On Monday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., SMU’s School of the Arts is being recognized by the City of Winona’s Fine Arts Commission for outstanding contributions to the City of Winona and its arts community.
Dean Michael Charron will accept the award on behalf of SMU and the School of the Arts.
Everyone is invited to attend. The Fine Arts Commission will meet in the council chambers at city hall.
Dr. Ann Gibson, director of counseling services, will present a workshop on the topic of “Overcoming the Fear of Public Speaking” 6:30 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, in Room 327, Saint Mary’s Hall.
This workshop is designed to be of practical assistance to students who wish to lessen their anxiety associated with class presentations and speeches and thus improve their performance.
Registration will take place that evening. Students who would like more information should call Ext. 1773.
The Music Access For All program, directed by Dr. John Paulson, professor of music, has immediate openings for students ages 10-18 who would like to get started in music but need help getting an instrument and lessons.
MAFA lessons and band are held at the Maplewood Town Homes Community Center, 1756 Kraemer Dr., from 10-11 a.m. on Saturdays.
Program director Dr. Paulson teaches woodwinds and SMU music faculty member Eric Heukeshoven teaches brass and piano.
MAFA also accepts instruments in good working condition, and charitable contributions can be made to MAFA, Box 1473. For more information, contact Dr. Paulson at Ext. 4948 or jpaulson@smumn.edu or visit www.paulsonjazz.com/mafa.htm.
Saint Mary’s will host San Miguel students Monday, Oct. 5, through Thursday, Oct. 8. Consider being a host family! E-mail richmond@smumn.edu with your gender preference by Monday, Sept. 14. This is a great way to reach out to part of our Lasallian family and live the mission!
Kathleen M. Flanagan will launch her new book, “Steps in Time: The History of Irish Dance in Chicago,” at the Irish American Heritage Center, 4626 N. Knox, Chicago, Ill., from 2 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 20. The event will include a short presentation by the author, lively entertainment by Chicago-based dancers and musicians, and light refreshments. Guests will have the opportunity to purchase the book and have it signed by the author.
Four faculty members within STEM programs (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics and Statistics) provided insights and shared how they are using Tegrity to enhance curriculum within a liberal education experience during a webinar Sept. 2.
The webinar had 168 attendees, and was one of the largest of its kind hosted by Tegrity.
Thanks go to featured speakers Dr. Chad Kjorlien, director of Instructional Technology and director of the Center for Learning and Teaching; Dr. Paul Weiner, associate dean for Mathematics and Sciences; Dr. Debra Martin, professor of biology; Dr. Jaime Mueller, assistant professor of chemistry; Dr. Henry Leckenby, assistant professor of physics; and Jason Spartz, IT - Multimedia and Information Technology and Support manager.
The Saint Teresa Institute is sponsoring a project management workshop in two parts Sept. 14 and Sept. 28. The event is open to everyone on campus. Learn what resources are available on campus, how to divvy up the work to make it manageable. Part I will be held 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14 in Damien Lounge, Watters Hall. Part II will be 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 28 in the Common Room. A light dinner will be provided. To pre-register e-mail pwinters@smumn.edu.
The annual Mississippi River cleanup will be held 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, at Latsch Island Beach. Participants should wear gloves and old clothes. Free lunch and music will be provided. For more information, contact Richie Swanson at richieswan@lycos.com or 454-8478.
Volunteers will go out in boats to remove eyesores and pollutants such as treated wood and discarded tires and metals from islands, shorelines and dikes. A crew will also walk across the Wagon Bridge to remove litter from Aghaming Park and Preserve.
The Mississippi River Revival has been organizing an annual cleanup since 1980.
The seventh annual Cardinal ‘M’ Club weekend is Sept. 11-13. This weekend has grown tremendously in the last seven years.
Major events include:
• Friday, Sept. 11 — Men's Hockey Alumni Game, 7 p.m. SMU Ice Arena
• Saturday, Sept. 12 — Golf Outing, 10:30 a.m., Cedar Valley Golf Course; Athletic Awards Ceremony and Sports Hall of Fame Inductions, 7:30 p.m., gymnasium; Friends and Alumni Social, 9:30 p.m., Wellington Pub & Grill
• Sunday, Sept. 13 — Alumni Games and Porkmaster's Pig Roast, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Along with the induction of this year’s Hall of Fame class, SMU’s 2008-09 postseason award-winners, as well as last year’s outstanding male and female athletes and outstanding scholar athletes will also be recognized during Saturday night’s ceremony.
SMU HALL OF FAME, CLASS OF 2009
SMU HALL OF FAME, CLASS OF 2009
Tom Pepper, Chicago
A three-year letterwinner and an NAIA All-District performer his senior season, Tom Pepper still remains one of the premier scorers in SMU men’s basketball history. His 1,281 points and 16.9 career per-game scoring average rank him ninth all-time, despite having only played three seasons at Saint Mary’s, after transferring from NCAA Division I Loyola Marymount University. Upon graduation, Pepper traded in his sneakers for a coach’s whistle, coaching high school basketball at St. Mel’s and Farragut Academy in Chicago.
Sue Otto, Santa Monica, Calif.
A four-year letterwinner, Sue Otto was a stabilizing force for the Saint Mary’s University women’s soccer team — a team that won three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and made three trips to the NCAA Division III national tournament, including a semifinal appearance in 1986. An All-MIAC First-Team selection in 1988 and 1989, Otto and the Cardinals lost just two conference games in her four-year career, going 47-2-0. Along with her all-conference honors, Otto was also a two-time First Team All-West Region pick in 1988-89, as well as a Third-Team All-American during her junior year, and a First-Team All-American and team MVP during her senior season. Otto appeared in 77 games during her four-year career, compiling 17 goals and 27 assists for 61 points. Her 27 assists rank No. 5 all-time in SMU women’s soccer history, while her 61 points are 11th and her 17 goals put her 12th.
Chad Doerre, Joliet, Ill.
A four-year letterwinner, Chad Doerre is one of the most accomplished pitchers to come through the Saint Mary’s baseball program. As a freshman, Doerre helped pitch the Cardinals to their most recent Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title and a second-place showing in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament. A two-time First-Team All-MIAC selection in 1995 and 1996, Doerre closed out his career with a 22-7 record with 11 complete games. He threw 197 innings, compiling a 2.38 earned-run-average, while walking 43 and striking out 143. His 22 wins and 197 innings pitch rank No. 1 all-time in SMU baseball history, while his 11 complete games and 143 strikeouts are No. 5 all-time. Doerre is also among the top 10 in ERA, ranking ninth at 2.38, while also proving productive at the plate, boasting a .330 career batting average and a .346 slugging percentage in 188 at-bats.
Faculty and staff are invited to join in the weekend events and reconnect with SMU alumni. SMU faculty and staff are welcome to golf with us for a reduced price of $80. Visit the Cardinal ‘M’ Club website at www.smumn.edu/mclub to register and see additional information, including a list of golf participants. You may also contact Nikki Fennern at nfennern@smumn.edu or Ext. 1638 for more details or to sign up for events.
Graduates from the last decade have been invited back to campus for the inaugural Young Alumni Reunion Weekend, Sept. 11-13.
As part of the weekend, a Faculty/Staff & Young Alumni Social is planned for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the Toner Student Center Lounge.
Approximately 200 students are planning to attend the special weekend of events which will also include a bonfire, a community outreach project, ropes course activities, disc golfing and a pig roast picnic. The weekend also coincides with Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend, giving SMU alumni opportunities to cheer on Cardinal athletics. A special barbecue is planned for the anniversary class of 2004.
Former students often express their interest in reconnecting with faculty and staff. Please make plans to attend! To see a complete schedule of events, as well as a list of the young alumni who are planning to attend, go to www.smumn.edu/youngalumniweekend.aspx.
To RSVP, call the Alumni Office at alumni@smumn.edu or Ext. 1499.
In a unique fusion of music and verse, Ken Waldman, “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” will perform 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Saint Mary’s.
This event, free and open to the public, will be held in the President’s Room.
Waldman combines old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, original poetry, and Alaska-set storytelling for a performance uniquely his own. Waldman has published six full-length poetry collections, a memoir about his life as a touring artist (“Are You Famous?”), and seven CDs. Since 1994, he’s worked full-time as “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” performing at some of the nation’s leading universities, festivals, art centers and clubs — including Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Event sponsors include Academic Affairs and Student Activities Offices, and the English Department.
For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Ayers at cayers@smumn.edu or Ext. 1523.
Joel Kramer, founder, editor and CEO of MinnPost.com, will discuss the changes taking place in today’s newspaper industry on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Kramer founded an online newspaper seen by some observers as a model that might succeed while traditional print newspapers fall by the wayside. His presentation, “The collapsing business model for journalism: What's next?” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall.
Kramer served as the editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune from 1983 to 1991 and as publisher and president from 1992 to 1998. In summer 2007, Kramer launched MinnPost.com, a nonprofit online newspaper with a mission “to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.” The site features high-quality video and audio, as well as written stories and commentary pieces.
As Matt Snyders of City Pages said in a March 2, 2009 article, “the ink-stained community went abuzz.” Snyders continued, “For an industry wracked by massive layoffs and plummeting ad revenue, any news not involving job loss was a good thing.”
MinnPost.com has garnered quite a bit of attention as both critics and supporters have questioned whether this type of nonprofit journalism — one that aims to eventually break even with the support of corporate sponsors, advertisers and donations from members — can thrive in today’s struggling newspaper climate.
In a report for the Nieman Journalism Lab, Kramer wrote, “A lot of pixels are being spilled these days reflecting on the future of newspapers, news, journalists, and journalism. I spent my career in newspapers, first as a journalist and later as a publisher, and I left when the business was financially near its peak. With the for-profit model now shriveling, I’ve spent the past 16 months trying to build one example of what might be coming next—a not-for-profit enterprise providing high-quality regional journalism on the web.”
A question-and-answer period will follow Kramer’s presentation. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Steve Schild, at Ext. 1753 or sschild@smumn.edu.
St. Cloud artist David Sebberson is exhibiting a portion of his on-going series, “A History of the Plains,” through Sept. 27 at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.
Sebberson began his series after visiting what was left of his family farm and noticing that the farm buildings that once dotted the landscape were “burned, bulldozed and buried beneath high-yield fields whose ever increasing economic productivity has been erasing the immigrant culture I grew up in, a harvest of forgetfulness at 150 bushels per acre.”
Sebberson currently chairs the St. Cloud State University Department of Art.
A closing reception for the artist will be held 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the galleries.
Admission is free and open to the public, and gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call Ext. 1652.
Dr. Patrick M. O'Shea, associate professor of music, and Susanne C. Ek '85, executive director for the U.S. Office of the Billings Ovulation Method will be invested as a Knight and Lady of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem at the annual meeting and investiture weekend of the U.S. Northern Lieutenancy of the Order, Sept.18-21 in St. Louis.
Tracing its origin to the First Crusade, the Order was reorganized and revitalized in 1847 with the restoration of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem by Pope Pius IX. At the December 2008 world ‘consulta’ of the Order at the Vatican, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI stated that the Order came into being as “a ‘guard of honour’ for the protection of the Holy Sepulchre of Our Lord,” and since its foundation “has attracted the particular concern of Roman Pontiffs, who have given it the spiritual and juridical instruments necessary for it to carry out its specific form of service.”
Today, the Order is an association of both lay and religious men and women with a special devotion to the support of the church in the Holy Land. Appointed directly by the Holy Father, the Cardinal Grand Master of the Order is His Eminence John Cardinal Foley, and the Grand Prior of the Order is the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Fouad Twal.
Among the schools that receive support from the Order of the Holy Sepulchre is our sister Lasallian institution, Bethlehem University.
Other members of the Order from the Saint Mary's community include Brother Chancellor. Louis DeThomasis, FSC, The Most Rev. Bernard J. Harrington, Bishop Emeritus of Winona, and The Most Rev. John Quinn, Bishop of Winona.
The speaker for the investiture weekend will be Brother A. David Carroll, FSC.
Since 1995, the Saint Mary’s University Department of History has awarded book prizes to recognize students for outstanding work in history courses. The following students were chosen for their work during spring semester:
Maria Biebel, Emily Degallier, Joseph Richards and Anna Szyszkiewicz won the book awards for H125 Europe and the World.
In H150 American Experience, Alison Hill and David Spriegel were the book winners.
Katherine Drazkowski won the prize in H211 Modern America.
Travis Fick was acknowledged for his work in H311 US Foreign Relations, Timothy Van Cleave for H332 The Renaissance, and Brian Bakalyar for H343 Environmental History.
Finally, Dan Corcoran won the book prize in H450 History without Boundaries and Danielle Zauhar won the award for H461 Historical Research and Writing, the capstone course for history majors.
Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.
New this year, you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.
Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at Ext. 1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
This fall the SMU Volunteer Committee will use funds from the “Let’s Do Lunch” events for Volunteer Services Food Shelf, and “Jeans for a Cause” funds will go toward student assistance, especially first generation students.
If your department or office would like to host a “Let’s Do Lunch” this year, contact Laurie Haase at Ext. 1464. Tentative dates have been set for Fridays, Oct. 2, Nov. 13 and Dec. 4. The committee provides water, plates, napkins, silverware and desserts. Hosts are asked to bring food for the main course.
The Biology weekly seminar series is starting up again for the fall semester. The first presentation is 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, in Room Hoffman 112. Dr. Philip Cochran, Biology Department, will discuss “Willowcats for Sale? The Large Role of the Little Catfish in the Mississippi River Valley,”
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts will conduct a semester I registration open house from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St.
Registration for semester I dance classes and MCA’s tuition-free youth choir – the Winona Area Youth Singers — will be accepted at the open house. Tours of the facility will be available, refreshments will be served, and students will have the opportunity to meet new and returning faculty and staff. Additionally, students can be fitted for dance attire at the open house. MCA’s dance attire boutique offers quality basics, including leotards, tights, ballet slippers, jazz shoes and tap shoes.
Classes begin Sept. 14. Dance class offerings — available for children age 3 through adults — include beginning through advanced levels in classical ballet, tap, jazz, modern, hip hop, Pilates, and a special tuition-free boys program which offers a Dance Technique for Boys class and performance opportunities. Semester I also provides programming in partnership with Winona County Community Education for teens and adults including: Teen and Adult Ballet, Clogging I, Clogging II, Dance Fitness, and Piyo.
MCA’s music division offers a youth choir – Winona Area Youth Singers, for students in grades four through eight. In response to the current economic climate, MCA is waiving WAYS tuition for any and all students who desire to participate for the 2009-2010 academic year. This tuition waiver is made possible by a grant from the Saint Mary’s University Friends of the School of the Arts.
Now in its second year, WAYS seeks to take young people who have been introduced to choir/music in their elementary, middle schools, or junior highs and further encourage and nurture their talent.
Academic credit is available through Cotter High School and Saint Mary’s dance minor program for a variety of MCA dance classes.
Semester I classes will provide 10 weeks of instruction, concluding with a demonstration week, Nov. 16-21.
Dance students ages 5 to 13 are also invited to audition for MCA’s Dance Repertory Company II Winter Showcase. Auditions are 5 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 10, at the Valéncia Arts Center. The Winter Dance Showcases will be Dec. 4-5 at Valéncia Arts Center Academy Theatre.
Winona Area Youth Singers will conclude Semester I following their winter concert, Dec. 6, at the Valéncia Arts Center Recital Hall.
Tuition for MCA classes varies depending on course length and level. Discounts and scholarships are available.
For more information, visit www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu or call (507) 453-5500.
John Paulson and Swing Inc. will perform 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Jefferson Pub and Grill, Winona.
Dr. James Rodgers, professor of Social Science, has been selected to receive a Chapter Advisor Recognition Award from Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. The award, one of two given in 2009, recognizes a faculty advisor who has shown extraordinary dedication, commitment and leadership to a student chapter. Dr. Rodgers has served as the Nu Nu chapter advisor for 25 years and has been commended for guiding a chapter that has been consistently active and productive.
Recipients of the Chapter Advisor Recognition Award will be announced in the fall issue of the Pi Sigma Alpha newsletter, in the journal PS: Political Science and Politics, and at a display at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association.
The Brother Elzear Council 5202 of the Knights of Columbus at Saint Mary’s has earned the distinction of “Double Star Council” for the 2008–2009 fraternal year. This distinction is the organization’s top award.
In correspondence received from Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson by Nate Kuhn, Grand Knight of the council and a senior at Saint Mary’s, Anderson stated, “…You and your council have gone above and beyond your membership quota and have attained at least 200 percent growth, thus making you a “Double Star Council.” Your council was one of only around 400 councils that received the elite “Double Star Council” recognition…”
“ ‘The Double Star Council Award’ is an extraordinary honor for our council and its members,” said Kuhn. “We are extremely proud of this accomplishment. It reflects onto the entire Saint Mary’s community.”
The award, the highest distinction any council can realize, recognizes overall excellence in the areas of membership and insurance growth as well as programming activities.
In addition, Council 5202 was awarded the Columbian Award for outstanding effort in conducting at least 20 service program activities (four in each category: church, community, council, family, and youth), the Father McGivney Award for outstanding recruitment and retention efforts, and finally the Founders’ Award for excellence in insurance promotion and attainment of the council’s insurance quota.
With more than 1.78 million members, the Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic lay organization. It provides members and their families with volunteer opportunities in service to the Catholic Church, the community, families, and young people.
Interested Junior and Senior business and science majors are invited to apply to participate in the Mayo Innovation Scholars Program. Selected scholars will work on intellectual property cases investigating the opportunity for product/treatment development and marketability. Participants will receive a $1,000 stipend, academic credit, and a superb experience working with Mayo Clinic staff.
To apply, students are asked to submit a resumé and a cover letter stating their interest and any personal qualities that may add to — or be enhanced by — participation in the program. Two students majoring in business and two students majoring in the sciences will be selected for the program.
Faculty and staff are asked to encourage interested students to apply. Complete applications must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sept. 21. More details about this opportunity are available from the advising faculty, Dr. Shelly McCallum (Ext. 7279, Room 429-A Saint Mary’s Hall), Dr. Debra Martin (Ext. 1628, Room 223 Brother Charles Hall) or Dr. Randy Krainock (Ext. 8703, Room 122 Hoffman Hall).
On Monday, Sept. 21, at 7:30 p.m., SMU’s School of the Arts is being recognized by the City of Winona’s Fine Arts Commission for outstanding contributions to the City of Winona and its arts community.
Dean Michael Charron will accept the award on behalf of SMU and the School of the Arts.
Everyone is invited to attend. The Fine Arts Commission will meet in the council chambers at city hall.
Mary Ann Patterson mother of Dr. Ann Gibson, director of Counseling Services, mother-in-law of Tom ’68, and grandmother to William, M ’02 and Tom ’95, passed away Wednesday, Sept. 2.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, at the Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels on the Saint Teresa campus. The visitation will be at 9 a.m. until time of service on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Condolence cards can be sent to Ann at Campus Box 80.
Father Thomas M. O'Neill, vice president for Mission and Ministry, chaplain, director of Campus Ministry, and an instructor in the Department of Religious Studies/Philosophy at Viterbo University died Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Father Tom served as chaplain and campus minister at Saint Mary’s from June 1991 through May 1994.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, at San Damiano Chapel on Viterbo University campus. Bishop Jerome E. Listecki will officiate. A visitation will be held at 9 a.m. until time of service today.
The family asks memorials to be directed to Viterbo University, 900 Viterbo Drive, La Crosse, or the Diocese of La Crosse Priest Fund, P.O. Box 4004, La Crosse, WI 54602-4004.
The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to these families.
All faculty, staff, and students are invited to attend the College Convocation and Mass of the Holy Spirit on Tuesday, Sept. 1. These events mark the official opening of the academic year at the undergraduate College. The Convocation will begin at 11:15 a.m. in the gymnasium. Mass will follow in St. Thomas More Chapel at 12:10 p.m. Staff members should clarify with their respective supervisors whether or not a particular office may be closed during the Convocation.
Brother Charles Kitson, FSC, will be the guest speaker. His talk is titled “GOOGLING GOD: A Lasallian Search.” The impetus for his presentation is the book, “GOOGLING GOD: Religious Landscape.” He will be using the Gospel challenge to follow Christ by getting out of our “boats” — within a Lasallian context.
Brother Charles currently serves as the Institute’s Secretary for the Lasallian Family and Association. This position finds him traveling around the Lasallian world fostering and animating lay partners to greater participation in the charism of the founder, Saint John Baptist De La Salle. He will coordinate the many Lasallian Volunteer movements around the world as well as mentor the newly formed group known as “Young Lasallians.”
The truncated class schedule is:
7:45-9 a.m. classes meet 7:45-8:45 a.m.
9:15-10:30 a.m. classes meet 8:55-9:55 a.m.
10:45 a.m. to noon classes meet 10:05-11:05 a.m.
12:15-1:30 p.m. classes meet 1:40-2:35 p.m.
1:45-3 p.m. classes meet 2:50-3:45 p.m.
Classes that normally meet after 3 p.m. will start at 4 p.m. and end at the discretion of the instructor.
Brother Robert Smith, Dr. Jane Anderson and Rebecca Hopkins participated in the first national conference on special education.
On Aug. 5, Rebecca Hopkins, dean of the Graduate School of Education, and Dr. Jane Anderson dean of the School of Education, traveled to Ramallah, Palestine to participate in seminar work sessions and the first ever national conference on special education.
The project director, Dr. Sami Basha, Department of Education faculty member at Bethlehem University, invited Saint Mary’s to collaborate on this ground breaking initiative of developing the first teacher preparation program in special education in Palestine.
Prior to this visit, curriculum and program structure of our newly launched M.A. in Special Education was shared with Dr. Basha and his team. The basic structure of this master’s degree has now been developed, and continued work on curriculum writing and assessment planning will be next. Brother Robert Smith, vice president of Academic Affairs at Bethlehem University, was also present at the conference in Ramallah to support this initiative and the collaboration between the two universities.
For more information, go to www.bethlehem.edu/index.php.
The National Science Foundation has awarded Saint Mary’s a $10,890 grant for a Women in Mathematics Colloquium Series, to be held over the next two years.
The support from this grant provides the funds for the Mathematics and Statistics Department to continue an annual colloquium highlighting successful women mathematicians and to support undergraduate travel to national conferences.
Organizers hope that through these events, high school and college-aged students will become engaged and inspired by the opportunities and challenges presented to women in the ever-progressing field of mathematics.
“This series encourages the recent upward trend of women in mathematics at Saint Mary’s and introduces undergraduate and high school women to role models who are not only successful in their mathematical profession, but also in their lives,” said Kevin Dennis, chair of the Mathematics and Statistics Department. “This project intends to keep inspiring women to pursue terminal degrees in mathematics and also to enhance the SMU mathematics community.”
The Winona campus Theology Department won a grant from the Wabash Center for Teaching and Learning Theology and Religion on the project “Teaching and enabling spiritual formation for Catholic undergraduate students interested in serving others through the Church.”
This grant funded a workshop held Aug. 17 on assessing how the three primary theology majors (Theology, Pastoral and Youth Ministry, and Religious Education) have met the spiritual formation guidelines required in the National Certification Standards for Lay Ecclesial Ministry. Student self-assessment skills and practices throughout life, and how to provide greater student-awareness of the spirituality, vocation and appropriate role(s) of lay ministry in the Catholic Church were also discussed. Participants included Theology Department faculty, the director of Campus Ministry, and the rector of Immaculate Heart of Mary seminary. The grant was written and is being administered by Dr. Susan Windley-Daoust, Theology.
In a unique fusion of music and verse, Ken Waldman, “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” will perform 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, at Saint Mary’s.
This event, free and open to the public, will be held in the President’s Room.
Waldman combines old-time Appalachian-style fiddling, original poetry, and Alaska-set storytelling for a performance uniquely his own. Waldman has published six full-length poetry collections, a memoir about his life as a touring artist (“Are You Famous?”), and seven CDs. Since 1994, he’s worked full-time as “Alaska’s Fiddling Poet,” performing at some of the nation’s leading universities, festivals, art centers and clubs — including Millennium Stage at The Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Event sponsors include Academic Affairs and Student Activities Offices, and the English Department.
For more information, contact Dr. Carolyn Ayers at cayers@smumn.edu or Ext. 1523.
Joel Kramer, founder, editor and CEO of MinnPost.com, will discuss the changes taking place in today’s newspaper industry on Tuesday, Sept. 15.
Kramer founded an online newspaper seen by some observers as a model that might succeed while traditional print newspapers fall by the wayside. His presentation, “The collapsing business model for journalism: What's next?” will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Figliulo Recital Hall.
Kramer served as the editor of the Minneapolis Star Tribune from 1983 to 1991 and as publisher and president from 1992 to 1998. In summer 2007, Kramer launched MinnPost.com, a nonprofit online newspaper with a mission “to provide high-quality journalism for news-intense people who care about Minnesota.” The site features high-quality video and audio, as well as written stories and commentary pieces.
As Matt Snyders of City Pages said in a March 2, 2009 article, “the ink-stained community went abuzz.” Snyders continued, “For an industry wracked by massive layoffs and plummeting ad revenue, any news not involving job loss was a good thing.”
MinnPost.com has garnered quite a bit of attention as both critics and supporters have questioned whether this type of nonprofit journalism — one that aims to eventually break even with the support of corporate sponsors, advertisers and donations from members — can thrive in today’s struggling newspaper climate.
In a report for the Nieman Journalism Lab, Kramer wrote, “A lot of pixels are being spilled these days reflecting on the future of newspapers, news, journalists, and journalism. I spent my career in newspapers, first as a journalist and later as a publisher, and I left when the business was financially near its peak. With the for-profit model now shriveling, I’ve spent the past 16 months trying to build one example of what might be coming next—a not-for-profit enterprise providing high-quality regional journalism on the web.”
A question-and-answer period will follow Kramer’s presentation. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Steve Schild, at Ext. 1753 or sschild@smumn.edu.
Graduates from the last decade have been invited back to campus for the inaugural Young Alumni Reunion Weekend, Sept. 11-13.
As part of the weekend, a Faculty/Staff & Young Alumni Social is planned for 5 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, in the Toner Center Lounge.
Former students often express their interest in reconnecting with faculty and staff. Please make plans to attend! To see a compete schedule of events, as well as a list of the young alumni who are planning to attend, go to www.smumn.edu/youngalumniweekend.aspx.
To RSVP, call the Alumni Office at alumni@smumn.edu or Ext. 1499.
• U.S. News & World Report’s 2010 edition of America’s Best Colleges has ranked Saint Mary’s in its “Best National Universities” survey for 2010. The annual listing of more than 1,400 schools is available online at www.usnews.com.
Saint Mary’s is ranked in the third tier of the 262-school U.S. News “National Universities” category. The third tier includes schools ranked 134 through 190 and is not ranked numerically.
The “National Universities” category includes 164 public and 98 private institutions from across the U.S. that offer a wide range of undergraduate majors as well as master’s and doctoral degrees.
• Forbes.com’s 2009 list of “America’s Best Colleges” ranks Saint Mary’s as No. 230 out of 600 of “the best public and private colleges and universities —from the student's point of view.”
The second-annual ranking of “America's Best Colleges,” compiled by Forbes and the Center for College Affordability and Productivity, ranks 600 undergraduate institutions based on the quality of the education they provide, the experience of the students and how much they achieve.
The list can be found at www.forbes.com/lists/2009/94/colleges-09_Americas-Best-Colleges_Rank.html.
• Saint Mary’s University is one of 158 schools receiving the “Best in the Midwest” designation for 2010 from the Princeton Review, a national college guide and ranking program.
Each year, the Princeton Review profiles colleges and universities that “stand out as academically excellent institutions of higher learning.” The Princeton Review survey asks students to rate their own schools on several issues — from the accessibility of their professors to quality of the campus food — and answer questions about themselves, their fellow students, and their campus life.
The 639 colleges named regional bests (217 in the Northeast, 141 in the Southeast, 158 in the Midwest, and 123 in the West) represent only about 25 percent of the nation's 2,500 four-year colleges.
For more information, go to www.princetonreview.com/best-regional-colleges.aspx.
Faculty and staff drivers are needed for Meals on Wheels. Volunteers are asked to make a one-hour commitment on any Friday during first semester. Sign up with Katie LaPlant, kalaplan@smumn.edu.
More than 75 new students volunteered on Monday, Aug. 24, for New Student Volunteer Day. For two hours, the students helped local non-profits in the community and cleaned up Gilmore Creek. This was a new addition to New Student Orientation, and Volunteer Services was excited to see the tremendous turnout. If you have students who are interested in volunteering, or you if you require volunteering for a class project, contact Katie LaPlant, kalaplan@smumn.edu, for assistance.
Volunteer Services received a $350 Grant from Campus Compact as recipient of the 2010 Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service mini-grant, administered by Minnesota Campus Compact on behalf of North Carolina Campus Compact and the Corporation for National and Community Service. Other recipients include Gustavus Adolphus College, Anoka-Ramsey Community College, Concordia University, Lake Superior College, North Hennepin Community College and Normandale Community College.
In 1994 Congress passed the King Holiday and Service Act, designating the King Holiday as a national day of volunteer service. Instead of a day off from work or school, Congress asked Americans of all backgrounds and ages to celebrate Dr. King’s legacy by turning community concerns into citizen action. The King Day of Service brings together people who might not ordinarily meet, breaks down barriers that have divided, leads to better understanding and ongoing relationships, and is an opportunity for service organizations to recruit new volunteers.
During a summer user conference, Tegrity, provider of the leading class capture web service for higher education, announced that Dr. Jeffrey Highland was one of the winners of the Tegrity Innovation Awards Program. This program recognizes outstanding achievements in higher education technology on campuses throughout the United States.
Honorees were chosen from a broad spectrum of colleges and universities and were honored at a special awards luncheon in San Francisco. Awards were presented to both individuals and institutions, recognizing performance milestones achieved during the 2008-2009 academic year.
Dr. Highland, who retired this summer as provost, received the President’s Award in recognition of his outstanding leadership and advancement of the student-centered vision of Saint Mary’s, which reported 6,307 new faculty recordings during the past year, close to 40,000 student views and more than 10,000 student-viewing hours.
Michael J. Charron, dean of the School of the Arts, has been named chair of the Minnesota State Arts Board.
He was appointed to the state arts board by Governor Tim Pawlenty in 2008.
“This is an especially important year for the State Arts Board and our Regional Arts Councils,” said Charron. “The arts is a billion-dollar industry in our state. We are talking about an industry that not only enriches lives, but is also vital to our state’s economy. With the recent passage of the constitutional amendment to support our natural resources and cultural heritage here in Minnesota, I feel a great responsibility to make sure that those tax dollars are spent in the most efficient and effective way possible for the good of all Minnesotans throughout our state.”
The Minnesota State Arts Board attempts to enrich the quality of life in Minnesota by making the arts accessible to all citizens, nurturing creative activities, encouraging the development of innovative forms of artistic expression and preserving the state’s diverse artistic heritage. The board provides grants and services to individual artists, arts organizations, schools, colleges and universities, communities and other organizations that sponsor arts activities. The board is made up of 11 members appointed by the governor. One member is selected from each of the state’s eight congressional districts; three members represent the state at large. Members serve four-year terms.
Two new members have been named to the board of trustees.
Bill Herzog ’70 of Apple Valley, Minn., is a founder and managing partner of Course Charters, LLC. Course Charters provides a variety of management consulting services to small and mid-sized organizations. He is past president of the SMU Alumni Board and served on the most recent presidential search committee.
Linda Kuczma ’78, J.D., of Park Ridge, Ill., has more than 25 years experience in the practice of intellectual property law. She practices in the Chicago offices of Banner & Witcoff, Ltd.
Additionally Mary Ann Remick of Rochester was appointed to an additional five-year term. Remick has served on the board since 2004, and chaired the most recent presidential search committee.
Brother Michael Collins ’59, FSC, Saint Paul; Lyle Delwiche, Minneapolis; and Oscar Straub ’52, St. Louis, completed 20 years of service on the board. Delwiche and Straub were named Trustees Emeriti by the board in recognition of their service. John Ehlert ’67, Wayzata, completed his 10-year term on the board, and Timothy Horan ’70, Plymouth, completed his five-year term on the Board.
St. Cloud artist David Sebberson is exhibiting a portion of his on-going series, “A History of the Plains,” through Sept. 27 at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.
Sebberson began his series after visiting what was left of his family farm and noticing that the farm buildings that once dotted the landscape were “burned, bulldozed and buried beneath high-yield fields whose ever increasing economic productivity has been erasing the immigrant culture I grew up in, a harvest of forgetfulness at 150 bushels per acre.”
Sebberson currently chairs the St. Cloud State University Department of Art.
A closing reception for the artist will be held 1 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the galleries.
Admission is free and open to the public, and gallery hours are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. For more information, call Ext. 1652.
In March of 2009, the State of Minnesota began offering Saint Mary’s license plates. For a small annual contribution fee, you can support the Minnesota Scholarship Fund and show your Cardinal pride. Details about the program, including how to order SMU license plates, can be found on the Minnesota Department of Motor Vehicles website at www.dps.state.mn.us/dvs/PlBrochure/plateframe.htm.(Once there, click on “Collegiate Plates” on the left).
Kate Dulak and Alexa Akre participated last year in WAYS (the Winona Area Youth Singers) — a tuition-free youth choir for students in grades four through eight, offered by the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts.
The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts is beginning its 2009-2010 season of WAYS (Winona Area Youth Singers), a new youth choir for students in grades four through eight.
In response to the current economic climate, MCA is waiving WAYS tuition for any and all students who desire to participate this year. This tuition waiver is made possible by a grant from the Friends of the School of the Arts.
WAYS seeks to nurture the talent of students who have been introduced to choir/music in their elementary, middle, or junior high schools and who seek additional educational and performance opportunities in vocal music.
WAYS members will participate in two concerts per year, a winter concert on Dec. 6 and a spring concert yet to be announced. Additionally, WAYS members will also participate in a special mentorship program with SMU choirs, and will perform at nursing homes, malls, and charitable events, as well as go holiday caroling.
WAYS is directed by Lindsy O’Shea, music adjunct lecturer.
Registration for WAYS will be accepted at the MCA registration open house, Wednesday, Sept. 9, from 4 to 7 p.m., at the Valéncia Arts Center, 1164 West 10th St. WAYS will meet weekly on Mondays from 6 to 7:30 p.m. throughout the MCA first semester (Sept. 14 – Dec. 7). Placement auditions will be held on the first Monday session on Sept. 14.
For more information about WAYS or MCA’s other performing arts programming, visit: www.mnconservatoryforthearts.org, e-mail mca@smumn.edu, or call Ext. 5500.
Community member Eric Johnsrud rehearses with the SMU Concert Band. Area musicians are invited to the first rehearsal Wednesday, Aug. 26. Brass players are especially needed.
The Saint Mary’s University Concert Band, founded in 1990 as a college-community partnership ensemble, is looking for members.
Advanced-level high school students and adult community musicians are welcome to join the SMU collegiate musicians to perform a wide variety of wind band music.
Dr. Janet Heukeshoven, professor of music, directs both the Concert Band and the select Wind Ensemble.
The Concert Band rehearses 6:45 to 8:30 p.m. Mondays and 6:45 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays. The Wind Ensemble rehearses 8 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays.
The band’s first performance this year will be for Family Weekend, Sept. 26. The second planned concert will be a traditional Christmas concert with small ensembles performing for the lobby party on Sunday afternoon, Dec. 6.
Auditions will be held today, Aug. 28, through Sept. 2. There are openings in most sections; brass players are especially needed this fall!
Contact Dr. Heukeshoven at Ext. 1675 or jheukesh@smumn.edu for additional information.
Fitzgerald Library’s third annual open house, “Puttin’ on the Fitz” will be held 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, in the lower level of the McEnery Center. Refreshments will be served.
Individual tickets for the 2009-2010 Page Series — now in its 23rd season — are now on sale. A full season of performing arts from around the world begins Oct. 2.
New this year, you may still purchase season tickets for the Page Series through Sept. 18 online, by phone, or in person. Purchase tickets for just three events and receive 10 percent off your total ticket cost. Returning subscribers are eligible for a 25 percent discount.
Whether you enjoy classical ballet, Irish music, family-friendly theatre, tap, swing or Canadian folk, the Page Series delivers again this year. Order online at www.pagetheatre.org, by phone at Ext. 1715, or at the box office from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.
The SMU Volunteer Committee has raised funds through its ice cream socials for an employee fund relief, designated to help employees in crisis. This fall the committee will use funds from the “Let's Do Lunch” and “Jeans for a Cause” fundraisers for student assistance, especially first generation students, and the local food shelf.
Dr. Shelly Mccallum, SMU Business Department, and her co-author Dr. Monica Forret from St. Ambrose University received the Career Division Best Applied Paper Award at the 2009 Academy of Management conference held in Chicago this summer. Their paper titled “The Relationship of Networking Behaviors to Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment” is a paper derived from Dr. Mccallum’s dissertation. The Academy of Management conference is international in scope with 8,000 participants from 75 countries.
On Aug. 5, Jason Spartz, Multimedia and Information Technology support manager, participated in a webinar on the practical comparisons of lecture capture systems, hosted by the Consortium of College and University Media Centers (CCUMC). The webinar centered around the implementation of rich media course capture systems on campus; practical recommendations and the comparisons of three major systems: Accordent, Tegrity, and Camtasia Relay.
Join faculty and staff to learn the strategy that drove the Tegrity initiative and how Tegrity increases efficiencies and improves grades during a webinar 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2.
Four faculty members within STEM programs (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics and Statistics) will provide insights and share how they are using Tegrity to enhance curriculum within a liberal education experience. They’ll also share the reasons why they believe Tegrity’s lecture capture service is so important to Saint Mary’s programming and how it became so widely adopted.
Featured speakers will be Dr. Chad Kjorlien, director of Instructional Technology and director of the Center for Learning and Teaching; Dr. Paul Weiner, associate dean for Mathematics and Sciences; Dr. Debra Martin, professor of biology; Dr. Jaime Mueller, assistant professor of chemistry; Dr. Henry Leckenby, assistant professor of physics; and Jason Spartz, IT - Multimedia and Information Technology and Support manager
Go to www.tegrity.com/webinars.html for more information.
Dr. Patrick Barlow, director of college assessment, presented “Assessment: Leveraging Results for Improvement of Learning and Program Accountability” at the annual Pharmacy Technician Educators Council (PTEC) Convention, held July 9-11, in Spokane, Wash.
Learning objectives included recognizing the multiple purposes of learning outcomes assessment as they pertain to pharmacy technician training, identifying how learning outcomes assessment strategies may apply to attendees’ courses and/or programs’ needs, and formulating an approach to assessing the learning outcomes using the ideas from the presentation.
John Paulson and the Miles Johnston Quartet will perform 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. today, Friday, Aug. 28 at the Canadian Honker Restaurant, Rochester.
John Paulson and Swing Inc. will perform 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, at Jefferson Pub and Grill, Winona.
Chris Kendall, vice president for Student Development, will perform at the Great River Folk Festival on Saturday, Aug. 29, at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. He will perform original songs on the “Originals II Stage” at 1:15 p.m. and “Song Writer’s Stage” at 2:45 p.m. See more information at www.greatriverfolkfest.org.
This summer, Kendall also finished a second album titled “Let's Take a Walk.”
New employees
• Kenneth Solberg, Twin Cities - director of Doctor of Psychology, Sept. 1
• Elizabeth Throop, dean of humanities, Sept. 1, 2009
• Yasin Alsaidi, Twin Cities - director of Admission, Aug. 18
• Jeffrey Amundson, assistant professor of psychology, Aug. 17
• Rose Beal, assistant professor of theology, Aug. 17
• Daniel Olsen, assistant professor of theology Aug. 17
• Kristen Sellke, assistant professor of math and statistics, Aug. 17
• Jenna Freudenberg, assistant women’s basketball coach, Aug. 1
• Patrick Jacobsen, assistant baseball coach, Aug. 1
• Brother Edmund Siderewicz, special assistant to the President for first generation and Lasallian initiatives Aug. 1
• Ryan Egan, athletics, assistant hockey coach, Aug. 1
• Tennie McCabe, athletics/grad assistant, hall director, July 20
• Laura Rothe, grad assistant - hall director, July 20
• Abby Kingsley, Twin Cities - administrative assistant, Student Services, July 7
• Carrie Brooks, Twin Cities - reference/instruction librarian, July 6
• Vicky Strommen, Twin Cities - Rochester recruiter, July 6
• Nicole Peters, associate director, Residence Life, June 24
• Jane Storck, Twin Cities - administrative assistant, Financial Aid, June 23
• Valford Kelly, Twin Cities - security guard, June 17
• Taiwo Adewale, Twin Cities - security guard, June 17
• Lynda Sullivan, Twin Cities - program director, Wisconsin education, June 1
• Andrea Essar, director - Campus Safety, May 25
Leaving
• David Bernard, director, PDI, Aug. 26
• Sarah Kay, Admission counselor, Aug. 26
• Becky Copper, Twin Cities - director of Admission, Aug. 14
• Kevin Hennessy, PDI program development specialist, Aug. 14
• Alana Neil, Twin Cities - Marketing and Communication coordinator, July 24
• Jacquelyn Austin, Twin Cities - administrative assistant
• Brian Grieger, Twin Cities custodian, June 30
• Jessica Bare, associate director, Residence Life, May 31
• Travis Bare, interim director of Campus Safety, May 31
• Sandra Beth, librarian, May 31
• Gerald Briggs, Twin Cities program director, Industrial Technology, May 31
• Linda Bruner, secretary, M.Ed., May 31
• Michelle Cochran, associate director, reading, May 31
• Karen Fischer, Twin Cities director, Wisconsin education, May 31
• Nicholas Hall, assistant women’s basketball coach, May 31
• Jeffrey Highland, provost, May 31
• Nykol Johnson, Twin Cities reference librarian, May 31
• Bethany Jorgensen, grad assistant, hall director, May 31
• James Laumeyer, Twin Cities site coordinator, N.E. Minnesota, May 31
• Diana Miller, director of advancement services, grants, May 31
• Susan Miner, secretary, M.Ed., May 31
• Thomas Peart, athletics, assistant men’s hockey coach, May 31
• Christina Pruka, secretary, Office of the Vice President of Academic Affairs, May 31
• Gretchen Pyle, Twin Cities - reference librarian, May 31
Congratulations to the SMU Goodview Gallop team for placing 13th out of 21 teams on Saturday at the 30th annual Goodview Gallop 5-K run in support of the American Cancer Society. The following 13 SMU employees participated including: Jeff Hefel, Dean Beckman, Stacy Popp, Jim Vogel, Paul Weiner, Peggy Johnson, John Schollmeier, Dorothy Diehl, Tina Pozanc, Mandy Pearson, Tori Ehlert, Jenna Freuderby, and John Paulson.
Thanks go to Cindy Marek for sponsoring the team again this year. Everyone is invited to join the team next year in supporting this worthy cause of battling cancer.
Edward Brown, father of Vicki McDonald, Study Abroad, Assessment, and Career Services, died Saturday, Aug. 22, in Stockton, Minn.
Cards of condolence can be sent to McDonald at Campus Box 51. The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to the McDonald family.
Whenever you have news to share, call Deb Nahrgang, director of communication-Winona, at Ext. 6966 or e-mail dnahrgan@smumn.edu. The venues we use to share the good news about Saint Mary’s include “Campus Notes,” internal e-mails, news pitches to media, press releases, the alumni magazine, university e-newsletters, brochures, the website and more.
On Saturday, May 9, the Winona campus will host two commencement ceremonies to mark the end of the academic year.
Undergraduate commencement will begin at 11 a.m. in the gymnasium; approximately 220 students will participate in the commencement ceremony. Student perspectives will be offered by this year's Outstanding Male and Female Seniors, Jakub Szymanski and Emily Berg.
The Winona campus School of Graduate and Professional Programs commencement will begin at 4 p.m. in the gymnasium. Approximately 425 students in the graduate and professional programs administered from Winona will participate in the commencement ceremony. Along with the conferring of degrees, student perspectives will be offered by Jeff Ayer, Master of Education in Teaching and Learning, and Gina Eisler, Philanthropy and Development.
Receptions on the plaza will follow both ceremonies. In case of inclement weather, the receptions will be held in Gostomski Fieldhouse. Prior to the ceremonies, a Baccalaureate Mass will take place in the gymnasium at 8:30 a.m.
The Saint Mary's Nairobi campus will also host its commencement ceremony on May 2. The Twin Cities campus will conduct its commencement ceremonies on June 7.
The new Saint Mary’s Challenge Ropes Course is now complete. The public is invited to use the course for personal and team development, beginning June 1. Reservations may be made in May.
The course includes low challenge elements that are 2 to 3 feet above the ground, and high challenge elements that are 25 to 40 feet above the ground. The low elements challenge course includes seven elements and assorted games and initiatives. The high elements course is comprised of nine elements, including a zip line. The tower includes a climbing wall with multiple routes for varying skill levels.
All booking requests must be made no less than two weeks in advance to Davey Warner, Ext. 8740 or e-mail outdoorleadership@smumn.edu.
More information about the cost to use the course can be found at www.smumn.edu/challenge. Costs are based upon number of hours on the course, number of participants, and type of group (university, non-profit or corporate).
The 2008-09 performance season at Saint Mary’s University concludes with the Dance Repertory Company’s annual spring concert, “Time To Move,” Friday, May 15, at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, May 16, at 3 p.m. at Page Theatre.
For more than three decades, the Dance Repertory Company has delighted the Winona community with quality dance productions featuring local dancers in classical and contemporary works. This year the DRC presents a concert featuring classical ballet and contemporary dance in the jazz and modern genres.
The concert will open with the “Kingdom of the Shades,” Act III of Marius Petipa's La Bayadère, one of ballet’s most resonant visions. Seeking his dead beloved, Nikiya, in an opium dream, the faithless, guilt-ridden Solor conjures up a seemingly endless procession of ghostly women — hallucinatory replicas of her. One by one, to Ludwig Minkus’s sweet, repetitive melody, they feed into a four-count phrase — snaking around the stage until they can assemble to display, in perfect unison, their long, slow balances. Framing the stage in two lines, pressed tutu to tutu, the women echo the steps of the soloists as if stirred by some collective unconscious peculiar to ballerinas. Artistic Director Tammy Schmidt has staged La Bayadère for the DRC.
The Concert will also feature two contemporary premieres. “In the Yard,” a new work created by choreographer Jeffrey Peterson, evokes images of family and community while combining contemporary movement with folk dance and contemporary partnering.
“Side of the Road,” an original collection of repertory by Jennifer TeBeest, is set to the soulful sounds of B.B. King, Etta James and Jonny Lang in a piece about occurrences and circumstances. More than a narrative, this work is about that pent up energy and fervor that can be released through dance; and although words can be powerful, movement is trump.
Performed by the dancers who currently train at the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts and Saint Mary’s University, “Time to Move” will showcase their effervescent spirit, vibrant energy, and technical and artistic abilities that continue to inspire audiences year after year.
The Dance Repertory Company is the youth performing troupe of the Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts. Company members participate in rehearsals, technique classes and stage performances.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. The Page Theatre will admit children ages 5 and older to the May 15 performance. The May 16 performance is considered a family event, and children ages 2 and older are admitted. At this time the Page Theatre/SMU Performance Center facilities and programs are not equipped to serve the needs of infants. Tickets are available at the Box Office, Ext. 1715 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.
Each year students at Winona schools submit essays that reflect on the values, ideals and principles that mean the most to them in the annual Laws of Life essay contest, organized by Saint Mary’s and sponsored by Winona-area businesses and organizations.
Winners of individual categories — announced April 22 — receive cash and or varying-level renewable scholarships to Saint Mary's.
The Laws of Life Essay Contest was founded in 1987 by Sir John Templeton of the John Templeton Foundation. This foundation is committed to advancing a broad spectrum of activities, including studies, award programs and publications that promote the character development of young people in secondary schools, colleges, and universities.
In 1996, William Schuler approached Saint Mary's University to begin this contest at Winona Senior High and Cotter High School. This event is made possible with his help, and the help of many other generous supporters — including Merchants Bank, William and Barbara Schuler, Junto Club, American Legion Post No. 9, Dr. Thomas and Leone Mauszycki, Dr. Roger and Peggy Zehren, Fred Fletcher and Shelly Smith-Fletcher, Zehren Dental (Dr. Peter and Kimberly Zehren), Neil and Ann Sawyer, the Winona Area Retired Educators Association and Fred and Marilyn Foss.
This year's Laws of Life essay contest winners, their schools and their awards are:
• Platinum — Katie Harbinson, Cotter High School ($1,000 cash and a $3,000 scholarship).
• Gold — Da Som Ahn, Cotter ($400 cash and a $2,000 scholarship)
• Silver — Ji Won Lee, Cotter; Ethan Kastello, Winona Senior High School; and Shaina Laska, Hope Lutheran High School ($200 cash and a $1,000 scholarship).
• Blue ribbon awards — Ryan Residence and Stefani Schmidt, WSHS; Sarah Degallier and Anna Rose Beilfuss, Hope Lutheran; and Richard Han, Ye Jin Kang, Sean O’Reilly and Michaela Zeller, Cotter ($100 cash prize).
• English class awards — Mackenzie Brosnahan, Taehwan Kim, Yi Chen and Jeff Severson, Cotter; and Lacey Ellinghuysen, Hope Lutheran ($50 savings bond from Merchants National Bank).
Saint Mary’s recognized outstanding students Thursday, April 23, at the Student Life Awards Ceremony. Several awards were handed out to students that made a noticeable impact on student life at SMU. Awards included:
Brother Finbar McMullen Award (Presented to an SMU community member that demonstrates him/herself to be an individual who unselfishly meets the needs of the undergraduate students of Saint Mary's University) — Peggy Walters, Student Development administrative assistant.
Charlene “Char” Tjaden Outstanding Resident Assistant Award — Zhe Song
Club and Organization Advisor of the Year — Scott Sorvaag, SMU Education Department, for his work with the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Club.
Organization of the Year — Laura Holupchinski, Mary Gleich and Andrew Rath, on behalf of the Peace and Justice Club.
Intramural Most Valuable Player — Kevin Halpin
Volunteer of the Year Award — Derek Wherley
Outstanding Student Senator of the Year Award — Brandon Wanless
Winona Community Service Award — Anjy Buck
Brother James Miller Award (presented to a student who has dedicated his/her college experience to promoting the legacy of Brother James Miller, spreading the compassion of God and continually serving the community) — Ryan Langr
Student Service Award — Gary Borash.
Here are recent mentions of SMU “making the news” — in the Winona area and beyond.
• The Winona Daily News ran an article titled, “A leap of faith” about SMU students tutoring at the Red Wing Correctional Facility on April 26.
• The Winona Daily News ran two articles about our students’ cleanup work, “Up a creek (with a trash bag) on April 25, and “Annual Spruce Up Winona Day draws student volunteers.” About 140 volunteers from SMU helped with this year’s Spruce Up event.
•The spring issue of Twin Cities Business is out, and the Saint Mary’s MBA is in two articles, “The Masters of Business” and “Making the Cut: What does it take to get into an MBA program.”
Leaving:
• Sandra Beth, May 31, director of Fitzgerald Library
• Martin Bourbeau, April 15, Twin Cities security guard
• Gerald Briggs, May 31, Twin Cities program director, B.S. in Indus. Tech.
• Michelle Cochran, May 31, associate director K-12 Reading Lic. Program
• Robert Connor, May 13, associate dean for London and Florence
• Jane Cowgill, May 13, assistant professor of English
• Michael Donahou, May 13, assistant professor of theology
• Karen Fischer, May 31, Twin Cities director, Wisconsin education
• Nicholas Hall, May 31, assistant women’s basketball coach
• Dr. Jeffrey Highland, May 31, provost and vice president of the College
• Nykol Johnson, April 22, reference librarian
• Diana Kirby, May 13, assistant professor of theology
• Dr. Larry Luttmers, May 13, professor of psychology
• Christopher Stromberg, May 13, instructor, math and statistics
• Dr. Jim Vogel, May 13, professor, chemistry
Saint Mary’s recognized outstanding senior students Wednesday, April 22, at the annual Senior Academic Honors Banquet. Highlights of the evening included the announcement of graduate and professional school acceptances, grants and fellowships, and the awarding of the following special honors:
American Institute of Chemists Award (chemistry award) — Bethany Kaufmann and Emily Mason
American Chemical Society Award (chemistry award) — James Mazzuca
Wall Street Journal Award/Business Student of the Year (business award) — Jakub Szymanski
Kevin Martineau Award (business award) — Amanda Wiste
Outstanding Accounting Major (business award) — Radoslaw Tomczak
Outstanding International Business Major (business award) — Leah Hoglin
Outstanding Management Major (business award) — Amanda Wiste
Outstanding Marketing Major (business award) — Holly Roffler
Saint Thomas Aquinas Award for Excellence in Philosophy (philosophy award) — Thomas Otto
Grove Bree Holman Award (theatre arts award) — Anthony Freeman
Michael G. Flanagan Award (theatre arts award) — John Montecalvo
Brother Leo Northam Award (mathematics award) — Angela Buck and Kristi Recke
Distinction in Studies/Academic work (social sciences award) — Sarah Windschitl
Distinction in Studies/Academic Work-Social Activism (social sciences award) — Laura Holupchinski
Future Alumni Committee Scholarship — Sarah St. Laurent
Lasallian Honors Program Outstanding Senior Awards — Neil Leibundguth and Sarah Mueller
The Math Department honored the following students for their participation in the department.
For the North Central Section of the Mathematical Association of America Team Contest (Students have three hours to work on 10 problems in teams of three.): Justyna Kujtkowska, Megan Jantscher, Jakub Szymanski, James Mazzuca, Katherine Schultz, Yer Thao, Bin Hu, Changyu Yang and Ye Zhang.
Brother Louis De Lasalle Award for outstanding performance in Freshman Calculus: Sara Harstad
And, in its inaugural year, the Lou Guillou Award for outstanding service to the Department of Mathematics and Statistics: Yer Thao
Inducted into Pi Mu Epsilon: Bin Hu, Megan Jantscher, Agnieszka Kadej, Sarah Murphy, Katherine Schultz, Jakub Szymanski, Changyu Yang
Five biology students presented their research at the NC-3 Beta Beta Beta district meeting that was hosted by the Gamma Eta Chapter at Grand View University on April 17-18, in conjunction with the Iowa Academy of Science held at Des Moines University, located in Des Moines, Iowa.
The students, their project and their research advisors are:
• Maria Borgerson, “Determination of Genetic Relationship Between Female Phellodendron chinese in Saint Mary’s Park and Offspring Phellodendron Chinese Found Nearby” — Dr. Debra Martin.
• Nicole Haese, ”The Effects of the Dietary Supplement Laucidin on Blood Glucose Levels of Diabetic Mice” — Dr. Jeanne Minnerath.
• Ben Linder, “Analyzing the M3 Repeat Region of the Induced Nitric Oxide Synthase (iNOS) Gene in Homo Sapiens with Exercised Induced Asthma” — Dr. Deb Martin.
• Melanie Tyler, “Assaying of Lysozyme Inhibitor from Egg-Whites” — Dr. Martin.
• Lori Brunner, “The Mode and Extent of DNA Replication During Endomitosis in Nodules of Leguminous Plants,” Dr. Richard Kowles.
Haese was award first place for the Frank G. Brook Award and Tyler was awarded third place. Dr. Martin is the Beta Beta Beta district director.
On Saturday, April 25, the university hosted a Benefactor Recognition event, honoring those who contribute to Saint Mary's through named scholarships, the Leadership Giving program, and the Lasallian Legacy Society. This annual event is an opportunity to celebrate the generosity shown to Saint Mary's and provide an opportunity for benefactors and students to interact. Nearly 90 guests were in attendance.
Danú
Buckets and Tap Shoes
Everyone is invited to a lighting design song concert from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. today, Friday, May 1, in Page Theatre. The event is free. The TA275 Lighting design class will present a song concert for their final class projects. Six designers have designed and programmed lights for two songs apiece. Several dancers will also be doing improvisational dance for the concert.
Five members of the university community presented at this year’s Higher Learning Commission (HLC) annual meeting, held April 18-21 in Chicago. More than 3,000 administrators, faculty and staff from member institutions across the 19 states that the HLC serves attended the meeting.
Linka Holey, associate vice president and academic dean of the SGPP, Elizabeth Childs, associate dean of curriculum and assessment of the SGPP, and Jeff Highland, provost, presented on the model currently used in the SGPP for advancing program vitality following program review. Highland, Tracy Lehnertz, director of institutional effectiveness, and Kara Wener, institutional researcher, presented two sessions in the self-study portion of the meeting; the topic was utilizing a self-study website to engage university constituents in the self-study process. Both groups were well-received by those in attendance.
The Riverland Council Girl Scouts named Beth Seebach, Psychology Department, as the Outstanding Leader in Riverland Council. Girl Scouts of Riverland Council serves 10 counties in southwestern Wisconsin, eastern Minnesota, and northeastern Iowa, serving over 3,000 participants in Girl Scout programs in 75 rural and urban communities.
Judy Myers, MFA, associate professor and chair of the Department of Theatre and Dance, as well as artistic director for Gilmore Creek Summer Theatre 2007 and 2008, has been invited to participate as a reader in the Play Lab at the 2009 Last Frontier Theatre Conference in Valdez, Alaska.
Myers will read roles in two to six plays from more than 50 works chosen to be read at the conference from June 13-20. Each play has one rehearsal in Valdez the day before the reading, directed by the playwright. After each reading, a panel of three respondents (featured international theatre artists, professionals, and educators), will give critical feedback to each playwright following the development format created at the Circle Repertory Theatre Company in New York with the intent of opening the writers up to new ways of understanding their plays. Audiences will also provide feedback.
“I will teach playwriting again this fall and I want to continue to participate in the development of new works at the national level, something I haven’t done in a long time,” she said. “To be able to bring that experience back to my students is invaluable.”
This is the last edition of “Campus Notes” for the semester. Remember that the Communication and Marketing Office can continue to help you promote activities both externally and internally throughout the summer.
Richard Tristano, professor of history, will participate in a session of the International Congress on Medieval Studies, Western Michigan University, on “Historical Writing as Literary Writing: Reconsidering the Relationship between Form, Truth Claims, and Convention in Medieval Historia.” The paper is titled “Interlaced History: Matteo Maria Boiardo, Poet and Historian.”
Aubrey Hollnagel, Admission Office visit coordinator and Megan Radke, admission counselor, are presenting at the annual ACT Conference in Chicago July 15-17. This conference is geared toward admission representatives and high school counselors. They are part of the “pre-conference sessions” and will speak to other colleges about Saint Mary's Admission Ambassador Program and how current SMU students are used to recruit prospective students. They will present along with Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland, Ohio; Murray State University, Murray, Kentucky; and Northeastern University, Boston, Mass.
Swing Inc. is celebrating its 10th anniversary today, Friday, May 1, from 7 to 10 p.m. at Jefferson Pub & Grill.
The annual end-of-the-year dinner is Thursday, May 7. The event begins 6 p.m., and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. in the dining room.
The Trinona Kids Triathlon is a swim/bike/run triathlon for kids ages 5 through 13, hosted by Saint Mary’s June 13. Each triathlete will swim in the SMU pool, bicycle on campus, and finish the competition on the outdoor track. No experience is necessary. This is a low-key, fun, athletic competition.
Snacks and giveaways will be provided after the race. Participants need to bring swimsuits, goggles, towels, bikes, helmets, running shoes and any other items needed for the race.
Youth ages 5 to 7 swim 25 yards, bike 1 mile and run a quarter mile; ages 8 to 10 swim 75 yards, bike 1 mile and run a half mile; and ages 11 to 13 swim 175 yards, bike 2 miles and run three quarters of a mile.
The cost is $30. Register online at www.active.com.
Chet (Information Technology) and Megan Heacox had a baby girl, Delilah Rose, on April 28. The SMU community extends its congratulations to the Heacox family.
John W. Wheeler Jr., brother of Sue Miner (M.Ed. Program Office) died Friday, April 24. A note of condolence can be sent to Sue Miner,
Campus Box 76.
Ted Monson, Cindy Kronebusch’s (PDI Program secretary) step-father and grandfather to Kayla (Kronebusch) Beyer ‘05, died Friday, April 24. A note of condolence can be sent to Cindy Kronebusch at Campus Box 74.
The Saint Mary’s community extends its sympathy to the Wheeler and Kronebusch families
The Saint Teresa Institute year-end ceremony is planned for 5:30 p.m. today, April 24, at Chapel of Saint Mary of the Angels. A reception will follow at the Alverna Center. Nine women have completed their undergraduate membership in the Institute and will be graduating from Saint Mary’s this May including Laura Holupchinski, Robyn Perez, Tamika Robinson, Katie Simon, Maria Sullivan, Yer Thao, Elizabeth Therneau, Martha Walters and Danielle Zauhar. State Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes will give an inspirational speech as part of the ceremony. Faculty and students are invited to attend.
The third Saint Mary’s University Heart & SOUL “Row, Ride, Run Triathlon” will take place on Saturday, April 25, at 9 a.m.; check-in begins at 7:30 a.m. on the west end of Lake Winona. The public is encouraged to take part in the triathlon.
Participants will canoe or kayak a 2.5-mile loop around Lake Winona, then bike 14 miles from Lake Winona to the SMU campus. Once on campus, racers will run 3.1 miles through the bluffs surrounding the university.
For more information, visit www.smumn.edu/heartandsoul. For information, call Ext. 1643.
The new Saint Mary’s Challenge Ropes Course is now complete. The public is invited to use the course for personal and team development, beginning June 1. Reservations may be made in May.
The course includes low challenge elements that are 2 to 3 feet above the ground, and high challenge elements that are 25 to 40 feet above the ground. The low elements challenge course includes seven elements and assorted games and initiatives. The high elements course is comprised of nine elements, including a zip line. The tower includes a climbing wall with multiple routes for varying skill levels.
All booking requests must be made no less than two weeks in advance to Davey Warner, Ext. 8740 or e-mail outdoorleadership@smumn.edu.
More information about the cost to use the course will be posted on the SMU website. Costs are based upon number of hours on the course, number of participants, and type of group (university, non-profit or corporate).
A recital of student chamber ensembles is scheduled for 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26, in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the Performance Center. Performing groups will include the Flute Choir, Clarinet Quartet, Brass Quintet, String Ensemble and Wind Ensemble. The ensembles are coached by SMU music faculty members Janet Heukeshoven, Eric Heukeshoven, and Ned Kirk. This recital will feature a variety of music by Mozart, Vivaldi, Schubert and Schumann.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the Box Office, Ext. 1715, weekdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or online at www.pagetheatre.org.
For additional details, contact Janet Heukeshoven at Ext. 1675 or jheukesh@smumn.edu.
The Batucada Nossa Senhora ethnic percussion ensemble of Saint Mary’s will present its 17th annual spring concert 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 29, in Page Theatre. Batucada Nossa Senhora translates to Percussion Ensemble of Our Lady.
The performance, under the direction of Denny McGuire, will consist of music from Brazil, Cuba and Puerto Rico, combining for an enriching multi-cultural experience for all ages. Batucada members include SMU students, many of whom are music majors, as well as community members.
Performers use a variety of unique instruments including the authentic surdo, tamborim, agogó, reco-reco, ganzá and pandeiro from the Samba Baterias of Brazil as well as hand-drums such as conga and bongó from the Cuban tradition. From Africa, they also use gongoque and beaded gourds of many types (most of which are made by members of the group) as well as instruments such as the berimbau and talking drum.
Additionally two SMU jazz workshop combos, under the direction of Dr. John Paulson and Eric Heukeshoven, will play some favorite pieces from past performances, and three SMU music technology students will premiere their electronic music pieces.
One of the jazz workshop combos will perform a Latin jazz piece, written by McGuire.
Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and may be purchased online at www.pagetheatre.org or at the Performance Center box office, (507) 457-1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays.
Don’t forget that students are eligible for discounted student rush tickets, and faculty and staff are eligible for two free tickets to all SMU performance events (all upcoming music performances). Contact the Box Office.
Molly Jewison, Brittney Nielson, Mara Sonday and Kristina Scherber, the leadership team of SMU’s student chapter of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) have been awarded the 2009 Minnesota ASCD Stan Hooper Student Award for Educational Excellence. This award is given to an individual or leadership team for their commitment to the aim of ASCD international — the success of each learner.
Our Saint Mary’s chapter of the ASCD hosts leaders in education in sharing with SMU students interested in ethical and effective service to others, particularly through education. Presenters have included the local superintendent of schools, a scholar in the area of using arts to promote literacy, and the Minnesota Teacher of the Year. The team has also led various community and school service projects to support the growth and best interests of learners in our area.