MY ST. KATE’S

EAT TO PEAK BY STACY DAHL ’16

Each summer, Associate Athletics Director Madge Makowske applies for and receives one of four NCAA grants to support additional education activities for Wildcat Athletics. This year was no different. The Mindful Athlete Nutrition Program, however, is special because it involves multiple partners and hands-on learning for students.

“What started as a small idea I had blossomed into a full-on collaboration with St. Kate’s faculty, studentathletes and interns, Sodexo and our registered dietitians on campus,” says Makowske.

The program aims to improve student-athlete performance and well-being — now and post college — through better nutrition. It includes a newsletter, “Snack Attack” info sessions and cafeteria placards that identify dietitian-approved meals for student-athletes.

“An athlete’s body is like a performance car,” notes Makowske. “If you put bad stuff into the car, it will not run well. The body operates the same way. You have to fuel it with healthy food, or it will lack energy and not perform well.” Each month, Holly Willis, the assistant professor of nutrition and dietetics who co-leads the project with Makowske, works with student volunteers to produce the newsletters. Jordan Rice, a graduate student in holistic health studies, formats and emails the newsletter, which includes topics such as recovery meals and eating on the road.

“Snack Attack” events teach student-athletes about portion sizes and how to build low-calorie, high-protein snacks.

“Our volunteers all bring different experiences and knowledge to our work sessions,” says Willis, a registered dietitian. “The opportunity to guide students through the process of creating educational content has been as rewarding as presenting it to the athletes.”

Registered nurse Sarah Hoyt and Sara Eisenhauer, sports information director, round out the project team.

More info at stkate.edu/manp

Stacy Dahl is a senior majoring in business administration.

GUERRILLAS AT ST. KATE’S BY SHARON ROLENC

The local arts community is about to go bananas over the Guerrilla Girls Twin Cities Takeover February 29–March 6, and St. Kate’s is at the heart of the action.

The Guerrilla Girls are internationally known activists that expose sexism and racism in politics, the art world, film and our culture at large. Group members remain anonymous, take on the names of dead women artists and appear in public wearing gorilla masks. 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the organization.

The Twin Cities Takeover “aims to inspire individual and collective activism” through new artwork and a series of public, community-wide events.

While nearly 30 organizations are involved, St. Kate’s is one of six organizing partners, along with Hennepin Theater Trust, Minneapolis College of Art and Design, Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), Walker Art Center and Weisman Museum of Art.

“To partner alongside regional giants like the Walker and Mia is an incredible honor,” says Patricia Olson, associate professor of art and art history, and director of the Women’s Art Institute. “It’s a testament to the strength of the arts at St. Kate’s — of our commitment to nurturing and showcasing women artists through the curriculum, the Women’s Art Institute and the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery.”

Last fall, the Guerrilla Girls held creative sessions with students at St. Kate’s and Mia to form the basis of the takeover and inspire a new generation of art activism. Some of that work, including “Till Death Do Us Part” (pictured), appears in the “Happy and Angry” exhibition running now through March 12 at St. Kate’s Visual Arts Building. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

More event info at ggtakeover.com

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ART ACTIVISM IN PRACTICE: RUZANA ABDUL-RAHIM, A ST. KATE’S EXCHANGE STUDENT, CREATED THIS POSTER IN A GUERRILLA GIRLS WORKSHOP.

2015–16 MILESTONES These dynamic St. Kate’s programs are celebrating an anniversary: 15 YEARS Education: Curriculum and Instruction

25 YEARS Master of Social Work

30 YEARS Pastoral Ministry Certificate 30 YEARS Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership 70 YEARS Occupational Therapy

MASTER OF ARTS IN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY GRADUATES, CLASS OF 2015. SEE MORE PHOTOS: flickr.com/stkates

CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES! BY PAULINE OO

There were tears of joy and cheers of jubilation as hundreds of students received their diplomas at St. Kate’s December Commencement.

A few days earlier, in Richmond, Virginia, 14 students successfully completed the University’s online Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) program — the first of its kind in the nation. St. Kate’s launched the program in fall 2014, in partnership with Genesis Rehab Services, a nationwide provider of comprehensive therapy services for older adults. To earn their degrees, students completed about 80 percent of their coursework online and attended labs every three weeks to achieve 700 hours of fieldwork.

While OTA online is currently only available to students in Virginia, St. Kate’s plans to expand it to other states, starting with California this fall. Earlier this month, 18 Master of Business Administration (MBA) candidates received their degrees as part of the University’s first-ever graduating class in this field of study. Among the graduates were several professionals from Xcel Energy, Target and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

The St. Kate’s MBA, established in spring 2014, offers concentrations in management, healthcare and integrated marketing and communications (IMC). The IMC, which focuses on digital marketing and electronic communications, is the first of its kind in the nation.

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