Campus News

Alvarado gained wisdom and success in nontraditional industry

During her long, unconventional career, Linda Alvarado has been mistaken for the company lawyer, a realtor, a banker and even the cleaning lady. But all along, she has embraced her role as a building contractor and later, an owner of a major league baseball team. And all the while, she has been a trailblazer.

Doubly proud of the paths she forged as both a woman and a Latina, Alvarado shared nuggets of wisdom during her keynote speech at the Voices of Leadership event on November 4, which brings together Milwaukee business professionals and the Mount Mary community.

If it’s never been done before, it’s

possible. Born in Albuquerque, NM, Alvarado grew up in a two-room adobe house with her parents and five brothers. She learned how to wrestle and change the oil in the car. After initially being turned down as a member of a sports team, she proudly showed her first-place ribbon for the long jump in track that she earned in 1964.

Don’t look for excuses, find reasons

you can succeed. Because she knew she might not be taken seriously as a woman, Alvarado applied for her first job using her initials instead of her name. She learned to read blueprints, do surveying and apply new technology for jobsite efficiency. Before long, she started her own company. “How to break through barriers? I don’t know that there’s a simple answer,” she said. Using baseball terminology, she continued, “you’ve got to take risks.” “You won’t get to second base if you keep your foot safely on first.”

Better to ask a dumb question then to correct a dumb mistake.

When starting her business, Alvarado was told to change the name of her construction company from Alvarado Construction, and she was told to be less feminine. “Double trouble negatives,” she was told. “But I thought to myself, what happens when you multiply two negatives? You get a positive.”

The worst failure is failure to try.

“You fall down but eventually you’re able to crawl, skip and then climb mountains,” she said of her progression from building bus shelters by the hundreds to eventually becoming an owner of the Colorado Rockies. “You are making a difference 365 days of the year; this isn’t just happening during women’s history or Hispanic heritage month.”

The road of life is always under

construction. Alvarado said she never imagined becoming a contractor or the owner of a baseball team.

“My dad played ball with a rec league when I was young,” she said. “I used to go with him and it was my job to clean off the plate.” Many years and marvelously unconventional experiences later, she added with a sly wink, “It’s the only plate I still know how to clean.” n

MOUNT MARY WELCOMES LARGEST INCOMING CLASS SINCE 2000

This fall, 190 first-time undergraduate students stepped onto campus, the largest incoming class in the school’s history, and to say the students at Mount Mary are beautifully diverse is an understatement:

1 out of 3 are the first in their family to attend college (twice the national average) 2 out of 3 receive Pell grants and are considered limited income 2 out of 3 identify as a person of color 10% are student mothers Students identify with 11 different religions and speak 15 languages other than English

This is what makes Mount Mary special; the students are trailblazers and transforming their families and communities. In her welcome orientation to new employees, Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, Vice President for Mission and Identity, references Luke:24 by saying “I see it as our work to be like Jesus and set the table so all are welcome at the table of Mount Mary.”

A student identifying as person or color, first generation, or receiving Pell grants is classified as being underrepresented in higher education; 21% of Mount Mary undergraduate students this fall identify in all three categories.

U.S. News and World Report has recognized and ranked Mount Mary in the regional universities in the Midwest category of its Best Colleges report for 2022. Mount Mary’s overall ranking in the Midwest increased from #122 in 2018 to 51 for 2022. However, the school is most proud of our ranking as the #1 school in the Midwest for social mobility. This metric measures the success rate of graduating low-income students based upon six-year graduation rates.

Six months after graduation, our institutional research office follows up with alumnae to collect information on where students have landed. Consistently, 90% of our alumnae decide to stay in Wisconsin. The top employers were public school districts, the city of Milwaukee and Ascension Health Care.

If you have an alumnae story to share, contact the Office of Alumnae and Donor Relations at mmu-alumnae@mtmary.edu.

SCHWALBACH NAMED

PRESIDENT EMERITUS

Mount Mary’s board of trustees awarded Eileen Schwalbach, Ph.D., the status of President Emeritus at Mount Mary University in June 2021. “Schwalbach has been a vital part of the Mount Mary community for many years and in many capacities, with exemplary service as an educator, administrator and leader,” said Debra M. Sciano, SSND, provincial leader and president of Mount Mary’s corporate board.

“Her commitment to the mission of the School Sisters of Notre Dame was and continues to be evident in who she is and how she relates to others, which now includes her membership on the SSND Central Pacific Province Ministry Commission.”

MOUNT MARY UNIVERSITY BOARD OF TRUSTEES

Stephanie Russell, Ph.D. Board Chair 2021

VP for Mission Integration Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities

Janet Abbacchi, SSND

Joan Andert, SSND

President Emeritus Rosati-Kain High School

J. Omar Andrietsch Founder, Colour Palate

Gail Bast ‘89 Board Vice Chair

CEO and Owner of Association Acumen

Susan Bellehumeur ‘85

Managing Director, Robert W. Baird & Co.

Erickajoy Daniels

Senior Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion, Aurora Health Care, Inc.

Blaine E. Gibson

VP Financial Advisor, NMLS WE Wealth Management Group RBC Wealth Management

Erica-Nicole Harris ‘07 Board Vice Chair

Vice President, Wispark

Beth Heikkila ‘79

Community Volunteer

Jessica Helfer Senior Designer, Kohl’s Corporation

Heather Herling

Senior Human Resource Director/Digital Solutions, Johnson Controls

Kathy Hust ‘00

Retired Executive, US Cellular

Lisa Jansen ‘88

Director of Interior Design, Zimmerman Architectural Studios

Dave Jorgensen

Executive Vice President,, VJS Construction Services, Inc.

David Krutz

Partner and Firm Managing Partner, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP

Mary Jo Layden

Community Volunteer

Lena Lee ‘85

Private Fund Management

Ann Nattinger, M.D.

Associate Provost for Research, Medical College of Wisconsin

Scott Naze

President & CEO – Wisconsin, Marsh & McLennan Agency, LLC

Marie O’Brien ‘08

President and CEO Enterforce, Inc.

Debra M. Sciano, SSND

Provincial Leader, Central Pacific Province of the School Sisters of Notre Dame

Joan M. Shafer

Retired CEO, Seton Catholic Schools

Marilka Vélez ‘03

Senior Vice President & Senior Director of Marketing, Associated Bank

Sandra Ann Weinke ‘63, SSND

Former Mount Mary Associate Professor of Theology

TRUSTEES EMERITI

Kathryn Maegli Davis ‘71

Community Volunteer

Geneva B. Johnson

Retired President/CEO, Family Service America

Gary Jorgensen

Chairman, VJS Construction Services, Inc.

Gary V. Zimmerman, FAIA

Founder, Zimmerman Architectural Studios, Inc.

Thank you for your service to Mount Mary!

Health Sciences Center celebrates grand opening

The grand opening ceremony for the Health Sciences Center took place on September 9, 2021, highlighting the collaborative nature of this new space with hands-on demonstrations from a variety of health care disciplines.

This center is located in the lower level of Caroline Hall where the pool and old locker room once stood.

The 6,500 square-foot state-of-the-art facility has been designed for students across multiple health disciplines, including art therapy, counseling, dietetics, nursing and occupational therapy, to utilize the space. This is designed to foster a sense of collaboration around the common goal of providing exceptional healing and care for patients.

The Health Sciences Center houses the Nursing Skills Lab. Mount Mary welcomed its first Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) class to campus this fall.

THE HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER INCLUDES:

Immersive classroom for simultaneous in-person and virtual participants. Eight hospital bed-style skills stations to give students high-tech and hands-on practice to master nursing skills. State-of-the-art interprofessional simulation center for students across different health care majors to collaborate on patient simulations and debrief together as a health care team. CPR training lab where students can practice and complete their required CPR certification right on campus.

Take a virtual tour of this space at magazine.mtmary.edu.

Mount Mary President Christine Pharr, Ph.D., addresses an interfaith group during a dedication of the Muslim prayer space (left). The space enables 8-10 students to perform daily prayers (right).

Muslim prayer space supports mission to nurture spiritual well-being for all

The Muslim Prayer Room, located adjacent to the Place of Peace interfaith center on campus, is a private setting that can accommodate 8-10 students. It opened in September.

Approximately two percent of Mount Mary undergraduates identify as Muslim. Having a space such as this at Mount Mary aligns with the school’s Catholic heritage, said Campus Ministry Director Theresa Utschig.

“True to the Catholic tradition of the University, everyone is welcome at the table, and this prayer space enables Mount Mary to further its mission of nurturing the spiritual well-being of everyone on campus and attending to the development of the whole person,” Utschig said.

This space has historically been a place of prayer, as it was originally the sacristy for the Christ King chapel where priests prepared for Mass. “It has been a sacred space for a long time,” Utschig said. This new Muslim Prayer Room is a significant addition to the campus prayer spaces already available to the students, faculty, and staff of Mount Mary University, including Our Lady Chapel, the Place of Peace, the outdoor labyrinth, peace pole and reflection pool.

“Some may be curious about why a Catholic university would create a Muslim prayer room but I think that answer lies in our mission,” said Mount Mary President Christine Pharr, Ph.D. “In the words of Pope Francis, ‘Catholics and Muslims are both descendants of the same father, Abraham. He encourages us to practice our mission of fraternity and (sorority) as we walk together as brothers and sisters of one human family.’” n

Read the article about the dedication ceremony in the Wisconsin Muslim Journal at magazine.mtmary.edu.

Counseling Center opens in new space

Mount Mary’s new Counseling and Wellness Center, located on the first floor of Haggerty Library, now offers free and confidential counseling services to the Mount Mary community through individual counseling, group counseling and wellness activities. “There is a myth that counseling is only for when things are going ‘wrong’ in life; counseling is for any stage of life,” said Mary Rodgers, director of the counseling center. “Sometimes, things are going really well and you want to take it to the next level.” Students in Mount Mary’s new Counseling Education and Supervision doctorate program serve as counselors at the center.