Saint Mary’s reports record enrollment for Winona campus undergraduates

Official 10th-day-of-class statistics at the Saint Mary’s Winona campus show a total undergraduate record enrollment of 1,413 — up 4.7 percent from last year’s total of 1,350. The previous record was set in 2002, when Saint Mary’s reported a total Winona undergraduate enrollment of 1,376.

This year’s total of 1,413 includes 1,334 full-time Winona-campus undergraduates and 79 part-time students.

A total of 404 freshmen are enrolled this fall. The freshman class is the second-highest in Saint Mary’s history; the highest was recorded in 1988.

Enrollment in the Saint Mary’s University Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs will be released later this fall.

SMU to honor five during ‘M’ Club weekend Sept. 13-14

Five members are being inducted into the Hall of Fame including: Jen Garin, Brad Wiley, Katie Kortsch, Dick Kuehl and Duane Kuehl (posthumously).

The Saint Mary’s Cardinal ‘M’ Club, in association with the Alumni Office, will induct five members into the SMU Sports Hall of Fame during Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 13-14.

The Hall of Fame Class of 2008 — Jen Garin ’99 (fastpitch softball), Dick Kuehl ’57 (baseball), Duane Kuehl ’58 (baseball, posthumously), Katie Kortsch ’95 (women's soccer) and Brad Wiley ’90 (men’s hockey) — will be honored during a ceremony Saturday evening.

Along with the induction of this year’s Hall of Fame class, Saturday’s ceremony will also honor former men’s hockey coach and athletic director Don Olson for his 32 years of dedicated service to Saint Mary’s. SMU’s 2007-08 postseason award-winners, as well as last year’s outstanding male and female athletes, and outstanding scholar athletes, will also be recognized.

The weekend festivities conclude on Sunday with various alumni games held on the SMU campus. For more information on the award winners, go to www.smumn.edu/08halloffame.

Brother William’s inauguration nears; celebration is Sept. 26

All faculty, staff and students are invited to the inauguration of Brother President William Mann, FSC, on Friday, Sept. 26. All faculty and staff are reminded to turn in their RSVPs, so that catering accommodations can be made. For more information about the day’s events, go to www.smumn.edu/inauguration.

Additional information will be coming soon. Call Deb Nahrgang, Ext. 6966 or dnahrgan@smumn.edu, with questions.

Kaplan commissioned piece to highlight SMU Concert Band, choirs concert Sept. 27

Marc Bernstein

The SMU Concert Band and three SMU choral ensembles will combine talents for a Family Weekend performance at 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, in Page Theater.

The concert will mark the world premiere performance of “Ashkenazi Fathers,” composed for the SMU Concert Band by internationally recognized jazz saxophonist Marc Bernstein through the support of the Sam and Helen Kaplan Foundation. “Ashkenazi Fathers” is a celebration of the Jewish faith, especially the role fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers play in the lives of their children.

This performance marks the fifth in a series of commissions by the SMU Concert Band through the Helen and Sam Kaplan Foundation, which supports performances and activities led by Jewish artists and scholars that are designed to increase cultural and religious understanding at Saint Mary’s.

Bernstein will present a special composer’s conversation, just prior to the performance, at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in Page Theatre. During this conversation, the composer will discuss the cultural inspiration for his piece and the evolution of his work.

The audience is also invited to join the performers for a reception honoring Bernstein after the concert.

Bernstein will travel from his home in Denmark to Saint Mary’s the week prior to the performance to serve in residency. He will rehearse with the band and work with SMU students in a variety of classes and rehearsals.

Bernstein, born in Brooklyn, N.Y, graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 1984. Inspired great saxophonists and jazz artists, Bernstein pursued a career in music. He recorded his first CD in 1985, and was a regular performer in New York City. He began playing overseas, and gained notoriety in Denmark, where he was offered a spot with Klüvers Big Band. Bernstein relocated to Copenhagen, Denmark; he left the band in 1996 to go solo, and has since released numerous CD recordings. He is on the faculty of the Danish Conservatory of Music. For more information go to www.marcmusic.info.

The Concert Band, under the direction of Dr. Janet Heukeshoven, will open with Steven Reineke’s “Celebration Fanfare,” an exciting new work published just last year. Next the ensemble will play the hauntingly beautiful “As Summer was Just Beginning” — subtitled “Song for James Dean” — written by Larry Daehn in memory of actor James Byron Dean, who was tragically killed in a car accident at age 24 after a brief film career. “Ashkenazi Fathers” will conclude the first half of the Concert Band performance. A Saint Mary’s jazz combo will join the concert band for the premiere piece, and Bernstein will serve as the featured soprano saxophone soloist.

The second half of the concert features the SMU Concert Choir and Chamber Singers, under the direction of Dr. Patrick O’Shea, joined the Women’s Choir, directed by Lindsy O’Shea. Choral selections will include works by Schumann, Morley, Hassler, Nystedt, Mulholland, and choral arrangements by Philip Lawson and Bob Chilcott of the King’s Singers.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students or seniors and are available at the Performance Center Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Saint Mary’s to stage comedy ‘Bus Stop’ Sept. 25-28

Despite being trapped in a howling snowstorm, weary bus travelers find love and romance in a cheerful roadside diner during the Saint Mary’s Department of Theatre Arts production of “Bus Stop” Sept. 25-28, coinciding with SMU’s Family Weekend.

In this playful romantic comedy, written by William Inge and directed by Judy Myers, Cherie, a young and pretty nightclub singer has been kidnapped by a lovesick 21-year-old cowboy with a ranch of his own (and the romantic methods of an unusually headstrong bull). Romances blossom as audiences are introduced to a roomful of colorful characters including an inebriated English professor, a virtuous bus driver and many more.

Performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25, 26 and 27. A matinee performance is planned for 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28.

Tickets for the performance — to be held in the Page Theatre — are $10, $5 for students and seniors and are available at the Performance Center Box office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

‘Playhouse Creatures’ named as second theatre show

The SMU Theatre Department has changed one of its previously announced productions for the upcoming school year. New to the schedule is “Playhouse Creatures” written by April DeAngelis and directed by Dr. Steven Bouler — to be presented at the Valéncia Academy Theatre, Nov. 6-9.

Previously purchased tickets for the production “She Stoops To Conquer” will be honored.

Saint Mary’s students to present jazz concert Sept. 26

Two Saint Mary’s University jazz groups, under the direction of Dr. John Paulson, will kick off the year with a concert 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26, in Figliulo Recital Hall — in conjunction with SMU’s Family Weekend.

Internationally recognized jazz saxophonist Marc Bernstein — at SMU through the Helen and Sam Kaplan Foundation — will join students onstage.

The 18-piece Jazz Ensemble and six-piece Jazz Combo I will perform from 6 to 7 p.m., and two Jazz Workshop Combos, directed by Dr. Paulson and Eric Heukeshoven, will play for a reception following the concert in the Toner Student Center.

Jazz Combo I will play popular selections from the swing era and contemporary jazz. Student soloists in the combo include alto saxophonist Vanessa Grams of Little Falls, guitarist Sam Courtier of Red Wing, and Tom Briese on trombone from Rochester. The big band will play favorites from big band classics as well as new selections from today’s greatest arrangers. Student soloists in the big band include Peter Waldorf of Bloomington, Ill., on trumpet along with Courtier and Briese.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students or seniors and are available at the Performance Center Box Office, Ext. 1715, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays or online at www.pagetheatre.org.

Free tickets available for faculty, staff

Faculty and staff are able to obtain two free tickets to any SMU-produced event (excluding the Page Series and “The Nutcracker”) — that includes Family Weekend performances by the jazz ensembles, Concert Band and choir ensembles, and theatre department presentation of “Bus Stop.”

Faculty and staff must come to the box office with your ID to claim your tickets.

Lynch to discuss ‘The War Over War Powers’

Dr. David Lynch, Social Science, will present “The War Over War Powers” 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 15, at the Toner Student Center’s President’s Room. The talk will examine the tension between Congress and the President over the authority to use force. The event — which falls near Constitution Day (Sept. 17) — is free and open to the public.

Biology Department weekly seminar schedule announced

The Biology Department will conduct weekly seminars throughout September including:

• Thursday, Sept. 18 — Dr. Richard Kowles, professor emeritus, “The Mysterious B Chromosome.”

• Thursday, Sept. 25 — Bethany Kaupmann (a current SMU student), “The Mayo Scholars Program.”

All seminars will start at 4 p.m. in Room 112 Hoffman Hall.

Nienaber interviewed on Vatican Radio

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) saw first beam on Wednesday, Sept. 10. Two Jesuit physicists (John Cunningham of Loyola University Chicago, and Paul Nienaber, the chair of physics at Saint Mary’s) were interviewed by Vatican Radio and discussed the implications of this milestone.

The story was aired Wednesday and may be heard on the web at www.radiovaticana.org/en1/Articolo.asp?c=229665.

Art show features photography of Great Lakes

Wisconsin photographer Rus Hurt will display photography, including “Harris Johnson Mending Nets” (above) and “January Ice” (below) Aug. 20 through Sept 18 at Saint Mary’s University.




Wisconsin photographer Rus Hurt is featuring a variety of documentary and nature work through Sept. 18 at Saint Mary’s. The show, titled, “In Suspension: Photographs from the Upper Great Lakes” is divided into two sections:

• “Observations of a Lake Superior Fishery Past & Present” — a series of documentary photographs spanning a 35-year period of a Lake Superior fishery; and
• “Moments in the Wake” — a two-part glimpse into special moments on the Upper Lakes. Some of these photos are from the shipside view of a merchant seaman during the “Winter Runs of 1974-76.” Additionally, Hurt, a native of Port Wing, Wis., will display a collection of colorful nature-based seasonal shots, taken along Lake Superior’s south shore, where he lives.

A closing reception is planned for 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, at SMU’s Lillian Davis Hogan 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.

Next gallery show to feature computer illustration series

California artist Tom Lundquist will display images from his “Poissons de Chant” series — including #29 “Pursued by sheep, Joey Poisson adopts a desperate strategy” — Sept. 26 through Oct. 31 at Saint Mary’s University.

Tom Lundquist, a Minneapolis native and faculty member at Santa Monica College, Calif., will display images from his “Poissons de Chant” series Sept. 26 through Oct. 31 at the Lillian Davis Hogan Galleries.

Lundquist’s digital image series illustrates the adventures of a mythical troupe of singing fish from Montreal. Most of the characters are production assistants, agents, accountants, or animal performers that work for the fish. The elaborate narrative suggested in the prints doesn’t really exist. Though a number of people have suggested that Lundquist write a story to go with the illustrations, he says the only thing he really enjoys doing is making pictures. Lundquist has created an intricate fantasy world that will test your imagination. Learn more about Lundquist’s work.

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.

Fine Arts Commission honors Conservatory for the Arts

Each year the Fine Arts Commission selects three local artists or art organizations to receive special recognition. The Minnesota Conservatory for the Arts was selected this year (along with Winona artists Emilio Degrazia and David Echelard’s Blue Heron Consort). The MCA will be presented with a plaque by the mayor and the Fine Arts Commission at a city council meeting on Sept. 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Winona’s Capital for a Day celebration continues Saturday

Saint Mary’s is again assisting with a Winona Capital for a Day celebration Saturday, Sept. 13, with a magic show, good food and an outdoor animated movie. A full day of activities are planned for Sept. 13 at the Lake Park bandshell area. After the Heroes Among Us, Paddle for Life, and Family Art Day events, stay for an evening of free family fun including:

• The Halls of Magic from 5:30 to 7 p.m. — Twin Cities magician Kevin Hall and his wife will provide audience members with an incredible blend of comedy, magic, illusion and some wild interactive games for the kids. Special local celebrities are scheduled to become on-stage assistants.

• A special, outdoor showing of “The Bee Movie” at 7 p.m. — This animated family favorite will be shown on a 40’ by 22.5’ screen, provided by Twilight Zone Outdoor Cinema.

Both presentations are free and open to the public. Food vendors will be available. For more information, contact Deb Nahrgang, dnahrgan@smumn.edu.

During the Family Art Day events, which run from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., Monta May (Communication and Marketing) will conduct a workshop for adults and children ages 10 and older on tapestry weaving. Participants will be able to create and keep a tapestry (limited to 28 participants). Additionally, Emerald Hulsing ’09 will be conducting a workshop on hand-built pottery.

Saint Mary’s to host guest pianist Kevin Ayesh Sept. 20

Saint Mary’s guest pianist Dr. Kevin Ayesh will present a free recital at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20, in Figliulo Recital Hall. Ayesh has performed throughout the United States and has been the head of the Music Department at Blue Ridge Community College in Flat Rock, N.C., since 1992. As a North Carolina Visiting Artist, he appeared before thousands across that state between 1988 and 1992, performing as many as 100 recitals in a season.

During the past two seasons, Ayesh has performed and given master classes at Washington State University, Portland State University, Colorado State University, the University of Kentucky, the University of Tennessee, the University of Nebraska at Kearney, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the University of Rhode Island, Brevard Community College in Florida, and the Elkader Opera House in Elkader, Iowa.

Ayesh is the recipient of many prizes, including the Naftzger Piano Award and Baltimore Music Club Award; he also won both the JCC Baltimore Piano Competition and the Maryland State Music Teachers’ Elizabeth R. Davis Memorial Piano Competition. He has been a finalist in several national and international competitions, was awarded second prize at the Wideman (Shreveport Symphony) Piano Competition, and won both third prize and Composer’s Prize at the New Orleans International Piano Competition.

Lynch serves as speaker for ‘Faithful Citizenship’ series

Dr. David Lynch (Social Science) gave a talk titled “The Economy, Recession and Policy,” at Resurrection Parish in Rochester on Sept. 7. The talk was part of the “Faithful Citizenship” speaker series, organized by Resurrection Parish for Rochester Catholic parishes.

Dr. Lynch also will speak on “The War in Iraq; alternative futures” on Oct. 12. In addition to these talks, the series will have other area professors cover other topics of current interest in the election including health care, abortion and immigration. For more information on the series, contact Steve Strange at sandcstrange@charter.net. Resurrection parish is located at 1600 11th Ave. S.E. in Rochester.

Library announces library website, other changes

The new library website will be available next week. Get more information.

The Fitzgerald Library catalog, MnPALS, gets a new look and a name change. Read more.

Check out the new music database, Naxos.

A new database, Campus Research, is available for social sciences and business researchers. Read more.

Workshop on overcoming speech anxiety offered

A workshop titled “Overcoming Speech Anxiety” will be offered 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 16, in the Hendrickson World Room. The workshop is for all students who wish to gain more confidence and less fear when giving presentations in class and other settings. Presenters are Dr. Ann Gibson, director of Counseling Services and Erin Anderson, counseling intern. Reservations are not required. If you would like more information, please call Ext. 1773 or e-mail agibson@smumn.edu

Biology alum publishes paper on lampreys

An SMU alumnus who majored in environmental biology, Devin D. Bloom ‘04, has co-authored a recently published paper (2008. Alternative reproductive behaviors in lampreys and their significance. Journal of Freshwater Ecology 23:437-444) based in part on research completed for his undergraduate thesis at SMU. His research helped reveal that spawning brook lampreys in the Whitewater River engage in a sort of ménage à trois, by which a pair of lampreys during the mating act may be encircled by a second male attempting to “sneak” fertilizations of eggs. This has implications for our understanding of how lamprey species evolve.