University of Mary Momentum Fall 2023

Stability through innovation

Twoof my predecessors, Sister Anne Burns and Sister Thomas Welder, would often remark that one of the University of Mary’s greatest attributes is that we’re a school for the professions with a strong liberal arts base. In other words, we’re deeply invested in the excellent training of the next generation of health care professionals, engineers, teachers, and business leaders, and so we’re committed to having our students leave our campus with world-class technical abilities and keen insights in their respective fields.

At the same time, we’re fundamentally devoted to forming our students as whole persons for the whole of their lives. We don’t just want to give the world skilled nurses, entrepreneurs, and civic leaders, but women and men who see the dignity of their patients, their customers, those entrusted to their care, who understand their lives as part

of something much bigger — a “link in a chain” as Saint John Henry Newman said, connecting the tradition of the past with the bright hope of the future.

This holistic outlook for what a university ought to be and do governs every aspect of our life here at Mary.

Our strategic plan for Marauders Athletics, Greatness Through Virtue, is founded on the integration of athletic excellence and character formation. We prioritize success in competition, striving to win games, while recognizing that our scholar-athletes will one day leave the court, the field, the pitch, the pool, or the rink to commence the rest of their lives. We know that sport can — and should — be a school of virtue, and so we invest our utmost efforts into equipping each and every Marauder under our care for a life of integrity and joy.

Likewise, our teaching faculty carry an expansive vision for their own lives and the lives of their students, a vision that goes far beyond the task of passing along information. Because we’re a university devoted both to professional preparation and the renewal of the mind and heart, the people who work for us are committed to lighting a fire within our students so that, when they graduate, they can venture out into the world filled with radiance and life.

So we’ve been incredibly blessed at the University of Mary to have the most talented and impressive people serving our mission, men and women brimming with energy and joy, ever dedicated to generous service. I’ve said before that we have more than our fair share of people who have

devoted their lives to our university. I’m tremendously proud to share with you, in this issue, some of the brightest lights on our campus, from the newest members of our community to one of our most faithful and longestserving friends of the university.

And this fall, we’re welcoming the largest incoming class in our history, about 700 between freshmen and transfers. Our commitment to our mission, the people striving to uphold that mission in their daily work here, and those who so generously support us, have made it possible for us to receive from God overwhelming grace. As we praise Him for His great goodness to us, for providing for us and entrusting to us this most humbling and rewarding task of Christian, Catholic, and Benedictine higher education, we’re amazed at His abundance toward us. What a privilege it is, then, to see so many of our alumni living lives of abundance, too. The outpouring of God’s life onto our campus, taken up by our faculty and staff, has touched many, many lives. We're ever grateful for your support and prayers for us in our mission. Know of our thankful prayers for you!

Monsignor James P. Shea President

Monsignor James P. Shea President of the University of Mary

Joan Weltz (center) surrounded by past students, Sister Nicole Kunze (right), Sister Janet Zander (left), and Monsignor James Shea (back center).

Celebrating 50 YEARS OF SERVICE

“She has no idea how many people she has impacted or how meaningful the work she does is.” This is a quote from Tim Miles, ’89 alumnus of Mary, former head basketball coach for the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers — a Divison I program — and current head coach for San Jose State University. He wasn’t talking about a famous mentor or a renowned teacher.

struggling students, crafting degree completion plans, and coming back again to do it all over again the next day. It’s dutiful business that doesn’t allow a lot of time for reflecting on comments like Tim's, but Joan’s is the kind of story that makes sense of why Mary students have the experience they do.

In addition to her work with the faculty and in admissions, she’s helped with the theater program; assisted with committee needs; served as the advisor for SPURS, a student service organization; mentored students like Tim; and on and on.

He was talking about his undergraduate work-study supervisor: Joan Weltz, the University of Mary’s assistant director of transfer admissions. Joan is celebrating her 50th year of coming to campus every morning (she may hold a Mary record for fewest workdays missed), making calls, chasing transcripts, encouraging

Joan’s time at the university started in 1973. She was a business student in Minot after graduating from high school, and a Minot State administrator reached out to her to let her know that they’d been contacted about an open position at Mary. Mary asked if anyone in Joan’s program might be “a good fit.” “I’m not quite sure why I was the good fit,” Joan said. She was soon to find out. After graduating from college on a Friday, she started work in Bismarck the following Tuesday as the university's faculty secretary. It was after just a handful of years that the admissions office came knocking. The director at the time asked Joan if she’d be willing to serve as office manager for them. Joan said she would … and did so for the next couple of decades. By 1992, the admissions office had asked her to move into her current role.

In fact, she even produced a number of theatrical programs over the years — musicals and stage plays both.

Former student, Marby Hogen, ’96, ’99, remembers Joan’s leadership being crucial to her experience on a theater scholarship in 1991.

“I came from a small town, and what you learn quickly is that this is your family away from your family. Joan was one of those people who really just embraces you,” she said. “It’s that kind of spirit that makes you realize you’re not just another number.” Her comments gesture at the qualities that most often follow on

Joan, pictured here in 1989, has been helping students at the university for 50 years.

A collection of items Joan has accumulated, including a personal note from the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery.

the heels of mentioning Joan’s name: compassionate, caring, genuine. But there are other qualities that come up with Joan's name, too: honest and diligent. “Joan has a no-nonsense style about her,” Marby said, laughing. “You did what she told you to do. There was nothing lost in translation,” remembered Tim. “There was an expectation for how to go about your work, your sport, and your life.”

For some, a “nononsense” style had more tangible effects than for others. Anne (Dziak) Yantes, ’16, was a transfer student to Mary after a difficult freshman year. A Chicago native, she remembers applying to various universities across the country, finally coming around to her friend’s suggestion that she apply to Mary.

“The day after I submitted my application, Joan called me,” Anne recalled. “She was the first person who had called me. And she said, ‘Okay, I’ll walk you through this.’” It was a done deal at that point. She continued to lean on Joan for everything from resolving sticky financial aid questions to settling her nerves about coming to a new place knowing no one at all.

What Anne’s especially grateful for, however, happened a couple of years down the road. Another student, Patrick, was considering transferring out of the University of Mary after the spring of his sophomore year, unsure about his major here. Joan quickly pulled together a plan for him to finish a bachelor’s degree in two

more years. And then she spent the summer on the phone with him, assuring him of the university's commitment to preparing him for his career and life. It worked. He came back to campus in the fall. Shortly thereafter, Patrick asked Anne if she’d go on a date with him. And from there, Joan’s two rescued students didn’t look back — they’re now married with three little boys.

“I always say, ‘Joan is the reason we got married and have this beautiful family,’” Anne said, “It’s all thanks to her.”

The network Joan built goes beyond the student population. Some of the most treasured relationships she’s had over the years have been with the Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery. Especially close to her was Sister Thomas Welder, president of the University of Mary from 1978 to 2009 and then president emerita until her passing in 2020. “Our offices were on the other side of campus,” Joan remembered, “So we kind of got to know each other then. We had a little group of some of us that worked here and some of the Sisters — about 10 or 12 of us — and we got together maybe once a month, either at

someone’s home or apartment or at the monastery. We shared a meal, played cards, played games, visited. Sister Thomas was part of that. I just developed a close bond with those Sisters during that time.”

It was a relationship that grew over a series of practical jokes. Joan explained that Sister Thomas had won a small plaster statue of a pair of praying hands at a Mardi Gras party. Sister Thomas had thrown them away, but “unbeknownst to her,” Joan said, “another fellow and I saw her as she was leaving and dug those praying hands out of the garbage. We took off the knob of Sister’s mailbox and we screwed those praying hands onto the little door.” Thus ensued a long-running exchange. “We just went back and forth,” Joan said. Once, she stuck them on the hood of Sister Thomas’ car. Sister responded by baking them into a cake. “She'd always find a way to get them back to me.”

While the relationship grew over jokes, it came to maturity over pieces of shared

Joan with Marby Hogen. Marby was an avid student actor during her undergraduate years and is currently earning her DBA from Mary.

I always told them, ‘I’m here’

wisdom. What Joan’s cherished most from the Sisters is a lesson that's always marked the careers of those who have had the kind of lasting influence Joan has. It’s the secret to Joan’s compassion, to her patience and sincerity. “What I learned is that the thing you need to do is listen,” Joan said. “To the students, to the parents, really anybody, the people you work with . . . listen. Because you’re going to learn something. And there may be ways that you can help.”

Joan doesn’t have immediate plans for retirement. Characteristically, she’s matterof-fact about it: “The last time I drive down that hill, then I’m going to retire.”

In the meantime, she’s diving into the rhythm of another year, still looking forward to the part of her role that’s meant the most to her. “The best part of my job is going to commencement and watching those students that I played a small part in helping walk across the stage.”

“Small” is not exactly the right adjective. Anne remembers working alongside Joan in the admissions office for a few years, aspiring to be just like her.

“It was always about the students for Joan,” Anne said. "It was always, 'What can we do for them?'"

That’s the foundation on which the University of Mary has built its whole life. Joan remembers how, just a few decades ago, it was unusual for students to attend college far away from home. When they did, parents got worried. What would happen if their son or daughter needed something?

“I always told them, ‘I’m here,” Joan said, “Whatever it is they need, I'm here.”

“I’m here”: two words that have blessed the University of Mary for five decades and provided thousands of students the footing they've needed to find their place — both here on campus and out in the wider world. 

Anne and her three kids with Joan.

with

COOPER JONES

Georgia native Cooper Jones came to the University of Mary in March to take over as our fourth executive director of intercollegiate athletics, bringing with him over 25 years of leadership experience in postsecondary athletic administration. This summer, Jones sat down with us to talk about work-life integration, North Dakota’s culture of hospitality, and the fundamentals of Marauders Athletics’ strategic plan, Greatness Through Virtue

How did your previous roles prepare you to pick up the mantle here at Mary?

If you've been an athletic director at a school of significance, a school that holds a place of passion or importance in people's hearts, then you recognize all of the many different factors that go into having a successful department. You understand those strengths, those weaknesses, those opportunities and threats. How do you build competitive success? How do you maintain it over time? How do you engage with a community of supporters and invite them to join with you and your department and your school to make your dreams and aspirations for your program come true?

All of that is a pretty big mix, and if you’ve never had the final say, it can be daunting. If the proverbial bullets are flying and you’ve never had to answer the call, then you’re going to be in trouble. So you need to have an understanding of what the job actually demands as well as a firm grasp of the broader context of higher education and intercollegiate athletics right now. That comes with experience. You need to have a good, steady hand to guide an enterprise as ambitious as ours and implement a vision as unique as ours.

How do you manage the stress that comes with overseeing a program in transition?

I think for me, I’ve gotten a lot better as I’ve gotten older. It used to be, you just grind and grind and grind until May or June hits and then you take some time off. That’s a pretty certain recipe for burnout and no way to manage stress. So I’m very intentional now about taking time. I take time away. And I’m focused on making sure my staff gets time to recharge their batteries, too, so they can look and go, “Oh, the boss sees us. The boss gets it. The boss knows we’ve worked really hard.”

For me, I love to play golf. It’s my one hobby, my one vice. And my family is just a tremendous source of joy for me. Spending time with my wife and my kids, trying to be the best husband and the best dad I can be — that’s recharging and rejuvenating for me.

Since you and your family moved here this last spring, what’s surprised you most about life in the Peace Garden State?

You know, everyone tells you they’re a welcoming community. Everyone says that. But are you? And it’s just unfailing here in Bismarck, whether you’re walking into Sickies with your family and a vet holds a door open for you or you’re at Sanford Health and you do the same for someone in need and they express real, sincere appreciation instead of just giving you the big city head nod to say “Thank you.” Just little things like that.

And when we were getting ready to move — who wants to move, right? — I can’t tell you how many people in this office said,

“Let me know what you need, and I’ll bring my team or find someone in town to help.” That you would not only volunteer your time but bring your scholar-athletes and your colleagues with you and reach out to members of the community to see if they can lend a hand — it was all heartfelt, and it made a big impression on our family. When you move to a new place, you always hope that it’ll live up to what people have built it up to be. North Dakota’s absolutely met and exceeded our hopes and expectations as a place to live and work and raise a family.

What does Greatness Through Virtue mean to you?

It's a broader concept than I think we've even talked about up to this point. The kind of formation we’re providing through Greatness Through Virtue is really geared toward helping our scholar-athletes achieve greatness by excelling in every area of their lives. It’s a reevaluation of how they’re performing in the classroom, how they’re giving back to the community, and so on. It’s an overall commitment to greatness through everything that we do. I want us to view it through that lens.

All of the most successful teams I’ve ever been a part of had truly virtuous people on their rosters. Maybe they couldn’t have defined the word for you, but they were living lives of virtue. They were striving for excellence across the board, not just on the field or in the arena. And so what I think we need to do is continue to recruit scholarathletes who are ready to explore the greatness that God has set up for them. If you’re open to fulfilling your potential as an athlete, as a student, as a person, we’ve got a place for you. We’re where you need to be.

What are your goals for the future of Marauders Athletics?

What gets me most excited is this incredible opportunity we have right now to showcase what sets us apart from the crowd. So many of our peer institutions across the country are struggling. At the University of Mary, we know who we are. We’re very unique in our identity and very specific about what we believe and what we value. And so I think our best and brightest days are ahead of us.

What we’re focused on now is becoming a model athletics program. When schools are asking themselves how to build a successful department, I want them to think of us first: “Let’s take a look at UMary. They’re doing it really well there. They’re winning in life, in the classroom, on the field.” Most of all, we want to form our scholar-athletes into men and women who are going to go out and make a difference in this world, who are going to make us proud to say, “That’s a UMary graduate. That’s a UMary letter winner.” That’s always going to be the measure of our success.

Greatness Through Virtue is really geared toward helping our scholarathletes achieve greatness by excelling in every area of their lives.

Securing the Future Securing the Future

If you ask Chaz Hager, CEO of North River IT and ’08 alumnus of the University of Mary, about his work in cyber security, there’s one refrain he’ll repeat over and over: “We need good people.”

In a field that seems to be growing by the day — right now, the cyber security industry has over 700,000 unfilled jobs, and predictions estimate up to 3.5 million openings in the field by the year 2025 — one would expect that what Hager means by “good people” is the obvious: candidates who excel at what they do.

But he'll be the first to tell you he's looking for much more than technical proficiency. “We can train hard skills on the job,” he said. “However, our first order of business is to take care of the customer. We need candidates who care, who want to do the right thing, who are willing to call customers and talk them through the process. Those are the ones whose career trajectory soars.”

Hager’s company is based in Bismarck, ND, sharing a backyard with the University of Mary, which has had its ear to the ground for comments like his since its founding. If the need for “good” nurses and teachers motivated the University in 1959, needs like Hager’s are motivating it today. The University of Mary recently launched a revamped bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security Administration, designed to address the deepening crisis of unfilled positions in the industry as well as the gap between practical know-how and people skills that Hager is constantly looking to bridge.

For Dr. Kevin Fishbeck, d irector of Mary’s computer information systems program and a key voice in the development of his department's new major, the logic for the massive effort it’s been to craft the Cyber Security Administration degree

pathway is straightforward. “We’re simply following our mission,” he said.

The phrase could be taken as the motivating force for any number of projects that have inspired the University of Mary’s growth since the launch of Vision 2030. Right now, it’s motivating a program design that focuses on providing students with a comprehensive background in computer systems and networks. The curriculum incorporates interactive lab simulations that cover the essential elements of cyber defense, including networking technology, basic operating systems concepts, and ethical practice. In our increasingly technologydependent world, individual users, small businesses, and massive institutional digital infrastructures alike are in need of reliable protection from cybercriminals. Cyber security is a field posing heady technical questions and requiring the insight of ethically fluent decision-makers.

“The mission at the University of Mary is to serve the religious, academic, and cultural needs of the people in this region and beyond,” Fishbeck said. “Cyber security jobs will continue to grow along with

industry retraining of current employees due to rapid technological changes. We can help fill this tremendous need.”

“Need” seems to be the calling card for both the University of Mary and her alumni. When Fishbeck first started consulting about the program with alumni-turned-industry-leaders like Hager, he became hopeful of inspiring some other homecomings to get the curriculum he was dreaming up off the ground. One of his first calls when considering the program’s launch was to a former student, Matt Frohlich, ’05. “I was reluctant at first,” Frohlich said, reflecting on his initial conversations with Fishbeck. “But I felt that with my prior experience, I could help Mary start a premier program.”

Frohlich’s prior experience isn’t just in the classroom. Right out of college, he took an IT support job at a local bank. A long stint in teaching followed. It was then that he first saw the IT industry's focus shift to cyber defense. He eventually returned to the industry, serving as a cyber security engineer at MDU before joining the the faculty of the Gary Tharaldson School of Business.

Chaz Hager of North River IT is optimistic about what lies ahead for North Dakota's burgeoning cyber security sector.

When he did, coming on board as director of the cyber security administration program, he brought with him what his real-world experience had impressed on him: that it’s “not just IT” anymore, or, as Hager put it, that “customers assume you’re handling their cyber security.” IT programs neglecting to

teach their students about the field are therefore at a serious disadvantage.

If you ask Frohlich’s colleague Tanya Taplin, ’18, her and her colleagues’ industry experience, which has taught them real-world lessons, is part of what makes the University of Mary’s program stand out.

“We’re able to bring real-life scenarios and technical hands-on labs to our classrooms,” Taplin said. Students can learn from instructors who have ‘been there, done that.’ “We're able to tell those stories. You can't read about those in a book.”

Taplin's tenure as a cyber security professional began long before she graduated from the University of Mary. After serving in a wide range of positions across the industry, she most recently worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as North Dakota's State Cyber Security Advisor. When she mentions that bit of background around colleagues in the cyber field, all the eyes at the table get big. Her work was to defend the most critical infrastructures in the state from cyber threats.

But Taplin’s mission at Mary is to give back every bit of the experience she’s gained from her work at the top. “I wouldn’t have been able to achieve what I have without the support of previous professors like Dr. Kevin Fishbeck,” she said. “Teaching at the University of Mary is my way of paying it forward.”

If you ask Frohlich, another feature that sets Mary's program apart is its strong liberal arts base. He notes that a major emphasis of the curriculum is on broader skills — effective communication, attending to client relationships, and more. “We’re not just pounding out coding sheets,” he said. “I teach students in various technologies where they can recognize their natural gifts and then use them.”

But it’s not just that students come out of their degree betterrounded. Students are also more capable of adapting to the changing needs of the cyber security industry.

“In other programs,” Frohlich said, “you’re very technical, and to keep up on that is very difficult. What you learn your freshman year, by your senior year is out of date. At Mary, we give people foundational tools so they are able to continue developing in their career, rather than being hyper-focused on the latest and greatest and cutting-edge.”

All in all, the result is a pool of young people already meeting the criteria of employers like Hager. His company serves clients all across the U.S., but he’s reluctant to move its headquarters out of the Bismarck area.

“Is the pool smaller?” he asked. “Obviously. But I don’t think we would be able to get the quality of people and team that we have here anywhere else.”

The University of Mary's cyber security faculty have been working on expanding that pool, not only by launching their new degree but also by developing multiple tracks students can take toward degree completion.

The program is built to serve not only field newcomers but also current information technology and computer information systems professionals who are looking to retool their skills. In fact, students can enroll as traditional or Year-Round Campus students, graduating in just 2.6 years, or they can take their courses entirely online or via evening, in-person options. Plus, the faculty are hopeful their department will continue to multiply its degree offerings. “We are developing smaller, graduate-level certificates for those who have been in the industry but are looking to upskill,” Taplin said. The hope is to respond to an addendum Hager made to his refrain — his need for “good people.”

“I expect the University of Mary to be able to supply them,” he said. With its launch of its innovative bachelor’s program in Cyber Security Administration, now open to both traditional and online students, the University of Mary plans to meet his expectation. 

“We can help this tremendous need.”

From left: Dr. Kevin Fishbeck, Tanya Taplin, and Matt Frohlich.

Dr. Terry Pilling, dean of the University of Mary's Hamm School of Engineering, has never been shy about his dreams for his department.

“Our whole goal, from the beginning, has been to make sure we have higherquality graduates than anyone else,” he said. “I don’t just mean in North Dakota — I mean in the entire region.”

The school recently hit another milestone in its pursuit of that goal by receiving ABET accreditation for

the three programs introduced at the School’s founding: namely, its Bachelor of Science degrees in Civil, Mechanical, and Electrical Engineering. The programs were awarded accreditation in the shortest timeframe the process permits — a staggering effort for a school of their size. But it’s been worth it for a group of professors whose whole focus, Pilling says, “is on the student.” They’ll now be able to send off graduates eligible to be trained as “Professional Engineers” and gain a special licensure

that opens up career tracks at the highest levels of engineering leadership.

But this milestone also came as an opportunity to reflect on an astonishing story of growth, even for the faculty who have been living it every step of the way.

“When we started, we didn't even have a building,” Pilling remembered. “We moved into a space in town for a year.”

“Then we were in an old fitness center on campus for a couple of years,” Rodrigo da Costa Aparecido, another of the school's

A Journey of GROWTH and INNOVATION

Three of Mary's Engineering Programs Receive ABET Accreditation.

founding faculty members, recalled.

It was a punishing grind that drew both a large measure of grace and lots of new students.

In addition to ABET accreditation, the school, only seven years after its founding, boasts a state-of-theart facility, a fully populated faculty, a redesigned curriculum, and five cohorts of alumni in the workforce who are drawing the attention of more and more employers to the University of Mary’s program. Indeed, Mary engineering graduates are some of the most sought-after in the market. “When I taught elsewhere,” Pilling said, “students would come to internship fairs, where companies come in and set up little tables. Students would show up dressed in suits to see if they could get a job. Here, it’s the opposite — the companies are dressed up in suits begging for the students, and the student has a handful of companies to choose from.”

The reason, the faculty note, is that their program isn’t just good — it’s different. As they’ve built it, they’ve innovated ways to make up for deficiencies that plague nearly every other engineering program in the country. For instance, Anthony Waldenmaier, assistant professor of civil engineering, noted that several major design projects require the students to work in groups that span disciplinary bounds.

“The idea behind this is that you, as a civil engineer, need to be able to speak the same language as a mechanical engineer and an electrical engineer,” Waldenmeier said. “In the real world, there are very few projects that are strictly in one realm.”

Eric Garcia, another faculty member, recognized that certain curricular divisions weren’t better for students; they just made things easier for faculty. So he pulled together a completely new course sequence for the school’s mechanics series, meant to be more integrative than any other in the country. The result is that students are more equipped to hit the ground running when they enter the workforce.

“One of our freshman students was working as an intern,” Aparecido remembered, “and an engineer quit. He was able to take over for the engineer and complete all of his projects for the summer. He was a freshman!”

“They sent a letter and said ‘This is absolutely amazing,’” Pilling added. Of course, students also benefit from a deeper level of formation. “They emerge very humble, very thoughtful, and community-minded. They care about their neighbor. If they see a problem, they’re not just going to blindly walk by. They’ll look for ways to help.”

The school's integrative approach isn't just admired by employers. It's treasured by the students themselves. “A lot of students say, ‘I was lost, and then you put me into this program and things took off,’” Aparecido explained.

Pilling recalled one of their first graduates, one who stumbled into the engineering program partway through his time at Mary, whose mom came up to him at graduation with tears rolling down her face to say, “Thank you so much for what you did for my son.”

Pilling said he responded, “I didn’t do a thing, compared to him. He did it.”

With three new ABET accredited bachelor’s degrees, a host of accolades besides, and hundreds of students and graduates serving in the midst of full, joyful lives, perhaps it’s truer to say that after these seven years of astounding growth in the Hamm School of Engineering, they’ve all done it. 

From left: Rodrigo Da Costa Aparecido, Terry Pilling, Eric Garcia, and Anthony Waldenmaier, all of whom played pivotal roles in designing the Hamm School of Engineering, relaxing over the summer and preparing rooms for the fall.

Paula Kitzenberg, associate professor of occupational therapy, opened her inbox in late June to a jotted email: “Paula — just a note…”

It was from Jason Lawson, a colleague in the OT faculty and a two-time alumnus of the University of Mary. He was writing from Peru while on a mission trip with nine of his students. Paula had been there just a month before with a dozen other health sciences students, and there was a young boy named Sanshay whom she’d cared for and asked Jason to check up on. “The principal and teacher said what you did saved his life,” Jason wrote.

WHOLE OF LIFE for the Serving

In some ways, it was a familiar story. Every year, these two mission trips bring health care to Peruvian populations that often have never seen a doctor at all. Paula’s group is intentionally interdisciplinary. She takes undergraduates, graduate students, and even alumni from across the Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences as well as psychology and even engineering students into Peru’s highland villages, while Jason’s is specifically for Doctor of Occupational Therapy candidates. Both groups spend their days offering extraordinary care in extraordinary

Jason (right) with Sanshay (left). Behind that mask is a smile full of joy.

When Paula's students first assessed Sanshay, they knew he was in tremendous need.

circumstances. They have access to fewer resources than they do at home, and the students are often still getting the hang of their clinical skills. They set up makeshift clinics, and the villages they serve bring them person after person, from sun-up until sun-down. It’s an experience that challenges everyone — professionally, personally, pastorally.

“We have to think outside the box a little bit, problem solve, think about ways to communicate differently,” Jason said. But those challenges, Paula and Jason say, lie at the heart of why students want to work in health care. “They don't just want clinical experience,” Jason said. “They have a deep desire to serve."

“They feel called to be part of something greater than themselves,” Paula added. Sanshay’s story is one sign of the grace that has always come from students’ response to that call.

When the nursing team first brought him to Paula at a school in Cusco, she noticed that he was struggling to breathe. Paula recommended that he go to the doctor immediately — she suspected pneumonia, and she worried Sanshay was running out of time — but she found the mother standing before her unable to accept her advice. She didn’t have enough money to pay for a doctor’s appointment, and besides that, she knew she wouldn't be able to afford the medication Paula thought Sanshay needed.

“What is the cost?” Paula asked. A group

of friends had sent her to Peru with a bit of money they’d collected. “We don’t know what you’re going to need it for, but God does,” Paula remembered them telling her. Amazingly, the amount they’d given her was exactly enough to cover Sanshay’s expenses, as well as to get him a new stroller — his mom had been carrying him on her back for weeks.

Paula gave the money to the school's principal and sent Sanshay and his mom on their way as quickly as she could. Paula’s team had to leave before they could see how things had turned out. By the time Jason was en route to Peru, both he and Paula were hoping more than expecting that he would be able to see Sanshay.

“I had no idea if he’d still be alive,” Jason said.

But he was — and happier than ever. When Jason arrived, Sanshay was the first patient everyone wanted him to see.

“He was all smiles. He lit up the room with his personality,” Jason said.

Jason was sure to pull Sanshay’s mom aside to tell her that Paula had asked him to follow up on her little boy specifically. Immediately, she broke into tears.

“She was just so grateful,” Jason recalled. “And then she said, ‘Let me know what else I can do for him.’”

Jason taught her some positioning exercises she could do with her little boy to help improve muscle tone, but the

work was more than that. If they were helping Sanshay get healthy, they were also helping his mom feel that she could be a good mother. If they were healing Sanshay’s body, they were also healing his mom’s heartache around her poverty. This wasn't accidental. Paula noted that her department's service-learning trips are meant to pull clinicians into addressing spiritual and human concerns as much as physical needs. “Everyone finds their skills are needed for a higher purpose,” she said. If there’s a way to articulate what distinguishes the Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences from its peers, that might just be it.

On Jason’s way home, his group’s flights got unexpectedly cancelled, and they were stuck in the airport. As the group scrambled to work out a new route back to Bismarck, he noticed out of the corner of his eye a set of students briefly closing their eyes to offer a prayer, having been confronted again with an obstacle bigger than themselves. They knew what to do.

“I’d never see students do that so naturally before,” Jason said. “It made me think, ‘This is what makes Mary special.’”

Paula (left) and Payton Walling (right), a practicing occupational therapist and a Mary alumnus, did their utmost to keep Sanshay (center) as comfortable and cheerful as they could during their time with him.

After coming to Peru and finding Sanshay happy and healthy, Jason worked with him on some positioning exercises.

DIRK, ’03 and ASHLEY OTTO, ’22, welcomed their fourth child, Ella Irene, into the world on April 16, 2023.

KRISTA (ENTZE) RICHAU, ’07, ’09, and her husband, Kenton, welcomed their son, Kerby Theodore, on April 28, 2023.

BRANDI (SCHOENBERG) DEVRIES, ’07, was crowned Mrs. Minnesota America 2023. She will compete for the title of Mrs. America 2023 this August at the Westgate Resort in Las Vegas, NV.

STEPHANIE (SANDVICK), ’11, and DELAND WYRAUCH, ’13, welcomed their second child, Vivienne Ruth, on May 25, 2023.

MARIA (HUBER) SITTER, ’11, and Dan were married on October 23, 2021. They welcomed their daughter, Davina Marie, on September 12, 2022.

KATIE (RAMON), ’12, and NIKOLA NIKOLIC, ’12, have two children and will be celebrating their 10-year wedding anniversary this year.

ANDY ANUNDSON, ’14, was recently promoted to Chief Warrant Officer 4 at the Western Army Aviation Training Site as the UH-60 A/L Blackhawk Maintenance Test Pilot Course (MTPC) Manager. He is married with three children and completed his MBA in 2014 while deployed to Kosovo.

MAGGIE (OTLEWSKI), ’15, and RYAN CAPOUCH, ’14, welcomed their son, Benedict Ryan, on December 20, 2022, in Fargo, ND.

ADAM DEICHERT, ’15, and his wife, Kirsten, were married on May 1, 2021. Their son, Peter Barrett IV, was born on May 29, 2022.

CHADWICK NEWELL, ’15, a former Marauders basketball player, moved to Lima, Peru to play basketball after graduation. He ended up staying in Lima, getting married, and opening Washington Pianos, an acoustic piano store in Lima’s district of San Luis. The pianos are imported from Seattle, WA, and sold to locals.

ALEXIA (RUSSELL), ’17, and Steven Hryniewicz moved from Bismarck to Simpsonville, SC, in August of 2022. Steven works in private practice as a psychotherapist and Lexie works for a local homehealth system as a nurse.

KRISTEN (HENDERSON), ’17, and THOMAS STEVENS, ’16, were married in November 2021 and welcomed their daughter, Willa Drexel, in October 2022.

JESSICA (NEHL), ’18, and Martin Werner were married in the spring of 2018. They have two sons, Ian and Chance, and will be welcoming their third child, a little girl, in July 2023.

KARI (BERNHARDT), ’18, ’23, and TYSON KUDRNA, ’17, ’20 were married on June 10, 2023. They both reside in Dickinson, where Tyson works as a physical therapist and Kari is a nurse practitioner.

KAREN (STIEGELMEIER), ’18, ’21, and MICHAEL GORDER, ’19, were married on September 11, 2021. In February 2023, they welcomed their son, Emmett Paul, into the world. Karen works as an occupational therapist for Sanford Hospital. Michael is a project engineer at Moore Engineering.

MEG (SHONSEY) FLYNN, ’19, married her husband, Conor, in October 2022. Meg and Conor are expecting their first child in December 2023. Meg was a middle school teacher at a Catholic grade school but will be staying home with baby in the fall.

> CALLIE (JOHNSON) & KEVIN REBEL

> MARIA (HUBER) SITTER'S FAMILY

> BETHANY (ALLEN) & AUSTIN HUCK

> MAGGIE (OTLEWSKI) & RYAN CAPOUCH'S SON

> JESSICA (NEHL) WERNER'S FAMILY

> KRISTA (ENTZE) RICHAU'S SON

> DIRK & ASHLEY OTTO'S DAUGHTER

HANNAH (PESEK), ’19, ’22, and NOAH HUFF, ’19, were married on November 26, 2022, in Bemidji, MN. Noah is an athletic trainer with the Oakland A’s minor league baseball system. Hannah is working as an occupational therapist.

RICHARD SMITH, ’20, started his new position as a school-based behavioral health coordinator in July of 2023. He is school-based and is responsible for coordinating mental health services and prevention efforts as well as overseeing comprehensive support for children with mental health challenges, chronic stress, and trauma.

SHELBY (KAUK) PROCHNOW, ’21, was married in Fargo on June 4, 2022, to her husband, Hunter.

BETHANY (ALLEN) HUCK, ’21, was married on June 16, 2023, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart to her husband, Austin, at Spirit of Life Catholic Church.

ASHLYN (GEORGE), ’21, and Jacob Koepke welcomed their son, Peter Jason, on November 12, 2022.

CALLIE (JOHNSON) REBEL, ’22, began her career as a physical therapist at RehabVisions and married her husband, Kevin, on July 30, 2022.

MYISHA WEATHERSPOON, ’22, was honored at the 2023 Black Men & Women of Distinction ceremony on February 26, 2023.

CHRISTINE (WEBSTER), ’22, and JAMES GILBERT, ’21, were married on June 23, 2023, in St. Bonifacius, MN. Christine recently passed her social work licensure exam.

SAMANTHA BERRY, ’22, graduated from the University of Mary with a nursing degree in December of 2022 while pregnant with her second child. She was recently promoted to operating room manager at her hospital and loves to spend her free time with her husband, Alex, and their two boys.

MEGAN TOLLEFSON, ’22, married her fiancé, Will, on September 22, 2023. Megan is also pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Mary and will graduate in 2026.

AMY ROWE, ’23, was promoted to Director of Patient Care for Adult Critical Care Services.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

Please complete the brief form at umary.edu/UpdateInfo or scan the QR code to help us stay connected with you or to be featured in Momentum.

> HANNAH (PESEK) & NOAH HUFF

> ASHLYN (GEORGE) KOEPKE'S SON

> MEG (SHONSEY) & CONOR FLYNN

> KATIE (RAMON) & NIKOLA NIKOLIC'S FAMILY

> KAREN (STIEGELMEIER) & MICHAEL GORDER'S FAMILY

> SHELBY (KAUK) & HUNTER PROCHNOW

UNIVERSITY OF MARYHomecoming

JOIN US OCTOBER 22-29!

Captains vs Crew

October 23 at 7 pm

McDowell Activity Center

Pre-Game Gathering

October 28 at 9 am

MDU Resources Community Bowl

Football Game

October 28 at 12 pm

MDU Resources Community Bowl

Homecoming Celebration

October 28 at 8 pm

Bismarck Event Center

Eucharistic Liturgy & Complimentary Brunch

October 29 at 9 am

Our Lady of the Annunciation Chapel

SAVE THE DATE!

Giving Day

November 16