Angela Soto, a junior Environmental Biology student, presented with Dr. Moni Berg-Binder and Dr. Ben Pauli, Environmental Biology faculty, at the Upper Midwest Invasive Species Conference / North American Invasive Species Management Association joint conference in Rochester, Minn., on Oct. 17. Their talk was titled “Combining education and research in an undergraduate invasion ecology class.” The course, taught during spring 2017, explored invasion ecology theory through class readings and discussions. One major element of the course required students to design…
Recently, 38 students participated in the LIFT Retreat (Lasallians in Faith Together), formerly known as TEC (Together Encountering Christ). Students spent the weekend building community, reflecting on the Paschal mystery, and participating in faith-centered activities and discussion. This retreat takes place each semester as an opportunity to further engage students in our Lasallian Catholic identity and give the space needed for reflection and growth. Among talks from several students, the retreat also started with a presentation by Brother Guillaume Yame,…
On Nov. 13, students in the Accounting Information Systems class traveled to Fastenal headquarters to present their process documentation projects to Fastenal’s accounting management at corporate headquarters. The month-long project had the students working directly with management and accounting personnel at Fastenal to understand, document, dissect, and flowchart three disparate processes in key areas of the Fastenal business. Students completed the project by presenting their findings to Fastenal accounting management and additional staff. Photo caption: Taliya Harris presents at Fastenal…
Earlier this fall, 26 students enrolled in Plant Communities and Taxonomy or Introduction to Mammalian Ecology and Diversity got a chance to visit, learn about, and experience an entire new ecosystem far from campus. This multi-day field experience took students to North-Central Minnesota to experience Itasca State Park and the headwaters of the Mississippi River, as well as to the Deep Portage Learning Center near Hackensack. As the experience combined both mammalogy and plant ecology, Dr. Moni Berg-Binder and Dr.…
Sophomores Anna Dale and Sarah Hardy share more than a passion for music. They also share a residence hall room at Saint Mary’s University and now the title of Elevator Pitch Competition winners. As part of one of their classes, Dale and Hardy went through the steps of forming a nonprofit, including creating a mission statement, writing a grant letter of inquiry, and even creating a board of directors. This is where they came up with the idea of “Ensemble,”…
James Perreault, a junior finance major at Saint Mary’s, had an opportunity to pitch his idea for a sanitizing system for wheelchairs and other hospital equipment, called UVCanopy, to medical professionals at Mayo Clinic as part of the Mayo Walleye Tank competition. To qualify for the competition, he first had to pass a Student Entrepreneurial Showcase, a collaboration between Saint Mary’s Kabara Institute for Entrepreneurial Studies, Collider Coworking, and the Mayo Clinic Office of Entrepreneurship. Perreault not only passed and…
Pope Francis has recognized the martyrdom of Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota alumnus Brother James Miller, FSC. The Vatican announced Nov. 8 that Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing Brother James died as a martyr on Feb. 13, 1982, in Huehuetenango, Guatemala. While repairing a wall at the school where he worked, Brother James (also known as Brother Santiago) was approached by three men, who shot and killed him. It is suspected that Brother James was killed because he and…
Saint Mary’s University students Fabian Alvarez ’19 and Emma Mockler ’20 attended a two-week student conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in collaboration with students from other Lasallian colleges and universities worldwide. Focusing on leadership and global understanding, this annual program is sponsored by the International Association for Lasallian Universities. This year’s program followed the 2017-18 theme of “Lasallians without Limits,” emphasizing the increasing globalization and skills needed by leaders to understand how actions, decisions, and policies go beyond the…
As senior chemistry majors at Saint Mary’s, David Kemper and Allison Miller spend quite a bit of time working in a lab. But now, with a new ThermoFischer Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer, they will spend less valuable time waiting to analyze compounds. Answers are literally at their fingertips within a minute or two. By using this new gas chromatograph (GC), coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS), Saint Mary’s students are now able to separate, identify, and quantify complex mixtures of…
Students Brianna Jacobson ’21 and Jordan Malikowski ’21 along with Colleen Dunne, director of Campus Ministry, attended the national Catholic Relief Services (CRS) SALT Summit in Baltimore July 16-18. Working with CRS University Engagement and joining 60 other colleges and universities from across the country, students spent time learning about what CRS does, advocacy, fair trade, systematic solutions to poverty, and global disaster relief. In addition to a day of workshops on the campus of Loyola University in Baltimore, they…
As a way to create a vibrant campus and transformational residential life experience, a series of monthly classes called Teaching Kitchen are being held with Chartwells Chef Jim Esser and Saint Mary’s Dietitian Sarah Nicklay. Teaching Kitchen offers education in basic cooking techniques in addition to enhanced nutrition. The initial classes, held during Welcome Weekend, involved 25 student participants. These students learned how to properly use a knife and used these skills to make pico de gallo and pineapple mango…
In June, several Saint Mary’s representatives attended the annual program celebration for the Eddie Phillips Scholarship, a dinner hosted by the Minnesota Private College Council. Saint Mary’s students Desmond Steward, Bradley Hill, and Stanley Wright are currently participating in the Eddie Phillips Scholarship program. Created and coordinated by the Minnesota Private College Fund, the Eddie Phillips Scholarship for African-American Men is funded by The Jay & Rose Phillips Family Foundation of Minnesota. Students are named in the spring of their…
The Study Abroad Office collaborated with the Business and English departments to facilitate two short-term study abroad trips in May, helping prepare students to be global citizens and immersing them in dynamic and transformational learning experiences. As part of BU460: Business and Culture in Europe, 18 students traveled to Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany with their Business professors. Students developed their knowledge of international business concepts and culture through traditional classroom studies and a 17-day tour to various European sites.…
To Saint Mary's University women's soccer coach Neil Cassidy, the student-athletes in his program are more than just collegiate soccer players — they are family. A family whose roots span from coast-to-coast and beyond. From Chula Vista, Calif., to New York City, N.Y., to Copenhagen, Denmark, Cassidy has brought together players from 14 different states and one foreign country to form this year's "family" — a group that has kicked off the season with wins in four of its first…
Now in its ninth year, the Countdown to College (C2C) program was created as a way to make higher education accessible. C2C held its summer session in July to provide promising students from Catholic, Lasallian, and Jesuit partner schools in under-resourced communities with the skills they need to be successful. C2C provides high school students with four consecutive summers of intensive two-week academic and social preparation for college. Students sharpen academic skills, learn what it’s like to be a college…
Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota was once again ranked in the annual U.S. News & World Report ratings of best colleges and universities in the nation. Saint Mary’s was ranked 50th in the Best Regional Universities of the Midwest category of the U.S. News Best Colleges 2019 guidebook, among a list of 165 schools ranked in this category. Saint Mary’s was also ranked 49th in the U.S. News category of Best Value Schools Regional Universities of the Midwest, among a…
Though she doesn’t yet have the credentials M.D. behind her name, Saint Mary’s senior Kynzie Smedsrud is already collaborating on potential lifesaving research — research that could one day help women fighting breast cancer. Smedsrud’s summer internship at Gundersen Medical Foundation’s Kabara Cancer Research Institute gave her a hands-on experience that far exceeded her expectations. A biochemistry major from Luverne, Minn., Smedsrud was a Saint Mary’s University Fellow at Gundersen, an academic collaboration brought about through 1958 alumnus Dr. Jon…
The Rev. James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., dean of the Woods College of Advancing Studies and Summer Session at Boston College, has been named the 14th president of Saint Mary’s University. Mary Ann Remick, chair of the university’s board of trustees, announced the board’s selection on May 1, adding that Father Burns will officially begin his presidency Monday, July 9. Remick also appointed a Presidential Transition Team to assist Father Burns as he familiarizes himself with the needs, goals, culture,…
The sixth annual Celebration of Scholarship on April 27 highlighted and celebrated the diverse talents and skills of Saint Mary’s students across a broad spectrum of academic performance disciplines. More than 150 students participated in the all-day event centered around graduating students and the excellent work they’ve done here at Saint Mary’s. Family and friends of participating students were on campus for the presentations, exhibits, performances, and displays. For more information, a list of presentations, and to view photos from the…
Saint Mary’s University became a more notable community partner in Rochester, Minn., May 24 at a ribbon cutting dedication for a new 10,000-square-foot addition to the university’s Cascade Meadow facility. Starting in July, the addition will house the university’s extensive Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs in Rochester. And, through a special collaboration with the Mayo Clinic’s School of Health Sciences, the facility will house the graduate portion of a proposed 3+2 physician assistant program, which Saint Mary’s anticipates beginning…