FROM THE PRE SIDE NT
Monsignor James P. Shea President of the University of Mary
I
n this part of the world, we are farmers. We plant seeds, and we wait for them to grow. It’s the cadence we know best – patience and faith; sowing the soil and praying for rain. Eight and a half years ago, we embarked on “Vision 2030,” a comprehensive planning initiative that gave rise to a robust strategic plan for the University of Mary. Part of this process involved engaging with our communities to see how the university could more fully serve the needs of our region and beyond. What we kept hearing was that western North Dakota needed a school of engineering. At first it seemed that was a job for someone else – the University of Mary has always been known for our programs in health care, education, and the liberal arts, but engineering would be new to who we’ve known ourselves to be. Except the demand wasn’t just for more engineers! Companies were telling us they needed engineers who were culturally prepared and ethically sensitive, engineers who could be leaders in the workplace and among their peers. Well, preparing servant leaders of moral courage is literally what we do! So we set out to break ground on a new School of Engineering, not knowing then how
long and difficult a journey it would be, requiring the help and support of all our friends and supporters. But by 2020 we had opened a new state-of-the-art engineering facility, and our students and graduates since have proven that they’re indeed very well-prepared and professionally excellent. The demand and the interest for the kind of engineers we are graduating has been soaring, and by every measure our School of Engineering is a great success. But we are farmers, and we like to see things through to the end. We knew that by securing a naming philanthropic gift for our School of Engineering, we could not only provide security for the School’s future, but also increase its distinction. About ten years ago, I had the opportunity to meet Harold Hamm, the founder of Continental Resources. He was the first to seriously invest in the Bakken oilfield of western North Dakota, and growing up in rural Oklahoma, the farmer’s patience and perseverance are his own. But the “Bakken play” was even more than that: Harold is a visionary who believes in a culture of the possible, the same kind of culture that moved our Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation Monastery to start a small college on a hill, over 60 years ago. The flourishing and prosperity of the University of Mary is directly tied to the flourishing and prosperity of North Dakota, and Mr. Hamm is one of the people we have to thank for North Dakota’s success in the oil industry and our overall economic stability and growth. That’s why I am thrilled to share with you that our School of Engineering is now the Hamm School of Engineering, through a generous $10 million gift from the Harold Hamm Foundation. This
partnership allows the Hamm School of Engineering to continue to educate morally courageous and culturally prepared engineers for generations to come. But this gift, along with an additional $2 million from Continental Resources to endow a Chair of Engineering, not only makes a great difference for engineering at Mary. The $12 million combined gift is a game changer for the university as a whole. It allows us to officially launch Phase II of the Vision 2030 Capital Campaign, which you can read more about on page 11 in this issue. Phase II includes plans for our Saint Gianna School of Health Sciences, Marauders Athletics, and a campus welcome center, all of which will deepen and unify our efforts to prepare students across the university who believe, too, in a culture of the possible. The work we have ahead of us as we continue to bring Vision 2030 to life is important work, but it won’t be easy. We have the vision, but we cannot do it on our own. I give thanks to God for His goodness to us, to the Sisters of Annunciation Monastery for their sponsorship and prayers, and to you, our alumni and friends, who continue to pray for us and support us in so many incredible ways. In this issue, you’ll also find the names of people who have helped us make this vision into a reality, and for them we owe a special debt of gratitude. On behalf of our students, thank you for supporting the University of Mary. Know of my prayers for you as we enter into the Easter season.
Monsignor James P. Shea President
umary.edu
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