Leading Lady

BUILDING LEADERSHIP THROUGH COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS

Mount Mary’s vision is to educate women to transform the world in partnership with local, national and global organizations. And Anne Kahl, executive director of the Leadership Institute and corporate partnerships, plays an important role in fulfilling that vision. Kahl joined Mount Mary seven years ago as the director of corporate & foundation relations, and her primary focus was relationship development with foundations and corporations for fundraising purposes. Today, corporate relations has expanded to include connecting Mount Mary’s academic programs with business industry experts and other learning opportunities for students, such as internships, research projects and mentorships. These ongoing partnerships, which continue to grow thanks to Kahl’s leadership and expertise, create unique opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience with the changing market and better equip them with the skills they need to succeed in their chosen fields after graduation. “Business professionals are working in the field on a daily basis and in tune with the latest trends. Allowing businesses to inform the curriculum helps us educate our students in ways that are most relevant to industry,” Kahl said. Kahl also oversees the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), which offers activities, resources and programming for leaders of all ages and backgrounds. Keystone events include the community Voices of Leadership (VOL) event, the Summer Leadership Academy for highschool girls, and the Visiting Fellows Program (VFP) in partnership with the Council of Independent Colleges. The themes of the WLI programming are integrated into many curriuculums, and Kahl works with faculty and staff to bring WLI into the classroom. She also orchestrates the student-facing WLI events, which often include several days of networking with the guest speakers and industry experts featured at VOL and VFP. A key trait of a great leader is the ability to be flexible and change when needed, and Kahl had to quickly restructure this year’s WLI programming from in-person to virtual in the midst of COVID-19. The events were still engaging and successful, based on the positive feedback from the participants. One of them wrote: “I have gained many different leadership skills. I feel a lot more confident about the steps I need to take to succeed in and after high school. The sessions I

attended cleared up any confusion that I was having about the future while also teaching me new skills.” Kahl holds a bright vision for future possibilities of the Women’s Leadership Institute. Her team recently launched the LEAD program, which is an ongoing leadership program for past participants of the Summer Leadership Academy who now attend Mount Mary. Her department is currently looking at opportunities for the intergenerational audience that will be on campus soon as a part of the Trinity Woods housing project. When asked what inspires her career in leadership and influences the WLI programming, her answer was unexpected. “In high school, I participated in a variety of leadership camps that got me out of my comfort zone and connected me to individuals across the state of Ohio. I went into these experiences not knowing a soul and left with lifelong friends; a network, if you will,” Kahl said. “Interestingly enough, what most informs the programming and content WLI offers, especially to our high school and college audience, is what I didn’t learn or experience during those years and really wish I had.” Yet that’s often how leaders are made—by solving a problem they experienced so others don’t have to experience the same. And now Anne Kahl has become a leader in equipping others with the tools, skills and knowledge they need for success. Alums are always welcome to share their industry knowledge with students through mentorships, panel sessions, WLI events and more. To connect with Anne Kahl, contact her at kahla@mtmary.edu or (414) 930-3248. To learn more about the Women’s Leadership Institute, visit mtmary.edu/wli.

MOUNT MARY TO OFFER FIRST-EVER PH.D.

Jane Rheineck, Ph.D., will lead the Ph.D. program in Counselor Education and Supervision.

Two major programs are under development, both with significant implications for the future. A four year, on-campus nursing program will open in fall 2021 (see next page), as will a Ph.D. program in Counselor Education and Supervision. “Both of these programs will support the documented need for well-trained, well-qualified leaders in their professional communities,” said Vice President for Academic Affairs Karen Friedlen.

COUNSELING PH.D. A CAMPUS FIRST Friedlen said the Counselor Education and Supervision program will serve the counseling community by educating Ph.D.-level professionals equipped to teach at the university level and work in clinical settings. This is the first Ph.D. program offered at Mount Mary, “utilizing a scientist practitioner model of conducting primary research that contributes to the theoretical body of knowledge in the field as part of the curriculum,” Friedlen said. The program is open to licensed professional counselors, school counselors, rehabilitation counselors and other master’s-level mental health professionals. The program is the only Ph.D. of its kind in the metro Milwaukee area and only one of three in the state. It will be offered evenings, days and weekends through in-person, hybrid and online delivery. Practicum placements within the community will pair students with Ph.D.-level professional supervisors. This program, which has an evidence-based research component to it, will prepare students for professional practice in multicultural settings, “while developing a strong counselor identity, advocacy and leadership skills, integrity and a deep sense of social justice,” said program director Jane Rheineck, Ph.D.

For more information, visit mtmary.edu/phd-ces

NURSING PROGRAM EXPANDS

For more information, visit mtmary.edu/bsnprogram

The need for nurses with BSN degrees is urgent. The Institute of Medicine targeted a goal of 80 percent of all RNs having BSN degrees by 2020. In Wisconsin, only 47.5 percent have their BSN or higher. Mount Mary University is now accepting student applications for a four-year, fully on-campus degree program for women to begin next fall. This program is designed to complement Mount Mary’s existing options for completion of the Bachelor of Science in Nursing:

BSN at Mount Mary (new)

Nursing 1-2-1 (offered in partnership with Milwaukee

Area Technical College, Moraine Park Technical College and Waukesha County Technical College)

RN to BSN online program (open to women and men) A new, 6,500 square foot Health Sciences Center is being constructed for the on-campus nursing program and includes a nursing skills lab and interprofessional simulation lab, along with additional classroom and office space. Having a variety of options for students provides multiple pathways for them to become nurses, said Chief Nurse Administrator Kara Groom, Ph.D. “For some students, spending four years at Mount Mary, in our small class environment, in the campus that they know well and are thriving in, is going to be a really attractive option for them,” Groom said. “For others, a Nursing 1-2-1 Program that enables them to work as an ADN at the end of their junior year will let them enter the profession earlier. “Each student is unique and needs to find the program that is the best fit for them, and we are pleased to offer these distinct pathways to let them become successful nurses who will go on to serve our community.” Mount Mary’s baccalaureate degree program in nursing and the RN to BSN programs are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Mount Mary CCNE accredited RN to BSN program is a component of the Nursing 1-2-1 program. The ADN component of the Nursing 1-2-1 program is accredited separately through partner institutions.