FA L L 2 0 1 6 M A G A Z I N E
Sharing our
FUTURE Lasting opportunities and forever friendships
INSIDE • Welcome class of 2020! p. 8 • The true power of collaboration p. 12 • Reunion 2016 p. 24
Reunion
10
22
18
College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the office of Institutional Advancement. College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the office of Institutional Advancement. EDITOR Message From the President Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) EDITOR Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) ASSISTANT EDITOR Worth 1,000 Words Courtney Sullivan ASSISTANT EDITOR News Courtney Sullivan CONTRIBUTORS Chelsey Guetter ’17 College of Saint Benedict Magazine is published three times a year by the CONTRIBUTORS I’m a Bennie Hope Mueller ’17 office of Institutional Advancement. EllenIce Hunter Gans ’05 Richard Sawyer Lyman ’00 MikeKristin Killeen Class Notes CONTACT EDITOR Tommy O’Laughlin’00 (SJU ’13) of Saint Benedict Magazine Greg Skoog (SJU ’89) Kristin Sawyer LymanCollege Leah Rado Jon McGee (SJU ’84) Institutional Advancement Assistant Editor: Courtney Sullivan Generosity LeahEmily RadoStamp 37 South College Avenue Mike Killeen St. Joseph, MN 56374-2099 CONTRIBUTORS COVER PHOTO Bennie Connection Ellen Hunter Gans ’05 CONTACT Class of ’46 friends gather at Reunion ’16 please For address changes, Kristin Sawyer Lyman ’00 CollegeO’Laughlin of Saint Benedict Magazine by’13) Tommy (SJU ’13) call 1-800-648-3468, ext. 1 Tommy O’Laughlin (SJU Institutional Advancement or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu Leah Rado 37 South College Avenue CONTACT Emily Stamp St. Joseph, 56374-2099 College of SaintMN Benedict Magazine Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer Mike Killeen Institutional Advancement For address changes, please 37 South College Avenue The mission of the Collegecall of Saint Benedict is to ext. provide 1-800-648-3468, 1 for women the very best St. Joseph, 56374-2099 residential liberal arts education inMN the Catholic and Benedictine traditions. The college or email csbalumnae@csbsju.edu fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime. For address changes, please rmative Action/ ext. 1 call Affi 1-800-648-3468, Equalcsbalumnae@csbsju.edu Opportunity Employer or email
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
10 Into the Future Together 18 Who Will Share Our Future? 22 2016 Reunion
1 2 4 26 28 35 36
The mission of the College of SaintEmployer Benedict is to provide for Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity women the very best residential liberal arts education in the Benedictine The college fosters The Catholic mission and of the College of traditions. Saint Benedict is to provide for women integrated learning, exceptional forthe change andand the very best residential liberal arts leadership education in Catholic wisdom for a lifetime. Benedictine traditions. The college fosters integrated learning, exceptional leadership for change and wisdom for a lifetime.
Shared future,
Sustainable Future For the last several issues of this magazine we have defined and explored three of the four foundations of the College of Saint Benedict’s five-year strategic plan: • Liberal arts for life; • Holistic and transformational development of women; • Inclusive and engaging Catholic and Benedictine experience. These pillars represent three guiding elements and clear action items that are bringing focus to our current institutional initiatives. We have made strong cases for our role as unapologetic proponents of the liberal arts, committed to offering life-changing opportunities to women in an environment steeped in the Catholic and Benedictine traditions of our founding order. In this issue, we explore what we mean by “shared future, sustainable future.” This is the pillar of our strategic plan in which we map out the future we want to create for the College of Saint Benedict. And one of our most important priorities for our future is to make sure that we’re able to continue to share our mission with the broadest and most engaged collection of women possible.
“
Access – not just to our campus, but to the full, formational Saint Ben’s experience – is a passion for all of us here. So finding ways to make it possible is one of our strategic priorities.” At this summer’s Liberal Arts Illuminated Conference (see page 7), I had occasion to make the point to attendees that the liberal arts are more valuable and valid today than ever. The opportunity and challenge is to ensure that all who want and need to engage with them have that opportunity. Access – not just to our campus, but to the full, formational Saint Ben’s experience – is a passion for all of us here. So finding ways to make it possible is one of our strategic priorities. The other key component of “shared future, sustainable future” is the partner with whom we’ll share our future: Saint John’s University. It’s not an exaggeration to say that the strong, interdependent nature of our coordinate relationship is what makes
the future sustainable for both of us. So as we move toward 2020, it is crucial that we continue to cultivate this unique, synergistic connection that serves our students with a hybrid single-sex and co-educational experience like no other in the nation. I often quote John Schaar, professor emeritus at University of California-Santa Cruz, when I speak of the future. He wrote: “The future is not a result of choices among alternative paths offered by the present, but a place that is created – created first in mind and will, created next in activity. The future is not some place we are going to, but one we are creating.” Today, CSB looks fearlessly at a bright and limitless future. We invite you to join us, in mind, will and activity as we create a future for the College of Saint Benedict that is as storied and dynamic as our past.
Mary Dana Hinton College of Saint Benedict President
GET THIS PARTY STARTED! At this summer’s joint reunion, Bennies and Johnnies – no matter what year they graduated – kicked off their celebration in true 2016 style: with a selfie.
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We had a record year!
CSB FISCAL YEAR 2016 THANK YOU! BENNIES
13 % IN 1 DAY
On Nov. 11, 2015, 781 donors gave an astounding $ 328,519.00
TOTAL RAISED IN ANNUAL OPERATING AND SCHOLARSHIPS FOR STUDENTS
$
2,516,874
$10,420,967.75 TOTAL GIFTS AND PLEDGES FOR FY2016 YOUNG ALUMS CONTINUE TO
GROW The Young Alumnae President’s Circle grew to
174
BETWEEN JULY 1, 2015, AND JUNE 30, 2016,
5,687
MEMBERS IN FY2016
That’s over 13% of our annual total!
When the dust settled and all the totals were tallied, the 2016 fiscal year (July 1, 2015-June 30, 2016) was officially the biggest year ever for annual giving to the College of Saint Benedict. A total of $2,516,874 went directly to support scholarships for today’s Bennies. “The last couple days of the fiscal year were thrilling,” smiles Casi Quillin ’17, who spent the summer working with the Annual Giving team. “I had so many incredible conversations with donors, and it seemed like they were just as excited to meet our goal as we were. I’m part of the 90+ percent of Bennies who receive financial support, but it wasn’t until I worked with Annual Giving that I truly understood where that money came from. I really feel blessed to have been part of that amazing experience!”
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Reco brea rd king !
generous souls made gifts to Saint Ben’s that helped illuminate some VERY BRIGHT STUDENTS “This is very exciting for all of us,” explains Maggie Weber Utsch ’00, director of annual giving. “It’s a record, and it’s always exciting to be a part of something like that. But what really made this most rewarding was that the contributions were given by alums, parents, friends, faculty and staff – people who truly know and appreciate the power of a Saint Ben’s education.” If you’d like to take part in helping make fiscal year 2017 even bigger, visit www.givecsb.com and make your own gift today!
Homecoming happiness This year’s Homecoming celebration was a spectacular Saturday sprawled across both campuses. The day began with the annual Red Ride. That was followed by the first-ever Pre-Game Party and Pep Rally at CSB – which was well received and will definitely be back again next year. After a convincing Johnnie football win over St. Olaf, the day concluded with the traditional Celebration on the Tundra. There’s never a bad time to come back to CSB/SJU, but there’s definitely something special about Homecoming!
Supporting Saint Ben’s – body and mind
Bill Clemens
St. Cloud Times photo
Dorothy and Ben Gorecki
The College of Saint Benedict lost two iconic supporters in 2016 with the passing of Bill Clemens (SJU ’42) and Ben Gorecki. Their legacies will live on in the buildings that bear their names – facilities that serve the bodies and minds of our students every day.
Bill Clemens
Ben Gorecki
William “Bill” Clemens passed away on March 2, 2016, at Saint Benedict’s Center Senior Community in Saint Cloud, Minnesota, at the age of 95.
A long-time supporter of the College of Saint Benedict, Benedict “Ben” Gorecki died on July 9, 2016, in his home at the age of 87.
Bill founded Bankers Systems, Inc. in 1952, which grew to become the leading provider of products and services to the financial industry. His continuing generosity to his community and especially to the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University will forever be imprinted in the schools’ history.
Ben was the founder of Gorecki Manufacturing, an experienced and diverse contract manufacturer headquartered in Milaca, Minnesota. Over the last 15 years, Ben and his wife Dorothy donated millions of dollars to help Saint Ben’s maintain and expand its opportunities for students to grow and learn in state-of-the-art facilities.
In 1986, Bill and his wife Virginia donated $1 million as the first gift to the new library at Saint Ben’s. Named after the couple, Clemens Library replaced a cramped and uninviting basement space with a modern and welcoming student center for learning. Bill also helped Saint Ben’s promote an active student body when he gifted $1 million for the Clemens Fieldhouse in 1996. The four full-size courts and 200-meter track accommodates intramural and club tennis, volleyball and basketball games and matches held throughout the year.
In 2004, Ben and Dorothy gave $2.7 million to help expand the Benedicta Arts Center, which included, among other things, a family theatre that bears their name. Two years later, the couple generously donated $3.3 million to fund the construction of the Gorecki Center. The spacious facility replaced the older cafeteria that had been located in the basement of the Main Building since 1913.
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Benedictine Living Community update This year, Saint Ben’s Residential Life has partnered with sisters in the monastery to create a specially focused Benedictine living-learning community for sophomore Bennies on the second floor of Brian Hall. The program, conceived and driven by students, was created by Resident Assistant Gabby Schwartz ’17 and a core group of sisters from Saint Benedict’s Monastery. Living-learning communities are a more purposeful way of living and help facilitate learning outside of the classroom as well as inside. “The lounges are always full on this floor.… There are always people out and about. It’s definitely one of the more lively of our sophomore communities,” said Alyssa Teubner, area coordinator for Brian, Margretta and Lottie Halls.
want to be there when the sisters are there,” Teubner said. “So they make time to be there and see their floor.”
With each month focusing on a particular Benedictine value, the community shares programing and is closely involved with the sisters. “They’ve got a support system, high turnout for programs and people
In the future, the Benedictine Living Community hopes to attract more Bennies and fill an entire floor in sophomore housing – this year there are 26 students in the program.
Laura Jennissen ’19, Gabby Schwartz ’17, Kaleigh Mikolichek ’19 and McKenna Mages ’19 are part of this year’s Benedictine Living Community in Brian Hall.
“[Students] want that close relationship with their floor, being able to give them the opportunity to connect in conjunction with the Benedictine values and with sisters who are very beloved,” said Christy Brown, Director of Residential Life.
Move-In Day welcomes 503 new Bennies! On Thursday, Aug. 25, campus came alive with hundreds of students, families, faculty, staff and alumnae volunteers as the class of 2020 found their way to campus and began settling in to begin their College of Saint Benedict careers. Move-In Day at CSB isn’t just about firstyear Bennies. It’s a campus-wide tradition that brings students and alumnae of all ages and backgrounds together. Blazer athletes, student employees from Campus Ministry, orientation leaders, resident assistants, alumnae volunteers and others all helped in this year’s transition. “It is such a joy to meet these excited, sometimes apprehensive, students and their parents,” said S. Pat Ruether ’66, who was on-hand to help out. “Giving a Benedictine welcome and reassuring them that they have made a good choice is part of my mission as an alumna and a Sister of Saint Benedict!” 6 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
After moving in, first-years quickly got the feel of campus life. They joined their families and Bennie alumnae for a community picnic, attended a resource fair and met their orientation leaders, all before heading to the Haehn Campus Center fieldhouse for an opening dinner. By the end of the weekend, the class of 2020 hadn’t just moved into the residence halls – they had joined our past and present community of Bennies.
New members join Board of Trustees
Scott Blattner
Mary Kramer ’85
The College of Saint Benedict recently named Scott Blattner, Mary Kramer ’85, Patrick Sanaghan, Anne Schmidt-Krump ’82 and Jona Turner Van Deun ’92 to its Board of Trustees. CSB trustees serve three-year terms and are eligible to serve three consecutive terms. In addition, CSB student Isabel Tompkins ’17 was elected to serve as an ex-officio member of the board. All six began their terms July 1. The board consists of 32 members and five ex-officio members. Blattner is rejoining the CSB Board for a second term. He is president and CEO of D.H. Blattner and Sons Inc., and Blattner Energy Inc. of Avon, Minnesota. Blattner graduated from North Dakota State University in Fargo, N.D., with a bachelor of science degree in construction
Patrick Sanaghan
Anne Schmidt-Krump ’82
management. His mother, the late Jean Ardis Sowa Blattner, attended CSB. Kramer is a 1985 graduate of CSB and received a juris doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1988. For the last 20 years she has been practicing immigration law in Miami. Prior to her private practice, she clerked for Miami and Harlingen immigration courts. Sanaghan is president of The Sanaghan Group, an organizational consulting firm in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. He has cowritten eight books and collaborated with CSB President Mary Dana Hinton on various articles in 2012 and 2013. Schmidt-Krump received a bachelor of arts degree in textiles, clothing and housing from CSB in 1982. Her husband, Paul Krump (SJU ’82), is a current member of the Saint John’s University Board of Trustees.
Jona Turner Van Deun ’92
Isabel Tompkins ’17
Schmidt-Krump has volunteered as a coordinator for Adult Spiritual Enrichment at the Church of Saint Joseph in Mendham, New Jersey. Van Deun interned at the White House while a student at CSB before graduating in 1992. After graduation, Van Deun returned to the White House as a member of the scheduling staff for President George H.W. Bush. Since 2012, Van Deun has been director of coalitions at Koch Companies Public Sector in Washington, D.C. Tompkins is a senior at CSB studying global business leadership. She was elected by her classmates to serve as the Student Trustee. She has previously represented CSB students on the Academic Affairs Committee, Common Curriculum Visioning Committee and attended Joint Faculty Senate meetings.
CSB/SJU lead effort to illuminate the liberal arts The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University welcomed over 200 faculty, senior college administrators, trustees and policymakers to the campuses for the Liberal Arts Illuminated Conference on July 11-13. The conference’s theme was “Pathways, Possibilities, Partnerships,” and it was hosted by Presidents Mary Dana Hinton of CSB and Michael Hemesath of SJU. “We are called to innovate, embrace risks in new ways and define a future for our students and our institutions that positions the liberal arts as a critical element of our social, political and economic future,” said President Hinton. “We are called to lead.”
The 215 attendees, representing 54 colleges/ universities and 20 other organizations (associations, foundations, media, consultants, firms), gathered to address the challenges that liberal arts colleges are facing related to their purpose, value and viability as institutions. The conference included a series of plenary speakers, panel discussions and breakout sessions that engaged multiple perspectives to answer major questions regarding the future challenges and opportunities for the liberal arts. Inspired education leaders left CSB/SJU ready to use the materials, ideas, partnerships and commitments provided by the conference to present and implement the best that the liberal arts have to offer for their campuses and organizations.
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CSB ATHLETICS
Amundson aims high
Natalie Amundson didn’t waste any time getting settled into a routine when she joined the College of Saint Benedict golf team last fall, and the bar has been set high for the sophomore as she heads into her sophomore campaign in 2016-17. As a first-year in 2015-16, Amundson – an Alexandria, Minnesota, native – tied for second at the MIAC Championships, marking Saint Benedict’s best individual finish at the conference meet since 2011. She was tied for 12th after the first day, then moved into a tie for fifth after
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shooting a 74 (the fourth-best score in CSB history) in the second round, and eventually climbed all the way to second. Amundson says now that she knows her potential as a collegiate golfer, her expectations for herself are high. “Before our first meet last weekend, I thought a little about how now I am kind of expected to post a low score. But I just remind myself to do my best and that’s all I can do,” she says. “I had no expectations going into last year’s MIAC tournament, but now I know I have the potential to win it, and I am going to work my hardest to accomplish that goal.”
Amundson, who ended last year with an 80.2 stroke average and earned AllMIAC and All-Region honors and was CSB’s Rookie of the Year, started her sophomore campaign with a fourthplace finish at the CSB Invite Sept. 3-4 at Blackberry Ridge in Sartell. This year’s golf team is young, but four of CSB’s top five from 2015-16 return, so Amundson says hopes are high. “I see our young team as an advantage because everyone is always improving and learning from the experiences playing competitive golf,” she says. “The team is wonderful this year, and we are lucky to have some upper-class athletes to lead and mentor us.”
CSB ATHLETICS
Alumnae on the run
Athletic updates Plans are in place for the new athletic fields to be located near Renner House (the president’s residence) on College Avenue.
The College of Saint Benedict track and field and cross country programs were well represented at the 2016 Ragnar Northwest Passage Relay this summer. Robin Balder-Lanoue ’91 – the head coach of both programs – has been a member of the Baba Yaga relay team for 22 years. Over the years, the CSB presence on the Baba Yaga team has grown so that this year’s team featured eight total CSB alumnae from 1991 to 2015. With the help of the former Saint Ben’s runners, Baba Yaga finished in the top 10 overall in the 2016 race on July 22-23. Along with Balder-Lanoue, Katie Vanselow Zuehlke and CSB Athletic Hall of Fame member Missy Petersen Trenz, both 1998 grads, ran this year’s relay. They were joined by Sarah Omann and Erika Litschke Schramm, who both graduated in 2000, Gina Luke from the class of ’13, and 2015 graduates Manon Gammon-Deering and Jenna O’Donnell. The 12-woman team (whose eight Bennie members still hold five CSB school records and combined for 17 All-MIAC honors and 22 All-MIAC Honorable Mention accolades) finished the 196-mile relay in 24:03:13, the ninth-best time in the 467-team field. Baba Yaga was also the first all-women’s team to cross the finish line, and beat out the next-fastest women’s team by more than 22 minutes. During the Northwest Passage Relay – which starts near the Canadian border in Blaine, Washington, and heads south through the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges and along Puget Sound before ending on Whidbey Island – the 12 runners split up 36 legs of the course. Legs range in distance from three miles to just over 10 miles, and are ranked from easy to very hard.
When completed, the complex will include two softball fields, two soccer/lacrosse fields and three multi-purpose fields for club sports. Plans are for all to be completed during the 2017-18 academic year.
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The following feature is excerpted from “The True Power of Collaboration: From Cooperation to Partnership,” as printed in the Spring 2016 edition of Liberal Education. In it, College of Saint Benedict President Mary Dana Hinton and Saint John’s University President Michael Hemesath ’81 describe the powerful partnership between our two schools and the advantages it offers to students of both schools. BY | MARY DANA HINTON AND MICHAEL HEMESATH (SJU ’81)
Reprinted with permission from Liberal Education, vol. 102, no. 2. Copyright 2016 by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.
It is no secret that higher education faces significant economic challenges. What is less clear is how to address this new economic landscape. One idea that gets tossed around often, and maybe too casually, is for nearby institutions simply to work together. It seems like an obvious alternative for two institutions to consider: don’t have two of everything. Share some things, and enjoy the economies of scale that might come with that. Great in theory, but where exactly does one start? We are all familiar with the most traditional representations of these types of partnerships. Of course, institutions can
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buy copy paper and other commodities in bulk. Students can cross-register for classes on multiple campuses (often with conflicting and difficult-to-manage schedules). Institutions can even have shared technological services or electronic card catalogs. Colleges tend to move immediately to such practical possibilities, when what they need to do is discuss and understand what it truly means to work together. The real challenge of working in, and benefitting from, a partnership turns on truly integrating core parts of the institutions’ missions. The place to start is philosophical, not practical, when
considering such partnerships. And, yes, that philosophical starting point includes mission-central areas like academics and entails giving up some independence. At the College of Saint Benedict (CSB) and Saint John’s University (SJU), we have taken up this challenge of working together to improve the experience of our students. It began nearly 50 years ago, in the late 1960s, during a time in which many single-sex institutions were thinking about their futures. Most of these institutions either went coeducational on their own or merged with another school to form a new coeducational university.
CSB AND SJU ARE BOTH NATIONALLY RANKED CATHOLIC, RESIDENTIAL, LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES.
Our institutions contemplated merging then, too, but chose a different path because we believed there were significant benefits of being a college for women (CSB) and a college for men (SJU). Yet we also believed there were great benefits to our students, both women and men, of working more closely together than we had historically. Our motivations were initially to provide a better education to our students, yet in that process we found the kinds of economies many institutions are seeking today.
THE COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT AND SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY The College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University have a collaborative relationship that is unique in American higher education. CSB and SJU are both nationally ranked Catholic, residential, liberal arts colleges. The combined enrollment of more than 3,600 students makes CSB and SJU among the largest of the nation’s liberal arts colleges. It is impossible to do justice to our partnership, which we call a coordinate relationship, in the space we have here, but over the decades we have
fully integrated three areas: admissions, communications and academic affairs. Yes, we share one academic program: faculty teach on both campuses, we have one faculty senate, we share one provost (see sidebar article by CSB/SJU Provost Richard Ice on page 17) and academic affairs office, and we share one academic affairs budget – among several other jointly funded areas. In addition, our students share one academic program in which they meet identical academic requirements and attend classes together on both campuses according to a single academic calendar.
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FITTING TOGETHER WHAT’S JOINT AND WHAT’S SEPARATE?
JOINT • • • • • • • • •
Academic Advising Career Services Experiential Learning Faculty Global Education Intercultural and International Student Services Library System/Collections Registrar Student Activities
JOINT, BUT… • Admission – Recruiting happens jointly, but CSB and SJU have separate annual enrollment goals. • Fine Arts Programming – The size, types and diversity of our facilities across two campuses means we have the true advantage of being able to match the space to the artist. • Marketing and Communication – This office is responsible for advancing a joint CSB/SJU brand, in addition to distinct brands for CSB and SJU.
SEPARATE • • • • • • •
Athletics Boards of Trustees Campus Ministry Campus Security/Life Safety Facilities Health Services Residential Life
SEPARATE, BUT… • Alumnae/i Relations – We serve our alum communities separately, but work closely on joint programming like Homecoming, Reunion and many smaller events. • Finances – These are separate but closely coordinated. Each relies on the other to set and maintain a budget. • Fundraising – We are two separate non-profits. Donors designate their gifts specifically to one or split the gift and designate it to both. But we also work together to meet individual donors’ philanthropic intent to support both institutions. • Presidents – Each has a distinct mission and vision to follow, but a joint strategic plan in Strategic Directions 2020.
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The two institutions approach prospective students and families through a joint admission office offering the advantages of two distinct campuses as well as a singular, cohesive academic experience and a coeducational social environment. This integrated learning experience combines a challenging liberal arts curriculum with extensive opportunities for international study, leadership, service learning, spiritual growth and civic and cultural involvement. Yet, CSB and SJU are two independent colleges. We provide a unique collegiate experience for young women at the College of Saint Benedict and for young men at Saint John’s University. We share a commitment to the development of the whole person, while also meeting the unique needs of both women and men in single-gender and coeducational experiences. Each college features its own physical campus, residence halls, dining halls and traditions. We have separate student development programs, independent athletic programs, two advancement offices and separate governing boards.
BUILDING A PARTNERSHIP Very early in our coordinate relationship the first tentative steps toward the integration of academic programs yielded immediate benefits. Cross registration had been possible for some time, as at many schools. But by beginning to intentionally combine academic departments, CSB and SJU immediately gave students access to more faculty and a wider range of expertise and class offerings. The colleges saw economies both through less duplication of faculty and course offerings and through higher enrollments in traditionally small classes like Classics and upper-level science offerings. Behind the scenes, benefits were derived by simplifying the academic administration. Other parts of the academic enterprise followed the integration of departments. We moved toward a single library administration, one registrar and, as technology needs grew over the years, to a single information technology department. It was our philosophical and later practical movement toward a joint academic enterprise that yielded the most significant benefits. In fact, the natural place where most partners should, but rarely do, look for benefits is academic affairs. We know that the integration of our academic strands is what makes the coordinate relationship work, not just in terms of our public commitment to one another but also because within the fiercely competitive environment for higher education, the coordinate relationship between the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University has enhanced
educational opportunities for the students of both colleges. Our partnership enables us to bring resources together to ensure the success of all students and the long-term viability and vitality of each institution. We absolutely have, and will continue to maintain, our separate identities, but we also have a third identity, that of partnered institutions, a CSB/ SJU identity that is as important to our students as being a “Bennie” at Saint Benedict’s and a “Johnnie” at Saint John’s. Those three identities all provide distinct benefits to our students. And, most significantly, it is the student experience and outcomes that are most important on any campus.
A SHARED MISSION FOCUSED ON STUDENT OUTCOMES How does our unique partnership support improved student outcomes? Because we achieve efficiencies by operating together in critical areas, including our entire academic enterprise, we are able to deploy resources in an individualized and custom manner in support of our students more efficiently and effectively than either institution would alone. The partnership and the advantages it conveys to our students have allowed us to serve, and achieve excellent outcomes for, diverse groups of students. For example, our overall first- to second-year retention rate has averaged 89 percent for several years. Collectively, 28 percent of our students are first-generation college students, and American students of color comprise 20 percent of our student body. Nearly 80 percent of our students graduate in four years, and 99 percent are either employed, in graduate school or in full-time volunteer service within one year of graduation. Because of our partnership, we are able to achieve these extraordinary student outcomes with very limited financial resources. Among the top 100 liberal arts institutions, the College of Saint Benedict has the second smallest endowment. Saint John’s University has the 17th smallest. Our success clearly has not been the product of robust financial circumstances. To the contrary, because of limited resources, we have been forced to find and utilize collaboration and coordination to improve outcomes. Hence, our partnership has reaped the economic benefits many colleges hope for, though it, of necessity, began with a commitment to student learning.
GROWING INDIVIDUALLY TOGETHER By Jon McGee (SJU ’84 ) Vice President of Planning & Public Affairs CSB/SJU
Higher education in the United States today is in the midst of an extraordinary moment of demographic, economic and cultural transition. Every aspect of how a college presents and distinguishes itself will be significant in the push to hold onto a share of a shrinking enrollment pool in an increasingly competitive marketplace. In that context, the College of Saint Benedict’s deep commitment to the education of women might raise eyebrows. Once common, even prevalent, single-gender education today in the United States is a shrinking field. This fall, only 41 women’s colleges – and only four men’s colleges – remain. Coeducation is the overwhelming preference among today’s high school students. Rather than simply ceding ground to the popular preference and abandoning our commitment to women’s education, we have instead worked to provide the best of both worlds, a world-class education for women in the context of a coeducational experience through our partnership with Saint John’s University. Last fall, 89 percent of new entering CSB students said that the opportunity to attend classes, participate in activities and use facilities on both the CSB and SJU campuses was an important or very important factor in their decision to enroll at CSB. Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s remain strong, in part, because we do things that coeducational institutions won’t do and traditional single-gender institutions cannot do. In large part, our students get a coeducational learning experience that would be typical at many institutions. But our independent identities and missions direct us to place significant emphasis on the influence of gender in the classroom, as well as how women and men relate to each other as women and men inside and outside of the classroom. Few colleges pay attention to what gender means in a coeducational environment – either because they don’t have to or because they simply cannot identify a compelling reason to talk about it. Our two student senates provide a ready example of the best of both worlds. They exist and govern independently of each other – one all women, one all men. However, because much of their work overlaps in the form of joint programming or joint club funding, they must work closely together, identifying opportunities and working out differences. No other student senate in the country operates similarly. Our commitment to single-gender education remains steadfast. Women at CSB learn to be leaders as women (as men learn to be leaders as men at Saint John’s). They learn to think critically, lead courageously and advocate passionately as women. And as they learn, they come to see value they may not have understood as high school students. Seven out of ten CSB seniors last year said that their experiences here contributed significantly to their understanding of themselves as women. And 93 percent of them indicated that the opportunity to attend a college for women was valuable. By sharing our future coeducationally, we’re protecting the single-gender tools that we know can serve our students in the long run.
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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS AND CAUTIONS So how does one go from two wholly separate institutions to coordinate and interdependent schools? It is first worth noting that this integration did take decades. The benefits of integration are typically not found overnight, if our experience is any guide. There are institutional histories to remember, campus cultures to adapt and personalities with which to contend. While there are benefits to working more closely, there are also costs, and the critics will be quick to identify them. To be successful leaders on both campuses, the leadership must be deeply and publicly committed to the changes, be patient and be openly willing to give up some control and accept some costs for their campuses. Our arrangement of interdependence, a permanent one, periodically benefits from adjustments in how each institution functions. Our administrators and two boards review our governance practices, structures and operations on an ongoing basis, and over time effect changes in them in order to ensure a dependable and efficient model to pursue the mission of each institution and effectively maintain our partnership. We have often heard our higher education colleagues decry our relationship as too complicated – the stakes are too high, the loss of independence is too great. Yet we would argue that
for a partnership to truly have meaningful benefits to both institutions, and especially to the students we serve, both partners must accept real risk to their institutional independence and separate identities. It is this last point that we think is most relevant for institutions seeking to partner today. Partners have to trust each other enough to give up control of some crucial academic decisions. Today at CSB and SJU, we make all faculty hiring decisions jointly; we have a shared academic budget and multiple highlevel joint administrators, including a common provost; and we tenure jointly. We are not independent institutions, in the common understanding of that phrase.
We encourage others thinking about partnerships to understand that to provide both economic improvements and mission-oriented benefits, institutions must think about how to integrate portions of their most precious components, starting with academic programs. This may generate significant controversies among administrators, faculty, students and alums as the relationship must be negotiated at multiple intersections. And, it demands ongoing care for a relationship that can be challenging to navigate. While in theory any partnership can be unwound, the reality of a true partnership is that it is very difficult to go back and there should be an enduring commitment to making the partnership work. Institutions that are prepared to move down this road must acknowledge that they may not be able to go home again. On the other hand, the changing environment for higher education already has made it eminently clear that home won’t be what it used to be for most institutions. Our experience suggests that it is possible for two institutions to maintain and nurture separate identities, while at the same time getting real benefits, academic and economic, from working closely together. It is not easy, but with the many challenges facing higher education, it may be an option more institutions will explore as they realize that buying in bulk, the Costco partnership model, is not the salvation of higher education.
OUR PARTNERSHIP “ENABLES US ... TO ENSURE THE SUCCESS OF ALL STUDENTS AND THE LONG-TERM VIABILITY AND VITALITY OF EACH INSTITUTION.”
“ SO HOW DOES THAT WORK?” By Richard Ice Provost, CSB/SJU
Having our unique partnership places me in a unique role in higher education. Academic leaders, administrators and faculty from other institutions are usually intrigued when they discover that I am a provost with two presidents. They inevitably ask perplexingly, “So how does that work?” The question leads to an extended discussion in which I’m not really sure they understand our relationship. In fact, one can never understand this relationship without being in it – and I am definitely in this relationship. Academic Affairs for the two schools is fully integrated. Walking into a classroom, a visitor normally would not see a distinction between our institutions. In fact, the classroom probably looks like many other college classrooms around the country. However, when we look deeper, the richness of the partnership becomes evident, as we are able to focus on the development of women and the development of men in deep and meaningful ways. But how does it work? It works because of the dedication of the faculty and staff who make it work every day. Keeping relationships going requires effort and vigilance. Probably the most important part of maintaining this relationship is open communication. My role is to listen and to interact frequently with people across both institutions to ensure that the relationship stays strong for us to give our students the opportunity to have the best residential liberal arts education in the Catholic and Benedictine tradition. Admittedly, decision-making can be slower as I must consult with more constituents than my counterparts at other institutions would. However, the fact that I must consider the identity and needs of each institution means that the missions of the institutions are always at the forefront of decision-making. I find that decisionmaking in a coordinate relationship is more deliberate. If a relationship is cooperative, it suggests that the partnership is optional. However, our relationship is coordinate, because the partnership is necessary. Thus, we remain mindful of our partnership in our decision-making, because the partnership enables us to fulfill both of our missions for the benefit of our students. And that’s how we make this work.
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| GR G EG SKOOG (SJ SJU U ’8 ’ 9) 9
Defining “shared future, sustainable future” at Saint Ben’s centers on our community. With whom will we share our future? And how will these relationships sustain us into the future? The strength, wisdom and generosity of our founding order – the sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery – sustain us, as they always have. We will continue to look to their friendship and guidance into our shared future. Our partners at Saint John’s University help us offer a unique liberal arts experience (see article, page 10). Our faculty and staff will play a role in our
future, as we hope we play a role in theirs (see sidebar article, page 21). And certainly we hope to share our future with you, our alumnae. But the group that will continue to have the most impact on our future is our student body. They are our future. Who will they be? Where in the world will they come from?
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will share our future
How will their backgrounds and experiences make our community even better? Falll 2016 Fall Fa 201 0 6 | 199
Keyword: Access The College of Saint Benedict was created to provide access. When the college opened in 1913, access to college education for any woman was by no means assumed. The sisters undertook that challenge because they knew the importance of education and knew that women deserved it no less than men. The college’s foremothers believed that all women deserve an education, no matter their cultural, racial or economic background. In 1938 the sisters put that belief to the test when Kathleen Yanes Waynes ’42 and Gertrude Danavall ’42 – the first two African-American women to matriculate at Saint Ben’s – arrived on campus. The St. Paul chapter of the alumnae association objected. Some alums even threatened to withdraw their support of the college. But S. Claire Lynch ’30 replied with confidence:
“Our obligation to the women we serve today is no less than it was 100 years ago,” says CSB President Mary Dana Hinton. “We owe all of the women we educate a full college education, within and outside of the classroom. Furthermore, not only do we retain our prestige but we enhance it when we live, daily, our Christian and Catholic commitment, condemning all forms of injustice and inequity. Eighty years ago, S. Claire Lynch staked our claim as an inclusive community. Today we need to reclaim that commitment.”
Striving for inclusion Moving forward, as we share our future, it will be important for us to continue to find ways to provide a CSB education to the broadest group of students possible. We must provide pathways of success to students with varying cultural, racial and economic backgrounds.
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Saint Benedict’s professes to be a Catholic college. As such it tries to inculcate and live the teachings of the Church, which condemn racial discrimination as unjust, immoral and unchristian…. We would be failing utterly to abide by Catholic principles were we to reject these young women who are living members of the Mystical Body of Christ…. In conclusion, I can only say that we are even more eager than our alumnae that our college retain its present prestige, but we are certain that our status as a Catholic college will be but improved by an act which is, after all, only outward evidence of our belief in Christian – not to say Catholic principles.
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– S. Claire Lynch, 1938
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Last fall, one in five new entering CSB students came from families with incomes below $50,000, an income level below the total price of attendance at CSB. The median family income for students in the lowest income quintile was just $26,000, equal to only half the comprehensive price of attendance. Nearly three-quarters of all students in the lowest income quintile indicated that neither of their parents had earned a bachelor’s degree. Nearly one in five of the lowest income students reported that neither of their parents had completed high school. In terms of racial diversity, a study of students at the University of Michigan has demonstrated that “white students who had experienced diversity in classrooms, events and intergroup dialogues more often than other students who had not experienced such diversity contended that difference is not inevitably divisive but instead can be congenial to democracy.” The work of inclusion must be comprehensive. It demands that we look at multiple dimensions and perspectives when we think about our campus and the students we serve. Economic diversity is a key consideration. So are race and ethnicity. But it’s not enough to simply look at these easily identifiable or quantifiable metrics. If we commit to all having a voice in our community then it is essential that we think through the variety of people we serve and what they add to, and expect from, our community.
“Will I fit in?” Access and inclusion mean more than finding, recruiting and providing a place. We must focus on ensuring that every student at the College of Saint Benedict feels as if this is her home; that she belongs; that she has a voice; that she has a right to be here and a right to the full education we offer. Inclusion does not mean just adding more students from a variety of demographic groups or economic levels. It means being willing to be transformed by the students who comprise our community. And in order for that to happen, all students must be able to confidently answer yes to one very important question: Will I fit in? “At the heart of this question and the accompanying anxiety is a very simple
and very human concern: Can I be myself and will that be enough?” says President Hinton. Our challenge, therefore, is to create an environment that supports all young women who enter our community. Inside and outside of classrooms,
Where we find barriers to inclusion in our communities, we must work together to dismantle them while we actively construct new ways of living with and learning from each other. “We have a tremendous opportunity” concludes President Hinton, “to work
“
At the heart of this question and the accompanying anxiety is a very simple and very human concern: Can I be myself and will that be enough?
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students must be provided the resources and support to pursue and achieve excellence. The College of Saint Benedict must always be a place where open and respectful dialogue enables us to be truly ourselves and to feel welcomed.
together. To ensure all feel welcomed, feel at home and feel that we belong. To let our neighbors know that we see and value them as they are and to ask that they do the same. To not only extend an invitation to community, but to allow the full diversity of our community to enrich and enliven each of us.”
NEVER STOP WORKING TOWARD THE FUTURE Ozzie is the current chair of the CSB/SJU/OSB Association of Retirees, a group composed of Saint Ben’s/Saint John’s faculty, staff and monastics. One of the association’s original purposes was to advocate for retirees keeping a number of key privileges. Retirees now retain… Ozzie Mayers, professor emeritus of English at CSB/SJU, readily admits that not all retirees share his passion for staying engaged with this community. “I’m sure there are faculty and staff members who just want to cut ties and disappear onto a lake somewhere,” he laughs. “But I don’t think that’s the majority. Certainly not in my experience.” As Ozzie sees it, “It’s a credit to Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s that so many retirees feel that they have worked so many years in this community of scholars and administrators and staff and they want to remain somehow connected.” Until fairly recently, there was no official way to do that.
• The option to keep their csbsju.edu email address for life. • Access to fitness facilities. • Discounts at fine arts events on the campuses. • Library privileges.
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These seem like minor things, but they’re major,” claims Ozzie. “Especially library privileges. Retired faculty members continue their reading habits, and it’s exceedingly helpful to have access to the library.
”
Association activities go on at least once a month and range from purely social, like a monthly breakfast at Kay’s Kitchen (“I tell newcomers, if you want any problem solved, come
to this breakfast,” Ozzie says. “There’s an opinion about everything.”), to educational and informative. They’re also engaged each year by the CSB Alumnae Relations office to help out during Reunion. Moving into the future, Ozzie has ambitious visions for the beneficial role the association can play. Perhaps retirees could serve as ambassadors and testimonials for the colleges? “Or, and I’m speaking for myself here,” he continues eagerly, “when there are renovations being done, why not ask one retiree to be on the committee? Someone who has years of experience here in the classrooms and may actually have more time than current faculty and staff members to attend the meetings.” Whatever role the Association of Retirees grows to play, it’s comforting to have them as a presence in our community. We’ve shared our past. It only seems right to be sharing our future. “We might retire,” concludes Ozzie, “but we never leave Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s.” Fallll 2016 Fa 201 0166 | 21
Reunion
Saint Ben’s provided a safe space to grow and access to professors teaching critical thinking to a community of women that ignited a fire in me to work towards women and girls’ health, equality and girl empowerment, and exposure to the Benedictine tradition of community service.”
This year Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s held their firstever fully joint reunion and nearly 1,400 alums gathered to celebrate. Events – both single-institution and joint – were held across both campuses in a weekend that offered something for everyone. It was a great experience and a tradition we’ll continue to share for many reunions to come.
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Mary Winzenburg Uran ’06, Decade Award Winner
Living and breathing the spirit of Saint Ben’s every day with faculty and fellow classmates during the years I was a student here brought to my consciousness an appreciation of what my life would exemplify.” Mary Kay Ketter Carle ’61, Distinguished Alumna Award Winner
There has NEVER been a ‘bad day’ story that began with mimosas and a flash mob. So. You’re welcome for that.” Heather Pieper Olson, Associate Vice President of Institutional Advancement
As you award me, I thank you – all of you here tonight – for I am well aware that I am one of many. I know there are efforts, heroic efforts, you have done to benefit others, over the years, and daily.” Debby Beumer Bradley ’86, Benedictine Service Award Winner
One hundred years from now, may this room be lit with the shining spirits of the Bennies whose educations are a testament to the generosity each of us here tonight has shown toward the College of Saint Benedict.” Kathy Hansen, Vice President of Institutional Advancement
I’ve recently begun saying to people that we don’t have luxury at Saint Ben’s. But we have something far more valuable. We have strength…. We discern what we need and we move forward, setting aside our wants but always knowing that through our diligence, your gifts and support, and the grace of God we will be better and stronger as a result.” Mary Dana Hinton, CSB President
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Reunion
Mary Winzenburg Uran ’06 Decade Award
Debby Beumer Bradley ’86 Benedictine Service Award
When she graduated in 2006 with a double major in political science and communications, Mary Uran hit the ground running – and she hasn’t stopped since. Mary’s background in public health and nutrition, her love of running and her visionary leadership all played key roles as she started the successful Girls on the Run program in the Twin Cities.
By living according to Saint Benedict’s Rule, members of a community like ours cultivate love of God, neighbor and self through listening, worship and balanced, humane living. For Debby Bradley, those early lessons in Benedictine living helped shape a remarkable life of service and caring.
Mary left Minnesota and worked for the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. While there, she helped found the National Attorneys General Training and Research Institute. Along the way though, she began to realize that her true passion was in public health. So she took a sharp turn and returned to Minnesota to complete her master of public health nutrition degree from the University of Minnesota. The international organization of Girls on the Run, which inspires young girls to take charge of their lives, was originally launched in 1996 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Mary took this program to the Twin Cities in spring of 2012, starting as a small grass-roots organization with two sites. Now, Girls on the Run Twin Cities has grown to serve 1,000 girls with more than 60 sites during the spring 2016 season. Mary’s chapter continues to grow and serve increasing numbers of girls throughout the Twin Cities. After having kids, especially a daughter, Mary sees her work with the organization as more important than ever. As the current executive director of Girls on the Run Twin Cities, Mary is proud that she could create her own job and use the things she learned at Saint Ben’s. Saint Ben’s instilled in her the idea of empowering women, and that commitment is work. Outside of Girls on the Run, Mary not only volunteers her time to numerous organizations, she has also helped assist other start-up nonprofits, and she sits on the Minnesota Public Radio Generation Listen Founding Board. Mary’s achievements and impact on the community in her first decade since graduating are inspiring to us all, and we don’t see her slowing down anytime soon. Alumnae of any age and stage can truly look to Mary as a role model and a leader.
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Debby is the chaplain and director of foundation and marketing at St. Crispin Living Community in Red Wing, Minn. There, she has led her team through the development and implementation of a palliative care approach for those with chronic and serious illnesses. As a result, she was nationally recognized by Provider Magazine in 2014 in its article “20 to Watch.” According to Debby, what is vital about palliative care is showing true compassion for the patient, while providing training, when needed, for family and friends. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. She firmly believes that even while a patient is dying, moments of great depth and meaning are possible. She explains: “I feel these people are going through this journey no matter what. The fact that they allow me to be a part of their experience and time is really an honor to me.” Beyond that, Debby has worked for 24 years in the faith formation of young people. She wrote a children’s book series about the Catholic sacraments called “Sophie Wonders.” “I wanted something to tell kids simply how it is,” she says, “like a mom talking to her kids.” She wrote the books she wanted and, years later, found a publisher who agreed to print them just as she’d imagined. In addition, Debby volunteers on the Board at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Red Wing. While there, she developed a video-and-discussionbased program called “Spirit Quest.” The intent of the program, she says, is to help inmates see they are not alone. They don’t have to face the future by themselves. They matter, they are a part of God’s plan and they belong. Debby’s relationship with God brings her deep satisfaction. She has always felt the presence of God as her companion on life’s journey. Her time at Saint Ben’s gave her a Benedictine context with which to express that satisfaction.
Mary Kay Ketter Carle ’61 Distinguished Alumna Award “I never felt that I was ‘smart’ when I was a student at Saint Ben’s, because there were so many bright girls,” recalls Mary Kay. “But the sisters seemed to understand there was more to a person than just their intelligence. And I appreciated that. They were very compassionate, observant and encouraging of my individual talents.” Equipped with the compassion and encouragement she experienced and the intelligence she most certainly possessed, Mary Kay graduated from Saint Ben’s and went on to impact early childhood education and psychotherapy in ways that are still felt today. In her first year out of college, Mary Kay joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corp and taught indigenous children in Alaska. Later in her career she joined a team of educators to develop a pilot program for early childhood/family education and implemented it in the St. Cloud school district. The program was disseminated nationally and became the standard for early childhood programs. Mary Kay and her co-workers helped implement the program in school districts nationwide.
Throughout her career, Mary Kay has had a passion for the advancement of women and children’s issues. In addition to dedicating her time to organizations such as Anna Marie’s Alliance, the Forum of Executive Women and the League of Women Voters, Mary Kay became a regional coordinator for Gather the Women in 2007. Gather the Women is a global network of women and women’s organizations who share a belief that the time is now to activate the incredible power of women’s wisdom worldwide, leading to personal and planetary transformation. As a volunteer through Hands Across the World, Mary Kay teaches English as a second language and computer skills to help immigrants navigate their new American homes. She served as a board member for Childcare Resources and Independent School District 742’s early childhood/family education programs, and as a regional consultant for St. Cloud Area Head Start. Currently Mary Kay is on the advisory board for Saint Benedict’s Monastery and serves as Saint Ben’s class of 1961 representative. Years ago, the sisters of Saint Benedict’s Monastery recognized Mary Kay as a student for more than her GPA. As she puts it, “I really feel that they honored me as a unique individual, and I think that has helped me to honor myself for the person I am today.”
1946
Class of
Mary Kay went on to earn her master’s degree from St. Cloud State University and obtain her Minnesota license as an independent clinical social worker and marriage and family therapist. In 1974, she and her husband Dan (SJU ’61) founded the first privately licensed Rule 29 mental health clinic in St. Cloud. Rule 29 establishes standards for community mental health centers and clinics in Minnesota. Their Center for Family Counseling grew to include 15 psychotherapists, and Mary Kay and Dan went on to pioneer clinical methods in family therapy and the use of a one-way mirror when working with parents and children.
“My husband Bob and I had such deep affection for CSB/SJU that, through the years, we rarely missed our annual pilgrimage to Minnesota to talk with the sisters and the priests who were our teachers and our forever friends. Not only that, but Saint Ben’s also introduced me to Donna, who has been my best friend and confidante for more than 70 years. These relationships are what Saint Ben’s and Saint John’s have meant to me.” Lois LeVasseur Liners ’46 (shown here [center] with friends Donna Coyne Rajkowski ’46 [left] and Betty Gray Moriarity ’46 [right])
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CORIE DUMDIE BARRY ’97 “I had such a foundation.”
BY | MIKE KILLEEN
Not long after Corie Dumdie Barry ’97 was named chief financial officer (CFO) at Best Buy Company, she decided to do a quick “audit” of the top 1,000 companies in America. The 1997 College of Saint Benedict graduate was curious how many of those companies had female CFOs. I didn’t want to be a female CFO to prove a point,” Corie says. “It was more like an afterthought that I looked at it, because I felt like I had such a foundation that was built (at CSB), and I continue to bring that passion with me around what women can do in both the working world and obviously lots of other areas, too.
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“But I think I wouldn’t discount – and never will – having that as my starting point,” Corie says. “I think that brought me a level of intestinal fortitude that was very different. There was something really important for me going to an all-women’s school and having it juxtaposed with so many of my classes being co-ed in nature.
“I got this amazing ability to really focus on women’s leadership and women’s issues, but at the same time I had this balance with discussions on an average day that included both men and women. It jolted me, and it gave me a great deal of confidence and passion around this idea that you really, as a woman, can do anything.”
financial outcomes. So, I actually spend a great deal of my time learning about and understanding how the business works, and then try to think about how we could construct the business differently and deliver the best financial outcome for the shareholders.
“I got this amazing ability to really focus on women’s leadership and women’s issues, but at the same time I had this balance with discussions on an average day that included both men and women. It jolted me, and it gave me a great deal of confidence and passion around this idea that you really, as a woman, can do anything.”
“Sharon said that to me early in my career, and now I can feel that weight. The shareholder is constantly on my shoulder. Every decision that we make as a leadership team I’m trying to think about that constituency above all others. It’s my job to be the constant voice of how to think about the shareholder and ultimately our employees and all of our own engagement in the financial returns of the company,” Corie says. Surprisingly, not long ago she would never have dreamt about the financial returns of a company. When Corie came to CSB in the fall of 1993, she wanted to be a chemical engineering major and complete the Honors program. “I loved the subject matter, and I did well at it,” she remembers. “I loved my professors, obviously, like everybody does. But it wasn’t clicking for me. You get a feel pretty quickly for, the majority of your life is going to be focused in a way that doesn’t feel like it fits, which was really hard for me. Being a high achiever, it was hard to think about giving up on this thing.” Not sure what way to go, she turned to her first-year symposium teacher, Ernie Diedrich, professor emeritus of economics at CSB and SJU. “I can say that Ernie was life-changing for me,” Corie asserts. “I just sat down with him and said, ’Oh my goodness, am I a failure? Where do I go from here?’ He did a nice job of just kind of coaxing out of me, ’What is it you actually like to do? In your first year, what resonated with you?’
Corie assumed her new post on June 14 after working with the company in various financial roles since 1999. As CFO, she oversees audits and closing the books among other duties and replaced Sharon McCollam, who retired from the position.
“I just realized that the things I liked were very math-based, very linear, very ... they had an answer. I was really drawn to that world. And he said, ’You may want to try an accounting class. What’s the worst thing that could happen?’ It is a skill set, and one of the things a liberal arts education opens up for you is pursuing things you might not otherwise do.
“My personal belief – and I learned this from Sharon – I think the best CFOs are very operational in nature,” says Corie. “There are CFOs who try to deeply understand the business, and then can translate that into
“That really freed me up to think differently about how I was going to pursue my education. I thought, Well, I will take an accounting class and see what I think, and sure enough, I loved it.”
THE NEW CFO
A SWITCH TO ACCOUNTING Her first accounting class was with Lucy Larson, professor emerita of accounting at CSB and SJU. “Just a cool, laid-back accounting professor,” Corie says. “There were four people that were really instrumental in my life and my life at Best Buy, and Lucy was absolutely one of them.” Following her graduation with degrees in accounting and business administration, Corie spent two years as a public accountant at Deloitte and Touche, one of the “Big Four” accounting firms. “The truth is, I didn’t come to Best Buy because I loved retail, or I loved CDs,” explains Corie. “I interviewed with a woman named Anne Loughrey. I wanted to go work for Anne. I thought in my mind, coming from Saint Ben’s, here’s a woman who’s finding her way in a pretty typically male-dominated industry, she’s in a pretty high position in the company and she seems interested in helping me advance my career and do things in my career. That was incredibly appealing, and then the company was cool, too.” Corie says that the liberal arts have helped her in two ways. “You spend a disproportionate amount of time learning how to speak softly, crisply and then how to write in a way that takes a myriad of complex things and starts to make them simple. That is my day in a nutshell. I don’t think people give enough credit to practicing how to speak and how you write and being very thoughtful about that. “The second piece – and it ties right in – is critical thinking.... That idea of pushing yourself to think in a really different way about subjects you never would touch otherwise, that for me has come to life more often than anything else,” Corie says. “And, that wellrounded ability to think around the edges of things, to see the world from other people’s perspectives, to open yourself up to listening how someone else sees the world, those are the skills I use more often. “Yes, baseline accounting knowledge is super important. You’ve got to have the basics. But especially as you progress your career, it looks a little less about your technical skills and a lot more about some of those other skills for which a liberal arts education sets an amazing groundwork.”
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1996
MILESTONES 1977
2002
Linda Davis is the provost in the ministry of education and culture at the College of the Bahamas in Nassau, Bahamas.
Susan Olson Sivongsay completed her M.A. in education at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, April ’16.
Mary Henry is retired from being the director of Mt. Hood Cable Regulatory Commission & Office for Community Technology. She is now manager of the city of Portland in Portland, Ore.
1982
1985
Amy Erickson Ledda authored the children’s book Kitty Cats in Rome, Off to School We Go! (CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform), Oct. ’15.
2003
Ginny Sawyer Contreras received her MFA in creative writing from Augsburg College, April ’16.
2004
Sonja Nyberg recently opened her own law firm, Metzger & Nyberg, LLC in Minneapolis. Sonja practices in the areas of divorce, custody and general family law.
2006
Carly Anderson Alexander completed an M.A. in clinical counseling at Argosy University and is currently working as a doctoral psychology intern-child track at Canvas Health in Minneapolis. She has accepted a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, and will be returning to the Pediatric Neuropsychology Clinic for two years beginning Sept. ’16.
’96
Kathy Wentz Bartemes received her Ph.D. in immunology from the Mayo Graduate School in Rochester, Minn., May ’16. She is a research fellow at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.
KIMBERLY IBS SKANSON IT executive at Cargill, was recognized as one of the “Top Women in Technology” by Internet.Frontier for her leadership, innovations and contributions to the technology industry in May ’16.
LuAnn Mushel Jarvis was Employee of the Month at the Little Falls Area Chamber of Commerce in Nov. ’15. She has worked for Morrison County Veteran’s Social Services for almost 11 years.
1997
1986
Andrea Carlson Mayeux is a sports reporter for WSAW-TV in Wausau, Wis.
TRACEY KIESER MCGUINN was recognized by Mpls.St. Paul Magazine as a 2016 “Top Doctor Rising Stars.” The list highlights outstanding physicians who have been fully licensed to practice for approximately 10 years or less and who were selected after a peer-nomination process. This is the second year that the magazine has recognized her for her role as a pediatric physician.
Chelsea Cohrs McAlexander is a musculoskeletal specialty manager at Sanofi in Minneapolis.
2007
’97
’86
Corie Dumdie Barry was named Best Buy’s chief financial officer in June ’16.
MICHELLE LELWICA authored The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers Behind Women’s Obsession With Food and Weight (Gürze Books, Dec. ’09). She was featured in an interview with Kerri Miller on MPR in June ’16, and discussed this book, as well as a new book to be released in 2017.
1987
Annette Franta is the CFO at Mountain Family Health Center in Glenwood Springs, Colo.
1992
Pamela Fiedler Gierke is the CFO for Glacial Lakes Ag Management, LLC in Villard, Minn. Susan Pfarr Prom is a marketing manager and customer service for the Voyageur Brewing Company and is also the owner and operator of Voyageur Canoe Outfitters in Grand Marais, Minn.
BC
2000
Bridget Nuhring Faber was appointed to a three-year term on the CentraCare Clinic Board of Directors, July ’16.
2001
Cherene Powell Crable was awarded the Luminary Award by the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association and was honored at their Woman of the Year event in May ’16. The Luminary Award recognizes excellence in bar association communications by honoring outstanding projects of the past year. Anne Dotson Doepner was promoted as the director of football administration for the Minnesota Vikings, July ’16.
2002
Dana Kelly Fitzpatrick is a principal at GO Intellectual Capital in Seattle, Wash.
Maria Hileman was nominated for the Advertising Federation of Minnesota’s 2016 “32 under 32”. Shannon Scully is the program associate for the Vera Institute of Justice in Washington, D.C.
2008
Kaelly Simpson Farnham received North Bay Business Journal’s 2016 Women in Business award for her work as a marketing programs manager at Keysight Technologies in Santa Rosa, Calif., June ’16. Janelle Packard Moore was named the swim coach at Rogers High School in Rogers, Minn., June ’16.
2009
Emily Dahm is a partner attorney for Dahm & Wargo, LLP in Oakland, Calif.
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.
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Theresa Galles is a community manager for Wayki Trek in Cusco, Peru.
Bridget McLoone Deering is a client delivery manager for Learn to Live in Minneapolis. Hannah Westre-Sanyang received her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. She is now a pediatric nurse practitioner at Children’s Hospital in Minneapolis.
2010
Anna Berg received an M.A. in addictions counseling through the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies in Center City, Minn., May ’16. Anna now is a youth counselor at Arlington House Shelter in St. Paul. Allandra-Marie McEachrane is a clinical mental health counselor for St. Mark’s Institute for Mental Health/UNITAS in New York City, N.Y. Megan Koenig Schroeder completed her doctorate of nursing practice at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, May ’16. She is a nurse practitioner at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
2010
2011
Ashley Ver Burg Soukup was named a Forté Fellow by the University of Minnesota Carlson School of Business.
2012
Adia Zeman earned an M.S. in higher education administration from St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, Minn., May ’16.
S. Christin Tomy, OP, celebrated her first profession of vows with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in Sinsinawa, Wis., June ’16.
2013
Marie Cherry is a learning center assistant for Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School in Irvine, Calif.
Melissa Balitz was appointed by Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton to be a member of the Mental Illness Task Force, June ’16. The task force will work to identify gaps in the state’s mental health system and propose comprehensive recommendations to design, implement and sustain a continuum of mental health services.
Bridget Deutz was nominated for the Advertising Federation of Minnesota’s 2016 “32 Under 32”. Thelma Gonzalez is a higher education advisor for Education is Freedom in Dallas, Texas.
Brita Thielen graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a master’s degree in English literature, May ’16. This fall, she will begin the English literature doctoral program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
2012
was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to be an English teaching assistant in Malaysia, Spring ’16. Joslyn Brugh is an emergency RN for Nebraska Methodist Hospital in Omaha, Neb.
Margaret Peterson earned her master of science in mechanical engineering from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, May ’15 and is a mechanical design engineer at P2S Engineering, Inc. in Redondo Beach, Calif.
Marie Boo is a sports physical therapist at Texas Health Resources in Fort Worth, Texas.
Ellory Eggermont Roske is a retreat coordinator at Youth Frontiers in St. Louis Park, Minn., and a substitute paraprofessional for Teachers on Call in Minneapolis.
JILLIAN ANDRESEN
Ellen Newkirk is a third-grade teacher at St. Ann’s School, Chicago, Ill., Aug. ’16.
Emily Bina is a creative executive for Katie Couric Media in New York City, N.Y.
Caitlin Brutger is a piano instructor at WIRTH Center for the Performing Arts in St. Cloud, Minn., Aug. ’16.
’15
Kia Lor is an Intercultural Fellow for Student Affairs for the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania.
Katrina Deal Ball is an operations officer at CML Offshore Recruitment in Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands.
Kaitlyn Brown is a program manager for Amazon in Minneapolis.
2015
2014
Anika Chowdhury is an associate director of residential life at the Asian University for Women in Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Laura Fox Hall is an executive assistant/ project coordinator for St. Cloud Times in St. Cloud, Minn. Elizabeth Hansen works in software quality assurance for Epic in Verona, Wis.
2016
Alyssa Finnesgard graduated with a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Gonzaga University in Spokane, Wash., May ’16.
Diana Elhard was granted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to teach in Turkey, Spring ’16. Melissa Vang was granted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to teach in Thailand, Spring ’16.
Stella Fredrickson received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to teach English in Greece for the 2015-16 academic year. She is now an ESL teacher at Willmar Senior High School, Willmar, Minn.
Khadija Fernandez is an environmental technician for Caribbean Development Company, Ltd. in Trinidad and Tobago. Rebecca Franklin completed an M.B.A. from Augsburg College in Minneapolis, April ’16. Mikala Foehrenbacher Gaffke graduated with her doctor of dental surgery degree from Marquette University, May ’16. Bethany Hanson earned her J.D. from the University of St. Thomas School of Law, May ’16. Aimee Hein graduated from Boston College School of Theology & Ministry with a master’s in theological studies, May ’16. She will begin work on her Ph.D. in theological ethics at Boston College in Sept. ’16. Katee Rotty earned her doctor of dental surgery degree from the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry, May ’16. She is now an associate at Hebert Dental in Eau Claire, Wis. Laura Shrode earned a master of divinity from St. John’s University, School of Theology & Seminary, in Collegeville, Minn., May ’16.
’14
’16
GRETCHEN HUGHES
MICAYLA WESTENDORF
was awarded a Fulbright teaching scholarship to be an English teaching assistant in Taiwan, Spring ’16.
was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army after completing the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps program, Aug. ’16.
Katie Schwab earned a master’s in human performance from the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse, May ’16. Christa Troup received her nonprofit management certificate from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, May ’16. Julie Zaborowski completed an M.A. in heritage management policy & education from Maastricht University in the Netherlands, May ’16.
Mai Tong Yang was granted a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant award to teach in South Korea, Spring ’16.
MARRIAGES 1998 1999 2006
Jolene Pasch to James Crosby, June ’15 Amy Hertel to Matt Buckley, Dec. ’15 Sarah Arntson to Adam Wood, Sept. ’15 Heidi Schultz to Christian Burres, Nov. ’16
Fall 2016 | 29
2007
’07
SUZANNE GOOSSENS TO THOMAS BARRY ’07, APRIL ’16 Sara Skrbec to Nick Gabriel, Oct. ’15
2008
Stephanie Deter to Kevin Crane ’08, Aug. ’16
Sultans of String Friday, October 28 @ 7:30pm Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU Mercy Killers Thursday, November 10 @ 7:30pm Friday, November 11 @ 7:30pm Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU Blind Boys of Alabama Saturday, December 3 @ 7:30pm Escher Auditorium, CSB
’08
Manual Cinema Ada/Ava Saturday, January 21 @ 7:30pm Stephen B. Humphrey Theater, SJU
WHITNEY WALKER TO ALEX BRIGGS, FEB. ’16
Keep the connections alive at facebook.com/SaintBensAlums 30 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
WWW.CSBSJU.EDU/WOW
2009
Molly Bodeker to Jason Johannes ’09, Dec. ’15
2015
Renae Bartusch to Andrew Zabel, Sept. ’15
2000
Margo Bassett & Andy Dvoracek ’00, girl, Lane, Jan. ’16
2002
Anna Brandts to Russell Nagel, June ’15 Cassie Raehsler to Beau Langner, Feb. ’16 Hannah Westre to Yankuba Sanyang, Jan. ’16
2010
’02
Elizabeth Carroll-Anderson to Patrick Twohy ’11, Feb. ’16 Jessica Najarian to Eric Bell ’10, May ’15
EDEN CONTARDO BOYER & SETH BOYER ’02, GIRL, HAVALYNN, MAY ’16
’15
2011
LAURA FOX TO BRENNAN HALL ’15, JULY ’16
Sarah Madge Carey & Mike Carey ’02, boy, John, May ’15 Mary Joyce Houghton & Joe Houghton ’02, boy, Tommy, May ’16
Elizabeth Ringle to Michael Benson ’15, July ’16
2016
’11
’16
SHELBY WEISEN TO ROBIN SWINGLEY ’15, AUG. ’16
MEGAN BENNETT TO BENNETT VATHING ’11, JAN. ’16
Calleigh Brown to Lucas Kennedy ’12, June ’16 Elizabeth Humbert to Ryan Beckman ’11, July ’16 Bridget Saladin to Aaron McMinn, June ’16 Amber Wortz to Travis Seitzinger, Sept. ’15
2012
’02
MELISSA PERKINS GLANCY & BRIAN GLANCY, BOY, BOWEN, MAY ’16
BIRTHS 1996
Kay Kofstad Bruni & David Bruni ’96, boy, Donovan, March ’16
1997
Jenny Palubicki Reyes & Michael Reyes, girl, Katherine, Feb. ’16
1999
Sarah Spitzmueller Stremcha & Jesse Stremcha ’99, boy, Lowell, May ’16
Megan Boll to Jim Foley ’12, July ’16
Katie Vandendriessche Cass & Mike Cass ’02, boy, Connor, May ’16 Kathleen Misukanis Pan & Jeff Pan, twin boys, Cullen & Connor, Sept. ’15
2003
Anna Martin to Pete Larson ’08, Aug. ’16
Alicia Bossen Peterson & Kurt Peterson, boy, Ezra, May ’16
Emily Sherlock to Thomas Purnell ’11, Oct. ’15
2004
Kristin Wegner to Kyle Stasica ’12, Nov. ’15
2013
Kayelee Gill to Jack Freeman ’11, Aug. ’16
’99
Breann Kluck to Johnny Butts, June ’16
2014
BreAnna Ahrenholz to Eric Dirkes ’12, June ’16
SHANNON SHIMOTA HANLON & STEVE HANLON, BOY, LOUIS, FEB. ’16
Brianna Blatzheim to Adam Kunkel ’14, July ’16 Alexandra Brancale to Andrew Larson ’11, June ’16 Emily Roberts to Jay Roane ’14, Aug. ’16 Shelby Spinner to James Wittenborg ’14, July ’16 Alul Tulu Yesak to Joseph Nelson ’14, July ’16
Stacy Roers Irmen & Christopher Irmen, girl, Mia, March ’16
Carol Rueckert Hill & Richard Hill, girl, Rosie, Nov. ’14
2000
Heidi Sunderman Schloe & Brent Schloe ’00, boy, Harrison, May ’16 Teresa Kerres Schicker & Nick Schicker ’01, boy, Lucas, April ’16
Kathy Wenker Gilk & Steven Gilk ’04, boy, Andrew, April ’16 Alissa Keene Theis & Joshua Theis ’04, boy, Sullivan, June ’16
2005
Sarah Kopischke Ashton & Justin Ashton, twins, Ivy (girl), Owen (boy), Feb. ’16. Lindsay Fredeen Ebeling & Erik Ebeling, boy, Mason, Nov. ’14 Melissa Johnson Hammer & Aaron Hammer, girl, Olivia, May ’16 Brooke Baxley LaTour & Eric LaTour, boy, Elijah, Nov. ’15 Sarah Paoletti Hookman & Nate Hookman, boy, Miles, May ’16 Rachael Marruffo Able & Jesse Able, girl, Sophia, Jan. ’15
Fall 2016 | 31
2006
2009
Erica Hanson Winegar & Nick Winegar ’09, boy, Garrett, April ’16 Kaitlin Cloud Thompson & Michael Thompson ’09, girl, Grace, April ’15 Brittany Boll Elsen & Nicholas Elsen, boy, Oliver, May ’16 Kimberly Watkins Lutz & Jason Lutz ’10, boy, Logan, May ’15 Ashley Preusse Roelike & Christopher Roelike, boy, Grayson, Feb. ’16
’06
MEGHAN DEICHERT JOHNSON & ANDREW JOHNSON ’06, GIRL, BRYNN, FEB. ’16
Ashley Seipp Frick & Theunis Frick, girl, Annabell, Feb. ’15 Sarah Jepperson Harvey & Jonathan Harvey, girl, Anna, Feb. ’16
2010
Jessica Najarian-Bell & Eric Bell ’10, girl, Charlotte, April ’16 Michelle Christen Salzbrun & Jason Salzbrun, girl, Madison, April ’16 Marita Vievering Schmitz & Joshua Schmitz, boy, Michael, May ’16
1943 1944 1946
Betty Schorey Adkins, April ’16
1947 1948
Elizabeth Joanne Willette, Sept. ’14
Jeanette Botz Wander, May ’16 Robert Liners ’49, spouse of Lois LeVasseur Liners, father of Mary Liners Schuett ’75, May ’16
Eileen Tuomela, Nov. ’15 Jean Wirtzfeld Johnson, June ’10
1951 1952 1953
Barbara Zezza Smrdel, July ’16 Joanne Heaton Willette, Sept. ’14 Kevin Gaffney, spouse of Mary Jane Povolny Gaffney, father of Anne Gaffney-Iehl ’85, April ’16 Rosemary Keane Wilke, April ’16
1955 1958 1959
Jule Olson Hazard, July ’16 Diane Schirmers Lehn, June ’16 Amelia Reibestein Deglman, Sept. ’14 Roman Pumper, spouse of Carol Coyne Pumper, June ’16 Fred McCormick, spouse of Eileen Torborg McCormick, Aug. ’16
1961
’06
Mary Kay Hendrickson Skjolsvik, April ’16
SARAH SPAANEM FOEHRENBACHER & MATT FOEHRENBACHER ’06, BOY, MILES, APRIL ’16
’10
Erin Zrust Quinn & Casey Quinn, boy, Thomas, Nov. ’15
ANNA-LISA RUSTAD DEVAAN & BRADY DEVAAN ’10, GIRL, IVY, APRIL ’16
Brittany Klang Kalmi & Patrick Kalmi ’06, boy, Marcus, May ’16 Jennifer Buboltz O’Fallon & Timothy O’Fallon, girl, Leah, June ’16
2007
2008
Karla Schaefer Wocken & Philip Wocken, boy, Rowan, July ’16
Emily Binsfeld Anderson & Kyle Anderson, girl, Haddie, Feb. ’16 Larissa Ranvek Biscoe & David Biscoe, boy, Bennett, May. ’16
Abigail Hoffman Wendt & Nick Wendt, girl, Krew, July ’16
Meggan Johnson Thole & Nathan Thole, girl, Lily, June ’16
Kirsten Van Loh Ehresmann & Phillip Ehresmann, girl, Katja, Feb. ’16
Kendra Zapzalka Posch & Max Posch, boy, Beckett, July ’16
Leslie Rau Kirscht & Daniel Kirscht ’09, girl, Sarah, April ’16
2011
Devin Bowlin Drager & Dusty Drager, boy, James, June ’16
Sabrina Walter Edens & Matt Edens, twin girls, Lucy & Harriet, Oct. ’15
2012
Michelle Peltz Hoffmann & Jason Hoffmann ’08, girl, Clara, May ’16
Emily Johanneck Meyer & Craig Meyer, boy, Evan, July ’16
2013
Ashley Louwagie Graven & Keith Graven, girl, Raftyn, June ’16
Sarah Hoffer LeBeau & Ryan LeBeau, boy, Griffin, Jan. ’16
2014
Colleen Kennedy Kanan & Amed Kanan, girl, Layla, April ’16
Sarah Skytte Rothstein & Dave Rothstein ’08, girl, Brooklyn, June ’15 Nikki Bender DeLisi & Peter DeLisi, boy, James, May ’16 Amanda Broman Weigel & Jason Weigel ’08, girl, Addison, Aug. ’16
2009
Catherine Desalvo Miller & Trent Miller ’09, girl, Nora, Sept. ’15
32 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
Mary Gans Middleton, April ’16
1963
Tom Thein ’63, spouse of Margaret Hermanson Thein, father of Molly Thein Foster ’92, April ’16
1967
Margaret “Chiz” Chisholm Rand, March ’16. Anne Miesen Grimm, July ’16
1969
James Balcom, spouse of Sharon Terhaar Balcom, July ’16 Marvin Hicks, spouse of Margaret Schaack Hicks, March ’16
1970
Julia Zehnle, April ’16
Patricia Kolb Gunderson, May ’16
Arthur Jacobson, father of Barbara Jacobson & Mary Jacobson Rengel ’74, Aug. ’08 Ella Mae Jacobson, mother of Barbara Jacobson & Mary Jacobson Rengel ’74, July ’16 Marie Korf, mother of Mary Ellen Korf Simon, Irene Korf ’78 & Dolores Korf ’82, Aug. ’16
1975
Anna Hackett, mother of Mary Hackett Wadsworth, Patricia Hackett ’77 & Margaret Hackett Mereness ’79, June ’16 Jack Mayala, spouse of Lucy Lang, June ’16 Mary Kay Phillips, July ’16
1976
Cletus Franta, father of Diane Franta Reitter, Carol Franta Hagberg ’78, Jane Franta Scully ’80, Annette Franta ’87, Jan. ’16
1977
MaryLee Pawlyk, June ’16
Bernadean Best Kowalski, May ’16 Orel Marie Hublou Nicklawsky, April ’16
Isabel Kunkel, mother of Katherine Kunkel & Susan Kunkel Klein ’74, June ’16 Margaret “Marge” Gruenes, April ’16
1971
DEATHS 1938 1940 1942
Georgia Maurine, mother of Suzanne Maurine Balzer, May ’16
1977
Rodney Stumvoll, father of Debbie Stumvoll, Sandra Stumvoll Anderson ’78, May ’16
1987
Paul Hjelmberg, spouse of Joyce Hunstiger Hjelmberg, Aug. ’16
1979
Patricia Ann Duffy, mother of Marianne Duffy Petron, June ’16
1988
Shirley Kaiser, mother of Carol Kaiser Brockman, June ’16
1980
Gene Fox, father of Mary Fox O’Boyle, April ’16
1990
Monico Renteria, father of Marie Renteria Hanna, April ’16
1982
Gerard Frawley, father of Kathleen Frawley Huyck, May ’16 Richard Harkwell, father of Cynthia Harkwell-Clark & Mary Harkwell Prosser ’84, June ’16 Rosemary Lundberg, mother of Betsy Lundberg Quigley, June ’15
1983
1991
1993
Patricia Kerber, mother of Connie Kerber Splett, April ’16
1986
Bruce McDonell, father of Martha McDonell, June ’16 Michael Shubat, spouse of Laura Friske Shubat, June ’16
1996
Arthur Middendorf, father of Joyce Middendorf Knoblauch, May ’16 Jeanette Hiemenz, mother of Holly Hiemenz Sonntag & Heidi Hiemenz Schaefer ’99, April ’16
Arthur Sousa, father of Maria Sousa Leffler, June ’16
John Trueman, father of Nicole Trueman, Aug. ’16
1999
1994
1995
John Papeleux, father of Kelly Papeleux Moeding, June ’16 Ronald Lane, father of Maria LaNaveJohnson, May ’16.
Lucy Hentges, mother of Stephanie Hentges Grant, May ’16
2001
James Loch, spouse of Kimberly Zirbes Loch, July ’16
Paul Mayers, father of Julie Mayers Benson, April ’16
2002
Alexandra Hunz-Ortman, mother of Andrea Hunz-Halliday, April ’16
Charles Nytes, father of Debra Nytes, Aug. ’16
Krista Thompson Stock, April ’12
Judith Hoofnagle, mother of Cindi Hoofnagle Gilmore, Aug. ’16
Michael Brum, father of Megan Brum Ceballos, June ’16 Steven Worm, father of Jaclyn Worm Pieper, July ’16
VanKieu Dang, mother of Rose AuYeung, July ’16
2003 2004
Antonette Groschen, mother of Corinne Groschen White & Florence Groschen Harris ’93, April ’16 Vincent Wegscheid, father of Beth Wegscheid Gaetz, April ’16
Howard Abbott, father of Elizabeth Abbott Kirchner, May ’16
1984
Shirley Dominik, mother of Susan Dominik Crowell, Emily Dominik Heimerl ’88, Julie Dominik ’91 & Joann Dominik Richardson ’92, June ’16
Seraphine Hagen, mother of Amy Hagen Simpkins, Aug. ’16
Casimir Jarocki, father of Janice Jarocki Terry, April ’16
Jack Hooley, father of Shannon Hooley Enright, July ’16
William Radzwill, father of Kathryn Radzwill Manninen, April ’16
Duane P. Goossen, father of Sharon Goossen Munter, May ’16
Richard Lind, father of Kathy Lind Caudill, April ’16 Andrew Howard, son of Julianne Jirele Holst, April ’16
1995
Dolores Kippley, mother of Sandy Kippley Warzecka, Rayann Kippley Davis ’90, April ’16
Margaret Lahti, mother of Teresa Lahti, Ann Lahti Larson ’85, March ’16
1981
Albert Koenig, father of Elisabeth Koenig Sweeney, May ’16
Lyle Shea, father of Erin Shea, April ’16 Bernard Holzer, father of Angela Holzer Bachmann, April ’16 Karen Becker, mother of Christine Becker, July ’16
2005
Charles Schwartz, father of Jessica Schwartz Verding, June ’16
Bruce Jeske, father of Danielle Jeske Anderson, April ’16 Sybil Lois Feliciano, daughter of Meghan Marrinan Feliciano, June ’16
Charles Shambarger, father of Amy Shambarger, April ’16
2008
Beverlee Gimler, mother of Cassie Gimler Darsow, April ’16
Robert Barry, father of Christine Barry, Aug. ’16
2010
Patricia Wessels, mother of Tara Wessels, May ’16
Gerald Gladieux, father of Lori Gladieux Haarstad, May ’16
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?
WHERE WHERE ERE ARE AR ARE THEY THEY HE NOW NOW OW
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?
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
Make plans now to bring them to campus. 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
Fall 2016 | 33
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.
34 | 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.
making sure our community represents a range of voices and perspectives. The voice currently receiving that scholarship belongs to Emma Bonglack ’17, who immigrated to Minnesota with her family from Cameroon when she was 12. Emma is a highly accomplished biology major who spent this past summer working for the FDA in St. Louis, Missouri, as an ORISE (Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education) Fellow. She spent three months working on breaking down prescription drugs to determine their components in order to allow for generic equivalents. Emma was an outstanding high school student with considerable options. A competitive financial aid offer was a key in getting her to choose Saint Ben’s. “I wanted some place that was going to value me as much as I valued my experience,” she says with a mixture of confidence and gratitude. Louise’s scholarship has been an important part of that financial aid package. Last spring, the two happened to meet while Louise was on campus for a Celebrating Scholarship and Creativity Day event. It was a simple encounter but, for both, it has confirmed some convictions.
Determined Bennies Louise Muggli has been giving to Saint Ben’s for some time now. For years she was a contributor to the Class of ’64 Scholarship Fund (along with many of her classmates). But a few years ago, Senior Development Officer Anne Walters ’02 began talking with her about doing something different. “Anne explained that by funding a scholarship of my own, I could help an individual student,” she recalls. “I could set some parameters and CSB would help sort out a deserving candidate.” Imagining those parameters proved to be so much fun that Louise couldn’t
settle on just one set. That’s why she’s currently funding two scholarships at Saint Ben’s. The first is directed toward students studying nursing. “My career has been mostly in the healthcare industry,” explains Louise, “so that’s been very important to me.” The other is the Louise Muggli ’64 Scholarship for Determined Bennies – directed toward first-generation students from immigrant families, primarily from Africa. “I just feel it’s so important to be supporting refugees and immigrants and first-generation college students. Growing up in a small town in Minnesota, diversity was not a part of my young experience. But as I’ve grown, it’s added so much to my life.” Louise’s scholarship helps enrich the campus experience of all Bennies by
For her part, Emma now sees her philanthropic future a little more clearly. “There will always be someone who needs it as much or more than me. I like the idea of someday being able to give to someone from a different background or culture; preferably in the sciences.” Louise, meanwhile, has a better picture of what a Saint Ben’s education means to her. “As impressive as Emma is, the accomplishments are only part of the story. It doesn’t matter to me if someone’s path leads her to be a Nobel Prize winner or a homemaker. As long as her experience is frosted by the Benedictine tradition, there will be a certain look and sense to that woman.”
Your contributions – at any level – can impact today’s Bennies. Please consider a gift today. givecsb.com
Fall 2016 | 35
1
4
1.
Central Minnesota Bennies and Johnnies stopped by the CSB/SJU hospitality area during the St. Cloud Summertime by George! event on July 27. Food, fun and entertainment were had by all. Pictured here are a few of our amazing event volunteers: Maria Stanek Burnham ’01, Leila Utsch, Diane White Ingeman ’73, Rebecca Gross ’12.
2.
Bennies and Johnnies in the Denver area enjoyed a social reception at the Farm House Restaurant at Breckenridge Brewery on June 7. Pictured here are Heather Cherpelis Faase ’06, Noah Faase ’07, Judy Cahill ’72 and Mike Cahill ’71.
3.
Mary Voight ’80 is pictured here with some of the sisters at the Abbey of St. Walburg in Eichstätt, Bavaria (founding monastery of our Saint Ben’s sisters). Mary lived and worked at the abbey, Feb.-May ’16, with 31 Benedictine sisters.
4.
CSB President Mary Hinton and SJU President Michael Hemesath ’81 visited alums, students and friends for a special reception at the Kitchi Gammi Club in Duluth on June 7. Pictured here are our gracious alum hosts, Kris Blakeslee Jarocki ’82 and Jim Jarocki ’80. It was a lovely evening of Bennie and Johnnie fellowship!
5.
Ann Koller ’10, Laura Kinowski Eiden ’10 and Sarah Biro Hawkins ’09 celebrated their friend, Sister Christin Tomy ’10, and her first profession of vows in June ’16 with the Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters in Sinsinawa, Wis.
36 | College of Saint Benedict Magazine
2
3
5
6
6.
Jordon Peltier, Carissa Gaffy-Sandford ’16, David Ilk ’15 and Alexa Juan ’16 watch from the stands as the Twins take on the White Sox during the CSB/SJU Young Alum Night at the Twins on July, 29.
7.
Bennies, Johnnies and their families headed to Target Field on June 2 for CSB/SJU Night at the Twins. CSB president Mary Dana Hinton threw out the first pitch and CSB/SJU joined T.C. Bear in singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” during the seventh inning stretch (pictured here).
8.
CSB/SJU Seattle alums gathered for a fun evening on May 3 at Tavern Hall in Bellevue, Wash. Pictured here are Rich Pletcher ’82 and Terri Hilk Pletcher ’83 with senior development officer, Anne Walters ’02.
9.
Lauren Pehler ’11, Emily Dobesh Roscoe ’11, Anna Burgason Dirkson ’11 and Grace Mevissen ’11 pause for a photo at the 6th annual Young Alum President’s Circle (YAPC) cocktail reception hosted on June 9 at BLVD Kitchen in Minnetonka, Minn. President Hinton spoke to the group of generous young alums and thanked them for their contributions to Saint Ben’s.
10. S. Lois Wedl ’53 and S. Michon Lanners ’67 traveled to Long Prairie in July ’16 for a reunion with some moms of former students from when they both taught there in the early sixties. Back row: S. Lois Wedl ’53, Jane Martens Bodsgard, Jo Zehnle Terwey ’39, Melisa Dick, S. Michon Lanners ’67. Front row: Betty Etzell, Clarice Pfefferle.
7 9
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10 Fall 2016 | 37
PAID TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 93723
INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT 37 South College Avenue St. Joseph, MN 56374 CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
2017
REUNION
COLLEGE OF SAINT BENEDICT | SAINT JOHN’S UNIVERSITY
We look forward to seeing you on
JUNE 23-25, 2017
If your graduation year ends in a 2 or a 7, mark your calendar NOW.
YOUR REUNION IS COMING and you don’t want to miss two campuses full of good friends and good times.
Watch for more information coming soon.