors presented one-day workshops to local business leaders as part of the SGPP Journey into Leadership Workshop Series. Professor Jeffrey Hefel addressed workshop participants on the topic of “Difficult Conversations, Accountability and Human Resources” while Dr. Shelly McCallum presented on “Creating an Inspiring Culture.” Leaders from various local companies including Merchant’s Bank, Winona Health, Miller Ingenuity (formerly Miller Felpax Corporation), Family and Children Center, Home and Community Options, and Saint Mary’s University took part in the day-long sessions.

The Journey into Leadership Workshop Series is a six-workshop series offering leaders current insights into managing staff, creating and maintaining a positive organizational culture, fostering innovation and ethical decision making, enhancing the use of financial resources, and building leadership abilities. The last two workshops in the 2013 series will be offered in September (Creating an Innovative and Ethical Workplace) and in November (Financial Intelligence). For more information, contact Dr. Jim Olhoff, program director, at jollhoff@smumn.edu or (651) 295-2454 or Jami Spitzer, program coordinator,  at jspitzer@smumn.edu or (507) 457-7500.

Second City actors work with SMU students

Andrew Hanzelka '17 in a mirror exercise with Matthew Kornegay '16.
Along with their Page Series performance, actors from Second City conducted an actors workshop with Saint Mary’s theatre students.

Sympathy to Edstrom family


Jo Edstrom, 102, mother of Nancy Edstrom Bachler (former lecturer/piano player, OCM) and mother-in-law to Steven Bachler, (Business Department), died Tuesday, Sept. 10, at her home.

Arrangements and a full obituary will be printed in the Sunday edition of the Winona Post.

Saint Mary’s extends its sympathy to the Edstrom family.