SPRING 2014 MAGAZINE
YEARS OF PEOPLE, PLACES AND MEMORIES
{ A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
INSIDE
• Actress Geena Davis to lecture at CSB p. 9 • CSB responds to evolving landscape of higher education p. 16
IN THIS ISSUE
22
College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the office of Institutional Advancement, Kimberly Ferlaak Motes ’89, vice president. EDITOR Tammy Moore CONTRIBUTORS Lavy Lee (SJU ’14) Jon McGee (SJU ’84) Kristin Sawyer Lyman ’00 Sara Mohs Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) COVER PHOTO We celebrate 100 years of sisterhood, friendship and scholarship, with photos and memories that span the decades. CONTACT College of Saint Benedict Magazine Institutional Advancement 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374-2099 For address changes, please call 1-800-648-3468, ext. 1 or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu
{
FEATURES 8 10 18 22 28
Centennial Celebration Educationomics Monsters and Self Hanging in the Balance 100 Things
18
DEPARTMENTS 1 2 4 34 35 42 45
Message from the President Worth 1,000 Words News I’m a Bennie Class Notes Bennie Connection Generosity
Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer The mission of the College of Saint Benedict is to provide for women the very best residential liberal arts education in the Catholic university tradition. The college fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
MAKING THE
Right Choice
As you read this letter, we at the College of Saint Benedict are in the early weeks of our spring semester. Students are settled into their routines, and seniors are contemplating the home stretch to graduation with mixed feelings of relief and anxiety. High school seniors share those feelings of anxiety as they contemplate their college decisions. Today’s incoming college students and their families face a dynamic environment that is far more complex than only a few years ago.
Some families are confident about issues of choosing and financing a college education, but most have questions and misconceptions. Colleges and universities across the country try to provide accurate and useful information, but many myths and assumptions make it difficult for families to get the facts. In addition, the college financing “Today’s process is complicated and difficult incoming college to understand.
students and their families face a dynamic environment that is far more complex than only a few years ago.”
In the end, the goal is to find the best college fit for each student.
COUNTERING MISCONCEPTIONS
Since it has been my experience that many students narrow their searches with incomplete information in hand, I’d like to arm you with some ideas that counter common beliefs and that are worthy of deeper exploration before ruling out college options:
President Baenninger with Wilhelmina M. Wright, associate justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court and recipient of the Fidelis Apparitor award at the 2013 Red Mass.
In order to find the best college fit, prospective students should broaden their searches early in the process, then research options thoroughly. On pages 10-17, Jon McGee (SJU ’84), our resident expert on the economics of higher education, provides insight on the key factors that are changing the current landscape of higher education. In addition, you’ll meet several faculty members (page 18) who help Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s stand out as leaders in liberal arts learning. Whether you are an alum, donor, friend or a parent of a current or prospective student, our goal is to inform you as much as possible about the dynamics of higher education. With your support, in a variety of ways, we can continue to offer a distinctive experience that is the right choice for future generations of students.
• For a variety of reasons, including the amount of scholarships private schools offer, it may be less expensive to attend a private college than a public one. Students should compare one public option to one private college before they rule out either category. Examine the “net price” and have conversations with a financial aid officer and at least one graduate of each college. • Because colleges value geographic diversity, it is wise to consider institutions both near and far. A good financial aid package might outweigh the annual cost of travel. Students who go to college close to home don’t necessarily visit mom and dad regularly, so parents shouldn’t assume their child will spend weekends at home! • Some students believe they want a larger college because they perceive there will be more opportunities there. Or conversely, some students assume that a large, urban campus can’t possibly be a friendly place. Prospective students can learn a lot by touring a campus from a category of college that they think is not what they want. At the very least it will help them confirm their wish list.
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
Visit www.csbcentennial.com to find all of the centennial celebration information. *This message includes excerpts from President Baenninger’s editorial, “Keep early eyes wide in college hunt,” that was published in the St. Cloud Times on Aug. 25, 2013.
WORTH 1,000 WORDS WORTH 1,000 WORDS
The hills are alive Molly Johnson ’14 makes a snow angel that’s not too far from heaven while she takes a break from hiking atop the Untersberg. The mountain view looks over Salzburg, Austria and the surrounding countryside. This unforgettable moment was part of Molly’s study abroad experience.
NEWS NEWS
Peace First Prize
Danielle Liebl ’13 receives $50,000
A final interview with Chelsea Clinton sealed the deal for Saint Ben’s senior Danielle Liebl and made her one of 10 winners of the inaugural Peace First Prize.
The Peace First Prize is a national award recognizing leading youth peacemakers who are focused on creating peaceful schools and communities. The winners, who were announced in October, each received a two-year, $50,000 fellowship to further their peacemaking work. Liebl, a peace studies and theology doublemajor who graduated in December, will use the grant money to expand the student club, Students for Advancement of People with DIFFERbilities, which she founded in her sophomore year.
Liebl, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy as an infant, has been an innovator and entrepreneur for most of her life. “The purpose of Students for the Advancement of People with DIFFERbilities is to raise awareness for people with disabilities, promote the social inclusion of people with disabilities and to educate students and faculty on the CSB and SJU campuses about better ways to treat, interact and build relationships with people with disabilities,” Liebl says. The grant will allow Liebl to bring the current club model to other colleges and high schools throughout Minnesota.
(and then some) It’s one thing to surpass a fundraising goal by a few thousand dollars. It’s quite another to raise nearly 2 ½ times the original goal. But that’s exactly what the College of Saint Benedict did on Nov. 13, as part of the “$100K in a Day” challenge.
“With so much of the day remaining when we hit our $100K goal, the question became ‘how much can we raise in one day?’” says Kimberly Ferlaak Motes ’89, vice president for institutional advancement at Saint Ben’s. “Eight more donors came forward within two hours, pledging an additional $56,200 in matching funds, and that definitely kept our momentum going strong.”
“$100K in a Day was designed to celebrate 100 years of Saint Ben’s and also the significant support we receive from alums, donors and friends,” Motes says. “We have an amazing community that is committed to our students and ensuring that young women have access to this life-changing educational experience.”
240,539
$
In one 24-hour period, Saint Ben’s raised $240,539, and more than 780 alumnae, students, parents and friends made a gift 11•13•13 online at www.givecsb.com or via credit card through the phonathon. Participants could track CSB’s progress throughout the day via the website, and support was rallied on Facebook, with hourly updates.
total raised
hours
total matching funds $106,200
Starting with $50,000 in matching funds from five donors, CSB surpassed its $100,000 goal before 11 a.m.
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780 number of donors
172.23 average gift size
$
YAY!
student callers 14
CSB alumnae
Fill leadership roles on CSB alumnae relations team
When Valerie Jones ’94 left Independence, Iowa, to come to Saint Ben’s as a student, she did not imagine her career path would lead her back to Saint Ben’s years later. In November 2013, Jones filled a new role at Saint Ben’s as the executive director of alumnae relations.
CSB/SJU Provost Rita Knuesel receives Chief Academic Officer Award Rita Knuesel ’75, CSB/SJU provost, received the 2013 Council of Independent Colleges (CIC) Chief Academic Officer Award on Nov. 2, in Pittsburgh. The award was presented to Knuesel in recognition of her contributions to colleagues at independent colleges and universities and for contributing in a notable and exemplary way to enhance the role and work of the private college chief academic officers. The honor was conferred by the chief academic officers of the CIC’s 624-member colleges and universities. “Rita is a phenomenal provost,” says CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger. “I am very fortunate to have had her as a partner during most of my presidency at College of Saint Benedict. She is fiercely independent and she is an exemplary leader. She has special strengths that combine to make her a provost worthy of this honor.” Knuesel has served as provost at CSB and SJU since 2007, preceded by a year as interim provost. A 1975 graduate of Saint Ben’s with a degree in music (she is an accomplished saxophonist), Knuesel joined the music faculty at CSB and SJU in 1977 and chaired the music department for 11 years. She served as academic dean at CSB from 1994 to 2003 and joint associate provost and academic dean at CSB and SJU from 2003-06.
“I felt a calling at a very young age — I was about six — to work on behalf of other people, so my heart has always been in the nonprofit sector,” says Jones. Since graduating from Saint Ben’s, Jones has fulfilled that passion by working at Wartburg College, a human services agency and most recently as the executive director of Community Thread, where she was responsible for programming that supports community-wide volunteerism and services for seniors. In her new role, Jones will bring strategic direction, structure and outcome measurements to the alumnae office, while working closely with the CSB Alumnae Board (of which she was a member prior to her new position). She’ll also put structure and practices in place around an exciting new engagement opportunity for Saint Ben’s alums called the 200 Club. Anne Sumangil ’99 returned to her alma mater in September 2013 to join the Saint Ben’s team as the new director of alumnae relations. Sumangil brings an extensive background in alum relations, event management and career services, having come from Rasmussen College, where she was national director of the Alumni Association. Prior to that, she worked at the Carlson School of Management and the University of Minnesota Alumni Association. As a Bennie, she was captain of the Dance Team and active with the Asian Student Association. She’s a passionate volunteer with many organizations and, since 2011, she’s been an active member of the CSB Alumnae Board. “I’m thrilled to return home to Saint Ben’s, to meet all of the amazing alumnae and to continue connecting them with this college that’s had such a big impact on my life.”
Winter 2014 | 5
NEWS NEWS
National champs
again!
The College of Saint Benedict Dance Team reclaimed their crown as national champions in the Open Class Pom Division at the 2014 Universal Dance Association’s College Cheerleading and Dance Team National Championships Sunday, Jan. 19 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports, in Orlando, Fla. The Blazers earned first place in the Pom Division, topping second-place Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, Calif.), third-place Minnesota State University Mankato and fourth-place St. Cloud State University. The final six teams were separated by less than a point, CSB co-coach Allie Seifert said. CSB’s team of 18 members also placed fifth in the Open Class Jazz Division. “Last year was our first national championship appearance,” said Seifert, a former dance team member and 2009 graduate of CSB. “That definitely gave us a lot of confidence going into this competition.”
fine arts award Jose receives prestigious
Brian Jose, executive director of Fine Arts Programming at CSB/SJU, received the annual North American Performing Arts Managers and Agents (NAPAMA) Award for Excellence in Presenting the Performing Arts. The award is given annually to a distinguished arts presenter in the nonprofit sector who demonstrates a commitment to the future of presenting the performing arts, a high level of professionalism, exemplary ethical behavior and respect for artists, managers and fellow presenters. “I believe that the bedrock of our industry are the partnerships, collaborations and friendships between performing artists, managers, agents and presenters,” says Jose. “And the foundation of the success we experience is dependent on the health of those relationships.” Jose serves on the national board for the Association of Performing Arts Presenters, and in 2013 was one of four presenters chosen to travel to Pakistan as part of the Center Stage delegation. He has worked in arts administration for more than 27 years.
Durbin and Johnson reach
600 wins together
Mike Durbin, the Blazer’s head basketball coach, and Denny Johnson, his assistant coach, make longevity look easy. They’ve been coaching together for 28 years, and on Jan. 29, they achieved win No. 600 — an amazing feat for an individual coach and even more impressive as a coaching team. Both Durbin and Johnson say they have appreciated the opportunities CSB has given them as coaches. And while Durbin understands fans’ fascination with milestone wins, he’s more proud of two accomplishments.
Mike Durbin (far left) and Denny Johnson (far right) with the current Blazer team.
6 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
“More important are the 300-plus alumnae that have played in the program,” Durbin said. “The relationships that we have with players from that first season, and the relationships we have with athletes from last year, truly do span three decades. There’s a lot of satisfaction when you see student-athletes raise their families and move to another place in their lives.”
Two Blazers earn MIAC Elite 22 Award
Achieving outstanding academics while balancing college life, including athletics, is no easy task. Two exceptional College of Saint Benedict student athletes claimed a pair of high individual honors during the conference tournament championship games this past fall, with Piper Murray ’15 and Kat Gaydos ’14, each earning the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (MIAC) Elite 22 Award.
Piper Murray ’15 (right)
The MIAC Elite 22 Award recognizes the true essence of the student-athlete by honoring the individual who has reached the pinnacle of competition at the conference championship level in his or her sport, while also achieving the highest academic standard among his or her peers. Murray, a pre-physical therapy major, became the first ever Blazer athlete to claim the award, when she was honored after the Blazer soccer team won the MIAC Tournament Championship with a 3-2 win over Macalester on Nov. 9. Just hours later, Gaydos joined Murray, when she received the award following the MIAC Volleyball Championship game. Gaydos is a double major in economics and history. Kat Gaydos ’14
Both students hold a perfect 4.0 grade point average.
SOCCER highlights
The 2013 team held strong with a 19-4 record overall. A final match in the NCAA Tournament resulted in a 3-1 loss to eventual region champion UW-Stevens Point. Junior setter Taya Kockelman led the way with Third Team All-American honors. Senior outside hitter Lexi Alm and junior outside hitter Lexi Rinde each earned Honorable Mention All-American honors. All three were First Team All-Region.
VOLLEYBALL highlights
2013 was a standout year, as the team recorded its winningest season in program history with a record 16 wins and titles in both the MIAC regular season and postseason. The season ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 loss against Loras College. Senior Colleen Bouchard capped a decorated career by being named a First Team All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA). She was one of just three forwards in the country on the first team. She also earned her third straight All-Region honor. Coach Steve Kimble (SJU ’99) also received MIAC Coach of the Year honors.
Winter 2014 | 7
WE’RE CELEBRATING AN ENTIRE CENTURY IN JUST NE YEAR. WE’RE IN THE HOME STRETCH — our centennial celebration wraps up at commencement
in May 2014 — so don’t miss all the exciting opportunities to celebrate before then! Get connected at www.csbcentennial.com • Enjoy a variety of performances in our fine arts series • Show your Saint Ben’s spirit with a broad selection of centennial gear • Share your stories and photos • Be a part of the finale Centennial Gala celebration
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
A grand finale to our first 100 years
Join us as we celebrate the culmination of our centennial year and a Century of Connection among alumnae, donors and friends. We’ll also honor CSB President MaryAnn Baenninger for a decade of service to Saint Ben’s.
Centennial Gala APRIL 26, 2014
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
THE DEPOT DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS
Individual tickets are $150 and include cocktail reception, dinner and After Party. Tickets for the After Party only are available for $20. Exclusive sponsorship packages start at $2,500.
Visit www.csbcentennial.com/gala or contact Sharon Trucker at 320-363-5750 or strucker@csbsju.edu to purchase tickets or sponsorship packages.
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CENTENNIAL
RENAISSANCE LECTURE
FEATURING ACTRESS GEENA DAVIS
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
GENDER EQUALITY IN THE MEDIA A LECTURE BY GEENA DAVIS 7:30 P.M. FEB. 25 GORECKI CENTER, ROOM 204, SAINT BEN’S CAMPUS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Davis is best known for her roles in “Thelma & Louise,” “A League of Their Own,” “Beetlejuice” and “Stuart Little,” and she will speak at Saint Ben’s about gender equality in the media. More information about the lecture is available at www.csbsju.edu/Academics/Lecture-Series/Renaissance-Series. htm. More information about Geena Davis and The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media is available at http://seejane.org.
SHOW YOUR SAINT BEN’S SPIRIT with a broad selection of centennial gear. Clothing, jewelry, electronics accessories and more available at the CSB Bookstore or online at www.csbcentennial.com.
The
Wonder Bread Years
LIVE HAPPY
Join us for a spectacular show! Purchase tickets at 320-363-5777 or csbsju.edu/fine-arts.
Streb
FORCES
• The Wonder Bread Years Saturday, Feb. 22, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
• Letters Home Saturday, April 12, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
• Soweto Gospel Choir Friday, March 14, 7:30 p.m. Escher Auditorium, CSB
• Streb FORCES Friday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. Escher Auditorium, CSB
• Theater of Public Policy Friday, March 28, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
• Compagnia T.P.O Blue! Friday, May 2, 7 p.m. Saturday, May 3, 10:30 a.m. & 2 p.m. Gorecki Family Theater, CSB
• Take 6 Saturday, April 5, 7:30 p.m. Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
• ARENA Dances Main Street Friday, May 16, 7:30 p.m. Gorecki Family Theater, CSB
Take
6
BE CREATIVE
PUSH PLAY
The interaction and oversight of mission, market and management in the context of economic, demographic and cultural change.
BY | JON MCGEE (SJU ’84) VICE PRESIDENT FOR PLANNING AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS AT THE COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT AND SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY
Since 1950
T
he expansion of postsecondary educational
opportunity is among the great post-World War II success stories in America. The total number of colleges and universities in the U.S. has increased by more than 2.5 times since 1950, while the total number of students enrolled at those institutions has risen by nearly ten-fold. Today, America’s colleges and universities enroll more than 20 million students of all ages, types and abilities. If there is a program that can be imagined, it almost surely is offered somewhere. U.S. higher education is characterized by a remarkable intellectual, technical and professional smorgasbord of choices. Fueling its attraction, the economic premium associated with completing college has been and remains extraordinary. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce described the returns in clear terms: Obtaining a postsecondary credential is almost always worth it, as evidenced by higher earnings over a lifetime. The higher the level of educational attainment, the higher the payoff. What’s more, the gap is widening. In 2002, a bachelor’s degree-holder could expect to earn 75 percent more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school diploma. Today, that premium is 84 percent.1
84%
12 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
A bachelor’s degree-holder can expect to earn 84 percent more over a lifetime than someone with only a high school diploma.
colleges & universities
x 2.5
total number of students enrolled
x 10
Obtaining a postsecondary credential is almost always worth it, as evidenced by higher earnings over a lifetime. The higher the level of educational attainment, the higher the payoff.
90%
In 2012, more than 90 percent of all parents with at least one child under age 18 indicated that they expected their children to attend college.
The signals to students and families are clear. They understand that college has become the signature gateway for access to the American middle class and the best opportunity (albeit not a guarantee) for economic security. In 2012, more than 90 percent of all parents with at least one child under age 18 indicated that they expected their children to attend college. 2 But if everything is so good, why are colleges and universities everywhere seemingly under so much pressure? The answers lie, in part, with three long-developing critical forces that converged about the time of the Great Recession. For most of the 1990s and up to the beginning of the Great Recession in 2008, colleges and universities across the country operated in a period in which the economic, demographic and cultural stars were aligned. This remarkable period provided fuel for success at most institutions. The number of students enrolling in college rose sharply, resources to improve the quality of the college experience increased, the economic returns to college seemed secure, and there was little debate or discussion about the cultural, social or economic value of going to college. Colleges’ operating strategies, as well as their aspirations for themselves, typically were designed to take full advantage of those favorable conditions.
The Great Recession and its aftermath demanded our full attention. Its immediate effects on students and families, as well as institutional operations, were inescapable and undeniable — and sometimes quite significant. The enrollment and financial growth to which many colleges and universities had become accustomed stopped and, in some cases, reversed. And voices raising serious questions about the value and cost of higher education became louder.
So, where are we today? Nearly all colleges and universities must now address three important disruptive forces that have converged and crystallized over the past five years: demographic disruption, economic disruption and values disruption. Each had been brewing and developing for a long period of time prior to 2008. However, the pace and force of change has accelerated since then, and the interaction of their effects has intensified the level of challenge we face. Few colleges and universities will get a free pass as the key forces of disruption in play today continue to unfold and reshape the marketplace for higher education.
Winter 2014 | 13
The new landscape for higher education can be framed around four key ideas and their attendant questions:
1 Accessibility 2 3 4
2
1
3 4 2 Affordability
Who will have access to what kind of college experience?
How will students and their families pay for college?
That question demands an assessment of demography, institutional and family economics, and market position. We are nearing the bottom of a long-term, though shallow, decline in the number of high school graduates that began in 2010. That decline will present its own challenges to many institutions accustomed to market growth. However, the changing raw numeric totals mask a more compelling change: the characteristics of the traditional college-age population are changing rapidly as every region of the country becomes more racially, ethnically and culturally diverse. Most institutions will need to adapt to both sets of change by broadening their admission practices in order to build a pool of new students that more fully represents the changing face of the country. The students who historically have filled classrooms and residence halls at many institutions are shrinking in number and are rapidly being replaced by a new generation of young people who are not white, very often have no family history of college enrollment, and also often come from lower income families.
Without doubt, the cost of college has become the central issue and challenge facing colleges and universities of all stripes today. As the price of college has increased, angst about affordability has skyrocketed. Pricing and financial aid strategy most often seek to simultaneously maximize access to college and revenue for colleges, but that ground has become increasingly difficult to hold for many institutions. In the end, there are two sides of the affordability equation we must address: who can afford us and whom can we afford? Institutions will engage both questions simultaneously, and the product must yield an equilibrium for long-term sustainability. The balancing act has become significantly more complex after five years of difficult economic times. Family incomes have not kept pace with inflation for more than a decade, and most families do not have either the saved resources or asset strength to pay for the rising cost of college.
4 3 Accountability What kinds of outcomes ought students, parents and society expect of higher education? Higher education collectively has struggled with how to answer that question in an understandable and compelling way. Our too frequent inability to muster convincing responses to accountability and value questions has resulted in an enormous amount of skepticism about our motives and our operations, and has fueled the rise in federal and state regulation all colleges and universities now face. We cannot understand the pressure on affordability independent of demands for accountability. In homes, in the halls of government and in philanthropic circles, we face a singular central question: is this an investment worth making?
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3
4 Sustainability Can colleges generate the resources they require to continuously improve their academic and developmental quality and remain accessible? Unfortunately, those twin objectives very often compete with each other, particularly at less wealthy institutions, forcing difficult trade-offs. As importantly, sustainability questions get to the heart of revenue and expense realities. Colleges must assess both their real (not imagined or wished for) revenue opportunity and their real expense values and imperatives in the context of their real market position. Uncomfortable as these choices may be, most institutions will be forced to address them in some way. The moment we are no longer willing to adjust our operations to meet our aspirations, our aspirations must change.
It will take decisive, determined
These issues present a particularly significant set of challenges to higher education leaders today because they operate both independently and interdependently. As stand-alone issues, none are easily resolved by the application of a few palliatives. Collectively, they form an even more difficult context in which colleges and universities must make their enrollment decisions, programming decisions, pricing decisions and budget decisions. It will take decisive, determined and thoughtful leadership to address the challenges of the new marketplace for higher education. The choices that leaders of colleges and universities must make are complex, just as the choices our students and families face are complex. However, the changing conditions reshaping the market should lead colleges neither to gloom nor to despair but rather to action. This is not the first disruptive period in higher education. It will not be the last. With a better understanding of the forces at play in the world, colleges and universities can make choices that effectively serve their students and advance the common good for generations to come.
1
The College Payoff: Education, Occupations, Lifetime Earnings. Georgetown University, Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Center on Education and the Workforce http://alturl.com/t972m
2
College Graduation: Weighing the Cost…and the Payoff. Pew Research Center, May 17, 2012. http://alturl.com/j65mw
and thoughtful leadership to address the challenges of the new marketplace for higher education.
Winter 2014 | 15
How is CSB
RESPONDING
to these challenges? The College of Saint Benedict is, of course, not immune to any of these challenges. Our student profile continues to change as the population changes, and the experiences we provide must change with them. All of our students have high college expectations. Like students and families across the country, our students also often have deep concerns about the price of college and their ability to afford a CSB education. Those changing characteristics, needs and expectations deeply impact both our operations and our aspirations. We recognized these trends long before the Great Recession began and over many years have continuously adapted to the new marketplace conditions. For example, as the demography of our region has changed, we have expanded our recruitment reach and footprint. Today, California and Texas are our third and fourth largest sources of new student enrollment. Students from Rocky Mountain states, West Coast states and Texas represented nearly eight percent of all new entering CSB and SJU students in
We recognized these trends long before the Great Recession began and over many years have continuously adapted to the new marketplace conditions. fall 2013, all places from which we received only handfuls of students a decade ago. The profile of our student body also has changed, reflecting the broad changes in the nation’s young population. In fall 2013, American students of color represented 18 percent of all new entering CSB students, the highest number and percentage yet. The number of students of color enrolled at CSB has doubled since 2009.
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Enrolling students is more than a numbers game. Our students have many college choices. The typical new CSB student earned an ACT score among the top 15 percent in the country. Four in ten applied to at least five colleges. Their talent and the range of choices they consider demand that we provide a compelling value message. More than ever, prospective students and their parents expect colleges to provide them with information about the experiences and outcomes of their students and graduates. Top 15% in the country
ACT SCORES
The typical new CSB student earned an ACT score among the top 15 percent in the country. Four in ten applied to at least five colleges.
We have collected that information for years and routinely share it with prospective students; they shouldn’t need to ask. For instance, among our most recent graduates, 99 percent reported that they were either employed, engaged in a full-time volunteer program, or continuing their education. CSB and SJU are two of only three colleges in the state who have created a searchable online database of recent graduates that allows prospective students and their parents to see what our graduates really do after earning their degree. The database is popular with students and is available at http://apps.csbsju.edu/admissiongrads/.
99%
of our most recent graduates
Reported that they were either employed, engaged in a full-time volunteer program, or continuing their education.
Nearly nine in 10 indicate that their academic major prepared them well for their career or for graduate school. Prospective students and their families want to understand the economic, experiential and developmental return on their investment. Among all of our alumnae over the last 25 years, nearly nine in 10 indicate that their academic major prepared them well for their career or for graduate school. A similar percentage say that as CSB students they developed an ability to distinguish unique perspectives others might not consider. Perhaps the strongest endorsement, more than 90 percent say they would choose CSB again if they could start college over. An even higher percentage recommend CSB to prospective students.
$37 million
CSB awarded more than $37 million in scholarship and grant aid to our students last year.
Similar to students and families across the country, the price of college is an immediate and important issue for CSB students. We historically have served students from across the income spectrum and have strengthened our commitment to accessibility in the wake of the Great Recession. Last year, CSB awarded more than $37 million in scholarship and grant aid to our students. More than nine in 10 CSB students receive
a scholarship or grant to help them pay for college, the typical student receiving more than $18,000 in financial aid from the college. Tuition and fees at CSB remain lower than at peer liberal arts colleges nationally, though our student outcomes meet or exceed those of our peers. Consistent with the college’s long history of careful financial decision-making, our annual budget discussions are framed around standards and expectations of excellence and value. We have never believed that excellence and value are mutually exclusive objectives. Like colleges and universities everywhere, we too face difficult and complicated mission, market and management choices. Two factors are key in making those choices. First, we must be attentive to the constantly changing needs and expectations of our students and the market. Surprises almost always present the most difficult choices. Next, and most importantly, we must remain focused on our educational and institutional values. While much is often made of data-driven decision-making, data alone is insufficient. Ultimately, the choices we make should reflect values-driven decision-making. In the face of a rapidly changing landscape for all of higher education, we remain deeply committed to ensuring that CSB continues to provide an accessible and exceptional experience, not only for today but for generations to come.
Jon McGee has worked in higher education research and policy for more than 20 years. Educationomics is the topic of a book he is currently writing. McGee has published numerous articles in professional journals and online media on this topic. He is a 1984 graduate of Saint John’s University, where he majored in political science. He also holds a master’s degree in public affairs from the Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
CSB and SJU are two of only three colleges in the state who have created a searchable online database of recent graduates that allows prospective searchable online database
students and their parents to see what our graduates really do after earning their degree. The database is popular with students and is available at http://apps.csbsju.edu/admissiongrads/.
Winter 2014 | 17
monsters BY | SARA MOHS
Photos: Paul Middlestaedt
& self
Big questions about the art and science of being human
EMILY ESCH & SHANE MILLER LIKE TO ASK QUESTIONS. Enduring questions that don’t always come with clear-cut answers. As associate professors at Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s, Esch (philosophy) and Miller (communication) both received grants from National Endowment for Humanities’ (NEH’s) Enduring Questions program to develop courses centered around some of life’s biggest mysteries. Esch’s course is titled “Who am I?” and focuses on how our perceptions of self and human nature have changed
throughout history. Miller’s course is called “What is a Monster?” and explores our perceptions of monster-like qualities in both human and non-human form. Esch and Miller designed their respective courses to stretch their students — and themselves — beyond the green edges of what’s familiar. And, in the process, uncover meaningful lessons that can be carried over into every aspect of their lives. The objective of the courses is to expose students to different ethical viewpoints beyond their own and work through the issues affected by those perspectives. At a time when online education, mega classrooms and remote learning continue to gain popularity, these courses are a testament to the timeless value of discussion-focused, smallgroup learning that plays a critical role in Saint Ben’s multidisciplinary liberal arts education.
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monsters&self To explore these deeper questions about humanity — and present them in a way that was more approachable to her students — she proposed “Who am I?”. The class focuses on how our perception of human nature has changed in response to scientific discoveries, beginning with the 16th century and continuing through modern day findings in science and philosophy. It includes both epistemological issues (how people understand the nature of truth and knowledge) and those metaphysical (the ultimate nature of reality).
who am I? Esch was drawn to the idea for her course when she noticed an area of her teachings that consistently created resistance from her students. She saw it as the perfect opportunity to stretch perspectives and comfort zones. Not just those of her students, but hers as well. The area that caused resistance from her students centered around our perception of human nature. As a fan of contemporary brain science and psychology, Esch often taught about new findings that suggest human nature may not be as anchored and consistent as we’ve always believed. “Many contemporary discoveries suggest free will isn’t as free as we think it is,” says Esch. “That maybe this ‘self’ isn’t this single thing that carries through from the time we’re young to the time we’re old. Maybe it’s just an illusion that there is a self at all and we need to radically reconceive how we think about human beings.”
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Esch believes showing how our views of the self have transformed over time makes these concepts a little easier for her students to understand and embrace. “When Copernicus came out with his theory that the earth wasn’t the center of the universe and that it actually revolved around the sun, it was a big shift for people to realize we’re not the center of everything,” says Esch. She says a similar shift took place 300 years later when Darwin published The Origin of Species, which theorized that humans were the product of evolution and natural selection. As a result, humanity was again forced to reconceive our views of self. She believes yet another shift is taking place today as contemporary brain science and psychology uncover how much of our behavior is caused by unconscious mental processes that we’re not even aware of. “These are some pretty radical ideas, but I thought by putting them in a historical context and showing how we’ve managed to adapt our views of human nature to big scientific discoveries before, without losing the idea of our humanity, it might make
“I stretch a lot further in this class than I do in my philosophy classes,” she admits. “Our syllabus includes historians, fiction writers, scientists — a much broader range of material than just focusing on what philosophers have to say on a topic. I’m always interested in bridging the humanities and sciences, which is one of the reasons I wanted to teach at a liberal arts school.” Esch also stretched herself in developing the format of the class. Because one of her learning objectives was to teach students how to have a conversation on these big, enduring questions, she switched up her typical teaching style. Instead of requiring only written work for assessment purposes, she gave oral exams. “Creating this type of one-on-one learning takes much more time,” she points out. “I schedule three sets of oral exams that take 45 minutes for each student. It’s not something I could do in a larger class.” She believes oral exams and the opportunity for more intimate discussions teach students critical thinking and speaking skills that help them become better communicators and thinkers in other facets of their lives. “Not everyone is good at talking and having a conversation in these types of discussions,” she states. “For some people it’s a learned skill. I want us to find ways to talk about difficult topics and converse in fruitful ways.” On a loftier note, she also hopes the course will spark an interest in reading and discussing materials from a wide range of disciplines. And that her students
“Many contemporary discoveries suggest free will isn’t as free as we think it is…” these discoveries seem a little less scary than if they were presented in isolation,” she speculates. Esch admits she’s not a historian. So developing the course took time and research. Receiving the grant from NEH’s Enduring Questions program allowed her to take a yearlong sabbatical to develop the syllabus.
will discover something wonderful and gratifying in the process. “My hope is that my students will find having a smart discussion with their peers stimulating and fun. That they’ll realize there’s a lot of interesting stuff to read out there … and people to talk to about it. That’s my super-idealistic goal,” she laughs.
what is a monster? Miller became interested in the topic of monsters while teaching a course about cinema monsters in Japan. He discovered a lot of interesting cultural differences in the way those films explored what a monster is and the ambivalence of human nature. He sensed he was poised on fertile ground, and he was looking for a way to cultivate new understanding about humanity and our role in monstrous behavior. Like Esch’s course, Miller’s forced him to get out of his comfort zone and delve into material he wasn’t familiar with. The course — to be offered in fall 2015 — will explore three interrelated questions: What is a monster? How do our monsters
revealed in human psychology studies like the Stanford Prison experiments and the abuses and photos that took place in Abu Ghraib, Iraq. That’s a very recent example of good people who engaged in really awful decisions,” he says. To better understand the frailty of human nature, Miller will examine a number of studies in psychology and sociology that uncover what sort of factors can prime good people to engage in horrific acts. He believes that taking a closer look at the ethical issues involved in determining what makes a human a monster will force us to confront monstrous tendencies in our own nature.
“We’ll cover everything from the boogey sort of creature in folklore to Godzilla to aliens.” reflect and critique the society that produces them? And how does the way we choose to deal with our monsters reflect who we are as a person or culture? To help answer these questions, Miller will discuss a range of antagonists from fictional creations in literature, folklore and art to real-life examples of human monstrosities. “We’ll cover everything from the boogey sort of creature in folklore to Godzilla to aliens. And we’ll explore real-life situations, like the experimentation of Nazi doctors on Jewish prisoners, the authoritarian impulses
“My hope is that the experience will make us a little more humble when thinking about that nature in others. Unfortunately, these ethical questions are constantly relevant. We still have problems with genocide. We still have problems with abusive authority and of humans doing horrible things to one another for a variety of reasons. Examining what’s at stake when we identify something as monstrous is an important step when responding to these issues socially,” says Miller.
Lifelong answers Like so many courses offered at Saint Ben’s, these courses demonstrate why a liberal arts education offers a valuable experience to our graduates. They teach students how to better grapple with big ideas, whether those ideas are born out of a philosophical text, a scientific treatise, a novel, a film or a history book. They sharpen the ability to analyze, synthesize and communicate effectively and articulately. But they do something more. They encourage us to stretch beyond the boundaries of what’s familiar and venture into areas sometimes uncomfortable and controversial. They teach students how to reflect upon and understand their own beliefs and predispositions, how those beliefs affect the way they process information and, in the end, how they relate to others through those beliefs.
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Tipping with the times The key word in that definition is “balance.” It means that actions and influences in one area will tip the scales vis-à-vis the other two. So, during the 1930s, with the economy in shambles and crippling interest payments due each month on their newly built St. Cloud Hospital, the Sisters of Saint Benedict were keenly aware of economic impact.
“I think any Benedictine monastery will tell you they started out as farmers,” says S. Phyllis Plantenberg ’48, founder of Saint Ben’s Common Ground subscription garden. “Just living off the land like any homesteader would.”
When every turkey in the monastery’s poultry barn is worth a few pennies, and every penny counts, you go to greater lengths to protect those profits. You splint broken turkey legs. You sew canvas jackets for at-risk birds in winter. It’s what prompted S. Mary Elizabeth Weber to nurse a pneumonia-addled turkey back to health with wormwood tea and Vicks® VapoRub. And it’s what scattered postulants like S. Marold out into the fields to catch grasshoppers.
Awareness of God (“We believe that the divine presence is everywhere.” R.B. 19) If God is in the ordinary events of every day, then all things become sacred.
This wasn’t to coddle a beloved pet. (Spoiler alert: The blind turkey ended up in the same place as his sighted mates.) This was a community working together to make the most responsible use of resources and sustain a monastery, a college, a hospital…
Respect for persons (“No one is to pursue what is judged best for oneself, but instead, what is better for someone else.” R.B. 72) This is the social justice leg of Saint Ben’s three-part sustainability definition. It leads to buying locally and buying responsibly. It also inspires conservation around respect for future generations.
To Plantenberg, that simple lifestyle breeds a respect for resources. “The Rule is so specific about what you can have and what you can own,” she says. “You can have one habit. If you’re going on the road, be sure to take a good one.” There’s a lot of that simple stewardship in our Benedictine values; drawn from the Rule:
Dignity of work (“…they live by the labor of their hands.” R.B. 48) Respect for the work means respect for the worker and respecting our neighbors by choosing local labor and local materials when appropriate. Moderation (“All things are to be done with moderation.” R.B. 48) Encouraging responsible consumption is a campus-wide commitment that comes to life in programs like our campus-wide Cut the Current energy challenge. (Regina Hall won last fall’s contest by reducing energy consumption by about 10 percent during the three-week period!)
Stewardship (“Regard all utensils as if they were the sacred vessels of the altar.” R.B. 31) For 100 years, families have trusted Saint Ben’s to educate and protect their most precious resources — their daughters. That same commitment and experience applies to the way we handle our resources; both material and natural.
As a Benedictine college, sustainability is nothing new for Saint Ben’s. The Rule of Saint Benedict is filled with references that today would be termed “sustainable.”
“Sustainability is a balance between environmental impact, economic impact and social justice.”
Centennial Commons opened in fall 2012. The two-story, townhome style housing accommodates 124 students and one full-time residence director.
So where is the point of balance today between environmental impact, economic impact and social justice? “Regardless of our political views on greenhouse gases and carbon footprint,” says College of Saint Benedict President MaryAnn Baenninger, “our Benedictine values compel us to steward our resources well.” In 2007, Baenninger took a key step in affirming the college’s stance on sustainability by becoming a charter member of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) Leadership Circle and one of the first to sign the commitment. By joining this effort, colleges and universities pledge to exercise leadership in their communities and throughout society. In 2010, CSB took the further steps of hiring Judy Purman as the college’s first director of sustainability, opening an Office of Sustainability on campus and naming an official Sustainability Council.
By June 2012, the Council had developed and approved the college’s Sustainability Master Plan (SMP), which includes aggressive-but-attainable goals such as the college’s plan to achieve climate neutrality by 2035. According to the SMP: “Climate neutrality is defined as achieving a state where the operation of an entity has zero-net emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). The key word here is ‘net.’ Since most forms of energy, many materials and waste all contribute to GHG emissions; it is highly unlikely that any institution will be able to achieve zero absolute emissions of GHG without the purchase of offsets.”
“Regardless of our political views on greenhouse gases and carbon footprints, our Benedictine values compel us to steward our resources well.” “An offset is a quantified GHG reduction purchased and used to negate or cancel out an equivalent emission from the operation… The purchase of carbon offsets is not feasible until sufficient, dedicated funding sources are identified. When feasible, CSB plans to purchase offsets from sources generated in close proximity in support of the local communities and the State of Minnesota.” The SMP takes a pervasive approach to addressing the college’s sustainability goals, touching nearly every aspect of campus life. The identified priority areas, however, include: 1. Food and dining 2. Grounds 3. Partnership and outreach 4. Responsible consumption
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5. Sustainability education 6. Sustainable facilities (buildings and energy) 7. Transportation
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Natalie Keane ’13 (right) preps the food before serving at Casa Guadalupe in Cold Spring, Minn. Additional students help serve and share the meal with local residents.
CSB Launches Community Kitchen Program Highlights Today on campus there’s a seemingly endless list of projects and programs in place and in development to help meet those sustainability goals. And they’re already paying dividends. “We now know,” says President Baenninger, “through a benchmarking study, that in 2012 College of Saint Benedict consumed over 45 percent less energy than similar institutions through a combination of conservation and careful business management. This has had a great impact on our environment and our bottom line.”
“We now know,” says President Baenninger, “through a benchmarking study, that in 2012 College of Saint Benedict consumed over 45 percent less energy than similar institutions...”
The statistics are staggering. The USDA reports that 1 in 10 Minnesota households are food insecure (lacking enough safe and nutritious food to meet their daily dietary needs). About 10.4 percent of Stearns County’s population experiences food insecurity. This means that nearly 640 people in St. Joseph, Minn., are food insecure, according to Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief charity. Through the leadership of Natalie Keane ’13, CSB is working to help change that in a small yet significant way. Keane is establishing the Community Kitchen program with a primary goal of distributing high-quality, nutritious food in a dignified manner to those experiencing food insecurity. Her role has been made possible through a grant from the Initiative Foundation and the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University’s Office of Experiential Learning and Community Engagement (ELCE).
She spent the first couple of months in her position researching other programs and meeting with on-campus resources to develop the program. Together with CSB Culinary Services, CSB/SJU Nutrition Department, CSB Campus Ministry, CSB Office of Sustainability, ELCE and a committed group of Bennie and Johnnie student volunteers, Keane has developed a process for providing the surplus food from the Gorecki Center to non-profit programs in the central Minnesota area. It is estimated that up to 85 meals per week can be offered to community organizations and will also help to reduce food waste at CSB. In late October, they began providing meals to the women’s youth program offered through Casa Guadalupe Multicultural Community in Cold Spring. They’ve also made deliveries to parents taking the “Simply Good Cooking” class through ReachUp/Head Start in St. Cloud. And there are plans to add more non-profit partners in the future.
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According to Brad Sinn, executive director of facilities, “We have a
20-year commitment to energy efficiency projects in our utilities systems that saves us, conservatively, over $250,000 each year.” “All of these endeavors, in all of these areas, have saved the college many thousands of dollars that can be better spent enriching the academic environment for our students,” concludes Baenninger. And, on balance, that sounds like a winning result.
Water, water everywhere
Trayless in Gorecki
According to a policy adopted in 2011, “CSB recognizes the environmental, economic and social costs of production, transport and sale of plastic bottled water, as well as the potential health risks from chemicals contained in plastics. Additionally, CSB acknowledges that water is a fundamental human right, and as an organization declines to profit from its sale.”
It seems like such a simple thing, but removing trays from the Gorecki Center has reduced the amount of food waste disposal on average by 30 percent per month. In addition, savings in labor costs, water use and time are realized as a result of not having to wash and dry hundreds of trays.
In accordance with this commitment, the college discontinued the sale of plain, plastic bottled water on campus, and the purchase of plain, plastic bottled water with institutional funds. Instead, there are bottlefilling “hydration stations” around campus.
Even better buses
LEED Platinum The new Centennial Commons Townhomes have received LEED Platinum certification. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards rate buildings on their design, construction and operation. Platinum is the highest level of certification. The Centennial buildings are the first on the College of Saint Benedict campus to be LEED certified. According to Brad Sinn, executive director of facilities, “We set a very high green standard for ourselves in new construction, and we’re very proud of having that validation with Centennial.”
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“We have a 20-year commitment to energy efficiency projects in our utilities systems that saves us, conservatively, over $250,000 each year.”
Being a residential college helps us keep our student commuting rate low. And that’s big when calculating our carbon footprint. But our relationship with Saint John’s University means that one very visible area of transportation is The Link running between campuses. “For the last few years,” explains Sinn, “our mechanics and maintenance staff have been requesting to look into compressed natural gas (CNG) buses as an alternative.” As it turns out, the CNG buses aren’t feasible for our situation. “But,” says Sinn, “the process led us to look into propane. And propane buses seem to be a really good fit for us.” Right now there is one propane bus shuttling back and forth along with our fleet of seven diesel buses. “If this trial continues to go well, and if the current spike in propane prices proves to be temporary, we’ll definitely consider switching more of our fleet to propane in the future.”
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Alumnae in action
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Holistic Health. And that’s what sparked my interest in the environment. That was my sophomore year and I hadn’t even declared a major yet.” Amy’s interest was certainly piqued. But she chose to chart her own course to pursue that interest. “I made up my own major: Environmental Economics,” she laughs. And it worked out perfectly. “In fact,” Fredregill observes, “I ended up doing my thesis on exactly what I’m doing now: renewable energy standards and the wind energy market.”
Amy Fredregill ’97 “In 1995, I took a J-Term class (back when there was still a J-Term) in Costa Rica with economics professor Ernie Dietrich,” remembers Amy Fredregill ’97. “It was called Environment, Peace and
The “now” that Amy refers to is her career as executive director at Midwest Renewable Energy Tracking System (M-RETS®). “We’re a nonprofit that tracks data for renewable energy, primarily for regulatory compliance for utilities that have reporting requirements,” she explains.
experience, Saint Ben’s prepares students to do just that.” A life-long love of learning, an appreciation of hard work, concern for social justice, adherence to personal integrity… These are all elements that Poferl sees coming together to create a healthy, sustainable spirit. “They’re all qualities that contribute to successful careers and satisfying lives,” she explains. They’re all things she picked up during her years at the College of Saint Benedict.
Judy Forstner Poferl ’82 “I think of sustainability as the ability to adapt and thrive over the long term,” says Judy Forstner Poferl ’82. “In my
Today, Poferl puts that sustainable spirit to good use as the vice president and corporate secretary at Xcel Energy, the nation’s leading provider of wind energy and a leader in energy conservation and emission reductions.
M-RETS® serves as third-party verification for renewable energy contracts in nine states and in Manitoba. The company uses verifiable production data for all participating generators and creates a Renewable Energy Credit in the form of a tradable digital certificate for each megawatt hour. “We track the data and the buyer or state regulator determines if it’s eligible for their state requirement,” says Fredregill. If “sustainability” is a balance between environmental impact, economic impact and social justice, then verifying this data and validating the economic viability of renewable energy is an important step in the sustainability process. And an “environmental economics” major is just the Bennie to do it.
In more than two decades in the energy industry, she’s “led regulatory efforts, policy development, electric and natural gas operations and customer and community affairs.” Poferl directs Xcel Energy’s corporate compliance efforts as well as its relationship with the company’s board of directors, 70,000 registered shareholders and institutional investors. “I’m part of an industry that is vital to the quality of people’s lives and the vibrancy of our communities,” Poferl says. “And I get to work through a company whose values reflect my own” — values that she shaped and refined years ago as a Bennie. “In my mind, that’s sustainability at its finest.”
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things you didn’t know about Saint Ben’s
Did you know that legend has it the idea for the College of Saint Benedict was born from a dream of Mother Benedicta Riepp in which she saw a flowering white tree that symbolized the future women who would be touched by the sisters’ ministry? And from 1972-1982, students not only moved to campus, but so did their horses? And before there were famous Special K Bars there was famous rhubarb pie and ice cream? For 100 years, important facts and figures about Saint Ben’s have been duly noted for posterity. But who’s to say our century must be celebrated only with historic firsts and lasts? From fish ponds and bell towers to sunbathing and mobile homes, we searched the college archives and mined the memories of staff and alums to uncover some far-out facts that confirm our community is a place like no other. Each item presented here is certified to be true to the best of our knowledge, but if history has gone misrepresented, we’re sure you’ll help set the record straight.
things 1. Stanley J. Idzerda was the first male president of a women’s college in Minnesota and the first lay (and eighth) president of CSB. He took office on July 1, 1968, and served as president until 1974. He is the only male president CSB has had.
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8. Blazer basketball coach Mike Durbin is the longest-serving coach in the history of the college. He started his CSB career in 1986 and continues as the current coach. He earned his 600th victory in January 2014.
It’s believed that S. Magna Werth was not only the first sister at Saint Ben’s to receive a Ph.D. but among the first women to receive a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Minnesota.
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3. In the history of the college, four students have received a Truman Scholarship. There have been 2,906 Truman Scholars selected since the first awards were made in 1977. Rachel Mullen ’14 is the most recent CSB recipient. 4. Drake Dierkhising (SJU ’63) is an honorary member of the class of 1942, as he served as the college’s home management baby during that year, helping students learn child development and caregiving. According to The Benet in February 1942, “During the day, he [Drake] lives in the Home Management House but spends the night in the infirmary under the watchful eye of his mother-for-the-week.” Bonus trivia: Drake’s family opened the LaPlayette Bar and Kay’s Kitchen, two popular establishments in St. Joseph that are still alive and well today. 5. Josephine Misho from St. Cloud was the first of the six women to enroll at CSB in 1913. She was soon followed by five other women: Esther Mueller, Helen McDonald, Margaret McKeon, Josephine Skluzacek and Margaret Grant. Helen was the oldest, at 21 years of age, and was from Eau Claire, Wis. 6. CSB alums live in 52 countries around the world. 7. There are 131 Bennie alums who currently work at CSB and SJU.
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9. Toni St. Pierre ’77 appealed to the American Civil Liberties Union to represent her in the first ever Minnesota lawsuit for the right of women to play on a high school boys sports team. Her court victory allowed her to compete on boys’ cross country running and skiing teams at Hopkins High School in Minnesota. In 1973, she attended CSB where she ran cross country on the SJU team. 10. John Doman, a bus driver of The Link, is famous among recent students for providing trivia entertainment during the drives between CSB and SJU campuses. 11. Current President MaryAnn Baenninger is the longest-serving lay president of Saint Ben’s. She will have served 10 years when she steps down from her position in June 2014. Her decade-long tenure ties that of S. Colman O’Connell ’49, who served from 1986 to 1996.
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12. The Pageant, “So Let Your Light Shine,” was produced from 1935-1965 and was the premier annual event inducting first-year students to campus. 13. The Sisters of Saint Benedict arrived in Minnesota in 1857 — one year before Minnesota became the 32nd state in the union. 14. Total cost of one year at CSB including board, room, tuition and fees in 1914 was $160. 15. In 1863, the Sisters of Saint Benedict moved from the St. Cloud area to establish communities in St. Joseph and Kansas.
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23. For nearly 100 years, students and community members have walked the 14 steps leading up to the front door of the Sacred Heart Chapel to participate in daily services. The sisters built the chapel and Teresa Hall almost simultaneously.
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For its first 40 years, the entire college, including gymnasium, library, residence halls and classrooms, was contained in the Main Building.
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29. The West apartments are named after seven sisters: S. Enid Smith, S. Incarnata Girgen, S. Irma Schumacher, S. Mariella Gable, S. Remberta Westkaemper, S. Rogatia Sohler and S. Dominica Borgerding. 30. The $7 million Haehn Campus Center was dedicated on the same day in 1996 as the inauguration of the college’s 12th president, Mary Lyons. 31. CSB’s Main Building consists of five separate adjacent buildings (two of which are part of the monastery), all named after people of importance in Benedictine history: St. Cecilia, St. Scholastica, St. Benedict, St. Gertrude and St. Teresa. 32. When Gorecki Center opened in 2007, the college no longer used the nearly 100-year-old kitchen and cafeteria located on the ground floor of the Main Building. 33. Aurora Hall, the first dorm on the CSB campus, was finished in 1956.
16. In 1961 (48 years after CSB’s founding), the sisters legally separated the college from the monastery, principally to facilitate the process of obtaining a government loan for building a new residence hall. For many years after this, the sisters would continue to hold most faculty and administrative positions. 17. First-year dormitory, “Corona,” means “crown” and symbolizes the Virgin Mary’s reign as the Queen of Heaven. 18. The few remaining pine trees on the west side of the Benedicta Arts Center and the West Apartments are the last of what used to be a full line of evergreens separating the campus from farm fields. 19. Students used to be able to go up on the roof of Teresa Hall to sunbathe (if only surreptitiously). 20. CSB was founded in 1913, seven years before women had the right to vote. The first crossword puzzle and elastic brassiere also made their debut this year.
28 25. The maple tree in front of Evin Hall was planted in honor of S. Evin Rademacher, the prioress of the monastery from 1973 to 1981.
21. The Saint Ben’s campus sits on 315 acres.
26. The ground floor of Teresa Hall, in the Main Building, was used as a gymnasium until 1961. The students had to play around large structural pillars.
22. 1,078 — the number of seats in the Escher Auditorium, in the Benedicta Arts Center.
27. 23 mobile homes were brought to campus for temporary housing while the West Apartments were being built. 28. Until Mary Commons was built in 1956, the Main Building was the only college building on campus.
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34. The Renner House was built in 2005 and is named after CSB’s 10th president, S. Emmanuel Renner. The house serves as the college president’s home and occasional reception hall, guest house and dining facility for campus guests.
things 35. The four bells in the tower of the Clemens Library are named: (largest to smallest) Lectio (slow, attentive reading), Meditatio (thoughtful, loving repetition), Oratio (inner, responsive prayer) and Contemplatio (rest in God). They signal the welcoming and acceptance of all faiths within the community.
43. The first overseas students, Lucy Chung and Florence Chi of Peking, were enrolled in 1930, the beginning of a long tradition of internationalization at Saint Ben’s.
48. CSB students enjoyed the rousing performance of comedian and actor Steve Martin when he performed at homecoming in 1974 and 1976.
36. The Blazers became the CSB athletic teams’ mascot when Mary Haffner ’80 won a naming contest in 1976 sponsored by the volleyball team. 37. There are 249 bell rings heard on campus each day, from Clemens Library and the Catholic Church in St. Joseph. Much to people’s surprise, there is no bell tower in the Sacred Heart Chapel.
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38. Centennial Commons, which opened in 2012, was the first student housing in Minnesota to receive LEED Homes Platinum Certification, the highest level of “green” certification.
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39. The stained glass windows in the bell tower of Clemens Library were saved from the remodeled Sacred Heart Chapel. Another window from the original chapel was gifted to the college, in honor of its centennial year, during the All-School Reunion in June 2013. 40. The Henrita Academic Building was formerly home to Saint Benedict’s High School. 41. The pool in Murray Hall was completed in 1973. While it is still open today, it was closed for a short time in fall 1975, when its below-water-level observation window leaked. 42. Fifty years ago, CSB had a degree program in medical technology.
47. The candle lighting ceremony displayed during the first-year and senior dinners is a nearly 100-year-old tradition that began with the pageant, “So Let Your Light Shine,” where firstyear students received a flaming torch from the sisters, pledging their loyalty to “carry on the light.”
44 . The blessing that marks 1,550 years of Benedictine education upon which CSB was created: “Peace (Pax), the peace of a strong, firm, loving Christianity which gives meaning to all education and to life.” 45. As of 1964, there were four formal dances a year for CSB and SJU students. In addition, informal dancing was offered almost every Friday night in the gym or commons area. 46. Kay’s Kitchen, the popular diner in St. Joseph, offers Eggs “Bennie” Style — a toasted English muffin topped with ham and two basted eggs, covered with hollandaise sauce and served with hash browns.
49. Special K Bars have grown to become the signature dessert at CSB. In the 1950s, rhubarb pie and ice cream was a favorite. This is the dessert served to the 50th anniversary class, during the class conversation, at every CSB reunion. 50. The Carrera marble from which Marton Varo created “Breaking Free IV” (displayed in the Clemens Library) was taken from the same quarry as that of Michaelangelo’s “David.”
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Kathleen Yanes Waynes ’42 and Gertrude Danavall ’42, were the first black students to attend CSB. They enrolled in 1938, after Bennies Betty Schneider ’39 and Josephine Zehnle Terwey ’39 met the two women at Friendship House in New York. This was 26 years before the peak of the civil rights movement in 1964.
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52. Basketball was CSB’s first and only intercollegiate athletic team sport when it was established in 1972. The team did not start playing games until spring 1973, the same year that volleyball and swimming teams were founded. 53. Helen McDonald ’17, the first lay student registered at Saint Ben’s, studied logic, psychology, geometry, Greek and history.
54. CSB students who were bused from St. Cloud and local areas — as early as the 1930s — were referred to as “Day Hops.” Winter 2014 | 31
things 67. Saint Benedict’s Academy, a finishing school for girls founded in 1880, closed in 1973. Some of its students helped to make Saint John’s Preparatory School co-ed.
57
55. There are 1,586 works of art in the college’s permanent collection. 56. The Literary Arts Institute continues a tradition of hand papermaking by growing flax (which was first grown by the sisters in the early 20th century and used to produce linen) and creating a signature Saint Ben’s paper that combines flax with two native prairie grasses. 57. The statue of Bernadette at Saint Ben’s Grotto was replaced in 2010. The original, from 1939, disappeared in the 1960s. 58. A set of gravesites in the monastery cemetery is for nonBenedictines, including members of the Stanley Idzerda family, other close relatives and friends of the sisters, and a few faculty members who died unexpectedly.
59. In 1919, the St. Benedict’s Student Association was formed. In 1936, the constitution was rewritten and the name of the organization changed to St. Benedict’s Alumnae Association. In 1955, the name changed again to the Alumnae Association of the College of Saint Benedict. Chapters of the association were formed as early as 1921. 60. For many years, there was an annual Deutsch-Irish basketball game on St. Patrick’s Day.
68. The Bennie Creed was written in 2007 by a group of first-year students and is now recited at the traditional first-year and senior dinners. It summarizes the mission of the college and everything Bennies stand for. 69. CSB was the first college in the country to accept black students as boarders, in 1938, long before the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 61. Students living in Teresa Hall (in the Main Building) were known to sometimes get to their rooms after hours by climbing the metal fire escape staircase on the southwest side of the building.
70
62. Students in the 1930s could get their exercise on a skating rink that was just west of the fish pond.
63
The Bennie Bus officially became The Link when a Bennie won a naming contest and received a $50 prize for the name.
64. Mary Thomes ’44, won first prize in The Atlantic Monthly’s writing contest in 1944 with her essay about the Saint Ben’s community, “These Gentle Communists.” 65. During the Christmas season, Clemens Library staff used to burn wood in the fireplace and read story books during finals week to stressed students. Frequently the smoke alarms would go off the first time the fire was lit each year. 66. The fish pond was added to the campus in 1926 and was initially referred to as the “Lily Pond.” It used to feature an arched bridge of stone slabs, on which many generations of Bennies posed for photos.
76
70. The College of Saint Benedict crest represents learning, Benedictinism and St. Joseph. 71. From 1972-1982, Bennies could bring their horses to campus. The Horsemanship Program made CSB distinct in the Midwest and many students attended the college because of it. Students were offered 14 classes and could receive a minor in horse management. 72. The college’s motto, Sic luceat lux vestra, is Latin for “So let your light shine.” 73. 1970s CSB students staffing the Mary Hall Information Desk used to overlook a TV lounge that often displayed the well-known sitcom, M*A*S*H*. 74. The college was officially named College of Saint Benedict in 1927, after being referred to as Saint Benedict’s College and Academy for the first 14 years. 75. The first semester-long study abroad program took place in fall 1969 in Luxembourg and consisted of 15 Bennies and five Johnnies. It was led by S. Incarnata Girgen. 76. It took four days, 77 employees and 30 students to move the book collection from the original library in the Main Building to the new Clemens Library, which opened in 1986.
things 77. O’Connell’s Coffeehouse in the Haehn Campus Center is named for S. Colman O’Connell ’49, who served as college president from 1986 to 1996. 78. Mother Benedicta Riepp, founder of Benedictine women’s communities in North America and namesake of the Benedicta Arts Center, is buried in the Saint Benedict’s Monastery cemetery. But she was first buried in St. Cloud, where she died in 1862 at age 36. 79. The six-day cycle of odd/even class days began in 1971 and ended in 2013, when the colleges introduced a five-day class cycle.
80. The first joint course catalog for CSB and SJU was published in 1967, supporting a joint academic partnership where Bennies and Johnnies would attend classes together on both campuses.
86. The beginning of the 1967-68 academic year is when Bennie juniors and seniors were first granted permission to bring their cars to campus. 87. The Lake Wobegon Trail, a surfaced hike-and-bike pathway, opened Sept. 30, 1998, and extends 46 miles from St. Joseph to Osakis, where it links with the Central Lakes Trail. 88. S. Johanna Becker was the first woman instructor at SJU. She taught art history there beginning in 1952. The Johanna Kiln at SJU was later named in her honor.
89
81. Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s started their formal academic partnership in 1964 with the first joint courses and faculty exchange. 48 Bennies and 42 Johnnies participated. 82. Sisters of the Order of Saint Benedict arrived in Minnesota in 1857. In addition to opening CSB in 1913, they founded the first hospital in central Minnesota and hundreds of schools throughout the region. 83. Before The Record became the joint newspaper for CSB and SJU, CSB had five other newspapers: The Torch, Vitae, The Cable, Independent and The Saints. 84. The koi fish in the fish pond live in an indoor tank in a campus maintenance shed during the cold winter months. Every year, they are brought back to the pond during a Parade of Fish ceremony in honor of Earth Day. 85. BoDiddley’s Deli has been in business since 1981, when John Forsythe (SJU ’81) converted the old St. Joseph Post Office to his flagship deli. The deli maintains student-friendly prices with many items under $4.
92. Social standards during the infancy of the college required segregation of the sexes. Men from SJU could only call on their sisters. S. Mariella Gable recounted a story on this topic: “S. Vivia was on portress duty; her attractive young sister, Kathleen, was a college student. A fine-looking young man rang the doorbell and asked if he could please see his sister, Kathleen. S. Vivia extended a hand of cordial welcome, ‘Do come in,' she said. "I am delighted to meet you. Kathleen is my sister as well.’” 93. Stern discipline was the order of the day during the infancy of the college. Mail was censored. Students wore net sleeve-lets from elbow to wrist if sleeves were only elbow length. They put a dickie in a blouse if it were cut lower than the collar bone. They marched in silence — two by two — to chapel, dining halls and dormitory. 94. The January Interim (J-Term, an intensive single course taken for three weeks) was introduced on both campuses in 1968. The last one was in January 2001. Spanish instructor Violeta de Pintado was the first joint faculty hired to teach at both CSB and SJU.
95
96. The 2012 Pines event, a CSB/SJU all-day music festival, featured singer and songwriter Mat Kearney, who was so inspired by the two communities that he wrote a song titled, “Bennie and Johnnie.”
99
97. Bingo, mass and cookie decorating are a few of the ways Bennies and the sisters spend time together through the “Benedictine Friends” program, which connects each CSB student in the program with a sister, who serves as a mentor and friend.
89. A wrong turn for a pizza delivery driver created an unfortunate photo op in 2011. He mistook the cobblestone pathway on campus for an actual road and landed in the fish pond.
98. For 24 years, the CSB president’s first name started with the letter ‘R’: Mother Rosamond Pratschner (1937-1949), Mother Ricarda Peters (1949–1957) and Sister Remberta Westkaemper (1957–1961).
90. In 2012, CSB and SJU received the Senator Paul Simon Award for Comprehensive Internationalization, one of only five institutions to receive the award that year out of 4,700 eligible colleges and universities.
99. There are 19 semester-long study abroad programs in 15 countries on six continents: Australia, Austria, Chile, China, England, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Spain and South Africa.
91. The first lay faculty member was hired in 1914. Records are unclear as to who started the trend of lay faculty.
100. Today, CSB offers 60 areas of study with 38 majors and 33 minor programs. Winter 2014 | 33
I’M A BENNIE I’M A BENNIE
’95
Jennifer Holton Tacheny MOTHER. TEACHER. FARMER.
A CSB/SJU class on artistic lifestyles and working at the Saint Ben’s community garden (Common Ground) not only influenced Jennifer Holton Tacheny’s mindset, it directed her path in life. “During this class, I began to understand the value and necessity of sustainable living,” she says. The community garden was a chance to practice the values she was learning.
in sustainable agriculture, increased our growing acres from one to three and nurtured a very strong relationship with our primary market. For over a decade we’ve worked on the land together, selling approximately one third of our harvest through direct market sales, eating, processing and canning one third and donating a third to charitable organizations.
Today, Jennifer ’95 and her husband Steven (SJU ’93) live out these values at their family farm in Mankato, Minn. While each of them maintains a full-time career near their home in St. Paul, farming has brought lessons in balance, raising kids and living a healthy lifestyle.
How does farming fit with your ‘full-time’ job? In my work with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in St. Paul, I coordinate Celeste’s Dream Community Garden where we teach people in an urban setting how to raise their own healthy food and build community while doing so. For young adults and other community gardeners, growing food together and sharing it with the broader community is a way to contribute to the common good.
What was your major at Saint Ben’s? Social work What residence hall did you live in for your first year? Corona — K Favorite class at Saint Ben’s? Artistic Lifestyles – J-Term course with Richard Bresnahan. I also really appreciated sociology and human biology courses. Latest great adventure? Giving birth to three healthy children who are now ages 7, 5 and 4. Your life motto? “Sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul.” Wendell Berry What do you know now that you wish you’d known earlier in life? That suspending judgment of others while maintaining curiosity and interest leads to more diverse, rich and loving relations. How did you get started farming? I started gardening in the community garden at Saint Ben’s the summer after graduation. I continued to garden in community gardens while volunteering after graduation. My husband Steven and I began growing food together on his parents’ family farm in the late 90s. Our commitment to growing healthy, chemical-free food was made sacrament when we chose to grow/raise all the food we would serve for our wedding feast, which was held on the family farm in the summer of 2000. Since then, we graduated from the Land Stewardship Project’s Farm Beginnings course
34 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
How do you manage a farm, career and young family? The challenge is maintaining both an urban and rural life. We commute to the farm most weekends during the growing season. It is a labor-intensive way to live, but it is also very rich and rewarding. Growing our own food and teaching others how to do it has become a core part of our lifestyle. Our children are young enough that there aren’t yet too many activities competing for the time that we spend together on the land doing our shared work. We currently have four generations of our family on the farm and this helps in dividing the tasks of farm labor, childcare, cooking, canning, etc. The quality of our life is enriched because we are fortunate enough to have access to land and we engage in caring for the land and raising our food together as an intergenerational family. How is the farming you do influenced by technology? Our small-scale farming methods do not rely on technologies other than human labor, sharp tools, tractor, tiller and horse (for fertilizer). When we go into a field to work we are connected only to the world that we can see. For all its benefits, today’s rampant use of technology and constant communication only makes the solitary field more enticing. What lessons has farming taught you? Work on a farm is never done. Finding time to relax and play even when there is work yet to do is a lesson in presence. I’m just beginning to learn what stability or commitment to place has to teach me.
CLASS NOTES CLASS NOTES
2001
MILESTONES
’79
Marcy Hochhalter Rowland represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of J. Troha, the 12th president of Juniata College in Huntingdon, Penn., in October 2013.
2002
The Minnesota Coalition of Women in Athletic Leadership has selected Julie Tellinghuisen Murphy to receive the Breaking Barriers Award. The award is for individuals or organizations that have broken barriers, overcome challenges and/ or striven to provide athletic opportunities for girls and women of all races, ages and abilities.
2003
Melanie Groten is a math teacher at City Academy High School.
ANN WINFIELD JOHNSON WHITE
’58
donated original photography from her personal collection to adorn the walls of the new data center facility on the CSB campus.
1975
MARY ZIMMERMANN KAUL
represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of Adam Weinberg, 20th president of Denison University in Granville, Ohio, in October 2013.
1960
1965
Agnes Miller Flynn represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of A. Johnson, the 9th president of the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. in October 2013. Class of 1965 alums held their annual brunch in September 2013 with Joan Hahn Schaefer, Ann Barthel Tyler, Suzie Shaw Schweich, Barbara Smith Wacek, Hazel Ehrnreiter Howes, Patsy Aksteter Pierson, Cathy Hobday Dey, Carol Landkamer, Diane Murphy Schulte, Sharon Murphy Roth, Mary Kay Hertzog Fasching, Jeanne Warner Nelson, Marge Molacek Morrissette, Bea Eichten, OSF, Ramona Radermacher Digre, Judy Wagner Bierman and Lucy Dufner Rieland.
1967
Yvonne Lebrun Lorenz represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of A. Byerly, the 7th President of Lafayette College in Easton, Penn., in October 2013.
1974
Lyn Harter Ceronsky, Cindy Torkelson Sauber ’85, and Julie Mayers Benson ’90, are collaborating to improve end of life care for rural Minnesotans. Ceronsky is a DNP, GNP, RN for Fairview Health System in Minneapolis and the Palliative Care Learning Center.
1976
1987
CSB/SJU Provost Rita Knuesel received the 2013 Council of Independent Colleges Chief Academic Officer Award in November 2013.
For complete news and notes from classmates and to post your notes, go to BenniesConnect: www.csbalum.csbsju.edu or email us at csbalumnae@csbsju.ed
Mary Slabinski-Schmidt is a traumatic brain injury resource coordinator at West Virginia University.
Irene Wolf represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of S. Sheridan, the 6th president of Franciscan University of Steubenville in Steubenville, Ohio in October 2013.
Class of 2003 alums celebrated 10 years of friendship with a trip to Sonoma County: Casey Caron Manthie, Sarah Schuld Tanner, Kelly Shroyer Anderson, Megan Wicker, Brooke Phillips Hemenway, Alicia Judkins Pilon and Lori Hokeness.
Karen Peterson Telega, Sharry Fitterer Gasperlin, Julie Rohlfing Collins, Cindy Hejlik Utley, Mary Kay Berger and Julie Boser gathered in Savannah to celebrate their 25th annual girls’ weekend. Pam Hartford represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of S. Decantur, the 19th president of Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, in October 2013.
1990
Carla West received a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Notre Dame in July 2013.
1991
Allison Willette represented CSB as a delegate at the inauguration of K. McCartney, the 11th president of Smith College in Northhampton, Mass., in October 2013.
2000
Aliesha Harkess is the manager of internal reporting and training at Pentair in Golden Valley, Minn.
2001
Mindy Fradin Gallagher is creative director at Nordic Ware in Minneapolis, Minn.
Laura Neumann Wasilowski is the author of three books: “Fusing Fun! Fast Fearless Art Quilts,” “Fuse & Tell Journal Quilts: Create Your Story in Cloth,” and “Fanciful Stiches, Colorful Quilts.” She owns Art Fabrik in Elgin, Ill. Her work is displayed in a number of galleries, and she has appeared on numerous television programs.
BC
Felicia Ochs has been named the youth resiliency coordinator in the Parkland School Division in Alberta, Canada, where she will coordinate a new health and wellness initiative involving 22 schools.
’85
LIZ MADDEN OGREN
was honored by the Davis Phinney Foundation as part of the Victory Summit Symposia Series, for her work helping people with Parkinson’s through her non-profit organization, Pedal & Roll for Parkinson’s.
2006
Leah Novak received her doctorate of osteopathic medicine from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine in 2012. She is a resident physician at the Family Practice Residency Program in Duluth, Minn. Abigail Hahn Hoffman is the associate executive director at L & L Management Services.
KATE LENCI MAGUIRE
’82
was named the 2014 Minnesota Superintendent of the Year by the Minnesota Association of School Administrators. Maguire was named superintendent of Osseo Area Schools in 2010. She is the fourth woman to be named Minnesota Superintendent of the Year since 1988.
Emily Cook-Lundgren received a master’s degree in foreign service from Georgetown University in May 2013.
2007
Heather Johnson Kruk is the unit assistant director in the College of Education at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX. Erin Baldwin interned at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C. before going to Japan to teach English for one year. She is the assistant education manager at the Australian Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Winter 2014 | 35
CLASS NOTES CLASS NOTES
2009
Caitlyn Lothian Francois works as a public policy analyst at Medica.
2011
Jenna Ferguson owns an event planning company, Events by Jenna Lee, and works as an events coordinator at A’BULAE. Chanti Calabria is a market gardens apprentice/program manager at Central Minnesota Sustainability Project in St. Cloud, Minn. Meghan Krantz is a director assistant at Target in Minneapolis, Minn.
2010
Rachel Peterson received a master’s in historic preservation from the University of Vermont.
2012
Mary Fahlstrom is a teacher at TotinoGrace High School.
Kathryn Bontjes Freeman received a master’s of education degree from the University of St. Thomas. She is an elementary music specialist at Willmar Public Schools. She is also a cheerleading coach at New London-Spicer High School.
was appointed district court judge in Minnesota’s First Judicial District by Governor Dayton. She works as a partner with Wornson, Goggins, Zard, Neisen, Morris & King, P.C., where she maintains a general practice. She is also a founding board member of the New Prague Area Education Foundation, a member of the Rotary Club of New Prague and a volunteer teacher for St. Wenceslaus Church’s Children’s Liturgy.
2007
Erin Baldwin received a master’s degree in international relations from University of Kent — Brussels International School. Nicole Schoenecker received a master’s degree in arts economics from the University of South Florida. Erin Rude Curran received a master’s degree of educational media and technology from St. Scholastica. Terril Germscheid received a master’s degree of business administration from the Carlson School of Management. Cara Sandquist is a lead teacher in the Peace Corps in West Africa. Patricia Devoy is an associate attorney at Faegre Baker Daniels. Katherine Niesen Beck received her associate of applied science degree in the electrical construction technology program from St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Hien Dang Studniski received a master’s degree in higher education administration from St. Cloud State University in May 2013. Tena Rytel received a master’s degree in environmental management from Duke University.
36 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
Jenn Yelle completed an internship at the University of Minnesota/Fairview in June 2013. She completed her boards and is now a registered dietitian with Medifast.
Megan Crain joined a convent, Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, in New Ulm, Minn., and her new name is Sister Amata Mariae.
Maizoua Moua is a public health outreach specialist at Children’s Dental Services in St. Paul, Minn. Kelsey Rod received a master’s degree of dietetics and dietetic internship from Sam Houston State University in Dec. 2013.
2013
Christine Nickel is a fully professed sister of the Nashville Dominicans of St. Cecilia. Rachel Schwalbach Geraty is the director of partnerships and strategic alliances for Global Impact.
2008
Katie Richie was a volunteer youth care worker at Mercy Home for Boys and Girls in Chicago before she became a youth care worker assigned to Sheil Home, a home for boys ages 17-24.
Kellianne Lauer works in FoodShare Special Programs for Americorps.
COLLEEN GOGGINS KING
Anna Dixon is a registered nurse at Children’s Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. Margaret Pitsenbarger is a first grade teacher at Community of Peace Academy.
Jessica Olsem Laleman is a science teacher at Fulda School in Fulda, Minn. Kelsey Griffin is an associate knowledge specialist at Target.
’97
Amanda Buchner Curley received a master’s degree in nutrition and dietetic science from Kent State University. She is a clinical dietitian at the South Dakota Human Service Center, the state’s mental and behavioral health hospital, in Yankton, S.D.
’09-’10 FIVE CSB ALUMS
graduated in November from Northwestern Health Sciences University — College of Chiropractic, with their doctorate of chiropractic degrees. Left to right: Katie Kjos Clare ’09, Mychaela “Callie” Harp ’10, Kasey Heichel ’10, Sarah Chuppe Mack ’09, Jessica Agnew-Hoeppner Donaldson ’10
2011
Katrina Reker is a community manager at GrandView Estates. Kirsten Fasching Hedtke is a recruiter for inpatient nurses at Park Nicollet Health Services. Nicole Bierschbach is a first grade teacher at Imagine Schools in Avondale, Ariz. Ashley Studniski completed a dietetic internship through ISU and received a registered dietitian license. She is the first supermarket registered dietician at Coborn’s, Inc. Kaitlin Andreasen O’Shea finished graduate school in May and began a career as a school psychologist for the St. Croix River Education District in fall 2013. Tara Cochran relocated to Aurora, Colo., and is a weight loss counselor at Slimgenics.
Bridget Deutz was invited by Credit Union Research Institute and the World Council Committee to be a speaker at the 2013 World Conference in Ottawa as a social media expert. Courtney Gustafson is a special projects coordinator in research and development at Jennie-O Turkey Store. Traci Thielen is a fourth grade teacher at Aurora Public Schools in Aurora, Colo. Alison Schadow is a paralegal at Woods & Thompson, P.A. in Minneapolis, Minn. Natalie Peterson is a registered nurse at Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare. Katherine Kaiser is an elementary literacy tutor at Delano Elementary with the Minnesota Reading Corps. Emily Stawarski is a state health inspector/sanitarian in Fergus Falls, for the Minnesota Department of Health. Kayla Olson is a volunteer at the Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center and works at the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. She plans to move to Washington state in January. Karly Pratt is a financial service representative at The Capital Advisory Group and is studying for the Series 7 securities exam. Anne Backe is a psychology associate for the traumatic brain injury unit at Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. Sarah Lehman is working in finance for ABILITY Network.
For complete news and notes from classmates and to post your notes, go to BenniesConnect: www.csbalum.csbsju.edu
2013
Sarah Kruger is volunteering through the St. Joseph Worker Program at the Oasis for Women, a transitional living program for women in St. Paul, Minn. Ryan Longley is a math enrichment tutor through Minnesota Math Corps (AmeriCorps program), at Edward Neill Elementary. She plans to attend graduate school for her teaching licensure in secondary education. Nicole Winters started two years of service with the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic. Meg Kelly Deignan is a secondary English teacher at Red Rock School District. Meghan Simmet is the national site support and relations VISTA at College Possible in St. Paul. Katy Myllykangas works with young adults with developmental disabilities at a Catholic Charities group home. She also works at Mississippi View Farm and will be showing her horse, Koka, at regionals in St. Louis, Mo. Melissa Flaig was accepted into a nurse residency program at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital and works in the Pediatric Medicine Acute Care Unit. Breann Kluck was accepted into Mayo Medical School in July 2013.
BRIDGET SITZER TO DANIEL NORDLUND ’07, OCT. ’13
’08
Danielle Liebl is one of 10 winners of a $50,000 Peace First Prize, given to students to further their peacemaking initiatives.
MARRIAGES 1986 2000 2001
Jennifer Lambert to Steven Baker, July ’13
2003
Mary Slabinski to Mason Schmidt, Sept. ’11
Sarah Fleegel to Lee Averbeck, May ’12 Elizabeth Sevcik to La’Narus Batten, Aug. ’13
’08
KATE SINNER TO MAX PITTMAN, SEPT. ’13
Emily Maeckelbergh to Pieter-Paul Wasmann, Aug. ’12
2004
Kate Schmucker to Gregory Kiley, Aug. ’13
2008
Kori Fitschen to Zach Carlson ’04, May ’13
’06
Kate Schmucker to Gregory Kiley, Aug. ’13
2005
Christine Johnson to Neil Henken, July ’13 Kimberly Beggin to Charles O’Connor ’05, July ’10 Annikah Colon to Sean Moaratty, Jan. ’12 Stepheny Reyes to Jacob Ross, Sept. ’13 Alyssa Schulte to Brock Kline, Aug. ’13 Emily Krump to Thomas Hart, July ’13 Kristen Bankers to Jan Saxhaug, June ’13 Tammy Hoese to Noah Retka ’06, May ’13
2007
Chelsey Huisman to Emil Wendel-Hansen, Sept. ’13 Rachel Schwalbach to Sean Geraty, July ’13
Kathryn Kaltsas to Jeff Benford, July ’13
2006
Amanda Dunlap to Chris Gabiou ’08, Sept. ’13 Jean Stubenvoll to Mike Schumacher ’09, Aug. ’13
GAIL ANDERSON TO BRET ANDERSON, AUG. ’13 2007
2008
Megan Deutschman to Jonathan Howard ’07, Aug. ’13
Erin Zrust to Casey Quinn, June ’13
JoAna Cramblit to Andrew Wermer ’08, July ’13
Elizabeth Hochstedler to Joshua Keener, June ’13
Amanda Yaritz to Kevin Sutherland, Oct. ’12
Keep the connections alive at facebook.com/SaintBensAlums
Mallory Lundeen to Justin Swierk ’08, July ’13
Nancy Kuechle to Kevy Simmons, Sept. ’13 Elizabeth Woell to Rick Rhode, Aug. ’13
2009
Heidi Sutter to Joel Coleman ’10, July ’13 Katherine Simenson to Zach Cunningham, Jan. ’13 Emily Simone to John Harrison ’07, May ’13 Maureen Noel to Adam Alderman, Oct. ’12 Molly McGuire to Kyle Henkemeyer ’10, Sept. ’13 Sarah Chuppe to Stanley Mack ’09, May ’13
Winter 2014 | 37
CLASS NOTES CLASS NOTES
2009
Stephanie Davis to Joe McNaughton, June ’13
2011
Amanda Buchner to Andrew Curley ’11, June ’13
Danielle Rothfork to Brian Baker ’09, Aug. ’13
Rebecca Arnhalt to Taylor Tesch, July ’13
Charlotte McGuire to Derek Bjoraker, Sept. ’13
Sarah Schwalbach to Samuel Dorr ’08, Sept. ’13
Sarah Pokorny to Adam Johnson ’09, Aug. ’13
McKinsey Weydert to Jake Haider ’10, Oct. ’13
Caitlyn Lothian to Scott Francois ’09, Sept. ’13
Samantha Koeck to Andrew Leintz ’11, Dec. ’12
Kathryn Goodin to Tyler Johnson, July ’13
2010
Megan Betters to Tom Hill, Sept. ’13
Amanda Grittner to Brad Allgaier ’11, July ’13
Cortney Bystrom to David Johnson ’10, June ’13
Stacey Zimmerman to Christopher Seviola ’11, July ’13
Kathryn Bontjes to Michael Freeman ’11, July ’13
Chloe Briggs to Alex Johnson ’09, Aug. ’13
Jessica Agnew Hoeppner to Greg Donaldson ’10, April ’13
Lisa Brand to Nick Kurtz ’11, Oct. ’13 Abby Neigebauer to Patrick McClure ’11, June ’13
Shannon Osborne to Brian Cullen ’10, Sept. ’13 Jennifer Richter to Andrew Bibeau, May ’13
’10
KATIE RUDNITSKI TO NICHOLAS MURRAY ’11, JULY ’13
Kirsten Fasching to Chris Hedtke, Nov. ’12
Holly Reinking to Greg Truso ’10, July ’13
2012
Lauren Witt to Stephen Beattie ’12, May ’13
Larissa Ranvek to David Biscoe, Sept. ’13 Erin Herberg to Patrick Sinner ’10, June ’13 Katherine Westlund to Kyle Ellingson ’10, Sept. ’13
Andrea Dean to Ted Byrne, June ’13
2013
Emily Bendickson to Ross Gunderson, Aug. ’13 Kristen Juettner to Jerry Bricko, July ’13
Courtney Hanson to Drew Ziller, Sept. ’13
CHANGING THE WORLD...
ONE BENNIE AT A TIME.
Manon Gammon-Deering ’15 is an elementary education major who wants to share her passion for learning with high-risk students in the United States and abroad. Manon receives scholarships made possible by gifts to the annual giving program. She’s not alone. Nine out of ten Saint Ben’s students receive a scholarship. Your annual gift can change the lives of countless young women who await their opportunity to change the world. Please help us make a difference. www.givecsb.com
For complete news and notes from classmates and to post your notes, go to BenniesConnect: www.csbalum.csbsju.edu
BIRTHS 1992
Kristi Riley & Chris Fairchild ’92, girl, Chloe, Sept. ’13 Nancy Dockendorf Lauer & Tim Lauer, girl, Leah, Oct. ’13
1998
Eleise Jones & Zachary Silbersher, girl, Georgina, Feb. ’13 Ema Urness Hartung & Greg Hartung, boy, Landon, Oct. ’13 Sally Swanstrom Raih & Peter Raih ’97, girl, Ellie, Aug. ’13
KRISTINA MESS CIRKS & SCOTT CIRKS, GIRL, SIMONE, OCT. ’13
’02
’01
ELIZABETH SEVCIK BATTEN & LA’NARUS BATTEN, GIRL, ELLA, JUNE ’13 1999
Jennifer Carling List & Jeremy List ’99, boy, Jacob, May ’13 Nicole Dold Hannig & Paul Hannig, girl, Meredith, July ’13 Kara Miller Pederson & Ryan Pederson, girl, Olivia, May ’13
’03
Laura Abels Goodman & Matthew Goodman, boy, Tobias, March ’13
2000
2001
2002
Melissa Winters Diehl & Nathan Diehl, girl, Calli, Oct. ’13
ANNE KOCIK RAGATZ & BRIAN RAGATZ ’02, BOY, GEORGE, APRIL ’13
Leigh Degiovanni Klaverkamp & Steven Klaverkamp ’00, girl, Cora, Aug. ’13
2002
Michelle Stangeland Lanz & Tom Lanz ’01, boy, Elliot, Aug. ’13
2003
Katie Towne Winkelman & Adam Winkelman, girl, Kinslee, Sept. ’13
Sarah Fleegel Averbeck & Lee Averbeck, boy, Frederick, May ’13
Breehan Carreon Mattison & Colin Mattison, girl, Eilish, April ’13
Amanda Boller Dykhoff & Chris Dykhoff ’03, girl, Mara, Jan. 13
Amanda Hawley & Tony Arndt, girl, Paige, Sept. ’12
Amber Wegwerth Ross & Daniel Ross, girl, Charlotte, July ’13
Anne Radabaugh Darling & Matthew Darling ’04, girl, Marin, Oct. ’13
Gretchen Adelmann Korf & Michael Korf, boy, Joseph, Oct. ’13
Julie Hanson Zimny & Adam Zimny ’02, girl, Halle, May ’13
Leah Klocker Schwarz & Stephen Schwarz ’01, girl, Brooke, Nov. ’13
Barbara Walden Gruenhagen & Daniel Gruenhagen, girl, Elsie, Oct. ’12
Molly Goers Schorr & Nicholas Schorr, boy, Aaron, June ’13
Jill Spanier Wuertz & Roger Wuertz, boy, Briggs, Oct. ’13
Kate Vandendriessche Cass & Michael Cass ’02, boy, William, July ’13
Lindsey Hoffman Sheveland & Adam Sheveland ’04, boy, Louis, Dec. ’12
Erin Przybilla Koshiol & Paul Koshiol, girl, Brooke, July ’13
Nancy Hellermann Duevel & Shawn Duevel, boy, Elijah, Sept. ’13
Michelle Minke McCambridge & Cam McCambridge ’03, boy, Cullen, July ’13
2003
Keep the connections alive at facebook.com/SaintBensAlums
2004
Leigh Olson Rusin & Lukas Rusin, boy, Cole, July ’13
Winter 2014 | 39
CLASS NOTES CLASS NOTES
2005
Kimberly Beggin O’Connor & Charles O’Connor ’05, girl, Nola, Feb. ’13 Heidi Weisbrich Marquardt & Trevor Marquardt, boy, Lane, Aug. ’13 Amanda Gustafson Burns & Andrew Burns ’03, boy, Parker, April ’13 Ashley Krenz Wendlandt & Troy Wendlandt, boy, Chase, Jan. ’13 Danielle Weber Spaanem & Andrew Spaanem ’06, boy, Noah, Oct. ’13 Melissa Johnson Hammer & Aaron Hammer, boy, Carter, Oct. ’13
’05
ELLEN HUNTER GANS & PAUL GANS ’05, BOY, JAMESON, OCT. ’13
’05
LAURA LEVINSKI HAMMOND & RANDY HAMMOND, BOY, OWEN, JULY ’13 (WITH BIG SISTER, EMILY)
2004
April Schommer Bushman & Andrew Bushman, boy, Elijah, Sept. ’13 Alison Boser Posch & Keith Posch, boy, Jake, Sept. ’13 Andrea Pavelka Hoversten & Kjell Hoversten, boy, Henrik, July ’13 Jacquilline Ongudi Nagila & John Okongo, boy, Jeth, Nov. ’13
Megan Glady Evens & Chris Evens, girl, Caylee, Oct. ’13 Wendy Kremer Sjogren & Trevor Sjogren, girl, Olivia, Oct. ’13 Theresa Guentzel Reichert & Thomas Reichert ’05, girl, Clare, Oct. ’13 Bryana Malner Andert & Benjamin Andert, boy, Jackson, Sept. ’13
2006
Kristin Beranek Hillesheim & James Hillesheim, girl, Audrey, Aug. ’13 Jessica Koskela Johnson & Kurt Johnson, boy, Cole, May ’13 Jennifer Lien Wesenberg & Nathaniel Wesenberg, girl, Nora, Oct. ’13 Sara Lieser Goltz & Jeremy Goltz ’04, twin girls, Emri and Remi, Oct. ’13
WHO’S YOUR BENNIE FICIARY? When you make a planned gift to Saint Ben’s,
These are the powerful teaching moments
you’re giving a Bennie the chance to reach
made possible when you gift a portion of your
for the stars and pursue an internship at NASA,
life insurance policy, retirement plan assets,
quench the thirst for an entire community in
real estate or other investment to Saint Ben’s.
the Dominican Republic, learn life-changing advocacy skills at a women’s shelter or build
Contact Bill Hickey, director of gift planning,
self-confidence by unraveling an elusive
at whickey@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5480 for more information.
math problem.
Get connected
2006
Bridget Spaniol Brackin & Ryan Brackin ’06, boy, Conner, Oct. ’13
2007
Caitlin Tierney Talarico & Matt Talarico, boy, Franklin, May ’13 Erica Havlicek Scheffler & Peter Scheffler ’05, girl, Myla, July ’13 Heather Hatzenbihler Busch & Corey Busch ’07, boy, Charlie, July ’13
Submit your class notes and photos via BenniesConnect at www.csbalum.csbsju.edu or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu.
Erin Rude Curran & Tyler Curran, boy, Benjamin, Aug. ’13
Not yet registered? Here’s how to get started:
Kristen Van Loh Ehresmann & Phillip Ehresmann, boy, James, July ’13
1. Go to www.csbalum.csbsju.edu. Click “Register Now.”
Angela Sigl Janson & Michael Janson ’08, boy, Patrick, Aug. ’13
2008
2. Enter your current last name and click “Find.” 3. Select your name and click “Next.” 4. Enter your 9-digit ID, printed above your name on the mailing panel of this magazine. 5. Change your password before exiting BenniesConnect to complete your registration.
Register from your smart phone.
Brittany Billehus Sele & Christopher Sele ’07, girl, Annika, Aug. ’13 Ali Bammann Wells & Zach Wells, boy, Henry, Nov. ’13
2009
Ericka Whitesell Zignego & John Zignego ’09, girl, Liliana, Aug. ’10
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
1932 1941
Joanna Stelzner Moosbrugger & Paul Moosbrugger, girl, Felicity, Nov. ’12
Michelle Christen Salzbrun & Jason Salzbrun, boy, Landon, Nov. ’13
Ellen O’Brien Marso, Oct. ’13 Geneva Fuchs Schreiber, Nov. ’13 Helen Morrissey Parent, Oct. ’13 Marie Richter Henstorf, Jan. ’13 Mary Lorenz Holdsworth, March ’13 Janet Selly Monahan, July ’13
1964
Donald Ferber ’70, spouse of Margaret O’Reilly Ferber, July ’13
1965 1969
Sally Burke Anderson, Dec. ’12
1970
Joel Feldman, spouse of Donna Osborne Feldman, June ’13
1975
James Nelson, spouse of Terry Monn Nelson, Oct. ’13
Raymond Raetz ’49, spouse of Joan Rougier Raetz, Nov. ’13
1976
Vivia Theisen, OSB, Sept. ’13 Mona Baril LaBonte, Jan. ’13
Donald Dittmar, spouse of Karen Ratzlaff Dittmar, Aug. ’12
John Bauer, son of Marge Weber Bauer, Nov. ’13
Honor O’Connell Hacker, Aug. ’13
Gary Pearson, spouse of Renee Peters Pearson, Oct. ’13 Lynn Brascugli Damberg, Nov. ’13
1952
Ernie Bergeron ’49, spouse of Eileen Bergin Bergeron, Aug. ’13
1954
Patricia Bauch Magnuson, July ’13
1979 1982 1983 1984 1985
Malcom Teare, spouse of Joan Whitman Teare, Aug. ’13
1989
1955
Donal Ware, spouse of Viola Hoeschen Ware, Jan. ’13
Anthony Shields, spouse of Patricia Cousins Shields, June ’13
1995
1958 1962 1963
Rodney Ophoven, spouse of Janet Kerzman Ophoven, Nov. ’13
Therese Ruether Cafferty, Nov. ’13
1997
Joleen Lauer Krueger, Nov. ’13
Mary Weber, OSB, Nov. ’13 Mary Matthews Schnettler, Sept. ’13
FACEBOOK.COM/SAINTBENSALUMS
Kari Hackenmueller McRaith & Joseph McRaith ’10, girl, Madison, Dec. ’12 Maria Gau Bavier & Eric Bavier ’10, boy, Eli, Sept. ’12
John Bernard Plantenberg, OSB, Nov. ’13
1947 1949 1950 1951
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
2010
DEATHS
1942 1943 1944 1945
Join the Bennie community on Facebook. Like our page and find the latest news, events and photos. Facebook.com/SaintBensAlums
ALISON STOWELL CROTTEAU & DEAN CROTTEAU, GIRL, PAISLEY, APRIL ’13
Amanda Fuller Groethe & Carey Groethe, boy, Isaiah, May ’13
Viola Wagner Mayer, Sept. ’13
FACEBOOK FRIENDS
’05
Erin Fogle Lauer & Ben Lauer ’07, girl, Margaret, Nov. ’13
Virginia Dell Roden, Nov. ’13 Madelyn Hankins Snyder, Jan. ‘14
Mary Christopherson Hoff, Oct. ’13 Nancy Mori Longley, March ’13 Terese Brand Sullivan, Sept. ’13 Terry Krause, Nov. ’13 David Bach, spouse of Kristine Nuessmeier Bach, Nov. ’13
Gerald Sabin, spouse of Irene Sabin, Aug. ’13 Caleb Collins, infant son of Kelly Sauer Collins, Dec. ’13
Winter 2014 | 41
BENNIE CONNECTION BENNIE CONNECTION
INSPIRING
1
1. Several Blazer softball alums returned to Saint Ben’s on Homecoming Weekend, Sept. 29, to play in the annual reunion game against the current Blazer team. Back row L-R: Jillian Rigg McKenzie ’09, Alyssa Kubesh ’11, Kris Gorman Fremo ’96, Nicole Zappa ’07, Ginny Sawyer Contreras ’03, Christina Gardner ’07, Stacy Woodle Ellens ’07 (former manager). Front row L-R: Jinnie Regli ’07, Brittney Johnson Braegelmann ’07, Monica Eiden Pack ’07, Denny Johnson (former head coach).
2
2. Twenty Bennie alums from classes ranging from 1942 to 2013 enjoyed lunch together in St. Cloud as they celebrated Bennie Day, Sept. 24. Ninety-one-year-old Edith Lagundo Messerich ’42 and her team dominated the Saint Ben’s trivia. 3. Saint Ben’s was featured on the KSTP-TV St. Paul show, Twin Cities Live, on Nov. 12, 2013, where the CSB $100K in a Day challenge was announced. The all-Bennie audience was treated to an inside view of how the live show is produced by creator and executive producer, Mandy Grosser Tadych ’04.
3
4 Erin Motz Ryan, Mike Ryan and Sally Larson Hagen show their Bennie/Johnnie pride during a class of 2004 bowling event at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park, Minn.
5. Nearly 200 alums were on campus Wednesday, Nov. 6, paying it forward by sharing their career experiences with young Bennies and Johnnies at the Career EXPO. Pictured here are the “Standing Out in the Hiring Process” panelists Cyndi McDurmott ’93, Steve Froeschl ’85 and Mahlia Matsch ’06. 6. Jessica Rasmusson Bruns ’06 and Jon Bruns (SJU ’05) celebrate Christmas at Saint Ben’s on Dec. 3 with their daughters Isla and Havana.
42 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
4
5
8. Fourteen years ago at Saint Ben’s, these class of ’03 women become life-long friends. They celebrated their 10-year CSB anniversary with a four-day trip to Sonoma County. Standing from L-R: Casey Caron Manthie, Sarah Schuld Tanner, Kelly Shroyer Anderson, Megan Wicker. Seated from L-R: Brooke Phillips Hemenway, Alicia Judkins Pilon, Lori Hokeness.
6
7
9. Young alums enjoyed the St. Paul skyline from a different point of view during the CSB/SJU Young Alum Community paddleboarding event on Aug. 22, 2013.
VIBRANT
7. Class of ’87 college roommates Karen Peterson Telega, Sharry Fitterer Gasperlin, Julie Rohlfing Collins, Cindy Hejlik Utley, Mary Kay Berger and Julie Boser had their 25th annual girls’ weekend in Savannah. They’ve been getting together every fall since they graduated from Saint Ben’s.
9 8
10
10. The class of 1965 enjoyed their annual brunch in Sept. 2013. Seated from L-R: Joan Hahn Schaefer, Ann Barthel Tyler, Suzie Shaw Schweich. Middle row: Barbara Smith Wacek, Hazel Ehrnreiter Howes, Patsy Aksteter Pierson, Cathy Hobday Dey, Carol Landkamer, Diane Murphy Schulte, Sharon Murphy Roth. Back row: Mary Kay Hertzog Fasching, Jeanne Warner Nelson, Marge Molacek Morrissette, Bea Eichten, OSF, Ramona Radermacher Digre, Judy Wagner Bierman (hidden) and Lucy Dufner Rieland. 11. The 2013-14 College of Saint Benedict Alumnae Board members pose for a group photo in the Teresa Reception Center during their fall Alumnae Board meeting on Sept. 14, 2013.
11 Winter 2014 | 43
Your Life THE TIME OF
Come back and we’ll bring you back Is it the brick walkways? The dueling bells? The Special K bars? What says “Saint Ben’s” to you? Make plans now to come back to campus this June and reconnect with the people and places that made your time at the College of Saint Benedict so special.
REUNION 2014 Class years ending in 4 or 9 • June 27-29 College of Saint Benedict, St. Joseph, Minnesota
www.csbreunion.com
GENEROSITY GENEROSITY
Get the most from your giving BY | GREG SKOOG (SJU ’89)
If you’re going to drive a convertible, you might as well put the top down. If you’re going to dinner, you might as well have dessert. If you’ve made up your mind to do something, you might as well get the most out of the experience. That’s the attitude that Kathy Kurvers Henderson ’85 and her husband, Jim, have taken toward giving to the College of Saint Benedict. And it’s made things better for everyone. “When I graduated in 1985, the college asked us to start with a contribution of $19.85 to the annual fund to support future students,” remembers Kathy. “That was the start of my yearly giving to CSB and, once we were married, Jim followed suit with a contribution to his alma mater.” Over the years, their contributions grew as the two accounting grads’ careers progressed. “Jim and I have made our colleges our primary charitable focus over the last few years,” says Kathy. “Both of us feel that our experiences provided us a great foundation for our professional and personal lives. Our goal is to optimize our financial contributions to both schools by leveraging employer matching programs and appreciated assets, if possible.” And it’s that commitment to optimizing their financial contributions that makes Kathy and Jim such effective donors. For them, giving is about more than simply determining an amount. It’s about carefully looking at how those dollars can be most effectively deployed. “When we prepared our first will, we included our colleges in our estate plan. But then we started thinking that it might be more fun to start donating some of those funds while we were still living and could see the benefit to the colleges,” explains Kathy. “We learned we could accumulate funds over several years to create an endowed scholarship fund. Since we were both accounting majors, we decided to start a scholarship designated for junior/senior accounting majors.” Supporting the annual giving program was still important to the Hendersons though, so they’ve split their contributions between annual scholarship giving and their endowed scholarship for the last few years. In the meantime, Kathy and Jim kept their eyes open for other opportunities as well. “Jim’s employer provided the ability to create a self-directed fund in their foundation. We set up an account
’85
Kathy Kurvers Henderson ’85 and her husband, Jim Henderson.
and funded it with appreciated securities for the additional tax benefits,” says Kathy. “Now we have funds set aside for future gifts to the colleges, so we can select timing that works for us personally as well as the schools.” Recently, as they started considering a pledge to the Centennial campaign, “we had several discussions with people at the college. Their encouragement led us to a pledge that’s going to result in our name on a room or an area in one of the new buildings.” “Having regular discussions with Institutional Advancement personnel has really helped us understand the most effective ways to optimize our giving and coordinate with the needs of the school. In my opinion, that’s the first step in making sure you’re giving effectively,” says Kathy. “That’s what led to part of our contribution being used as an annual giving matching grant last summer.” “Dividing our contributions between annual giving, our endowed scholarship and a campaign pledge, we feel like we’re supporting a variety of needs for Saint Ben’s and for us,” Kathy reflects. “We feel fortunate to have the ability to give back to our colleges with a thoughtful, well-structured plan that has multiple benefits to future students. Moving forward, this map should allow us to have a fairly clear vision of what’s affordable in the short-term for us while considering what’s most critical for the college in that period.”
For more information on how to maximize your financial gifts to Saint Ben’s, contact Chad Marolf, senior director of major gifts, at cmarolf@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5402.
Winter 2014 | 45
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID College of Saint Benedict
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
for you!
WE SAVED THE LAST DANCE
Get your tickets now for the grand finale to our centennial celebration. It’s an amazing evening out with great food, good company, music, dancing and proceeds going to support scholarships at Saint Ben’s. All alumnae and friends are invited to join the fun!
www.csbcentennial.com/gala
Centennial Gala SATURDAY, APRIL 26
THE DEPOT
A CENTURY OF CONNECTION
DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS