You’re invited to join Responding to Racism: A Lasallian Dialogue on Thursday, June 25. This virtual panel discussion, an initiative of the six Lasallian colleges and universities throughout the Lasallian Region of North America, including Saint Mary’s, invites the Lasallian and Catholic family to come together for conversation and action to work for racial justice and equity. Learn more and register. Saint Mary’s is also taking initial action steps internally and externally to listen, learn, and be of help to…
Saint Mary’s has partnered with Chartwells for more than a decade to provide student food and catering services on the Winona Campus. Over the past year, Chartwells has worked with Saint Mary’s to develop plans for renovations and expanded meal plan options. Plans include significant investments by Chartwells to the Toner Student Center, specifically the renovation of the Cardinal Club, including a market and new food concept (summer 2020) and a refresh of the Dining Hall (summer 2021). Based on…
The signs at the front entrance of the Winona Campus are being removed in preparation for construction of a more extensive remodel and upgrade to the campus entrance thanks to private philanthropy from an anonymous donor. The four components to the front entrance remodel include: The signage at the main entrance. The six pillars will be replaced with two 45-foot stonewalls, one on each side of the main entrance road. Upgrading the reception booth (guardhouse). It will be closer to…
Saint Mary’s University joined Lasallians across the globe in celebration of the 300th anniversary of the death of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the patron saint of educators and founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers. The Holy See declared 2019 a jubilee year in honor of De La Salle and his life’s work of making a quality and relevant education accessible to all students, especially the poor. The jubilee celebrates the impact of the mission De La…
In November, five Saint Mary’s biology and biochemistry students presented their research projects at the Seven Rivers Undergraduate Research Symposium at Viterbo University. Ben Borash received top natural science honors for his oral presentation on “Modeling Human-Snake Conflict for Timber Rattlesnakes in Winona County.” Students presenting included, from left: Ben Borash, Zack Bracken, Natalie Ruesgegger, Jacob Kramer, and Madalyn Bollig (not pictured). Also attending the symposium were Drs. Debra Martin and Benjamin Pauli. In October, 14 new members were inducted…
Brian Tran has dreams of working on Wall Street. Before he could think about managing accounts at a large private investment firm, however, the first-year student knew where he wanted his time and attention to go two mornings out of the week: “Before you can invest in your future, you have to first invest in yourself,” he said. That belief helped drive him to enroll in a one-credit pilot course called “Career Explorations” on the Winona Campus, which ran for…
A group of five students representing the Department of English and World Languages traveled to Dubuque, Iowa, to participate in the 12th annual Streamlines Undergraduate Literature and Writing Conference. Sponsored jointly by Clarke University and the University of Dubuque, the conference afforded students from universities and colleges in the Upper Midwest the opportunity to be inspired by each other’s submitted work in a variety of categories by taking part in readings, followed by panel discussions led by faculty moderators. Read…
How do 20 students write a song together? Finding inspiration in the impact of modern protest songs is a good place to start. Students in Janet Heukeshoven, D.M.A.’s first-year anchor class, Music that Changed the World, composed, performed, and recorded a song titled “For the Life of Us” about the issues of discrimination and equality. The course spends much of the semester learning about music that had significant impact on the world, from Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring to the Hong…
It’s safe to say that the students in the First-Year Experience anchor course, taught by Jeanne Minnerath, Ph.D., will never look at a grocery store the same way again. After learning about the intricacies of the relationships between those foods and microorganisms in the classroom, the class went on to produce, process, and sell approximately 200 jars of raspberry jam, 100 jars of apple butter, 80 bottles of honey, and 60 jars of salsa — with all profits going to…
The inaugural class of the 3+2 Physician Assistant Program began its studies this past fall. Working in collaboration with Mayo School of Health Sciences, the five-year accelerated program allows undergraduates to have an immersive educational experience at several state-of-the-art facilities. “I think it’s a fantastic opportunity, not only for Saint Mary’s to continue to meet our mission, but it also provides us an opportunity to really interface directly with healthcare providers and healthcare provider educators,” said Todd Reinhart, Sc.D., dean…
The new school year is well underway on our beautiful Winona Campus. Just a few weeks ago we welcomed both new and returning students. They are already immersed in the pursuit of academic excellence, service activities, and life on our vibrant residential campus. Our community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni continues to grow, and we are all strengthened by their presence and efforts. Here is a sampling of what happened over the summer and what our students are doing…
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota rose to No. 33 in the Best Regional Universities of the Midwest category, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 ratings of best colleges and universities in the nation. The ranking positions Saint Mary’s in the top 20 percent of all schools listed in this category and denotes a substantial 34 percent increase from its 2019 ranking of No. 50. Additionally, Saint Mary’s was ranked 13th of 63 schools in the U.S. News category…
For Patrick Laughlin ’20 and Crystal Chavez ’21, a meaningful highlight of attending the Lasallian Leadership Summer Program this past July in France was learning what it means to be Lasallian — and feeling empowered to make a difference. Inspired by Saint John Baptist de La Salle, the founder of the De La Salle Christian Brothers and the patron saint of educators, Laughlin and Chavez were motivated to truly change the world, just as he did over 300 years ago.…
Saint Mary’s junior Isabel Bettag (second from left) won the Overall #IMPACT Award at the 2019 Summer X Games. This was Bettag’s second year participating in the X Games Student Work Program. She joined five other Saint Mary’s students in the experience Aug. 1-4 in Minneapolis. Bettag said her favorite part was interacting with the kids at the Marvel Ninja Course, where she was the lead worker. X Games Event Development #IMPACT Awards are overall awards based upon the workers’…
Area businesses will connect with Saint Mary’s students at the sixth annual Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota Career Fair Wednesday, Oct. 23, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in the Toner Student Center of Saint Mary’s. It’s a great opportunity for businesses and organizations to introduce themselves and explore internship, job, and continuing education opportunities with them. Saint Mary’s students gain the advanced knowledge, skills, and critical thinking abilities necessary to be lifelong learners, successful workers, good neighbors, and ethical…
The Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) has announced the names of more than 100 U.S. educational institutions that are being recognized with 2019 Educational Fundraising Awards. Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota is one of 19 institutions which received “Sustained Excellence Awards” — awards which recognize institutions that have demonstrated consistent fundraising success over a five-year period. Institutions that have been recognized with an overall performance, overall improvement, or award for excellence in three out of the past…
We greeted enthusiastic first-year and transfer students during Welcome Week and provided a special program of activities to help them connect to each other and the university; to engage with their new home and the broader community; to understand and prepare for the expectations of learning and living at college; and to know the resources available to help them succeed. These 344 students come from 22 states and six foreign countries. And now, we’re proud that they call Saint Mary’s…
As many as 1,000 visitors have come to Saint Mary’s Winona Campus in celebration of Family Weekend. This year, families are welcomed Friday through Sunday, Sept. 27-29, with a full slate of activities — many of which are open to the Winona community, including music and theatre events, sporting events, and the Fall Frolic fun run/walk. Find a full schedule of events at smumn.edu/familyweekend.
For John Heim, Dixon Irwin, and Nathan Boice, success can be found in the acronyms. They received their B.A.s in May, which have prepared them for their future careers with 3M and IBM. All three are double majors in Business Intelligence and Analytics and Finance who are making it their business to help their future employers with their businesses. All three have a passion for understanding and interpreting data. Irwin, who calls Red Wing, Minn., home, said he most enjoys…
As Saint Mary’s senior Danielle Franke dreams of a career in obstetrics, she was excited to learn more about how regenerative medicine will benefit her future patients. She, along with nine other college students from throughout the region, were invited to Saint Mary’s University’s second Regenerative Medicine Workshop, held in May on its Winona Campus. The event — funded in part by a $49,202 grant from Advancing Regenerative Medicine — featured innovative learning and hands-on activities and guest speakers, including…