GENEROSITY
Planting STEM seeds at CSB Sigrid Hutcheson ’59 and her husband, David Chapman, recently made a significant contribution as part of an initiative to boost STEM education at the College of Saint Benedict. Their gift is part of an effort that will provide up to 75 prospective CSB students demonstrating talent in science, technology, engineering and mathematics with $5,000 annual scholarships. The money is “above and beyond,” meaning it’s in addition to any scholarships the students will receive for merit or need. Saint Ben’s already demonstrates strength in the sciences. Of 13 current course and lab faculty in the Chemistry Department alone, eight are women who are valuable role models for science students. The instructors engage the undergraduates in collaborative research, a priority at CSB that often is not at larger universities. These STEM scholarships will target new resources to alter the underrepresentation of women in the sciences. Sigrid has a particular interest in science education since she was a CSB faculty member in chemistry more than 50 years ago. “I’ve been delighted over the years to see how Saint Ben’s has continued to support the sciences by putting a lot of emphasis on research and by building a wonderful science building,” Sigrid says. She thinks it’s critical for students to see how the science they’re learning intersects with real life. It’s also important to challenge them to add to the body of knowledge. “We want them to be able to graduate and feel like a scientist,” she says. “For any woman who faces a financial barrier to studying science at CSB, these scholarships can make it possible.” Sigrid and David met at Syracuse University, where both earned doctorates in higher education. In his career in international
For any woman who faces a financial barrier to studying science at CSB, these scholarships can make it possible.” development, David has seen that the most productive investment in developing countries is the education of girls and women. Throughout her career, Sigrid’s work in program evaluation and research has highlighted the value of scientific thinking in addressing societal issues. As a result, they’ve welcomed an opportunity to focus their philanthropy at Saint Ben’s on supporting women in science careers. “Truth and knowledge have become contested terrain,” David says. “People disagree about what constitutes a fact. I think it’s important that people understand how knowledge is created and disseminated and science is really the backbone of that.
“As we look at technology and the economy, the hard sciences are going to be increasingly important in the future,” David adds. “They say the best time to plant a tree is 50 years ago, and the second-best time is today. Similarly, the best time for society to promote women in the sciences was 50 years ago. The secondbest time is now. If we want women to flourish in the sciences in the future, we need to invest now in planting those seeds.”
You can find out more information about supporting access to education at the College of Saint Benedict by contacting Chad Marolf, senior principal gift officer, at cmarolf@csbsju.edu or 320-363-5402.
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