WINTER 2016 MAGAZINE
Winding
Rhodes
Rachel Mullin ’14 and her path to Oxford
INSIDE • Three-building purchase allows growth p. 7 • Nursing department to celebrate new space p. 9 • Why does a college for women matter? p. 19
In this issue
14 College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the office of Institutional Advancement. Editor Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) Assistant Editor: Courtney Sullivan Contributors Ellen Hunter Gans ’05 Kristin Sawyer Lyman ’00 Tommy O’Laughlin (SJU ’13) Leah Rado Emily Stamp Mike Killeen 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 Affirmative Action/ Equal Opportunity Employer
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22 FEATURES
10 Uniform Expectations 14 Shaping Things to Come 22 That’s When I Knew
DEPARTMENTS
1 Message From the President 2 Worth 1,000 Words 4 News 26 I’m a Bennie 27 Class Notes 34 Bennie Connection 37 Generosity
The mission of the College of Saint Benedict is to provide for women the very best residential liberal arts education in the Catholic and Benedictine traditions. The college fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.
A message from the president
A Holistic
Transformation “Holistic development” is a phrase that gets used frequently in higher education circles – so simply seeing it included as a priority in our five-year Strategic Directions 2020 plans shouldn’t seem surprising or unusual. But at the College of Saint Benedict, when we talk about “the holistic and transformational development of women” we have clear and compelling practices in mind – because we’re not just granting degrees, we’re developing Bennies. For us, holistic development means that we pay careful attention to our students’ academic aspirations and needs, ensuring all of our graduates Think Critically. Yet, putting those thoughts into action takes leadership. So holistic development at Saint Ben’s means we help young women develop the confidence needed to strive for success. We provide opportunities. We also provide a safety net that enables (even encourages) women to takes risks as a way of building confidence. That confidence is critical when helping young women to Lead Courageously.
Because of our holistic approach, our students know that being thoughtful, courageous, passionate leaders within and outside of our community demands that we address spiritual development as a constitutive part of who we are. Of course, developing that leadership and not defining a direction is akin to building an engine and not adding fuel. We firmly believe that in order to grow holistically, it is imperative that women identify and nurture their passions. And while passion is something we can’t teach, it’s certainly something we can kindle. It’s the fuel that sends Bennies out to transform the world and Advocate Passionately for others – especially for those who are most vulnerable. That connection to others is an important part of development at Saint Ben’s. It takes on special meaning within the context of the friendships and communities our students create. The language of alliance and the formation of durable friendships is critically important for the development of women’s leadership skills. Saint Ben’s students are able to recognize themselves, their hopes and their dreams in each other and work collaboratively as a result of living in community.
Photo courtesy of Julia Eckart ’17 and The Record.
Finally, we know that foundational to holistic development is attention to one’s interior life or, for students at Saint Ben’s, one’s spiritual development. Because of our holistic approach, our students know that being thoughtful, courageous, passionate leaders within and outside of our community demands that we address spiritual development as a constitutive part of who we are. It is a unique privilege to support young women on this journey in our inclusive and engaging Catholic and Benedictine community. In the pages of this issue we’ll look at some of the multidimensional ways Saint Ben’s transforms young women of potential into Bennies – through academics and athletics, residential experiences and ministry. We’ll discuss some of the many reasons why a college specifically for women matters. And we’ll look at some unquestionable successes that truly provide evidence of the value of the holistic development of women.
Mary Dana Hinton College of Saint Benedict President
worth 1,000 words
2 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
save room
With finals on the horizon, Bennies and Johnnies came together to take a break and break bread in Gorecki for the annual Saint Ben’s Christmas dinner. With Benedictine hospitality, there’s always room for more at the table.
Winter 2016 | 3
NEWS
Triple Crown – Truman, Fulbright, Rhodes By | Mike Killeen
4 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
News
Rachel Mullin was sweating bullets. During her interview to determine if she would earn a 2016 Rhodes Scholarship, the 2014 College of Saint Benedict graduate was “intimidated” to find out that Michael McFaul, the former U.S. ambassador to Russia and a Rhodes Scholar, was on the panel.
the Rhodes Scholarship would help her accomplish her dreams of working with refugees from around the world. “It (the award) means that I can pursue the studies that I think are really important to the world today,” Rachel says. “There are two master’s degrees that I’ll pursue. My first master’s will be in refugees and forced migration studies,
CSB and SJU, who helped Rachel earn the Truman, Fulbright and Rhodes awards. “The common thread for many of her activities is her interest in international affairs. She took an International Relations course her first semester here, and was taking a 300-level course in Chinese history by her second semester.
Worse, he was asking her questions. Really tough questions. “He (McFaul) pushed me throughout the interview about my experiences in Bosnia and on what U.S. policy to Syria should be,” says Rachel. “I was originally very intimidated when I found out he was the (former) ambassador,” she continues. “But as the questions went on, I found myself greatly enjoying the exchange and learning some new insights from it.” Mullin says. In the long run, it worked out just fine. Rachel was named a 2016 Rhodes Scholar on Saturday, Nov. 21. She was one of two students selected at the District 13 competition representing seven states in Salt Lake City, and was the only 2016 Rhodes Scholar selected from a Minnesota college or university. She also was the only person selected from her home state of South Dakota.
and that’s a one-year master’s. Then, the second year, I will do international diplomacy and global governance, and that’s also a one-year master’s.”
Each year, 32 Americans are among more than 80 Rhodes Scholars worldwide who take up degree courses at Oxford University. The first American Rhodes Scholars entered Oxford in 1904, and scholars typically receive a twoyear scholarship.
Her focus on understanding and combating the causes of genocide and forced migration has carried her around the world. She spent a summer in BosniaHerzegovina interviewing Bosnians, Serbs and Croats to support two undergraduate theses on the 1990s genocide in Bosnia.
Rachel is the second CSB graduate to receive the award. Laura McGrane, a 1991 graduate of CSB, earned a Rhodes Scholarship in 1992.
Working with Extending the Link, a CSB/SJU student group that produces documentaries, she visited India in 2013 for the making of “Khulla,” which explored comparisons between how mental illness is treated in the U.S. and India. In 2014, she traveled to Thailand to understand the migrant experience of the Karen population.
This was the third major academic honor Rachel has received. She earned a Truman Scholarship as a junior, and a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Award as a senior. (She taught in Malaysia.) Rachel says initially she really didn’t consider trying to earn the Rhodes Scholarship. But she changed her mind after realizing
“I was very impressed with Rachel’s focus over the years,” says Phil Kronebusch, professor of political science and coordinator of competitive scholarships at
“The Rhodes Scholarship interview is famous for the level at which finalists are challenged,” Kronebusch says. “I think Rachel did so well because of the increasing level of confidence she developed through her experiences in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Thailand and writing and defending two senior thesis projects, then teaching English through the Fulbright program in Malaysia. “After all of that, Rachel could handle any interview,” Kronebusch says. This year, approximately 2,000 students sought their institutions’ endorsement, the first step in the application process. A total of 890 were endorsed by 316 different colleges and universities. On Nov. 20-21, 208 applicants representing 93 different colleges and universities gathered for the final stage of the process. With the selections on Nov. 21, 3,388 Americans have won Rhodes Scholarships, representing 318 colleges and universities.
Winter 2016 | 5
NEWS • CSB and SJU are ranked No. 5 among baccalaureate schools with a total of 515 students who studied abroad during the 2013-14 school year. CSB and SJU have been ranked among the top six schools nationally in this category for the past 11 years. Before graduating, 56 percent of all CSB and SJU students will participate in a study abroad program. Annually, CSB and SJU administer study abroad programs in more than 20 countries, offering students 19 semester-long programs, 15 of which are faculty-led. CSB and SJU also conduct more than 20 short-term programs. • Open Doors 2015 also reported that CSB and SJU are ranked No. 30 among baccalaureate schools hosting international students, with 235 international students studying at CSB and SJU during the 2014-15 school year.
Open Doors 2015 Study abroad is a signature program • CSB and SJU are ranked No. 3 among baccalaureate schools with 349 students at the College of Saint Benedict and who studied abroad in mid-length Saint John’s University. study abroad programs during 2013-14, Need proof? Look no further than Open Doors 2015, the annual report on international education published by the Institute of International Education (IIE). According to the report:
A Very Big Day for Giving
the most recent data measured by the IIE. The IIE defines mid-length study abroad programs as lasting one semester or one or two quarters. (CSB and SJU operate under the semester system.)
Wednesday, Nov. 11, was the biggest single day of online giving in College of Saint Benedict history. In one 24-hour period, 781 donors contributed $328,519 to support scholarships for deserving Bennies. That number eclipsed last year’s $100K in a Day total of $285,376 which was the previous single-day record. Kickstarted by 10 challenge fund donors who contributed $165,000 in matching grant funds, the whole day was a celebration of what’s possible for Saint Ben’s. “The first gift arrived at 12:08 a.m.,” said Maggie Weber Utsch ’00, CSB director of annual giving. “And the last
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International students made up 4.5 percent of the overall student population and 3.7 percent of the new entering class in 2014-15 at CSB and SJU.
one made it in at 11:59 p.m. Our donors took full advantage of that 24-hour period!” With the matching grants in place, alumnae, staff, faculty, friends, parents and even students came together to make the most of the opportunity and show their support for today’s Bennies. Since over 90 percent of Saint Ben’s students rely on some form of financial aid, gifts to the annual fund are always needed and deeply appreciated. If you’d like to make an online gift today, visit www.givecsb.com.
News
College Gratefully Acknowledges Acquisition of Three Monastic Buildings
College Rankings The College of Saint Benedict was again ranked among the top 100 liberal arts colleges in the country in the U.S. News & World Report 2016 college rankings and the 2015 Washington Monthly rankings. In the U.S. News rating of national liberal arts colleges, CSB tied for 90th. CSB was ranked No. 39 in the Washington Monthly rankings of liberal arts colleges.
CSB President Mary Dana Hinton and Saint Benedict’s Monastery Prioress S. Michaela Hedican recently announced the sale of three buildings from the monastery to the college. The college is expected to take possession of the buildings in late spring or early summer of 2016 and begin a process of renovation to repurpose the space. The buildings include: • Caedmon, a two-story building including more than 6,000 square feet, that was originally built as a horse barn. More recently, it has served as a residence. • St. Wendelin, built in 1955 as the monastery’s original butcher shop. The 4,500-square foot building has since provided both office and residential space. • The Artisan Studio, a sprawling,12,000square foot space built in 1962. It was originally built as a carpenter shop and is in current use as an artisan studio for the sisters as well as lay artisans. These new spaces will accomplish several key objectives of the college. Most administrative functions currently housed in the Main Building will relocate and the college’s portions of the Main Building will convert into cohesive and updated academic space.
“We cannot overstate the significance of this gesture,” emphasized Hinton. “It speaks volumes not only about the sisters’ generosity and partnership, but about their ability to, once again, envision the powerful potential in each of us. They have placed their faith in us to make productive use of the spaces they have cherished for generations. And we will honor that faith.” Meeting the college’s growing needs for academic and administrative space through renovation rather than new construction has significant advantages. “Historically we have been able to renovate space for 60 to 75 percent of the cost of building new space,” explained College of Saint Benedict’s Executive Director of Facilities Brad Sinn. All three buildings are already on the centralized steam and power plant so there will be no need for any added expense or expansion of the community’s carbon footprint because no additional utility infrastructure is needed. But beyond that, “Adaptive reuse of buildings (recycling buildings) is the ultimate expression of building green,” said Sinn. “Our renovations will be sensitive to the historic character of the structures and the site, honor the history of the monastery and be built to a LEED standard.”
U.S. News ranked 245 liberal arts colleges (217 private, 27 public and one for-profit) which emphasize undergraduate education and award at least half of their degrees in liberal arts disciplines, such as languages and literature, biology and life sciences, philosophy, cultural studies and psychology. Criteria for the rankings include graduation and retention rates; assessment by both academic peers and high school guidance counselors; faculty resources; student selectivity; financial resources; graduation rate performance (the difference between actual and predicted graduation rates); and alumnae giving (the average percentage of living alumnae with bachelor’s degrees who gave during 2012-13 and 2013-14). Washington Monthly rated schools based on their contribution to the public good in three broad categories: social mobility (recruiting and graduating low-income students), research (producing cutting-edge scholarship and Ph.D.s), and service (encouraging students to give something back to their country).
Winter 2016 | 7
NEWS
Group Attends Paris Climate Conference
In November, Jessica O’Reilly, assistant professor of anthropology, and Matt Lindstrom, professor of political science, accompanied by a dozen CSB/SJU students, traveled to Paris for the 21st session of the Conference of the Parties (COP21) – the United Nations conference on climate change. Thanks to the work of O’Reilly, Lindstrom and many others, Saint Ben’s
and Saint John’s were granted nongovernmental organization observer status. This status gave the group access to areas where sanctioned U.N. discussions and decisions occurred; areas otherwise closed to the general public. To secure a spot on the CSB/SJU delegation, students participated in a competitive internal application process and were required to demonstrate how they planned to apply this opportunity to their academic and/or professional pursuits.
This year’s conference in Paris ended with a new global climate deal, but O’Reilly and her students emphasize that this does not mean the issue has been resolved. “It’s more important than ever that we continue to push forward,” O’Reilly said. “Equity and climate justice are integral to building a low-carbon and more resilient future for us all.” O’Reilly said that CSB/SJU plans to participate in COP22 next year in Morocco.
Presidents Travel to China to Celebrate Anniversary It’s been over 30 years since S. Baulu Kuan first visited Southwest China Normal University. As a CSB/SJU art professor, S. Baulu was drawn to the beautiful campus and the acclaimed art department. She met people there. She saw the strength of the university. And she was the first to see the possibilities of a studyabroad partnership with CSB/SJU. Over the last 30 years, 450 Bennies and Johnnies have spent full semesters at what’s now called Southwest University in Beibei, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China. Close to 100 more have visited on shorter, one-month journeys. In recent years, CSB and SJU have begun to welcome cohorts of students from Southwest University as well. 8 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
President Hemesath and President Hinton, along with SWU President Zhang Weiguo and Vice President Jin Yule, signed a renewed study-abroad agreement.
In November, Presidents Mary Dana Hinton of Saint Ben’s and Michael Hemesath of Saint John’s traveled to China to commemorate this long-time
partnership. While there, they were able to make stops to visit with alumnae/i in Chengdu, China and in Hong Kong.
News
Nursing Department Renovations Complete
The full renovation of the fourth floor of the Main Building is complete and nursing classes are taking place in this dramatically updated space. “We are very excited to move into the new state-of-the-art nursing lab,” said nursing professor and department chair Rachelle Larsen. “This new space aligns seamlessly with our teaching methods; we are no longer limited by our facilities. This will further allow us to prepare nursing students for both today’s practice environment and for the future.”
Alumnae and the whole community are invited to join us on Thursday, April 21, for an open house introduction to this modern learning facility. Light refreshments will be served. Learn more on our website at www.csbsju.edu/csb-alumnae/events. April 21 is also Celebrating Scholarship & Creativity Day – an amazing chance to spend some time on campus soaking in some of the best creative and research work by our students this year. Don’t miss either event!
Eighth annual Career Expo Opens Eyes and Opportunities Career Expo 2015 brought more than 90 companies and organizations to the Saint Ben’s campus to meet with students on Wednesday, Nov. 4. Close to 100 Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s alums were on campus to share information with today’s Bennies and Johnnies.
Interested in offering your own insights and expertise? There are simple ways to do it, like the Take a Bennie to Lunch program that you can find out about at www.csbalum.com/volunteer/tbl. To learn about other rewarding options, email Kristin Sawyer Lyman ’00 at klyman@csbsju.edu.
Winter 2016 | 9
Expectations
Uniform
Athletics as a transformational tool By | Leah Rado
Two hits in high school knocked Kaitlyn Miller ’18 down. But she’s out to prove she’ll always get back up. The hits The first hit came in her junior year of high school. Kaitlyn was skating the puck up the middle of the ice during a high school hockey game. Just as she passed the puck, a defending player hit her straight on, knocking her backwards onto the ice. “I just remember getting hit. It was slow motion, like a movie,” Kaitlyn says. “My head bounced off the ice. It’s on film, but I’ve never seen it. I don’t want to. I played the rest of the game, and I scored a goal, but I have no recollection of it.” Kaitlyn finished the game, but was taken to the hospital after she kept falling asleep on the bus ride home. She had a major concussion and suffered seizures and headaches – and still does on her left side – on top of neck and back problems. Kaitlyn played in the last game of her junior year, but played scared, she says. The second hit came in her senior year. This time after she was hit, she couldn’t feel her legs. “I got hit, went down and I couldn’t get up. They pulled me off the ice because we didn’t know what was going on,” she says. “I started freaking out because I couldn’t feel my legs.” The temporary paralysis wore off in less than 24 hours and Kaitlyn returned to the ice once again. She wasn’t quite the same player right away. But she wasn’t ready to quit on her passion. “I just wasn’t ready to give it up yet,” says Kaitlyn, who started playing hockey as a fifth grader. “Honestly I never really thought about why I kept stepping on the ice over and over again. It just never occurred to me that maybe I shouldn’t. I really wanted to play and nothing else mattered. With her diminished play, college hockey coaches weren’t actively recruiting Kaitlyn during her senior year, and any dreams she may have had of a Division I scholarship had fallen away.
Winter 2016 | 11
Choosing CSB Jen Kranz, the head hockey coach at the College of Saint Benedict, was one coach who did come looking. She only watched Kaitlyn play once, but as soon as Kranz saw the 5-foot-7 forward in action in one of the final games of her high school career, she knew Kaitlyn needed to be a part of the CSB hockey program. “Going to see Kaitlyn play was amazing,” Kranz says of the Esko, Minn., native. “It was fast and furious then because we needed this kid. We always joke about 218ers – athletes from the 218 area code in Minnesota. And I knew she was going to come with great work ethic and attitude, because she embodies that spirit of the 218er.” Kaitlyn waited as long as she could to make a decision, but ultimately chose to come to school to major in nursing and play NCAA Division III hockey at CSB. It’s a decision she doesn’t regret. “Everyone (on my campus visit) was talking about team chemistry and getting along, and it was fun to see,” she says. “I got to skate with (the team) and realized I could do it. I liked the campus; there’s a lot to offer and everyone is really kind. CSB also has a really good nursing program, and that drew me in.
hockey and the rigorous academic schedule that comes with being a nursing major. She starts clinic rotations this semester. “The nursing program is brutal your first year,” she says. “It’s busy, but I tell people it’s definitely doable. The faculty know it’s hard, but the teachers and faculty are people you can turn to for help, even if you don’t know them.
Money matters As if balancing being a nursing major and playing varsity hockey at the college level wasn’t enough, Kaitlyn also paid for her first three semesters of college on her own. “Our parents have been telling (my sister and I) for a long time that we’d be (paying for college) on our own,” she says. “So I knew it was coming. That was the reason I took so long to decide (where to go to college).” Kaitlyn took out a few loans, and her dad took out a loan – one she knows she has to repay. That paid for her first two semesters at CSB. Her third semester was paid off by working 80-plus hours per week at the Duluth Paper Mill this past summer. She worked as much as she could in the mill, and spent her “off” days coming into the office to help out.
“ROTC is strengthening my leadership skills by giving me necessary tools to be put in situations of power and to succeed in these positions.” “Coming to CSB is probably the best decision I’ve ever made; I can’t see myself anywhere else.” Kaitlyn passed the physical exams required by the NCAA, MIAC and CSB and came to Saint Ben’s with the required paperwork (including a health form signed by her physician). She took the baseline concussion test that is also required by both the NCAA and CSB and has been a part of the team ever since. As well as playing hockey, Kaitlyn is also a part of the CSB nursing program. So during her first year she quickly learned to balance 12 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
“It’s a unique experience to pay for an education,” Kaitlyn says. “I don’t miss class. I’m paying for that class, so I’m not missing it. It’s my hard-earned money. It’s rewarding being able to say I did this on my own. It makes you humble. “It’s hard, though. I feel bad for my parents that they can’t give me that. I know they’d like to. But they’re supportive in a lot of other ways.” The hard work paid off, as Kaitlyn was able to write a check for her first semester of the 2015-16 school year. But another decision she made this past summer has allowed her to get that entire check back.
Joining ROTC When she was looking at colleges, Kaitlyn had looked at the ROTC program at Saint Ben’s, but didn’t think it would be an option while also balancing hockey and a nursing major. When she got here, however, she saw friends making similar balancing acts work. So this past summer she applied for the program. She passed the tests – both the academic and the physical fitness – and was awarded a full-tuition scholarship. That scholarship will pay for her final three years of college. “Money just got harder; I think that was the biggest (factor in joining ROTC),” Kaitlyn says. “It was a bigger stressor than school. I couldn’t pull out more loans. I thought I was going to have to transfer until I got my scholarship at the end of September.” Kranz says Kaitlyn’s decision to join ROTC is just part of who she is and shows her incredible will to do whatever it takes to do what she loves. “She just has this attitude that says nothing is going to stop her from fulfilling her dreams and doing what she wants,” Kranz says. “She could spend 80 hours a week in the paper mill every summer, or she could give herself to her country and get school paid for and have an incredible experience. “What an incredible testament to Saint Ben’s. It’s a bummer that money has become that much of an issue. But wow, that says something about the experience that she’s willing to sacrifice so much to be here.” “While so many studentathletes juggle a large number of responsibilities each week, Kaitlyn is over the top in how she manages the demands in her life,” CSB Athletic Director Glen Werner ’93 adds. “She not only does all of this with grace, but under more pressure than many of her peers.” Now, on top of hockey workouts, practices and games and nursing classes, practicals and studying, Kaitlyn also has ROTC classes, workouts and monthly drills. Monday and Wednesday mornings are Army workouts. (Kaitlyn goes to the ROTC
workout Monday and lifts with the hockey team Wednesday.) Thursday night is a twoand-a-half hour ROTC lab. And every Monday and Wednesday at 8 a.m. she has her military science class. (Plus, Kaitlyn is also taking the first-year military science class as an independent study, since she wasn’t part of the program last year.) “Cadet Miller has definitely chosen an incredibly challenging path,” says Lt. Col. Darrell Bascom. “Her ability to accomplish this, while rare in the standard population, is not surprising because her comfort level is to push herself to the limits of her ability whether it’s on the rink, in the classroom or in the field on an exercise. It’s why we selected her, and I think it is an indicator of the quality of students overall at CSB and SJU. “The opportunities opened up for Cadet Miller by participating in and completing Army ROTC are limitless. Not only have you completed a leadership program widely considered to be one of the best in the nation, but you have been selected to lead soldiers in the greatest military fighting force in history.”
Balancing act While balancing varsity hockey, a nursing major and ROTC training is tough, Kaitlyn says that having been a student-athlete her whole life and balancing two of the three during her first year has helped her transition so far this year. Having school paid for – no more 80-hour work weeks during summer vacations – and her future laid out for her is an added bonus. “(The scholarship) has been a huge stress reliever,” she says. “I have a free ride. It has not come without work, and I pay for it every day in different ways. I can’t complain, though. Life has been good to me. “ROTC is strengthening my leadership skills by giving me necessary tools to be put in situations of power and to succeed in these positions,” Kaitlyn says. “The military is making me not only physically tough, but also mentally.” Signing on to ROTC means an eight-year commitment for Kaitlyn, who wants to be assigned to active duty and work in one of the eight major hospitals on bases around the world. Honolulu, Germany or Alaska are her first choices. As of right now, she plans to stay in the military for the full 20 years, retire at 45 and work part-time. Twenty years might seem like a lot to some people, but after the obstacles she’s already overcome, Kaitlyn knows she’s up for it. She’s building an uncommon level of confidence. “Because of the growth I’m going through in handling these three parts of my life (nursing, hockey and ROTC), I know that I can accomplish anything,” she says. “I can tell you that I will probably fail a million and one times after college. But every time I will get back up and try again. “All the struggles that I have been through to get where I am today were completely worth it. As much as I wish I didn’t get hit, and as much as I wish money wasn’t an issue, I honestly wouldn’t change it. The mentality and drive I have right now is worth the pain, fatigue and tears it took to get me here.”
Winter 2016 | 13
By | Greg Skoog (SJU ’89)
Molly Flaig ’15 arrived on campus and got involved. She became vice president of the Marketing Club. She served on the executive board for Up ’til Dawn. She worked at Campus Rec. She studied abroad – several times. She soaked up speaker events – assigned or not. She was involved. As her senior year began, Molly searched the CANE database in the Career Resources Center and discovered Nancy Torrison ’82, the executive director of A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation. A week later, Molly was eagerly sitting in the front row as Nancy spoke during the CSB/SJU Career Expo Non-profit Panel. “I talked with Nancy after the panel,” remembers Molly, “and she offered me an internship for the upcoming semester. Toward the end of that internship, Nancy offered me a full-time position as the Development and Marketing Coordinator of A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation. “I was lucky enough to find my dream job right after graduation,” Molly smiles.
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he End, right? A student came, she worked hard, she graduated, she got a great job. That’s the college success story, isn’t it?
For some schools it might be. But at Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s, 99.4 percent of our 2014 graduates were employed, continuing their education or engaged in a full-time volunteer program within one year of graduation. We’re doing quite well at that one. Frankly, we have to set our sights higher. How high?
Nancy Torrison ’82 and Molly Flaig ’15 both bring the benefits of a well-rounded Saint Ben’s experience to work at A Breath of Hope Lung Foundation.
At the College of Saint Benedict, we’re committed to the holistic and transformational development of women.
foundational pillars. And one of those pillars is holistic and transformational development of women.”
“We worked for much of last year to determine our strategic directions for the next five years,” says CSB President Mary Dana Hinton. “The goals and metrics that were eventually approved by our Board of Trustees reflect the input of more than 800 staff, faculty, students, alumnae, members of the Order of Saint Benedict, donors and friends. That finalized plan is constructed on four
What does that mean? As spelled out in the college’s strategic plan, it means that, “by 2020, the College of Saint Benedict will transform and empower young women to live their lives with integrity and purpose, utilize their voice with confidence and compassion, and engage diverse perspectives and peoples, inspiring them to reach their full potential.”
holistic and transformational development of women 16 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
SHAPING THINGS TO COME
“ ...empower young women to live their lives with integrity and purpose, utilize their voice with confidence and compassion, and engage diverse perspectives and peoples, inspiring them to reach their full potential.”
Everywhere & all around “As a result of her education at the College of Saint Benedict, a woman should graduate with a deeper knowledge of who she is and what strengths she brings to the world,” declares Mary Geller, CSB’s vice president of student development. So the entire campus community is involved in helping to develop women as, “leaders and shapers of the world.”
In mind Of course the cornerstone of the college’s transformational experience is academics. “The CSB/SJU liberal arts curriculum offers both breadth and depth of study,” says Academic Dean Karen Erickson. “We remind the math genius that she can also
perform in the jazz band and the woman preparing for a global business career that she can enrich her study with history or physics or creative writing. We welcome our students as individuals with developing interests and identities that resist simple definitions.”
In body The Blazers who proudly represent CSB invest significant time, effort and energy into developing themselves and growing as players. (See Kaitlyn’s story on page 10.) But beyond that there are clubs, intramurals, programs and opportunities designed to give every Bennie the chance to develop and grow physically. “Physical strength in women hasn’t historically been a societal norm,” says Geller. “We’re trying to break through that and show that strength in women is beautiful.”
In spirit S. Sharon Nohner ’73, director of campus ministry, recognizes that this goal of holistic development is nothing new. “The blend of arts, sciences and spiritual growth has been woven into the fabric of life on campus since the founding years. Women come seeking to grow in knowledge and experiences that open them to the world around them. In the process, they discover the place where their talents and passions meet the world’s needs.” The structure of campus ministry at Saint Ben’s is designed to help that process of discovery. “A healthy spirituality [at Saint Ben’s] is not confined to a few pious exercises each day but, rather, pervades all aspects of life,” said S. Cathy Nally, IHM, from Immaculata University, in the campus ministry program’s most recent review.
Winter 2016 | 17
In community Some of the most foundational development a student experiences at Saint Ben’s happens right in her new home. “The four-year residential requirement at CSB offers students a tremendous advantage,” says Director of Residential Life Christy Brown. “Just as the curriculum in a student’s chosen major builds on material learned over four years in the classroom, the staff in Residential Life has the opportunity to present material and build skills in a developmentally appropriate manner.” “Activities in the first-year area are introductory,” continues Brown. “Sophomores do a deeper dive into good habits, questions of spirituality and preparation for study abroad or internships. And in our upperclass area, there is a heavy focus on further developing students’ purpose in life with events about life after graduation.”
Outside the classroom By stressing experiential learning opportunities, Saint Ben’s empowers students to integrate and apply the knowledge and theory they’ve gained in the classroom setting into hands-on learning environments – internships, service learning, research, etc. In the end, students gain a deeper understanding through clear learning outcomes. “CSB/SJU’s commitment to experiential learning demonstrates our understanding that students can and should be actively involved in their education in a variety of ways,” explains Angie Schmidt Whitney ’97, director of the Office of Experiential Learning & Community Engagement.
Around the world CSB and SJU consistently rank among the top national baccalaureate schools for U.S. students studying abroad, according to the Institute of International Education. (See page 6 for more on this year’s results.) Certainly traveling and experiencing other cultures can have a transformative effect. But Saint Ben’s seeks to maximize participation and engagement by developing established 18 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
“ I was humbled by service work such as hand-mixing cement in the Dominican Republic and serving soup to homeless in Rome. Yet I also had the opportunity to shop famous Parisian streets and kayak through the Swiss Alps.” programs. “We send the vast majority of our students abroad on faculty-led, semester-long programs,” says Joe Rogers (SJU ’89), director of the Center for Global Education at CSB and SJU. “These often involve working with our global partners like Southwest University in China, with whom we just celebrated 30 years of collaborative partnership.” (Learn more on page 8.) Molly Flaig, our 2015 alumna who graduated into her dream job, confirms the impact of travel. “I studied for a semester in Greece and Rome, spent a
month in Spain and also participated in a Campus Ministry Alternative Break Experience trip to the Dominican Republic. They all transformed my perception of the world. “For example, I was humbled by service work such as hand-mixing cement in the Dominican Republic and serving soup to homeless in Rome. Yet I also had the opportunity to shop famous Parisian streets and kayak through the Swiss Alps. Each unique way of life gave me a better understanding and appreciation of the world.”
W
SHAPING THINGS TO COME
hy a women’s college matters The fact that Saint Ben’s is a college for women is not the deciding factor in the minds of most incoming students these days. But that does not mean it won’t be one of the most transformational aspects of their years here. Here are six important reasons why a women’s college matters today. By | Kathryn Enke ’05
3
W omen’s colleges nurture and challenge At Saint Ben’s, each student is encouraged to become a critical thinker, courageous leader and passionate advocate for the causes she finds important. National data show that women’s colleges achieve excellent outcomes for a diverse group of students, including first-generation college students, students of color and low-income students.
2
omen’s W college grads are high achievING
According to a research study conducted for the Women’s College Coalition, graduates from women’s colleges – when compared to female graduates of coeducational colleges… • earn more doctoral degrees. • a re more likely to attend medical school. • attain higher positions in their careers. • earn higher incomes. • are more involved in philanthropic activities.
Women’s college grads have more selfconfidence
Research has demonstrated that women tend to underestimate their abilities and have less self-confidence than men. Women’s colleges like Saint Ben’s aim to change that. In a national survey of alumnae, women’s colleges received higher ratings for effectiveness than both coed private colleges and major public universities in helping women… • be prepared for their first job. • develop self confidence and initiative. • learn to solve problems and make decisions.
4
omen’s W colleges provide strong female role models
At CSB, role models positively impact the attitudes and ambitions of young women. Women make up the majority of the president’s cabinet and the majority of the Board of Trustees. We also have over 23,000 alumnae and a community of women of faith who are mentors and role models.
5
women learn to live in community
Living with others with a variety of view points can be hard. At Saint Ben’s, we have the Sisters of Saint Benedict beside us daily as Benedictine role models. With their guidance, we seek to live in respectful and supportive community with others – to collaborate, not compete, with other women.
6
Women’s college grads report higher degrees of satisfaction
At CSB, 96 percent of our alumnae rate their experience as good or excellent. Over the last 25 years, over 90 percent report they would choose Saint Ben’s again if they could start college over.
Kathryn Enke, Ph.D., is a Saint Ben’s alumna and the Chief of Staff in the College of Saint Benedict President’s Office.
Winter 2016 | 19
“ Some of our underrepresented students struggle with not feeling like they match the model of a ‘typical’ Bennie. Students need to be reassured and embrace the fact that there are as many definitions of what it means to be a Bennie as there are Bennies.”
What’s standing in our way? There’s a reason why so much effort and energy is being put into the holistic and transformational development of women: It’s hard to do. As a pillar of the college’s five-year strategic directions, this is a goal – not a branding statement. There are obstacles to overcome. There will always be obstacles to overcome. Some of those obstacles are a simple function of age and growing up. Brown in Residential Life says, “Our staff works to
20 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
make even the difficult moments of community living – things like a roommate disagreement or a policy violation – developmental.” Learning to live in community is a skill that benefits all of us living in a society.
Another growing pain is generational in that, “Some students are less likely to take risks if they think they might fail,” says Geller. “They have not been allowed to fail and learn how to cope with that experience, thus some students are less resilient.”
Other challenges are gender-based. “We know from our own surveys that women tend to minimize their skills and accomplishments,” Geller adds. This results in what’s sometimes called a confidence gap between Bennies and the Johnnies who sit in the same classes.
Still other challenges are socioeconomic. “Some of our underrepresented students struggle with not feeling like they match the model of a ‘typical’ Bennie,” says Geller. “Students need to be reassured and embrace the fact that there are as many definitions of what it means to be a Bennie as there are Bennies.”
SHAPING THINGS TO COME
Taking shape With obstacles like those, how do we know when we’re winning? What are the outcomes we’re looking for? “We look at Bennies as leaders and shapers of the world,” says Geller. “As such, there are some things we ask of them: Critical thinking and self authorship. That is to say, we ask them to define their own beliefs, identities and social relations – informed by others, but shaped by their critical thinking.”
“My professors had high expectations and challenged me to take chances,” explains Flaig. “They encouraged me to transform my way of thinking, to think more critically and to see through the eyes of others. Because of that, I accomplished more and grew and developed as both a student and, more importantly, as an individual.” Geller points to the Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women’s Leadership as an example of what we do here. “Most women’s centers on college campuses are run by faculty. Here, we empower
students to teach peers about women leaders. What we’re finding is if you’re looking at feminism from a 1970’s perspective, that voice is very different from feminism in a 2016 perspective.” Today that perspective is all about empowerment. “We try to instill selfefficacy,” says Geller. “Let them know that they have the power. They have all the tools they need to accomplish whatever they want.”
“Most women’s centers on college campuses are run by faculty. Here, we empower students to teach peers about women leaders.”
rowing
together in community
Being a residential college gives Saint Ben’s opportunities to impact our students and teach important life lessons while living in community. “The residential curriculum at CSB is based around that central theme – community living,” says Director of Residential Life Christy Brown. That theme is focused on three key areas: respect for all persons, developing a meaningful life purpose and leadership for the common good. “Everything we do in Residential Life can be tied back to these guiding principles,” confirms Brown.
“We want our students to see their residence experience as integral to their entire Saint Ben’s experience,” Brown says. “So each moment and interaction gives them the chance to reflect on how their words and actions have impacted the community.” Of course, one asset that makes CSB better at “community” than other residential colleges is the presence of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and its Benedictine values that wash over the campus.
Thus there is a high level of respect for individuality here. At the same time, there are opportunities for mutual support and a challenge for growth. All of these foster an active sense of belonging to both a campus and a larger world community. “I see having an ‘intergenerational’ community that supports each person in her growing process as the key to community experiences here on campus,” says S. Sharon Nohner ’73, director of campus ministry. She cites programs like the Benedictine Friends as especially impactful. “For the elders, it gives them an experience of sharing life with women whose energy is boundless,” she explains. “For the young Bennies, it gives them a relationship on campus that ‘steadies’ them through a lot of important transitions in their four years of college life.”
Benedictines understand both the benefit and the challenge of living in community. Winter 2016 | 21
I KNEW
That’s When
As a residential, Benedictine, liberal arts college, Saint Ben’s offers profound developmental experiences. Being a college exclusively devoted to the transformation of women is something special. Do you remember the moment you knew this college for women was the right choice for you? Jill Belanger ’95
Maria Stanek Burnham ’01
Major: Elementary Education
Major: English
I actually didn’t realize the impact and importance of attending an all women’s school until well after graduating. It was when I realized my peers that attended other schools didn’t have the same experience, I was able to see exactly what Saint Ben’s IS! The voice you have as a woman, the empowering, the respect. About 10 years after graduating I looked back and thought “wow” and was so glad I got to attend Saint Ben’s and experience that. Some may think that partnering with Saint John’s takes away from that but I don’t think it does at all. The partnership allows for the best of both with both a women’s only and a coed experience.
The first time the power of attending a college for women really hit me was on my graduation day. Our commencement speaker was Helen Thomas, a woman who paved the way for female journalists for decades. Her speech was funny, poignant and emotional, and I remember thinking about how this one woman shattered the glass ceiling in a dominantly male field. Her speech helped me see that my four years at Saint Ben’s allowed me to focus on growing as a woman, both academically and spiritually. There was a power in that sisterhood, and that power still exists today.
JoBeth Pike Ranfranz ’80
Jane Murray Marrin ’64
Rose Maiers Norman ’66
Major 1: Music Major 2: History
Major: Social Work
Major: English
I never imagined not going to a women’s college as I attended an all-girls high school. But what kept me at CSB were: the true sense of place; the strong religious women who not only told us we could do anything, but actually expected us to; the deeply rooted Benedictine values; and the unexpected relationships that began in 1960 and continue to this day.
(I knew a women’s college was the right choice) long before I graduated from high school and knew that I wanted the very best education available. It’s also why I endowed the Maiers, Bianco, Gates Scholarship at Saint Ben’s. I had the best and it showed throughout my career.
I never thought that I would attend a women’s college. I grew up with three sisters and had about all the girl power I could take. I came to a women’s college to sing. I felt that at this school I would not be just another voice in the choir. I thought that if I studied hard and practiced more, I could be the best I could be. By being surrounded by women, I was nurtured and encouraged. The faculty made sure I was heard. The staff made sure I felt at home. The women knew how to react when I was feeling bad, or glad, or sad or mad. They became my sisters away from home. A women’s college allowed me to be myself and not be caught up in competition with men. My voice, both sung and spoken, was a beacon and I became the best that I could be. I am so thankful for my Bennie sisters, faculty and staff that helped me learn who I am and how to be my best self!
Alicia Vargas ’15 Adia Zeman ’12 Major: Communication I knew a women’s college was the right place for me when I met Marah Jacobson-Schulte ’99. I had never met a woman who was so strong, confident and selfassured and it gave me a whole new perspective on what it meant to be a female leader. I knew right away that I wanted to grow up to be just like her and I am trying every day to do that!
Major: Nutrition The moment it clicked that a women’s college was a fit for me transpired on move-in day back in August 2011. Witnessing the compassionate, caring, gentle, kind and helpful Sisters involved with the Benedictine monastery really put my soul at ease. Attending weekly Sunday mass and saying hello to these women around campus made me feel extremely loved and most importantly, recognized.
Winter 2016 | 23
Danielle Quintana ’15
Nritya Ramani ’08
Major 1: Theater Major 2: Communication
Major: Biology
There were many times in which I realized how important it was to be going to a women’s college during my four years at CSB. However, the full impact of it did not truly hit me until my own graduation, listening to Valerie Kaur give the college’s 100th commencement speech. In particular, it was these words that struck me: “Your bravery lives in the soul of your sister next to you. Take her hand for a moment. May you reach for her hand to take strength and make meaning, for courage is only possible in community. Your sisters will deliver the toasts at your wedding, hold your newborn child, remind you of your callings, celebrate your swearing in, and kiss the coffin at your funeral. Close your eyes and think of their names. Now open your eyes and don’t let them go.” And in this moment, as I closed my eyes, I pictured all of the amazing women that I grew to know and love during my time at CSB. There were more names than I had time to think of. It was these words that assured me that these women would always have a home in my heart. There was not a dry eye in the room as the class of 2015 held each other’s hands tightly and dreamed of the beautiful years that we would face together – if not in person, then in spirit. We are all scattered across the universe now, but we are still holding on to each other and always will.
Nicole Cornell ’15 Major 1: Sociology Major 2: Pre-Occupational Therapy I knew an all-women’s college was right for me because I felt more at home and supported living in a dorm of only women rather than having random guys as neighbors.
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Often people assume that the concept of a women’s college is archaic. But Saint Ben’s practices this exclusivity in the form of women’s empowerment, celebrating culture and encouraging interfaith dialogues. Considering today’s pressing needs for such conversations, Saint Ben’s was way ahead of its time! For me, a women’s college ensured the safety and privacy of a same-sex dorm and the free thinking of mixed classes and social events. It also gave me the opportunity to interact with the Benedictine nuns, namely S. Helene Mercier, who so generously brought me hot herbal tea when I was sick during my very first Minnesota winter!
Emily Gustafson Schaefer ’14 Major: Elementary Education The first time I realized a women’s college was the perfect choice for me was my first year at the Phonathon. I was hired by the Phonathon on my first day of my first year at Saint Ben’s. I was nervous, excited and ready to earn some “income” to afford Gary’s on late weekend nights! I figured I would have this job for maybe first semester, then find something better. Truth is, there is nothing better than 30 women, rallied together raising money for other young women to attend college. My job, which was more of a second home, became a part of me. I was part of something that could provide an incredible education for women who could not afford Saint Ben’s without financial assistance. I was helping my Bennie sisters who would come after me, just like the Bennie sisters who came before me. Phonathon provided me not only with income, but lasting friendships, intelligent conversations among women, and the passion to work hard for the benefit of other Bennies who would come when I was gone.
Blazing A Trail
That’s When I KNEW
Milestones in developing this college for women 1837-1889
1961 The Sisters of Saint Benedict legally separate 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, the Sisters continued to hold most faculty and administrative positions.
1968 Dr. Stanley Idzerda is named the college’s first lay president. He remains the only male to have served as president of CSB. The Seven Sisters, a loose association of seven liberal arts colleges in the Northeastern United States that are historically women’s colleges, is founded during this timeframe. Four are in Massachusetts, two are in New York and one is in Pennsylvania. Radcliffe (which merged with Harvard College) and Vassar (which is now coeducational) are no longer women’s colleges. The name “Seven Sisters” was given in 1927, because of their parallel to the Ivy League men’s colleges.
1857 The Sisters of Saint Benedict arrive in Minnesota – one year before Minnesota became the 32nd state in the union. They set out to build schools, hospitals and to minister to all populations.
1913 A new era of women’s Benedictine liberal arts education begins when CSB opens its doors. The first students study logic, psychology, geometry, Greek, history, English, philosophy, Latin and chemistry.
1930 CSB begins its global reach in 1930, when Lucy Chung and Florence Chi of China enroll. This marks the beginning of an internationally diverse student body and the college’s relationship with students around the world.
1960 There are about 230 women’s colleges.
1976 CSB forms an athletic council in response to its growing intercollegiate sports program. The council sponsored a contest for selecting a team mascot and logo, which yielded the name “Blazers” for the CSB varsity teams. Use of the name began in 1977.
1985
1972
Title IX of the Federal Education Amendments of 1972 is passed and requires gender equity for boys and girls in every educational program that receives federal funding. Basketball and volleyball became CSB’s first intercollegiate athletic team sports during the 1973-74 academic year.
1972 Toni St. Pierre ’77 appeals to the American Civil Liberties Union to represent her in the first-ever Minnesota lawsuit for the right of girls 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 Eisenhower (Hopkins) High School. In 1973, she attended CSB where she ran cross country on the SJU team.
1973 Saint Benedict’s High School, originally founded in 1880 as a finishing school for girls, closes. Some of its students went on to help make Saint John’s Preparatory School coed.
CSB’s athletic program joins Minn. Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) at the Division III Level.
2004 CSB opens Sister Nancy Hynes Institute for Women’s Leadership to address the need for additional resources for women on campus.
2006 Faculty approves the Gender and Women’s Studies major.
2010 CSB establishes a four-year residency requirement in support of a total campus experience that includes student activities and opportunities, campus policies, dining, recreation and fitness and academic collaboration.
2014 There are 47 women’s colleges in the United States and Canada.
Winter 2016 | 25
I’m a bennie
’95 Sarah Mickus Lehnert A life-changing moment Choosing a major can be a painful decision for college students. Choosing what to do with that major can be even worse. Today, Sarah Mickus Lehnert ’95 is a sports medicine physician with Summit Orthopedics in Eagan, Minn. But she can still clearly recall the exact point in time when she decided what to do with her biology degree. “Dr. Norman Ford in the biology department was my adviser and I worked for him as a teaching assistant in his comparative anatomy course. He also happened to be the pre-med adviser. Several times he tried to convince me to attend medical school. I had never really thought about being a physician. Honestly, when I think back to that time, I didn’t consider medical school because I wasn’t confident that I could get through the training. Dr. Ford’s encouragement planted the seed, and I started to entertain the idea of applying to medical schools.
26 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
“One event solidified my decision. I was driving to Saint John’s one day to assist in Dr. Ford’s lab. On the way, I witnessed a driver in front of me strike a piece of construction equipment on the freeway. I stopped to make sure the driver was okay and realized she wasn’t breathing. The other witness and I started CPR (which I had learned in my 10th grade health class several years earlier) and the victim started breathing on her own after a few minutes. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. I knew at that moment that I could handle the pressure of being a physician. After the ambulance arrived, I drove to Saint John’s and announced to Dr. Ford that I had changed my mind and had every intention of pursuing a career in medicine. I am eternally grateful for the guidance that Dr. Ford provided and his unwavering belief that I could do and be anything I chose.”
First-year residence hall: Corona K
Favorite course/professor: Comparative anatomy of vertebrates, with Dr. Norman Ford
Favorite Bennie memory:
Pulling up to Claire Lynch Hall really late one night after traveling home from the women’s Final Four basketball tournament. We were greeted by a large, cheering crowd of family, faculty and students. Our team hadn’t played as well as we had hoped and everyone on the bus was feeling a bit discouraged. Seeing that display of support really lifted everyone’s spirits and made me realize how important the Saint Ben’s community was to us all.
What life lessons did you take with you after graduation? Finding a work/life balance is hard. I know that’s a bit of a cliché but it’s the absolute truth! Sprinkle in your family’s activities (school, triathlons, basketball,
music) and it can be a real juggling act. My time at Saint Ben’s helped me develop a strong work ethic and taught me how to stay organized. I am now trying to teach my daughters some of these same skills.
What is one piece of advice you would give to current students? Travel! Travel as much as you possibly can. Take advantage of the incredible opportunities Saint Ben’s has to study abroad. There is no better way to understand the world, its people and yourself than to get out there and experience things from others’ perspectives. One of my favorite quotes from Mark Twain sums it up nicely for me: “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
Class notes
MILESTONES
2000 Kristi Lander Pink is a registered dietitian and health coach at Lifetime Fitness and a consultant for Ava Anderson Non-Toxic, Sept. ’15.
Nina Holiday-Lynch, who retired in 2012, 1962
is an artist in the Twin Cities who works in oils, acrylics and mixed media collage, abstract and representational images. Her website is www.artbyninaholiday.com.
Maggie Holman published a journal called 1970
Jennifer Stauffenecker Bruzek is the secretary for Pockets of Hope in Sartell, Minn., Nov. ’15. Kris Kubicek Engler is a horticulture, 2001
land systems and management faculty instructor at Metropolitan Community College in Omaha, Neb.
“BookBook” (2008) that is now available at the CSB bookstore.
Lisa Pope, following a distinguished 1983
career as a national brand marketer and digital strategist, earned her AKBD certification in kitchen and bath design. In Sept. ’15, she joined Partners 4 Design as a kitchen and bath designer.
Jess Ackerman Mesna is a school counselor at St. Michael-Albertville Middle School East, St. Michael, Minn., Sept. ’15. Jen Scheffler, owner of Realia by Jen, 2002
was a part of the Maiden Minnesota charity event, Nov. ’15. Maiden Minnesota raises awareness of local, womenowned companies that have contributed entrepreneurial and creative success to the Twin Cities.
Susan Jahn Wagener received the 1986
Minnesota Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) Award for Excellence in Volunteer Program Development in Nov. ’15. Susan is the director of volunteer services at Lake Minnetonka Shores Presbyterian Homes in Minnetonka, Minn.
Julianne O’Connell-Restani was featured 1987 in the In Business section of the St. Cloud Times as the new program coordinator at the Stearns History Museum in St. Cloud, Minn., Nov. ’15.
Angie Untiedt Jerabek was featured in 1990
the Portland Press Herald for her work with the Building Assets-Reducing Risks (BARR) program, which is a national education reform program aimed at improving student progress through intentional and measurable relationship building.
Susan Brott is the director of 1992
communications & community engagement at Edina Public Schools, Edina, Minn., July ’12.
Nicole Tharaldson Mulder, owner of 1995
Epitome Skincare, was a part of the Maiden Minnesota charity event, Nov. ’15. Maiden Minnesota raises awareness of local, women-owned companies that have contributed entrepreneurial and creative success to the Twin Cities.
Amy Fredregill is a resources planning & 1997
strategy manager at Xcel Energy, Aug. ’15.
Corie Dumdie Barry is the chief strategic growth manager for Best Buy, May ’13.
1998 Kara Peske Jones is a recruiter for
the People Services Team at National Information Solutions Cooperative (NISC) in Mandan, N.D., Oct. ’15.
1999
ana Moran Olson is a manager of D quality for Baxalta in Brooklyn Park, Minn., Sept. ’15.
Jennifer Beech Lohse is general counsel 2000
at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Feb. ’14.
2010
Jennifer Holtorf Kehr is a knowledge 2004
Teresa Walch
management analyst at Ameriprise Financial, Aug. ’15.
’10
received an M.A. in Modern European History from the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, June ’15. She is continuing to work toward her Ph.D. and was awarded a year-long Fulbright Fellowship for dissertation research. She is currently in Berlin conducting dissertation research from Sept. ’15 through Aug. ’16.
Emily Axtmann is a special education 2005
instructor at CIP-North Education Center, New Hope, Minn., Aug. ’15.
Jennifer Kruse MacDonald is a 20152016 White House Fellow at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Anne Karkela Lillyblad graduated from 2006
the College of St. Scholastica with a master’s in nursing science, May ’15. She will be a family nurse practitioner at the Allina Health Blaine Clinic in Blaine, Minn., Jan. ’16.
2011
Amy Canfield attended an inauguration 2007
ceremony at Hood College, Frederick, Md., as a Saint Ben’s delegate, Oct. ’15.
Sarah A. Howes graduated with honors 2009 from William Mitchell College of Law in June ’15 and accepted a two-year, prestigious legal fellowship at the Copyright Alliance in Washington, D.C., Sept. ’15.
Serina Aubrecht is studying naturopathic medicine at Bastyr University in California with an anticipated ’16 graduation date. Quinn Bennett Krebsbach is an associate 2010 human resources business partner at Best Buy in Richfield, Minn., Oct. ’15.
Amy Marschall earned a Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (Psy.D.) degree from the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Conn., Sept. ’15. Amy successfully defended her dissertation, “Sexual Assault Crisis Intervention and Safe Space Training for Resident Advisors (RAs) on Undergraduate University Campuses,” May ’13 and is continuing her work as a postdoctoral resident at the Family Psychological Center, P.A. in Harrison, Ark.
BC
’11
Shannon Preston
received priestly ordination in the Episcopal Church, June ’15. Starting in Sept. ’15, she is serving at the Community of St. Anselm in London, England. The ecumenical community, made up of young adults from around the world and a variety of professional backgrounds, lives together at Lambeth Palace for one year, following a rule based on the Rule of St. Benedict.
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.edu. Winter 2016 | 27
Class notes 2011 Annie Carney served as a Saint Ben’s
delegate at the inauguration ceremony of Timothy Law Snyder, 16th president of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, Calif., Oct. ’15.
2012
Marriages
2014
Katie Kaproth to Michael Dufault, 2001 Oct. ’15
J acqueline Corral is an employer relations coordinator at the University of MinnesotaTwin Cities, College of Education & Human Development, Nov. ’14.
Molly Hayes to Mark Daniel, Aug. ’15
Kristen Howa to Domingo Madrigal, 2002 Aug. ’15
Sarah Halverson to Travis Gasparick, Aug. ’15
Maria Stevens is a mental health 2013
practitioner at Adult, Child & Family Services, LLC in Mankato, Minn., Sept. ’15.
Courtney Drake to Ryan Schildkraut, 2004 June ’15
Siushan Vuong teaches at Memphis Scholars Florida-Kansas Elementary School.
Katie McCarney to Robert Campbell, July ’15
Danielle Liebl spoke to a crowd of 18,000 high school students as part of We Day Minnesota, Nov. ’15. Her speech focused on living with Cerebral Palsy, exploring how social and systemic barriers have led her to becoming an advocate for people with physical and cognitive disabilities.
Ann Kroshus to Edward Kasner ’04, June ’15
Rachel Mullin
2015
’14
Clare O’Grady to Peter Herbert, Oct. ’15
2005
Sarah Nezworski to Dan Lexcen, Aug. ’15
Elizabeth Malaktaris to Joseph Wallis, June ’15
received the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship in Nov. ’15. She plans to use this award to support her efforts in working with refugees from around the world. Rachel is the only 2016 Rhodes Scholar from a Minnesota college or university, and she is the second CSB graduate ever to receive the award.
2006 Laura Wilant to Matthew Willenbring,
Alex Lentz received her white coat at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Oct. ’15.
Meghan Poepping to Timothy Kennedy, May ’15
E rin Speltz is a ninth and tenth grade English teacher in Bulgaria, Aug. ’15.
Oct. ’14
Toni Roberts to Christopher Bergman, Oct. ’14 Alison Frank to Jim Dahlman ’07, 2007 Aug. ’15
Amy Canfield to Michael Carlson, March ’14
Elizabeth Miller to Jim Griffin, Sept. ’14
2008
Kate Harlander-Locke to Chris Flynn, June ’15
Emily Powell to Xander Broeffle, Aug. ’15 Marisa Hlavka to Michael McKeever ’07, Sept. ’15
Yao Yang
’13
and Tou Her (SJU ’12) are serving in key roles managing a local food hub incubator for the Hmong American Farmers Association (HAFA), creating a food ecosystem with Hmong-American farmers in the Twin Cities, Nov. ’15.
’15
Bridget Cummings
eather Peyton Holt received her white H coat at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Oct. ’15. Gretchen Osdoba received her white coat at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Oct. ’15.
2014
shley LaLiberte joined the Minnesota A Association for Volunteer Administration (MAVA) as an AmeriCorps VISTA leader in Aug. ’15.
28 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
is a staff assistant at the White House in the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in Washington, D.C., Aug. ’15.
Olivia Irwin works for CHI Health in Omaha, Neb., Oct. ’15.
Sophie Stangl received her white coat at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Oct. ’15.
Ellie Black received her white coat at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, Oct. ’15.
’08
Jess Bauer to Dan Franta ’10, Aug. ’15
Class notes 2009
tephanie Hall to Andrew Braith ’09, S March ’15
Megan Vetsch to Pete Johnson, July ’15
Leslie Eichler to Jacob Fimon ’10, Oct. ’14 Rebecca Carey to Mike Jacobson ’09, Jan. ’12 Bridget McLoone to Patrick Deering ’09, Sept. ’15 Kristy Kingsley to Webster Ford ’06, Oct. ’15 Angela Rodgers to Cole Hickman ’08, 2010 Oct. ’13
Lindsay Havlik to Ben Wessels ’10, June ’15 Kelsey Gustafson to Sean Suter ’10, Aug. ’15 Alexandra Tansom to Chad Stanton ’10, June ’15 Susan Sass to Brandon Drucker, July ’15 Quinn Bennett to John Krebsbach ’08, Oct. ’15 Lauren Gooley to Ben Brandt, Sept. ’15 Sara Gardner to Ben Danielson, May ’15
Borders of the Mind Saturday, March 5 @ 7:30pm Gorecki Family Theater, CSB
Theresa Kerr to Bryan McCombs, Oct. ’15
Alicia Olatuja Saturday, March 12 @ 7:30pm Gorecki Family Theater, CSB Teatro Hugo & Ines Friday, April 1 & Saturday, April 2 Colman Theater, CSB
Lil Buck Friday, April 8 @ 7:30pm Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU Tallis Scholars Saturday, April 16 @ 7:30pm Abbey Church, SJU
’14
Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass Saturday, April 23 @ 7:30pm Escher Auditorium, CSB
Sarah Dayton to Emilio Rescigno, May ’15
Catalyst Quartet Friday, April 29 @ 7:30pm Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
Abby Kephart to Shaun Meinke, Oct. ’15 Michelle Pickle to Jeff Brown ’07, Oct. ’15 Megan Koenig to Ryan Schroeder ’09, May ’14
Keep the connections alive at facebook.com/SaintBensAlums
www.csbsju.edu/wow
Winter 2016 | 29
Class notes Allison Homstad to Timothy Juba ’11, 2011 July ’15
Lisa Pitz to Josh Riesberg, Sept. ’15
2012 Ariel Smelter to Donald Pavelka ’12,
2001 Deidra Burgoyne Heuring & Jason
Laura Tiffany to Luke Hendrickson ’12, Sept. ’15
Desiree Zimmerman Ahlstrand & Jeffrey Ahlstrand, boy, Jonathan, Oct. ’14
Taylor Schmidt to John Burns ’12, Sept. ’15
2002 Andrea Terhaar Krueger & John Krueger ’00,
2013 Alison Toering to Jacob Zetah ’13,
Jaime Peterson Tooley & Ryan Tooley ’02, boy, Crosby, Sept. ’15
Matia Twedt to Andrew Sollom, Sept. ’15
Gina Athmann to Kris Lomheim, Oct. ’15
Nichole Hedlund Arbour & Stephen Arbour, girl, Emily, April ’15
Katherine Nystrom to Matthew Theisen ’11, Oct. ’15
Emily VanKeulen to Dan Offerdahl, Aug. ’15
Aug. ’15
June ’15
Anna Slivnik to Daniel Viessman ’07, April ’14
2014
Ashley Welters to Brandon Kruse, Sept. ’15
Katie St. Aubin to Joseph Hall ’14, Oct. ’15
’11
Emily Dobesh to Nick Roscoe ’12, oct. ’15
Megan Calder to Jarek Ludwick, May ’15
Allie Bratberg to Joe Johnson, Sept. ’15
boy, Benjamin, Oct. ’14
Susie Olson Sivongsay & Al Sivongsay ’02, girl, Charlotte, Nov. ’15 Michelle Stangeland Lanz & Thomas Lanz ’01, boy, Andrew, July ’15
2003 Sarah Gottwalt Wilczek & Alan Wilczek ’04, boy, Carson, July ’15
Angie MacDonald Marsh & Chris Marsh ’03, boy, Asher, Aug. ’15 Jennifer Holtorf Kehr & John Kehr, boy, 2004 Willem, April ’15
Sondra Blumke Grotz & Travis Grotz ’04, boy, Maxwell, Dec. ’13 & girl, Stella, Dec. ’14 Maria Kraemer Schwartz & Eric Schwartz, boy, William, July ’15
births 1993
Heuring, boy, Benjamin, Oct. ’15
Michele Mattson White & Christopher 2005
eg Flynn & Shawn Petersen, girl, Grace, M Nov. ’15
1995 Stacy Tasto Ferderer & Douglas
Ferderer ’95, girl, Evalyn, April ’15
Sarah Kropp Almen & Byron Almen, boy, 1996 Theodore, May ’15
Nichole Fontaine-Vonesh & Jonathon 1997 Vonesh, boy, Nicholas, Sept. ’13
Deana Zaccagnini Thomasson & Nate Thomasson, boy, Cade, Aug. ’14
1998 Emily Trempe Moore & David Moore, boy,
White, girl, Ellaouise, June ’15
Theresa Guentzel Reichert & Matt Reichert, girl, Alice, Sept. ’15 Amanda Gustafson Burns & Andrew Burns ’03, boy, August, Dec. ’14 Megan Sand Carr & Charles Carr ’03, boy, 2006 Harrison, May ’15 Emily Krump Hart & Tom Hart, boy, Liam, Sept. ’15 Patty Allen Capkin & Sean Capkin, boy, Tyson, July ’15
Sept. ’15
Becky Martin Barnett & Justin Barnett, 1999 girl, Charley, July ’15
’11
Megan Buermann to Jonathon Theis, Oct. ’15
Erin Miller Ross & Ryan Ross, girl, Ruby, 2000 June ’15
Elizabeth LaVoie Huselid & Jerome Huselid, boy, Jensen, Sept. ’14
2001 Jess Ackerman Mesna & Andy Mesna ’01, boy, Isaac, June ’15
olly Noel to Zachary Madson ’11, M Oct. ’15
’06
Molly McCue to Ted Kain ’12, Aug. ’15
Sarah Taylor to Matthew Meyer ’11, Oct. ’14
Natalie Jans to Ryan Battis ’12, July ’15
Erinn Symons to Austin Neuburger ’11, Sept. ’15
2012 Kayla Solum to Mike Geib ’12, Aug. ’15 Jenifer Swann to Austin Louwagie ’12, Sept. ’15 Jennifer Grier to Mike Peiffer ’12, Aug. ’15
30 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
’00
Mara Mohs Stelzer & Troy Stelzer, girl, Neilah, Oct. ’15
Liz Strawbridge Welle & Christian Welle ’08, girl, Maria, May ’15 Kristin Beranek Hillesheim & James Hillesheim, boy, Emmett, May ’15 Anne Karkela Lillyblad & Matt Lillyblad, boy, Zachary, June ’12 & girl, Mya, Oct. ’15
Class notes 2006 Patricia Nolan Meling & Shaun Meling
Kristen Smude Houle & Jeremy Houle, 2009
Megan Kuhl-Stennes & Seth KuhlStennes ’06, boy, Jonah, April ’15
Ashley Brandel Veeder & Joe Veeder ’09, boy, Ryan, March ’15
Margaret Glady Hewitt & Nicholas Hewitt, 2007
Danielle Rothfork Baker & Brian Baker ’09, girl, Leighton, Sept. ’15
Anna Scheil Skidmore & Morgan Skidmore ’07, boy, Gabriel, Aug. ’15
Rachel Brenner Brown & Aaron Brown ’09, boy, Lukas, July ’15
Brooke Wheeler Hardie & Jason Hardie ’06, girl, Amelia, April ’15
Liz Otremba Berg & Levi Berg, girl, Stella, Nov. ’15
Melissa Schneider Doll & Jeff Doll ’07, girl, Britta, Jan. ’15
Anne Wessel Hodges & Shawne Hodges, girl, Elle, July ’15
2010 Monica Blechinger Rask & Andrew Rask,
Breanna Riskey-Barta & James Barta, 2008
Hayley Berrisford Mueller & Kyle Mueller, boy, Jackson, Sept. ’15
Kenneth Oberg, spouse of Virginia Moser 1951
Katie Young Gasser & Brian Gasser ’06, boy, Nicholas, Oct. ’15
Rebecca Huesers Petersen & Tanner Petersen ’13, girl, Lillian, Sept. ’15
1951 Floyd Fischer, spouse of Valmere Ahern
’05, girl, Emma, Nov. ’15
girl, Rachel, June ’15
girl, Emberly, April ’15
Deaths
boy, Hunter, Aug. ’15
Kari Schroeder Vogt & Ethan Vogt, boy, Drew, Nov. ’15 girl, Lillian, Sept. ’15
1941 S. Laurent Trombley, OSB, Nov. ’15 1943 Betty Beacom Hall, Oct. ’15 S. Cathel Sefkow, OSB, Nov. ’15
1944 S. Alard Zimmer, OSB, Dec. ’15 1945 Kathleen Ellenbecker, Oct. ’15 1947 Carmen Bromaghim Meyer, Sept. ’15 1949 S. Romaine Theisen, OSB, Nov. ’15
Phylis Geering Janey, Sept. ’15
John Gilchrest, spouse of Patricia 1950 Schindler Gilchrest, July ’15
2011
Oberg, Nov. ’15
Fischer, Nov. ’15
1952 S. Marie Brang, OSB, Nov. ’15 S. Madonna Kuebelbeck, OSB, Sept. ’15
Dorothy Waldorf Arens, Sept. ’15
Roger Anderson, spouse of Josette 1953 Barthelemy Anderson, Aug. ’15
’08
Kristi Curry Hill & Jeff Hill, girl, Anniston, July ’15 2008 Amy Carruth Fremling & Daniel Fremling ’06,
’11
Katrina Deal Ball & James Ball, Boy, Timothy, Dec. ’14
boy, Luke, June ’15
Mary (Echo) Cummings Welshons, Oct. ’15 1954 1955 S. Rita Marschall, OSB, Nov. ’15 1957 Gretchen Fandel Kresl, Sept. ’15 1960 Barbara Helgesen Schliep, Sept. ’15 Donald Corrigan, spouse of Rita Beyer 1962 Corrigan, father of Kat Corrigan ’89, Colleen Corrigan ’94, Nov. ’15
Martinella Muggli, mother of 1964 Louise Muggli, Oct. ’15
You think you like Saint Ben’s, but do you
Really?
The main CSB/SJU Facebook page is wonderful. But are you missing out on a whole stream of alumnae-specific content on our Alumnae Association’s page? Make sure to Like us and discover the latest alumnae news, information, events, photos and stories from Saint Ben’s.
facebook.com/SaintBensAlums Winter 2016 | 31
Class notes 1964 Kathleen Senesac Hemsey, May ’15 Jim Gonsior, spouse of Joann 1965 Zimmermann Gonsior, Aug. ’15
1976 Robert Hayden, father of Louise Hayden
John Kendzora, father of Nancy Kendzora 1981
Cecilia Trobec, mother of Rosie Trobec 1977
Donald Bruggeman, father of Rebecca Bruggeman Harkman, Aug. ’15
Falk, Nov. ’15
Overman, Katie Trobec Brewster ’78, Nancy Trobec White ’80, Jacqueline Trobec Schoenfelder ’81, Jane Trobec Deppert ’89, Dec. ’15
Ronald Moen, spouse of Charlotte Kramer 1966
Moen, father of Bridget Moen Hamak ’96, Oct. ’15
1968 Antoinette Scholand Larson, Aug. ’15 1970 Beverly Bates Schmitt, Sept. ’15 Alan Lenhart, spouse of Carol Shimel 1971 Lenhart, Aug. ’15
Jack Laudenbach, father of Carla Laudenbach-Long, Lori Laudenbach Braegelmann ’82, Nov. ’15
John P. Skagerberg, father of Corrine Skagerberg Craig, Oct. ’15
Catherine Nierengarten, Oct. ’15
1982
Mary Foley, mother of Katherine Foley, Aug. ’15
Leopold, Aug. ’15
Robert Rassier, father of Nancy Rassier Truchinski, Oct. ’15
Walter Dilley, father of Deborah Dilley, 1974
James Lambert, father of Elizabeth 1980
Lambert Engel, Julia Lambert Frericks ’82, Jennifer Lambert Baker ’86, Rosemary Lambert ’90, Veronica Lambert ’02, Sept. ’15
Pamela Dilley Mitchell ’77, Oct. ’15
Lila McIntyre, mother of Susan McIntyre 1975 Weitz, Nov. ’15
Mateer, Trish Mateer Ludwig ’82, Aug. ’15
Thomas Walton, father of Karen Walton Juhn, Maureen Walton McGough ’79, Gayle Walton Koska ’84, Oct. ’15
Raymond Hanson, spouse of Jody Palenius Hanson, Oct. ’15
Irene Leopold Erickson, mother of Mary 1979
Courtney Knettel, daughter of Laurel Schulte Knettel, Aug. ’15
Barbara Mateer, mother of Jennifer 1976
Rectenwald, Aug. ’15
Nancy Moran, mother of Mary Moran
Eisenschenk, Therese Moran Olson ’86, Kathy Moran Johnson ’88, Sept. ’15
Carol Korman Eversman, mother of Ginger 1983
Eversman ’84, Jill Eversman ’89, Aug. ’15
Lillian Stanton, mother of Jamie Stanton 1984 Moloney, Dec. ’12
J ane Hendricks, mother of Laurie Hendricks Pitsenbarger, Leslie Hendricks Masterson ’81, Kristi Hendricks ’84, Sept. ’15
Eugene Hall, father of Monica Hall Davis, Oct. ’15
Cynthia Smith, Sept. ’15
Pamela Schmainda Hollsten, Nov. ’15
Lynn Heinen Herda, Oct. ’15
We’re here for you! Who’s got more than 21,000 friends willing to offer advice, lend a helping hand and keep them up-to-date on their beloved college home? You! That’s who. Your Saint Ben’s connections never have to fade away — keep them growing strong and find us online today!
32 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
www.facebook.com/SaintBensAlums
Search www.linkedin.com/groups/64647
www.csbalum.csbsju.edu or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu
Class notes Gordon Haglund, father or Julie Haglund 1985
Dorothy Rinkenberger, mother of Mary 1990
Peggy Butler, mother of Tracy Butler 1986
Margaret Reimer, mother of Jennifer Reimer Bennett, Nov. ’15
Leah Becker, mother of Nancy Becker Waldbillig, Dec. ’15
John Weiman, father of Nancy Weiman 1992
Dwight Kautzmann, father of DeAnn Kautzmann, July ’15
1987
Lara Meidl Smith, Oct. ’15
Charles Saad, father of Deborah Saad Morris, April ’15
Mae Ann Rollins, mother of Marie Rollins LaForce, Cheryl Rollins Stein ’89, Nov. ’15
Nick Froehle, father of Heidi Froehle Burk, 1993
Gary Dean Peterson, father of Britt 2005
1987
Jack Koch, father of Licia Koch Robertson, Oct. ’15
Terrence Nelson, father of Tonya Nelson, 2008 Nov. ’15
Richard Aitken, father of Carrie Aitken 1988
Dr. Thomas Mair Wilson Jr., father of 1994
David Schleicher, father of Rebecca 2009
ecelia Belland, mother of Michelle Belland C Oquist, Elizabeth Belland Aldrich ’89, Nov. ’15
Karen Devoy, mother of Tiffany Devoy, Sept. ’15
Susan Parker, mother of Chelsea Parker, 2012
1989
Lawrence Barta, father of Ann Barta, Oct. ’15
Jack Karnowski (SJU ’56), father of 1996
2013 Lindsey Johnson, Nov. ’15
Yates, Oct. ’15
Pederson, July ’15
Cecilia Chevalier, Sept. ’15
L lyod Laumann, father of Ann Laumann Rogers, Nov. ’15
Rinkenberger, Aug. ’15
Schmelzle, Aug. ’15
Oct. ’15
Nicolette Wilson Boedigheimer, Sept. ’15
Troske, Oct. ’15
Sally Hanson, mother of Bonnie Hanson, Nov. ’15 Marge Schultenover, mother of Kim Schultenover, Nov. ’15
Michele Karnowski Lesmeister, Sept. ’15
Charles Bachmann, father of Kelly 1998
1999 Susan Erlander Rajkowski, Aug. ’15 John Ferry, father of Sommer Ferry 2000 Elsenpeter, Sept. ’15
Peterson, Aug. ’15
Schliecher Sauerer, Aug. ’15 Nov. ’15
Frederick Hille, Jr., father of Emily Hille, 2016 April ’14
Bachmann Stefaniak, Sept. ’15
Darlene Skeie, mother of Tracy Skeie Mueller, Oct. ’15
Where are they now
THINK
Consider the students in your life. Your children, your nieces, your nephews, your neighbors, your friends. Which of them would make great additions to the CSB/SJU community?
REFER
Tell us a little about them. Wednesday, March 2 is our second annual Refer a Bennie/Johnnie Day. Last year alums like you introduced us to 362 prospective students in a single day! We’re looking forward to meeting even more this year.
TALK
Tell them all about us. Talk about your experiences as a student. Talk about your experiences as an alum. Talk about what Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have meant to you.
ROAD TRIP
In a few years they’ll be the brilliant minds and passionate personalities that light up the Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s campuses. But right now they’re high school students.
Are you ready to help us find them?
Make plans now to bring them to campus. Friday, Aug. 5 is Alum Campus Visit Day. It’s a great chance to bring those prospective students up for a visit so they can get a good look for themselves! Mark your calendar now.
www.csbsjurefer.com Winter 2016 | 33
bennie connection
1
3
2 1. At this year’s CSB/SJU Red Mass, the Hon. Liz Hayden ’68 received the Fidelis Apparitor Award. At the ceremony, Liz received a bouquet from Liz Alvarez ’19, who’s mother Mary Kramer ’85 was inspired by Liz to go into law. (Mary just won the 2015 Edith Lowenstein Memorial Award from the American Immigration Lawyers Assoc.)
4
2. The seven Bennies teaching at the Robbinsdale Spanish Immersion School in New Hope, Minn. gathered to celebrate Bennie Day. Pictured: Laura Randall Pezán ’90, Kerry KrawczykLeMieux ’91, Tanya Reynolds ’94, Ashley Sinnen ’10, Emily Nitti Macias ’00, Katie Renier ’13, Emily Poleski Gulling ’09. 3. Alums and parents of alums, current and prospective students, along with partners from the Pioneer School, attended the CSB/SJU event at the Daronghe Restaurant in Chengdu, China on Nov. 7. 4. Erin Jones ’14, Molly Pflipsen ’14 and Kate Paul ’13 enjoy the YAC Homecoming Breakfast at the La Playette, Oct. ’15. 5.
ennie staff members at Minnetonka Middle School East showed B their pride on Bennie Day, Oct. 15. Shown from L-R: Gretchen Duetz Kellogg ’65, Anna Schoeneberger ’09, Ann Dressen Hanstad ’09, Michelle Brunik ’11, Deborah Iten Zachman ’77.
5
6. Bennies working at Securian in St. Paul, ranging from the class of 1978 to 2015, got together on Oct. 15 to celebrate Bennie Day for the second year in a row. 7. Polidazzle is an annual networking event put on by the McCarthy Center Mentor Program for students, alumnae/i, staff and faculty interested in public policy and civic life. In November, dozens of alumnae like Ann Mailander Steingraeber ’05 (left) were joined by busloads of students like (l-r) Courtney Miller ’17, Maya Hermerding ’17, Sarah Haas ’17, Anne Gleich ’17 and Mary Catherine Steenberge ’18.
34 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
6
7
bennie connection
8. As part of the Saint Ben’s delegation to China, CSB President Mary Dana Hinton and Anne Sumangil ’99, CSB director of alumnae relations, had a chance to meet some wonderful Bennies in Hong Kong. Pictured here are Tianyuan Ma ’09, Chi Man Tang ’12, WingTung Pang ’15, Tai Ping Lee ’09, Mai Lam Kwok ’13 and Lisa Tsang ’10. 9.
8 9
“ It’s sadly been about 15 years since the four of us got together in person, but last night [on Bennie Day] we reunited and celebrated our Bennie friendship. We were roommates, classmates, prayer partners and Thursday night dinner buddies who became family. We’ve lived in northern, central and southern Minnesota, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Indiana, Iowa and Utah. Distance has kept us physically apart, but our Bennie spirit has kept the light of friendship burning bright for all these years. Here’s to Benedictine hospitality, scholarship, friendship and love!” Eleanor Mamer Kiel ’98, Allison Keable Driggins ’98, Erika Edberg Manternach ’98, Tasha Burg ’98.
10. Twenty-four alumnae gathered at NY Gyro in St. Cloud for some great food, conversation and Saint Ben’s trivia on Bennie Day, Oct. ’15. 11. Annie Carney ’11 served as a delegate for the College of Saint Benedict at the inauguration ceremony of Timothy Law Snyder, 16th president of Loyola Marymount University in Los Angles, Calif., on Oct. 6, 2015.
10 11
12. Alex Lentz ’14, Heather Peyton Holt ’13, Gretchen Osdoba ’13, Sophie Stangl ’15 and Ellie Black ’15 celebrate receiving their white coats in Oct. ’15. They are five of only 110 students in the program at the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry.
12 Winter 2016 | 35
Making a recurring gift shouldn’t have to be.
Keeping our annual giving program strong is a big deal. This critical program supports scholarships, which make it possible for the next generation of Bennies to change the world. No one knows that better than our Saint Ben’s Sustainers. Our Sustainers understand the need for steady streams of income that keep our annual giving program strong. They provide the security of reliable support through recurring gifts. This allows us to plan more effectively, administer the fund more efficiently and, ultimately, impact the lives of more students.
36 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
Becoming a Saint Ben’s Sustainer and making a recurring gift is more convenient than ever. Simply choose the frequency (monthly, quarterly or annually) and the vehicle (electronic funds transfer or credit card). When you do, you’ll join an elite group of stewards that give us a stronger foundation to build tomorrow’s dreams on. That’s certainly a big deal.
Become a Saint Ben’s Sustainer. Learn more and enroll at givecsb.com.
Generosity says Vice President of Institutional Advancement Kathy Hansen. “What is especially exciting about this gift is that they have made it in the form of a challenge match: We will need to raise an additional $1.5 million for this purpose which will then be matched by the Frey’s gift. So our donors’ gifts will be doubled!” The Freys know how important it is to foster a broad base of donor support. “The more donors an institution has, the more stable the funding is,” says Jim. He says that he is motivated by the presence of a matching grant opportunity, and hopes others feel the same way. “If you say to me, ‘For every dollar you give to this cause, that dollar will be matched,’ that resonates with me. It makes sense. Maybe I was thinking about giving, but that match is going to seal it for me.”
Mary ’80 and Jim ’78 Frey
A Perfect Match By | Ellen Hunter Gans ’05
“No matter how much time or how many resources we return to our alma maters, Mary and I feel that there’s simply never a point at which we say, ‘All right, well, that’s enough; we’ve paid our bill.’” These are the words of Jim Frey ’78, President and CEO of the Frey Foundation. Jim and his wife Mary White Frey ’80 recently committed to a $1.5 million gift aimed at creating scholarships directed especially toward first-generation college students who might not otherwise be able to attend Saint Ben’s. The Freys have also made a similar gift to Saint John’s. The Frey family’s foundation is well known for advancing causes related to affordable housing and reducing the achievement gap in schools. This gift,
however, comes straight from Jim and Mary. The explanation is simple: “I owe so much of what I’m doing and the way I’m thinking and the circle of people with whom I’m associated to Saint John’s, and Mary would say the same of her experience at Saint Ben’s,” says Jim. Jim served on the board at Saint John’s for nine years, including three as chair. This position gave him an insider’s look at the way both schools were evolving and looking toward the future. He saw the incomparable value of an education from these schools butting up against the realities of the increasing cost of education. And he and his wife decided to do something about it. “Saint Ben’s is deeply grateful for Mary and Jim Frey’s generous gift creating an endowment to support scholarships for first-generation, underrepresented, and American students of color at the college,”
A matching gift is a way to double the value of your resources, and Jim and Mary know exactly what that value translates to in the real world. “The true value of a liberal arts education is hard to quantify, but it’s easy when you see it in real life,” says Jim. The graduates of Saint Ben’s are, in my estimation, demonstrably different than those from other institutions. At other schools, you get a degree. That’s great, but that’s it. Saint Ben’s, however, is producing good women and responsible leaders.” That’s a powerful return on investment. And it’s made even more powerful when the investment is directed at qualified, college-ready women who wouldn’t have the opportunity to attend Saint Ben’s without support from people like the Freys. The success of the Freys’ gift hinges on others realizing that same return on investment and stepping up to fulfill the challenge. Jim and Mary know they’re out there and look forward to joining forces to help more worthy women become Bennies.
What is especially exciting about this gift is that they have made it in the form of a challenge match: We will need to raise an additional $1.5 million for this purpose which will then be matched by the Frey’s gift. So our donors’ gifts will be doubled!” Winter 2016 | 37
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage PAID College of Saint Benedict
Institutional Advancement 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374 CHANGE Service Requested