Around Campus ACADEMIC YEAR OPENS WITH A FOCUS ON LEADERSHIP St. Catherine University continued its traditional opening celebration this year, with a modern twist. Instead of gathering in person, students, faculty, and staff crossed virtual channels to convene online. This year’s theme, “leadership,” offered a pause in today’s chaotic life to look back and look ahead. “As a central tenet of our mission, leadership has been part of a St. Catherine education since our founding,” said ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76, president of St. Catherine University. “This year, we are called to lead more than ever as we navigate a health pandemic, economic crisis, natural disasters, racism, and racial disparities.” In that spirit, St. Kate’s celebrated the leadership of two women: Sister Mary Madonna Ashton, CSJ, ’44 (top right) and Minnesota Department of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm (bottom right). The University conferred honorary degrees to Ashton and Malcolm. Both women have devoted their careers to pursuing health equity with wisdom and justice. Each shared her own reflections and advice for this year’s class. “The most important thing is that students be themselves, enjoy what they’re doing, and do it the best they can,” advised Sr. Mary Madonna. “There’s no road map to what will make you famous, important, or intelligent. Good things will come your way — take advantage of them.” Commissioner Malcolm, a veteran healthcare executive and nationally recognized expert on health policy,
is serving her second appointment as the Minnesota health commissioner. She noted, “This is a time when we all have to stay committed to being open to learning new things, to follow the facts, and be humble enough to change course when we learn something new. “If we can learn the lessons that we’re seeing now, that the things we took for granted we can’t take for granted, we can build a more just, connected, humane, caring, and sustainable world. All of this can lead us to a brighter, healthier, more resilient future,” said Malcolm. That future relies on the leaders who will graduate from St. Catherine University. Despite the many changes the community has faced over the past six months, according to Anita Thomas, PhD, executive vice president and provost, “One thing remains the same: We will still be the St. Catherine community, and we’ll still produce great leaders that will lead and influence change.”
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