WINONA, Minn. — The Robert D. and Patricia E. Kern Family Foundation was presented with the Saint Mary’s University Heritage Award for Transformational Philanthropy Thursday, Oct. 8, at the university’s annual Benefactor Recognition Dinner. The Heritage Award recognizes special individuals whose exceptional philanthropy has significantly transformed the university and positioned Saint Mary’s for a second century of excellence in education.
In 2019, The Kern Family Foundation awarded Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota a transformational grant to establish and advance the School of Education Character and Virtue Initiative. Through this partnership, Saint Mary’s strengthened its ability to prepare educational leaders grounded in moral character, virtue, and ethical decision-making — work deeply aligned with the university’s Lasallian Catholic tradition and commitment to educating the whole person.
The foundation’s support enabled Saint Mary’s to integrate character and virtue education throughout its Education Specialist in Educational Administration program and made possible the development of the university’s Wise Leadership curriculum. Its investment extended further to support ongoing faculty formation, professional development, Summer Institutes, and formational experiences designed to prepare future principals, superintendents, and directors of special education to lead with wisdom, integrity, and a commitment to human flourishing.
At the dinner, Father James P. Burns, IVD, Ph.D., Saint Mary’s president, said, “Bob and Patricia Kern established their foundation on the conviction that the moral character of society matters, and that education plays an essential role in strengthening it. That is why this partnership with the Kern Family Foundation means so much to Saint Mary’s. It reinforces the conviction at the heart of our mission: who we become matters. Through the Kern family’s support, we ensure our students learn not just how to make a living, but how to know and choose what is truly good, allowing them to lead lives of profound meaning and service.”
By strengthening Saint Mary’s capacity to advance character and virtue education, the Kern Family Foundation has helped equip educational leaders to foster schools and communities in which ethical leadership, service, and respect for the dignity of every person can flourish.
