Informed AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE ILLUMINATING
2 Shining Brighter A Note From the President
4 Changing Lives 8 Tips for Taking Part
LIVES CAMPAIGN
10 A Look Back 11 Coming Up
FALL 2018
A Note From the President
TIME TO SHINE A LITTLE BRIGHTER This summer, Saint Ben’s and the world suffered an unimaginable loss with the death of Mark Fleischhacker at age 66. Mark served on the CSB Board of Trustees for 14 years. For Saint Ben’s, Mark was a profoundly generous supporter, a deliberate advisor, an innovative thinker and a proud Bennie father. For me, he was a friend. Mark was deeply committed to the Saint Ben’s mission, an ethical and courageous leader, an engaged trustee and a genuinely good man. He was rare and wonderful in the depth and breadth of his commitment to the places and causes he loved. As a parishioner at St. Therese in Deephaven, Minnesota, Mark supported the parish, the school and the rectory in both magnificent and incredibly practical ways, from mowing the lawn to fixing the boiler to painstakingly working to restore the tabernacle.
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Mary Dana Hinton CSB President
Likewise, here at Saint Ben’s, his touch was felt far beyond his financial support and beyond the steady, guiding hand he offered the institution. Perhaps rising senior Mackenzie Kuhl best illustrated the personal, individual impact Mark had when she wrote of him: “Mark taught me so much, and I felt I had so much more to learn from him. He was one of the best mentors I will ever know, and he changed my life for all the best reasons. My heart was electrified by his gracious energy, which surged from the ground up and could leave any room in silent awe. When he would speak, there was this twinkle that would flash in his eyes, but I had to be looking for it,
AUGUST 2018 CAMPAIGN UPDATE
“ Mark taught me so much, and I felt I had so much more to learn from him. He was one of the best mentors I will ever know, and he changed my life for all the best reasons.” – Mackenzie Kuhl ’19 otherwise I would miss it…. I was always waiting to see that twinkle again.” During Mark’s 14 years as a Saint Ben’s Trustee, he spent 11 years on the Campaign Steering Committee. Our current Illuminating Lives campaign has Mark’s fingerprints all over it – there has been no greater champion of this campaign than Mark. He was all in.
And so, when you think of the Illuminating Lives campaign – this entire issue of Informed will be an overview and progress update – think of Mark and the light that he shared with this world. Now, it’s up to each of us to shine a little brighter in his absence.
CAMPAIGN PROGRESS $73,001,863 OUTRIGHT GIFTS $59,481,166
DEFERRED GIFTS $13,520,697
GOAL $100,000,000
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Campaign Spotlight
HOW WILL THIS CAMPAIGN CHANGE LIVES?
This is the moment when we illuminate the next 100 years for the College of Saint Benedict and future generations of Saint Ben’s women. Illuminating Lives is a multi-year, $100,000,000 campaign derived from the priorities of our strategic plan. By the time the campaign wraps up in 2020, we’ll be well on the way to delivering several key advantages.
“ By providing stipends to support unpaid internships and other experiential learning opportunities, we will make the full Saint Ben’s experience available to every Bennie.”
PROVIDE ACCESS • Strengthening the college’s endowment will provide perpetual scholarship support for talented students. • A robust annual giving program will rise to the challenge of providing flexible scholarship support. • Targeting scholarships to first-generation and lower-income students will turn hope and hard work into real opportunity. IMPROVE LEARNING • By creating 21st century classrooms and learning spaces for the economics, mathematics, computer science and psychology departments on the CSB campus, we will improve opportunities for all and encourage support for women in these fields. • Flexible new office space for faculty will encourage cross-disciplinary work and interactions.
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• Renovating existing campus spaces to hold administrative offices will free the Main Building to become the central academic hub of the campus. BUILD CONFIDENCE • This campaign and this college are looking beyond scholarships. By providing stipends to support unpaid internships and other experiential learning opportunities, we will make the full Saint Ben’s experience available to every Bennie. • Updates to Claire Lynch Hall and the brand new Saint Benedict Athletics Complex for soccer and softball as well as club sports and intramurals mean opportunities to excel for all our athletes as well as opportunities for every Bennie to discover the athlete in herself.
Opening opportunities and inspiring confidence
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Progress Update
HOW IS THIS CAMPAIGN ALREADY CHANGING LIVES?
With the Illuminating Lives campaign, the College of Saint Benedict is launching into a new era. This $100 million campaign is going to build on the college’s historic strengths while positioning us for an extraordinary future. In fact, it’s doing so already. THE CAMPAIGN WILL FUND THREE KEY OBJECTIVES: 1. Endowment support for student scholarships, faculty development and programs 2. Annual support for student scholarships, faculty development and programs 3. Brick and mortar additions and improvements ILLUMINATING LIVES CAMPAIGN PROGRESS (By Priority) $80
Millions
$60
$63,000,000
$40 $20 $0
$43,702,682
Endowment Giving
$25,000,000 $18,813,949
$12,000,000 $10,485,232
Annual Giving
Facilities Giving
Actual (as of 8/31/18)
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Goal
In 2015, the newly renovated Guy and Barbara Schoenecker Nursing Education Suite, made possible by funds raised in the Illuminating Lives campaign, opened on the fourth floor of the Main Building. A $10 million gift (the largest in the college’s history) in late 2016 funded the creation of the Center for Ethical Leadership in Action, providing stipend support to make internships, study abroad and the full Saint Ben’s experience viable for Bennies – no matter their financial circumstances. In 2017, a commitment of $500,000 from the Coborn Family Foundation supported development of the new Saint Benedict Athletics Complex that was officially opened in September. On June 30 we concluded the most successful Annual Giving year in the history of the college. (Learn more on page 10.)
The early-2018 awarding of a $600,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation created the BECOMING Community initiative – focusing on teaching and enabling CSB/SJU faculty, staff and students to become agents of change by dismantling oppression rather than simply learning about it. Early this summer, the Admission office and a variety of other administrative areas moved into the Guy and Barbara Schoenecker Commons (newly renovated from buildings purchased from Saint Benedict’s Monastery). Construction is underway now to redesign and renovate the Main Building into the 21st century academic hub of the campus. The academic departments of economics, mathematics, computer science and psychology will occupy the Main Building, along with re-imagined classrooms.
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Engagement Opportunities
TOP 5 TIPS TO TAKE PART Barb Torborg Melsen ’78 and Tom Schlough are firm believers in the transformative power of a College of Saint Benedict education. And they’re convinced that the goals of the Illuminating Lives campaign will amp that power up – so much so that they’ve agreed to be our Illuminating Lives Campaign Chairs. Based on their experience, we asked them to offer their top five ways for CSB supporters to engage with the campaign.
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5 ATTEND Barb: “The Saint Ben’s IA team has been working with alumnae leaders around the country, setting up a series of campaign events over the next year. (You can find a calendar of events on page 11.) Find one near you and show up! It’s a chance to reconnect with the college, meet some like-minded alums and friends and get familiar with the important goals of this campaign.” 4 ADVOCATE Tom: “It really strikes me when I hear Mary Hinton talk about the way Saint Ben’s prepares women to ‘think critically, lead courageously and advocate passionately.’ It turns out that ‘advocating passionately’ is something we can all do, wherever we are. You see the impact CSB has – tell someone about it and about why these young women are worthy of investment.” 3 PLAN Barb: “Consider leaving Saint Ben’s a gift in your will or estate. It’s very easy to do. And, if you’re like most people, starting that process will be a great first step in organizing some important things that you may have been putting off.” (You can find Gigi Fourré Schumacher’s contact info on the back cover.)
2 SHARE Tom: “One of the things that most connects me to the College of Saint Benedict is the stories I hear from proud alumnae. Chances are you have one to share as well. Who changed your life for the better during your time on campus? What was the moment that changed your relationship with Saint Ben’s forever? Which Bennie in your life makes you the most proud?” (We’d love to hear all your stories at csbalumnae@csbsju.edu.)
1 INVEST Barb: “Every annual gift, facilities investment, endowed scholarship commitment and documented will or trust bequest helps us reach our $100,000,000 goal. Many of you have already stretched yourselves and contributed – thank you! One suggestion I have for those who haven’t considered it is setting up automatic monthly payments by becoming a Saint Ben’s Sustainer. It’s MUCH easier for you and has real advantages for the college.”
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Fiscal Year Recap
IT WAS A RECORD BREAKING YEAR
The fiscal year that wrapped up in June made a remarkable lead-in to the public announcement of the Illuminating Lives campaign coming up in November. Your generous support led to remarkable, record-breaking totals. And those totals demonstrate the powerful momentum that’s building in support of today’s Bennies. Together, we’re already illuminating lives!
11,039,926
$
TOTAL CASH RAISED
5,521
TOTAL DONORS
2,635,369
$
RAISED IN ANNUAL OPERATING & SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS
422,142
$ BIGGEST DAY OF ONLINE GIVING
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RAISED IN 24 HOURS
Campaign Event Schedule
YOU’RE INVITED
On Thursday, Nov. 15, the Illuminating Lives campaign will kick off publicly with a special celebration event on campus. After that we’ll be taking the campaign on the road with events around the country in 2019. Find one near you and mark your calendar. These events provide an exciting opportunity to share food and conversation as part of a special Bennie-inspired experience. Each also includes a powerful program featuring President Hinton’s campaign message, as well as stories of how Saint Ben’s students and alumnae are illuminating lives and changing the world. Watch for more information to come – or contact Barb Cooney at 320-363-5307 or bcooney001@csbsju.edu to learn more and to register.
UPCOMING ILLUMINATING LIVES CAMPAIGN EVENTS • Thursday, Nov. 15, 2018 College of Saint Benedict campus • Monday, Jan. 28, 2019 Naples, Fla. • Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 Twin Cities event • Wednesday, March 6, 2019 Phoenix, Ariz. • Saturday, March 30, 2019 Twin Cities event • Thursday, May 2, 2019 Twin Cities event
LIVES CAMPAIGN
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 93723 ANNUAL GIVING 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374 Please direct questions to 800-648-3468, ext. 3 or mutsch@csbsju.edu
A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE
Eileen Opatz Berger ’48
Eileen Opatz Berger ’48 is grateful for the advantages of her CSB degree. “When I began my studies at Saint Ben’s, I had no idea what a life-changing experience it would be in the years ahead. It has colored my life, enriched my horizons, given me the skills to write, teach, think critically and build self-confidence,” she says. So she’s made plans to fund the Berger/Opatz/Sobiech Scholarship with a gift from her estate. “If my small scholarship will help another student attain the same result,” Eileen explains, “it will please me very much.”
Contact Gigi Fourré Schumacher ’74 at gschumach001@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5480 and start a conversation that can lead to your own plan.
Informed AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE ILLUMINATING
LIVES CAMPAIGN