From the President

Meeting the needs of the time. This edict informed the founding of the College of St. Catherine in 1905. The Sisters of St. Joseph met the needs of young women to have access to an education and opportunities for a strong future. Since then, St. Kate’s has evolved to continue meeting the needs of the time while weathering more than six wars, influenza and polio pandemics, natural disasters, civil rights movements, national bombings, 9/11, and more. Through it all, St. Catherine has persevered and remained resilient by staying true to our mission, embracing our Catholic values, and engaging the tenants of a liberal arts education to lead change.

This spring tested our ability to adapt and remain resilient once again. The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) emerged quickly and caused a global pandemic. We found ourselves in an unprecedented situation and with the incredible need to ensure the health and safety of students, faculty, and staff. In just two weeks, we moved the University to a virtual mode and developed a plan to navigate the pandemic. I am incredibly proud of our ability to respond so quickly to keep our students safe and on track with their education. Additionally, we are thankful for and proud of the many Katies on the frontlines as healthcare workers, educators, social workers, public servants, and volunteers.

As we neared the end of the academic year, our world was once again shaken by the tragic death of George Floyd and the deep presence of racism in the U.S. For our St. Kate’s community, which has deep connection and love for St. Paul and Minneapolis, Mr. Floyd’s death, the subsequent unrest, and intense focus on race relations hit especially close to home. The St. Catherine community observed two days of reflection in response to this tragedy and has engaged in a series of educational activities to further our knowledge, understanding, and dialogue about systemic racism. As a University, this is vital to our living out our responsibility to educate in order to drive social justice and change.

While none of us were prepared for how our world would change in 2020, I am continually grateful for and inspired by the strength, compassion, and dedication of our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and donors to come together and meet the urgent needs of our time. This special edition, dedicated to the tremendous effort of the St. Catherine community to adapt to the pandemic, was created prior to the death of George Floyd. However, my letter is one of the last elements, and thus, I am able to address this tragedy and call for all of us to take seriously the ongoing work of eliminating racism and driving social justice. While this was witnessed with the disproportionate COVID-19 rates for people of color, the George Floyd tragedy stripped away any masking in our society of our 400+ year history of racism.

Writer Damian Barr said, “We are not all in the same boat. We are all in the same storm.” Every storm comes to an end and is followed by an opportunity to create something anew. We will emerge stronger from this all — the proof is in our history and how our students, faculty, and staff embody our mission to lead and influence. Women have been at the forefront of leading through challenging times. There is no time like the present to boldly claim our legacy in doing so.

Thank you for being with us as we weather this storm together. To all of you, we send wishes for your health and well-being: physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and financial.

ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76