Mount Mary Magazine Fall & Winter 2014-2015

VOLUME XXV NUMBER 1 | FALL & WINTER 2014-2015

MOUNT MARY MAGAZINE BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS THE MEETING OF ART AND SCIENCE CREATIVE COLLABORATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE CONTENTS Ask the President President Schwalbach discusses how her experiences with the SSND are woven throughout her life.

Beyond the Textbooks Mount Mary prepares students in its health sciences area to become holistic health care practitioners.

The Meeting of Art and Science Christopher Belkofer, Ph.D., researches the effects of the creative process on the brain.

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Creative Collaboration Art and fashion students collaborate with GE Healthcare to apply design-thinking to their projects.

Mount Mary Serves Together Students, employees and alumnae join forces for a day of community service to celebrate Homecoming.

Alumnae Spotlight Three Mount Mary alumnae make a difference through their work locally, nationally and abroad.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Leading Lady Meet Cheryl Bailey, Ph.D., new dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences.

Then & Now Look back at a piece of Mount Mary’s history and learn how the University has evolved to meet the needs of today’s students.

Scholarship Impact Grateful Mount Mary students share stories of how scholarship support has changed their lives.

Calendar of Events Plan ahead to enjoy a wide selection of Mount Mary events in the coming months.

Alumnae News Check out the Homecoming on the Mount celebration and upcoming alumnae opportunities.

Class Notes Graduates share updates on their personal and professional happenings.

Alumnae Briefs Mark the passing of Mount Mary alumnae and faculty and celebrate news of marriages and births.

Reflection Sister Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, reflects on the role of spirituality in living a healthy life.

Campus News Learn about recent events, a new program announcement and renovations in process.

Achievements and Accolades Faculty, staff and students share their noteworthy accomplishments and awards.

©2014 Mount Mary University Compiled by Mount Mary University Office of Communications, M. Susan Seiler, Editor Contributors: Ryan Larson, Dana McCullough, Susan Shimshak, Lynn Sprangers, Eichelle Thompson, Jessica Wildes, Office of Alumnae and Parent Engagement, Office of University Advancement Mount Mary University is sponsored by the School Sisters of Notre Dame.

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ASK THE PRESIDENT

ASK PRESIDENT Eileen Schwalbach, Ph.D., President, Mount Mary University

Q.

“How does Mount Mary’s mission connect with your own upbringing and values?”

— Shelby Loosen, President, Mount Mary Student Government Association

A.

Author Thomas Wolfe wrote, “You can’t go home again,” but my Mount Mary story line carries an element of a homecoming. I believe I was destined to be here because our founders, the School Sisters of Notre Dame (SSND), have been part of my life since I was a young girl.

My parents’ families were from Mount Calvary, the first Wisconsin mission that Mother Caroline Friess established outside of Milwaukee. All of them were educated by the Sisters. My direct connection began at Milwaukee’s St. Augustine Elementary School, chosen by my parents because it was staffed by the SSND. In third grade, inspired by the Sisters, I decided to become a teacher and promptly began providing a first-rate education to my dolls. During my elementary years, the Sisters let me assist in the

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lower grades, design bulletin boards and play the piano for music classes.

While attending St. Mary’s Academy, an allgirls high school, I further built and cultivated leadership skills. I was active with the student newspaper, student council, and drama club, among other extracurricular activities. In the nurturing environment of an all-girls school, I experienced the same supportive relationships with faculty that our Mount Mary students have today.

My love of literature deepened during my undergraduate work at Marquette University and my master’s work at the University of WisconsinMilwaukee (UWM). My teaching strategies grew through my doctoral studies at UWM. However,

ASK THE PRESIDENT

President Schwalbach began her education career with the Milwaukee Public Schools, where she taught for 25 years.

it was my students who daily reaffirmed what I learned from the SSND — that the essence of teaching is about relationships.

When I became a teacher in the Milwaukee Public Schools system, my childhood dream became reality. I wanted to teach in MPS — a place where good teachers could make a lifechanging difference, where students’ lives could be transformed through education. I spent the next 25 years as an MPS English teacher, grades 7-12. I was committed to providing my students as good an education as in any suburban school.

During my MPS career, I became an adjunct instructor in English Education at Mount Mary.

When I walked through the door for my interview, I knew I was home with our Sisters and appreciating again how their mission had withstood the test of time. Later, I applied to become the director, graduate program in education. I was always interested in how we educate and prepare teachers.

President Schwalbach welcomed Shelby Loosen, student government president, to her office for a one-to-one conversation.

I had worked with student teachers for over 20 years, and knew we could do more to prepare them for the realities of the classroom. This was my chance to invest in the future, to hone teachers’ skills so they could have a greater impact on transforming lives. I accepted the position and never looked back. That decision opened doors to roles I could not have imagined, including vice president for academic and student affairs, provost, and now president of Mount Mary University.

You can see why Mount Mary has been both a destiny and a homecoming for me. This is a special place dedicated to the pursuit of truth and wisdom, the fostering of leadership and faith, and the commitment to making the world a better place.

Mount Mary provides an education that transforms students into creative leaders in their careers, their communities and in the world. Indeed, I know you can come home again!

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Beyond TextbookS

Preparing Holistic Health Care Practitioners

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hildhood obesity rates in the United States have tripled in the past three decades and one in three Americans is obese or overweight. Headline-making tragedies highlight the estimated 9.6 million American adults with a serious mental illness.

More than a quarter of Americans manage multiple chronic health conditions. And “aging in place” is growing as Baby Boomers stay in their homes as long as possible.

Helping people cope with health issues — from cradle to grave — requires creative strategies.

Those strategies increasingly incorporate holistic health care, an approach that treats the whole person — mind, body and spirit.

At Mount Mary University, educating our students to value and consider the whole person is not new. It’s been embedded in the fabric of our mission for decades.

“The University’s philosophy of educating the whole person fits together really well with today’s holistic health care view,” says Cheryl Bailey, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences. Bailey says Mount Mary’s holistic education prepares students for a complex life — managing careers, finding work/life balance, coping with life’s stressors, interacting with their community, and making healthy choices for themselves and their families.

“No matter what major a Mount Mary student studies, she gains a holistic perspective, particularly in foundational science courses like biology and chemistry,” adds Lynn Diener, Ph.D., chair of the Sciences Department.

“Science courses help students develop analytical and critical thinking skills that help them make decisions. They gain the knowledge base they need to evaluate health care choices because they understand what constitutes good research and good evidence.”

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BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS

The Mind-Body Connection Mount Mary’s graduate counseling program emphasizes a holistic approach to client care, says Carrie King, Ph.D, director of the program. “We do this very strategically because we know that to become an effective counselor, it’s important to go beyond what you’re reading in a textbook about counseling theory or techniques.”

King says there’s increasing attention on counseling practitioners prescribing wellness for patients, helping them take care of their psychological pain and also their physical and spiritual selves. Using a holistic approach helps counselors create an individualized treatment plan for patients. This is especially important in trauma-informed care, where a person has experienced traumatic stress, whether a significant illness, loss of a loved one, accident, natural disaster, physical or sexual abuse, or other stressor.

“There’s evidence that trauma changes structures and pathways in the brain and that it has an effect on us emotionally, physically and relationally. It affects the whole person,” King says. “When we talk about trauma interventions, we are really trying to change those brain structures and pathways to help a person heal, relate to the world differently, feel safe and cope with the stress that most people can handle, but that people who are traumatized cannot.”

Counseling students learn about using a range of creative, traditional and complementary approaches to treat patients experiencing trauma.

These interventions include everything from regular talk therapy to Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to lower brain interventions that are patterned and rhythmic activities such as drumming, yoga or other isometric exercises.

Addressing a person’s mental health isn’t limited to the counseling profession. Mount Mary prepares professionals in dietetics and occupational therapy to consider a patient’s mental state while creating treatment plans. Students in these disciplines learn this firsthand. Dietitians know that obesity isn’t just about food. It often involves significant mental and emotional issues that the person must cope with.

Occupational therapists may work with people who are experiencing post-traumatic stress. “OT is not just addressing the loss of a limb or a brain injury and its effect physically, but also how it affects patients emotionally,” says Kari Inda, Ph.D., chair of the Occupational Therapy Department. “Our students learn that it’s important to help the patient cope with and adjust to their injury or illness experience.”

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BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS

Holistic Care in Practice A recent American Hospital Association (AHA) survey reports that more than 42 percent of hospitals offer complementary or alternative medicine services such yoga, meditation and acupuncture. The AHA says hospitals are “responding to patient demands” for integrative, holistic health care.

Preparing graduates to work in such settings is important.

In the world of occupational therapy, a holistic approach is nothing new, says Inda.

“Occupational therapists look at all aspects of the person and the environment they live in to help them be successful in their lives and their daily activities.”

To help students develop this integrative approach, Inda shares with them an example from her experience treating a stroke patient living in a care facility. The man could not speak so Inda looked around his room for clues about his life and saw pictures of his wife. With Valentine’s Day approaching, Inda took the man’s therapy in a new direction.

“Instead of the usual exercises, I brought in beads and the man strung them together to make a necklace,” says Inda. This still provided exercise manipulating objects, but it gave him something more: an emotional boost and a Valentine’s gift for his wife.

The OT field has begun to emphasize holistic approaches in a community setting. “[The trend] is in serving people where they live, not waiting until they become ill,” Inda says. Community OT care focuses on prevention and Mount Mary students experience this in various settings. In schools, students conduct assessments and evaluate students’ challenges in reaching developmental milestones. In people’s homes, assisted living facilities and skilled nursing centers, students consider adults’ cognitive skills, along with other factors, to evaluate their risk for health-related problems such as falling. “We look at a patient’s habits and how we can help them have an improved health outcome,” says Inda.

“We get better outcomes by filling a patient’s rehabilitation with meaningful experiences,” Inda says. That holistic approach is embedded in Mount Mary’s OT curriculum, starting with a student’s first semester. One class, in particular, focuses on therapeutic occupations (activities) and encourages students to discover their own meaningful occupations so they can better understand why those are important to the people they serve.

Dietetics professionals look at every aspect of a person’s life, not just nutrition, says Lisa Stark, MPH, MS, RD, chair of the Dietetics Department and director of the Dietetic Internship Program. For example, registered dietitians determine who does the shopping and cooking, whether income is adequate to support needs or if the client requires referral to assistance programs, and if there are medications or medical problems that impact nutritional needs.

Dietitians also look closely at the environment in which people live and where people are getting their

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BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS

meals — school, home, an employer’s cafeteria, restaurants, an assisted living facility dining room or even the local food pantry.

This community-based approach is exemplified by work that Stark and her Mount Mary colleagues are now completing. A two-year Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program grant allowed them to evaluate the nutritional value of foods available at two Waukesha County food pantries and to educate patrons about better and more healthful ways to prepare the foods they receive.

Stark says people who frequent food pantries are much more likely to have higher rates of diabetes, heart disease and high blood pressure. Introducing healthier food options to food pantries helps patrons who have diagnosed health conditions and positively impacts patrons who are at-risk of developing those conditions.

When Stark first started the grant project, Mount Mary students helped evaluate the foods in people’s bags as they left food pantries. The most prevalent item they found was macaroni and cheese.

“There were lots of foods that were processed and high in salt,” Stark says. Stark and her students used their creativity and knowledge to develop food packages that grouped items for a healthy meal — promoting wholegrain and high-fiber foods, and those lower in salt, fat and sugar. They developed and provided patrons with healthy recipes, taking into consideration that food pantries’ clients may only have access to a hot plate or microwave.

The result? Stark says the Food Pantry of Waukesha County began purchasing less macaroni and cheese, because patrons weren’t requesting it as often. Grant partners, which included Waukesha County UWExtension, the National Kidney Foundation, The Medical College of Wisconsin and ProHealth Care among others, developed a healthy food list for Waukesha County food pantries to share with donors. The ultimate goal is for all food pantries in Waukesha County to use the healthy food list to spread a consistent message about the foods that are most beneficial — and healthful — for food pantry visitors.

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BEYOND THE TEXTBOOKS

NUTURING THE SPIRIT Spirituality also is part of truly comprehensive holistic health care. “Our emotional health is tied to our physical health, which is tied to our spiritual health, which is tied to our relational health,” says the counseling program’s King. “When our relationships are impaired, it can affect our mood and our thinking.

When we are physically ill, it can affect our emotional self. When we are depressed, it has an effect on our physical body.”

This is why self-care is covered in the graduate counseling program curriculum. “We talk to our graduate students about self-care — taking care of themselves emotionally, physically and spiritually so they can do their jobs well,” says King.

But not all counseling programs emphasize the spiritual aspect for patients or for professional selfcare. King says Mount Mary’s counseling program is unique because when the whole person is discussed, it includes the spiritual component. “Counseling is a very secular profession. But we at Mount Mary acknowledge that 77 percent of Americans believe in a higher power, and so for many of our clients we need to consider their spiritual self, too,” she says.

In other health care professions, like dietetics, a person’s religious and cultural background plays an important role in treatment approaches. For example, Stark says a dietitian needs to consider and respect religious and cultural practices related to dietary needs (like requirements for Kosher eating or avoiding certain meats) when they treat patients.

The move to holistic health care has been embraced by practitioners and patients alike. As Mount Mary educates more students for work in health-related fields, addressing the mind-body-spirit connection and providing experiences that reinforce it is key to their successful professional preparation.

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The Meeting of Art and Science

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oday’s world is a stressful place. Stories of tragedy and terrorism fill the news. Sometimes, those stories are very personal and the world just doesn’t make sense.

When our attempts to navigate the senselessness fail, we turn to the professionals — a medical doctor or a counselor. And now, there’s an emerging therapeutic area brimming with possibility — art therapy.

According to the American Art Therapy Association, “art therapy is a mental health profession that uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental and emotional well-being of individuals ... [and] ... integrates the fields of human development, visual art, and the creative process with models of counseling and psychotherapy.”

After years of struggling for legitimacy, art therapists are being seen as providers of a viable treatment option for patients suffering from trauma-related illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). But the effects of the creative process on the brain are just beginning to be explored.

As a graduate student, Christopher Belkofer, Ph.D., ATR-BC, director of the graduate art therapy program at Mount Mary, suspected that the creative process had physical effects on brain health and set out to learn more. He partnered with Amy Vaughan Van Hecke, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology at Marquette University, and Lukasz Konopka, Ph.D., chief neuroscientist at Yellowbrick Consultation and Treatment Center in Evanston, Ill. Dr. Konopka has 17 years of experience working with the United States military veterans at the Edward Hines, Jr., VA Hospital in Illinois and continues to work with the medical community both in the United States and abroad to bring the arts into mainstream therapy.

Existing research connects the qualities of artistic expression with the brain’s organizational structures through neuroscience and allows art therapists to address the effects images have on emotions. If experiences like those in an art therapy session can shape processes — memory, self-awareness and emotion — and emotion is tied to the circuitry of the brain, then art therapy can affect brain health through the alteration of emotions.

The groundwork was laid for the group to explore the distinct changes in the brain during the creative process. In two separate studies, an electroencephalograph (EEG) was used to track electrical activity in the brain measured by the presence of Alpha waves, which can help people regulate emotions while experiencing stress. The researchers measured artists and non-artists during a timed basic drawing activity.

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THE MEETING OF ART AND SCIENCE

What they found was evidence that could assist in understanding a patient’s brain function in order to provide appropriate treatment.

The findings could help provide the objective and measureable data to legitimize art therapy within traditional medicine.

In the first study, described in “Conducting Art Therapy Research Using Quantitative EEG Measures,” published by the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association in 2008, the team evaluated trained artists and found a significant difference in the electrical activity in a brain before and after engaging in the creative process. Belkofer and Konopka found that creativity moved through the area of the brain that assigns meaning to imagery and makes spiritual connections. This opened the possibility that individuals could positively affect their own state of being through therapies involving visual expression.

In the second study, outlined in “Effects of Drawing on Alpha Activity:

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A Quantitative EEG Study with Implications for Art Therapy,” published by the Journal of the American Art Therapy Association in 2014, Belkofer and Konopka teamed with Van Hecke.

Once again, the team found that the creative process led to changes in neurological activity in trained artists. But this time, they differentiated between trained artists and non-artists and found preliminary differences between the two groups. When compared to artists, non-artists recorded lower Alpha frequencies, suggesting an increased stress over performing an unfamiliar task. This supports that there is room for empathetic guidance through the art process.

That’s where art therapy can be helpful. Putting into imagery what cannot be expressed by language provides hope for patients with illnesses like PTSD — patients who simply cannot find the words to express the memories that haunt them.

“The shifts in brain rhythms associated with art-making support the idea that the arts can help provide a bridge between our implicit innermost felt realities and our more explicit cognitive frameworks of the world,” says Belkofer.

We know that art, relying on sensation and perception, does impact the brain. While there is plenty more to be done, this type of research provides a foundation for future exploration of the therapeutic potential of art for patients resistant to other languagebased therapies.

For the rest of us, it means that creating art, however you define it, just may enhance our ability to manage stress in this sometimes senseless world.

THE MEETING OF ART AND SCIENCE

The potential changes occurring in the brain after making art “may create the building blocks for healthy emotional development.”

The seeds of a Global collaboration Christopher Belkofer and Lukasz Konopka collaborated on the global stage in spring 2014 at the University of Zagreb in Croatia for Ars Medica, an academic course exploring the intersection of art and clinical science. PTSD is common among Croatian war veterans and the emerging relationship between the University of Zagreb and Mount Mary will foster bringing art therapists and psychiatrists together to advance a wider variety of therapeutic choices for PTSD patients.

According to Belkofer, roughly half of veterans with PTSD are unresponsive to traditional verbal therapy and medication. “People have trouble understanding that trauma hurts physically,” says Belkofer. “Since traumatic memory resides in a region of the brain that is inaccessible by language, they literally cannot find the words. The PTSD brain is stuck in anxiousness, keeping the body from its restorative state.”

Fortunately, through interventions like art therapy, the mind and body can be retrained to relax.

“Making art can help release the images from memory allowing the patient to manage them,” says Belkofer. “The subconscious gives way so emotions can be externalized and dealt with.”

Belkofer and Konopka encourage future research to measure the positive effects of art-making on the brain and further neuroscience methods in the field of art therapy.

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A Creative Collaboration:

walls that talk Visitors to GE Healthcare’s Menlo Design Studio will soon be inspired by artwork created by Mount Mary students. Located in the company’s Waukesha facility, the Menlo Design Studio is home to workshops that train participants in the innovation and research process used at GE Healthcare.

Nearly 100 students from sculpture, painting, 3-D design, graphic design, fiber fabric design and art therapy courses collaborated on compassionate art-making using GE Healthcare principles of human-centered, empathic design.

Bob Meurer, industrial designer, and Doug Dietz, innovation architect, both from GE Healthcare, encouraged student creativity that would elevate everyone’s work, rather than requesting a restrictive deliverable. Resulting artwork showcases diverse interpretation of compassionate design.

Students in the 3-D design class built vignettes that incorporated live models to communicate a narrative or tell a fragment of a story. “This project challenged the students to create artwork while working with live models,” says Jordan Acker-Anderson, chair of the Fine Art Department.

Large-scale photographs of the student artwork will be hung in the hallway leading to Menlo Design Studio and digital images may be used in other locations. GE Healthcare Global Design is looking forward to displaying vibrant, expressive original works of art that will communicate and activate empathy awareness.

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soothing colors, serene music and pleasant aromas.

A mobile app complemented the bracelet so off-site caregivers and family members could monitor the bracelet’s use.

Compassionate Wearables A bracelet that releases calming aromas to soothe an agitated Alzheimer’s patient. Artwork that inspires empathy through visual storytelling. This is innovation at work in Mount Mary classrooms and the result of a collaboration with GE Healthcare.

In “Buying and Assortment Planning,” a merchandise management course about bringing new products to market, students paired up with fashion design students from CAD Graphics I to design “compassionate wearables”— new, innovative products aimed at improving comfort for individuals challenged with health afflictions.

Teams selected health conditions that included Alzheimer’s, arthritis, premature birth, anxiety disorders, cancer and diabetes. Adhering to the human-centered, design-thinking process taught at GE Healthcare’s Menlo Design Studio, students conducted interviews with patients, their caregivers and family members to understand patients’ emotional experiences and needs.

Students then brainstormed ideas for compassionate wearables and researched available technologies that could support their products. Next they sketched preliminary designs for building prototypes and, in some cases, tested their ideas.

The arthritis team tested their idea for gloves that generate heat and cold. They sewed small fabric pouches and filled them with rice. Fashion design students designed and sewed aesthetically pleasing and comfortable gloves with openings and enclosures to house the rice pouches.

Another prototype featured GPS bracelets commonly worn by Alzheimer’s patients emitting repetitive

Students benefited from GE Healthcare expertise throughout the project. “Our goal was to encourage the students to identify real user challenges, prototype potential solutions and inspire us with their concepts,” said Kathryn Bokowy, manager, business planning and strategy at GE Healthcare. She and Ross Stalter, industrial designer, visited with students on campus and provided helpful suggestions and direction.

“Ross reminded us that because Alzheimer’s patients are easily confused, we needed to keep our design simple,” says Adrienne Adams, a member of the Alzheimer’s team. “Since Alzheimer’s patients are often in a child-like state, he encouraged us to fine-tune our design ideas to focus on functionality, not appearance.”

Presentations of “future employers final prototypes are looking for were made to GE Healthcare creative thinkers representatives with innovative in December.

Trish Kuehnl, ideas and fresh the instructor perspectives. Our overseeing the students will be projects, says she was impressed ready.” with the depth of students’ compassion and creativity, as well as their willingness to stretch beyond their comfort zones.

“These students achieved a solid understanding of how a successful creative process works,” she said.

“Together they developed product ideas that could make a difference.”

According to Karen Friedlen, vice president for academic affairs at Mount Mary, the collaboration with GE Healthcare brought the best of innovation knowhow to Mount Mary’s classrooms. “This project was a wonderful opportunity for our students to gain real-life experience in empathy-driven design,” she says. “We know future employers are looking for creative thinkers with innovative ideas and fresh perspectives. Our students will be ready.”

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MOUNT MARY

SERVES TOGETHER H o m e c o m i n g D ay o f S e r v i c e

To honor the legacy of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, and in the spirit of transformation, more than 75 members of the Mount Mary community volunteered for Mount Mary Serves Together, a collective service project that was part of the University’s weeklong homecoming celebration. This project benefited the Hunger Task Force, a local community agency that works to provide free food to individuals and food-sharing organizations across Wisconsin.

Students, employees, alumnae and President Eileen Schwalbach assembled on the steps of Notre Dame Hall and then boarded school buses to various Hunger Task Force locations for a morning of service and camaraderie. Group

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S at u r d ay , O c t o b e r 1 1 , 2 0 1 4

members harvested corn on a 200-acre farm, sorted food donations at the Hunger Task Force headquarters and assembled food boxes for delivery to homebound seniors.

Through their collective efforts, 17,000 pounds of food was sorted, 480 boxes were packed for seniors and almost 12,000 pounds of corn was picked from the farm! In addition, the Mount Mary community also held a food drive, which yielded nearly 250 pounds of food donated to Hunger Task Force. What an amazing testament to the mission of Mount Mary University — a living statement of our commitment to strengthening our communities through service and compassion.

MOUNT MARY SERVES TOGETHER

“... A LIVING STATEMENT OF OUR COMMITMENT TO strengthening our communities through service and compassion.”

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ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT

Safia Chaudry Awan Facing Danger to Make a Difference Safia Awan is the vice president for SOS Children’s Villages of Pakistan, the world’s largest orphan care charity. She has worked for 16 years in the development sector of Pakistan: Azad Jammu and Kashmir. A 1985 Mount Mary graduate, Safia has lived the mission of the School Sisters of Notre Dame, transforming the world for the better.

Safia’s tireless work in setting up residential communities for orphans and abandoned children across Pakistan is revered and admired by many who come in contact with her. She is a committed fundraiser, raising funds and developing vocational projects for girls and technical training institutes for boys. She established a 50-bed inpatient pediatric medical center and organized the distribution of relief items for refugees.

Safia’s emergency crisis response skills were tested during the devastating earthquake in Pakistan in 2005. She partnered with the government to set up water filtering plants, oversaw the set up of a field hospital and traveled by helicopter to the scene of the worst destruction. She also spoke frequently to the press to advocate for orphans and earthquake assistance.

Through it all, Safia has made the welfare of SOS orphans a priority. She has been involved in all aspects of the running of the villages — financial, educational and recreational.

“It was a privilege to receive an education from Mount Mary,” Safia says. She used that gift of education to serve those in need, reflecting the traits fostered in her by her time at Mount Mary. Her leadership, compassion and creativity have transformed countless lives in a small corner of the world. Her work inspires others and demonstrates the amazing difference one person can make.

Rosemary Schrauth An Occupational therapy Trailblazer Rosemary Rinzel Schrauth, a 1968 graduate of Mount Mary, considers her 46-year career as a clinician and teacher of occupational therapy (OT) specialties to be one of assisting clients in the “art of living.”

Rosemary appreciates the foundation she received at Mount Mary, where she gained both OT skills and “the tools to not only meet the challenge of change, but to embrace it,” she says. “The goal of all my professors was to graduate dynamic women who entered their professions with enthusiasm and courage.”

Mount Mary, says Rosemary, instills in graduates a sense that receiving a

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ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHT

Dena McDowell Healer, Mentor, Volunteer Providing compassionate patient care is what Dena McDowell does best. In 2004 she earned her Master of Science degree in dietetics from Mount Mary. Today she is a registered and clinical dietitian at Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Dena is recognized within the Cancer Center as an excellent clinician and an expert in her field. Dena partners with patients throughout their course of treatment, supporting their nutritional needs and giving patients and family members the attention they need.

Dena demonstrates the lessons she learned as a student at Mount Mary.

“My time at Mount Mary was a rewarding experience and I find myself frequently using the lessons I learned in my everyday practice,” she says.

Dena has mentored other dietitians in the Cancer Center and helped students during clinical rotations. She is a nutrition mentor for the PanCan Association (National Pancreatic Cancer Awareness group), teaches a basic oncology class and works with the national Transmandibular Joint Disease Organization. Dena received the 2004 Recognized Young Dietitian of the Year from the Wisconsin Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Dena has shared her knowledge and expertise as a guest lecturer at Marquette University and University of WisconsinMilwaukee. She has written for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Savvy section, M Magazine, Women and Cancer Magazine and the Nutrition in Clinical Practice Journal. She also consults for TOPS Club (Take Pounds off Sensibly), a Milwaukee-based weight loss organization, writing articles and promoting healthy eating through Web-based tutorials.

degree is the beginning of a journey. Hers was a remarkable one, as she experienced firsthand the evolution of the OT profession. She recalls the OT practice of 45 years ago as being part clinician and part inventor, requiring clinicians to adapt what was at hand to create the tools needed. Today, product catalogs supply what, years ago, was born from an occupational therapist’s knowledge and creativity. Also in those early years, demonstrating the clinical value of OT to the medical field was commonplace, while today physicians regularly prescribe OT for their patients.

In 2001, Rosemary was among OT professionals to bring new lymphedema treatments to the United States. She became an expert in this specialty and traveled nationwide to educate others. As she taught throughout the country, she championed the same traits that led to her long and successful career: creativity, openness to innovation, exploration of new areas and the pursuit of knowledge to gain expertise.

Rosemary, who retired in September 2014, received the Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association lifetime achievement award in 2013 — an echo to the outstanding OT student award she received as a senior at Mount Mary 46 years earlier. What fitting bookends to an impressive career that touched the lives of countless patients and students.

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LEADING LADY

Helping People Shift to Healthy Choices Meet Cheryl Bailey, Ph.D., dean of the School of Natural and Health Sciences, who joined Mount Mary in July. Bailey, a proponent of innovative and active learning, oversees Mount Mary’s natural and health sciences programs including biology, chemistry, mathematics, and undergraduate and graduate occupational therapy and dietetics. She also is a principal investigator for a National Science Foundation-funded project working with biochemistry educators to assess and teach foundational concepts. At Mount Mary, Bailey oversees development of the University’s sciences curriculum and research initiatives for both faculty and students.

“It’s exciting to work where creative teaching and research help prepare the next generation of professionals,” Bailey says. “I want to integrate research into the classroom and work with faculty to nurture students’ innovative solutions to real-world situations.”

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Bailey was a senior program officer at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland, an associate professor in biochemistry at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and spent two years as a senior scientist for Promega Corporation. She earned her bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in biochemistry at the University of Iowa.

“Like many women, I have a busy life that is fulfilling but demanding,” says Bailey. To achieve work-life balance Bailey developed what she calls “The Shift,” to making conscious, healthy choices. Bailey says, “I begin every day with the question ‘How will I choose healthy today?’ That means I choose to exercise when I can, not when it’s the perfect time. I choose to walk when I could ride, to drink more water, to take the stairs or to split a cookie.

When I realized I’ll continue making choices the rest of my life, the true shift took hold.”

“One thing that helped me was learning about food, nutrition and staying active,” says Bailey. “Programs that help people make educated choices are so important. Mount Mary has dietetics, occupational therapy, biology, chemistry, health communication and public health programs that all contribute to the community.

Our faculty, students and alumnae in these programs can share their expertise, helping the wider community learn to choose healthy for themselves, and eventually to make ‘The Shift.’”

THEN & NOW

THEN & NOW The library on the Mount Mary campus has evolved over the years but even in its infancy, it was an essential part of student life and learning on campus.

Edward Fitzpatrick, Ph.D., first president of Mount Mary College, said, “The principle service of the library ... is to supplement the work of the classroom and to gratify the intellectual curiosity of the students who should have ample opportunity to exploit this world in epitome for their own enrichment.”

The space for this “intellectual curiosity” was initially located in what is now known as Stiemke Hall, on the second floor of Notre Dame Hall. It

was a vast reading room which had a minimal collection brought to the campus from its predecessor, St. Mary’s College in Prairie du Chien. The library operations and collections gradually expanded into additional areas on the second floor of Notre Dame Hall and remained there until 1981 when Haggerty Library was constructed. The library began a new life again in 2011 when significant remodeling was completed.

Today the internet has a major impact on how people find and access information, and the rising popularity of e-books is helping transform Americans’ reading habits. In this changing landscape, Haggerty Library has adjusted its services to these new realities while still serving the needs of patrons who rely on more traditional resources.

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SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT

Scholarships can be the difference between dreams attained and dreams derailed.

Scholarships can change lives.

Learn more about supporting scholarships. Contact the Mount Mary Development Office at (414) 258-4810, ext. 646, or dev@mtmary.edu

94% FULL-TIME UNDERGRADUATES who RECEIVED FINANCIAL AID, INCLUDING SCHOLARSHIPS, IN 2013-2014

A NEW PLACE IN LIFE Evone Harris is different. Like others in her community, her family struggled financially, making a college degree just a dream. Unlike others, Evone was determined to turn that dream into reality.

She began the way many do, at a large public university, thinking that the lower tuition would provide an affordable option to propel her down the road to success. She found that large universities can lack personal attention and she became frustrated with the limited access to professors. Evone saw her dream slipping away.

Then, one invitation to visit Mount Mary changed everything.

“From my first visit ... I knew this was the school to foster my dreams, this was my new home,” Evone says. Mount Mary replaced Evone’s frustration with personalized attention and time with her professors. Counselors helped her find scholarships to remove financial roadblocks and allow her to, as she says, get to “a new place in life.”

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Evone’s story doesn’t end there. Knowing she is the exception to the rule in her community, she has plans for her own legacy.

“The moment I began my first semester at Mount Mary, I pledged to give back ... to help those who find themselves walking the same steps I once took,” she says.

After graduation, Evone is determined to ease the path for others in her community through encouragement, advocacy, mentoring and, most of all, the financial support that she knows can make a dream come true.

SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT

wanting more from life Erin Mihor represents many women. Coming from a family with no higher education experience, she was 22 by the time she started college. After choosing a small women’s university in Minnesota, she soon found the costs to be a burden. Within the first year, Erin dropped out. Life continued on and she set aside her dream of getting an education. She married, became a parent and spent years putting the needs of her family before her own.

Erin wanted more for herself. That “more” was her education. After moving to Wisconsin, she researched the possibilities. On her list was Mount Mary — again a small women’s university with a financial cost that she couldn’t bear alone.

ending was different. Mount Mary’s financial aid staff helped her find several opportunities to offset the cost of tuition, including part-time work, two loans, two grants and four scholarships.

“The amazing scholarships have allowed me to succeed in all of my roles. I can maintain my home, my family and my grades because I am not scrambling to work three part-time jobs,” she says.

Now, at 31, Erin is an active volunteer with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, her sights set on an internship with their justice department and on becoming an associate SSND. After finishing her undergraduate degrees, she plans to pursue a master’s degree in English. Erin hopes to use her education to promote sustainable urban living.

Erin had found herself in a rerun but this time the

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SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT

$3,377,649 Total scholarship dollars awarded in 2013-2014 academic year

$1,800 Average scholarship award funded by individual donors* (*not Including corporations or foundations)

where i want to be Diving into independence after high school, Heidi Ratzlaff moved away from her hometown in Illinois to attend college in Wisconsin only to have the cost of attending force her to return to her home state. Working full-time, she settled for an associate degree from a community college with a lower price tag.

To Heidi, a career isn’t something you settle for. Heidi feels having a career means being passionate about something.

It’s about helping others, especially children.

Heidi looked inward to find strong interests in psychology and art. When she discovered she could help children with disabilities through a blend of these two fields, her passion for art therapy ignited. She scheduled tours of colleges that offered the major, including Mount Mary.

It took a single visit to fall in love with the campus and

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the art therapy program, but again, finances threatened to douse the fire that propelled her toward this new career. Working with her admission counselor, Heidi applied for three scholarships — and received all three.

“I am so thankful,” she says. “Having the scholarships frees up the time to see how art therapy works in real life.” She recently toured a Chicago-area children’s hospital to observe art therapists at work.

Heidi now lives on campus and studies her passion full-time. She plans to earn a master’s degree in art therapy. Because of the experiences she’s had at Mount Mary, Heidi says, “I can get to where I want to be.”

SCHOLARSHIP IMPACT

the RIGHT place for National Gates Scholarship Winner What keeps Maria Capistran moving toward her college degree? A deep commitment to education, a desire to be a good example for her young daughter and a determination to change the expectations for women in her community.

Working with College Possible, a college readiness organization, Maria spent two years working to raise her ACT scores, perfect her entrance essay and develop her application packet. She toured campuses looking for a university focused on social justice and developing new leaders. After just one tour, Maria felt Mount Mary was the right place to continue her journey.

About the challenges of overcoming those expectations, Maria says, “Everyone expected me to be a housewife, but my education was all that I saw.”

Maria earned several Mount Mary scholarships to offset the cost of tuition and is a Grace Scholar. When she received the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship, given to only 1,000 of 52,000 nationwide applicants, Maria accepted that award, gladly knowing that the Mount Mary funding would be redirected so “someone else could benefit.”

Maria followed in her brother’s footsteps and participated in Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, a leadership group. She won awards for her program that encouraged young students to find better role models, avoid drugs and alcohol, strive for education and change their expectations. This experience showed Maria she could control her own story.

That giving spirit moves Maria forward. She hopes to own a business one day and to use her bilingual language skills to advocate for her Hispanic community. Maria credits Mount Mary’s support for her early success and says to young women facing similar challenges: “Regardless of what obstacles you face, you can continue on.”

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CALENDAR EVENTS JANUARY 2015

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“The Eye and the Needle” Art exhibit featuring work by Studio Art Quilt Associates, Marian Gallery, Opening reception, 2–4 p.m. Exhibit runs through February 27.

HOPE Workshop: Hints for Optimizing Potential Employment 8:30 a.m., Ewens Conference Center Contact Alumnae Relations, (414) 256-0170

FEBRUARY 2015

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Alumnae Networking Breakfast 7:30 a.m., Stone Creek Coffee Factory Store, Milwaukee, Contact Alumnae Relations, (414) 256-0170 Inspiring Beauty: 50 Years of Ebony Fashion Fair Exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum.

Includes 13 garments from the Mount Mary University Historic Costume Collection. Runs through May 3. Check mtmary.edu for other MMU events related to this exhibit.

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Mount Mary University Founder’s Day 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m., Alumnae Dining Room

MARCH 2015

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Voices of Leadership Stage Series with Betsy Meyers 7:30 a.m., Mount Mary University, Women’s Leadership Institute.

2015 Art and Design Faculty Exhibition Marian Gallery, Runs through April 5.

Alumnae Association Board Meeting 9 a.m., Mount Mary Campus

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

APRIL 2015

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“Writers on Writing” - Featuring author & teacher Rebecca Rasmussen 6:30 p.m., Contact English Department, (414) 258-4810, ext. 395 Alumnae Networking Breakfast 7:30–9 a.m., Blue’s Egg, Wauwatosa Contact Alumnae Relations, (414) 256-0170 Art Therapy Spring Symposium 8 a.m.-10 p.m., Alumnae Dining Room Contact Bruce Moon, (414) 258-4810, ext. 302

JUNE 2015

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Graduate Art Therapy Exhibition Marian Gallery, Exhibit runs through April 20.

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Senior Graphic Design Exhibition Marian Gallery, Exhibit runs through May 1.

MAY 2015

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Gospel Choir Spring Concert 7 p.m., Our Lady Chapel, Tickets $5 Contact (414) 256-1257

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Alumnae Networking Breakfast Ally’s Bistro, Menomonee Falls, Contact Alumnae Relations, (414) 256-0170

Business Boot Camp Full-day, week-long camp for grades 10-12 Contact (414) 258-4810, ext. 200 Fashion Boot Camp Full-day, week-long camp for grades 7-12 Contact (414) 258-4810, ext. 282 Creative Connections Creative fun with art for grades K-8 Session I: June 22-26, Session II: July 6-10 Contact (414) 258-4810, ext. 227 Regular Summer Session Classes Begin

Learn more online.

View all of Mount Mary’s upcoming events online at mtmary.edu.

Senior Fine Art Exhibition Marian Gallery, Exhibit runs through May 14.

CREO: Fashion, Art & Design Show Noon–10 p.m., Harley Davidson Museum Check mtmary.edu for updated details.

Spring Commencement 11 a.m., Bloechl Center, Contact Student Affairs, (414) 256-1220

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CAMPUS NEWS

Mount Mary Launches Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program Mount Mary has launched a post-professional occupational therapy doctorate program for practicing occupational therapists who hold a master’s degree in OT. The online program will equip candidates nationwide with advanced practice and leadership competencies to meet the demand for changing delivery models for OT services. Emphasizing gerontology, physical rehabilitation, pediatrics and mental health, the program also prepares OT professionals for advancement in education and health care leadership positions. The first-of-its kind program also prepares candidates for American Occupational Therapy Association Board Certification.

“The doctorate in OT is a natural extension of the University’s B.S. and M.S. programs in OT, which have educated more than 2,000 occupational therapists over the past 73 years,” says President Eileen Schwalbach, Ph.D. Froedtert Hospital President Cathy Buck affirms the need for practitioners to concentrate on specific clinic specialties, focus on wellness and partner with primary care providers. “As health care strives for more affordable and effective models of care, the OT doctorate supports the changing needs of the industry,” says Buck.

Blue Angels Fall Athletics Mount Mary fielded teams in four NCAA intercollegiate sports during the fall season: tennis, volleyball, cross country and soccer. More than 44 student athletes represented Mount Mary in contests locally and throughout the Midwest region.

The tennis team followed up on their 2013 record-setting season with a 2014 record of 6-2, the best in the program’s history. In soccer, Mount Mary’s all-time leader in goals scored continued her amazing production. Senior Emily Ristow scored 30 goals this season, bringing her career total to 75!

The cross country team saw several runners achieve personal best times. Sophomore Hayley Hove led the Blue Angels in four of six races, while Natalie Guyette finished strongly in several meets. Although the volleyball team did not find the win column, two players achieved milestones.

Sarah Wishau finished her career with 509 kills, while newcomer Payton Hintz orchestrated 249 assists.

The number of prospective students interested in competitive athletics is on the upswing and the 2015-16 incoming class may have several dozen recruited players enrolled.

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CAMPUS NEWS

Three-Star General Commands Attention at Transforum Luncheon Claudia Kennedy, the U.S. Army’s first female three-star general, addressed a capacity crowd at Mount Mary’s Fall Transforum scholarship luncheon, hosted by the University’s Women’s Leadership Institute.

served in multiple combat zones. She knows the challenges of becoming a successful female soldier and appreciates the inroads made by women who preceded her in the military.

After 32 years of service, Kennedy retired in 2000 as a Lieutenant General, the highest-ranking woman ever in the Army, with oversight of policy and resources affecting 45,000 soldiers worldwide. During her career, she saw firsthand societal changes in the military and civilian life that elevated the role and influence of women. In 2001, Kennedy published her memoir, Generally Speaking.

As a soldier and a student, Fiene says she found Kennedy’s remarks particularly impactful. “She emphasized not letting rough times stop us from attaining our educational goals, networking, sticking together as women and that we need each other to professionally advance.”

Since retiring, Kennedy has addressed the importance of educating women to achieve professional success, improve national security, stabilize areas of conflict and advance global change.

Kennedy also stressed that “those who feel they have something to lose may be resistant to change, but not to get discouraged,” adds Fiene.

“The statement that stood out the most to me was, ‘Know when to be ferocious.’”

Amy Fiene, a senior in Mount Mary’s justice program and full-time employee at the Milwaukee Veterans Affairs Medical Center, attended the event. Fiene enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves shortly after 9-11 and in 2003 was deployed to Iraq and

“Kennedy’s story reminded me that intelligence alone is not enough,” Fiene concludes. “We need resiliency and direction to attain our goals and become leaders.”

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CAMPUS NEWS

Write On! Connecting Aspiring and Accomplished Writers While helping aspiring writers hone their craft, Mount Mary’s graduate English program also provides students exposure to the multiple facets of a writing career through two special programs.

2014 Teaching Excellence Awards

The annual Writers on Writing series, begun in 2007, brings best-selling authors to campus to talk about their published work, their process and their craft. The October Writers on Writing event featured food writer and blogger Mary-Liz Shaw, who read from her work, discussed the writing process and entertained questions from a crowd of more than 60 students and community members.

Shaw’s column, “A Literal Feast” appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for over a decade and she is working on two novels.

Creativity, innovation, dedication to students and expertise in their fields are all hallmarks of excellent teachers. To recognize teachers who model these qualities, Mount Mary bestowed its 2014 Excellence in Teaching award to Andrea Hilkovitz, Ph.D., assistant professor of English (fulltime teaching award), and Paul Gagliardi, Ph.D., instructor in English (part-time teaching award).

The inaugural Mount Mary Publishing Institute, held November 15 on campus, attracted more than 100 area writers to learn about publishing their work. Bret Anthony Johnston, award-winning author and director of creative writing at Harvard University, was the keynote speaker. Three additional authors discussed their first book deals and breakout sessions addressed query letters, custom and e-publishing, and post-publication marketing. Attendees also pitched writing projects with publishing agents. The event concluded with author readings and book signings.

“These events develop our thriving writers’ community, encourage area writers to bring their work into the world and create connections within the community,” says Ann Angel, associate professor and program director.

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Hilkovitz has taught a variety of courses at Mount Mary since 2009, from composition to literary criticism. Students identified her as both supportive and tough. She holds a B. A. from Rice University, and M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Texas at Austin. She is a frequent author and presenter on African literature and peace movements with a focus on women’s roles.

Gagliardi began teaching composition and literature courses at Mount Mary in 2011. He is known for his creative course content, a dry wit and an entertaining personality that keeps students simultaneously engaged and challenged. He holds B.A. and M.A. degrees from Penn State University and a Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Faculty are nominated for the award by students and winners are selected by a committee of faculty, students, the past year’s recipients and the associate dean for academic affairs.

CAMPUS NEWS

Welcome Center Construction is underway on a new admissions welcome center on the first floor of Notre Dame Hall. The project is funded by a generous gift from Gary and Judy Jorgensen.

Gary has served on the Mount Mary Board of Trustees for the past 18 years and as the board chair for the past three years. The gift will cover the cost of construction, touchscreen technology, furniture and an update to the Notre Dame Hall main interior entrance. The new space will be ready to welcome students and their families in spring 2015.

“The Jorgensen’s generosity over the years has had great impact on the University,” says President Eileen Schwalbach.

“This gift will allow us to remodel the current Admission Office into an environment that is welcoming and conducive to the recruitment of students for years to come.”

Rendering provided by Barrientos Design & Consulting

SAVE THE DATE THE WELCOME CENTER WILL BE OPEN AND READY FOR PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES IN FEBRUARY 2015.

STOP IN AND CHECK IT OUT!

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CAMPUS NEWS

Making it Work: Tim Gunn Meets Fashion Students and Faculty Mount Mary University hosted fashion consultant and television personality Tim Gunn (pictured left) at an October 11 reception at the Pfister Hotel. The co-host of TV’s “Project Runway” was in Milwaukee for the annual AIDS Walk Wisconsin and agreed to meet with fashion students and faculty when they offered to participate in the walk and raise $5,000 in pledges. Students also designed a T-shirt to wear in the walk and presented one to Gunn.

Gunn traded fashion insights with Sister Aloyse Hessburg, SSND, and expressed his admiration for how she, as a nun, developed Mount Mary’s fashion program in 1965, an era when women were still finding their voices. Gunn encouraged the students to be creative and design for style, but to remember that designers must ultimately create clothing that people want to wear.

Watch for an upcoming video of Tim Gunn’s visit at mtmary.edu.

Hanging Out on Campus Mount Mary’s leafy green campus was the site of the 2014 International Tree Climbing Championships on August 2-3. Sponsored by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA), the coed event drew 58 international competitors who showcased their skills in maneuvering in trees and performing treecare tasks. Finalists moved to the Master’s Challenge, with the top male and female scorers crowned world champions.

Josephine Hedger of the United Kingdom (pictured) was named the 2014 female champion, her third world title. She is the owner of Arbor Venture Tree Care, holds a national certificate in arboriculture and assists with ISA events in the United Kingdom.

This was Mount Mary’s second time hosting the arborists. “We look for locations that fit the

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profile which is, of course, nice trees, healthy trees, good canopy and open space for other activities that we have,” Sonia Garth, public relations manager for the ISA, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“Mount Mary was the location of the competition in 2001, so we were very excited to be able to come back.”

The event also included professional workshops and an arbor fair for the community featuring tree-planting demonstrations, “ask an arborist” and a chance for kids to suit up and climb like the pros.

ACHIEVEMENTS

ACCOLADES

This section highlights recent noteworthy accomplishments and awards of the Mount Mary University faculty, staff and students.

FACULTY AND STAFF Jordan Acker Anderson, Fine Art, attended Collegium at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, Mass., and served as the university representative for the weeklong colloquium in June 2014.

Roxanne Back, Mathematics, served as editor for a weeklong module that trains practicing K-2 teachers in the domain of Number and Operations in Base 10 from the Common Core State Standards of Mathematics.

Josh Anderson, Fine Art, discussed installation art on Milwaukee’s Fox 6 “WakeUp” News in June.

In July, he was interviewed about the Grandmother Power exhibit for a radio segment that aired on three Milwaukee stations.

In August, he participated in a large-scale temporary art installation for the Cowie Cultural Center at the Iowa State Fair.

Barbara Armstrong, Arts and Design, was featured in the publication Design Leveraged by the International Interior Design Association and Business Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association. She also was featured in the August 1 Milwaukee Business Journal cover story “Innovation Beyond the Buzzwords.”

Ann Angel, English, had her book, Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing, listed as a Scholastic Book Club selection. The book also was named by the National Children’s Book and Literary Alliance to represent theater, music and art in the Common Core. An interview with Angel also ran in the October issue of The Biographer’s Craft.

Chris Belkofer, Art Therapy, presented “Art Therapy and the Brain: The Role of Image Making in Self Regulation” at Ars Medica: Science, Clinical Practice and Art in Dubvronik, Croatia, in June, and “The Image Has It: Art, Practice, and the Brain” at the Mount Mary University Spring Art Therapy Symposium.

Paul Calhoun, Fine Art, showed his exhibit “After the Wars” at the Next

Act Theater September through October.

Jim Conlon, Philosophy, presented “The Meaning of ‘Place’ as a Short Term Study Abroad Course Utilizing Field Trips” at the biennial meeting of the American Association of Philosophy Teachers in Collegeville, Minn., in July.

Colleen Conway, Chemistry, facilitated a Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning workshop for 40 people at Harold Washington College in Chicago.

S. Shawnee DanielsSykes, SSND, Theology, published “Erecting Death Shrines: Gunning for Empathy in the Second Amendment Debates” in the September 2014 issue of New Theology Review.

She also presented a webinar on “Racial Justice and Health Care.” She was re-elected secretary of the Black Catholic Theological Symposium and was appointed to the quality assurance committee for the Board of Directors of the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin.

Lynn Diener, Biology, was appointed to the Higher Learning Committee of the Wisconsin Society of Science Teachers. She also was named a Physiology Education Community of Practice Fellow and a Life Science TRC Vision and Change Fellow. She also had a case study published in a textbook by the National Science Teachers Association.

Terri Holzen, Biology, performed genetic research at Mount Mary this summer in collaboration with faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Carrie King, Counseling, conducted a counselor supervision training for Milwaukee Public Schools counselors in August.

Maureen Leonard, Biology, gave a poster presentation on findings from a problem-solving study in microbiology at the America Society for Microbiology Conference for Undergraduate Educators and the Society for the Advancement of Biology Education and Research.

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ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOLADES

Mary Ellen Kohn-Buday (pictured below), World Languages, presented a paper at the annual conference of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish & Portuguese in Panama City, Panama, in July.

Nan Metzger, International Studies, presented “Study Abroad 101” at the NAFSA Region V conference in October. She also presented a panel, “Faculty Led Study Abroad,” and her work also was referenced in the article “Helping Your Students Pay for Study Abroad” in a newsletter for international education professionals.

Rachel Monaco-Wilcox (pictured below, second from right), Justice, presented “Emotional Shades of Gray: Successfully Navigating Emotions in Late Life Divorces,” at the Wisconsin State Bar’s Annual Family Law Conference in August. In September, she testified in the Wisconsin Supreme Court in support of a rule for crime victims’ privacy. In November, she spoke to the Wauwatosa Rotary Club about human trafficking and the LOTUS legal clinic.

Her talk was featured in a story in TosaNow.

Emily Nolan, Art Therapy, presented “Integrating Clinical and Community Art Therapy Practice” at HAN University, Nijmegen, Netherlands. She also started an art therapy program at Repairers of the Breach (a Milwaukee homeless shelter) with graduate students from Mount Mary.

Kristen Roche, Business Administration, presented a paper, “An Active Learning Exercise on Learning Negotiation as a Way to Mitigate the Gender Wage Gap for Introductory Microeconomics,” at the Western Economic Association annual meeting in Denver in June.

Lee Za Ong, Counseling, was elected in June to the Board of Directors at IndependenceFirst.

Tammy Scheidegger, Counseling, presented, “Trauma Counseling: One-size Does Not Fit All,” an invited teleconference presentation for the Wisconsin Psychiatric Network in May.

Laura Otto, English, led a writing lab workshop, “Good to Great: How to Radically Improve a Blog Post in Real Time,” at BlogHer ’14, held in July in San Jose, Calif.

She also conducted newspaper and website critiques at the Associated Collegiate Press/College Media Advisors National Convention in October in Phildelphia.

Donald Rappé, Theology, authored a bimonthly column entitled “Seers’ Corner” in the national publication The Bible Today. The May-June column was “The Demoniac Story: A Tale of Three Cities.” The July-August column was “Hyrcania in Darkness and Light.”

Paula Reiter, English, published “Creative Teaching Techniques: Flipping the Literature Classroom,” in the fall of 2014 Teaching College Literature.

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Melissa Smothers, Counseling, co-presented “Understanding Masculinity to Improve Male Counseling with Men” at the Wisconsin Counseling Association’s Spring Intensive in Milwaukee in May. She also presented “Recent Legal Cases and 2014 ACA Code of Ethics” at the Wisconsin Counseling Association’s fall summit in Madison.

Student Success Center staffers Jen Looysen, Marci Ocker, Michelle Pliml, Michelle Smalley and Associate Academic Dean Wendy Weaver, attended and/or presented “Advising with a Mission” at the National Academic Advising Association: Global Community for Academic Advising Conference in October in Minneapolis.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND ACCOLADES

Lynn Woehrle, Sociology, edited the book Intersectionality and Social Change, published

by Emerald Books. This is volume 37 in the Research in Social Movements, Conflict and Change series.

STUDENTS Emily Guirlinger and Rebeca Larson, Communication, entered the 2014 Cengage Learning Student Speech Video Contest. Students recorded videos and the videos were uploaded to Vimeo. Both students were honorary winners and their speeches will be featured as exemplars for the Cengage teaching website.

Sarah Arnold, Ashleigh Spitza and Emily Blaine, Dietetics, received scholarships from the Van Himbergen Family Foundation as part of a school nutrition education lesson plan contest.

Six Fashion Design students volunteered at a Milwaukee Skylight Theater September event featuring designer Cesar Galindo. In return, Galindo visited campus and spoke with the Fashion Association and the Special Occasion Apparel class.

Kelsey Henke, Justice/ Psychology, was profiled in Huffington Post’s article, “College Women Gain Valuable Career Experience This Summer,” posted on July 24 by Diane Propsner.

Amber Andrastek and Kathryn Edwards, Interior Design, were awarded scholarships from the Construction Specifications Institute – Milwaukee Chapter and received one-year memberships to the organization.

Elaina Meier, Counseling, was awarded the Phoenix Education Grant by the Phoenix Society for Burn Survivors and the Cliff Haskell Perpetual Scholarship awarded by the Firefighter’s Burn Institute.

Elizabeth Seip, Communication, worked during the summer for the Cape Town Society for the Blind in Cape Town, South Africa, assisting people who are blind or disabled attain a high school education.

Heather Thomas-Flores, International Studies, did a summer internship and independent study in Santa Elena de Uairen, Venezuela. She lived two weeks in an indigenous Pemon village, observing and interviewing village residents. She then interned three weeks with Fundacion Aldeas de Paz, a grassroots non-governmental organization.

Fashion Design I and CAD Graphics I students, designed T-shirts for the Mount Mary team in the October 12 AIDS Walk. The best T-shirt design was printed for the team and a personalized version of the shirt was presented to Tim Gunn, honorary chair of the walk, at a meet and greet on October 11.

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ALUMNAE NEWS

Homecoming 2014

a First for Mount Mary Students, staff and alumnae came together to celebrate Homecoming on the Mount October 6-12, for the first time as Mission Week, Spirit Week and Alumnae Weekend were combined into one celebration.

Highlights included an all-campus art show, “Draw Your Soul,” and a special ice cream, Mount Mary Berry, created just for Mount Mary to sweeten the celebration.

The mission and spirit of Mount Mary came alive through daily activities such as Lectio Divina, contemplative art making, tai chi and a Homecoming Mass.

Alumnae and their children attended Saturday mini-classes including Yoga on

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the Mount, Search for Meaning and Down and Dirty with Chocolate (in a chemistry lab!). Young alumnae celebrated the German heritage of the School Sisters of Notre Dame with an Oktoberfest party in the Historic Third Ward.

The week culminated with the University Awards Night, an elegant evening at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin. A special reception honored James Conlon, Ph.D., professor of philosophy, for 40 years of service to the University. An awards dinner followed recognizing the new Madonna Medal and Tower Award for Excellence honorees for their outstanding professional and volunteer achievements.

Homecoming photos (clockwise from upper left) 1. President Eileen Schwalbach with (left to right) Tower Award winner Dena McDowell and Madonna Medal winners Carol Cinclair, Mary Schwister Bock, Suzanne Hele Carlton and Safia Chaudry Awan.

2. Children viewed the entrants in the Great Potato Race.

3. The Draw Your Soul exhibit featured artwork submitted by the Mount Mary community.

4. Dr. James Conlon was recognized for 40 years of teaching.

5. Mount Mary Berry, created by Purple Door Ice Cream, was served at several of the week’s events.

ALUMNAE NEWS

Mentor in a minute

we love our legacy families

Are you short on time but still want to help a Mount Mary student? Support current Mount Mary students in their career development by serving as an e-mentor.

Contact the Office of Alumnae and Parent Engagement at mmu-alumnae@mtmary.edu for details and to get started.

Pictured above are some of our current students whose mothers or grandmothers attended Mount Mary. If a member of an alumna’s family attends Mount Mary, she may be eligible for our Legacy Scholarship! Learn more online at mtmary.edu/alumnae.

call for alumnae award nominations Madonna Medal: The Madonna Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an alumna by the Alumnae Association, is given to alumnae who demonstrate a long-standing commitment to their profession or volunteerism as evidenced by outstanding and unique accomplishments, previous awards, organizational memberships and substantive relationships. Awards are given in three areas; Professional Excellence, Community Service and Service to the University and/ or Alumnae Association Tower Award for Excellence: The Tower Award for Excellence annually recognizes one alumna who has graduated within the past 15 years who distinguishes herself from her peers. The recipient should be nominated based upon following and upholding the four C’s of Mount Mary University: competence, community, compassion and commitment.

Nominations for the Madonna Medal and Tower Award for Excellence: Nomination forms will be accepted April 15, 2015 to May 31, 2015. All supporting materials must be submitted no later than July 1, 2015, for award consideration.

For more information, please call (414) 256-1254.

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CLASS NOTES Rosemary Rinzel Schrauth, ’68, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association for her distinguished career and significant contributions to the advancement of occupational therapy.

Marian Deegan, ’81, found creativity in writing about personal and professional relevance in a global marketplace. Her book partners wanted to illustrate the book with historical examples from the Greek philosophers, literature and the Civil War. The book, Relevance: Matter More, launched in September. Within three days, it rocketed to the 9th position on Amazon.com’s 100 Hottest New Releases in Sales and Selling books.

Relevance remains on the Top 100 list. Deegan’s next project is to co-author another book applying the relevance formula in health care.

Deegan resides in St. Paul, Minn., and also is a medical blogger.

Sandra Bengs, ’71, has written 160 chapbooks of poetry and prose. Bengs published eight of her romantic stories in 2013 and her Tales of Mystery in 2014.

Janine Bamberger, ’81, is co-founder of a software company, Greenpie (greenpie. net) that has professional applications for dieticians to use with clients.

Therese Izzo Nemec, ’82, has been welcomed into religious life as a new candidate for A New Genesis, an association of the faithful founded in the Green Bay Diocese in 1983.

Send us your news and notes!

Ana Melo, ‘00, is the new director of John XXIII Educational Center in Racine, Wis. Melo is a bilingual educational leader committed to educational standards and nonprofit sustainability.

mtmary.edu/notes

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We’d love to hear from you. Submit your updates and photos with our new easy-to-use online form available at:

CLASS NOTES

Thelma Lynne Godin, ’00, recently published The Hula-Hoopin’ Queen, a children’s book focusing on diversity.

Nicole Kalteux Kurz, ’05, owner of The Dress by Nicole in Wheaton, Ill., celebrated her fifth year in business. She has more than doubled her retail space since opening.

Jessica Kressin Pelnar, ’07, began a new position as special events manager at the Vince Lombardi Cancer Foundation.

Elaina Meir, ’10, has been awarded funds to research how providing psychological support to burn survivors improves care for this population.

Lauren Kenney, ’11, has been promoted to product development sourcing analyst at Kohl’s.

Natasha Smet, ’11, completed her doctorate at the University of Toledo and is preparing for her OT board exams.

Jaclyn Schreiner Wilkinson, ’13, dietician for UW Health Partners Watertown Regional Medical Center, presented on the health benefits of eating local.

Wilkinson consults with patients and co-leads the center’s diabetes self-management program and has a special interest in sports nutrition.

Candice Block, ’14, received the Wisconsin Institute of Peace and Conflict State Student Activist Award in spring 2014. As a Mount Mary undergrad, Candice majored in art and art therapy and completed the peacebuilding certificate.

She received a full scholarship to Washington University in St. Louis where she is now pursuing her MFA degree.

Marsha Thrall, ’12, served on the leadership committee of the Women’s Caucus of the Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion for the 2014-16 conference years. Marsha also presented at the conference.

Cecilia (Cesie) Hoffer, ’13, and her kindergarteners at Hampton Elementary School were featured in the fall issue of the Penzeys Spices catalog. The children practice the alphabet and learn more about Milwaukee through a project that connects each letter to something special about the city. A is for the Art museum. B is for the Bucks and Brewers, and so on. This year, P is for Penzey’s, thus the story in the company’s catalog. The students often take field trips to the sites they’re studying. “Last year was great and I can’t wait for more adventures this year,” says Cesie.

Samantha Zimmer Lang, ’14, started a position as an occupational therapist at Aspirus Therapy & Fitness, serving children as a primary focus.

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ALUMNAE BRIEFS Deaths of Alumnae:

Death of Alumna’s Spouse:

1970 Dawn Schuster Bainter on October 28, 2013

1967 Patricia Vento Kleczka; husband Thomas on

April 27, 2014

1957 Mary Ouradnik Koebert on December 2, 2013 1981 Alice Atkinson on Febuary 3, 2014 1988/2001 Susan Jane Reidy on April 28, 2014 1951 Georgette Baltus Fielder on May 2, 2014 1949 Mary O’Donohue on May 8, 2014 1949 Alice Rowland Cullina on May 9, 2014 1947 Rose Cahalan Stephens on May 13, 2014 1955 Norah Pinegar Johnson on May 17, 2014 1951 Elda Loia Andreini on May 19, 2014 1953 Joan Richelt Mickus on May 29, 2014 1998 Margo Jean Tuttle on June 4, 2014 1985 Jenny Christensen on June 7, 2014

1952 Patricia Reichard Gastreich; husband Helmuth

“Gus” on May 19, 2014 1964 Diane Merkel Pinkalla; husband Ron on

June 12, 2014 1953 Mary Lou Daley Koenig; husband John on

June 17, 2014 1962 Mary Gail Daley Johnson; husband Bruce on

September 16, 2014

Death of Alumna’s Child: 1971

Julie Gartzke Khaja’s daughter, Shari Dorresteijn and son-in-law, Bram, on April 24, 2014

1948 Julia Edith Bruener Haese on June 8, 2014 1947 S. Mary Isaac Jogues Rousseau, SSND, on June 11, 2014 1957 Joanne Bielat Boehm on July 4, 2014 1964 Jennie Lynn Sawyer Chudzik on July 6, 2014 1945 Lorraine J. Vande Walle on July 11, 2014 1957 Virginia M. Schuldenberg, Ph.D., on July 24, 2014

Birth to Alumnae: 1999 Brita Kurhmeier Schumacher; son,

Drake Andrew Schumacher on July 24, 2014 2007 Jessica Kressin Pelnar; son, Nathan Andrew

Pelnar on May 2, 2014

1987 Filomena Volpintesta Lea on July 25, 2014 1958 Joan Flynn Graeber on August 9, 2014 1950 Rita Rose Reading Lofy on September 2, 2014 1955 Elanor “Sis” O’Brien on September 9, 2014 1958 Patricia Burke Girard on September 14, 2014

Marriages: 2012 Katie Abt and Brian Ish on August 15, 2014

Correction

1952 Janet Rauen Moore on October 3, 2014 Catherine Przybylowski Von Schwind, Class of

Deaths of MMU Faculty & Staff:

1964, was inadvertently marked as deceased in the recent Report to Donors. We sincerely apologize for

Leonor Andrade on September 27, 2013

Rita Beatty on January 14, 2014

Rose Taubert on May 27, 2014

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this clerical error. We are happy to announce that she is alive, well and a great supporter of Mount Mary University.

REFLECTION

REFLECTION

By Sister Joan Penzenstadler, SSND, Vice President for Mission and Identity When it comes to living a healthy life, spirituality plays a critical role. To understand how critical the nurturing of the spirit may be, let us recall one of the most severe tests of the human spirit. In Man’s Search for Meaning, a book well-known at Mount Mary, Viktor Frankl reflects on those World War II concentration camp survivors who most often kept their inner selves intact. Those who had cultivated a rich interior life may have endured great physical injury, but the damage to their inner selves was less because of the “spiritual freedom” that they had cultivated. They moved on to lead productive lives.

Although Frankl’s circumstances were extraordinary, health and wellness in our 21st century also require a spiritual alertness, a vigilance to safeguard what matters most in life and to let go of the nonessentials.

With all the demands for our attention, reserving time each day for reflection is essential for well-being. Being faithful to a centering practice opens us to being truly present to another and helps us move through our day no matter what the situation.

Some years ago, I participated in a biofeedback process where the clinician electrically connected me to a computer screen on which a red ball, like the setting sun, hovered just above the horizon. She said my task was to try to keep the red ball above the horizon line and cautioned that the more anxious I became, the faster it would sink. So I closed my eyes and went to that place within where I know peace and

centeredness. The ball on the screen never moved. I believe it is critical for each of us to locate that inner place and to go there often.

The mission of Mount Mary is undergirded by the spirituality of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. It has sustained us through the years and is manifested in all of our efforts toward healing and wholeness. Words from the SSND Constitution give a glimpse into the meaning and purpose of this spirituality manifested through the rhythm of our lives: “Prayer impels us to love and inspires us to service. Service in turn concretizes our love and intensifies our union with God and his purposes. Our life in mission is an integrated whole.” May the integration of love, learning and service continue to give vitality to the spirit of Mount Mary.

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What’s up at Mount Mary?

CREATIVE COLLABORATION

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