St. Catherine University Magazine, Fall 2019

UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE

FALL 2019

Mainhia Thao ’18 Fulbright Award Grantee

Bold PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

Excellence

OPENING CELEBRATION Graduate students pose before processing to The O’Shaughnessy with the student body, staff, and faculty on the first day of classes during the annual Opening Celebration on September 4, 2019.

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT BETH HALLORAN VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TOCCARA STARK MAOL’09, EdD EDITOR KAYLA FORBES MBA’17 DESIGNER EMILY MCDANIEL

CONTRIBUTORS RUTH HAAG BROMBACH ’60 BETH RIEDEL CARNEY ’82 KARA DEMARIE MLIS’16 KATE ELDRIDGE CECILIA KONCHAR FARR, PhD TRACIE FAUTH NATALIE GROSE ’20 MANDY IVERSON SARA KEIS LINDSAY MADRYGA AMY MARS MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17 MOLLY ORTH LINDSEY FREY PALMQUIST

SIRI RAASCH JON SCHULTZ AMY SHAW ANDY STEINER SARAH VOIGT PHOTOGRAPHERS REBECCA MCDONALD ’09 MICHAEL MURRAY TIM RUMMELHOFF REBECCA SLATER ’10

ADDRESS CHANGES 651-690-6666 alumni@stkate.edu mag.stkate.edu @st.kates @stkate @stkates @St. Catherine University

UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE

FALL 2019

FE AT U R E S

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PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

St. Catherine University Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of Marketing and Communications.

No part of this publication may be reprinted without permission.

St. Catherine University was founded by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in 1905.

Learn more: stkate.edu/ourhistory

Prepped for the Challenge Katies personify the values and qualities needed to earn competitive fellowships and scholarships.

BY ANDY STEINER

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Meet the Provost

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Core Strength

St. Kate’s welcomes Anita Thomas, PhD, our new academic leader.

BY KAYLA FORBES MBA’17

Students learn how to use a liberal arts foundation to make St. Kate’s mission their own.

BY SARAH VOIGT

OPENING CELEBRATION

Student leaders Rusty Rose-Dixon ’20, Zaynab Abdi ’20, and Laura Rand Berger ’18, MAOT’20 welcomed students during Convocation.

PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

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AROUND CAMPUS

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KATIES IN ACTION

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BOOKMARK

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CLASS NOTES

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IN MEMORY

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REUNION 2019

BACK COVER

KATIE DIARY

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ADVERTISEMENT FOR THE COLLEGE OF ST. CATHERINE FROM THE MAY 27, 1928, ISSUE OF THE ST. PAUL DAILY NEWS.

From the President Growing up, I knew, as a fact, that the smart girls went to St. Kate’s. It is one of the core reasons I chose it for my own college education. Today, I know this to be true still as academic excellence remains a hallmark of the University.

Our reputation for providing a high caliber education is no accident. It was part of the design and vision for St. Kate’s from its very inception. Case in point: On the opposite page is one of the first ads ever printed for St. Catherine, which states, “The College of St. Catherine is primarily a patron of talent. It helps to discover and encourage by individual guidance, special aptitudes, and abilities. It can and will give you adequate preparation for what you wish to be in life.”

The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet (CSJs) launched a profound and inspirational institution of higher education in 1905, that, to this day, attracts smart and talented women. This reputation for academic excellence is not just a badge that we wear — which we do with great pride — but is the rich experience we create for our students that is infused with our tripartite mission of women, Catholic, and liberal arts. Every student who passes through our halls embodies the values and skills needed to transform the world.

Ensuring this high caliber academic experience remains central to all we do requires a strong leader. It is my honor to formally welcome Anita Thomas, PhD, as our executive vice president and provost (see page 10).

With more than 20 years of experience in academia, she will build upon the St. Catherine reputation for academic excellence, commitment to social justice, and creation of a learning environment where women thrive.

Prior to joining St. Kate’s, she served as the founding dean of the College of Applied Behavioral Sciences at the University of Indianapolis. She holds a doctorate in counseling psychology from Loyola University Chicago, where she also spent 10 years teaching in the Counseling Psychology and School Counseling department and

serving as the associate dean of academic affairs and research in the School of Education. She earned a master’s degree in community counseling from Loyola and a bachelor’s degree in education and social policy from Northwestern University.

Dr. Thomas believes education is both a process and an outcome, with the goal that students gain the knowledge and skills to be holistic, well-rounded, contributing members of society. This directly aligns with the mission and social justice pedagogy of St. Kate’s. As provost, she will lead the creation of an academic master plan, in alignment with our strategic plan, that will translate these beliefs into tangible outcomes that, in turn, define and strengthen academic excellence at St. Kate’s.

This academic year, we are excited to welcome May Thao-Schuck as the new Teresa Rolling Radzinski Vice President of Career and Professional Development.

She will partner with the provost, deans, and others to integrate career development throughout our curriculum and the student experience. We also recently launched our search for the new dean for the School of Business to bring an innovative approach to women in business and entrepreneurship. These positions will contribute to key elements of both the strategic plan and academic master plan, ensuring we remain a patron of talent and that we adequately prepare our students for what they wish to be in life.

We hope you will continue to join us on this journey and look forward to seeing you around campus.

ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76

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PHOTOS/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

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MAINHIA THAO ’18 (CENTER) IS A CURRENT FULBRIGHT GRANTEE TEACHING ENGLISH IN LAOS. ALLISON ADRIAN, PHD, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR (LEFT) AND MYSEE CHANG ’13 (RIGHT), BOTH FULBRIGHT ADVISORS AND FULBRIGHT ALUMNAE THEMSELVES, HELPED THAO NAVIGATE THE APPLICATION PROCESS.

Prepped for the Challenge Katies personify the values and qualities needed to earn competitive fellowships and scholarships.

BY ANDY STEINER

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ulbright fellow Mainhia Thao ’18 arrived in Laos in August, fulfilling a lifelong dream. The high-achieving daughter of Hmong immigrants, she’d always aspired to travel to the country at the center of so many of her family’s stories.

“I wanted to go back to my parents’ motherland — to see this place they’d talked about all my life and have a chance to make a real difference for the people living there.”

Thao’s journey to Laos began with a chance encounter while crossing the quad at St. Catherine University. She met Mysee Chang ’13, a Fulbright advisor who had recently returned from teaching English in Laos as a grantee in the Fulbright U.S. Student Program.

Awarded by the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright U.S. Student Program is a competitive grant for graduating seniors and recent bachelor’s degree recipients. Competition for the grants is fierce.

Having returned to St. Kate’s eager to share her Fulbright experience, Chang recognized Thao as an academic standout and a potential Fulbrighter.

She explained what the program was about.

Thao was intrigued by Chang’s enthusiasm and

encouragement. “Mysee planted the seed in my mind,” she says.

As Thao learned more, the Fulbright grant felt like an opportunity she couldn’t let pass her by. It seemed worth the one-year delay of her plans to study medicine after graduation, and Chang’s Fulbright experience was inspiring.

“I want to be a culturally competent doctor,” says Thao.

“The experience I would gain in Laos would set me apart and expand my ability to understand more cultures.”

Chang explained to Thao that the Fulbright application process is long and involved, but she and Fulbright program advisor Allison Adrian, PhD, associate professor of music and women’s studies, would be there to help guide her through the process.

That was all Thao needed to hear.

“I knew I wanted to apply,” she says. And with Adrian and Chang in her corner, she was up for the challenge. “I knew it would be a year-long process. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, but I was excited.”

After months of working with Chang, Adrian, and others, Thao learned she had been awarded the Fulbright — her hard work had paid off. Her parents, who had always wanted to return to Laos, were thrilled, and she was more than ready for the next chapter in her life to begin.

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BUILDING A SUPPORTIVE STRUCTURE

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PHOTO/ERIN SMITH PHOTOGRAPHY

Katies are poised to earn competitive fellowships and scholarships, and in recent years the University has provided additional resources. These efforts were spearheaded by Lynda Szymanski, PhD, interim associate provost. With more resources, advisors like Adrian and Chang are able to guide students through these application processes with increased focus.

Applying for a Fulbright — or other prestigious fellowships and scholarships like the Truman or a Rhodes — is an involved process. Targeted support helps keep student applicants and faculty and staff advisors on task and on track.

“The work is really relational and personal,” says Adrian, a faculty alumna of the 2016 Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program. “You are trying to make sure this person is a strong candidate. Once you have determined that they are, another part of the process is convincing the candidate they are prepared for the process.”

Members of the campus community can help St. Kate’s students uncover their own potential, Szymanski says, but it’s important for applicants to realize that this potential existed inside themselves all along.

Andrea Duarte ’19, a political science major and firstgeneration college student, is a great example. She landed a prestigious Truman Scholarship in 2018.

“Andrea is a great example of a Katie with the potential to win these competitive fellowships,” Szymanski says. “[Center for Women director] Sharon Doherty and the Women’s Center staff worked with Andrea on her application for the Phillips Scholarship, which she received in 2017, and then told her about the Truman Scholarship.

Sharon called me one day and said, ‘I think I have a candidate for you, but she doesn’t think she is one.’ It did not take long for Andrea to see her potential, but she needed encouragement from trusted faculty and staff.”

Once the candidate has committed to the application process, advisors like Adrian provide guidance throughout.

“You are trying to figure out how to translate a student’s knowledge and experiences into a one-page document that persuades a Fulbright committee that their entire life has been working up to this,” Adrian says. “If you are

ANDREA DUARTE ’19 WAS AWARDED THE 2018 TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIP. SHE RECENTLY COMPLETED AN INTERNSHIP WITH THE OBAMA FOUNDATION BEFORE RETURNING TO MINNESOTA AS A LEAD FOR AMERICA FELLOW. NEXT, SHE’LL PURSUE GRADUATE SCHOOL.

going to do it right, the advising process takes time and dedication. It is a pretty complicated application process.

It is like holding a small seminar class in which you meet at least weekly with each student.”

As Thao moved through the Fulbright application process, she appreciated the close attention she received.

“I had a lot of assistance from Mysee Chang. I also got a lot of help from Allison Adrian. These two became true mentors. They helped me hone my essays for the Fulbright program — plus, they provided me with a lot of emotional support.”

No matter what the ultimate result, Adrian sees the application as a growth experience for students.

“The overall goal is for them to get the Fulbright award,” she says, “but it also becomes a journey of growing self-awareness and self-knowledge about their capacities and what they want to do in life.”

She adds, “We are lucky to have a campus culture that prioritizes cultivating relationships with our students.

Our work is to create more robust systems and structures within the University to make sure we are recruiting and supporting students who should be candidates for these competitive fellowships.”

CHAMPIONING A SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY The spirit of collaboration is deeply rooted at St. Kate’s.

The community naturally comes together to help one another, including when a student is competing for one of the world’s top scholarship programs. And that’s exactly what happened when it was announced that Maakwe Cumanzala ’19 had been selected as a Rhodes Scholarship finalist.

When a Rhodes applicant makes it to the final round, they must complete two important steps: a formal interview with a group of Rhodes panelists and, the night before the interview, a reception with the finalists and selection committee.

Once Cumanzala was announced as a f inalist, Szymanski and the St. Kate’s community launched into action to help her prepare for the process.

“We hosted several mock interviews. A group of faculty and staff reviewed Maakwe’s application materials and then asked challenging questions,” Szymanski says. “We did the best we could to mimic what the actual interview would be like. I told participants that they couldn’t be the typical, supportive St. Kate’s staff and faculty.

These interviews are challenging. We have to get our students ready.”

As part of the preparation process, Szymanski contacted alumna, Fulbright grantee, and Rhodes finalist Jordyn Arndt ’11 to see if she had any suggestions.

“Jordyn told me that she had felt least prepared for the reception,” Szymanski says. “I realized that our students need to practice how to navigate this kind of situation [in addition to the other preparations they do].”

So, she organized a mock reception in the President’s Dining Room. “Faculty, staff, and members of our board of trustees were the guests at the mock reception,” Szymanski recalls. “I told them that they needed to be less than welcoming.”

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At the reception, “Panelists are often in a closed circle,” Szymanski says. “Candidates need to figure out how to get into the conversation and leave the conversation.” The mock reception guests did their best to make it hard for Cumanzala, who passed their test with flying colors.

The mock-R hode s proc e s s was “one of the most amazing experiences I have had at St. Kate’s,” Szymanski says. “To see our faculty, staff, leadership team, and Board of Trustees prepare for this was so heartening. The entire community comes together to support our students as they prepare for these novel experiences that are very stressful and high stakes.”

Cumanzala made it to the final round of the Rhodes Scholarship acceptance process, an impressive and arduous accomplishment. “Dr. Szymanski went above and beyond to make sure that I was prepared,” Cumanzala says. “She helped me understand that I was capable of going through the process and, whether I got it or not, I was still a phenomenal student. I am very grateful to her and the whole St. Kate’s community for their support throughout the process.”

“It was amazing,” Szymanski says. “Maakwe got so close, and in the process, she saw her true potential. We all came together for this amazing young woman, who is going to go so far. This is what these programs are all about.”

IMPACTING GLOBAL CHANGE St. Kate’s students have the exact qualities that competitive scholarship and fellowship selection committees look for in applicants. They seek applicants with a high GPA, community involvement, cultural competence, and compelling research or internship experiences.

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“I go to a lot of the Fulbright conferences and meetings,” says Chang. “One of the things I’m always hearing is, ‘We don’t have enough students from underrepresented backgrounds or from the Midwest.’ They want to diversify the candidate pool and give more students opportunities.”

St. Kate’s students have those qualities in spades.

“We have really successful students,” Chang says.

“Our curriculum puts our candidates at the top of the pool.” And since Fulbright is an international program, she adds, “One of the biggest skills we need in a crosscultural setting is to be able to work with people in a different cultural perspective. The curriculum at St. Kate’s encourages students to think outside of our American lens.”

Fulbright is also interested in candidates who are adaptable and bicultural, Adrian adds.

“Some of our best-suited candidates are students who have parents who immigrated to the United States, because they grow up needing to navigate crossculturally. That’s exactly the kind of candidate that

Recent Competitive Fellowship and Scholarship Recipients Katies are pursuing a wide range of competitive national and international scholarship and fellowship programs to continue education or conduct research. Here are just a few.

Fulbright The Fulbright U.S. Student Program offers recent graduates the opportunity to research, study, and teach in over 140 countries. Recipients are selected based on strong academic achievement, leadership capabilities, and passion for multicultural work.

FULBRIGHT GRANTEE Mainhia Thao ’19 Mysee Chang ’13 Jordyn Arndt ’11

Marshall Scholarship Through the Marshall Scholarship, up to 50 scholars are selected for two or three years of graduate study in any field at any university in the United Kingdom. Recipients are selected based on strong academic achievement, leadership capabilities, and ambassadorial capabilities.

Fulbright is looking for. These scholars need to perform at a high level in different cultural contexts.”

Students who participate in competitive fellowship programs enhance their professional skills while also building their résumés, making them highpotential hires and graduate students. More than anything, these powerful opportunities allow St. Kate’s students to impact change.

“I haven’t met a student at St. Kate’s who said, ‘I want to do it because it will look good on my résumé,’” Szymanski says. “Our students say, ‘It’s important for me to help people and challenge oppressive systems.’ They want to help make the world a better place. These are exactly the kind of people that we need leading us into the future.”

Thao is a great example of the type of student Szymanski is describing. From the moment Thao heard she had received a Fulbright, she looked for ways to turn this experience into something larger than herself.

“As a Fulbright teaching assistant, I’ll be able to not only help students learn English, but they also will help me as well,” she says. “I’m prepared to be inspired by the people I meet — by my students and by the other people around me. This will be a real opportunity for me to make a difference in the world. I can’t wait to get started.”

MARSHALL SCHOLAR Taylor Harwood ’15

Rhodes Scholarship The Rhodes Scholarship covers two to three years of graduate study in any field at Oxford University.

The prestigious program selects 32 regional scholars age 18–23 based on high academic achievement, strength of character, and vision for a bright future.

RHODES SCHOLAR Adhiambo (Pat) Odaga ’83 RHODES SCHOLAR FINALIST Maakwe Cumanzala ’19 Leslie Muzulu ’13 Jordyn Arndt ’11

Truman Scholarship The Truman Scholarship offers up to 65 awards to attend graduate school in preparation for a public service career. Recipients are selected based on strong academic achievement, leadership capabilities, and commitment to public service.

TRUMAN SCHOLAR Andrea Duarte ’19

Learn more at stkate.edu/fellowships.

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Meet the Provost St. Kate’s welcomes Anita Thomas, PhD, our new academic leader.

BY KAYLA FORBES MBA’17

“Education is activism,”

says Anita Thomas, PhD, executive vice president and provost at St. Catherine University. “That’s why I was drawn to education as a whole. For me, higher education is the ultimate platform for making systemic change and helping people think critically. When you think about the leaders of the world and the importance of higher education, it is about training our change agents.”

Thomas grew up in a family of educators that understands the power of education to drive social change. Her parents lived through the civil rights era and raised her to believe that education is a key to empowerment and social movement. Her upbringing and training as a counseling psychologist have rooted Thomas’ professional discipline in helping everyone she meets connect with their own unique style of resilience.

It’s a practice that’s become her true north over her 20 years in academia.

“What drew me to St. Kate’s was the mission and the emphasis on training women to lead and influence. It resonates with me to help women grow, become more resilient, and focus on their sense of calling in a way that maximizes their mental well-being.”

The University’s commitment to Catholic Intellectual Tradition and Catholic Social Teaching also drew her to this role and felt like coming home to her. She previously spent 10 years of her career at Loyola University in Chicago, strongly rooted in Jesuit pedagogy. “When you teach from those guiding principles, you are empowering students to think about real-world problems and have a better sense of social justice — not just in terms of equity for people, but the systemic barriers preventing equity.”

Thomas is clearly energized by her work and responds enthusiastically when asked how she perceives her role

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as provost. Her vision is to coordinate the St. Catherine academic experience, so every person — no matter their role — places the student experience at the forefront of their work. “My job is to make sure that the student life experience, as it relates to their intellectual development, is maximized at the University.”

For Thomas, this student prioritization means leading and supervising deans and faculty in a way that supports them to pursue their passions, and in turn, their students’ intellect. It involves ensuring the curriculum and programs are innovative and operate with best practices.

It also means serving as a liaison with student affairs, so the balance of students’ curricular and co-curricular experiences optimize their intellectual life development.

To achieve this balance, Thomas is leading the University through the creation and implementation of an academic master plan. Already in development, it’s the cornerstone of the Strengthen Academic Excellence priority in the University’s strategic plan.

“For me, academic excellence is fostering intellectual life development so that we have lifelong learners who are active in their communities — solving problems and making change,” Thomas says.

The plan will start with a vision statement to guide the “why and how” of educational outcomes. It will ensure that all students and faculty entering the classroom have a collective understanding of the intended experience and outcomes at St. Kate’s.

“There is something about being a Katie, and there’s something about being at St. Kate’s,” Thomas says. “I want that ‘something’ to be much more intentional. I keep running into people who say, ‘You know a Katie when you meet her.’ But I ask how? What does it mean in terms of ‘Katies do X’?”

PHOTO/TIM RUMMELHOFF PHOTOGRAPHY

The vision statement and definition of a Katie will lay the foundation for the rest of the plan. The University will then build on it and further clarify the role of Catholic Social Teaching within the academic experience, aligning the curriculum to maximize the intellectual life experience. Thomas adds, “Then, we’ll start to see a more targeted interdisciplinary focus. Within a couple of years, we’ll see a major shift in how career development is integrated into the student experience.

“This is really exciting work. We would love to have more people involved, because St. Kate’s is a community.

I am one of those collective people who thinks that we are all better working together. If people are excited and want to know more, or want to contribute, let’s connect.”

To learn more or share suggestions, please send a note to provost@stkate.edu.

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Around Campus ST. KATE’S LITURGIST SHOWCASES COMPOSITION FOR NATIONAL AUDIENCE The journey of a song can travel far from the page of sheet music. This is a lesson lived by Bex Gaunt, St. Kate’s liturgist in the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice, as her song “In the Morning, in the Evening” has made its way from bedside to Chapel service, and most recently, in a showcase performed for the National Association of Pastoral Musicians (NPM).

Gaunt was invited to the 42nd annual national conference, held in Raleigh, North Carolina, in July, by music publisher GIA Publications. Her composition, set to text written by hymn writer Adam Tice, was included in a showcase of the publisher’s 17 new works.

BEX GAUNT

While Gaunt had attended the conference before, this was her first time performing there. The response was resoundingly positive. “It was a special experience to see people take to it,” says Gaunt. “Composers who I’ve looked up to for years shared their impressions; it was just surreal. I was so flattered and honored.”

Gaunt brainstorms ideas for new songs and works on new compositions all the time — even while on pilgrimage in LePuy, France. That’s where she was when she got a message from Tice about a new collaboration. “I composed the piece in my room, improvising by using the cot as my keyboard,” recalls Gaunt. The new piece, “Faith Evolves in Honest Questions,” was released in July as part of Tice’s newest book collection, Pulse and Breath.

See a link to her performance and learn more at stkate.edu/newswire-bex.

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OPENING DAY CELEBRATION An extra dose of courage and humor graced the annual Opening Celebration on September 4, 2019.

The St. Catherine University community enjoyed watching actors from the History Theatre portray four real-life Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in select scenes from the play Sisters of Peace. The spirited performance showed the Sisters engaging in social justice movements and war protests over the course of decades, beginning with the Vietnam War. After the inspirational performance, the audience was rapt as the subjects of the play — the real Sisters (biological sisters as well as CSJs) Jane, Brigid ’62, Rita, and Kate McDonald (left to right) — made their way to the stage to share some advice with the students.

The four performed the beloved standard “Ac-CentTchu-Ate the Positive,” a tune perfectly encapsulating their encouragement to the St. Kate’s community: “Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don’t let the bad news get you down.”

President Roloff thanked the McDonald Sisters for their leadership and example in living out the CSJ mission.

On behalf of the St. Kate’s community, Roloff presented them with four commemorative ornaments created by the late art professor Peter Lupori. “Thank you for being our angels of peace,” she said.

SISTERS OF PEACE

MCDONALD SISTERS

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GATHER WITH US FOR THE FEAST OF SAINT CATHERINE Join us November 25 to celebrate our namesake with a prayer gathering and reflection in Our Lady of Victory Chapel. Trees in the Chapel and on campus will be illuminated as we pay homage to Saint Catherine of Alexandria, the patron saint of students, philosophers, and scholars. Campus lights are made possible by Alfred Smith in memory of Lucille Smith ’52.

Learn more at stkate.edu/feast.

NEW RADIOGRAPHY LAB CAMPUS INTEGRATION UPDATE Following President Roloff’s announcement of the plans to create One University in 2017, integration of the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses began in spring 2019. Students and faculty alike are already benefiting from re-envisioned spaces across the St. Paul campus, such as the new, centralized location for the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health in Whitby and the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences in Coeur de Catherine.

The University and Fairview Health Clinics reached a purchase agreement in June 2019 for the Minneapolis campus, which was generously gifted to St. Kate’s by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondolet. The transition to one central campus will enhance the student experience and strengthen community life, with learning and resources united under the vision of One University.

The integration process is scheduled to be completed in December 2020.

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TORI THOMPSON ’19

ALEX EHDE ’23

WILDCAT ROUNDUP A record 36 student-athletes were named to the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Winter and Spring Academic All-Conference Team.

The Wildcats finished the 2018–19 athletic year tied seventh in the MIAC All-Sports Competition. Swimmer Jordyn Wentzel ’22 earned the department’s McCahill Athlete of the Year award as fellow swimmer Maggie Menso ’22 earned Wildcat Rookie of the Year. The Brady Williams Spirit Award was presented to Mary Galvin ’85, assistant to the University’s executive vice president and provost. The Sheila Brown Wildcat Award was granted to Tori Thompson ’19 (hockey, track and field), Kaitlin Machovec ’19 (soccer), and Jenna George ’19 (softball). Softball student-athlete Anna Hinderaker ’19 earned the Fleur-de-lis Award.

GOLF Three golfers earned MIAC All-Conference recognition as the Wildcats finished the season with the second lowest spring average (324) on record, behind the 2015 MIAC Championship team. Sydney Busker ’19, OTD’20 earned a spot on the Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-Midwest Region team and was nominated for the NCAA Woman of the Year award. Busker and teammates Maddie Weinman ’20, Jordan Amelon ’21, Clara Godoy-Henderson ’22, and Kate Taylor ’22 earned WGCA All-American Scholar Golf Team honors. On the course, the Wildcats finished the spring season with four top-4 finishes, taking first in the Bethel University Royal Match among a field of conference opponents.

SOFTBALL The Wildcats finished the 2019 season with an overall 26–14 record earning the No. 2 seed at the 2019 MIAC Playoff Championships with their 16–6 conference record. The team clinched their spot in the conference playoffs for the fourth consecutive season.

A record-setting eight student-athletes earned MIAC All-Conference honors with Alex Ehde ’23 named conference Rookie of the Year.

TENNIS Maddy Knoll ’20 was named as a College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Google Cloud Academic All-District first-team honoree.

The prestigious honor recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletics realm and in the classroom. Knoll, a biology major, carries a 4.0 GPA and is a starter in both singles and doubles competition. The team was awarded the 2019 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) All-Academic Team honor, while seven studentathletes individually earned Scholar-Athlete status.

TRACK AND FIELD Tori Thompson ’19, Elsie Lundquist ’21, and Lauren Isaacson ’22 earned All-Conference honors for their finishes at the 2019 MIAC Outdoor Track & Field Championships.

Lundquist finished first in the pole vault event as Thompson and Isaacson finished third in the long jump and discus, respectively. In total, five outdoor track and field student-athletes earned All-Conference recognition at the conclusion of the 2019 season.

In addition to the conference awards, Thompson, Lundquist, and Bryana Leverentz ’22 were named to the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Region team which recognizes the top-5 performances in each discipline.

Marie Morrier ’19, DPT’21 was the Wildcats’ second CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District first-team honoree of the spring for both cross country and track and field. The entire team was recognized by the USTFCCCA for having the top GPA in the MIAC and the 5th best GPA in Division III. Read Wildcat news at stkateathletics.com.

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“

The Reflective Woman and Global Search for Justice represent the best of the liberal arts in action.

Tarshia Stanley, PhD DEAN OF THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SCIENCES

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Core Strength Students learn how to use a liberal arts foundation to make St. Kate’s mission their own.

BY SARAH VOIGT

C

reating a common first-year experience is a practice among many institutions of higher learning. But St. Kate’s uses a very distinct, mission-driven approach that bookends each student’s undergraduate career — one that cultivates leadership in its students and instills advocacy and social responsibility.

“Many people view college education as mainly a way to get a job. But it’s so much more than that,” says Martha Phillips, PhD, biology professor and core curriculum director. “It’s about education for your life. The goal of the liberal arts core requirements is to prepare each person to be a global citizen.

At St. Kate’s, we educate our students to lead and influence, not only to get a job and do it well.”

Nancy Heitzeg, PhD, professor of sociology and former co-director of the Core Curriculum, believes it’s a powerful approach. “I think it’s pretty unique — the ways in which we have connected The Reflective Woman and Global Search for Justice and carried that connection through the core liberal arts and the student and alumni experiences.”

Since the fall semester of 1995, The Reflective Woman (TRW) and Global Search for Justice (GSJ) are the only two specific courses required of every undergraduate student. They were introduced to the University at a time when the number of transfer students coming to St. Kate’s was growing at a rapid rate.

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ONE BOOK FOLLOWS STUDENTS THROUGH THEIR ST. KATE’S EDUCATION. THE CATHERINE CORE READER COMBINES THE READINGS FOR TWO CORE COURSES, THE REFLECTIVE WOMAN AND GLOBAL SEARCH FOR JUSTICE, INTO ONE ESSENTIAL VOLUME.

This enrollment shift presented a challenge: how to ensure every student understands the St. Kate’s mission and what it means to be a Katie, no matter when in their educational journey they join our community. The solution was the bookends of these courses: if every student took them — even if they didn’t begin their postsecondary education here — they would still understand and connect with the most important elements of a St. Kate’s education.

CONNECTING COMMUNITIES, GROUNDED IN THE LIBERAL ARTS “The Reflective Woman and Global Search for Justice represent the best of the liberal arts in action — content connection, personal reflection, and community building around a shared experience,” says Tarshia Stanley, PhD, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences.

The liberal arts grounding of a St. Kate’s education is embraced across all the schools and colleges in the University. Critical to the St. Kate’s mission, a liberal arts education offers students a depth and breadth of knowledge through a manner of learning that fuels curiosity, expands open-mindedness, and unlocks the tools to drive systemic change. The lessons learned in TRW can be applied to any major program, a benefit sometimes lost in the noise of other degree requirements.

“An institution has an obligation to educate in a holistic manner, which includes the mind, body, and spirit,” says Laura Fero, PhD, MSN, RN, who joined St. Kate’s as the dean of nursing in June 2019. “I believe it is only through this approach that we can shape the characteristics of leaders that advocate for social responsibility and opportunity. Critical thinkers are built through providing co-curricular opportunities in both the discipline-specific and liberal arts courses, something St. Kate’s is known for. This process facilitates emotional intelligence leading to reflective practices and lifelong learning.”

BEGINNING WITH REFLECTION TRW is a discussion-based course intended to develop knowledge, values, and skills in critical and creative

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inquiry, effective communication, and an understanding of diversity. Faculty teaching TRW use a variety of approaches uniquely responsive to the learning styles of women. The course explores identity development within social contexts, different approaches to truth and evidence, and ways to work toward community and justice.

“Students have the space to think about who they are, how they fit into St. Kate’s, and where they’re going with their journey along the way,” explains Heitzeg.

This space includes students eligible for Learning Enrichment and Advising Program (LEAP) support.

Patricia Young, assistant director of the writing program at the O’Neill Center, will begin her fourth year teaching a TRW class this year — one of the four LEAP sections open to students. Young was previously a full-time faculty member teaching writing courses at a different college before joining St. Kate’s in 2015. She appreciates how the TRW experience helps students develop familiarity and comfort with the resources available to them throughout their time at St. Kate’s.

“I can see the connections and overlaps between these courses and services offered at the O’Neill Center,” says Young. “They both provide support to students and encourage them to feel comfortable seeking out that support, as well as provide the space for them to forge relationships with those peers who will be there every step of their journeys.”

According to the most recent O’Neill Center annual report, the writing center receives a lot of visits from first-year students and almost one third of writing center visits last year were from TRW students. “For many students, this is their first time writing collegelevel work, so it makes sense,” explains Young.

CULTIVATING A GLOBAL OUTLOOK In a student’s final years, GSJ prepares them to bring what they’ve learned at St. Kate’s out into the world and use their knowledge and skills to make it a more just place. This coursework includes an in-depth examination of the conditions of injustice experienced by a people or peoples outside of European/North American-majority

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“

We have designed a liberal arts education with you at its heart, respecting your own uniqueness, appreciating the perspectives you bring, and trusting in your capacity to claim this education for your own.

–Martha Phillips, PhD, The Catherine Core Reader, page 6

culture. Several versions of GSJ are offered each term, each focusing on a different aspect of justice.

“Sometimes, students come into the core with a dismissive ‘have to take’ approach. But by the time they’re finishing their program and recognizing the connections between TRW and GSJ, they realize the true value of what they learned,” says Heitzeg. “They see how it helped them navigate the place, think about the mission, and then leave with a sense of how it can translate to their careers and their lives.”

That is what makes TRW and GSJ so essential: without distracting from their majors, the courses and conversations elevate students’ views of their own educational paths and connect to their lives beyond their degrees. They are better prepared for their work in their chosen disciplines.

CORE TEACHINGS, BY THE BOOK One significant change to these courses, according to Heitzeg, was when texts for both TRW and GSJ were merged into a single book: The Catherine Core Reader.

“The idea is that students get this book in their first year, keep it with them during their time here and continue to think about how the education they are claiming is connected to everything on these pages. Then, the simple act of bringing that same book to their GSJ class and finishing it, connects the beginning and end of their learning journey here.”

Over time, The Catherine Core Reader has also evolved both in content and format. “We’ve got a lot of pieces that

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are written by our own faculty, so it’s also a good way to introduce students to a range of not only departments and disciplines, but also faculty at St. Kate’s,” says Heitzeg.

KATIE TO THE CORE The TRW and GSJ courses were created with the intention of establishing two foundations. The first: to provide students the skills and tools they would need for a successful academic career at St. Kate’s. The second: to translate those skills and tools to use in their professional and life journeys. The universal nature of these courses helps unify students in a way that transcends the communities built within degree programs.

The intent, when TRW and GSJ were approved as part of the core curriculum, was to provide a more equitable learning experience for all undergraduate students attending St. Kate’s. Each student would be grounded in the “why” of liberal arts, develop life skills, and question the issues faced outside of campus life that test individual measures of justice and ethics.

The strength, literally, is in the core. The teaching methods may change to fit the students’ needs, but the lessons they deliver will be constant: discovering, acquiring, and applying knowledge — in the classroom and in life.

Alumni Play a Reflective Role Part of each first-year student’s The Reflective Woman (TRW) experience includes an interview with a person who is further along in their life’s journey. Alumni are invited to volunteer their time and serve as an interview resource for our newest Katies. As the following anonymous testimonials show, the volunteers get their own benefits from the interviews:

“

Each year I have found the students better prepared than in previous years. I think that the professors are to be complimented on how well they are helping students understand the purpose of the interview.

“ “

This is such a great event to help network!

The student mentioned that they were to find someone with different perspectives and opinions. We found we were quite compatible on everything.

Different generations but similar political opinions, personal interests, etc. Perhaps this shows that the St. Catherine experience transcends generational diversity!

“

I find these evenings a really meaningful way to stay connected to the University.

I hope that the students receive as much from the event as I have. Thank you for the opportunity to serve in this way.

“

Just found the evening energizing! It is 50 years ago that I was a freshman on campus and so had a lot of fond reminiscing — and appreciation for the foundation of those years so vital to growing into being a reflective woman!

The next TRW interviews will be held in spring 2020. Visit stkate.edu/volunteer for more information and to sign up.

Global Search for Justice is local and global.

Students have the opportunity to explore Global Search for Justice (GSJ) themes outside the classroom, and for many of them, January term is the perfect time to take their lessons across oceans, states, or even cities.

Some of the January term 2020 classes include • Dismantling Racism: Namibia and South Africa • Dismantling Racism in the Southern U.S. • The Changing Face of Homelessness (local immersion) • Voices of Dissent: Dakota Sovereignty Then and Now (local immersion) • Women, Work, and the Environment in India

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WHEN BAKERY OWNER ANNE ROACH ANDRUS ’05 (LEFT) SAW EMPLOYEE CIERRA BUCKNER ’19 (RIGHT) FACE A LIFE-ALTERING OBSTACLE, SHE DIDN’T HESITATE TO REACH OUT A HELPING HAND. ANDRUS’ SUPPORT EMPOWERED BUCKNER TO COMPLETE A ST. KATE’S DEGREE IN 2019 AND SUCCESSFULLY EMBARK ON HER SOCIAL WORK CAREER.

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Katies in Action

Alumna helps a Katie rise above adversity

BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17

PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

Anne Roach Andrus ’05, owner and manager of Honey & Rye Bakehouse, has made sustainability, community involvement, and collaborative teambuilding the core tenets of her business.

So when she learned an employee was facing financial difficulties that could force her to leave the team, she didn’t hesitate to lend a hand.

Cierra Buckner ’19 was weighing her options at the time. She had left college in another state and was working at Andrus’ Minneapolis bakery with the intent of enrolling at St. Kate’s; however, those plans were put on hold.

Her previous college wouldn’t release her transcripts until an outstanding payment was fulfilled. She confided in Andrus that she may need to seek higher-paying work elsewhere to revive her education goals.

Andrus saw another way forward.

“I didn’t really think twice about it.

I loaned her the money,” she says.

“It felt like such an injustice. It was easy enough for me to say ‘yes’ and hard enough for her to make an important decision based on it.”

With Andrus’ help, Buckner secured her transcript and enrolled at St. Kate’s for the fall 2017 semester.

“She made that happen — allowed me to get my transcripts. And just by doing that, she showed me that she cared about my life, future, and needs,” Buckner says. “I see her as a superhero, a best friend, a role model. She’s really special.”

ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH HUMANITY Andrus’ entrepreneurial roots run deep. Her parents own a construction company, and her greatgrandfather founded Culligan® Water, but her time at St. Kate’s also helped shape her business values.

“I left St. Kate’s wanting to be involved in the greater good,” says Andrus. “If we’re not taking care of everybody along the way — staff, customers, vendors, producers — if one link is suffering, it just doesn’t feel right.”

Honey & Rye’s local business partnerships reflect this philosophy and are renewed with the bakery’s commitment to giving back. Each month, Honey & Rye selects a cause to support with an in-kind donation.

Andrus’ values permeate her business on an interpersonal level too, creating a supportive, open environment for both customers and employees.

“You can just feel it when you walk in the door,” says Buckner, who worked at Honey & Rye for two years. “Working in an environment like that gives you the opportunity to recognize and own your power as a woman and as an autonomous person.”

Buckner graduated in the spring of 2019 and immediately put her bachelor’s degree in social work to use at the Institute to Transform Child Protection.

Her social work faculty handpicked her for a program coordinator role. Buckner’s long-term career plans involve working in housing policy to support people of color and those living in poverty.

Buckner’s professional life is infused with the lessons she absorbed at St. Kate’s. “I learned from all the women I studied with at school how to advocate for myself and to not feel small because the world tells me that’s what I am,” she says. “I really appreciate the emphasis on owning one’s power as a woman.”

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Bookmark Reviews of the St. Kate’s One Read for Social Justice, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

BY AMY MARS MLIS’12 AND CECILIA KONCHAR FARR, PHD

“I

wanted no part of the master narrative about who the ‘illegal’ is. I would take refuge in creating my own.”

–Jose Antonio Vargas As a librarian, I look for books that disrupt what Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie calls the “single story” and provide what Rudine Sims Bishop calls “windows and mirrors” for readers. In Vargas’ memoir, he tells a story that opens new worlds to some readers, is powerfully familiar to others, and provides a stirring counternarrative to all.

Vargas learned he was undocumented at 16 years old.

When he presented his green card to the woman at the DMV, she whispered to him, “This is a fake. Don’t come back here again.”

After confronting his grandparents, Vargas discovered his mother hired a human smuggler (coyote) to bring him from the Philippines to the U.S. in the hopes of providing him with a better life.

In the pages that follow, Vargas shares his experience living as an undocumented citizen, dispels misconceptions about the immigration process, and brings us along for his “coming out” as

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“This book offers an opportunity to spark dialogue across differences and reminds us of our mutual humanity...”

–Amy Mars an undocumented person in a New York Times Magazine article.

“Mine is only one story, one of an estimated 11 million here in the United States,” he reminds readers.

I encourage you to use this book as an opportunity to listen, learn, and look. Listen to the multifaceted experiences from immigrants.

Learn about the historical racism in immigration policy. And look for voices missing from the conversation. This book offers an opportunity to spark dialogue across differences and reminds us of our mutual humanity at a time when we feel the sharp division of party politics.

Amy Mars MLIS’12 is a librarian at St. Kate’s and leads the One Read for Social Justice.

St. Kate’s book events abound in 2019–20.

One Read for Social Justice 2019–20 One Read for Social Justice is an opportunity for members of the community to read the same book and come together to discuss it. Watch for events throughout the year at stkate.edu/oneread.

T

his summer, my literature students and I watched a documentary together about Toni Morrison. Morrison recalls in the film being dismissed by critics and told to expand her repertoire beyond “only Black stories.”

Until she did, they said she would never amount to much. We laughed out loud.

Morrison continued to write stories about African-Americans, and she won award after award — including the Nobel Prize in Literature. She has, in other words, amounted to very much. There’s magic in the way she makes sense of our collective American identity through her characters.

In Dear America, Jose Antonio Vargas exercises similar skills, calling our attention to the plight of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. by way of his one engaging story. His story is about homelessness, “the unsettled, unmoored psychological state in which undocumented immigrants like me find ourselves.” A deeply serious memoir with a call for justice at its heart, the book makes good use of Vargas’ wry humor and self-deprecating charm.

Vargas is a con man, artist, and truthteller. He’s a self-made success — thoroughly American. How lucky we are that he came to the U.S. as a child, became a journalist, and dedicated himself to his craft. This beautifully written memoir is his gift to our nation that, he reminds us, could send him away at any moment.

Cecilia Konchar Farr, PhD, is a professor of American literature, chair of English and International Languages, a Carondelet Scholar, and one of the leaders of St. Kate’s annual Conversation with Books.

Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen

by Jose Antonio Vargas

Conversation with Books February 8, 2020 This annual event explores the best of new fiction and non-fiction, and brings together the perspectives of faculty and alumni. Some selections include: • • • •

The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai Bright Morning Stars by Mary Rose O’Reilley ’67 On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong Hope in the Struggle by Josie Johnson

River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey February 27, 2020 Sister Helen Prejean, known for Dead Man Walking, will visit campus on a book tour for her memoir River of Fire: My Spiritual Journey.

St. Kate’s Reads March 2, 2020 St. Kate’s alumni gather for an in-depth book discussion. In March, Joan Mitchell, CSJ, ’62 will discuss her most recent work.

Holy Women Full of Grace: Praying the Stories of the Women in Mark’s Gospel

by Joan Mitchell, CSJ, ’62

Wordplay May 9, 2020 Join this St. Kate’s-sponsored literature bonanza hosted by the Loft Literary Center. In its second year, local, national, and international authors will convene from all genres in celebration of the written word. Watch for details in early 2020.

Stay updated on the latest book events at stkate.edu/books.

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SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE CONTACT US Online: stkate.edu/alumni Phone: 651-690-6666 Email: alumni@stkate.edu

Class Notes

facebook.com/katiealumni @StKatesAlums

1958 GERTRUD MUELLER NELSON ’58 received the 2019 Christus Rex Award from the Institute of Liturgical Studies at Valparaiso University for her liturgical art and her book To Dance With God: Family Ritual and Community Celebration in June. The book was published in 1986 and is still in print. She continues to do illustration work and write articles for the National Catholic Reporter and other publications.

1967 MARY ROSE O’REILLEY ’67 won the Brighthorse Book Prize in fiction for her book Bright Morning Stars, published December 31, 2018.

She has also authored two poetry collections, two memoirs, and four books of nonfiction.

GERTRUD NELSON ’58 1962

THERESE SHERLOCK, CSJ, ’62

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THERESE SHERLOCK, CSJ, ’62, University trustee, was elected in July to be one of the five members of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet Congregational 2020–26 Leadership Team. This team serves to unite congregation members in keeping the life and ministry of the CSJs true to today’s needs and faithful to the spirit of the gospel and to the founders. The installation of the Congregational Leadership Team will take place January 11, 2020 at Carondelet in St. Louis, Missouri.

1977 CATHY DAVIES ’77 competed in an 11-day motorcycle road rally competition called the Iron Butt Rally. It started and ended in South Carolina. She rode amongst 100 other riders from around the world.

CATHY DAVIES ’77

SARA GAVIN ’77, president of Weber Shandwick, North America was inducted into the Twin Cities Business’ Minnesota Business Hall of Fame on July 30, 2019.

SARA GAVIN ’77 1979 CLAUDIA HUOT ’79 recently presented at Lehigh University’s 47th annual Special Education Law Conference. The title of her presentation was “Collaboration Between Families and Schools: Are We on the Same Page?” Huot is a partner at the law firm Wisler Pearlstine, LLP.

CLAUDIA HUOT ’79

1981

1988

PATRICK TSCHIDA ’81, PHD, St. Kate’s adjunct lecturer, is serving as a grant reviewer for the 2019 cohort 21st Century Community Learning Centers, with the Minnesota Department of Education. Tschida also serves on the Minnesota Department of Health, Health Equity Leadership Network (HELN). HELN recently hosted a day-long Health Equity Summit at The Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center for Community Building for recent recipients of the Eliminating Health Disparities Initiative grant awards, for which he also serves as a reviewer.

JENNIFER DRISCOLL ’88 accepted a job as the head of Global Investor Relations at Caterpillar.

1983 ANN MARIE SIMON MEULENERS ’83 wrote and illustrated a children’s book, A Gift for You, published by Christian Faith Publishing last year.

Meuleners will donate a portion of the proceeds to a national children’s cancer research hospital.

JENNIFER DRISCOLL ’88 2003 RACHELLE KERSCHBAUM-DAVILA ’03 owns and operates the Aurora Staples Inn bed and breakfast located in Stillwater, Minnesota.

She is a poet and writes a column in Bed and Breakfast magazine.

ANN MEULENERS ’83 stkate.edu

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2005 SARAH COMPTON ’05, MAED’07 was chosen to be one of the six mentors for the 2019 cohort of Grosvenor Teacher Fellows. This extends her teaching fellowship with National Geographic an additional year. In the program so far, she traveled to National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., and the Galapagos Islands, and created curriculum materials and outreach initiatives for elementary classrooms.

2011 CASSONDRA DAHLHEIMERLAWSON ’05 and Josh Lawson welcomed baby Aurelia Lane on December 23, 2018.

JORDEN CARLSON ’11, MAED’18 married Brooke Benecke on November 3, 2018, in Silverwood Park, Saint Anthony, Minnesota.

AURELIA LANE THUY-TRANG THI NGUYEN ’05 married Khoi Nguyen Vo on June 29, 2019.

2008

SARAH COMPTON ’05, MAED’07

HILARY NOVACEK BUNDT ’08 received the 2019–2020 Jean Illsley Clarke Fellowship for Parent Education from the University of Minnesota. She is currently a licensed social worker, pursuing her master’s degree in family education.

AMY MARIA HORWATH CLARK ’08 married William N. Clark on May 11, 2019.

2009 MARY CATHERINE ANDERSON PAHL ’09 and Jason Pahl welcomed daughter Keely Joy Pahl on May 14, 2018.

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JORDEN CARLSON ’11, MAED’18 EMILY SEIDL NISWANGER ’11 became an Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certified Practitioner via the Integrative and Functional Nutrition Academy in April 2019.

2012 JALEEZA SMITH-BREEDLOVE ’12 and Terrance Smith-Breedlove welcomed baby Tatum Jai SmithBreedlove on April 16, 2019, in Minneapolis.

2013 RACHAEL GASPERETTI YATES ’13 married John Yates on June 1, 2019.

PHOTO/LAURA ANN PHOTOGRAPHY

RACHAEL YATES ’13 2015 COMFORT DONDO-DEWEY ’15 is executive director and founder of the nonprofit organization Phumulani, Minnesota African Women Against Violence.

Phumulani was awarded a grant from the Bush Foundation and funds from the HRK Foundation.

Dondo-Dewey is currently pursuing a doctorate at St. Mary’s University focusing on leadership and culture.

2019 PAULA HART MAOL’15, president and CEO of Volunteers of America MN and WI, received a national honor for her dedicated work on behalf of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The American Network of Community Options and Resources (ANCOR) Foundation inducted her into its Legacy Leaders Circle on May 8 at ANCOR’s national conference in Portland, Oregon.

Hart was also recognized in 2017 for her career achievements by Pollen and AARP, as one of the “50 Over 50” in Minnesota.

2016 ABBEY HINTON MALOY ’16 married Devin Maloy on June 8, 2019.

AMBER ZEIHER ROSE ’16 married Robert Rose on May 18, 2019.

2018 KAYLA ROBERGE COOK MPAS’18 joined Mayo Clinic Health System in Owatonna, Minnesota, as a physician assistant who will see patients in the Same Day Clinic. She has a special interest in pediatrics and weight management.

NATALIE NATION ’19 married Paul Fritton on January 12, 2019.

PHOTO/GLASSER IMAGES

NATALIE NATION ’19 JONATHAN J. OKSTAD MBA’19 was accepted, with full funding, to Loyola University Chicago to earn his PhD in higher education starting in fall 2019. He worked as assistant director of Sponsored Programs, Research, and External Engagement at St. Kate’s for over four years.

MARY LE ’18 took a new role as customer success associate at PitchBook Data in Seattle.

JONATHAN J. OKSTAD MBA’19 stkate.edu

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PHOTO/MICHAEL MURRAY PHOTOGRAPHY

WOODEN STATUE OF SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX, “THE LITTLE FLOWER,” IN OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL.

In Memory w Our deepest sympathy to the families of the following graduates, faculty, staff, friends, and supporters of St. Catherine University.

Giovanna Fjelstad, former staff w June 20, 2019 Gena Kline, assistant professor of nursing w July 1, 2019 Adele Marie Rothan, CSJ, PhD, professor emerita of mathematics w July 6, 2019 Rose Marie Johannes Zins ’38 w April 26, 2019 Dolores Vos Burger ’40 w June 2, 2019 Helen Hay Connell ’44 w March 28, 2019 Eleanor Schulte Pawlikowski ’44 w February 7, 2019 Mariella Havel Powers ’45 w June 7, 2019 Joan Gleason Ryan ’47 w June 28, 2019 Eileen Kane Oslund ’47 w July 10, 2019 Margaret Warner Brelie ’47 w April 25, 2019 Phyllis Mary Davidson Eblen ’48 w August 31, 2018 Kathryn Hathorn Savoie ’48 w April 29, 2019 Mary Kessler, CSJ, ’48 w May 14, 2019 Grace McKigney, CSJ, ’48 w May 18, 2019 Jean Mesenburg Leighton ’48 w July 9, 2019 Jean Murray Nowak ’48 w April 16, 2019 Virginia Betlach ’49 w February 22, 2019 Alexis Melancon, SP, (Barbara Melancon) ’49 w April 25, 2019 Patricia Giessel Coleman-Vecchie ’50 w April 20, 2019

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Mary Schnell McCoy ’50 w April 28, 2019 Marie Therese Kennedy Fink ’52 w June 9, 2019 Elizabeth Von Bank Herzog ’52 w November 5, 2016 Nancy Davidson Moosbrugger ’53 w May 22, 2019 Marjorie Cheney Pings ’54 w March 26, 2019 Cecilia Gallogly Frost ’54 w February 15, 2017 Catherine Hablas Bernard ’54 w April 30, 2019 Martha Kieffer, CSJ, ’54 w April 18, 2019 Charlotte Krueger Scanlan ’54 w March 28, 2019 Margaret Schreiner Francis ’55 w January 2, 2019 Marie Vornbrock Nelson ’55 w February 24, 2019 Carole Warren Bernardy ’55 w July 11, 2019 LaVonne Wyffels Lutz ’55 w March 10, 2019 Rosemary Bialon Daniel ’56 w May 25, 2019 Dona Chase Zimmerman ’56 w June 11, 2019 Elizabeth Heinen Cole ’56 w April 12, 2019 Charla Burke Gardner ’58 w February 22, 2019 Joan Schmitz Peterschmidt ’58 w April 14, 2019 Ruth Goheen Davis ’59 w August 5, 2014 Judith Hendricks Leivermann ’59 w April 4, 2019 Mary Lou Murray, CSJ, ’59 w May 4, 2019 Betty Sauro Waschbusch ’59 w March 30, 2019 Helen Janssen, CSJ, ’60 w June 13, 2019 Patricia Hand Reisch ’60 w July 16, 2019 Marlene Barghini ’61 w March 31, 2019

Joan Brozek Farley ’61 w July 7, 2019 Terry Ann Milbert ’63 w November 3, 2018 Patricia Carroll Byrne ’64 w June 2, 2019 Mary Ernst Centner ’64 w April 2, 2019 Barbara Bonin Eitter ’66 w March 24, 2019 Linda Casagrande Jacoby ’66 w March 25, 2019 Gretchen Vant Hull Tiberghien ’67 w June 23, 2019 Sue Decker Dwyer ’68 w May 16, 2019 Renee Winkelman Dublin ’69 w November 30, 2016 Bernadine Munn Syverson ’70 w July 5, 2019 Susan Scott Kramp ’71 w November 3, 2018 Roseann Greene Lentsch ’72 w June 10, 2019 Marcia Keller Tholen ’72 w April 13, 2019 Elizabeth Ann Rivers ’72 w July 6, 2019 Audrey Sabol ’72 w May 21, 2019 Kathryn Mancino Cook Richmond ’75 w February 8, 2017 Colleen Miller Powers ’75 w April 2, 2019 Kathy Daul Brault ’76 w April 2, 2019 Jennifer Carpenter Anderson ’79 w May 9, 2019 Carol Buirge Steffes ’80 w January 6, 2019 Martina Theresa Kuhn, CSA, ’83 w May 20, 2019 Christine Truitt Tschida ’87 w March 6, 2019 Juliene Gerfast Mattson ’89 w March 16, 2019 Carol Schubring Weavers Knowles ’90 w April 3, 2019 Gail VanGorp Rossi ’90 w May 20, 2019 Daniel Francis Bachhuber ’91 w November 13, 2018 Carrol Adams Hanson Breitkreutz ’93 w June 13, 2019 Sharon Berndt ’97, MSW ’98 w May 21, 2019 Clarissa Lucile Simons Lamont ’99 w March 31, 2019 Sarah Briggs Stelzner MSW’04 w March 30, 2019 Barbara Jo Zeches Miller ’04 w April 5, 2019 Donna Miller Alt ’05 w April 27, 2019 Katharine Rademacher Lang ’05 w April 22, 2019 Gayle Bliss Nielsen ’06 w July 10, 2019

ADELE MARIE ROTHAN, CSJ Adele Marie Rothan, CSJ, PhD, faculty emerita of mathematics, passed away on July 6, 2019, in St. Louis, Missouri.

She was 75 years old.

Sr. Adele Marie, baptized Mary Jo, was born on August 21, 1943, in Peoria, Illinois, to parents Wilbur Louis and Josephine (Howeler) Rothan. She entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet on September 15, 1961, and made her final profession on August 6, 1969.

Education was at the heart of her vocation. She began her 48-year career in higher education teaching at Fontbonne College (now Fontbonne University) and Avila University. Sr. Adele Marie then went on to teach in the St. Catherine University mathematics department for 25 years, until she retired in 2012.

She received her bachelor’s degree in mathematics/ music from Fontbonne College in 1969, a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Illinois Champaign in 1971, and a doctorate in mathematical statistics/computer science from the University of Montana in 1982.

In her retirement, Sr. Adele Marie moved to St. Louis and served her CSJ community as a part-time archival aide, supporting the St. Louis province from 2013–15.

PHOTO/SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET, ST. LOUIS PROVINCE

Would you like to make a memorial or tribute gift?

Please contact 651-690-8725 | giving@stkate.edu Contact us to share news of a death 651-690-6666 | inmemory@stkate.edu

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Reconnecting at Reunion and All School Picnic 2019

PHOTOS/REBECCA MCDONALD ’09 AND MICHAEL MURRAY PHOTOGRAPHY

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A

lumni reconnected and swapped stories for a weekend in June during Reunion and the annual All School Picnic for graduates of any class. Rolling through the gates brings you back to a time when life was on the verge of a change, yet to be realized.

It’s never a dull moment when Katies are involved, and this proved to be true.

Lively conversations sparked laughter and tears enroute incredible journeys down memory lane. Campus tours inspired stories of a crazy prank a friend got away with, a walk through the library triggered flashbacks of the hours spent in the stacks, and a Dew Drop Pond visit sparked the recollection of a special moment once shared.

SAVE THE DATE REUNION 2020

June 19–20, 2020 Class years ending in 5 and 0 (starting at year 2000) watch for details. stkate.edu/reunion

ALL SCHOOL PICNIC

June 20, 2020

All classes are invited.

More than 300 alumnae and guests attended Reunion 2019. Celebrants enjoyed class parties, receptions, campus tours, lectures, and many other opportunities. Especially noteworthy were the pinning ceremonies for the graduates of 1994 and 1969, as they celebrated their 25 and 50 year reunions (see pin at bottom left).

The inaugural annual All School Picnic marked the culmination of Reunion weekend with St. Kate’s graduates of all years.

They enjoyed a summer picnic open to all family and friends.

With ice cream, lawn games, and a few rain drops, it was a great start to an already beloved tradition.

Join us back on campus in June 2020 (if not sooner)!

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PHOTO/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

Katie Diary From 1934 to 1937, the tenacious Mother Antonia campaigned for Phi Beta Kappa (PBK) endorsement of the College of St. Catherine. St. Kate’s finally overcame committee objections to its Catholicism and its female student base — defying dismissal as a “little girl’s college,” as one delegate put it — and successfully obtained the right to a PBK chapter in 1937.

On May 17, 1938, St. Kate’s became the nation’s first Catholic institution of higher education to have a PBK

chapter, and only the third chapter in Minnesota. Since then, more than 1,200 Katies have been inducted.

In this photo from 1950, PBK members witness a new member signing the membership book, honoring a legacy of academic recognition hard-earned 13 years prior. The students pictured above are six of the 14 inductees, all 1950 graduates (left to right): Verna Budde White, Martha Borgersrode Liesch, Nona Mary Allard, Mary Beth Dempsey, Jacqueline Gibis Breher, and Mary Wendelschafer Koehneke.