Dickson is strongly committed to both organizations — and to maintaining the university’s involvement with them. He has recruited Haven StreetAllen, director of human resources, for the board of the Dispute Resolution Center and Sandra Pacheco, vice president for student affairs, for SafePlace’s board. “Sharing the expertise of our staff members with organizations in our local community ultimately benefits our students,” Dickson said. Dinah Sbelgio, an admission counselor at St. Edward’s, agrees. She co-founded a youth empowerment program for girls at Fulmore Middle School called Morning Star Rising. A native Austinite, Sbelgio attended Fulmore and her mother, Tamara, taught eighth grade U.S. history there before they created Morning Star Rising three years ago. Students and staff from St. Edward’s have volunteered with the program since it began. Open to all interested eighth grade girls, the program is divided into four phases: vision past, personal power, vision future and social power. During after-school and summer meetings, each girl is guided through self-examination of her past, her potential, her aspirations, and what she can do to be productive and successful in accomplishing her goals. The program offers monthly field trips and movie nights. Additionally, the girls develop individual community service projects and take part in a little-sister program with sixth- and seventh-grade girls at Fulmore. “The curriculum of Morning Star Rising promotes the concept that every child has something to offer, and it’s a matter of creating a framework for the child to explore and develop into what she wants,” Sbelgio explained. “Morning Star’s philosophy is really in line with the St. Edward’s commitment to being a personalized community where every student is important.”
any alumni of St. Edward’s express their commitment to service in the public sector — in the Austin area, across Texas, and around the nation and globe. Some hold elected or appointed offices. Others serve as staff members in government, political organizing, lobbying and advocacy. To prepare students for careers in politics, the university offers an academically rigorous St. Edward’s,” Wise said. “Nearly all of program coupled with an internship the internships are done here. Our program. Neal Wise, professor of political science, coordinates the prostudents are required to attend local and gram and has helped more than 200 state governmental and agency meetings students gain real-world experience in for certain classes. And, the talent pool the public sector since 1988. for adjunct faculty wouldn’t have such “The political science internship breadth and quality anywhere else in program has a good reputation, which the state.” our students safeguard by performing Texas legislative staff passes the word about well,” Wise said. In the quality of interns from St. Edward’s. fact, the St. Edward’s internship program is a well-used resource at the Texas legislature. “The phone starts ringing at my office about two months before each ustin also provides a legislative session,” Wise laughed. “The creative talent pool that legislature is in many ways like a small enriches the arts faculty town, and staff passes the word about at St. Edward’s. Everett Lunning, the quality of interns from St. Edward’s. assistant professor of theater arts at Just last week, two state representatives’ St. Edward’s, says that theater profesoffices called looking for interns to help sionals in Austin are eager to work on out in their always understaffed offices.” St. Edward’s productions at Mary St. Edward’s also invites professionMoody Northen Theatre. al practitioners to teach political science Count Lunning as an example. He courses, particularly in its relatively rare has worked for several theaters in town, undergraduate track in political manageincluding Zachary Scott Theatre Center, ment. Wise cites adjunct faculty like Onstage Theatre Co., Austin Theatre for Robert Early, a lobbyist and former Youth, Austin Musical Theatre and — five-term state representative; Brother of course — Mary Moody Northen Richard Daly, CSC, who manages Theatre. Most recently, he performed intergovernmental relations for the Texas the role of Nils Bohr in Cophenhagen Catholic Conference; and Geronimo at the Austin Playhouse. He also serves Rodriguez, ’90, who previously worked as chair of the Austin/San Antonio for the Texas Attorney General, White Liaison Committee for the Actors’ House and U.S. Department of Labor. Equity Association. His colleagues in “Our location in Austin has helped the theater program, adjunct instructors shape the political science program at Bill McMillin and Annie Suite, sit on
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