UNIVERSIT Y MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
REIMAGINING LEADERSHIP
PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
In our classrooms, communities, and careers
LITZY SILVA-SANDOVAL ’23 PAGE 16
COMMUNITY BY CANDLELIGHT
Each fall, students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends celebrate the Feast of Saint Catherine of Alexandria, gathering for prayer and reflection in honor of her legacy.
EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT BETH HALLORAN VICE PRESIDENT OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS BETH RIEDEL CARNEY ’82 DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS SARAH VOIGT EDITORS KAYLA FORBES MBA’17 MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
CONTRIBUTORS RUTH HAAG BROMBACH ’60 STACY DAHL ’16 KARA DEMARIE MLIS’16 PHIL HOEPPNER MANDY IVERSON MELISSA NEILL MOLLY ORTH LINDSEY FREY PALMQUIST JACQUELINE PARR ANUPAMA PASRICHA AMY SHAW AND THE ARCHIVES & SPECIAL COLLECTIONS TEAM BRYCE WILDENAUER
DESIGNER KAT BRAZ/THE ESC PLAN PHOTOGRAPHERS JESSICA ANNMARIE JAIDA GREY EAGLE REBECCA SLATER ’10 ADDRESS CHANGES 651-690-6666 ALUMNI@STKATE.EDU mag.stkate.edu
@st.kates @stkate @stkates @St. Catherine University
UNIVERSITY MAGAZINE
SPRING 2022
FEATURES
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Campaign Support Bolsters Accomplished Katies BY PHIL HOEPPNER
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Women and Children First Building the future of early childhood education BY LINDSEY FREY PALMQUIST
Katie Leadership Impact The future of leadership development at St. Kate’s BY MELISSA NEILL
PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
KATIE LEADERSHIP IMPACT
Darling Lee ’22 (left) and Mikayla Kobus ’23 (right) both interned at Katie’s Closet, a free second-hand resource for St. Kate’s students and community members run by students. Read more on page 16 about how, through hands-on experiences like theirs, the new Katie Leadership Impact program is reimagining leadership development at St. Kate’s. PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
St. Catherine University Magazine is published three times a year by the Office of 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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FROM THE PRESIDENT
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BOOKMARK
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KATIES IN ACTION
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AROUND CAMPUS
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CLASS NOTES
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IN MEMORY
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KATIE DIARY
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From the President With our spring semester well underway and spring itself not far behind, hope and optimism for what warmer weather brings enter my thoughts daily. While the purple and white twinkle lights beautifully lit up our treasured grounds over the winter, we all wait for the gorgeous flowers that we know are in our future. Nature’s season of growth and development always leads me to consider the ways in which St. Catherine University helps students develop their minds, bodies, and spirits to their fullest potential, culminating in new Katie graduates launching into the world at each spring Commencement ceremony. Cultivating a meaningful life requires vision, focus, and determination. It is not easy, and we know it is a lifelong journey. We help students understand this journey not only in their classrooms, but throughout their college activities. Since our founding, we have offered first-rate academic programs. That is but a starting point. Over the decades, we’ve added valuable student services and cocurricular offerings that help our diverse population of Katies thrive throughout their student years. Whether they develop through participation in clubs and organizations, athletics, mentorship, student-faculty research, or internships, Katies learn to lead and inf luence among peers as well as outside of the University environment. In 2020, we established the Office of Scholarly Engagement (OSE) to centralize the opportunities that research and experience tell us are most critical for engaged learning. Just one year later, we also launched the Katie Leadership Impact program, which fosters students’ leadership development through coursework, applied learning, mentorship, and more. I encourage you to read about OSE on page 4 and Katie Leadership
Impact on page 16 of this issue of the magazine. They are wonderful resources to help our amazing Katies examine and launch their lives in a comprehensive way. In addition, we recognize that learning starts very early in life, and that if the building blocks aren’t provided equitably and early, it can limit life trajectory for students. The article on page 6, about our early childhood efforts today as well as our long history of such programming, no doubt will increase your pride in St. Kate’s. Thankfully, learning happens wherever students gather. Even as the pandemic has lingered on and “gathering” has taken new forms through technology, Katies have been able to learn effectively together while situated in different buildings on campus, in different states across the country, or even separated by oceans. The intellectual and emotional f lexibility needed to learn, even in challenging circumstances, contributes greatly to the creativity and resiliency that employers seek in hiring our graduates. As we go about our mission of educating women to lead and influence, we do so with the intention of preparing our graduates for success in life. I hope you feel pride in yourself, because you are the example of living a life of meaning, however you have defined it for yourself. Whatever path you chose, I know you live your life and do your work to benefit the dear neighbor. That is meaningful and the only path we all have to help peace prevail on this earth. Please take very good care. We are proud of you and treasure you. ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76
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Campaign Support Bolsters Accomplished Katies Supporting extraordinary students in furthering their distinction BY PHIL HOEPPNER
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s the reason for St. Kate’s very existence, our students are the ultimate focus of every effort to increase the University’s excellence. Among the priorities of LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence is helping Katies to augment their classroom and extracurricular activities with meaningful faculty interaction and mentorship, as well as continue their academic achievement after graduation. The recently established Of f ice of Scholarly Engagement (OSE) is home to several programs that work together to reach those goals. “OSE is the hub for students to learn about and participate in as many engaged learning opportunities as possible,” says D’Ann Urbaniak Lesch, strategic director of the office. “By bringing together already robust programs, OSE helps students to better see the connection between the programs and how each effort can build their holistic St. Kate’s experience and prepare them to lead and inf luence.” Two OSE offerings, the Antonian Honors program and Competitive Fellowships, recognize student excellence and encourage further accomplishments. The Antonian Honors program offers students of exceptional ability and motivation the opportunity to study and work with one another and with faculty mentors. Honors students complete four interdisciplinary honors seminars and produce a senior-year honors project of original research or creative work. They participate in a supportive community of scholars and are offered leadership opportunities in the Honors Program Student Association.
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One remarkable example is Margaret Piecz ’22, a biochemistry major whose senior project, “A Deeper Understanding of Nutrient Transport: Using Electrophysiology to Characterize Membrane Transporters,” is as important as it sounds. Her research has implications for genome sequencing, according to Rafael Cervantes, PhD, Department of Communication Studies faculty member and director of the Antonian Honors program. For the 2021–22 academic year, the University counts 239 honors students, including 33 seniors working on honors projects. Competitive Fellowships in a wide array of academic and career areas, as well as geographic locations, are available for application by Katies throughout the year.
Campaign Progress We have surpassed $111.2 million! Progress continues in our effort to raise $130 million to achieve the next level of excellence. Thank you, donors!
LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence progress is current as of 02/07/2022.
MARGARET REUDER SUTTON ’50 TRAVEL FUND This fund provides financial assistance for student travel to: • interviews related to application for prestigious post-graduate fellowships • interviews for advanced degree programs at top-tier graduate and professional schools • major conferences at which they make presentations or share their research.
Many of these nationally competitive awards cover graduate school expenses, while others support internships or other undergraduate opportunities. In all, more than 20 different fellowships are open to sophomores, juniors, and seniors, along with at least as many additional opportunities for students in the Henrietta Schmoll School of Health. Our students and alumni wisely benefit from these fellowships to expand their knowledge, skills, and credentials in their fields. Last fall alone, five Katies completed Fulbright applications. Three others recently completed Fulbright fellowships: Addison Cross ’20, conducting research in El Salvador; Alexia Martin ’19, serving as an English teaching assistant in Colombia; and Erin Nelsen ’20, earning a master’s degree in the United Kingdom. Many St. Catherine students are in various stages of the long process for other fellowships. Donors to LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence can support high-achieving students in many ways through OSE programs. In 2020, for example, one generous alumna, Colleen Curran ’75, established the Margaret Reuder Sutton ’50 Travel Fund (see sidebar). To find out how to establish or contribute to a fund helping highachieving Katies, contact Beth Carney at 651690-6836 or eacarney@stkate.edu.
Margaret Reuder Sutton ’50 was St. Catherine University’s first student Fulbright grant recipient. She double-majored in French and English, and following graduation traveled to France (on the Queen Mary!) to teach and study French at Lycée JulesFerry in Paris. She returned to Minnesota and began a career as a French and English teacher, also earning a master’s degree in special education and pioneering teaching in that field. Sutton raised eight children and was “a dynamic person who always gave of herself,” says son David. The fund’s founding donor, alumna Colleen Curran ’75, earned her BA degree in French, then her JD law degree from Rutgers University. She achieved a successful career as vice president and managing counsel for Ameriprise Financial and is a lifelong learner and traveler. A staunch St. Catherine University supporter and advocate, she has served on the Board of Trustees, taught courses in business law, and served as president of the Alumnae Association. Today, Curran serves on the Campaign Cabinet for LEAD & INFLUENCE: The Campaign for the Next Level of Excellence. Marilyn Grochala Gorham ’76, fellow alumna and former trustee, has added generously to the fund. We invite others to consider supporting this or any other St. Kate’s priority with gifts to benefit Katies.
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Women and Children First Building the future of early childhood education BY LINDSEY FREY PALMQUIST
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t. Catherine University is amid a sea change — one that’s been forged under years of pressure on the nation’s early childhood education (ECE) system due to low wages, high turnover, lack of benefits for its workforce, long waiting lists and sky-high costs for families, and inequitable access for many children. Most recently, we’ve experienced its collapse under the crushing toll of the pandemic. The ECE workforce provides quality care and developmental support for young children from infancy through the beginning of elementary school. Of the nearly 3 million adults working as early childhood educators and caregivers in regulated family child care, center-based child care, and publicly funded preschools, almost all are women. And despite providing quality care and developmental support during the most crucial phase of children’s development, these workers are among the lowest paid educators. They’re also the most racially diverse sector of the teaching workforce — around 40% of workers are women of color, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment. The ability to access these programs is crucially important. Decades of research prove that quality ECE programs significantly impact children’s learning and development from birth all the way into adulthood. ECE availability also supports parents, especially women, who face the impossible choice between working to
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afford food and rent or pulling out of the workforce to care for their children. St. Kate’s is well positioned to train and support the next generation of early childhood educators, including a potential influx of new students into the field resulting from President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda. Under the plan’s social services initiatives, which aim to reduce these ECE inequities and professionalize the field, Build Back Better seeks to make high-quality child care affordable, raise wages for child care workers, and provide universal pre-kindergarten for 3- and 4-year-olds. The importance of providing quality, accessible ECE programs and supporting the women in its workforce are both central to the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet’s social justice teachings and St. Kate’s mission to educate women to lead and inf luence. In response to the ECE inequity issues of our time, the St. Catherine University approach is dual focus. The first is to center the education department’s resources to invest in training and support for early childhood educators. The second is to provide quality early childhood curriculum for the care and instruction of young children.
TERESA RIPPLE CERT’02, MAED’12, EdD, (RIGHT) IS AN ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR IN EARLY CHILDHOOD AND MONTESSORI PROGRAMS AT ST. KATE’S.
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PHOTO/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
PHOTO/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
“Everything we know about educational disparities in elementary and secondary education can be traced back to the quality of early childhood education,” says Anita Thomas, PhD, executive vice president and provost of St. Kate’s. “We’re starting to view a child’s path in the context of the school-to-prison pipeline and in tracking disparate suspension rates in preschools. It also plays into the importance of emotional intelligence and social skills that are learned and enhanced through quality early childhood experiences.” Numerous studies have shown that learning to share, being cooperative, and having empathy for others are social skills learned by young children during the structured play opportunities and peer relationships of early socialization. Quality ECE experiences teach these in socialized environments along with emotional intelligence skills that are linked with greater success throughout a child’s life and into adulthood, such as impulse delay and learning how to appropriately read and react to social cues and social situations. “The state of Minnesota has the highest educational inequities in the entire country,” says Thomas. “We know that students who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) achieve at far lower levels in writing, math, and standardized testing. When you think about
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AFTER SISTER ANN HARVEY STUDIED MONTESSORI METHODOLOGY IN ITALY, THE UNIVERSITY BEGAN INTEGRATING MONTESSORI METHODS INTO ITS TEACHER PREPARATION PROGRAMS ALONGSIDE TRADITIONAL EDUCATION PEDAGOGY.
generational poverty and the importance of education as a social justice issue, you have to start with good access to quality early childhood education in order to help prevent some of the disparities and support equity.”
MEETING THE NEEDS OF THE TIME
Supporting early childhood educators has been central to St. Kate’s early childhood and Montessori programming for decades. Now in its fifth year as a revised ECE program, its innovative approach — combining antiracist, Montessori, and traditional methods with online licensure availability — is designed for working women, especially BIPOC women and those with children. This approach was key to the program’s development, says Teresa Ripple CERT’02, MAED’12, EdD, associate professor in early childhood and Montessori programs at St. Kate’s, who helped develop the program. “We were committed to empowering these women educators and
programs at St. Kate’s, inspired Ripple to assist with revising the education department’s early childhood curriculum and expanding its programs to better meet the needs of the time. “We don’t believe only the two-to-five percent of children who can afford Montessori programs should experience it,” Ripple says. “We wanted to make Montessori more accessible to all teachers and incorporate the influence of Montessori for social justice in our early childhood program. People were really starting to pay attention to the studies showing that children from low-income and BIPOC families were having remarkable outcomes many years after experiencing Montessori and other quality early childhood programming, and the economic benefits of quality early childhood care are great. We knew we would do well to invest there.” Ripple was a doctoral candidate at the time, and was focused on completing research in anti-bias and antiracist (ABAR) education curriculum alongside former assistant professor Olivia Christensen, PhD, who is now an early childhood education specialist for the Minnesota Department of Education. “ABAR pedagogies grew to be the main thread,” says Ripple. “We wanted to create an early childhood program based on those principles. There is so much research that children from birth start to absorb the bias PHOTO/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
caregivers,” Ripple explains. “They should be able to continue to work and earn an income while attending classes, securing scholarships, and attaining higher degree levels and licensures — that was the major impetus for us that came from the CSJ motto of meeting the needs of the time.” The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment found the average hourly wage of child care workers in the United States is around $11.65 per hour. Preschool teachers fare slightly better, earning about $14.65 per hour; however, elementar y educators, who are predominantly middle-class white women, earn on average more than $32 per hour. It’s unrealistic, Ripple says, to pay our ECE workforce at the poverty level and expect them to stay in those roles — they won’t. High turnover and women leaving the workforce lead to more care center closures and a scarcity of available, affordable child care options for families. “If the pandemic has laid anything open, it’s that people aren’t willing to make that sacrifice,” Ripple says. “Child care is seen as women’s work, so it’s valued less highly. That gap in value and pay exacerbates an already difficult situation. Nine out of 10 families in Minnesota need child care, and as a result of the pandemic and child care shortages, more women have been forced to stay home and care for their children because they typically earn less than their male partners. Suddenly, we’ve got a rollback to a 1950s-era situation that diminishes the earning power for many women.” While the 1950s represent a period of significant gender inequality, it was also the advent of great breakthroughs in ECE programming. In 1955, Sister Ann Harvey, a professor of education at St. Kate’s, traveled to study Montessori methodology in Italy. Created by Dr. Maria Montessori in the early 1900s, it was still seen as a relatively new approach to education in the United States in 1955. Designed as a child-centered, self-paced, and experiential approach to learning, the Montessori method focuses on the whole child and cultivates their natural interest in activities. When Sr. Ann Harvey returned from Italy, the University began integrating Montessori methods into its teacher preparation programs alongside traditional education pedagogy. Access to both methodologies is a key offering of the early education curriculum, and both are practiced in tandem within the University’s own Early Childhood Center, which offers child care for faculty, staff, students, and the local community, as well as providing training and observation opportunities for many students and departments at St. Kate’s. Ripple herself is a St. Kate’s graduate who received a Montessori credential in early childhood and a master’s in education in 2002. Recognizing that many Montessori programs include accessibility barriers for children from low-income and BIPOC families, Syneva Barrett, former program director for the Advanced Montessori
SISTER ANN HARVEY DIRECTS A GROUP OF NURSERY SCHOOLERS IN CONSTRUCTION, A MONTESSORI ACTIVITY SHE CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST, IN 1963.
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and racism in their environments, and by age three it can be profound. Helping teachers to address that was and is really important to us.” According to Ripple, by as young as age eight, many children have established basic personalities and attitudes toward the world, and have solidified their neural pathways. “It’s often harder to ameliorate the effects of racism then. Whatever we can do early on has an enormous impact later in life.” Much of ABAR education begins with the teachers first addressing their own biases and limitations. As part of the St. Kate’s curriculum, students dig into what biases they may have, where they’ve originated, and how they were founded in order to break apart those biases and racist views, and model that within their classrooms. “It’s really serious, and one of the most important things an early childhood teacher needs to learn how to do to establish that foundation and disrupt that path,” says Sarah Hassebroek MAED’06, EdD, program director for the early childhood and Montessori program at St. Kate’s. “They must examine how they are leading class and disciplining children, what materials are being chosen, what lessons they give. When unaddressed, [teachers’ biases] have a lasting impact, and can lead children to the prison pipeline later in life.” The curriculum St. Kate’s has developed takes a holistic approach to education. It centers around ABAR principles and includes the best of Montessori education, w ith supplements from traditional mainstream education practices. Licensure was also important to build into the early childhood programs, so that students could work in public schools if they chose that path after graduation. More than 20 classes were created — some with more mainstream content focus, some with Montessori, and some integrating both. The program received not only Minnesota state licensure but also approvals from the Montessori Accreditation Council for Teachers Education and the American Montessori Society. “We worked as fast as we could because we knew early childhood programming was changing fast, and we wanted to offer our students as many different modalities to earn the most they could in the way they wanted and have a lot of options,” Ripple says. “We are currently the only university offering licensure programs that are primarily online.” The ECE programming has been a success since it began in 2016 and is nearly back to pre-pandemic enrollment rates. Recent University reports show a 94% retention rate for program majors.
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MEETING THE NEEDS OF STUDENTS
Not only does the training work to provide the curriculum students are looking for, it’s also specially designed to work with the lifestyle needs of adult women with jobs and/or children. “For many women working in the ECE field, obtaining a higher pay scale and dreams of completing their degree have always been put to the wayside,” says Hassebroek. “Attending a typical college program was inaccessible, so our program is fully online and allows the flexibility for learners to attend classes while keeping their jobs, continuing to serve their communities, and meeting their family’s needs.” Rebekah Spooner ’23 of Huntsville, Alabama, has been working in the classroom as a Montessori lead toddler guide for 16 years. For several weeks throughout the year, she travels to Kentucky as a faculty member and instructor for a second child care center and Montessori School, Crescent Ridge Academy, to train other teachers in infant and toddler Montessori pedagogy. Of those 16 years, she’s been a part-time student for eight and working on her bachelor’s degree for six. “I’ve always learned at my own pace because I’ve needed to work full time,” says Spooner. “After five years at a local community college, I felt like I was taking courses that didn’t even matter, and I still didn’t know what my major would be. I started searching online and saw I could get 25 of my credit hours from my Montessori certificate at St. Kate’s, and I realized this is where I wanted to go.” Although she’s out of state, Spooner’s situation reflects the needs of many in her field. She’s only ever had time to learn online, and the flexibility she’s found at St. Kate’s has allowed her to make huge gains in her education progress since her enrollment in the fall of 2019. “The level of support I’ve had at St. Kate’s is something I’ve never witnessed,” says Spooner. “My instructors are so understanding of my travel schedule — they are willing to open modules early or let me take my time to complete my work — but I’m still able to be part of the class, be included in discussions, and continue to interact with my peers while maintaining my job’s commitments. St. Kate’s takes care of its students’ whole wellness, not just caring for us academically, and we’re all valued no matter where we are in life.” Spooner says her employer has also embraced the ABAR studies she is learning at St. Kate’s — particularly her head of school, who had wanted to incorporate ABAR studies in the past but never knew where to begin. “I’m being exposed to so much that I know I would not have found if I had not been at St. Kate’s,” Spooner says. “I’m not just reading studies, but I’m learning ABAR
PHOTOS/JESSICA ANNMARIE PHOTOGRAPHY, HUNTSVILLE, ALABAMA
REBEKAH SPOONER ’23 HAS BEEN WORKING IN THE CLASSROOM AS A MONTESSORI LEAD TODDLER GUIDE FOR 16 YEARS.
education in a proper way with methods to apply it to a toddler environment. People don’t think toddlers are capable of understanding racism, but they are, and they can through different books, materials, activities, and other ways I’d never thought of before.” As Build Back Better works to professionalize the ECE field, allowing more teachers like Spooner to achieve a bachelor’s degree, the excitement and readiness is growing among St. Kate’s faculty and staff. They feel the sea change’s imminent arrival, and St. Kate’s is committed to advancing its leadership in the ECE space for years to come. “Young children form their entire base personalities from birth to five years old, and yet early childhood education is often looked at simply as daycare,” Hassebroek says. “By professionalizing and changing the field through our programs, we’re creating more access for families and greater sustainability for teachers who can achieve more equitable wages for their work. If more of our ECE teachers are better trained, we have the opportunity to do better for our children and for society.”
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Bookmark Marcie Rendon in conversation with Dawn Quigley around Girl Gone Missing MICHELLE MULLOWNEY ’17
On November 17, St. Catherine University was honored to welcome author, artist, and activist Marcie Rendon in conversation with St. Kate’s associate professor of education Dawn Quigley, PhD. Sponsored by the Office for Intercultural Engagement, St. Catherine University Library and Archives, and the Core Curriculum, the evening constituted St. Kate’s fall 2021 Core Convocation and an event in the 2021 One Read for Racial Justice series. The following is an excerpt from the conversation between Marcie Rendon, Dawn Quigley, and AnhHoa Nguyen, MFA, administrative assistant for the Division of Arts and Humanities. The three authors discussed Rendon’s novel Girl Gone Missing in the context of Native women’s knowledge, representation, and resilience. Dawn Quigley: I think you wrote a heroine for us, for us Native women and for all women, to stand up, get in there, play pool… One of your quotes that I love is, “Native people need to be heard more.” Marcie Rendon: Unfortunately, so many people raised in a U.S. educational system don’t know that we still exist; in their mindset we’re still like Dances With Wolves and John Wayne killed us all off. We have a voice, we have a story, we exist, we’re here.
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There’s this woman, Frances Densmore, who was an ethnomusicologist at the beginning of the 1900s. In one of the books that she wrote for the Smithsonian, she said that Ojibwe people were schizophrenic, because we see and hear things that other people don’t. When I read that as a young person, I was so angry that this woman could just make this blanket indictment against my people — and people value her; she’s in the Smithsonian, so why wouldn’t they believe her? Our way of life was seen as crazy or not real, and it’s very real. Anh-Hoa Nguyen: And I think that goes back to why we need so many more books by BIPOC authors, because there are so many different ways to understand the world. And when you don’t see your experience represented, you do think you’re crazy, or other people want to make you think that. Dawn has been helping me learn about Indigenous research methods — this idea that just because it’s not in a book or a library, or by someone in the Smithsonian, doesn’t mean that that information isn’t true or valid. You’re utilizing your lived experience. DQ: “Stories handed down, you can’t use those in a paper” — yes, you actually can! It’s called Indigenous research methodologies: songs, poems, art, looking at the world and expressing them in a different way other than a peer-reviewed article. There’s not one way to write a book, there’s not one way to research.
PHOTO/JAIDA GREY EAGLE
AN: Could you talk a little bit about what it means for you to be in community with other women and the importance of that in your life? MR: When I came down here to the Cities, I was a single mom, and I knew that it was really important to build a community of women around me. I have friends from the time I got here to the Cities who are still my friends now. We’ve been through kid-raising together, I got a master’s degree, but always having a circle of women for me that I can be connected to and they can be connected to me. I don’t think you should ever forget the importance of women in your life. DQ: I would agree. All my writer critique friends are Native women, and so there’s this community I feel safe with, because I’ve got their back also. Native women, like you’ve said, have always led and have always helped communities stay together. Another quote from you, Marcie, is, “We need to talk more about resiliency of Native people instead of trauma.” MR: Are you familiar with the Indian on the horse, who’s all bent over and dejected? “The End of the Trail.” That’s this iconic, stereotypical Native image — and we are so much more than that. Those of us who are alive are the descendants of the 5% who did not get killed off. There was a genocidal policy on this continent to kill us off, and we didn’t get killed off. The resilience that we all have is unbelievable when you think about the oppression that we faced, and so [we need to] write those stories of resiliency — of hope.
GIRL GONE MISSING Marcie Rendon In this second installment of Rendon’s mystery series, set in the 1970s, Anishinabe college student Cash Blackbear starts having dreams of white women in the Midwest being trafficked to larger cities.1 Girl Gone Missing was selected as the fall 2021 One Read for Racial Justice book, which is part of the 2021–23 Integrated Learning Series focusing on Indigenous Thought Leadership. More about the book, author, and other recommended readings by Native writers: stkate.edu/OneRead
Adapted from publisher description
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PHOTOS/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
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Katies in Action Megan Andrews ’06, MAED’10 inspires early learners BY STACY DAHL ’16 Megan Andrews ’06, MAED’10 has infused St. Catherine University’s mission — educating women to lead and influence — into her everyday teaching style at Great River School in St. Paul. Andrews works as a Montessori Lower Elementary Guide and has followed her life’s passion into teaching a multi-age classroom of first, second, and third graders. Graduating from St. Kate’s in 2006 with a degree in English, Andrews worked as a dance teacher and floral shop assistant before realizing that she wanted to pursue a master’s in education. The St. Kate’s Montessori program immediately attracted Andrews, and the teaching license she would earn with it made the program even more advantageous. Like the liberal arts education she received at St. Kate’s, Andrews’ teaching style delves into a wide range of subjects, from geography to art to math. In contrast to a typical classroom, however, the Montessori methodology she employs involves a more hands-on learning approach in which students spend three years in the same classroom, starting in first grade. “So much of the material that I read and the discussions I had in my college classes have stuck with me. St. Kate’s has very much shaped who I am as a teacher,” Andrews said. “My education taught me Montessori theory and curriculum, but also how to teach in today’s classroom. Just as St. Kate’s presents liberal arts through a social justice lens, I do the same for my elementary school students.” Andrews’ work as a teacher is undeniably challenging at times, but she finds her role deeply fulfilling. “Since they are 33 individual humans, I am responsible for their mental health as well as their social and emotional learning,” she explains. “It can be a lot trying to meet those needs, but I have an amazing, supportive team at Great River, and my students are at an age where they really love school — I get to teach eager learners who want to know and learn as much as possible.” Reemerging throughout Andrews’ approach to teaching is the emphasis St. Kate’s Montessori program places on tapping into each student’s potential. “It’s my
internal drive and motivation to give them the best lessons and open as many doors and windows for them as possible. I want to create a rich environment where they can thrive.” In September 2019, Andrews embarked on a 13-day literary journey to England with around 15 other St. Kate’s alumni. Under the expert guidance of Geri Chavis, PhD, St. Kate’s professor emerita of English and women’s studies, the group followed in the footsteps — literally — of Jane Austen, Virginia Woolf, and the Brontë sisters as they visited the legendary authors’ birth cities and homes. The group engaged in discussions as they traveled across England and connected each place to the setting of the respective story. “The trip was a very special experience, since it was led by Professor Chavis, one of my favorite professors,” says Andrews. “It made me realize once again how important my St. Kate’s education is to me. As a Katie, with the small class sizes and individualized attention students receive, I knew that professors cared about how I did in their classes and what I learned. I could and did go to them for support.” Highly involved in her local Girl Scouts council from a young age all the way through high school, Andrews was drawn to St. Kate’s by its women-centered focus and education. “There was a big difference between going to high school with both boys and girls and then having weekend trips with my Girl Scouts troop,” Andrews says. “Being a student at a women’s college like St. Kate’s was always empowering — and so is being a St. Kate’s alum.”
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Katie Leadership Impact The future of leadership development at St. Kate’s BY MELISSA NEILL
S
t. Kate’s alumni are changemakers in disciplines spanning civic work, art, science, education, fashion, healthcare, and more. This is no accident. It comes from being a Katie. St. Catherine students and graduates are intentional leaders — one of the qualities that “makes a Katie a Katie,” as Anita Thomas, PhD, executive vice president and provost, often says. Building on its storied history of educating women to influence change, St. Kate’s is reimagining leadership development to fulfill the needs of the dynamic world of today and tomorrow.
A PLAN TO FIT THE NEXT GENERATION OF LEADERS
Women in leadership bring invaluable contributions to organizations and to society as a whole, and the events of the past two years have reinforced how crucially the world needs effective women leaders from all backgrounds. Women in leadership, and especially women leaders of color, are underrepresented in the workplace.1 Women in S&P 500 companies make up only 6% of CEOs and 27% of senior level managers, women of color represent just 5% of all senior level managers, and Minnesota bears some of the largest racial equity gaps in the nation.2 With St. Kate’s deep history of educating exceptional women leaders — the legacy of the forward-thinking vision of founders the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet — the University was ready to take on these challenges and ensure more women graduated college confident and prepared to lead in their communities and careers.
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1
McKinsey, 2020
2
Catalyst, 2020; Sauter, 2017
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Visit stkate.edu/provost-plan to read more about the Academic Master Plan from Anita Thomas, PhD, executive vice president and provost. “‘Responding to the needs of the time’ — that is St. Kate’s leadership,” says President ReBecca Koenig Roloff ’76. “With fruits such as Katie Leadership Impact blooming from our Academic Master Plan, we are better equipped than ever to help our students cultivate expertise, flexibility, critical thinking, cultural fluency, and the unique strengths our students will use to change the world.” Katie Leadership Impact is the result of programming and directives laid out in the University Academic Master Plan, an updated clarion call launched in 2020. Continuing St. Kate’s history of combining liberal arts education with practical career offerings, the Plan expands degree programs across levels and develops accelerated programs to promote career readiness. A focus on inclusive excellence and cultural fluency also provides students with the skills to work in an increasingly diverse and global society while closing the gap between students of color and white students.
SCHOOL OF BUSINESS LEADING THE WAY
From January 2020 when he joined St. Catherine University as dean of the School of Business, Benson K. Whitney, JD, knew the school was in a prime position to redefine the standards set for preparing women to lead — and to help organizations create systems where women thrive. “Within the School of Business, we have six professors with doctorates in leadership and one doctoral candidate
PHOTOS/REBECCA SLATER ’10, BY REBECCA STUDIOS
“
My leadership courses gave me more confidence in my communication.”
—Litzy Silva-Sandoval ’23
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thrilled to support the Katie Leadership Impact program in its efforts to empower and effect excellence in women leaders.”
KATIE LEADERSHIP IMPACT
NAMIBIA LITTLE, DIRECTOR OF KATIE LEADERSHIP IMPACT, JOINED ST. KATE’S IN THE SUMMER OF 2021.
in women’s leadership, in addition to those among our adjunct professors,” says Whitney. “These experts were the perfect team to build a well-defined leadership program and to teach a growing number of leadership courses.” As part of the Academic Master Plan, Whitney and his team began to define new ways for St. Kate’s to bring leadership to life through the curriculum and cocurricular activities. The resulting program, Katie Leadership Impact, fosters leadership capabilities through coursework, applied learning, professional activities, and student support. Each element ties directly back to the Academic Master Plan’s priorities for enhancing leadership development. This new program is possible thanks to a $1.25 million grant from Manitou Fund, which was created in 1966 by late Minnesota businessman Donald McNeely. The grant is allocated over four years and covers launching and sustaining Katie Leadership Impact. “When reimagining a better future, investments in higher education for students are critical,” says Oliver Din, president and CEO of Manitou Fund. “We are
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Leadership development, internships, and other workbased experiences are vital to both graduates and employers. But lack of time and money prevent many students from participating in experiences that could grow their capacity for leadership. What makes Katie Leadership Impact unique is its combination of theory, practice, financial support, and mentoring, woven together to facilitate participation and success. Opportunities for students to access leadership and career development, such as new leadership courses in the curriculum, have already flourished through Katie Leadership Impact. In LEAD 2202: Leadership and Influence, for example, students examine what it means to be an ethical and effective leader through an exploration of leadership theory and practice, including a mentoring relationship. “Mentoring is an intrinsic pillar of leadership development,” says Namibia Little, director of Katie Leadership Impact. “We work to bring on mentors across disciplines who have the desire to build confidence and strength in our Katies’ growing career skills. When students engage with professionals invested in their growth as a leader and teammate, they’re practicing what they’re learning in their courses, and sharing challenges, tips, and triumphs with their mentors.” In the Leadership and Influence course, each student is paired with a mentor, found in coordination with the Office of Scholarly Engagement, Alumni Relations, Career Development, and a variety of business and organizational leaders. Mentors are selected based on alignment with students’ career interests, majors, and future goals, and they provide students with active, valuable support through experiences that grow their leadership skills. Though the Leadership and Inf luence course provides the official mentorship framework, mentors’ impact on students endures throughout their time at St. Kate’s and beyond. Mary Henderson ’80, EdD, professor of business administration, teaches several St. Kate’s leadership courses and has witnessed firsthand the importance of hands-on experience for her students. “Learning about leadership theories is important for students,” she says. “It’s just as essential for them to move into application, practicing those developing leadership skills, putting theory to practice through their leadership projects, internships, and applied learning experiences.”
Alumni and field expert mentors fulfill an important role in helping students apply leadership development in a concrete way — namely, applied learning projects and practicum experiences, a cornerstone of the Katie Leadership Impact program.
THE STUDENT EXPERIENCE
The Leadership and Influence course is only one of many opportunities for students to pursue leadership development. Henderson describes projects in which students explore their leadership capabilities and gain practice leading by opening basketball camps at nearby elementary schools, stepping into tutoring roles on campus, advocating for and proposing growth paths at their place of work, and implementing new health and wellness initiatives at work. DARLING LEE ’22 COMPLETED AN INTERNSHIP AT KATIE’S CLOSET THAT COMBINED HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE IN BOTH FASHION AND BUSINESS.
Litzy Silva-Sandoval ’23 was able to apply leadership skills from Henderson’s Leadership and Inf luence course in a more personal context. When schools transitioned to distance learning at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Silva-Sandoval worried about her brother’s education. “My brother was five years old and in kindergarten when the pandemic started,” says Silva-Sandoval. “I knew he would not understand how to use technology for distance learning, and the amount of work in his packets seemed overwhelming.” Silva-Sandoval took on the task of creating lesson plans for and teaching her brother. She spent her mornings working with him on his schoolwork and afternoons navigating her first year of college and distance learning. Her support of her brother continued into his next year of school, when she continued to tutor him in reading, spelling, and handwriting, while also advocating for him with his teachers.
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“This is the help I would have wanted as a child,” she explains. With k nowledge of her ow n abilities and encouragement from faculty — “Professor Henderson reminded me to give myself more credit for what I have accomplished” — as well as résumé fine-tuning from Career Development, Silva-Sandoval was more than ready for a leadership internship. Her mentor from her Leadership and Inf luence course helped her secure a social media marketing internship at Securian Financial. “My leadership courses gave me more confidence in my communication, especially in an already difficult virtual environment,” Silva-Sandoval says. “They also allowed me to feel comfortable asking more questions and to have pride in a huge presentation I had to give at the end of my internship.” Darling Lee ’22 and Munaa Mohammed Cert’19, ’22 echo Silva-Sandoval’s experiences. Lee interned at Katie’s Closet, a free secondhand clothing service for St. Kate’s students and community members, run by business and fashion students. “As an intern, I learned the importance of working for an organization that puts community first,” says Lee, a fashion and business student. Katie’s Closet interns promote sustainable shopping and close the gap for students experiencing financial insecurity in obtaining business-wear. Working for this common purpose, the interns build the entrepreneurial and leadership skills that are essential in today’s professional environment. “Working at Katie’s Closet, you’re inspired to serve your community alongside the pursuit of the fashion and business industry with ethical values. I hope to carry these values into my next endeavors in life.” “My leadership experiences at St. Kate’s gave me the confidence and skills to go forward,” says Mohammed, a public health major minoring in leadership. “Thanks to my leadership classes and practicum, I’m now ready to be out there and pursue things [outside my comfort zone]. I have more confidence.” Mohammed completed her practicum at her place of work, a large healthcare organization based in the Twin Cities. Mohammed and another colleague started a mentorship program there, pairing new employees in their department with a mentor who could help them learn the ins and outs of the organization and serve as a first point of contact for questions. “Mentorship is a good way to create a support system, and helps with job satisfaction and transferring knowledge,” says Mohammed.
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“
I’m ready to be out there and pursue things outside my comfort zone.” —Munaa Mohammed Cert’19, ’22
Interested in being a career mentor? Visit stkate.edu/volunteer to get in touch.
INROADS TO EQUITY IN AN EVOLVING FUTURE
St. Kate’s emphasis on women’s, particularly BIPOC women’s, leadership is both call and answer — a charge since 1905 to create equity in these areas, and a fulfillment of growing demand for this in all sectors. “There’s a thirst for this type of overt leadership development,” Whitney says. “From fall 2020 to fall 2021, we saw a 77% increase in enrollment for our Leadership and Influence course.” Additionally, the University has awarded 55 scholarships for the leadership minor and the Leadership and Inf luence course. Of the 4,000-plus students attending St. Kate’s, 38% are Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC), and the incoming first-year class is close to 50% BIPOC. Forty-two percent of students are Pell Grant-eligible — undergraduate students with exceptional financial need who have not earned a bachelor’s degree or higher — and 31% are first generation
college students. While open to every undergraduate student, 50% of grant funding through Katie Leadership Impact goes to need-based financial support for underrepresented women, supporting the goals of students like Mohammed, who received a scholarship through the program. With leadership courses, practicum experiences, internships, and mentorship well underway, the University has additional plans to enhance Katie Leadership Impact. According to Whitney, St. Kate’s is currently focused on developing a women of color leadership speaker series, which launched on February 3 with an event with Kizzmekia Corbett, PhD. Other initiatives in motion include building career communities where students can explore career fields, network, and support each other, as well as creating an online community that helps connect alumni and current students.
“Through this program, I hope we’re changing the trajectory of students’ sense of the possibility of leadership and capacity for leadership, allowing them to be impactful in whatever they do,” says Whitney. “We want them to feel they have the right tools, confidence, and experience that allow them to take on leadership.” Program director Namibia Little shares this vision. She visits classrooms across all St. Kate’s disciplines to share the possibilities the program offers students. Her hope for the future: that women students, especially BIPOC women, “see themselves as leaders and know they can effectively lead their families, communities, and careers,” Little says. “Our students are not merely our future leaders; they are leaders today. We are equipping them to serve and practically apply the education and experiences obtained at St, Kate’s to their future endeavors.”
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Create a Katie Legacy! There is no better time to think about your future. As you do, reflect on what is important to you. St. Catherine University now offers the opportunity to create or update your will or estate plan for FREE. Our mission — to educate women to lead and influence — is more important than ever. Consider including St. Kate’s in your plan and contributing to our success!
Create a will for free
Consider St. Kate’s as part of your legacy
Contribute to our campaign
Visit freewill.com/stkates or scan the QR code to create your will for free. Contact us for more information at 651-690-6812 or giftplanning@stkate.edu.
Around Campus
GIVE TO ST. KATE’S DAY 2021 SHOWED THE POWER OF GIVING On Give to St. Kate’s Day 2021, Nov. 17, the St. Kate’s community demonstrated exceptional generosity with gifts totaling $471,953 for the Katie Fund. More than 900 supporters helped the University surpass its donor goal. “The support of our community members and donors is inspiring. We are profoundly grateful,” says Mary Beth Iverson ’85, director of annual giving. For the past 12 years, the St. Catherine community has shared its Katie pride on the University’s biggest day of giving. One lucky alumna who shared the #gokatiegive hashtag during Give to St. Kate’s Day unlocked a
$1,000 challenge, and was selected to designate which area of the Katie Fund the gift would support. “Giving back to St. Kate’s students is just another way to continue to Lead and Influence,” said Ruth Rike ’19 in a Facebook post encouraging her fellow alumni to give. Rike directed the additional $1,000 to the Katie Fund in support of Katie scholarships. “Knowing my contributions are making a direct impact on current students is an absolute privilege and a great feeling, having been one of those students myself once.”
For more St. Kate’s news and to read full announcements, visit stkate.edu/news. stkate.edu
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DIANNE OLIVER, PhD, NAMED ASSOCIATE PROVOST OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS St. Catherine University announced that Dianne Oliver, PhD, was named the University’s new associate provost of academic affairs. Oliver brings more than 25 years of experience in higher education, both as a professor and an administrator, to the role, and will ensure quality programs, promote student and faculty research, and serve as the primary liaison with University constituents on adult and graduate education and research. “I connected immediately with St. Catherine University’s mission and am honored to become part of this community,” said Oliver. “I am excited to join Provost Thomas’ team as we all work to develop further the high-impact practices, academic programs, and opportunities for faculty and staff development that we know help ensure the success of St. Kate’s students and prepare them to be agents of justice in the world.” Before joining St. Kate’s, Oliver was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Nazareth College in Rochester, New York. There, she oversaw the largest division of the college, introduced new programming, and led numerous initiatives around interdisciplinary work, equity, and inclusion. Prior to that, Oliver was associate dean of the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Evansville in Indiana. Oliver earned both her master’s degree and doctorate in theology and ethics at Vanderbilt University. She also earned her Master of Divinity degree from Southern Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky. She is a member of the American Academy of Religion, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, the American Conference of Academic Deans, the Society for Christian Ethics, and the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society.
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HSSH SIMULATION DIRECTOR RECEIVES ESTEEMED CHSE-A® CERTIFICATION St. Catherine University’s Henrietta Schmoll School of Health’s simulation director Krista Anderson, MSN, RN, CHSE-A, received the Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator – Advanced® (CHSE-A®) certification. Granted by the Society for Simulation in Healthcare™ — an internationallyrecognized organization dedicated to advancing the application of medical simulation in healthcare — the certification distinguishes those who have proven themselves to be advanced educators in their healthcare simulation practice and serve as mentors and examples to others in the field. Anderson is one of only 92 people in the world who currently hold this advanced certification. “I am honored to receive this certification,” Anderson says. “I believe healthcare simulation transforms healthcare outcomes for individuals, communities, and systems. My goal is to support students’ education through high quality simulation to impact healthcare across the continuum.” Anderson has worked with St. Kate’s 35+ healthcare programs to introduce best-practice standards and faculty development in utilizing simulation, virtual technologies, and debriefing. She has facilitated interprofessional education and expanded simulation opportunities for St. Catherine University healthcare program students. Through these efforts, Anderson has increased the percentage of clinical hours normally completed at traditional partner sites — an incredible asset for St. Kate’s students during the clinical hours shortage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
LAUREN WITTE ’23, CENTER, SCORED TWO ASSISTS IN THE IN THE WILDCATS’ WINNING GAME AGAINST ST. OLAF COLLEGE.
WILDCAT SOCCER EARNS MIAC REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE The St. Catherine soccer team made history on the last weekend of October, securing the program’s firstever Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular-season title with a 3-0 defeat of St. Olaf College at St. Kate’s. To go along with the win, the Wildcats earned the No. 1 seed in the MIAC Playoffs, which includes a first-round bye. “This team is led by an amazing group of seniors who understand what it means to compete with unity, courage, and joy,” said head coach Jesse Campos. “Since pre-season, we have talked about ensuring the training environment is focused, competitive, and
purposeful so that we could go out and thrive on game day in front of our families, friends, and fans.” Junior Amanda Elton ’23 scored her 12th goal of the season in the 21st minute, assisted by senior Lauren Witte ’23. With just a minute remaining in the first half, rookie Sydney Nelson ’25 netted the fourth goal of her debut season as Witte collected her second assist of the game. The final goal was scored in the 54th minute by senior Rachael Holm ’22 off of a pass from Mallory Johnson ’24, securing the 3-0 victory. Sophomore Kate Praetz ’24 played the complete game on Saturday, collecting her seventh shutout of the season and ranking her first in the conference this season.
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ECONOMICS FACULTY AWARDED NSF GRANT TO EXPLORE GENDER, RACIAL REPRESENTATION St. Kate’s associate professor Caroline Krafft, PhD, and Endowed Professor in the Sciences Kristine West, PhD, have received a $289,038 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through the Build and Broaden Program. Their project focuses on the impact of institutional diversity on minority and women students studying economics, and will run from January 2022 through December 2024. Krafft and West will collaborate with Metropolitan State University, who received a portion of the total grant.
BARBARA SALINAS ’20 (LEFT) AND ADRIANA CORTES MENDOSA ’21 (RIGHT) CONDUCTED UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH THAT FED INTO CORTES MENDOSA’S HONORS THESIS AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION GRANT.
CAROLINE KRAFFT
KRISTINE WEST
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“Many people who are underrepresented in economics come to it once they realize that it’s really more about policy, social issues, environmental economics, and wealth inequality,” says West. “Our hypothesis is that if people find their way into an economics class where they actually see themselves, they see the issues, they feel like they belong, and they feel like they can have that growth mindset — ‘Maybe I’m not a math person yet, but I will be’ — that’s the kind of culture you need to create if you’re going to support women and underrepresented minorities to go on and go further in the field.”
WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH Join us in celebrating Women’s History Month in March. Visit stkate.edu/whm.
Class Notes 1960
These 1968 grads all lived in St. Mary’s during their time at St. Kate’s and get together each year – pictured this past year in Wayzata, Minn. BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: SHARON ALEXANDER JENSEN ’68, MAOL’05; NANCY MORAN MCDEVITT ’68; BARBARA LEITER MORAN ’68; MARGI MACH KOTEK ’68; PAMELA PETTERS FLYNN ’68; BETH HEIMERMAN ARNTZEN ’68; SUZANNE (SUSIE) GOODWIN SCHULER ’68. CENTER ROW: SUSANE (SUE) HAGEN BYRNE ’68; MARYBETH RENZEL SYNOLD ’68. FRONT: DIAN DAVITT ’68, PHD.
1975
A group of 1975 graduates and professors reunited on campus this year. LEFT TO RIGHT: CHRISTINE PALUMBO ’75, 2012 ALUMNI AWARD WINNER; DEBRA (DEB) BARONE SHEATS ’75, PROFESSOR EMERITA; JULIE MILLER JONES, PROFESSOR EMERITA; ANN JACOBS ERICKSON ’75, MAOL’02; CATHERINE (KATE) NIGON DIENHART ’75.
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1990
ROXANNA GRONHOLZ GAPSTUR ’90, PhD, RN, was named to Traditions Bank Board of Directors. President and CEO of WellSpan Health, Gapstur has over 25 years of healthcare leadership experience and currently serves on the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board, the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania Board, Better York Board, and Downtown Renaissance Fund Board.
2010 MEGAN DWYER GAFFEY ’99 began a new position as the Senior Manager of Experience Writing at Best Buy.
2000
RACHEL GRISE HARTLAND ’10 was elected to Hopkins School Board on November 2, 2021. She is also the co-founder and COO of CoyaBlu Sparking Tequila Cocktails and a sign language/English interpreter. KELLEY HOLMES PHILLIPS ’11 welcomed her baby, Jacqueline Elizabeth Kate, on July 12, 2021. LAURA SIENKO SLOAN MAOT’13 married Grady Sloan on October 15, 2021, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel.
ELIANA BUNDT (BRONSTEIN) LEE ’01, JD, began a new role as a legal engineer for LinkSquares, an AI-based CLM company, after completing an additional graduate degree in data science at Utica College. JANICE SPRINGER MAOL’93 published her first of a trilogy of poetry in September. Mourning Coat is a collection of poems and haiku on loss, grief, and finding comfort.
SARAH MCCLAIN ’05 was appointed Chief Marketing Officer for Christian Brothers Investment Services, an asset management firm offering strategies using a Catholic Responsible Investment approach. MICHELLE SIEBEN DOREE ’08 and Brian Doree welcomed their baby, Sophia Lee, on October 1, 2021. KRISTINE MADSEN MSW’09 was named Director of Family and Individual Counseling for Catholic Charities of Southern Minnesota.
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RENEE CREPEAU VOLK ’13 and Eric Volk welcomed their baby, Shay Eleanor, on July 16, 2021. COMFORT DONDO ’15 published her first book, Facing the Giants, her “love letter to survivors of trauma and self-guided workbook that supports healing and encourages conversation on these difficult topics.” Founder of nonprofit Phumulani, Dondo has also received an $18,000 grant from the Mary Alphonse Bradley Fund for renovations in the Phumulani Homes Project.
Pictured here in “a celebration of life and legacy tied to the College of St. Catherine” are four out of five Fraher sisters who graduated from St. Kate’s. Mary Fraher Starr ’76 passed away in 2001. Their mother Sara Wood Fraher ’46 and aunt Mary Davida Wood, CSJ, ’31 were alumnae as well, making this a family of TripliKates – possibly QuadrupliKates, if Anne Sikorra Holdener ’03’s daughter Abigail attends St. Kate’s! BACK ROW, LEFT TO RIGHT: ANNE SIKORRA HOLDENER ’03, SARA (SALLY) FRAHER PRIBYL ’74, MARGARET (MAGGIE) FRAHER ’81. FRONT ROW: ABIGAIL HOLDENER, BRIGID FRAHER SCHULTZ ’79, KATHLEEN (KATIE) FRAHER SIKORRA ’73.
KATHERINE (K.D.) SENGSTOCK ’16, member of the Minnesota National Guard, was deployed in Kuwait and sent to assist in the evacuations at Kabul Airport in Afghanistan. HANNAH JERIES-BARDON ’17 married Cory Bardon on October 9, 2021, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel.
JONATHAN OKSTAD MBA’19 co-authored a book chapter in Shifting the Mindset: Socially Just Leadership Education.
MADELYN CONNERS KAELIN ’20 married Garrett Kaelin on October 22, 2021, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel.
2020
KATELYN (KATIE) RETTERATH MARTIN MLIS’20 was selected as a FINNOVATION Fellow, and will receive a $50,000 living stipend and $3,000 healthcare stipend in support of her entrepreneurship. Katie says her business “will specifically focus on balancing injustices in cataloging systems, creating a database that forges pathways for equity and inclusion in libraries.”
ANNA MACKI OLSON ’17 married Birk Olson on August 21, 2021, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel. CLAIRE THOMPSON ’17 was selected to serve a one-year clerkship with the North Dakota Supreme Court for the 2022–23 term, beginning August 1. JAMIE CHRISTENSON SCHWEIZER ’18 married Matthew Schweizer on October 2, 2021, at Our Lady of Victory Chapel. CAYLEE PERRA HAGEN ’19 married Tanner Hagen on September 24, 2021, at Erickson Farmstead in Isanti, Minn.
NATALIE GROSE ’20 spent three weeks in the Aguas Claras de Upala area of Costa Rica photographing a co-op of businesswomen who conduct research with the University of Costa Rica on two types of butterflies.
SUBMIT A CLASS NOTE CONTACT US Online: stkate.edu/alumni Phone: 651-690-6666 Email: alumni@stkate.edu facebook.com/katiealumni St. Catherine University Alumni
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OUR LADY OF VICTORY CHAPEL FRIEZE (DETAIL), NORTH DOOR
In Memory w Our deepest sympathy to the families of the following faculty and graduates of St. Catherine University. Marianna Forde, faculty member in French from 1985 to 2002 w October 3, 2021. Josephine Brudzinski Howard ’39 w December 20, 2020. Marian Micka Pearson ’40 w May 26, 2020. Regina Hagan Spall ’41 w April 30, 2006. Carol Honebrink Sawyer ’42 w October 3, 2021. Loretta Kelly Gavin ’42 w July 21, 2021. Catherine LaQua Palmer ’42 w October 21, 2021. Hildegarde Kramer Shadle ’44 w February 17, 2018. Margaret Mary Whittet Powers ’44 w May 4, 2011. Mary Anne Borden Lindberg ’45 w July 31, 2021. Eileen Foley Eaves ’45 w August 10, 2021. Patricia Lambert ’45 w March 24, 2021. Georgette Prenevost Guillemette Hansen ’45 w April 5, 2016. Patricia Watts Sheehan ’46 w January 26, 2018. Carolyn Lungwitz Phillips ’47 w October 28, 2021. Verna Fischer Green ’48 w August 1, 2020. Ruth Simmet Baker ’48 w August 25, 2021. Lorraine Bigelow Melcher ’49 w October 18, 2021. Barbara Burke Walsh ’50 w November 4, 2021. Mary Maute ’50 w September 14, 2021. Adelaide McGuigan Ingebrand ’50 w October 25, 2021. Margaret O’Brien Lawrow ’50 w May 25, 2021. Colleen Rice Casey ’50 w October 2, 2020. Mary Katherine Simon Matthews ’50 w May 11, 2019. Audrey Cecka Schlecht ’51 w March 28, 2021. Gertrude Costello Ivory ’51 w July 26, 2021.
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Ann Loulan Kilbride ’51 w July 12, 2021. Barbara Methven DeCosse ’51 w October 13, 2021. Doris Brandl O’Rourke ’52 w June 30, 2020. Jeanne Geyer Sella ’52 w September 14, 2021. Mary Lou Kolar Menard ’52 w August 1, 2021. Mary Alyce Reckers Vornholt ’52 w April 15, 2018. Claire Studer Chouinard ’52 w November 4, 2021. Nancy Hadrath Hooley ’53 w August 16, 2021. Mary Joyce Pietsch, SSND, (Harriet Pietsch) ’53 w May 4, 2021. Mary Ann Ruddy Hayes ’53 w July 16, 2021. Marcia Sweetman Lowe ’53 w December 14, 2020. Genevieve Dougherty Johnson ’54 w September 4, 2021. Jane Fleming Lincoln ’54 w September 8, 2021. Pat Boyle Simmons ’55 w June 15, 2021. Patricia Carpentier Florance ’55 w July 30, 2019. Maureen Downs Hughes ’55 w September 3, 2021. Helen O’Dea Moser ’55 w October 1, 2021. Joan Baskfield Carroll ’57 w September 15, 2021. Elizabeth Novak Mares ’57 w July 28, 2021. Carol Tschida Murphy ’57 w September 18, 2019. Janet Baskfield Hanley ’58 w November 5, 2015. Joanne Hawkins Prazak ’58 July 8, 2021. Janice Honzay Johnson ’58 w July 14, 2021. Lillian Rossini Waldera, CSJ, ’58, MTH’07 w July 19, 2021. Eleanor Hanousek Cunniff ’59 w June 22, 2021. Margaret O’Leary, CSJ, ’59 w October 8, 2021.
Bea Van Demark Isaak ’59 w October 6, 2021. Patricia Yentsch Beck ’60 w August 27, 2021. June Jansen Sinnett ’61 w October 12, 2021. Mary (Mimi) Ouellette Weinberger Bohrer ’61 w August 11, 2021. Alyce Balego Anderson ’62 w September 18, 2019. Frances Blevins Raine ’65 w January 26, 2021. Rosalie Maggio ’65 w September 18, 2021. Mary Swenson Grendahl ’65 w August 16, 2021. Carole Nelson Douglas ’66 w October 20, 2021. Mary Jo Cook ’68 w November 14, 2021. Cynthia Friedline Trebil ’68 w November 6, 2021. Julie Cook Doble ’70 w January 14, 2020. Claudia Knutson ’70 w July 21, 2021. Lois Mostad Swenson ’70 w November 12, 2020. Margaret Hartmann Murphy ’71 w May 25, 2021. Claire Lauer ’71 w February 5, 2018. Margaret Ofstead ’72 w June 4, 2021. Glenna Small Moore ’72 w January 30, 2018. Katherine Stevenson ’72 w April 30, 2021. Felipa Vasquez Ramirez ’73 w September 23, 2021. Janeice DeLisle ’76 w September 1, 2021. Patricia Brown Winston ’77 w April 5, 2020. Laurel Hart Granger ’77 w July 3, 2021. Elizabeth Otto David ’77 w February 6, 2020. Cynthia Boes ’79 w August 8, 2021. Monica Goossens Glass ’80 w July 6, 2021. Rochelle Prince ’84 w September 10, 2015. Marjorie Schwankl Bjorklund ’84 w July 22, 2021. Margery McInerny ’86 w August 7, 2021. Junelle Vasey Gustafson ’88 w September 24, 2021. Joan Doherty Gagne ’89 w October 13, 2020. Deborah Curtis Reynolds ’90 w June 4, 2019. Christine Breed ’91 w January 9, 2021. Mary Elizabeth Feldmann ’91 w August 2, 2021. Gayle Fowler Tinney ’91 w December 8, 2017. Kathleen Moriarty MAOL’96 w August 11, 2021. Kathy Kalen Hanson ’98 w July 11, 2021. Steven Douglas Nelson MLIS’99 w April 2, 2020. Catherine Ann Bergen ’03 w October 2021. Hanna Nickerson Barker Cert’03, MAOL’08 w July 31, 2021. Connie Pratt Price ’04 w September 17, 2021.
Would you like to make a memorial or tribute gift? Please contact 651-690-6976 | giving@stkate.edu Contact us to share news of a death: 651-690-6666 | inmemory@stkate.edu
Dawn Benck Burdette ’06 w April 19, 2020. Elizabeth Palmen MAHS’07 w August 25, 2021. Andrea Kuseske ’11 w July 28, 2019. Mary Catherine Nolan MNAG’11 w July 31, 2021. Jillayne Beall ’13 w September 1, 2021. Kristina McGee CertHHS’21 w July 24, 2021.
SUSAN WELCH Susan Welch, professor emerita of English, passed away on Sept. 4, 2021. Welch was born on July 4, 1949. She attended the University of Iowa, graduating with a journalism major, and Stanford University, where she was a Stegner Fellow and earned a master’s degree in English and creative writing. In 1987, she joined the St. Kate’s English department, where she taught for the next 30 years. Among her many contributions at the University, she is best known for her crucial support of the St. Kate’s creative writing and honors programs. A published author of short stories, novels, and articles in nationally recognized journals, she was a finalist for the Minnesota Book Award and a 2020 winner of St. Kate’s Denny Prize. Welch was a gifted writer, outstanding teacher, and generous and cherished friend to many. She is survived by her husband, Gary; her daughter, Leah, and son-in-law, Gedeon; and three grandsons.
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Katie Diary BY PHIL HOEPPNER
Before Coeur de Catherine, there was St. Joseph Hall. In the five decades before the construction of Coeur de Catherine combined multiple spaces into a comprehensive student-services facility, St. Joseph Hall, built in 1954, provided the central gathering place for students, faculty, and staff. A snack bar, which came to be nicknamed “the smoker,” for obvious reasons, was a popular venue frequented by smokers and non-smokers alike. Playing cards — bridge, in particular — was a favorite way to pass time between classes. Alumnae from the Class of 1969 remember it fondly: “I was a day student and used the smoker in St. Joe’s. ... I carried a lunch from home and often bought an ice cream cone for a sweet in the afternoon. The guys from St. Thomas would drive over to sit in the smoker for a while, especially if they were taking a class at St. Kate’s or courting a special Katie.” — Jane Kostik “Sister Kevin (aka Sister Mary O’Hara) would on occasion come into the St. Joe’s smoker to play bridge. She never sorted her cards, was a great bidder, and was a terrific bridge player. I and some of the others were intimidated by her!” — Kathleen Donnelly “Thinking about the smoker reminded me I met my now husband of 47 years there. He and his friends from St. Thomas came to a mixer at St. Kate’s, a group of us started talking and laughing, and six years later he and I got married. Who knew?” — Katie Palmsten
Today, mindful of health and wellness, we are a smokefree campus.
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PHOTO/UNIVERSITY ARCHIVES
St. Joe’s wasn’t the first smoker on campus. Prior to 1954, Katies congregated in a smoker in Whitby, the faux closing of which was announced in the April 1, 1953, issue of The Catherine Wheel:
April Fools!
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THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF BRIGHT FUTURES
St. Catherine University is working to instill more equity and accessibility for children into early childhood education programs. Read more on page 6.
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