At this year’s annual forum on ethical leadership, Saint Mary’s honors Great Clips’ innovative leader and newly retired CEO. MINNEAPOLIS – Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota will honor Rhoda Olsen, former CEO and current vice chair of the board of Great Clips, with the 2018 Hendrickson Medal for Ethical Leadership at this year’s Hendrickson Forum. The Tuesday, April 24, 2018, event, “Innovation Culture,” is presented by Saint Mary’s Hendrickson Institute for Ethical Leadership and will feature a keynote address by author,…
WINONA, Minn. — On Tuesday, March 20, Saint Mary’s University incorrectly released a news brief that its alumnus, Brother James Miller, FSC, was beatified in Rome and can officially be recognized as Blessed Brother James Miller. Although the cause for his beatification was approved, it will not be considered (and therefore he will not be considered Blessed) until approval has been given by Pope Francis and the beatification ceremony has taken place. More details will follow. We apologize for the…
WINONA, Minn. — Although the wind blew mightily, it didn’t deter a crowd of about 150 from gathering to help Saint Mary’s University break ground March 13 on a new 112-bed, three-story residence hall for first-year students on the Winona Campus. Brother William Mann, president of the university, told the crowd it was truly a time for thanksgiving. The $6.9 million residence hall is being entirely funded through philanthropic gifts. Two anonymous families chose to not only help Saint Mary’s…
WINONA, Minn. — With anonymous gifts totaling $6.9 million, two families have chosen to honor Brother William Mann’s legacy as president of Saint Mary’s University by constructing a residence hall in his honor. The public is invited at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 13, to watch as ground is broken for Brother William Hall, a 112-bed, three story residence hall for first-year students on the Winona Campus. “With Brother William’s announcement of his departure, these families wanted to recognize all that…
Looking back, Dorothy Kirsch ’19 and JoAnn Harren ’11 may not have always appreciated their chores — growing up on their family hog farm in Wesley, Iowa. But both sisters now appreciate the strong work ethic, the responsibility, and the agricultural life that ultimately has led them to careers in plant breeding. Harren, who majored in biology at Saint Mary’s, now works as a senior research associate with DuPont Pioneer Research Station in Algona, Iowa; Kirsch, a junior biology major,…
Adam Pfister C’06, M’10 can’t deny that speaking to the U.N. in early December was a career highlight. But Pfister’s career is full of highlights. As a solutions engineer on the nonprofit and global organizations team for Esri, he works closely with organizations who are solving global problems like the World Health Organization and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which is successfully eradicating Polio. A graduate of Saint Mary’s University’s M.S. in Geographic Information Science program, Pfister works for a…
Destiny Dux ’16 has only worked at IBM as a financial data scientist for a few months. But after making presentations at work, she’s received the positive feedback that she sounds like a seasoned professional. She owes it all, she says, to her finance and data analytics and business intelligence courses at Saint Mary’s, particularly her business strategies course. “I don’t think there is any course at any other college that is as strenuous and helpful as the business strategies…
Dr. Susan Strauss believes educational system must step up to play a larger role The list of high-profile men — in media, in sports, in entertainment, and in politics — who are being fired due to inappropriate sexual behavior continues to grow longer. Susan Strauss D’07, for one, isn’t surprised. “I guess what surprises me is that finally it’s all erupting; there are women coming forward to proclaim what they’ve experienced for years, but they had never felt safe in…
After pitching an invention to one of the executives on TV’s Shark Tank, presenting to Saint Mary’s faculty was a piece of cake. Stephany Beck ’21 might only be a freshman, but the Entrepreneurship and Marketing double major is already finding ways to enhance her pitching skills, network with area professionals, and learn how one day she could put her name on an innovative product that could help others. Beck first got her entrepreneurial feet wet while she was a…
There’s no question what inspires Deb Henton M’95, C’96, D’99, superintendent of North Branch Area Public Schools. Actually, there are approximately 3,000 inspirations. Her students. “Whenever I can raise student achievement, that’s No. 1,” Dr. Henton said. “That’s why I come to work every day. I want to create an environment where kids have the best opportunities possible to achieve their dreams. Our vision statement is to inspire dreams, build integrity, and instill hope in our students, our staff, our…
As a test engineer with Medtronic, Nick Nagel ’14 is saving lives by testing medical devices before they ever come in contact with patients. For Nagel, every test, every data point, is crucial. “Testing helps us better understand why something performs as it was intended to, or may fail or stop working,” he said. “My job has a direct effect on patients, so the device needs to work the way it’s supposed to work every time.” For example, the Andover,…
More than 4,600 students are enrolled in Saint Mary’s Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs. As different as each of their background stories is, every student chose Saint Mary’s because of a desire to improve themselves personally and professionally, as well as for its accessibility. To call their experiences transformational is an understatement. At Saint Mary’s, they learn brighter futures are within reach. Here is just one of their stories. To Trhas Berhane ’13, C'14, M'17 earning her degrees from…
WINONA, Minn. — With new leadership, visionary ideas, and innovative community collaborations, the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies at Saint Mary’s University is announcing its fall schedule of events. The public is invited to watch as students pitch their passions and participate in important community discussions about the social and economic impacts of entrepreneurship. Above all, the public is invited to celebrate and support entrepreneurship at the regional and student level. The goal of the Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies…
As a geographer and cartographer, Caroline “Siffy” (Erickson) Torkildson M’10 not only creates maps of the world, she is also trekking around the world using maps. And her M.S. in Geographic Information Science from Saint Mary’s is helping her go places. Most recently she’s been accepted into the Society of Woman Geographers as part of a prestigious group of women explorers, and researchers who “know no boundaries.” [caption id="attachment_1967" align="alignleft" width="300"] Riding a camel in the Sahara, Morocco[/caption] On her…
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. — Merri Moody, DNP, CRNA, APRN—as part of the American Association of Nurse Anesthesia Foundation Closed Claim Research Team—was presented with the 2017 John F. Garde Researcher of the Year Award during the American Association of Nurse Anesthetist (AANA) Nurse Anesthesia Annual Congress Sept. 8-12 in Seattle. Moody is the director of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota’s M.S. in Nurse Anesthesia and B.S. in Nursing programs. Moody was a member of the original team of Certified Registered Nurse…
WINONA, Minn. — It was a weekend of celebrating ongoing athletic accomplishments at Saint Mary’s University. During Cardinal ‘M’ Club Weekend Sept. 8-10, current and former athletes came together to discuss their shared experiences, to reminisce about those game-winning plays, and to hear the accomplishments of today’s Cardinal athletes. On Friday, Sept. 8, three former student-athletes were honored for their many accomplishments. This year's inductees into the Saint Mary’s Sports Hall of Fame were: Mark Zaremba ’78 (baseball), Amanda Weinmann…
By Kassondra Burtis ’12 When Leslie Shore M’00 was doing her thesis research, there’s one thing she realized we can all do better—listen. “Communication is the key not just to success, but to any kind of relationship,” Shore said. “Listening is at the foundation of that.” Shore had discovered that in all of the books she has read on communication, less than 10% of them focused on listening. She knew that this largely unexplored area was something she wanted to…
By Stacia Vogel Graduate student Casey Skeide has been named a 2017-2018 American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT) Minority Fellow. This national award is highly competitive and from the AAMFT Research and Education Foundation with grant support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Skeide is among a select group of individuals chosen for the Now Is The Time: Minority Fellowship Program for Youth (NITT-MFP-Y). Aimed at helping strengthen our nation's youth and communities, this…
The Saint Mary's Cardinal 'M' Club, in association with the Alumni Association, will induct three members into the Saint Mary's Sports Hall of Fame during Cardinal 'M' Club Weekend Friday-Sunday, Sept. 8-10. The 2017 Saint Mary's University Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony will honor former student-athletes Mark Zaremba '78, Amanda Weinmann '07, and Ashley Luehmann '07 The trio will be honored during an awards ceremony on Friday, Sept. 8. Along with the induction of this year's Hall of Fame…
Nearly 100 guests joined Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota as it broke ground for a new 10,000-square-foot addition to Cascade Meadow Wetlands and Environmental Learning Center in Rochester on Aug. 15. Although the event celebrated a physical expansion, the excitement multiplied as university officials discussed the programming that will take place inside. Once approved by state and regional accrediting bodies, this expanded Saint Mary’s facility will house the graduate portion of a proposed 3+2 Physician Assistant program, a collaborative effort…