The Future is Katie, St. Catherine University Magazine Spring 2021

UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE

T he

SPRING 2021

Future i

e i t s Ka

THE ART GALLERY IS OPEN ONLINE

The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery is bringing the visual arts to the community virtually. “The Minnesota Suffragists” exhibition explores the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. View artwork at gallery.stkate.edu.

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 NATALIE HAMILTON

CONTRIBUTORS RUTH HAAG BROMBACH ’60 BETH RIEDEL CARNEY ’82 JANE LAMM CARROLL, PHD KARA DEMARIE MLIS’16 KATHARINE ELDRIDGE TRACIE FAUTH ’23 DENISE GAMBOA MANDY IVERSON JESSICA KRUECKEBERG EMILY MCDANIEL MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17 MOLLY ORTH LINDSEY FREY PALMQUIST MARY PATTOCK ’66

JON SCHULTZ SARAH VOIGT ELISABETH WULF ’21

ADDRESS CHANGES 651-690-6666 alumni@stkate.edu

PHOTOGRAPHER DANNY KAHLER KIM KOVACIK REBECCA SLATER ’10

mag.stkate.edu @st.kates @stkate @stkates @St. Catherine University

UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE

SPRING 2021

FE AT U R E S

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Data Science: A New Liberal Arts Key to Many Careers A high-demand career path with a social justice focus.

BY MARY PATTOCK ’66

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Connection in Uncertain Times: Navigating Senior Year, Together One senior shares her experience during a pandemic.

BY ELISABETH WULF ’21

U.S. POSTAGE

PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 822

LESLIE BARLOW, MARIE LOUISE BOTTINEAU BALDWIN, (DETAIL) 2020, OIL ON PANEL, 24”X17.5”. IMAGE COURTESY OF TWIN CITIES PBS.

NONPROFIT ORG.

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

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Healthcare Professionals Educated to Face the Unpredictable The deans’ plan for the School of Health is tested.

BY JESSICA KRUECKEBERG ABOUT THE COVER UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE Faculty, staff, and alumni are dedicated to teaching women to lead and influence, shaping a future that is informed by Katies. (Pictured: Elisabeth Wulf ’21 and Quynh Pham ’21)

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FROM THE PRESIDENT

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CAMPAIGN UPDATE

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BOOKMARK

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KATIES IN ACTION

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AROUND CAMPUS

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CLASS NOTES SPRING 2021

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IN MEMORY

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KATIE DIARY

PHOTOS/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

GRACE HOLMES CARLSON ’29, PhD, WAS THE FIRST WOMAN TO BE NOMINATED AND RUN FOR VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. SHE WAS NOMINATED TO RUN ON THE SOCIALIST TICKET IN 1948. IN THE 60s AND 70s, SHE TAUGHT AT ST. MARY’S JUNIOR COLLEGE.

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

From the President This year marks the first time we have seen a woman reach the office of vice president of the United States. We are proud to celebrate Vice President Kamala Harris as she breaks barriers for women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC). At St. Catherine University, we’ve been educating women to lead and influence for more than a century, and we know this is a significant milepost for our nation and for the world to see women sitting in positions of power in the White House and across all industries.

It was not surprising to learn that a Katie was the first woman to be nominated to run for vice president.

Our own Grace Holmes Carlson ’29, PhD, ran in 1948 on the Socialist Workers Party ticket. It took another 72 years for a woman to be elected. It’s women like Grace, Vice President Harris, and our many Katies elected to office (page 25) who we look to as role models to fight for inclusion at the legislative table — and to make society more equitable and just for all people. Until we’ve changed the laws, policies, and systems, nothing will change.

We as a community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends are also vital to addressing injustices and working toward inclusion. And we as a community are leaders in this work because it is in our genetic coding from the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the Catholic Social Teaching tradition. We learn together and hold one another accountable. We care for the dear neighbor and welcome all.

The past year has been amassed with opportunities for growth, to put it mildly. As a country and as individuals, I see hope in our collective willingness to continue learning and growing. This hope for the future

is what inspired this issue. The Henrietta Schmoll School of Health is preparing healthcare students for an unpredictable future during a pandemic (page 16), and our new data science degree is opening doors to diversify data analysis that will inform our systems (page 6). Alumna Chanté Thurmond MAOL’14 (page 22) shares her vision for technology designed with diversity, equity, and accessibility at the forefront, and Professor Jane Carroll remembers the history of enslaved women in the United States through their stories (page 14).

I believe deep in my heart that Katies are truly changing the world. They have exited through these gates as so many of you did, and are leading and influencing to make our world a better place for us today and for generations to come. The future is Katie.

ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76

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Excellence Our Students transform the world.

Our Faculty advance first-class education.

Our Place fosters faith and reason.

The Katie Fund prioritizes our most critical needs.

Support and empower the Next Level of Excellence at St. Kate’s. Visit stkate.edu/campaign.

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

INTERIOR OF CHAPEL. EXPLORE THE HISTORY OF THIS HISTORIC SITE IN OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL: MONUMENT. MYSTERY. MISSION. BY MARY ANN BRENDEN.

Our Lady of Victory Chapel

BY DENISE GAMBOA

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teeped in reverence, Our Lady of Victory Chapel is a timeless sanctuary at the heart of St. Catherine University — and St. Paul. The Chapel is a symbol of our mission to educate women through the Catholic intellectual tradition and empower them to become just leaders in service of community. It’s also an important community gathering space for spiritual reflection, inclusivity, and celebration.

“If the tiles could talk, they could tell the stories. It’s the heart-place for gathering,” says Sharon Howell, CSJ, director of the Center for Spirituality and Social Justice, the Archbishop Harry Flynn Endowed Chair in Catholic Identity, and the director of the Myser Initiative.

More than a beautiful landmark, the Chapel is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was inspired by the Church of St. Trophime in Arles, France, and

was built and dedicated in 1924, costing more than $400,000 at the time.

As we approach its 100th anniversary in 2024, this architecturally stunning monument requires critical updates to protect its physical integrity and conduct repairs. Through LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence, $5 million of donations to “Our Place” will support these careful updates. “[The Chapel is] a place where people understand that they can gather, they can worship, they are welcome, and that the spirituality that they hold dear will be honored,” reflected Jean Wincek, CSJ, ’62, chair of the Board of Trustees.

Investments in the Chapel’s preservation will sustain its legacy as a gathering space for another 100 years.

Campaign Progress With your help, we can realize our vision to lead and influence. We are well on our way to our goal of $130 million, with $98,000,000 raised to date.

To support restorations to the Chapel, visit stkate.edu/campaign. You can also email giving@stkate.edu or call 651-690-6093.

Campaign progress is current as of 12/31/2020.

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MONICA BROWN, THE MARY T. HILL DIRECTOR OF DATA SCIENCE, LEADS THE DATA SCIENCE PROGRAM IN THE SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES, ARTS, AND SCIENCES.

Data Science: A New Liberal Arts Key to Many Careers

BY MARY PATTOCK ’66

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PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

t’s an exciting prospect: a new major surfaces that can get a liberal arts graduate through the door of virtually any field or industry. It’s called data science, and St. Catherine University is positioned at its cutting edge.

The data science field sprang up out of a need to make decisions based on ever-expanding data in every imaginable field — from healthcare, artificial intelligence, languages, and political science, to astrophysics, business, sports, and more.

The need is so pressing that the job and recruiting site Glassdoor ranks data scientist as the third-best job in America in terms of median base salary, job satisfaction, and availability.

Data scientists are in high demand because they can address data so comprehensively. They collect, organize, analyze, visualize, and communicate massive data sets using several disciplines: math, computer science, and statistics.

“A lot of companies have a ton of data, but there’s no one to analyze it,” says Tori Hagstrom ’21, who will graduate this spring as one of St. Catherine University’s first data science majors.

“It’s a really fresh, brand-new major throughout the entire country, and having St. Kate’s paving the way is really awesome.”

Assistant Professor Monica Brown, MS, is the chief architect of St. Kate’s new major. She arrived at the University in 2008 with a master’s degree in statistics and a passion to make the field more appealing and accessible to a broader range of students.

“I know statistics can be scary for a lot of people — particularly for young women who may not have been encouraged to think

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–MONICA BROWN Mary T. Hill Director of Data Science

they can do it,” she says. “So the entry point into the newly developed statistics minor is an algebra-based course rather than a calculus-based course. You need that upper-level math and stats knowledge for sure, but you don’t have to start there.”

Her strategy worked — so well, in fact, that the course ended up serving as a springboard for her next step in the plan: creating an interdisciplinary statistics minor.

Later, as math department chair, Brown began considering how to equip Katies at an even higher level to meet the growing demand for data analysts. She expanded the new statistics program, combining it with math and computer science instruction, to create the new data science major.

St. Kate’s institutional advancement team assisted her in proposing the concept to the James J. Hill family, and they responded with funding for the Mary T. Hill Director of Data Science position to honor the memory of their family matriarch.

Brown now holds that position. And the program — just two years old — already has attracted some 15 data science majors. Brown dreams of further expanding it to include summer programs and a master’s degree, and she recently launched the Just Data Lab as a campus resource she envisions making available to the larger community.

In today’s world, Brown says, Katies need to be able to watch a TV commercial, read an article, or look critically at a graph, and understand the data presented in each. They should be equally confident in their ability to tell stories through data.

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“With data floating around anywhere and everywhere,” says Brown, “it’s really hard to discern what’s accurately represented and what’s not. But you don’t have to be a statistics major or knowledgeable about programming to be wiser about what’s being thrown at you.”

That’s why she created Intro to Data Visualization, a course with no higher-level math or statistics prerequisites. It’s open to all students, infusing the liberal arts curriculum with the notion that everyone benefits from data literacy.

A TOOLBOX Brown prefers to think of data science as a toolbox.

“It’s not something you do — but something you use to inform your work in other areas.”

That toolbox contains both math and technical skills — plus the capacity to collaborate across disciplines, enabling the practitioner to serve as a conduit for complex projects. In financial services, for example, data scientists assess and predict financial scenarios to keep financial advisors better informed to make decisions on behalf of their clients.

In retail settings, they track supply and demand so that buyers and supply chain managers can better manage inventories.

Data science is also fundamental to artificial intelligence (AI) — the software that seeks to replicate human thinking to respond and solve problems in areas as diverse as product development and national security.

In the public-policy realm, a data scientist could map COVID-19 mortality and morbidity rates with data on race, income level, and access to affordable housing in order to explore possible links between community inequities and health disparities.

A history scholar schooled in data science could write a program to find and analyze specific characteristics in ancient documents and create hypotheses about the document’s significance within a culture.

THE ST. KATE’S DIFFERENCE Data science programs are springing up at colleges and universities around the country, but the St. Kate’s offering is unique in significant ways.

First, it is structured by women and for women, says Tarshia Stanley, PhD, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences (pictured, inset). This is an important distinction in the broader data science landscape — one which plays out not only in terms of equitable access to the field, but also in the quality of data science outcomes.

As is true with other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, data science is maledominated. In a recent study, one of the nation’s largest business strategy consulting firms, Boston Consulting Group (BCG), found that women comprise about 55 percent of university graduates worldwide but only 35 percent of STEM graduates, 25 percent of the STEM workforce, and 15 percent of data science professionals.

Similarly, according to the tech industry newsletter KDnuggets News, only about one-sixth of tech jobs are held by people from underrepresented groups (Hispanic or African American).

This lack of diversity can be dangerous, say the BCG researchers. The field of artificial intelligence, for example, is susceptible to bias because it selects data from sources that are inherently biased by historical and sociological factors. In addition, people who create AI algorithms and hypotheses can be inf luenced by unconscious bias — or worse — intentional bias.

The shortage of women and Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) in the field makes it possible, even likely, that their contributions and needs will not be recognized in the data, and that critical projects and decisions will simply replicate injustices of the past.

(One well-known example is the biased facial-recognition software used recently in Detroit to accuse a man of a crime he didn’t commit.)

St. Catherine University, where the majority of undergrads are women and nearly 40 percent identify as BIPOC, is an obvious resource for employers seeking workforce diversity that can, in turn, help legitimize their data analysis in real-world applications.

That challenge is appropriate to graduates of St. Catherine University, where the institution’s curriculum and culture are rooted firmly in the social-justice legacy of its founders, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet — another major distinction.

In their junior or senior years, students in the major are required to take an upper-division class that offers a social-justice lens, such as critical race theory or women’s studies, so they learn to “not just do data science in a vacuum,” says Brown. “It helps them make that connection that we can use data science as a tool to address broad, systemic issues.”

As Dean Stanley puts it, “Previous generations interested in justice issues might have chosen something like law or social work. Now, here’s another thing you can choose to be deeply involved in to change people’s lives for the better.”

Offering data science in the context of a liberal arts education is another feature that distinguishes the St. Kate’s program from those offered at other institutions.

“Yes, data science is about data and numbers,” says Stanley. “But the glue that holds everything together is the way you think through it. Given the same set of numbers, one person will use them in one particular way that may not account for the nuances and differences

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MAY THAO-SCHUCK, EdD, (BELOW) LEADS AN INTEGRATED APPROACH TO CAREER PREPARATION AS THE TERESA ROLLING RADZINSKI VICE PRESIDENT OF CAREER AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT.

that can seriously affect everything from school funding to well-being. But a person with a liberal arts background can interpret that data through multiple frames.”

St. Kate’s data science students learn those frames by way of a required second major or minor in another discipline — anything from art history to biology. They also pop up in the data science curriculum itself. Students can choose a generic statistics course or, depending on their career interests, one that’s offered in the context of healthcare, economics, or psychology.

Data science at St. Kate’s involves a heavy emphasis on communication, a traditional liberal arts skill that is essential in the endgame of any data sciences endeavor: clearly explaining what all this complex data means, telling a story through data, and creating data visualizations.

THE CAREER PATHWAY St. Kate’s is well equipped to help its data science students with job placement. Guided by the Katie Compass, a feature of the recently adopted Academic Master Plan, the University seeks to infuse all four years of a student’s academic path with job-relevant opportunities and resources.

PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

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Directing the institution-wide effort is May ThaoSchuck, EdD, the University’s first Teresa Rolling Radzinski Vice President of Career and Professional Development.

Thao-Schuck previously directed the workforce development employment and training programs at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

It’s her job to identify companies that hire graduates from particular majors, especially in Minnesota and the Midwest, and create opportunities for employers to connect with students in the classroom, through workshops, mentorships, internships, information interviews, and more.

According to Thao-Schuck, some of the top organizations hiring data science majors include 3M, UnitedHealth Group, IBM, Target Corporation, US Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, and General Mills, and many of them are intentionally working to diversify their workforce. Opportunities also exist in finance, manufacturing, social assistance, transportation, public administration, utilities, and wholesale trade.

Along with the more traditional career development tools, students also compile résumés and portfolios that document the courses they take, the skills they’ve employed in the classroom, and co-curricular experiences. As Thao-Schuck says, “A degree alone doesn’t make you a qualified candidate.

Employers hire skills.”

She describes the newly retooled career development process as “meeting students where they are,” as they first enter with their interests and ambitions, and partnering with them along a four-year career pathway that leads them to a job.

“The goal is for them to make the transition to their highest aspiration, whatever that is, and to find meaningful work and a purposeful life,” she says.

One good way to reach that goal is with a St. Catherine data science background — one that’s distinguished by academic excellence, framed through the liberal arts, and rooted in social justice.

You earned a degree in business, but are in data science. What do you do?

PHOTO/DANNY KAHLER

Why might a corporation look to St. Kate’s grads?

I would look to hire St. Kate’s grads with a data science degree. Target would benefit from bringing more women into our Analytics and Data Sciences teams. I have a high interest because St. Kate’s is an academically strong school, and we can draw from its base of women graduates.

Christine Durbin ’93 Business major, Director of Operations Intelligence, Target Corporation

Why is St. Kate’s positioned well to educate future leaders in data?

What is the current and future state of the data science field?

First and foremost, St. Kate’s has a history of successfully building world-class programs that align to the needs of the world economy.

Additionally, they’ve developed a stellar reputation for helping the next generation of female leaders to lead and influence. Last but not least, St. Kate’s continues to evolve their academic options. This is validated with their most recent investments in data science.

Every month you see thousands of openings for technology-related jobs in Minnesota. Data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning are three of the fastest growing needs in the market, paying nearly six figures. This is a great example of getting an education in a field that has an immediate return in economic opportunity and career advancement.

I lead a team whose job is to provide insights from our data generated throughout our global supply chain. These insights are used in daily decision-making and yearly planning via data visualization tools. The members of my team combine their business experience, statistics, and math with programming languages to create descriptive models (what happened and why), predictive models (what’s going to happen) and prescriptive models (what is the best that could happen).

It’s my job to influence business leaders and ensure adoption of these insights in order to drive business outcomes for Target’s top priorities.

Craig Pratt Founder of Next Level Leader

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Connection in Uncertain Times: Navigating Senior Year, Together

BY ELISABETH WULF ’21

My senior year has been full of firsts. It was my first year without entering the gates for the start of classes. It was also the first time I’ve been virtually employed. But this has also been a year of growing some of the strongest connections in this new reality.

There is something oddly comforting in the bond between seniors who are jointly experiencing our final college year during the pandemic. The pandemic has pushed us to be more intentional about our conversations, the topics we learn, and the time we spend with one another.

Pre-pandemic, I felt caught in a nonstop weekly cycle of commuting to events, classes, and work, finding time to study for exams, and trying to fit in a meetup with my professor or a friend. But now that classes are all at my fingertips online, I can take advantage of my professors’ office hours and better design my schedule.

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These are just some discoveries in the “new normal.”

I’ve accepted that my senior year doesn’t look how I wanted and that graduation won’t either because everything is tinged with uncertainty, leading to many unanswered questions in this uncharted territory.

I find myself having thoughts associated with impostor syndrome: Are the goals I made before the pandemic going to align with the needs of the post-crisis world?

Will my studies in the history of psychology and media match up with the real-world needs and demands of the future? Will I be able to serve in a professional role with purpose while others are struggling?

Nevertheless, we seniors are completing our final degree requirements with some adjustments. The University set up a tiered system for courses to be in person and online depending on the course needs. Some are all online, some are hybrid, and some are entirely

PHOTOS/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

ELISABETH WULF ’21 AND QUYNH PHAM ’21 STUDY TOGETHER APART IN THE DEW DROP LOUNGE.

in-person. While my final communications courses can be completed virtually, it isn’t as straightforward for some healthcare courses, such as one that my friend Quynh Pham ’21 is taking for her nursing major.

“I would be lying if I said it has been easy,” says Pham.

“My internship was canceled because of the pandemic, but now I’m emulating that hands-on experience through virtual clinical simulations and using equipment provided by the University. Even though I’m scared about getting a job and jumping right into my nursing career, I know that there are always supportive professors and classmates that I can talk with.”

I’ve also gotten used to collaborating and conducting my psychology research online, but Jasmine McLaurin ’22, a biology and pre-medicine major, needs her lab work completed in person with that beaker and Bunsen burner on hand.

“My labs typically are multiple hours long and tough to do with a mask on, but I am grateful that I can still do them safely,” says McLaurin. “I perform schoolwork better when I have someone to bounce ideas off, so not being able to work closely with others is a struggle.”

I never pictured my senior year of college feeling as new as it has felt, but there are more firsts yet to come.

I’m eager for post-graduate life, when I’ll have my first chance at starting a career. I also have learned key lessons that cannot be taught by textbooks: There is a world of opportunities even in the ruggedness of uncertainty, and grasping the present moment for all that it is has allowed me to connect with others in a way I never would have before. I’ve gone through this shared experience and witnessed resilience in my friends, family, and professors. The best we can do is be there for one another and find comfort in the continuing change.

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Bookmark

Exploring Enslaved Women’s History through Literature

BY JANE LAMM CARROLL, PhD

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ince childhood, I have been both an avid reader and deeply fascinated by the past, so literature and history have always been inexorably intertwined in my life. Literature has acted as a window into history and as a source of historical knowledge, providing an avenue into past events, while also spurring and answering my historical questions.

As a professor of history, I incorporate literature into almost all of my courses — especially those focusing on women’s and feminist history — but also in U.S. history courses examining the experiences of historically marginalized people due to their race, class, gender, religion, or nationality. The literature I employ includes novels written in the past, historical fiction, autobiographies, biographies, and plays.

As an educator, I have found that literature acts as a very successful empathetic “hook.” These stories effectively draw students into learning about diverse

people’s experiences from previous eras and, importantly, spark their curiosity and questions about the past.

While I was still in graduate school in the 1980s, I read Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved. It compelled me to dive more deeply into the history of slavery in the United States — especially the experiences of enslaved women — as I strove to understand why a mother would kill her own child rather than allow her to be dragged back into slavery. Once I began reading the narratives of formerly enslaved women, I began to understand.

The system of slavery in the United States was a profoundly evil institution, and its morally corrosive, dehumanizing, and violent effects are nowhere more evident than in the stories and experiences of enslaved women. But they are also inspirational accounts of survival, resistance, and resilience in the face of unrelenting oppression.

Jane Lamm Carroll ’80, PhD, is a professor of history and women’s studies at St. Catherine University. She was the Sister Mona Riley Endowed Chair in the Humanities for 2017–2020. She is the author of Daybreak Woman: An Anglo-Dakota Life (November 2020) published with the Minnesota Historical Society Press.

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3 4

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7 8

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If you want to learn more about the history of slavery from the perspectives of enslaved women, here is a selective sample of the literature I recommended and use in my history courses on this topic.

Autobiographical Accounts

Written in the form of novels by formerly enslaved women: 1. Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl

by Harriet Jacobs 2. The Bondwoman’s Narrative

by Hannah Crafts

Biographical Accounts

Written in the form of a novel (historical fiction) by the great-granddaughter of the main character: 3. Jubilee

by Margaret Walker

Scholarly Biographies

Stories of enslaved women: 4. Harriet Tubman, The Road to Freedom

by Catherine Clinton 5. Harriet Jacobs, A Life

by Jean Yellin 6. Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol

by Nell Irvin Painter

Historical Monograph

The true story of an enslaved woman who successfully won her freedom via the Louisiana court system: 7. The Lost German Slave Girl

by John Bailey Examines the historiographical fallacies of historians related to Thomas Jefferson, the enslaved woman Sally Hemings and their children: 8. Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: An American Controversy

by Annette Gordon-Reed

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PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

SIMULATION DIRECTOR KRISTA ANDERSON, RN, MSN, CHSE (CENTER) ACTS AS A PATIENT FOR AN INTERPROFESSIONAL CLINICAL SIMULATION WITH STUDENTS NTSHIASHE “KRISTINE” LEE, MSN-EL’21 (LEFT) AND HANNAH ZENISEK OTD’22 (RIGHT).

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Healthcare Professionals Educated to Face the Unpredictable

BY JESSICA KRUECKEBERG During World War II, there was a great demand in the United States for educated women to enter the traditionally male-dominated workforce while men were fighting the war overseas. In response to this urgent need, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet at the College of St. Catherine, already known for their nursing programs, added additional professional degree programs in the health sciences and healthcare to support the war effort and provide new career avenues for women.

With its liberal arts core, St. Kate’s health science graduates had not only technical skills, but also broadness of mind, mental agility, and an ethical foundation. These traits allowed them to see the bigger picture and raise their voices to lead justly — invaluable traits in the middle of a seismic war.

Nearly 80 years later, we find ourselves facing another global crisis — the COVID-19 pandemic. Once again, we are in desperate need of well-educated healthcare professionals, and St. Kate’s is uniquely positioned to demonstrate the importance of a liberal arts education to America’s healthcare industry.

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PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

FORESIGHT AND PREPAREDNESS St. Catherine University’s Henrietta Schmoll School of Health (HSSH) is one of the most comprehensive and reputable health sciences schools in Minnesota, with more than 35 programs across associate, bachelor’s, and graduate levels.

When the two deans of HSSH were appointed in 2019, Dean of Health Sciences Lisa Dutton, PT, PhD, and Dean of Nursing Laura Fero, PhD, MSN, RN, envisioned a forward-thinking and innovative education. They developed a plan that keeps liberal arts, women, and Catholic Social Teaching at the forefront with the flexibility to shift with the evolving healthcare industry and develop prepared, high-quality providers.

“Because Laura and I started our roles at the same time, it provided a great opportunity to create a futureforward strategy that leverages our school’s strengths and opportunities,” says Dutton.

Rooted in the University’s Academic Master Plan, their plan sets clear goals and initiatives to drive a culture of inclusive excellence, enhance external partnerships, and emphasize socially responsible leadership. With the support of University leadership and GHR Foundation grants, they set forth initiatives in career development, leadership skills, and cultural fluency for students with emphasis on clinical innovation, critical thinking, interprofessional education, relationship-centered care, and an inclusive, well-rounded curriculum.

“We want the School of Health to foster an environment of interprofessional and experiential learning to prepare students to deliver high-quality, safe, evidence-based professional care,” Fero says.

THE PANDEMIC PUSHES FOR CLINICAL INNOVATION As the COVID-19 pandemic hit Minnesota in spring of 2020, its health and economic effects exacerbated the need to innovate and change the way healthcare is delivered. The deans saw how their plans for academic excellence in healthcare education were now even more crucial.

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“The pandemic sped up our timelines and exposed the gaps in the healthcare system that our students need to tackle when they graduate,” says Fero. “The healthcare industry has to pivot with the quickly changing times — especially in a crisis. We are working to replicate that f lexibility in higher education and present the most current information for our students.”

This strategy was of key importance as they worked to address some of the pandemic’s most dire effects on students’ educations. Most HSSH programs require hands-on clinical experiences (also known as preceptorships or fieldwork) for students to complete their degrees, and the School of Health has designated coordinators assisting students with placement in one of 1,300 affiliated partners. These clinical placements for many were interrupted — a stoppage that created an immediate need for new placements without falling short of accreditation requirements for graduation or students’ financial aid packages.

“We needed to pivot immediately to provide seamless education and care for our students by utilizing nontraditional clinical experiences,” Fero says.

Clinical education coordinators and HSSH faculty were committed to finding the best opportunities available for their students. HSSH’s Clinical Education Director Rebecca McGill, EdD, RN, says, “All the coordinators for the School of Health programs would meet and share ideas about how to get their students the hours that they needed.”

TELEHEALTH AND VIRTUAL HEALTHCARE Alternative technologies, such as telehealth and virtual healthcare, are designed to work in conjunction with and support of clinical experiences. The pandemic has revealed an increased demand for practitioners with experience in virtual care, and telehealth use is on the rise as a means to provide safe and accessible care.

“Telehealth and virtual healthcare require a different set of skills than in-person care,” Dutton says. “We wanted to integrate this education into our liberal arts

LEFT: DEAN OF HEALTH SCIENCES LISA DUTTON, PT, PhD, AND DEAN OF NURSING LAURA FERO, PhD, MSN, RN. BELOW: KATILYN TAYLOR, MSN-EL’22, ADMINISTERS FLU VACCINE TO AN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENT DURING HER CLINICAL WORK AT THE BEAR CARE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CLINIC IN THE WHITE BEAR LAKE SCHOOL DISTRICT.

foundation so students are not only comfortable technically, but can provide excellent care to their patients when they need to use these technologies in their future careers.”

Faculty and clinical coordinators found opportunities for students to learn telehealth skills and think critically about what it means to interact remotely with patients while providing highquality care.

Assistant Professor of Nursing and Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Gretchen Moen, APR N, MS, CPNP-PC, (pictured, inset) often precepts for nurse practitioner students at her clinic, Dakota Child and Family Clinic. When many clinical opportunities for students were shut down and her clinic was forced to go strictly into telehealth, Moen took on an unprecedented 12 students. She also encouraged colleagues in her community to follow her clinic’s model since many clinics didn’t have telehealth platforms to support students who were working from home.

Moen and her 12 students developed a system to have a safe and valuable clinical experience. Working with up to three students each day, Moen facilitated appointments with patients, and students joined virtually to either observe or interact directly with patients. Afterward, they would discuss the appointment and provide insights and feedback.

Moen instructed not just on nursing skills, but how to make the virtual visits easier for the patients. “We discussed improvements we could make between patient visits — the student’s representative image, the [sound of a] clicking keyboard, and general etiquette,” Moen recalls.

“Telehealth is here to stay,” she says. “Our students will have the skills and tools to be leaders in this arena, as they are with in-person patient care. This opportunity has presented a silver lining in an otherwise very dark cloud of COVID.”

NONTRADITIONAL AND EMERGING PRACTICES Another part of the deans’ clinical innovations was providing new care opportunities to communities that have traditionally been underserved due to access or insurance reimbursement regulations. These nontraditional or emerging practices provided a crucial opportunity for clinical experience during the pandemic.

“Allowing our students to learn in emerging or nontraditional practice settings gets them out of their comfort zones and encourages them to think differently to adjust the care-management cycle,” Fero says.

Assistant Professor of Nursing Jessica Miehe, DNP’21, MSN, RN, CCRN-K, secured funding from a GHR Foundation Legacy grant through St. Kate’s to start a free school-based health clinic in the White Bear Lake school district called Bear Care Health & Wellness Clinic.

“The clinic offers our White Bear Lake Area School District students an option to receive free, high quality healthcare that they may have struggled to find otherwise,” says Wayne Kazmierczak, PhD, superintendent of White Bear Lake school district.

Miehe is a clinical coordinator for the nursing department and she saw a valuable opportunity for St. Kate’s students at the Bear Care Clinic. Since the clinic opened in March 2020, 23 St. Kate’s students in nursing and social work programs have completed more than 600 hours of clinical experience providing care to White Bear Lake, Minn. children and families.

St. Kate’s online occupational therapy assistant (OTA) program expanded its clinical placement opportunities

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BELOW: OTA ONLINE STUDENT AND FIELDWORK COORDINATOR TERRI GRUNDY, OTR, VIRTUALLY DISCUSSES OTA FIELDWORK AND CLINICALS WITH STUDENTS, THE EMERGING PRACTICE SITE DIRECTOR, AND FIELDWORK EDUCATOR MELISSA BENSON, COTA.

for students eight years ago. Since the curriculum is offered online, students all over the country need local fieldwork placements. This existing structure was crucial when traditional OTA fieldwork settings, such as hospitals, clinics, and schools, shut down during the pandemic.

For example, OTA students in Texas are working in an emerging practice called SAFIRE (San Antonio Fitness, Independent and Recreational Environment), whose mission is “to provide people with intellectual disabilities an environment to physically, socially, and independently grow beyond expectations.” This partnership in a rec center environment is a stark contrast to the OTA’s traditional medical setting.

“The faculty did a great job of relating OTA to our work at SAFIRE, and the students were awesome. They did the job in a professional but personal way and took the time to get to know our clients,” said Teresa Sullivan, founder and executive director of SAFIRE. VIRTUAL SIMULATIONS In addition to in-person clinical placements and telehealth, some HSSH programs’ accrediting bodies allowed students to use simulations for their clinical experiences. Students can learn and practice technical and cognitive skills in these controlled environments using virtual reality, mannequins, video, and scripted actors portraying patients.

The simulated experiences provide students the opportunity to deepen their understanding of

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

the applicable skills both during the simulation and afterward while reviewing their performance with their instructor, classmates, and fellow participants.

HSSH’s first simulation director, Krista Anderson, RN, MSN, CHSE, was hired prior to the pandemic as part of the deans’ future-forward strategy. As COVID-19 closures increased the importance of simulations in students’ educations, Anderson was brimming with ideas. She pivoted to tackle the monumental task of providing increased clinical simulations while navigating the accrediting bodies’ rules and regulations.

The social work program, which formally joined HSSH in 2019, worked with Anderson to create simulated patient interactions for students when clinical placements weren’t available.

“By initiating consultation circles through scenario simulation, we could educate our students about directpractice skills, such as engagement, intervention, and evaluation,” says Allison Scheel, MSW, assistant professor of social work.

INTERPROFESSIONAL EDUCATION St. Catherine University has the most healthcare programs of any private college in Minnesota, allowing students to experience combinations of interprofessional practice and education that aren’t possible at other institutions.

“Interprofessional education is a hallmark of St. Kate’s, and we are expanding and building upon that history,” says Associate Dean of Health Sciences Sean Fitzpatrick, PhD, CMPC. Teaching these principles in higher education helps St. Kate’s students learn to communicate efficiently with healthcare professionals in other fields, which paves the way for holistic and efficient care. For example, the nurse who first encounters a patient on admission must understand the patient’s ailment and be able to communicate important details with subsequent caregivers, such as physical and occupational therapists.

“Interprofessional education allows students to collaborate across disciplines and to think critically about the broader picture of health so the care team can work together to provide a higher level of care for their patients,” Dean Fero says.

PHOTOS/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS

HEALTHCARE PROGRAM STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN SIMULATIONS TO PRACTICE AND FULFILL PRACTICUM REQUIREMENTS.

When finding clinical placements became difficult, HSSH simulation director Krista Anderson created interprofessional education simulations for OT, OTA, and nursing students to replace clinical and fieldwork hours. The OT and OTA clinical coordinators and faculty also worked together to provide their students with joint clinical experiences. “If we found a facility that would take an OT student for clinical placement, we would ask them to also take an OTA student, as it would be natural for those two programs to work together in their careers,” says Bonnie Riley, OTD, OTR/L, assistant professor of OTA. Experiencing clinicals together helps students gain insight into one another’s roles and increases their confidence when partnering with colleagues in those roles in the future.

MOVING FORWARD: INNOVATIVE CURRICULUM Deans Fero and Dutton also hired HSSH’s first instructional designer, Ryann Sparrow, MA, JD, to build connections for faculty and students and explore new learning opportunities for students. Sparrow’s role quickly evolved during the pandemic to make distance learning successful.

“We needed to alter the curriculum to f it the technological vehicle and build an academic community online to support our students and one another,” Sparrow says. “We were triaging for a while, but the faculty is now confident in online learning, which allows the School of Health to be flexible and quickly incorporate new information into the curriculum.”

Sparrow and the instructors are not only expanding students’ technical skills and increasing student and faculty competency in remote communication. They’re also working together with Anderson to create consistency between the faculty’s curriculum and related simulations to guide students through complex

situations they may face in the real world using critical thinking, cultural fluency, and advocacy skills of a liberal arts education.

Kara Koschmann, PhD, APRN, CPNP-PC, assistant professor of nursing and nurse practitioner co-program director, observes, “In addition to teaching our students to see the whole picture and combat injustices and systemic racism, we also need to provide them with the tools to connect through technology to serve justly.”

A SILVER LINING AHEAD Throughout the myriad changes during these uncertain times, HSSH continues to prepare St. Kate’s graduates to be leaders in the healthcare industry.

“We are building a better, brighter future for healthcare education based on what we learned in these dark times,” Dean Dutton says.

MSW Field Education Director Allison Scheel, MSW, agrees. “The pandemic presented a unique opportunity for students to reframe their experiences and learn how to navigate in uncertainty, be flexible, and shift course on very short notice.” St. Kate’s students’ educational experience is paramount and central to all of the deans’ and faculty’s work, making theirs a crucial perspective.

Nurse practitioner doctoral student Chinwe Obi-Walker ’22 ref lects on her 2020 clinical experience with newfound wisdom. “Healthcare providers need to learn to adapt to ambiguous situations. I came into my program with an open mind, which helped me adjust to the changes presented. What should not come as a surprise is the amount of time and effort put into advocating for us students by faculty and staff. This support is exactly what I see, feel, and think about when I hear the name ‘St. Kate’s.’”

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PHOTO/KIM KOVACIK

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Katies in Action

Chanté Thurmond MAOL’14 is cultivating an era of inclusion

BY KAYLA FORBES MBA’17 Chanté Thurmond MAOL’14 has a not-so-secret weapon for stable profits, strong teams, and ethical, human-centered business. It’s equity, inclusion, and accessibility paired with universal, human-centered design principles.

Thurmond is the co-founder of The Darkest Horse, a next-gen Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging and Accessibility (DEIBA) consultancy firm. They help organizations explore the intersections of radical inclusion, emerging tech, the future of work, health, well-being and human potential. With clients like The Marketing Store (McDonald’s Happy Meal architects), Buoy Health, and theSkimm, they cultivate inclusion and equity when it comes to internal culture and organizational development, and universal, humancentered design when it comes to helping their clients build inclusive products and services.

“People are creating awesome apps for the future of healthcare, education, and work,” says Thurmond. “But the issue is that they’re not thinking holistically about the people using their products, services, and offerings. I think this is why a lot of businesses fall short, because they have not been challenged to think about community and social responsibility. You have to understand who the people using your technology and services are — and the communities they come from, the unique identities they hold or the beliefs they live by — in order for product brands to have longevity.”

Community well-being is the common thread through Thurmond’s career, which began in nursing and quickly led into community-based healthcare. She was working with the American Cancer Society when she enrolled in St. Catherine University’s Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership (MAOL) program.

“The MAOL program gave me an opportunity to expand on being a natural-born leader to being an effective manager and thought leader,” Thurmond says.

“I was reminded that people are the most important assets of any company.”

Thurmond set a new course and successfully launched into executive search, working as a recruiter for businesses.

She credits her MAOL professors with inspiring her to leverage her unique skills in a way that was comfortable for her.

She found success and satisfaction partnering with venture capitalists and early-stage technology startups throughout the U.S., finding opportunities to help them construct better products by building diverse teams with a stronger focus on inclusion and equity in talent acquisition, development, and retention. As a futurist, she foresees how a workplace’s culture and commitment to belonging will shape the employee experience and customer sentiment. She says we’ll be living in an era where organizations will be held accountable for their values.

Thurmond uses this to address work-life balance, which she believes is fleeting. It isn’t an achievable reality for most people — especially women — many of whom have been forced to stay home or work less during this pandemic to care for their families, she says.

“That’s really going to affect our technology, specifically the tech workforce, with everything going digital in the next few years,” she says.

Thurmond predicts that we are on the cusp of a new era of tech, which she offers is both an opportunity and a concern.

“What keeps me up at night is that we’re at the precipice of the Fourth Industrial Revolution,” Thurmond says. “If we don’t prioritize equity and accessibility, we’ll replicate the same kind of structural racism, oppression, inequity, and inaccessibility we’re experiencing now into new technologies and algorithms — literally programming limitations right into our future. That’s not okay.”

Thurmond has hope that we can change course to cultivate a more inclusive era. Through intentional practices, education, and scalable solutions, we can teach our youth and emerging leaders how technology affects our communities for generations to come. And we can dream of a better future in which needs are met for all humans — not through charity or back-breaking labor — but by inclusive, equitable, and accessible humancentered design.

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Around Campus ASSOCIATE PROVOST OF STUDENT AFFAIRS ANNOUNCED

NEW SENIOR LEADERSHIP ROLES ANNOUNCED

St. Catherine University has selected Matt Goodwin, PhD, as associate provost of student affairs.

St. Catherine University recently announced two internal promotions to roles that will join the Senior Leadership Team:

Goodwin will oversee programs for students across all degree programs and levels, and direct the integration of student experiences within the University’s mission and academic vision, focusing specifically on student retention, persistence, and timely graduation.

Goodwin’s professional areas of interest include Catholic higher education and student affairs practice, restorative justice and student conduct, and student engagement and governance.

CATHERINE G. MURPHY GALLERY TAKES EXHIBITS VIRTUAL The Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at St. Catherine University continues to make the visual arts accessible during these socially-distanced days with a collection of virtual art exhibitions. Visit gallery.stkate.edu for the latest offerings.

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

Tracey Gran, a 16-year employee in St. Kate’s finance department, was promoted to senior vice president, chief financial officer, treasurer, and corporate secretary.

Gran most recently served as St. Kate’s vice president for finance and controller. Her broad financial and higher education experience gives her a comprehensive understanding of St. Kate’s financial structure and operations. She is well-positioned to lead the University through a challenging economic landscape as we navigate the financial and operational changes necessary for the post-pandemic future.

Jean Guezmir, MBA, was promoted to senior vice president and chief information officer. Guezmir most recently served as St. Kate’s vice president and chief information officer, where she made significant contributions to the University’s technology infrastructure to support students, faculty, and staff in their everyday campus lives. More than any time in our 115-year history, we are living in a world of technological acceleration, where information and data are a strategic advantage. Guezmir’s promotion helps promote a holistic approach that provides a broadly determined and well understood vision and priorities — as St. Kate’s continues to invest in a technology foundation that supports, reaches, and engages all of the communities we serve.

PROFESSOR AWARDED ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION GRANT Marina Mileo Gorzig, PhD, assistant professor of economics and political science at St. Catherine University, was awarded a $57,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for her research into housing discrimination — “The Impact of Ban the Box on Housing Discrimination” — coauthored with Deborah Rho, PhD, University of St. Thomas assistant professor of economics.

In September 2019, the Minneapolis City Council passed a “ban the box” policy limiting the use of background checks and credit history specifically in rental housing applications. Gorzig and Rho are exploring the impacts the new policy has in Minneapolis compared to surrounding communities.

With support from research programs at St. Kate’s and St. Thomas, Gorzig and Rho began collecting data in January 2020 and expect to complete collection in June 2021.

“I’m grateful that St. Kate’s was able to support this project in the early stage. The internal support through the University’s Assistantship Mentoring Program, Academic Professional Development Committee, and Summer Scholars was essential in securing this grant,” Gorzig says.

“The fact that Professor Gorzig was able to garner such a prestigious award speaks to the strength of her skills as a researcher, teacher, and social justice advocate,” says Tarshia Stanley, PhD, dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Sciences. “Once again, we see the power of a liberal arts pedagogy at work in the world. The ability to ask a question, apply a disciplinary framework, and yield a constructive practice that changes lives is emblematic of St. Kate’s.”

KATIES LEADING THROUGHOUT MN GOVERNMENT St. Catherine University congratulates its alumni who were recently sworn in and are serving their Minnesota constituents across legislative and judicial branches of government.

U.S. REPRESENTATIVES Congresswoman Betty McCollum ’87, first elected in 2000, was re-elected to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives, representing District 4.

STATE REPRESENTATIVES Michelle Benson ’91, a Minnesota state senator since 2010, was re-elected to serve District 31.

Mary Kunesh-Podein ’95 represents District 41 in the Senate.

Erin Murphy MAOL’05, a former majority leader in the Minnesota House, will now represent District 64 in the Senate.

Jessica Hanson ’18 won her first race, representing District 56A in the Minnesota House.

MINNESOTA DISTRICT COURT JUDGES Margaret Daly ’77, re-elected to serve the 4th District Court.

Joy Bartscher ’82, re-elected to serve the 2nd District Court.

Anne Rasmusson ’96, re-elected to serve the 9th District Court.

COUNTY COMMISSIONERS Mary Jo McGuire ’78, a Ramsey County commissioner since 2012, was re-elected to serve her third term representing residents of District 2.

Laurie Halverson ’02 will serve as a Dakota County commissioner for District 3.

Mayor Elizabeth Kautz ’82 is now Burnsville’s longest-serving mayor. She was first elected to her seat in 1994.

CITY COUNCILS Victoria Hebzynski Seals ’01 was re-elected to the Orono, Minnesota, City Council.

Pamela Axberg ’85 was elected to the New Brighton, Minnesota, City Council.

Did we miss other Katies who were elected or re-elected for public office in November 2020?

Email us at alumni@stkate.edu.

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GIVE TO ST. KATE’S DAY LEAVES GOAL IN THE DUST In a year when charitable giving is more important than ever before, 973 donors graciously gave a combined total of $600,002 on Give to St. Kate’s Day — an amount exceeding our goal by $100,000.

Katies from all 50 states paid it forward and shared their pride using the hashtag #GoKatieGive. This year’s donor count was nearly 100 more than last year, with at least 40 first-time donors moved to give.

For the past 11 years, for a single special day in November, the St. Kate’s community has come together to support the next generation of Katie leaders and influencers. The gifts help provide essential scholarships and emergency financial relief to Katies as they continue their education. In 2020, additional challenge funds not only helped donations to go further, they also counted toward goals set for LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence.

Every dollar is a vote for values, and donors spoke loud and clear about the importance of investing in the exceptional education they know from experience. We are all proud of the critical impact they’ve made on University programs and services.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH March is Women’s History Month. Follow along as St. Catherine University celebrates throughout the month at stkate.edu/whm.

For more St. Kate’s news and to read full announcements, visit stkate.edu/news.

UPCOMING EVENTS INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION March 6–7 stkate.edu/womensday

MYSER INITIATIVE ON CATHOLIC IDENTITY LECTURE April 22 stkate.edu/myser

FEAST OF ST. JOSEPH March stkate.edu/feast

SISTER SERAPHIM GIBBONS DAY OF SCHOLARSHIP April 29 stkate.edu/seraphim

GOODMAN LECTURE April 29 stkate.edu/goodman 26

ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

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

Class Notes 1950

1980

GERTRUD MUELLER NELSON ’58 contributed drawings to a manual for nonprofit Water With Blessings.

PATRICIA KELLY ’82, PhD, was promoted to the position of coartistic director with Minnesota Youth Symphonies.

facebook.com/katiealumni

LAURIE MAGNUSON HAMEN ’82, JD, was named interim president at the College of Saint Benedict in St. Joseph, Minn.

1960 FRAN SWEENEY ’63 published her third book, They All Come with A Story: A Tale of Adventure, Humor and Romance, in August 2020.

1970 KATHLEEN FLYNN PETERSON ’76, JD, was named as part of the Twin Cities Business Notable Women in Law 2020.

PATRICIA KELLY ’82

MARY UNGER HENDERSON ’80, EdD, Julie Beckel Nelsen ’91, and colleague Sarah Rand, PhD, all professors at St. Catherine University, earned the runner-up Best Competitive Paper Award at the spring 2020 North American Management Society Conference.

LAURIE MAGNUSON HAMEN ’82

KATHLEEN FLYNN PETERSON ’76

MARY UNGER HENDERSON ’80

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1990

JULIE BECKEL NELSEN ’91, was chosen as 2021–2022 president of the Marketing Educators’ Association (MEA), an international organization for faculty development of the marketing discipline.

ESTHER DERBY MAOL’95 published a book, 7 Rules for Positive, Productive Change: Micro Shifts, Macro Results, focusing on an approach she refers to as “change by attraction.”

RICHELLE WAHI ’97, JD, is a recipient of the Minnesota Lawyer Diversity and Inclusion Award for 2020.

2010

EYNAS ALNABI ’14 was the subject for an art exhibit, “Home of Memories,” at the Banfill-Locke Center for the Arts in Fridley, Minn.

TORI KEE ’14 graduated from the University of St. Thomas School of Law on May 16, 2020. In July she sat for the Minnesota bar exam to become a licensed attorney.

2000

JULIE BECKEL NELSEN ’91

RAYNA BLANSKI QIU ’92 began teaching ESL as adjunct faculty at Wake Technical Community College in Raleigh, N.C.

KELLI CHROMEY ’09, PhD, assistant professor at South Dakota State University, was named the Outstanding Young Speech Teacher by the Speech Communication Association of South Dakota in August 2020.

MEGAN POWELL MARCHWICK ’09 and Beau Marchwick welcomed their second child, Landon Robert, on July 16, 2020.

TORI KEE ’14

KATHERINE MANIATES ’14, PhD, graduated with her doctorate in genetics from Marquette University in 2020.

RYAN WYANDT MAOT’14 was named the CEO of the LGBTQ+ Real Estate Alliance in St. Paul, Minn.

LANDON ROBERT

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

Are you receiving all of St. Kate’s emails and publications? Update your contact information and preferences: stkate.edu/alumni or 651-690-6666

JEREMIAH ELLIS ’15 received the 2020 Virginia B. Kunz Award for exceptional historical research and writing for his article “St. Paul’s Distinct Leadership Tradition: A Century of the Sterling Club,” published by the Ramsey County Historical Society.

FYNN RORRIS ’15 was named director of development at HumankindNOW, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting healthcare workers in disadvantaged communities by providing personal protective equipment (PPE), mental health care, and COVID-19 testing free of charge.

JENNIFER ROCHA ’15 married Cody Steger on October 15, 2020 at Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul, Minn.

ELIZABETH FLICEK JESKA ’16, MAOT’17 married Ryan Jeska on September 12, 2020, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel.

MARY BETH BECKER ’18 married Samantha Lauth on June 13, 2020 in Marine on St. Croix, Minn.

TAYLOR TOWNSEND MPAS’18 accepted a physician assistant position at Aspirus Heart & Lung in September 2020.

JENNIFER ROCHA ’15 FYNN RORRIS ’15

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DETAIL OF OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL.

In Memory w Our deepest sympathy to the families of the following graduates of St. Catherine University:

Helen Hudek Doherty ’35 w October 18, 2019.

Mary Pulford Engelen ’43 w August 29, 2020.

Luella Wolf Koziol ’44 w October 10, 2020.

Ositha Loehlein Rupert ’45 w November 22, 2019.

Mary Ellen Roche Wadden ’46 w August 22, 2020.

Eraine Ste Marie Schmit ’46 w November 2, 2020.

Patricia Filben Clairmont ’47 w July 26, 2020.

Mary Ellen Foley Porwoll ’48 w October 13, 2020.

Aleene Kieffer Yanisch ’48 w October 15, 2018.

Helen Libera Pollock ’48 w September 12, 2020.

Bernele McKenna Schultz ’49 w November 3, 2020.

Marjorie Ronnan Bussmann ’49 w August 31, 2020.

Therese Bailey Britts ’50, Cert’88 w September 23, 2020.

Joan Hassett Kollman Walker ’51 w March 14, 2020.

Marjorie Lynch Meany ’51 w November 2, 2020.

Loretta Matt Campbell ’51 w October 14, 2020.

Marilyn Reck Kaplan ’51 w February 6, 2020.

Marion Regnier Egan ’51 w March 4, 2019.

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • FALL 2020

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

Dolores Schultz Kurz ’51 w December 14, 2018.

Linda Zimmer Debner ’74 w March 1, 2019.

Rosemary Young Martin ’51 w April 16, 2020.

Judith Feidt Heimerman ’77 w August 4, 2020.

Rosemary Walsh Parrette ’53 w June 14, 2020.

Caron Jagodzinski ’77 w September 20, 2020.

Donna Welbes ’53 w August 22, 2020.

Dolores Willard Knutson ’78 w October 28, 2020.

Nadean Hruby Larson ’54 w July 14, 2020.

Patricia Mary Walsh ’83, ’14 w March 13, 2020.

Dorothy Jorgenson, CSJ, ’54 w July 8, 2020.

Joyce Garver Franchett ’86 w November 1, 2020.

Rita Flaherty Evans ’55 w September 26, 2020.

Marjorie Juergens Christensen ’87, Licensure’88 w

Rosemary Baron Marrs ’57 w October 6, 2019.

August 29, 2020.

Agathea Bibeau Selner ’58 w April 24, 2020.

Mary Virginia Winstead ’87 w September 1, 2020.

Margaret Strobel Hunt ’58 w September 28, 2020.

Barbara Wirtz Standing ’89 w March 24, 2020.

Marie Theresa Belanger, CSJ, ’62 w July 14, 2020.

Colette Frank Bernardi ’99 w August 18, 2020.

Mary Jo Borowicz Franzen ’63 w March 10, 2020.

Laura Anderson Tvedt MSW’14 w July 2, 2017.

Janet Tschida Rogalla ’64 w February 9, 2020.

Whitney Marit Carr Ulvestad MAHS’17 w

Kathleen McTie Friedrich ’66 w September 27, 2020.

May 8, 2020.

Claire O’Keefe ’66 w October 24, 2020.

Kathleen Hauwiller Flicek ’67 w March 3, 2020.

Sharon Lohmar ’68 w October 27, 2020.

Bonnie Mousseau Gibbons ’69 w August 31, 2020.

Michele Noyes Purton ’69 w September 30, 2020.

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LEFT: THE EARLY STAGES OF CONSTRUCTION FOR OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL, WHICH WAS COMPLETED AND DEDICATED IN 1924. BELOW: ARCHBISHOP OF ST. PAUL JOHN MURRAY ADDRESSES STUDENTS AND SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH OF CARONDELET DURING A 1937 SODALITY MEETING.

Katie Diary

BY MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17 Since its dedication in 1924, Our Lady of Victory Chapel has been an icon at the heart of campus. Poised atop the second-highest hill in St. Paul, the Chapel has long served as a beacon of light and justice in our community and as a beloved haven for both individual and communal spiritual reflection. The space is a quintessential setting for many landmark moments in the lives of our community members.

For students, it’s a full-circle experience — from a first-year’s opening convocation to a graduate’s closing convocation — and is punctuated

by Masses, academic inductions, and musical performances. Students, alumni, faculty, staff, and families all convene among its pews to share in times of great difficulty and great joy.

Now, its upcoming 100-year anniversary in 2024 also honors the first St. Catherine president, Mother Antonia McHugh, whose legacy is embedded into the Chapel’s rich history. Beloved St. Kate’s anecdotes detail her storied persistence in its development. “Sister Antonia asked to build a chapel,” Archbishop Austin Dowling said, “but she built a cathedral” —and her keen vision for its future at the center of the St. Catherine community.

Mother Antonia was a woman with vision and tremendous energy, who marshaled donors, builders, and the community to erect a building that embodies the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet and the St. Catherine mission. In the spirit of her indomitable vision, we dedicate one of the pillars of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence to ensure this beloved icon remains preserved as we see it today for another century to come.

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ST. CATHERINE UNIVERSITY • SPRING 2021

PHOTOS/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES

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