From the President

FROM PRESIDENT

Christine Pharr, Ph.D., President, Mount Mary University

Dear Mount Mary Alumnae and Friends,

By the time you read this, I will be in the final stretch of my presidency at Mount Mary. As June 30 approaches, I am pondering my final words to all of you. All that comes to mind is gratitude. I am so very grateful for the wonderful support I have received from so many: the Board of Trustees, the alumnae, the greater Milwaukee community, the employees and the students. Each of you, in your own way, has brightened my days as leader of the university. Some of you spoke words of thanks and appreciation. Others challenged me to think of things differently. Some of you sang my praises and others gently pointed out my weaknesses or mistakes, but in each of these instances as I have reflected I have found that they are making me a better person. Note the word “making” as I am still a work in progress!

Perhaps my greatest reflection today could be on the thing that brings me much joy: Trinity Woods.

Since early December, when we received occupancy of Trinity Woods, it has been a time of growth and celebration on campus. As the School Sisters of Notre Dame, some alumnae and friends and eventually a group of single mothers with their children and a handful of graduate students made Trinity Woods their home, the miracle unfolded. I know there were challenges as people adapted to a new home, small inconveniences of new spaces and the adjustment of living differently. But from my limited perspective it is all quite magical.

Why? When I tour Trinity Woods with MMU friends and alumnae, I marvel at the outstanding day care facility we have created with excellent teachers and beautiful new furniture, miniature-sized everything from tables and chairs to toilets and sinks. Children populate each room, sleeping on small mats, eating at tiny tables, smiling and waving to us as we pass. Each of our Trinity Woods single

Single moms who are students moved into Trinity Woods with their children in January, at the start of the Spring 2022 semester.

For updates on Mount Mary’s presidential search, see page 26.

mothers have their children in this five-star, licensed, accredited child care center.

Why? Upstairs, the mothers of these children rejoice in their petite but beautiful apartments fully furnished with all the necessities and which include three meals a day, utilities, free laundry, Wi-Fi and a lovely lounge for cooking, children playing and interacting with other mothers.

Why? In the dining room SSND and seniors wave and smile as I walk by, welcoming me and my colleagues to their new home. They thank me for visiting. They speak of their love of this beautiful new facility and in their free time they begin to take part in the Book Nook project of reading the collection of inclusive children’s books to the small Trinity Woods residents.

Why? Because the chapel and the hallways sing the praises of the founding mothers, Theresa and Caroline. The stained glass windows of Elm Grove bring rays of colored light that are reminiscent of Notre Dame of Elm Grove. The open doors of SSND apartments ring out a welcome to enter, to all who pass by.

Why? Mount Mary students majoring in occupational therapy, dietetics, art therapy, education and many more disciplines have a learning laboratory right on campus and some have even found work at Trinity Woods.

The reasons abound for the magic and my heart is filled with a contrite gratitude for those who worked so hard to make this happen. Now with the few months I have left, I must do my final work for Trinity Woods. In the last magazine I spoke of my peace at leaving Mount Mary with increasing enrollment, projects started and completed and a sense of accomplishment, but before I go, I want to make this precious home for single mothers and their children sustainable. For this reason, the Madonna Fund was created, to provide endowment earnings that will ensure that long into the future, single mothers and their children will have a safe, supportive and affordable way to pursue an education and change their lives. Please join me in making this magical accomplishment, a long-term reality. Truly, nothing would please me more. n With gratitude,

Learn more about the Madonna Fund on page 21.

Read Dr. Pharr’s retirement announcement and stay informed on the search for the next Mount Mary president at mtmary.edu/presidentialsearch.

Stay up to date with Mount Mary events

EVENTS FOR ALUMNAE:

mtmary.edu/alumnae events

UNIVERSITY EVENTS:

mtmary.edu | calendar.mtmary.edu

Check these pages and stay informed of events, visit opportunities and webinars!

Mount Mary University has always been a ministry of the School Sisters of Notre Dame that lives out the SSND mission, vision and values through our goals of transforming women through education. This has been true in the past and it continues today.

VALUES IN ACTION

This year, Mount Mary employees have gathered for a series of mission dinners and discussions, allowing them to reflect upon their personal connection to SSND core values.

As we move into the future, Mount Mary embodies the SSND spirit

From the very beginning, the School Sisters of Notre Dame established Mount Mary as a place to support women for whom an education was not always easily accessible. In Mount Mary’s earliest days, this meant assisting families, often first-generation immigrants, who dreamed of making a values-based education a reality for their daughters. Alumnae often share stories about the family sacrifices made to attend Mount Mary, and the support that helped families achieve their hopes for a better future for their daughters. “Time and time again I hear stories of gratitude, for opportunities that were otherwise out of reach,” said Marilyn Kesler, SSND, a planned giving officer for Mount Mary who meets regularly with alumnae. With the renewed presence of the SSNDs on campus, Mount Mary and the SSNDs continue to inspire one another in moving the mission forward.

Ministering to new groups

Over the years, Mount Mary has changed to become more diverse in nearly every perspective – racially, socioeconomically and religiously – and through it all, SSND values have been a steady guiding light. Today, as Mount Mary ranks among the most diverse institutions in the Midwest, this mission work for both Mount Mary and the SSNDs is centered upon diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as social justice efforts, said Provincial Leader for the Central Pacific Province Debra M. Sciano, SSND.

“We totally support and encourage diversity-related programs at Mount Mary; they are in line with who we are,” she said. “Our focus has been women and children forever, keeping up with the times and changing demographics, and helping others transform the world.” Among the order itself, SSND leadership is working with a consultant group, Team Dynamics, to integrate diversity, equity and inclusion principles within its organizational structure.

Addressing systemic inequities is foundational to who the SSND are and what they are called to do.

— TIM DEWANE

DIRECTOR OF SHALOM OFFICE FOR

THE CENTRAL PACIFIC PROVINCE,

SCHOOL SISTERS OF NOTRE DAME

Members of the School Sisters of Notre Dame convey their blessings at important Mount Mary events.

“Now more than ever, we understand that our mission is structured within the times we live in,” Sciano said. “We must respond to the urgent needs that are presented.”

Mount Mary leads the way

There has been a growing intention among the SSNDs to shift their understanding of community, and Mount Mary has led by example. Sciano explains this as a movement from a multicultural perspective, in which one teaches another about their culture, into one that is intercultural, a two-way, relationship-based understanding of culture. “We need to go in and not just provide or say we will give or do something for others, we need to go in with an understanding that we will interact with and learn from others, too.” Mount Mary serves as a model for this paradigm shift. This renewed understanding of diversity among the SSNDs reflects Mount Mary’s diverse student population and is present in Mount Mary’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives (DEI) that range from newly adopted inclusive hiring practices to the establishment of a DEI office on campus and a focused effort to bring diversity into leadership positions, such as the Board of Trustees.

Student organizations engage the Mount Mary community in justice issues of the day.

SSND values rooted at heart

In all facets of institutional life, from traditions to practical matters, SSND beliefs are in constant practice at Mount Mary. From the beginning to the end of the student experience, these values are called forth. Each August, new students are welcomed into the community with an investiture ceremony that sets forth the features of an SSND-inspired transformative education.

All students take Search for Meaning, a required course designed by Ellen Lorenz, SSND, in the 1970s and still relevant today. Through her work as a curriculum developer, S. Ellen, a preeminent scholar and Mount Mary leader, helped students understand the intersectionality between scholarship, service and community need.

Before graduation, students reflect upon their Mount Mary experience at the Mass and Light of Learning ceremony, in which they pass along their light to another who has made an impact or whom they hope to influence, an active reminder of the transformative nature of a Mount Mary education.

Employees, too, are encultured in the spirit of Mount Mary. For the past few years, Vice President for Mission and

At a mission dinner event held for employees, colleagues shared their personal growth and understanding of Mount Mary mission with one another.

Continued from page 5 Identity Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, and Vice President for Enrollment Services Dave Wegener have led a missioncentered onboarding program; over the course of a new employee’s first year, they participate in seminars outlining the history and mission of the School Sisters of Notre Dame and Mount Mary University.

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Sister Joan has also recorded a module on employing mission in courses for faculty, which is posted on the employee portal and available to reference at any time. All full-time faculty and many adjunct faculty members have completed this course. New this year is an initiative to keep the SSND mission alive. At mission dinners, colleagues come together for an evening meal to discuss their personal connection to Mount Mary’s mission. “In the past year, a question has surfaced several times: When did Mount Mary become involved in social justice issues? I pondered that question, especially in light of the expanding consciousness of the SSNDs over the years,” Penzenstadler said. “At the dinners, this question is a way to invite our community to reflect upon what draws them to the difference Mount Mary has made in their lives.”

SSNDs extend their mission

The social justice work of the SSNDs is a natural extension of their role as educators. Today they work to educate and raise awareness of social justice issues, advocate to legislators, and build collaborative, local partnerships. These social justice engagements, which SSND refers to as Shalom, focus on dismantling racism; supporting migrants and refugees; promoting Gospel nonviolence and just peace; caring for creation; and addressing human trafficking, said Tim Dewane, director of Shalom office for the Central Pacific Province. Dewane, who has worked with the SSNDs for 24 years, also serves as the North American representative for global SSND Shalom Network engagements. “The School Sisters of Notre Dame educate with the conviction that the world can be changed through the transformation of people,” Dewane said. “Their experience walking with the poor and marginalized have helped them recognize that for individuals and families to reach their fullest potential, they must make establishment of a just society a concern of all their ministries. Addressing systemic inequities is foundational to who the SSND are and what they are called to do,” he said. This same purpose is what sustained Mother Caroline and the pioneering efforts of the SSNDs to educate America’s underserved women since her arrival in 1847.

“We have Mother Caroline’s DNA in us,” Sciano said. “We focus upon how we are serving others and encouraging others to be their best selves. “I think she’d be happy with how we – and ministries such as Mount Mary – are moving forward.” n Mount Mary celebrated Founders Day on Feb. 24. Meet the students and staff members who received awards on page 29.

NEW Exercise Science degree

Students in Mount Mary’s new exercise science program will not have to wait until graduation to work as health and wellness professionals.

The program, which opens in Fall 2022, will prepare students to become nationally certified group fitness instructors, personal trainers and/or exercise physiologists by the end of their second year.

“With three certifications built into the curriculum, students can earn income and gain real-world experience,” said Cindy Kidd, an exercise scientist and faculty member with the program.

Students will get to work hands-on using state-of-the-art equipment in the soon-to-be renovated Caroline Hall Gym and Fitness Center. Additionally, the university is establishing a biometrics laboratory in Notre Dame Hall, which will serve not only the exercise science program but other science and health care programs on campus.

The program emphasizes wellness for diverse populations allowing students to be well rounded in a range of different disciplines. Given the broad spectrum of disciplines, the field of exercise science has a great future job outlook.

“Careers in exercise science have great income potential and are in demand in clinics, hospitals, fitness clubs and wellness centers,” said School of Natural and Health Sciences Dean Cheryl Bailey. “The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 23 percent job growth through 2026.”

The degree also provides a strong foundation for Mount Mary graduate programs such as a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetics, or an advanced degree in occupational therapy. Other advanced learning options include medical school, or degrees in physical therapy and physician’s assistant.

“Students have the advantage of learning in a supportive, all-women’s environment where they will develop leadership and professional skills,” Kidd said. “This program prepares them to work in a field that truly makes a difference in the lives of others.” n