Those wonderful Waidachers - The College of St. Scholastica

T h e
C o l l e g e
o f
S t .
S c h o l a s t i c a
T I MES
Fall 2013
Those
wonderful
Waidachers
2012 / 2013 Annual Report inside
Dear Friend of the College,
In July Anette and I traveled to Tanzania to join St. Scholastica students and faculty members on a service
learning trip. For over a decade the St. Scholastica monastery and our College have had a relationship with
two Benedictine women’s communities in the southern part of the country.
We educate some of their Sisters at no cost, and it is rewarding to see several of these women now back in
their country working in education, health care, and leadership positions in their monasteries. Meanwhile,
every other year a group of our students joins the two communities to help in their work.
The journey was more physically demanding than any other international trip I have taken, with long plane
rides, intermittent electricity, many cold showers, and hundreds of miles in Land Rovers and buses over
very rough roads. But the spectacular countryside, the exotic wildlife, and the beautiful people made it the
trip of a lifetime. Tanzania is the poorest country economically I have visited, but Tanzanians, of whom the
proud Masai warrior seems appropriately emblematic, are a handsome and dignified people, emotionally
capacious and joyful.
The self-sufficiency of the two Benedictine communities reminded me of medieval monasteries: the
Sisters grow their food, make their clothes, and even generate their own hydroelectric and solar energy.
These women face tremendous challenges, but they are smart and resourceful.
They are also doing, day in and day out without fanfare, the work of the Gospel: Taking care of abandoned
orphans, educating village children, caring for the sick. One of the Sisters commented to me that “having
visitors gives us hope, because it means that our work is important.”
I was proud of our students who worked with children in the classroom, with pregnant mothers and AIDS
victims in the clinics, with orphans who crave human warmth and attention. I held one little toddler who,
feeling abandoned again, wailed inconsolably each time I put him down.
Throughout it all, we were shown remarkable hospitality by the Sisters who fed us well, gave us gifts, and
accompanied us everywhere. Arriving or departing these communities is an overwhelming experience,
with scores of nuns dancing, drumming, and singing. You feel loved and cared for.
Tanzania is an overtly religious society where Christians and Muslims co-exist. Dar es Salaam is the first
city I have visited where I could hear the Muslim call to prayer several times a day, even while dodging
“Jesus Saves” taxis choking the roads. And, at least in the Catholic liturgies I joined, there is evidence of
ancient African spirituality that has been channeled into Christian pathways. These nuns rock at mass! You
just cannot stand still.
Our trip offered inspiring evidence of the power of education, especially when joined to the Gospel
message, to do good in our world.
Larry Goodwin, President
Anette Goodwin, lower left, and senior education
major Brea Durovec, upper center, with orphans at
St. Agnes Convent in Chipole, Tanzania.
Nursing faculty member Sister Beverly Raway, right, with
Sister Reginada, medical director of the health center at
St. Gertrude’s Convent in Imiliwaha, Tanzania.
TIMES
Cover story:
The College of St. Scholastica
Sisters Monika, Nina and Isabel
Waidacher come from high in the
Swiss Alps. How high they can take
the Saints women’s hockey program is
anyone’s guess. See page 2.
The St. Scholastica Times magazine
is published for alumni and friends of
The College of St. Scholastica by the
Department of Marketing and
Communications.
c o n t e n t s
EDITOR
•
Bob Ashenmacher
Executive Director of Communications
(218) 723-6075
e-mail: rashenma@css.edu
CONTRIBUTORS
4
Lisa Roseth ’04
Carrie Emslander
6
Assistant Director of Alumni Programs
Jesse Robinson
Director of Athletics Communications
Felicia Shultz
Kristen Saxhaug
Dave Ballard
Ted Weiers
The opinions expressed in this magazine are
those of the writers and persons featured and
not necessarily those of:
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Ave.
Duluth, MN 55811-4199
•
•
•
Finding the phage
Students’ bio research is funded by the Howard Hughes
27
8
Building connections
The College helps TwinPortsConnex take flight
The evolution of Dignitas
The College’s first-year program matures
10
The Well U way
DEPARTMENTS
18
A healthy framework for life
12
From Colombia to College Street
The Neiras’ foundation for success
14
Inclusive excellence
Patricia Pratt-Cook leads the way
16
Getting the word out
A freshman’s legacy regarding mental illness
20
A passionate advocate
Spring sports
A successful season recapped
27
College Advancement
31
Gary Garlie bids farewell
Alumni president
The new Alumni president takes the reigns
32
Class Notes
SPECIAL INSERT
Carol Ann Smith ’78 supports people with traumatic
brain injury
The College of St. Scholastica does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed,
religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation,
disability, age, marital status, status regarding
public assistance, or local commission status in
its programs, procedures and activities.
Identification Statement
Issue No. 48
Nov. 2013
The College of St. Scholastica Times
Published three times a year:
Fall, Spring, Summer
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Avenue
Duluth, MN 55811-4199
College Advancement: (218) 723-6071
•
Medical Institute
Executive Director of Alumni Relations
Sister Joan Marie Stelman
•
FEATURES
Associate Director of Alumni Relations
•
2
8
2012 / 2013 Annual Report
This document is printed on paper certified to the
environmental and social standards of the Forest
Stewardship CouncilTM (FSC®).
The Saints women’s hockey
team opens the season with a
pair of away games in Eau
Claire, WI, followed by its
first home game at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 8, at the Mars
Lakeview Arena.
Monika, Isabel and Nina Waidacher
I
The Swiss Saints
t’s easy to see that the Waidacher sisters
are beloved members of the St. Scholastica
community. On a Tuesday morning a few
weeks into the school year in Storm’s Den,
their conversation is often interrupted by
waves across the cafeteria tables. Fellow
students stop by to greet their friends and
meet the youngest sister in the family,
freshman Isabel.
Why they’re beloved is no surprise either. The Waidacher
jersey has dominated the ice ever since the oldest member
of the family, senior Monika, came to St. Scholastica from
2
their home in Switzerland to play hockey in 2010. Sister
Nina, now a junior, followed the next year. The hat trick
was complete when Isabel joined her older sisters on
campus in September.
“It’s incredibly unusual to have three siblings at the College
at the same time,” said Associate Director of Admissions
Ollie Meyer, “much less three from Switzerland.”
Add to that the fact that they’re all hockey powerhouses,
and it’s a situation unlike any other in the College’s history.
“There’s no question they’re making a tremendous impact
on our program,” said their coach, Jackie MacMillan.
Monika and Nina’s Swiss National team won the bronze
medal in the World Championships, the first medal in
their country’s history, and Monika was a member of the
2010 Olympic Swiss Hockey Team. Both were selected as
members of the first team All-NCHA (Northern Collegiate
Hockey Association). Nina also earned the distinction of
being the first American Hockey Coaches Association AllAmerican in St. Scholastica program history.
When asked about their hopes for the upcoming season,
Nina says without hesitation, “We are going to win
Nationals.” She looks to her sisters, who nod in approval.
“That’s our goal.”
Beyond the accolades and the ambition, these athletes are
most importantly sisters.
Nina and Isabel are quick to tease Monika, or Moni, as
they affectionately call her, for being a few minutes late.
It’s the norm, they say, not letting their big sister get away
with anything. Throughout a conversation, they smile
knowingly at one another, helping Isabel find the right
English word to use when she falters, laughing frequently,
and often conferring rapidly in their native German tongue.
They tease Isi about her “five boyfriends” and emphatically
agree when Moni speaks of their father’s high expectations
for their hockey performance.
sisters don’t think that will happen. Contemplating the
scenario that they all won’t be chosen, they say without
reservation that they will wholeheartedly support the sister
who is.
The road to 1200 Kenwood Ave.
Their journey to become Saints began when they were
young girls, playing hockey on boys’ teams in Arosa,
Switzerland. Each was the only female player on her team.
Monika wore figure skates for her first season and says it
was “way more fun” to play with the boys.
Nina chimes in that the boys were faster and stronger, which
gave she and her sisters the motivation to play even harder.
Isabel, smiling, explains that she liked playing on all-male
teams because “the boys do what the coach tells you,”
while “girls always complain.”
Hockey is a family affair for the Waidachers, who are a
band of ten.
“It is a big tradition in our family,” affirmed their father,
Ludwig. “My father played ice hockey, and I played also.”
In fact, the girls’ five younger brothers also all play hockey.
In their small Swiss mountain village, all kids play hockey
or downhill ski.
Their bond can be both an advantage and a hazard on the
ice. “When we play on the same line together,” Nina says of
she and Moni, “we can speak in our (German) language” –
a competitive edge, since opponents can’t understand what
they’re saying.
Monika says that after she finished school at home, “I
wanted to do something different, and learn English.”
She decided to come to the United States, where she
could continue her studies while also playing hockey, an
opportunity that she wouldn’t have at home.
But their closeness also means they tell each other the hard
truth, moreso than with other teammates.
Ludwig contacted a friend from his own hockey days, Andy
Murray, who is the head coach of the men’s hockey team
at Western Michigan. Murray reached out to St. Scholastica
coach Jackie MacMillan, who arranged a visit for Monika
and Ludwig in June 2010.
“You’re totally honest, you say exactly what you think”
when it’s your sister, Monika says. She admits they’re more
likely to argue and yell at each other than other players.
Their family ties explain a lot, MacMillan says.
“There’s a unique aspect of loyalty that each of these girls
carry, whether that be within their family, to their country,
St. Scholastica, or their teammates. After spending time
with their family, it’s evident this is a trait that the entire
family holds. They might be extremely competitive with
each other, but at the end of the day they’re very supportive
of one another.”
When the conversation turns to hopes for the 2014 Sochi
Olympics, they grow uncharacteristically quiet. MacMillan
sees a strong possibility that all three could play for the
Swiss team, which will be determined in January. The
For Ludwig and his wife Beatrice, the size of both the
College and the city of Duluth made them feel comfortable
about sending their daughter so far from home. “We could
trust that Monika is in good hands at the school and on the
ice hockey team,” he said.
The feeling is mutual, according to Ollie Meyer in
Admissions, who characterizes Ludwig as a terrific man
who cares a lot about his kids. He adds that St. Scholastica’s
strong sense of Benedictine hospitality gave the parents
confidence in sending their girls here.
Monika, Nina, and Isabel “are good students, a great fit for
our community,” he said.
3
Finding the phage
4
Dan Westholm
discusses lab
procedures with
students.
To see Jake Elwood and Jamie
Morrissette discuss their work in
class, go to: css.edu/phage
Students in Dan Westholm’s “Bacteriophage Discovery”
class are uncovering the mystery behind a form of virus,
which could potentially lead to big breakthroughs in the
field of medicine.
Through a competitive grant awarded to St. Scholastica
by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Westholm’s
students are taking an innovative approach to learning
about bacteriophage.
“This is real research,” said Westholm, an assistant
professor of biology. “The phage the students are isolating
have never been isolated before.”
The class is searching for mycobacteriophage, viruses that
interact and kill mycobacteria, a type of bacterium. The
phage, invisible to the naked eye, are known to be widely
present in everyday life. When properly harnessed and
grown in a hospitable environment, they have the potential
to eat away at certain diseases that are harmful to people.
Meanwhile, they are harmless to humans.
Bacteriophage can compromise the infectious cells that
cause tuberculosis, staph infections, bone infections and
skin infections. Utilizing phage to treat these illnesses –
known as phage therapy – is becoming more attractive in
light of antibiotics in some cases losing effectiveness.
Students work in pairs and are given the tools to scoop up
their own phage found in soil around campus, witness the
phage form plaques in a petri dish and watch it grow. It’s
a long-term project that each pair oversees – not a daily
lesson with a lab that follows, like most typical science
classes.
“I really enjoy this class because it’s more like a real-life
science experiment, and it makes me excited about what
I’m going to get to do in the future,” said sophomore Heidi
Nelson.
“Definitely more hands-on,” agreed Jake Elwood, a junior.
“We’re not learning a specific lecture every day,” said
Jamie Morrissette, Elwood’s class partner. “We work at our
own pace to try and isolate our own phage.”
St. Scholastica is the only college in Minnesota, and
one of few in the Upper Midwest, that offers the course.
Just 70 other colleges nationwide are taking on the same
experiment, most of them along the East Coast. The
course is entirely funded by the Howard Hughes Institute,
including all supplies, training, traveling and sequencing of
the phage genome.
St. Scholastica’s application “rose to the top,” said Lucia
Barker, program officer of the Science Education Alliance
at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Chevy Chase, MD.
“This is designed to be a course in which the faculty and
students do research together, and generate publishable
data. And at the same time the students are learning lab
techniques and science… Dan (Westholm) is one of our
most excellent faculty. He really does a great job with this
approach to learning for his students.”
Isolating the phage is only the first lesson in the year-long
project. Students will study the DNA inside each of their
specimens. The class will select one phage from among
all the specimens that will have its genome sequenced at
Virginia Commonwealth University over Christmas break.
In addition, students will take a field trip to the Mayo Clinic
and use the electron microscope facility to take pictures
of the physical structure of their phage; the data will be
compared with other schools nationwide.
During spring semester, the students will analyze and
annotate the mysterious double-helix strand of DNA in the
isolated phage.
“With that big long sequence, we need to find out where the
genes are,” said Westholm. “At this point, we can compare
the genomes to other schools, we can see what genes are
shared, why they are shared, how are they are different.”
In the spring, he and two students will travel to Washington
D.C. to present their data at a nationwide symposium. The
genome sequence will also be published on GenBank,
a searchable database managed and maintained by the
National Institutes of Health.
5
Building
connections…
Rob Karwath, right, and
senior Parker Olson
T
winPortsConnex is helping the Duluth-Superior
community get traction on a problem challenging many of
America’s smaller cities: retaining recent college graduates
and other talented individuals starting their careers.
And St. Scholastica is at the heart of the story.
TPCX had its origins when the Duluth Superior Area
Community Foundation “began to hear rumblings that
young people here were struggling to connect,” said Rob
Karwath, managing director of TPCX. A need emerged for
an organization that would attract and retain talent.
6
The goal was to “provide resources to help young people
stay here if they want to stay here,” Karwath said, while
also “introducing employers to a population that they may
otherwise have a hard time connecting with.”
Students in the College’s BlueStone marketing class mapped
out a website and did foundational conceptual work.
Serving as the incubator for the program’s grant with the
Community Foundation, St. Scholastica was asked to
“shepherd this initiative because of its long history with
college students and graduates, its Benedictine values and
its experience helping build and shape the community,”
said Karwath.
Holly C. Sampson, president of the Duluth Superior Area
Community Foundation, said her organization has a long
history of fruitful partnerships with St. Scholastica. The
TPCX initiative is part of the Community Foundation’s
Attracting and Retaining Young Adults initiative and is
“helping us make progress as a community in keeping our
professionals here,” she said. “It’s not the only reason for
… And benefiting Saints
When Tyler Johnson ’12 first heard about TwinPortsConnex
in a St. Scholastica marketing class, he had no idea it would
lead to the opportunity to design a logo for the decades-old
West Duluth Business Club, and successfully present his
work to a large audience.
Connections are exactly what developed for Johnson, one of
the first college students to become involved with TPCX. He
got an introduction to working in freelance graphic design, a
business he continues today in addition to a full-time position
he has had for a year as Operations/Development Manager at
the Duluth Art Institute.
“It gave me first-hand experience with working with clients,”
he said. “I hadn’t done a lot of that up until then, and then I
took off on my own after that.”
Senior Parker Olson is excited about the internship
opportunity he has this fall to complement his public relations
coursework. It’s with North Coast Communications, of which
Karwath is president and CEO in addition to his work as
leader of TPCX.
“I know that these connections I’m making working with Rob
will help me with whatever I do,” he said.
our good momentum as a community, but clearly it’s an
effective resource.”
Building connections is at the core of the program, which
has mentorship, internship, and career components. For the
mentor aspect, TPCX joined forces with the Duluth Area
Chamber of Commerce’s Fuse Duluth program, which has
a well-established initiative called College Connection.
Andrea Gordon, assistant managing director of TPCX,
explained the hands-on approach: “I meet one-on-one
with anyone who is interested and give them suggestions
as to how they can better prepare to connect within the
community. I’ll help make some introductions on their
behalf and set them up with informational interviews.”
TPCX is an example of how St. Scholastica demonstrates
its Catholic Benedictine value of community, said Sarah
Libbon, executive director of marketing for the College.
“We hope to increase the number of opportunities for
St. Scholastica graduates as well as graduates from
other area colleges and universities who are interested in
pursuing careers in the Twin Ports region,” she said. “The
College already has a strong Career Services department
that provides outstanding support and services to our
students. The goal of TPCX is to partner with Career
Services and other organizations such as Fuse Duluth
to increase and enhance mentoring, networking, and
internship opportunities.”
The non-profit’s financing now comes from the Community
Foundation, the Knight Foundation, the College, and
Minnesota Power. Such broadening support makes it “truly
a community-building effort,” according to Karwath.
7
The Evolution of
The College’s program for
first-year students has a new leader
and a refocused aim
D IGNITAS
Bret Amundson,
who is in his fourth year as the College’s
director of choral activities, now also serves as associate
director of general education. He and Megan Perry-Spears,
dean of students, are working to anchor Dignitas more
firmly in five key elements of St. Scholastica’s mission:
dignity, diversity, Benedictine tradition and values, Catholic
intellectual tradition, and Catholic social teaching.
“The reason I think this job is important is because out of all
of the classes at CSS, this one has the ability to transform
a person,” said Amundson, who taught in Dignitas for
two years before becoming its director. “I wanted to start
teaching in the program because of that. If I can touch
every freshman who comes here and introduce them to
what it means to be a great community based on these key
elements, just think what this school will look like in four
years – a group of people open and engaged in community
building.”
Subject matter experts are responsible for helping the
Dignitas faculty understand and embed the five key
elements into their courses. The faculty attended a
retreat prior to the start of school and will receive regular
reinforcement from the experts throughout the year so they
can successfully examine the five components through the
lenses of their specific course topics.
8
The intensified focus is meant to help further the three
identified program outcomes: accept and value the
challenges and responsibilities involved in being a first-year
college student; reflect on issues from various perspectives;
and make connections with the larger community.
Common elements are incorporated, so that every freshman
is taking part in a common experience at the same time. For
example, the subject matter expert on “dignity” arranged
for all first-year students to attend a lecture by Pulitzer
Prize-winning author Katherine Boo on her experience
with extreme poverty in Mumbai, India.
Students are also required to attend and then reflect on their
“Dignitas helped me to think critically and
learn from my mistakes and my experiences.
There’s value in every new situation, and
there’s something to learn from every person
you meet, book you read, and event you
attend. Because of my involvement with
the Dignitas program, I’m more open to
experiences and opportunities that will take
me places that I would never have imagined
at the start of my college career.”
-Allison Lambert ’13 majored in psychology with
minors in Spanish and organizational behavior.
She works for Target Corp. as an Executive Team
Leader of Logistics in Alexandria, MN.
“I’m an elementary education major, and our
Dignitas program is called Children, Poverty,
and Social Justice. Once a week we volunteer
at an after-school program where we work
with students who need the extra academic
help or have nowhere to go right after school.
This Dignitas program has opened my eyes
to understanding these students, and it makes
me even more excited and prepared for when
I have my own classroom one day.”
-Emily Glomski is a junior in her second year as a
TA mentor in Dignitas.
experiences at five Dignitas labs, which they are able to
choose from a host of options. Each lab experience falls
under one of the umbrellas of the key elements.
“The goal of the labs and common elements is to connect
what students are learning in class to out-of-class
experiences,” Amundson said. “They could be within the
CSS community, the Duluth community, or the worldwide
community.”
“I can’t speak for other Dignitas classes, but
my section gave me some really beautiful
insights. Learning more intimately about
each of the values helped me realize how
each one plays a part in my life and my
education. Dignitas gave me a springboard,
which let me get more involved in diversity
groups. It’s actually made me realize that
social justice is something that I want to
dedicate my life to, and it’s a very large part
of my identity as a student at CSS.”
-Michael Johnson is a sophomore majoring in
English Secondary Education.
Each class also has a peer mentor teaching assistant,
reinforcing the connection to campus for freshmen.
9
The Well
Faculty, staff and students are learning to be good stewards of their
personal health through Well U, a program offered on campus.
Well U is managed through the Student Center for Health and
Well-Being and promotes multiple aspects of wellness that when
used in moderation can add up to the sum of a healthy lifestyle.
“Wellness and the College’s Benedictine values go hand in hand,”
said Julie Zaruba Fountaine, wellness coach. “We try to set a
standard on how to live and work together with a sense of respect
and dignity, which means living a whole and balanced life.”
That includes physical fitness, spirituality, good nutrition, emotional
balance, money management and environmental sustainability.
For some participants, overall wellness is their framework for life.
For others it’s a work in progress.
Visit css.edu/wellu
to learn more.
10
Keely Meagher and Alicia Roles, students and Storm’s Advocates
For some, wellness works because it’s just another part of life. Keely Meagher and Alicia
Roles are employed on campus as peer educators known as Storm’s Advocates. They
provide support to other students who want to make positive changes in their lives.
Meagher’s toughest challenge in her own wellness goals is maintaining balance. When
her course load becomes overwhelming, she said, bad habits can easily kick in. One of
her tactics for personal health is to plan meals carefully. She makes her food for the week
on Sunday nights.
“It doesn’t matter what size clothes you wear or what shape you are,” she said. “What
matters is how you feel. Even if you only have 20 minutes to walk or fit in a workout,
doing so helps clear your head. You feel more balanced.”
Roles sees many of her peers struggle with healthy eating. “I have found that a lot of
college students don’t think consciously about fruits, vegetables and grains,” she said.
She makes it easy by including lean protein, veggies and a carbohydrate at every meal.
This can equate to something as simple as a freezer stocked with frozen chicken breasts,
frozen vegetables and pasta.
“Three main ingredients,” she said. “That’s easy on a college budget.”
The Well U way isn’t limited to physical fitness and healthy nutrition. The goal is a state
of integrated physical, spiritual, mental, and social well-being.
Nora Brannan, administrative assistant to vice president of finance
Through dedication and the support of her family, Brannan has made healthy changes in
her lifestyle over a period of five years.
Way
Naturally thin for most of her life, she never had struggles with her weight and always
thought she was active enough.
“What I learned through opportunities with Well U is that fitness and exercise are not the
same as being busy,” she said.
Raising four boys kept life on the go, but as she got older, her family and doctor
encouraged her to pay closer attention to her health, particularly increasing weight,
cholesterol, and blood sugar numbers.
“My family made a deal with me: they would not pick me up from work unless I walked
the track after work. In exchange, they would make dinner,” she said.
The deal worked. She went from walking two miles on the track three times a week to
now running a total of 13 miles a week. She also incorporates group exercise classes into
her fitness plan to vary her workouts from time to time. She has lost 30 pounds over the
course of five years and shed 40 points of LDL “bad” cholesterol.
Jane Wattrus, biology instructor
Wattrus decided to get serious about her health after losing her brother in June 2012 due
to complications of diabetes. She visited a Well U coach about a year ago and learned
she had borderline high levels of both glucose and bad cholesterol. She also performed a
physical fitness assessment in January of this year, testing for her cardiovascular health,
strength and flexibility.
“I completely bombed the cardio test,” she recalled with a chuckle. She didn’t want to
start medication, so she began small changes, offered through her Well U coach, and
started to see big results in a short amount of time. Jane ate oatmeal for breakfast every
morning and logged in 25 minutes of cardiovascular activity three times a week.
Eight weeks later, another blood test revealed her glucose levels had dropped 10 points
and her cholesterol improved as well.
“Everything was better,” Wattrus said. “And I have more energy. The thing that helped
me was having someone tell me ‘just do what you can.’ That really took the pressure off.”
11
Sibling success
J
ulian Neira remembers
well his first view of
St. Scholastica’s Duluth
campus as an 18-year-old
freshman international
student. “It was the fall and the
forest in Duluth, it was like you
have arrived to a castle. I was
impressed that there was no
security – that you could drive in
the school and walk into Tower
Hall. The whole concept of an
open university was the first thing
that struck me.”
The long route from Bogota, Colombia had already been
paved for him by his older sister, Luisa, who arrived
two years earlier. She had found a place at the College
through correspondence between Sisters at St. Scholastica
Monastery and Sisters at her high school in Bogota, Santa
Francisca Romana. She achieved a scholarship that would
fund her four years at St. Scholastica. She graduated in 2005
with a double major in applied economics and international
studies. She quickly saw the value of the education she had
received.
“To learn and be open, to see the world from different points
of view,” says Luisa, “a liberal arts education helps you look
at everything with a good overview and you can use that
knowledge in multiple fields.”
She went on to earn a master’s degree in development
management from American University. Today she works
for the Organization for American States in Washington
D.C., which she calls a “type of United Nations only for
Latin America.”
She formulates multi-million dollar environmental projects
that benefit the 35 member nations. Projects involve
biodiversity, land management, urban development, green
development and green design.
It didn’t take long once Luisa was gone from home before
her younger brother decided he’d like to study in Duluth
12
as well, even if it meant enduring a kind of cold he never
knew existed.
“She talked wonders about the school,” recalls Julian.
He graduated in 2007 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.
In September that same year he started a Ph.D. program in
economics at the University of California-Santa Barbara,
where he was mentored by Finn Kydland, a Nobel Laureate
in Economics. He graduated in June, and this fall made
another international move – becoming an assistant professor
of economics at the University of Exeter in England.
He looks back on his time at St. Scholastica with fondness.
“It seemed like everybody loved what they were doing. The
faculty loved teaching and were always super friendly. I feel
like I was privileged to have that personal interaction and
time with each professor.”
The number of international students attending St. Scholastica
increased substantially during the years the Neiras attended
school in Duluth – from under 10 students when Luisa
started in 2001 to 150 students by the time Julian graduated
six years later.
“Yeah, we were the reason everybody wanted to go,” jokes
Julian. He turns serious: “I feel like we were able to make
a difference on campus in sharing our culture and ancestry
there. We came in at a point where diversity was greatly
needed.”
Luisa agrees, and is glad they had the chance to help “open
up the doors for more (international students) to come.”
“To learn and be open, to see the
world from different points of view
… you can use that knowledge in
multiple fields.”
The final event of the College’s celebration of its Centennial occurred at the President’s Dinner in
late June, when members of the Century of Saints honor roll were recognized.
The Century of Saints’ 100 entries are made up of people who advanced the College’s mission in
its first 100 years.
The names are included in a time capsule now on display in the Science Center, and are on the
Centennial website, which can be reached through
alumni.css.edu.
A century’s
worth of Saints
An honor roll of
people who advanced
the College in its first
century
Marjorie Oreck Alpern ’41
Karen Alworth ’82
†Martha Alworth
†John Baggs
†Sister Joselyn Baldeschweiler
†Dr. Peter Bartzen
Sister Mary Richard Boo ’51
†The Braegelman sisters
†Sister Joan Braun ’43
Sister Grace Marie Braun ’48
†Robert “Bob” Brenning
William “Bill” Burns
Elizabeth and Richard Burns
Karen Cadigan ’91
†Sister Mary Odile Cahoon ’51
Thomas “Tom” Cartier ’73
†Margaret “Peg” Cane ’50
Delbert “Del” Case
Gerald Cizadlo
Daniel Clay ’89
Ed Crawford ’78
Fred de Sam Lazaro ’81
Carrie DeBoer Dooyema ’00
Jessica Durbin ’98
†Edwin “Ed” Erickson
Shirley Eichenwald-Maki ’67
Deceased members’ names are marked with a cross.
†The Rev. John Whitney Evans
Kathleen “Kelly” Fischer ’64
Rolf ’85 and Quin ’94 Flaig
Carl Gawboy
†Manley “Monnie” Goldfine
Larry Goodwin
†Sister Olivia Gowan
Shelley Gruskin
David Hirsch ’84
Sister Kathleen Hofer ’63
†Mother Martina Hughes ’35
Mary Ives ’12
†Sister Constantina Kakonyi
†Peter and Anna Kerst
†Mother Scholastica Kerst
Dylan Kesti ’10
Barbara King
†Sister Timothy Kirby ’39
Linda Kloss ’68
†Marilyn Koering ’60
Susan Mukavitz Kramer ’71
John Labosky
†John LaForge
†Sister Alice Lamb
Kathleen LaTour ’68
Sister Monica Laughlin ’44
†Frances Lavine
Barry Lesar ’73
Bingshuo Li ’11
Sister Johnetta Maher ’45
†Sister Katharine McCarthy
†Sister Mary Charles McGough ’50
Chandra Mehrotra
Ollie ’86 and Mary ’87 Meyer
Joseph “Jay” Mitchell ’78
Tom Morgan
Lloyd Munjanja ’11
Jeannette ’58 and Richard Negri
Albert “Al” Nephew
Jay Newcomb
†Sister Rose O’Donnell
Daniel Pilon
Mary Quinlivan ’54
Philip Rolle
Sharon Hyrkas Rolle ’70
Janet Rosen
Leon and Mary Ann ’59 Royer
Mark Rubin ’75
Robert and Kristin ’98 Ryan
Arend Sandbulte
†Sister Ann Edward Scanlon ’32
Gregory Scherer
John Schifsky
Patrick Schiltz ’81
Robert “Bob” Schroeder ’75
Daniel Seeler ’82
†Mayme Sevander
†The Rev. Francis X. Shea
Rumbidzai Sithole ’08
†Mother Agnes Somers
Paul Stein
Bruce Stender
†Gladys Swanson
Cecelia Taylor
Jack Teske
Andrew Thelander ’03
†Sister Patricia Thibadeau ’33
Dana Topousis ’90
Dr. Louise Town ’53
Diane Tran ’06
Dr. Linda Van Etta ’72
†Sister Noemi Weygant
Winnifred Winkelman ’51
Marty Witrak
13
Leading in
Inclusive Excellence
“Without inclusion, there is no true excellence.”
Representing over 1,300 colleges and universities, including
St. Scholastica, the American Association of Colleges and
Universities (AAC&U) released this statement on Aug. 15.
It called upon every college and university to “redouble
its efforts to ensure that all students learn with and from
diverse peers and graduate ready to lead in a diverse and
globally connected world.”
Months before the AAC&U’s challenge, St. Scholastica
became only the second private college in Minnesota to
create a cabinet level position charged with leading the
institution’s inclusion and diversity efforts. Last May,
President Larry Goodwin named Patricia Pratt-Cook as
Chief Diversity Officer. In addition to her role as Vice
President of Human Resources, she is now also leading the
Office of Inclusive Excellence.
“Inclusion is mission critical,” Pratt-Cook said. “It’s
fundamental to St. Scholastica’s academic excellence and
to the career success of our graduates … I’m charged with
ensuring that a framework is in place that results in an
integrated approach to achieving institutional quality and
excellence infused with diversity, equity and inclusion. As
a Catholic, Benedictine institution grounded in Catholic
social teaching, inclusion is about creating a campus
environment in which any individual or group will feel
welcomed, respected, supported and valued.”
Creating that atmosphere sounds easy enough. Yet the
reality is that higher education was not originally created
with the needs of women, people of color, people with
varying abilities and other ‘differences that make a
14
difference’ in mind. That’s where St. Scholastica’s heritage
is key.
“The Benedictine Sisters of St. Scholastica are trail-blazers
who have been advancing diversity through educational
opportunities for women since before women even had
the right to vote,” said Pratt-Cook. “We’re honoring our
tradition by ensuring that all students from historically
marginalized identity groups have access to the quality
educational experience we know St. Scholastica delivers.
But accessibility is not enough – students of multiple
identity groups must really want to come here, which is
why an inclusive climate is so important.” The Board of
Trustees recently echoed that, when a new goal to “Become
a more diverse and inclusive community” was recently
added as one of the four strategic priorities of the College.
Indeed, demographic changes are happening fast. In
2012, 16 percent of Minnesota high school graduates
were students of color, but in just nine years that figure
will climb to 23 percent, while the number of white high
school graduates will continue to decline indefinitely. In
Duluth and Northern Minnesota, the number of people
of color doubled between 2000 and 2010. By 2018 there
will be no majority racial or ethnic group among American
schoolchildren.
This means that recruiting diverse students is not just
mission-critical, but imperative to all of St. Scholastica’s
programs and campuses, and to sustaining St. Scholastica’s
traditional undergraduate program in Duluth. While
Admissions and Diversity staff have been collaborating to
build relationships with diverse communities and schools,
a group of faculty and staff led by Student Affairs has
been quietly working for three years on Multicultural
Organization Development (MCOD), an institutional
change process that is intended to foster an inclusive
learning and living environment for all students, regardless
of background.
Yet inclusion is not just about recruitment or living out the
College’s values, Pratt-Cook said. It also means learning to
engage a diverse world, she said, which is “an educational
learning outcome employers are demanding higher
education prove their graduates are capable of.”
In addition to her role as Vice
President of Human Resources,
Patricia Pratt-Cook in now also
Chief Diversity Officer.
She points to multiple studies, including 2013 research by
the Business Higher Education Forum, a consortium of
Fortune 500 CEOs and university presidents, which found
that employers are observing “deficiencies in the skill
sets” of college graduates, citing the need for graduates
to “communicate effectively in virtual and multi-cultural
teams and engage with colleagues across multiple fields.”
KPMG Chairman and CEO John Veihmeyer wrote,
“Students entering the workforce must have the ability to
collaborate with professionals of varying backgrounds,
skills, cultures, and perspectives; as well as those who
may be based in other countries, which adds a virtual
component. The more our institutions of higher learning
can prepare students for an extremely collaborative, highperforming workplace where teams are global, virtual, and
diverse, the better prepared they will be.”
Fortune 500 employers across the nation are challenging
higher education to step up efforts to teach cross-cultural
competency skills and educate students in diverse
environments. A 2010 AAC&U study found that when
it comes to delivering on that challenge, executives
were twice as likely to say that colleges “need to make
improvements in their programs” than to say “they are
doing a good job.”
Emily Johnson, who serves as Director of Inclusive
Excellence under Pratt-Cook, couldn’t agree more. She
describes a recent national conference in which she heard a
guest speaker from Ernst & Young.
“His message was, ‘tell your college leadership and faculty
that there will be no on-the-job cultural competency
training for your graduates,’ ” said Johnson. “He stressed
that if we as a college cannot prove that we’ve taught our
graduates cultural competency skills and that they have
experience working with diverse people on diverse teams,
there is little chance our graduates will find employment in
their company.”
In this era of global interconnection and rapid societal
and economic change, cultural competency skills “are
imperative, not optional,” said Pratt-Cook, “and especially
critical for fields like nursing, the health sciences, social
work, education … the list goes on, and these are all strong
areas for St. Scholastica. Employers want hard, data-driven
evidence that our graduates have strong cross-cultural
competencies and are fully prepared to dive into a diverse
workplace with a diverse team and succeed in a changing
world.”
Pratt-Cook is preparing to deliver that data, with a
complete audit of all diversity and inclusion-related efforts
the College has made to date, including a focus on how
St. Scholastica can improve diversity learning outcomes for
all students. Everything will be evaluated: programs, support
services, curriculum, co-curricular/student life programs,
marketing, business policies, recruitment, screening and
selection, employee professional development and more.
Another outcome will be a gap analysis with
recommendations that will ensure the College can
formulate a diversity strategic plan that addresses inclusion
issues many years into the future, positioning the College to
further advance the MCOD process.
Pratt-Cook emphasizes that inclusion is not only about race
or ethnicity. “The term ‘diversity’ can be a little restrictive,”
she said. “Creating a climate like this – that embraces
differences and offers respect in words and actions so
that all people can fully participate in all the College’s
opportunities – is our ultimate goal.”
President Goodwin agrees.
“Inclusion truly goes to the very heart of what it means to
be a Catholic, Benedictine institution,” he said. “For all
of our students, all of our employees, these changes are
important. Creating a Chief Diversity Officer position, the
MCOD work, and the new strategic priority of diversity
and inclusion means we are saying that we are committed
to diversity, equity and inclusion being infused throughout
the entire College.”
Pratt-Cook emphasizes that the work cannot be done in
silos, and will require support from the entire community.
“To infuse inclusive excellence throughout all aspects of
the institution, the effort must be on an institutional level
and sustainable.
“I feel incredibly humbled to have been asked to lead in
this capacity to ensure we truly deliver on our promise to
prepare students to live and work in a global and diverse
world.”
15
Fighting the stigma
of mental illness on
campus
S
uicide is the second-leading cause of
death on college campuses.
Nationally, more than 40 percent of
college students report having felt so
depressed in the past year that it was
difficult to function.
The average age of onset for most mental health disorders
is 18 to 24.
Tad Sears
Tim Miller
Statistics like these show that the college years can be one
of the most trying times in a person’s life. Whether it’s the
constant battle for good grades, the adjustment of living
alone for the first time, the management of many different
relationships or the struggle to find a job in a tough market,
college students’ lives are filled with stressors. But twothirds of students who need help coping with them help
don’t receive it.
Why?
“A lot of people hold on to the sort of Midwestern attitude
that whenever something is wrong you should just pull
yourself up by your bootstraps and keep going,” said Tad
Sears, director of the Student Center for Health and WellBeing at St. Scholastica. “They see asking for help as a sign
of weakness, so they stay silent.”
16
Tim Miller, a first-year student at St. Scholastica, took
his own life in 2008. His parents, Dr. Jeffrey and Carol
(Minette) Miller ’79, established the Timothy Martin Miller
Fund shortly after his death. The fund seeks to change the
conversation about mental illness and help more students
receive the assistance they need.
One of the first manifestations of the fund came through
the establishment of a St. Scholastica chapter of Active
Minds, an organization that engages college students in the
fight against mental illness and the stigma surrounding it by
empowering them to educate others and encourage people
to seek support.
“These sorts of student organizations tend to go as the
student leaders go,” Sears said, “and we’ve been fortunate
to have some really good student leaders over the years to
help further the cause.”
To further spread awareness, the fund has been used to
bring a series of speakers to campus to share their stories
and help students identify potential problems when they see
them.
“Students at St. Scholastica have a natural inclination to
help,” Sears said. “They’re good at giving others help and
support, but they don’t always spot their own problems or
New Leadership
The College’s Board of Trustees welcomes
three members
Patricia Bower-Jernigan ’83 earned her bachelor’s degree
in Health Information Administration. She is the system-wide coding
director at Allina Health for 11 hospitals and 80 clinics. Her focus
is working with 210 coding and nursing staff for documentation
education and charging opportunities, promoting effective use of data
for quality assessment and improvement of customer services and
clinical outcomes. She has over 25 years experience with coding, HIM
and revenue cycle improvement consulting processes. She resides in
Eagan, MN, with her family.
take care of themselves enough.”
St. Scholastica’s Counseling Services can help them do just
that. Its team of three full-time, licensed clinicians provides
students with free, confidential counseling on issues large
and small.
“We don’t just treat an issue once it reaches a crisis level,”
Sears said. “We hope students will seek services earlier
before it becomes a larger problem.”
And if the student needs to receive care outside of school,
the fund is there to help – providing financial assistance to
students without the fiscal means to do so.
Olivia Krejcarek, the new Student Trustee, is a junior majoring
in biology/pre-medicine. She is pursuing a minor in chemistry and
either a major or a minor in psychology. She hopes to proceed to
medical school and become a medical geneticist. She participates
on the women’s volleyball team as well as the women’s indoor and
outdoor track team. She is also a member of the St. Scholastica Concert
Choir. Olivia’s parents are Wayne and Theresa Krejcarek, and she is an
only child. She graduated from Roncalli High School in Manitowoc,
WI, where she spent her entire life until college.
“More students than ever are using our counseling services
here, which says a lot about the impact the fund has made,”
Sears said.
If you want to contribute financially, contact Margot Zelenz
at 218-723-6460 or Elizabeth Simonson at 218-723-6634
and ask to donate to the Timothy Martin Miller Fund.
But perhaps the most important way to contribute is to help
destroy the stigma of mental illness from your own life.
“Talk openly about mental illness, without judgment, and
reframe seeking help as strength, not a weakness,” Sears
said. “And never be afraid to ask someone the simple
question ‘How’re you doing?’ ”
Denise Starkey is associate professor of theology and religious
studies and has served as department chair since 2010. She is the 2013
Benedictine Professor of General Education. Her academic interests
include feminist, liberation and political theologies; spirituality and
mystical theology; Christian ethics and social justice; feminist theory/
philosophy/ethics; and theology and psychology. Her current scholarship
involves pilgrimage studies. She is on the advisory board for the Center
for Teaching Excellence, the Catholic Studies Advisory Committee, and
the Academic Leadership Group, among other activities.
17
SPRING SPORTS
In 2012-13, 175 St. Scholastica
athletes were named Academic All-UMAC,
marking the largest number of Saints named
Academic All-Conference.
Rendi Johnson
BASEBALL
SOFTBALL
Saints baseball extended its streak of NCAA Regional
Tournament appearances to nine, won its 17th consecutive
UMAC regular season title and 16th straight UMAC
Tournament championship. There was not one regular
season home game, and the UMAC regular season schedule
was cut to 14 games, due to the late winter weather. The
Saints went 14-0 in regular season league play.
The St. Scholastica softball team also had many challenges
last spring due to the weather. The Saints did not play a
single game on its own Kenwood Field, thanks to snow
into early May. The lone games played in Duluth were
played on campus on the artificial turf of Saints Field. The
Saints swept a doubleheader from Northland College in the
regular season finale. CSS went on to win its fifth straight
UMAC regular season championship.
Finally at Wade for the UMAC Tournament, the Saints
cruised to the championship by defeating Northwestern in
the title game 12-8.
Kyle Flagstad
18
In the NCAA Tournament in Whitewater, WI, the Saints
fell two games short of the regional championship.
They opened against the regional’s top-seeded team, the
University of St. Thomas. The game came down to one
play with Andy Schwantes scoring from first on a sacrifice
bunt, aided by a Tommie throwing error. That was all
senior Kyle Jensen needed, pitching a gem to upend the
Tommies 1-0. The next day the Saints offense sputtered,
losing to Case Western Reserve (Ohio), and sending the
Saints to play UW-Whitewater in an elimination game.
The Warhawks knocked CSS from the regional tournament
the past three years. Batting last, CSS never trailed, thanks
to a great pitching performance by Mickie Keuning. With
the game tied in the bottom of the 10th, Parker Olson hit a
sacrifice fly to left, scoring Jesse Heaton from third to win
3-2. The Saints then faced UW-Stevens Point, to move on
to the regional final. Freshman pitcher Jordan Risse kept it
close, trailing only 2-1 entering the Seventh. The Pointers
went on to score 6 to win 8-2 and end the Saints’ season.
Senior Kyle Flagstad was named the UMAC Player of the
Year for the second straight season and freshman Austin
Colvard was named the UMAC Rookie of the Year. CSS
had six first team All-UMAC selections. Senior Kyle Jensen
was named first team All-Region by D3baseball.com.
Flagstad and fellow senior Jake Casareto were second team
All-Region selection by the American Baseball Coaches
Association (ABCA). Jensen and Keuning were named to
the third team.
The Saints were scheduled to host the UMAC Tournament,
but weather moved the four-team tourney to Morris, MN.
Unfortunately, the Saints dropped their first two games of
the conference tournament to see their season end with a
24-14 overall record.
Freshman Rendi Johnson became the first Saint to be named
the UMAC Rookie of the Year. Johnson, a Washington-state
native, led the conference with a 1.36 earned run average in
league play. She also finished in the top five in wins (6) and
opponents’ batting average (.226) in UMAC games. At the
plate, Johnson led the UMAC with nine doubles, finished
second with 23 RBIs and third with a .475 batting average
in league games. She was also third in the league with an
.831 slugging percentage.
The lone seniors on the team, catcher Bonnie Kowalczyk
and pitcher Darcy Roach, were also named to the UMAC
First Team. Tiff Hudack was the fourth Saint named first
team all-conference.
MEN’S TENNIS
The St. Scholastica men’s tennis team won its 17th
consecutive UMAC regular season title this past spring
and also captured its second straight UMAC Tournament
championship and 13th overall.
The Saints set a program record with 20 victories and won a
program-best 123 singles matches and 58 doubles matches.
The .707 singles winning percentage was also a program
record.
The Saints defeated Northwestern 7-2 to capture the
UMAC Tournament championship. Josh Stainer, Mike
Kevin Wagner
competing in the
decathlon at the
NCAA Division
III Outdoor
Championships
Fontana, Nick Lambrecht, Cullen Combs and Kolin Dean
were all named to the all-conference team.
Lambrecht, a junior from Stacy, MN, excelled on and off
the court. He not only set a single-season program record
with 19 victories, but also became the first tennis player to
be named a Capital One Academic All-American, garnering
third team honors.
For the fifth straight year, Wells Patten was named the
UMAC Coach of the Year.
WOMEN’S TENNIS
The St. Scholastica women’s tennis team had very little
trouble winning its 17th straight UMAC regular season and
tournament championship.
The Saints finished 21-5, with the 21 wins being the
third-most in program history. The team also finished
on an 11-match win streak, the third-longest in program
history, and set the program record for best singles winning
percentage in a season (.781).
The Saints had a league-high five players named to the allconference first team. However, for the first time since 2003
a CSS player was not named the UMAC Player of the Year.
Hillary Bungarden, Alexis Gunderson, Kelli Johnson,
Megan Lawrence and Rachael Zwiener all earned allconference accolades. With a year remaining, Bungarden
is fourth all-time in career singles wins (53), just eight shy
of tying the program record. Lawrence led the team with 20
singles wins, becoming the seventh CSS player to hit the
20-win plateau. She finished her career with the best singles
winning percentage in program history (.842) and is tied
with the seventh-most singles wins in program history (48).
Head Coach Wells Patten was named the UMAC Coach of
the Year for a 10th time.
OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
The St. Scholastica men’s and women’s track & field teams
made great strides to becoming a regional force in 2013.
Three Saints qualified for the NCAA Division III Outdoor
Championships in La Crosse, WI. Junior Becky Huberty
qualified in two events (hammer throw/shot put) and
became the first CSS track & field athlete to compete in
multiple events at a single championship. She also qualified
for the NCAA Indoor Championships in the weight throw
in March and the 2012 outdoor championships in the
hammer throw, becoming the first Saint to compete at three
consecutive NCAA Championships events.
Huberty made history at the championships, becoming
the women’s program’s first All-American with a fourth
place finish in the hammer throw. After qualifying for
finals, she fouled on two of three attempts, but the one that
counted (fifth attempt overall) got her fourth place overall,
uncorking a toss of 181’9” (55.51m). Huberty did not
qualify for the shot put finals, finishing 20th in that event.
Senior Rachel Miller qualified for nationals for the second
time in the triple jump, but did not make the finals, placing
19th overall to close out her collegiate career. On the men’s
side, freshman Kevin Wagner became the first CSS athlete
to compete in the decathlon at the NCAA Championships.
In his first nationals appearance Wagner did well, finishing
ninth overall with a program-record total of 6,454 points.
(The top eight earn All-American accolades.) He beat his
previous program record by 122 points and missed AllAmerican laurels by 17 points.
Becky Huberty on
the medal stand
after finishing fourth
in the hammer
throw at the NCAA
Division III Outdoor
Championships.
Both the men and women captured the UMAC Outdoor
Track & Field Championship. The women’s team won its
ninth straight conference championship, while the men
won for the fourth time.
Senior Justin Hanson was named the UMAC Track Athlete
of the Meet for the men, while sophomore Laurel Ohaju
was named UMAC Track Athlete of the Meet for the
women. Head Coach Kirk Nauman was named the Men’s
UMAC Coach of the Year.
Both genders were once again named USTFCCCA AllAcademic Teams, while Miller and Katlin Krause were
named to the All-Academic Team as individuals.
19
A passionate advocate
Smith exemplifies the spirit of a trailblazer. She has
been employed at Hennepin County Medical Center in
Minneapolis for the duration of her career and has held
multiple neuroscience nursing roles that have required
her to be a mentor, educator and counselor to hundreds of
patients and their families.
Her job calls for her to counsel families on whether their
loved ones will survive their injuries or not, and if so, what
they should expect for care and rehabilitation.
Executive Director David King of the Minnesota Brain
Injury Alliance described Smith’s innate ability when
presenting her with the award.
“Whether they were a critically injured patient … or the
numerous professionals whom she has mentored along
their own journey, Carol Ann has left her own stamp on the
hearts and souls of each one of them,” King said.
Carol Ann Smith
being honored,
with presenter
David King of the
Minnesota Brain
Injury Alliance.
20
C
arol Ann Smith knew she wanted to touch
the lives of others when she obtained her
nursing degree from St. Scholastica in 1978.
In 2006, HCMC opened a dedicated traumatic brain injury
center. Smith was selected as the program coordinator and
has been since working in that role. The center is No. 1
in the state for admitting brain injuries and admitted 998
patients last year alone.
Thirty-five years later, she has been
acknowledged for the countless lives she
has affected with her compassion and dedication as a
professional who has advanced the understanding and
support of traumatic brain injuries in patients and their
families
After being appointed by the commissioner of the
Department of Human Services, Smith earlier this year
finished serving the maximum of two three-year terms on
the Minnesota Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Committee,
where she discussed brain injury awareness and prevention
in legislation. She lobbied for the passage of child restraint
laws and hockey regulation.
Last spring Smith was awarded the Elinor D. Hands
Outstanding Achievement Award at the Minnesota Brain
Injury Alliance’s 28th Annual Conference.
She uses her passion to give presentations locally, regionally
and nationally on traumatic brain injury and in her role of
providing community outreach.
“This is my career, but it’s also my life,” Smith said. “It’s
much more than my job; it’s who I am and what I do, and
I’m very passionate that our patients can get the best care
that they can and getting them hooked up with services.”
“I love what I do,” she said. “I want to do the work that I’m
doing; it’s really a part of my heart.”
By Shawna Carpentier – reprinted courtesy of the Isanti
County News
2012/2013
F I N A N C I A L R E P O RT
TOTAL NET ASSETS
2012/2013
DONOR
LISTINGS
2011
2012
2013
$75,592,994
$77,404,608
$82,229,718
MARKET VALUE OF ENDOWMENT
2011
2012
2013
$47,243,873
$47,873,743
$53,339,888
RETURN ON ENDOWMENT
2011
2012
2013
15.1%
-2.9%
8.0%
2012/2013 REVENUES AND EXPENSES
In the interest of good
stewardship of natural
resources, the College is
offering a complete list of
2012-2013 donors online.
To see donor listings go to:
css.edu/Times.
If you’d like a printed list
of donors please contact
Kathy Stockwell
at (218) 723-5980 or
kstockwe@css.edu and
we’ll be happy to
mail you one.
Unrestricted Revenues
$55,186,623 Tuition and Fees (net of institutional financial aid)
8,565,070 Auxiliary Enterprises
5,558,609 Government Grants
2,756,415
Funds Released from Temporary Restrictions (private giving and endowment income)
641,239 Private Gifts
1,903,789 Other
(59,332)
Investment Income
2,350,445 Endowment Income
81,645 Contributed Services (net)
$76,984,503
Total Revenue
71.7%
11.1%
7.2%
3.6%
0.8%
2.5%
-0.1%
3.1%
0.1%
100.0%
Unrestricted Expenses
$31,896,776 Instruction
41.4%
14,930,987 Student Services
19.4%
9,282,086
Institutional Support
12.1%
7,223,779
Auxiliary Enterprises
9.4%
6,284,549
Academic Support
8.2%
2,636,905 Public Service
3.4%
Other
238,388
0.3%
Increase in Net Assets
4,491,033
5.8%
Total Expenditures
$76,984,503 100.0%
Net Assets
2013
2011
2012
Unrestricted
$58,542,383
$48,159,583 $54,051,350
Temporarily Restricted
6,858,550
10,896,990 6,679,925
Permanently Restricted
16,828,785
16,536,421
16,673,333
$82,229,718
Total
$75,592,994 $77,404,608
S TAT E M E N T O F A C T I V I T I E S 2 0 1 2 / 2 0 1 3
Year ending June 30, 2013
2013 REVENUES
2013 EXPENSES
Tuition and Fees
Less: Unfunded Student Aid
Funded Student Aid
Net Tuition and Fees
$87,027,863
(30,035,438)
(1,805,802)
$55,186,623
Government Grants
Private Gifts
Endowment Income
Contributed Services, net of expenses
Other Sources
Investment Income
Auxiliary Enterprises
Change in value of split interest agreements
Total Revenue
$5,558,609
1,749,656
3,985,555
81,645
2,240,121
(59,075)
8,565,070
10,376
$77,318,580
Instruction
Public Service
Academic Support
Student Services
Auxiliary Enterprises
Institutional Support
Other
Total Expenses
$31,896,776
2,636,905
6,284,549
14,930,987
7,223,779
9,282,086
238,388
$72,493,470
Change in Net Assets
$4,825,110
Net Assets at Beginning of Year
$77,404,608
Net Assets at End of Year
$82,229,718
GIVING FROM ALL SOURCES 2012/2013
TOTAL GIVING BY DESIGNATION
Endowed Programs
Endowed Scholarships
Facilities
Unrestricted Programs
Restricted Scholarships
Restricted Programs
Total Giving
$29,330 150,869 273,249 653,828 1,223,256 3,463,824 $5,794,356
1%
3%
5%
11%
21%
59%
TOTAL GIVING BY CONSTITUENT GROUP
Parents
Organizations Minnesota Private College Fund
Faculty/Staff
Trustees
Businesses
Friends
Alumni
Foundations
Federal Grants
Total Giving
$33,982 51,969 54,269 92,361 125,756 169,545 230,203 484,409 712,429 3,839,433 $5,794,356
1%
1%
1%
2%
2%
3%
4%
8%
12%
66%
The College of St.
2012/2013
Scholastica
A N N U A L R E P O RT
Dear Friend of the College,
Welcome to the 2012-2013 annual report of The College of St. Scholastica. We are pleased to inform
you that the College completed a successful 101st year. The efforts of Trustees, faculty, staff and friends
furthered the College’s mission through new programs, new technologies and new markets.
From the President
and the Board Chair
Fall 2012 enrollment was 4,144 students at our five campuses and online: 2,088 traditional undergraduates
and 2,056 Graduate, Extended, and Online (GEO) students. Due to demographics and concerns about
affordability, we anticipate a slight decline in the traditional population but continued growth in our
GEO programs.
The FY13 bottom line, or financial surplus from operations, was $2.3 million. The endowment ended
the year at a record $54.8 million, up from $49.1 million the previous year.
The Higher Learning Commission extended the College’s accreditation for the maximum 10 years. A
monitoring report on assessment is due in September 2016. Our School of Nursing was also reaccredited,
and our School of Education underwent national reaccreditation review, and expects a positive report.
We completed a successful Centennial celebration whose theme was “For the Love of Learning.” More
than a year’s worth of programming heightened public awareness of the College’s mission, strengthened
our bonds with alumni, friends and the Sisters of St. Scholastica Monastery, and boosted pride among
current students, faculty and staff.
Faculty began revising our first-year program, Dignitas, to place increased emphasis on the Catholic
intellectual tradition, Catholic social teaching, and our Benedictine values.
The Vice President for Human Resources was also named the College’s Chief Diversity Officer. The CDO
will lead institutional efforts to achieve diversity, equity and inclusion and to ground them in our Catholic
Benedictine values.
Trustees approved two new majors in the School of Arts and Letters: Philosophy, and Peace and Justice
Studies. They also approved two new master’s programs in the School of Health Sciences: a Master
of Social Work and a Master of Health Informatics. We continued preparations for the start of our new
Physician Assistant program in 2016.
Larry Goodwin and Mary Ives
The College developed its first Massive Open Online Course or MOOC. Professor of Biology Gerry
Cizadlo’s free digital course, Introduction to Anatomy and Physiology, drew 2,657 students in its first two
offerings. Although most enrollments are not-for-credit, the MOOC opens a new pathway for students to
learn about the College and possibly enroll for credit. We also created and now offer MOOCs in business
ethics and in health informatics.
The College launched CSS Complete, a degree-completion pathway that emphasizes credit for prior
learning, including MOOCs. Over 150 inquiries have come in and administrators are working with
68 prospects.
We moved our St. Cloud campus to a new building in nearby Sartell, MN. It’s significantly more prominent
and we have more space.
Speaking of space, a Facilities Task Force was established to assess needs for the Duluth campus, including
a Student Union, additional housing, and renovated campus space. Decisions about priorities will be
coming soon.
We are also considering exciting prospects for locating programs off campus, near and far. We have
explored several Duluth venues to house our new Physician Assistant program and expanded Physical
Therapy and Occupational Therapy programs. And, we are investigating several sites in Arizona for
possible program expansion.
As always, we are grateful for your support. Vivat, St. Scholastica!
Larry Goodwin, President
Mary Ives, Chair of the Board of Trustees
STUDENTS IN ACTION
W E A R E S T. S C H O L A S T I C A
Baxter, MN. She takes many of her classes online –
through webinars, discussion boards and email.
“Non-traditional” students such as Siekas are more
numerous than “traditional” 18- to 22-year old
campus residents in St. Scholastica’s student body,
notes Beth Domholdt, vice president for academic
affairs.
“We’re serving students at all stages of life,”
Domholdt said, “and in delivery formats that make
it possible for them to fit advanced education into
lives that are already very full.”
Not that achieving equilibrium is always easy.
MAI XEE PHA
CSSYES
Mai Xee Pha is among a group of students to whom
St. Scholastica has said a special “yes,” called CSSyes.
Pha is a 19-year old sophomore from St. Paul who’s
majoring in chemistry. She was one of a select few
students to win a CSSyes scholarship. The full-tuition
award is for students who are “high-achieving, highneed,” in the words of Eric Berg, vice president for
enrollment management. “These award recipients make
a great addition to our student body.”
That is, CSSyes goes to students like Pha who do
well academically but face serious financial hurdles
to entering college. CSSyes provides full tuition, a
four-year renewal if the student maintains a minimum
2.4 GPA, and “scholarship stacking” that allows other
scholarships to cover room, board and books.
“If I didn’t have the CSSyes scholarship I wouldn’t be
able to come to St. Scholastica,” said Pha, who is the
youngest of six siblings and whose mother is a single
parent. “It’s really important to me to get scholarships.”
She heard about St. Scholastica from a coach in high
school, and visited campus in the summertime.
“That’s what got me,” she said. “I thought it was such a
pretty campus. When you come across the bridge over
Chester Creek, it’s gorgeous.”
She started in pre-physical therapy but has switched to
chemistry. She likes being a Saint.
“The teachers I’ve had so far are super-nice; if you go
talk to them they’ll take all the time you need to answer
your questions. The club activities are a big part of
what I do here. They’re great.”
Despite carrying a full credit load and working
part-time as a carpenter for St. Scholastica Theatre
(“Sometimes it’s hard, but it’s a stress reliever too”),
she’s involved with the Asian Student Union, and
with a friend is trying to start an International Justice
Mission club to stop sex trafficking. “That’s not an
official CSS group yet, but we’re trying,” she said.
“Aside from Biostatistics and Epidemiology,
balance has probably been the most difficult part of
this process,” Siekas said. “Having the ability to do
much of the work through Web-based classes has
allowed me to integrate the educational experience
into my personal life without feeling like I’m
having to sacrifice one or the other.”
That means squeezing studying in whenever she
has free time.
“It’s very enjoyable meeting new people,” she said.
“Everyone’s very friendly here. I’m amazed with the
clubs and personal friends I’ve made. I went home (to
St. Paul) this past summer and it was like, I can’t wait
to get back up to Duluth!”
Also helping her strike this balance has been the
support of her family – particularly her husband,
who’s taken on extra household duties and runs
their kids around to their various extracurricular
activities.
She has a simple message for people who give financial
support so that St. Scholastica can offer student
scholarships such as CSSyes.
But he won’t have to for much longer, as she’s due
to graduate in May 2014. After that?
“Thank you. It’s people like you who help students
like me pursue careers and goals for the future.”
SHANNON SIEKAS
THE NEW “TRADITIONAL”
One husband, three children, two dogs and a fulltime time job as an emergency room nurse at St.
Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls, MN. With all that
to juggle, you wouldn’t think Shannon Siekas has
time for a good book, let alone a master’s degree.
But that’s exactly what she’s pursuing.
Upon completing her bachelor of science in
nursing at St. Scholastica in 2010, Siekas began the
master’s-level Family Nurse Practitioner program
full-time at the Duluth campus.
Eventually, she decided that being a full-time
student, worker, mother and wife was a bit much.
She switched to the College’s part-time St. Cloudbased program, which is closer to her home in
“I don’t have one specific area of care that I’m 100
percent drawn to,” she said. “Possibly the best spot
for me would be in a rural practice where I could
have the best of both worlds – family practice and
urgent or ER care.”
including a two-year degree at a community
college, plus his work experience, started him off
with 64 credits.
a national retailer’s management development
program. He worked his way up to store manager.
But something was lacking.
He’s going for a degree in Computer and
Information Science, which he says is valued
highly in his chosen field – he works for the Mayo
Clinic in the division of Media Support Services.
As a Lead Analyst Programmer, he manages more
than 10 people engaged in eHealth initiatives and
NextGen patient-facing interactive services. “I missed being active in the medical community
as a health care provider and lending administrative
support to patient needs,” Matuszak said. “My
niece, a graduate of Scholastica, suggested I
complete my education at CSS.” He found people
to be “accepting and genuinely concerned about my
educational goals.”
He has taken courses at the Rochester campus,
while also taking some online courses and even
independent study. He expects to graduate in 2014
and plans to make it every bit as big a day as any
other “normal” undergraduate would.
He decided to pursue a degree in management,
with a concentration in healthcare administration.
He attended class on the Duluth campus like a
traditional teenage undergraduate – in fact at the
same time his daughter was going to college on the
West Coast. He was 30 years older than most of his
fellow students, and even older than some of his
professors.
His kids, especially, will be there, “so that it maybe
inspires them not to take as long as their dad did,”
he jokes.
KELLY BOLES
CSS COMPLETE
Kelly Boles isn’t the stereotypical college student.
He’s 55, married, a father of seven (his and hers),
a homeowner, and, most importantly, deep into a
good, professional career. But, through a special
degree path at the College, the Rochester, MN,
resident is achieving a long-sought dream.
The path is called CSS Complete and it’s aimed
at people who have some college experience, but
never achieved the bachelor’s degree.
“In my case, my work and life experience got way
ahead of my credentials,” Boles said. “Whether it
was real or imagined, I felt a glass ceiling.”
Don Wortham, St. Scholastica’s vice president for
strategic initiatives, said CSS Complete makes it
easier to go back to college in that it awards credit
for not just classes taken, but in some cases, work
and military experiences. Each student is assigned
a Completion Coach who looks over his or her
records, resume, and even an autobiography to
evaluate and validate previous learning.
“Federal rules say that 25 percent of a student’s
credits must come from a degree-issuing college,”
Wortham noted. “But that leaves a lot of room for
college, work and life experiences to add up.”
In Boles’ case, his work at two different schools,
“I don’t know where my career is going from here.
But I’m definitely going to have a lot more options,
and that glass ceiling – gone!”
DAN MATUSZAK
A VETERAN’S WAY
After spending more than 20 years as a medical
professional in the U.S. Navy, Dan Matuszak joined
But he felt supported, he says. He received financial
help from the Yellow Ribbon Program, a federal
initiative that provides veterans with significant
financial assistance for college. Social support came
via St. Scholastica’s Veterans Resource Center, an
on-campus facility dedicated to helping veterans
transition to college and receive everything they
need to succeed.
“The Veterans Resource Center,” he said, “makes
the College an extremely military-friendly academic
institution and it should be a model for other
colleges to adopt.”
Jessica Johnston, coordinator of the Center, said
Matuszak’s “vast experiences and generous spirit
made him a natural leader in the Center. He
contributed to our veteran community throughout
his college career, often serving as an informal
mentor to younger students as they transitioned
from military life to their academic pursuits.”
Now he’s bringing those natural leadership
abilities into the workforce. Upon graduating last
spring, Matuszak, now 53, moved directly from
the classroom to the health care field he loves,
accepting a position as the general manager at Lake
Superior Medical Equipment, Inc. of Duluth.
“Dan is an example of a non-traditional student
going through a traditional learning format and
doing great,” said Steve Lyons, vice president of
student affairs. “He’s also a good example of how
well our students who are veterans do.”
2013/2014
BOARD OF TRUSTEES
Mary Ives ’12, Chair
John Labosky, Vice Chair
Abbot Apter
Patricia Bower-Jernigan ’83
Ed Crawford ’78
Sister Mary Susan Dewitt ’67
Christopher (Chris) Dolan ’01
Jessica Durbin ’98
Sister Lois Eckes ’69, Prioress
Larry Goodwin, President
Sister Kathleen Hofer ’63
Mat Johnson
Beth Haenke Just ’78
Olivia Krejcarek
David Kuefler ’82
Sister Jean Maher ’68
Melanie Mogg
Michael O’Keefe
Kelly Palmer ’95
Dory Pohl ’99
Paul Puerzer
Robert (Bob) Schroeder ’75
Jacqulin (Jacquie) Sebastian ’89
Dan Seeler ’82
Sister Mary Catherine Shambour ’51
Sister Sarah Smedman ’53
David Sparby ’72
Denise Starkey
Marcy Steinke ’85
Louise Town ’53, M.D.
The 2012/2013 Board
of Trustees included: Allison Lambert ’13
Hal Strough
Jacob (Jake) Tjaden ’03
Trustees Emeriti: Karen Alworth ’82
Sister Grace Marie Braun ’48
William M. Burns
Mark Carlson, M.D.
Sharon Labovitz
Robert S. Mars. Jr.
James Mongé, M.D.
Philip Rolle
Robert Ryan
Arend J. Sandbulte
Greg Scherer
Elizabeth Stauber-Johnson ’72
James Zastrow (MA ’99)
COLLEGE
A D VA N C E M E N T S T A F F
Margot Carroll Zelenz
Vice President for
College Advancement
Janet Rosen
Associate Vice President for
College Advancement
Gary Garlie
Executive Director of
Development/Planned Giving
Lisa Roseth ’04
Executive Director of
Alumni Relations
Elizabeth Simonson ’04
Executive Director of
Development
Brenda Anderson
College Advancement
Data Specialist
JoAnne Axtell
Grant Proposal Specialist
Jenny Brodin
Assistant Director of
Development
Carrie Emslander ’03
Associate Director of
Alumni Relations
Ruth Erdmann-Sluka
Director of Corporate
Relations/Senior Major
Gift Officer
Aimee Fisher
Data Entry Clerk
Shannon Hoffman
Director of Annual Fund
Brenda Kimlinger
Administrative Assistant
Mark Rudolph
Director of Major Gifts
Judy Skelton
Grant Reporting Specialist
Sister Joan Marie Stelman
Assistant Director of
Alumni Relations
Kathy Stockwell
Administrative Assistant
2013/2014
2013/2014
A D M I N I S T R AT I O N
A L U M N I A S S O C I AT I O N
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Larry Goodwin
President
Eric Berg ’92
Vice President for
Enrollment Management
Beth Domholdt
Vice President for
Academic Affairs
Patrick Flattery
Vice Presdent for Finance
Lynne Hamre ’90 (MA ’01)
Chief Information Officer
Steve Lyons
Vice President for
Student Affairs
Patricia Pratt-Cook
Vice President for
Human Resources and
Chief Diversity Officer
Don Wortham
Vice President for
Strategic Initiatives
Margot Carroll Zelenz
Vice President for
College Advancement
Patricia Bower-Jernigan ’83
President
Anthony Brinda ’02
Vice-president
Jackie Larson ’09
President-elect
Laurajae (Schwartz) Johnson ’06
Secretary
Mary Carlson ’76
Joanne (Barto) Docteur ’59
Andrew Ensign ’00
Kelly Erickson ’96
Kyle Heffner ’09
Correne Tabery Jenson ’84
Dianne (Suknaich) Kuiti ’66
Barry Lesar ’73
Nathan Miller ’04
Nicole Miller ’99
Jacki (Pemrick) Monson ’06
Ellen M. Perrault ’89
Sister Donna Schroeder ’61
Susan Seabury ’09
Dr. Jacob Tjaden ’03
The 2012/2013 Alumni
Board included:
Donna Bergum ’09
Katie DeGrio Channing ’00
Melinda Smith ’96
Kyle Wermerskirchen ’01
Joe Westerberg ’93
Commencement Spring 2013
The College’s combined baccalaureate, master’s
and doctoral commencement ceremony recognized
822 candidates for graduation last May. A total of
589 bachelor’s degrees were awarded. The most
numerous baccalaureate majors were, in order:
nursing, exercise physiology, psychology and
management. A total of 165 master’s degrees and
certificates, and 68 doctoral degrees, were awarded.
The most numerous graduate studies majors were
physical therapy, nursing, exercise physiology, and
occupational therapy.
The commencement address was by Bill Kling,
founder and former president of Minnesota
Public Radio and American Public Media. His
relationship with St. Scholastica dates to 1974,
when he and interim president Sister Joan Braun
collaborated to bring MPR to northeastern
Minnesota. The campus housed MPR’s studios
and offices for more than a dozen years, and the
College remains MPR’s educational sponsor for
Northeastern Minnesota.
Excerpts from Bill Kling’s address to graduates:
My advice to you, as you leave the security of college, is to think about yourself for a
while. About where you fit best. About the life you want. And about what you can do to
have that quality of life.
What really will define success for you? Is it purely economic success? Is it working 80
hour weeks for ten years so you can make “partner” somewhere? Or is it something in
politics and government? Or the service professions?
Are you someone who wants a “work-life” balance? Or someone who wants to build
something of significance, no matter what it takes? All of those choices are valid. But
what happens is that if you don’t think about it in advance you can get trapped.
Life slides by while you are working with blinders on. And you will find yourself
saying things like, “If I had just realized that sooner I would have done” – whatever.
Study the work and life styles of other countries. Occasionally try to get away from the
addiction to social media that distracts us and substitutes for real thinking about real
issues. Use it, but use it smartly ... Knowledge, drawing on some of the best professors
in the world, is now available to anyone through Web-based courses.
Bill Kling, left,
with President
Larry Goodwin
My point is: don’t sell yourself short. You can do more than you think possible. Think
about what is your competitive advantage. Setting a path that reflects your strengths
and values is what will make you successful in all parts of your life.
I had a lot of help in starting and running MPR – including from some wonderful
visionary thinkers here at St Scholastica.
I made some big mistakes. But one of the secrets of management is that everyone does.
So don’t assume that what feels instinctively right to you isn’t possible. It might be.
And the worst case is that you may have to start again.
My parting advice: Don’t just let life slide by. Seize it and embrace it!
21
Send in
those snaps
As mentioned
in the best-selling...
The Ireland in the Spring program needs your
pictures. The College’s longest-standing study
abroad program is assembling an archival photo
album that will celebrate the program’s 35th
anniversary in 2015.
Books can put you into the strangest situations, take you to the most exotic places and
allow you to experience something new … or they can bring you right back to where you
work every day.
The goal is a publication that includes
historical documents, group photos and course
information. If you have a group photo from
your year, as well as one or two photos that
are special to you from your time in Ireland,
send them our way. Email a digital copy as an
attachment, or send us the original and we’ll
carefully scan it and mail it back to you safe and
sound.
Email digital shots to Heidi Johnson, librarian
and College archivist, at hjohnso2@css.edu.
Send original prints or slides to:
The College of St. Scholastica
Attention: Heidi Johnson, Library
Louisburgh/CSS Archive Project
1200 Kenwood Avenue, Duluth, MN 55811
Thanks!
Argh! Thar
be the prez
The annual faculty-staff luncheon always
has a fun theme, and last spring’s was no
exception. President Larry Goodwin got
into the pirate spirit.
22
That’s what happened to Rondell Berkeland, dean of the School of Health Sciences, when
he read “Tamarack County” by William Kent Krueger. The recently published novel is a
New York Times best seller.
The story is set in northern Minnesota, and one of the characters mentions: “I’ve applied to
St. Scholastica down in Duluth, their online program, to go for my bachelor’s degree.”
“I was thrilled to see the reference,” Berkeland said, “since I admire the author, love his
books and have read all of them in this series. Krueger always feels like a local friend
telling a story. It’s good for a national audience to hear about St. Scholastica.”
And why St. Scholastica in particular?
It wasn’t just happenstance, the author says.
“I needed a good collegiate program that might serve the needs of someone in the
Arrowhead of Minnesota who has decided, at a late date in her life, to try to improve her
mind and her economic situation,” Krueger said.
“I’ve known a number of folks who’ve graduated from St. Scholastica, and they’ve always
impressed me. Not only did they seem to have received a quality education, but without
exception, they’ve spoken highly of their experience there. So when casting about for a
school to use in my story, St. Scholastica struck me as the ideal choice.”
Walter
helps out
Wedding bells
in the Mitchell
Celebrating
graduate research
For most softball fans, five hours and
48 minutes sounds like the length of a
doubleheader. But for St. Scholastica head
softball coach Jen Walter, that’s a bike ride.
Aside from a significant portion of their genetic
makeup, Phillip DesMarais ’10 and his sister,
Alyssa DesMarais ’14, have one very important
thing in common. They both did something that
hadn’t been done for years – they got married
on campus.
The College’s graduate programs collaborated to
showcase students’ research at the first Graduate
Studies Research Symposium last May. Students
in occupational therapy, physical therapy, MBA/
MA in management, business, and education
gave presentations in rooms throughout the
Science Center.
In July she completed the Century Ride for
Crohn’s & Colitis in Southern Kettle Moraine,
WI – a 100-mile bike ride that raised money and
awareness for The Great Bowel Movement, a
charity that aids people with Crohn’s Disease
and Ulcerative Colitis.
Crohn’s is an incurable bowel disease that
causes inflammation of the digestive tract,
resulting in a number of gastrointestinal
problems. People with the disease can look
healthy and normal while suffering severe pain
and other complications.
“I became interested in Crohn’s during one of
our many bus rides last spring, when Sydney
Gordon, a first-year player, talked about the
challenges she faces in dealing with Crohn’s,”
Walter said. “I’d always wanted to do a century
ride, so I looked up rides that benefited Crohn’s
and signed up.”
After eight weeks and well over a thousand
miles of training, Walter beat her time goal for
the ride by 12 minutes, and raised over $1,400.
“I was able to cross something off my bucket
list while helping a good cause,” Walter said. “It
was my way of showing support.”
Phillip and his fiancé, Kirsten Sjogren ’10,
tied the knot in May 2012 in the Mitchell
Auditorium. Alyssa followed suit a little over
a year later, wedding Donald Pearson ’09, this
past August.
“Both are pairs of alums who wanted to marry
where their relationships began,” said Sue
Maki, director of the Mitchell Auditorium.
“That’s why we originally decided to open up
the Auditorium for it. It seems like there’s a big
demand for on-campus weddings, and we’d love
to see more people − both alums and non-alums
− take advantage of it.”
If you’re interested in getting married in the
Mitchell Auditorium, contact Maki at
218-723-6631 or SMaki@css.edu.
Brandon Olson, Graduate Council chair, said
Council members “felt it important for the
community to come together at least one time
per year and witness the intellectually rich and
innovative research being conducted by our
graduate students. As faculty, we witness this
every year within our programs and commend
our students for their commitment and rigor
in conducting this research through their
capstone projects. The symposium is a good
opportunity for students to share the outcomes
of their efforts with the broader St. Scholastica
community and, in turn, for us to celebrate their
accomplishments.”
The symposium “was by all accounts a great
success,” said Randy Zimmermann, chair
of graduate programs. “It was well attended
and there was the hoped-for intermingling of
graduate students and faculty across schools.”
Organizers plan to stage the event annually.
And after finishing, she rested, right?
“I picked up my campsite and drove about
seven hours to Sioux Falls (SD) to recruit (at) a
softball tournament.”
Now that’s a doubleheader.
Brandon Olson addresses the Graduate Research Symposium
23
Video
roundup
Saints across
the city
Discover
Duluth
The Reif Gymnasium is a lot brighter these
days, thanks to a new set of bleachers that
replaced the ancient wooden behemoths:
css.edu/bleachers
When classes are canceled for the day, the first
thing on most students’ minds probably isn’t
volunteering. But during the College’s annual
fall Community Service Day, that thought was
on the forefront.
Discover Duluth is one of the College’s outreach
efforts to students who face barriers to higher
education. It’s an expenses-paid, three-day
college preparedness program aimed at high
school students from the Twin Cities who will
be the first members of their family to attend
college, or who face other hurdles. This year’s
program, the second annual, was in July. It drew
more than 40 participants, compared to 14 the
first year. The students were introduced not only
to St. Scholastica, but to the sights and cultural
opportunities of the broader Duluth area.
Current St. Scholastica student mentors helped
make the high schoolers feel at home.
The College’s outdoor recreation program,
Outdoor Pursuit, offers a fun look at its
programs, including its successful outreach to
entering first-year students, SOAR:
css.edu/OPTimes
Senior Connor Blacksher is a busy guy these
days. In addition to his studies and serving
as Student Senate president, he’s a talented
videographer. Check out his lyrical view of the
Duluth campus in summer: css.edu/Connor
After 47 years,
a reign ends
Gerry McGraw retired in September after an
incredible 47 years of service to the College.
Her job description said ‘administrative assistant
to the School of Sciences,’ but everyone knew
her real title was “Queen of Science.”
On Oct. 2, 938 St. Scholastica students, faculty
and staff members volunteered at 53 sites across
the Duluth/Superior area – far surpassing the
expected turnout of 800.
Some pulled sailboats and docks out of the
bay for winter storage for Courage Kenny
Rehabilitation Institute. Others visited with the
elderly and gardened at the Aftenro Home. More
still read to kids at elementary schools. And over
100 volunteers cleaned parks and trails.
“We did a lot of work in the community to
show our support for the people who maintain
our parks, teach our children and care for our
elderly,” said Jay Newcomb, director of service
learning and community partnerships. “It was
much appreciated by the people we helped and
it always builds community on campus as well.”
“This fits closely with St. Scholastica’s mission
of trying to create an environment for all of
our students that’s inclusive and diverse,” said
senior admissions counselor Laurajae Johnson,
who coordinated the event. “It’s definitely more
involved than our typical campus visit, and
that’s great because we get an opportunity to
‘wow’ and impress those students.”
There’s a video of Discover Duluth at:
css.edu/dd
The program also generated local TV news
coverage: css.edu/ddtv
See a video from the farewell party in her honor,
which includes President Goodwin escorting her
to a limo, at css.edu/Gerry.
Over 40 high school students from the Twin Cities
participated in Discover Duluth, more than triple the
number who attended the previous year.
24
English faculty
all over the STrib
Laurie Hertzel, a longtime journalist who’s now the senior books editor of the Star Tribune
newspaper of Minneapolis, was on the Duluth campus a lot in the early 1990s, working on a book
called “They Took My Father.” She and author Mayme Sevander created more than just a good
story. Hertzel made connections with a number of English professors who, years later, would
review books for her pages.
First were Tom Zelman and Patricia Hagen, who began in 2008. Zelman has completed about 30
reviews on modern fiction and books about China; Hagen has been completing about 10 per year
on fiction and nonfiction, often on Irish or art-related topics.
“We’re English professors,” Zelman said. “We love books. We love free books. We love to share
our thoughts about books. So reviewing has been a lot of fun.”
In 2009 Hertzel asked them to begin reviewing poetry; they enlisted their poet colleague, Ryan
Vine. Since then, he’s completed six reviews about poetry and books of essays on poetry.
In 2010, George Killough joined the mix and has since completed two reviews, both on
documentary literature. His most recent review, of the teenage diary of F. Scott Fitzgerald, was
published on Oct. 6.
There’s a reason for so much St. Scholastica representation in one of the country’s bigger
newspapers, Vine said: “We have some great scholars in our department. They’re knowledgeable
and interesting people, which makes their reviews fun to read.”
Starkey named
Benedictine
Professor
For Denise Starkey, chair and associate
professor of theology and religious studies,
education and job preparation are not one and
the same.
“The pressure for students to find jobs is so
great that we sometimes forget the full purpose
of higher education,” she said. “College is
supposed to be a holistic enterprise where
students learn to think critically, ask questions
and evaluate sources of knowledge. That’s why
general education is so important.”
Starkey’s zeal is why she has been named the
College’s Benedictine Professor of General
Education – an annual award that recognizes
and promotes teaching excellence in general
education.
As part of her responsibilities she’ll host a
faculty workshop to help her colleagues better
incorporate the College’s heritage outcome
into their teaching – ensuring that all students,
regardless of major, receive the holistic
experience provided by general education.
Book reviewers George Killough, Patricia Hagen, Tom Zelman and Ryan Vine
25
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C o l l e g e A d va n c e m e n t N e w s
Gary Garlie, longtime
executive director of
planned giving, will
retire at the end of the
calendar year.
He joined St. Scholastica in 1991 upon the recommendation of a friend who was a student
at the College and said it would be a good fit with his personality. When he visited campus he felt
a friendliness, he said, that’s still evident.
Why planned giving? What do you like about it?
cemetery to celebrate one of their own who had died.
It’s helping people determine where they want to leave a legacy,
and how to wisely use their assets to do that. To me, that’s a good
challenge.
What’s another memory of the Sisters?
How has the College changed in the last 22 years?
I started in the pre-Internet days. There were two computers in our
entire department. They gave me one of them and I didn’t know
how to use it.
How have donors changed?
(He laughs.) They’ve gotten older – along with me! They’re better
informed, and more particular about what they’re supporting, and
rightly so. They want clear, specific information about what effect
their gifts will have. That makes things a bit tougher for something
like an annual fund because it’s something of a general fund. Not
so, planned giving – the Bill Gates of the world, the high profile
donors, have set good examples. That’s why it’s so important for
donors to be willing to be recognized, so that other donors see that
and are motivated to give too.
Favorite part of the job?
Meeting all the great alumni over the years. It’s still unbelievable
to me what so many of them have accomplished with their lives.
They’re top educators, health care providers, business people, or
they’re doing other things that are just fascinating. That’s what I’m
going to miss, building relationships with folks like that. That, and
getting to know the Sisters. They’re such a force on campus. How
they look at life and death is so profound. I remember seeing a
group of them walking together, talking and smiling, and I asked
them where they were going. They were on their way to the
Sister Tim (Sister Timothy Kirby ’39, longtime assistant director of
alumni programs, who died in 2011) was a living saint, I’d say. She
not only talked the talked, she walked the walk. Once when she
was in her late 70s she went with me on a swing visiting alumni
through North Dakota. It was a pretty intense schedule, we made a
lot of stops, and by the time we got back I was really dragging. She
comes into the office with a spring in her step and says, ‘Wasn’t
that a wonderful time?’ What an amazing energy level.
Least favorite part of the job?
Arriving in California with no luggage and meetings scheduled. So
you buy a pair of pants and a couple of shirts and some underwear
and socks and off you go.
Plans for retirement?
We have six grandchildren I want to spend more time with. I’ve got
a heavy schedule of volunteering through our church (Our Savior’s
Lutheran in Superior, WI). I’ll do some fishing and hunting,
of course. And I have Parkinson’s disease. I was diagnosed last
spring. So I’m learning to live with that. I’m 66 years old and I
hadn’t planned on retiring yet, but now that the decision’s been
made, the excitement is there.
Any message to leave?
I feel a sense of privilege for having worked here. I’m grateful.
When I was first hired I didn’t realize the impact the College has
on people. I soon learned. This place is extremely important for
this region and the world, and I would hope people will continue to
support it wholeheartedly.
27
C o l l e g e A d va n c e m e n t N e w s
Ryan Guentzel expects to graduate
in May. Between now and then he’ll
compete in his fourth season as a
sprinter on the track team.
The power
of student
scholarships
W
hen Ryan Guentzel learned
he won the Sister Ramona
Ewen Endowed Scholarship,
he wanted to meet the retired
business faculty member
who is its namesake. Her
health prevented that, but they were able to have a long
conversation on the phone.
“She said, ‘You just made my day better.’ It was a really
good feeling.”
Guentzel is a senior majoring in management, with a minor
in finance and accounting. To help pay bills, he has worked
as a cook at a Duluth restaurant for his entire time at
St. Scholastica.
“This (scholarship) made my financial situation a lot less of
a burden. I have the highest level Benedictine scholarship,
28
David Kuefler
but that doesn’t cover all your costs. This covers my books
for the year.”
David Kuefler ’82 can relate. He created and endowed the
Sister Ramona Ewen Scholarship to help business students
just like Guentzel.
“When I went to St. Scholastica,” Kuefler said, “I
transferred in, went for six months, but then had to stop out
because I ran out of money. I had to take two years off.”
He persevered, and along the way got to know Sister
Ramona. She became a mentor.
“She was my accounting teacher. Truthfully, I wasn’t
the best student in her class, but we became friends. We
stayed in contact after my graduation. She always showed a
genuine and generous interest in what I was up to.”
Kuefler established the scholarship “to honor her years of
service… I was brought up to give back. I realized, the
College has helped you get going in life, and you need to
give back.”
That’s why he served six years on the Alumni Board, and
now is on the Board of Trustees. And why he endowed the
scholarship.
“You don’t need to be a millionaire to do this. I was far
from it when I did it. It’s not as hard or as expensive as
you’d think.”
T
he Sister Loretta Sheehan Endowed
Scholarship goes to a junior majoring in
Health Information Management, to be used
in senior year.
Sister Loretta was a 1937 graduate of the
College’s program in medical records. An influential
educator and administrator at St. Mary’s Hospital, she led
St. Scholastica’s program in the 1950s and early 1960s.
After her death in 1965, alumni established the scholarship
in her name.
Former HIM department head Kathleen LaTour ’68 has
supported the scholarship since the early 1980s, as well as
supporting other needs at the College.
“Sister Loretta was always bringing HIM into prominence
and promoting it within the broader healthcare industry,”
LaTour said. “I was very aware of the impact she had on
the field. I had wonderful mentors when I entered the field –
Sister Kathleen Hofer, Pat Pierce and others. I had a passion
to keep that spirit alive, to keep all their spirits alive.”
This year’s Sheehan Scholarship winner is Rachel (Mach)
Harris of Moose Lake, MN. She’s a senior majoring in
HIM with a minor in Computer Information Systems.
(above) Kathleen LaTour
(left) Rachel (Mach) Harris
“This is very humbling, knowing that it’s funded by
donations from alumni who were once in my shoes, and
is in the name of an early, great leader of the HIM field.”
She hopes more alumni will consider supporting current
students.
Receiving the scholarship “makes a huge difference to me,”
she said. “It helps minimize the stress of figuring out how to
pay for school, and financing loans, and allows more focus
on the academics.
“You’re helping students achieve their educational dreams.
I hope that someday I may be in the position to be able
to give back and ‘pay it forward’ by donating to student
scholarships.”
or nearly three decades, The Wasie Foundation
of Wayzata, MN, has worked closely with
St. Scholastica. Over the past 11 years, seven
students from Poland have earned their degrees
with support from the Foundation and four
more are enrolled this year.
Foundation is a strong motivator, he said.
“It is like winning the main prize in a lottery,” Michal
Mazur, a 19-year-old computer science major from Lublin,
Poland, said of his Wasie Scholarship. “I wouldn’t be able
to afford college in the U.S. without it.”
“One day I would like to be able to help other students with
their tuition.”
F
The vote of confidence from the College and The Wasie
“I want to show the College that they didn’t make a mistake
when they chose me as a Wasie Scholar. I also want to
get involved in the CSS community because it supports
diversity, and I have a certain sense of responsibility to help
other people, just like The Wasie Foundation helped me.
Jan Preble oversees The Wasie Foundation’s international
scholars program. Meeting students like Michal is a
favorite part of her job.
“It’s wonderful to hear about their experiences, what they’re
enjoying, and what they are interested in studying. They’re
impressed with the technology and by the libraries. The
higher education learning environment here is so different
from Poland. The opportunity for critical thinking, for
discussions in class with professors, and for contact with
faculty outside of class – that’s all new to them.”
The scholarship recipients also tell her that they appreciate
meeting fellow students from all over the world.
(above) Jan Preble
(left) Michael Mazur
“They’re excited by that melting pot experience, they really
feel they get that – even in Duluth, Minnesota. But then, I
understand there are more than 40 countries represented on
the St. Scholastica campus now.”
29
Young
Alumni
Award
Kolquist graduated in 2005 with a bachelor’s degree in
applied economics. He worked as an estate planner and
financial advisor for Urshan Retirement Group before
joining AdvisorNet Financial as one of their youngest
financial advisors. In 2012, he was named to the Duluth
News Tribune’s “20 under 40.”
P
resident Larry Goodwin presented the 2013
Young Alumni Award to Kenny Kolquist
on Sept. 27, during Homecoming Week.
Established in 2008, the award honors an
alumnus or alumna under 40 years of age who
has demonstrated a high level of achievement early in his or
her professional career, shown support of the College and
substantial commitment to the service of others in living
out the Benedictine values.
Despite his demanding position, Kolquist has remained
active at the College. He volunteers as an assistant baseball
coach, is president of the John Baggs Memorial Scholarship,
mentors students who are seeking to establish careers in
finance, and participates in networking opportunities such
as the “No Jobs for Slobs” dinner.
One of his nominators wrote, “no one is more proud of their
time and experience at St. Scholastica than Kenny. He has
a deep love and care for the institution, the students, faculty
and staff, and the College’s mission.”
Give to the Max!
U
ntil recently it was a minor blip for the All
Saints Annual Fund. Now, Give to the Max
Day is a force to be harnessed.
“We’ve been participating in Give to the
Max Day since it started, and every year
it’s gotten better,” said Shannon Hoffman, director of the
College’s annual fund. “Last year it was almost exponential
growth.”
GTM Day is a statewide effort on Nov. 14 to raise money
for thousands of nonprofits and schools through Minnesota.
In its first five years, the one-day campaign has made giving
to nonprofits and schools more attractive through matching
grants that increase giving’s impact.
Last year St. Scholastica raised $16,000 for the All Saints
Annual Fund. This year, for the first time the College has
a challenge match of $5,000. The pledge from Midwest
Industrial Coatings, the company of alums Dan Seeler ’82
and David Hirsch ’84, means that any gift up to $5,000 will
be matched dollar for dollar. The College’s overall goal for
the day is $25,000.
GTM Day provides immediate benefits for today’s students
through the All Saints Annual Fund, she noted. It provides
scholarships and support, upgrades technologies on all
of St. Scholastica’s campuses and across every virtual
classroom, it expands information resources and library
30
services, and it gives St. Scholastica professors the tools and
training they need to maintain high academic standards.
Gifts on Nov. 14 are preferred online at givemn.org/css, but
donations can be called in as well to (218) 723-5980.
Greetings Fellow Alumni,
Class Reps on the march
Several weeks ago I had the privilege of participating in the annual Saints
Heritage Club celebration and Opening Convocation on campus. It was a day of
recognition for an elite group of alumnae who graduated 50 or more years ago.
It’s a humbling experience to be around these beautiful people who have a strong
dedication to the school and genuine love of learning. They truly represent the
Benedictine values.
Thank you to all the alumni who have
volunteered to help with Reunion 2014, to be
celebrated June 27-29.
I am honored to serve as your president of the Alumni Association. I graduated in
1983 with a B.A. in Health Information Administration. My husband Roy and I
reside in Eagan, MN, and have three grown adult children. I have been a member
of the Alumni Board since 2009 and I am proud to say I have had five other family
members attend the College throughout the years. I am blessed to be serving on
this board, alongside a dedicated group of alumni and staff who are committed
to promoting their educational institution strengthening bonds between fellow
graduates.
If you’re interested in joining your classmates
as a Class Representative, please contact
Carrie Emslander at (866) 935-3731 or
cemsland@css.edu.
Reunion and
Class Year
Class Representatives
65th
LaVonne Young Senn
1949
Elizabeth Wicht Hoch
60th
1954
Marlene Pinten
Mary Quinlivan
A special thank you to Jake Tjaden ’03 for his two years of outstanding service
as past president of the Alumni Association. His leadership and commitment
are greatly appreciated. I also want to thank Melinda Smith ’96 and Kyle
Wermerskirchen ’01 for their dedicated service to the Alumni Board.
Joanne Pavlisich Skansgaard
Beverley St. John Stelman
55th
Joanne Barto Docteur
I want to welcome our newest Alumni Board members: Ellen M. Perrault ’89,
Susan Seabury ’89, Nicole Miller ’99, and Correne Tabery Jenson ’84. I look
forward to partnering with them and supporting the past, present and future of our
alma mater.
Kay LeVasseur
I hope you were able to join the fun the last weekend of September for
“Homecoming 2013: Saints Nation.” We stirred up some rah-rah on the campus
as we came together to attend the varsity soccer and volleyball games, took in
the alumni softball game, enjoyed a spirited Alumni Bloody Mary Brunch and
a delicious chili feed, watched the parade, socialized at the tailgating party and
of course, cheered on our Saints football team. Visit homecoming.css.edu for
pictures and a recap of the weekend’s events.
We would love to hear from you. Please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail our
Alumni Relations Staff at (218) 723-6071 or alumni@css.edu to update us on
what you’re doing these days. Lisa, Carrie, Sister Joan Marie, and Brenda are
always working hard to expand our alumni programs with new opportunities to
keep you connected. Visit the Alumni website at alumni.css.edu for updates on
upcoming luncheons, networking events, and lifelong learning sessions in your
area. Also, look for us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flickr, and YouTube. We
are proud to have you as fellow alumni and we look forward to seeing you soon!
Sincerely,
1959
Mary Ann Peterson Royer
Marjorie Sullivan Westerham
50th
1964
Kelly Fischer
Marian Berle Lucas
Sandra-Faith Lamb
Susan Johnson McLennan
45th
Carol Diemert
1969
Jacquelyn Kazda Bush
40th
Margaret Noreus Smith
1974
Mary Marchand Charnes
Sandy Humleker Granger
Pam Haugen Eden
Gen. William Bester
35th
1979
Renee Johnson
Mary Cane
Jane Haubrich Casperson
30th
Correne Tabery Jenson
1984
Dave Hirsch
Patricia Bower-Jernigan ’83
25th
1989
Melissa Strack Scott
Ellen Perrault
20th
1994
Quin Flaig
31
Class Notes
[ As of Oct. 2, 2013 ]
1959
1967
Joanne Barto Docteur, Duluth, serves on the
College’s Alumni Board and remains active in
College events. She is an active curler, who has
curled in various clubs in the USA and also in
Scotland. She and her husband spend the summer
in Cape Vincent, NY, on the St. Lawrence River
and they enjoy boating and golfing.
Rosemary O’Connor Gunst, El Cajon, CA,
retired in June 2010.
1963
1968
Roberta Martinetto Karosich, Bremerton,
WA, serves currently as the Food Coordinator at
a local men’s shelter, Benedict House, assigning
members of 45 churches to prepare evening
meals.
Sue (Susan) Anderson, Two Harbors, MN,
shares “I retired in April 2012 after 44 ½ years
in the Microbiology/Virology lab at SMDC/
Essentia Health. I completed the 2013 Two
Harbors City Band season in August with 52
years of active service to my credit and have
enjoyed playing with the CSS concert and
jazz bands in my retirement. I am also the
resident trumpet player for special events in
the Monastery Chapel.” She also played at the
Centennial Celebration at the ribbon-cutting for
the new Science addition.
1964
Dorothy Johnson Hanson, Leesburg, FL, retired
in 2000 from Minnesota State employment. She
moved to Virginia in 2002 and then to Florida
in 2005.
1965
Argene Torma Whalen, St. Paul, MN, has
had a bittersweet year. She lost her husband,
Bill, on Feb. 1, and four months later on June
1, her first grandchild, Adele Aveleen Whalen,
was born. She writes, “I know for most of my
classmates this is ho-hum news, but for my
family she is a miracle child...Our daughter-inlaw was told that she would not be able to have
any more children...Adele has my middle name
and Aveleen is an Irish name that means ‘longed
for child, wished for child’.”
1966
32
Marion Kohout Skidmore, Albany, MN, writes
I “semi-retired from my nursing position at
Country Manor Health Care Center in Sartell
in 2011 by going on-call. In May of this year, I
decided to fully retire!”
Patricia Tracy Tuorila, Wadena, MN, writes
“After teaching for 38 years, I retired from a
full-time teaching position. I have continued to
substitute because I love being with the children.
I am doing some tutoring at the present time.”
1969
last spring 2012 and has been enjoying some
traveling, family time, and leisure.
Janice Terhaar, Eagan, MN, writes “I retired in
April 2013 after 44 wonderful years of nursing.
As my friends often said, I was a nurse to my
bone marrow. I thank God for the gift and the
adventure of my nursing career.”
1970
Susan Rausch Jorgenson, Denver, CO, retired
on July 1, 2013, after 43 years as an RN.
Mary Matchefts Ho, Northfield, MN, retired
in 2010 following a long career in the field of
Public Health Nursing.
1971
Mary Jo Uncini Cheuvront, Nashville, TN,
writes, “I retired in 2012 after a long career in
prison health services managing the government
procurement division and business development
for several prison health companies in Nashville
and in Washington DC/Northern VA. I am thrilled
to spend time with my family and nine-year-old
grandson and have time to enjoy traveling.”
Sister Rosa Gonzalez, Los Angeles, CA,
writes “Last May 3, 2013 I obtained my Doctor
in Ministry from the Graduate Theological
Foundation, Indiana. I have been working as
a case marriage coordinator in the Tribunal
(Archdiocese of Los Angeles) since 2006.
Thanks to the excellent moral and spiritual
training I had at St. Scholastica, I have responded
to the call of sisterhood in the Franciscan Sisters
of Mary Immaculate since 1971. Thanks also to
the academic training in St. Scholastica, I have
been able to earn other degrees in the field of
education and ministry – all for the glory of God
and the service of my brothers and sisters. May
God bless St. Scholastica!”
Mary Theismann Stogsdill, Maple Grove, MN,
retired in June 2011. She has three daughters
and seven grandchildren. Her daughter, Mary
Rooney, graduated from CSS in 1994 and her
nephew, Mike Theismann, is currently a junior
and is on the CSS football team.
Sharon Nordgaard Schaack, Valley City, ND,
shares that she retired from nursing after 40 years
Susan Koering, Plymouth, MN, received the
Distinguished Member Award in June at the
1972
Susan Jannetta, Fishers, IN, shares that besides
her duties as a Customer Support Specialist for
Roche Diagnostics, she has become a SME
(subject matter specialist) because of her writings
for a knowledge-based computer, for which she
has received awards.
1973
National Cancer Registrars Association (NCRA)
annual conference in San Francisco. She was
acknowledged for her outstanding contributions
to the cancer registry profession. Susan is also
the editor of an inspirational book of stories
written by her sister, the late Dr. Marilyn
Koering, entitled A New Beginning: Reflections
of a Cancer Survivor.
Patricia Grigg O’Shea, Bethel Park, PA, and
her husband completed a 3,489 mile motorcycle
trip, leaving from Pittsburgh to circumnavigate
Lake Superior in July.
1974
Brigadier General (ret.) William Bester,
Palm Desert, CA, was invited to provide the
keynote address at the NYU College of Nursing
Graduation Ceremony in New York City on
May 20, 2013. During the ceremony he received
the Agnes and Rosemary Ludden Award for
Innovative Nursing Practice. He previously gave
graduation speeches at the University of TexasAustin, Seton Hall University, the University of
San Francisco and The College of St. Scholastica.
Margaret Noreus Smith, Yuma, AZ, is the
Director of Emergency Services at Yuma
Regional Medical Center.
1976
Mary Beth O’Keefe Ebert, Eagan, MN, has
retired. She is now volunteering for the Horatio
Alger Association Scholarship program as a MN
Field Director to help promote the scholarship
in MN. See https://www.horatioalger.org/
scholarships/ for more information.
1979
Patrick McNeil, Sioux Falls, SD, is an outpatient mental health therapist with Avera Health.
His wife Kerry Nyquist McNeil (also ’79) works
for the State of South Dakota’s Department of
Human Services.
1981
Diane Billberg Lansing, Fargo, ND, shares “I
recently wrote an e-book. ‘Finding Passion In
The Nursing Home: How To Love Your Job In
Long Term Care’ is available on Amazon.com.”
1982
Sarah Stephenson Jusko, Snohomish, WA, is
a physical therapist and owner of Seattle Hill
Physical Therapy.
College of Nursing, The Ohio State University as
the Dean’s Distinguished Professor of Symptom
Management Research.
Greg Dubla, Esko, MN is a Nurse Anesthetist
who received his MS from Mayo School of
Health Sciences in Rochester, MN. He has
worked for 25 years at St Mary’s/Duluth Clinic
now Essentia Health. He also holds a MA in
Health Service Administration.
Debbie Hanson, Sioux Falls, SD, is a professor
of English at Augustana College in Sioux Falls.
Teresa Belmore Nelson, Coon Rapids, MN,
retired in April 2012 from teaching Special
Education/EBD. She is now enrolled at Kaplan
University for a Master’s Program in Psychology
with an Addictions emphasis.
1984
Aloyce Roberts-Berglund, Weslaco, TX, has
retired from her career as a social worker.
1985
Carolyn Linnell Gaarder, Fargo, ND, received
the 2013 Minnesota Health Information
Management Association Distinguished Member
award.
1991
Pamela Prahm Bloedel (MPT ’93), Prior Lake,
MN, is a physical therapist with Courage Kenny
Sports and Physical Therapy.
1992
Cheryl Krause Hartmann, Rockford, MN,
works as part of Schmitt Music’s Director’s
Center, which provides support and resources for
professionals in music education.
1994
Terri Carter, Cass Lake, MN, is the Laboratory
Supervisor for the Indian Health Service in Cass
Lake.
Elsbeth Partin Riemer, Roslindale, MA, is a
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, with
Riverside Community Care in Wakefield, MA.
1995
Patrick Ayres, Minneapolis, is the Director of
Operations for PhysioLogic Human Performance
Systems in Osakis, MN.
Jessica Stone Ridings (MA ’96), Green Bay,
WI, writes, “In 2012 I completed my Teacher
1986
Josephine Dennis Arriola, Chippewa Falls, WI,
is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Nursing
Department at the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire.
1987
Gary Daigle, Winsted, MN, is a Territory Sales
Manager for Kelly Supply Inc. in Colby, WI.
Mary Uppena, Fort Worth, TX, is a Coding
Manager for JPS Health Network.
1988
Naomi Garner Richards, Marquette, MI,
writes that she and her sons, Garner and Holt,
vacationed in Europe in June and attended mass
celebrated by Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Square.
1989
Mary Hoffman, Kaunakakai, HI, runs a nursemanaged clinic as a family nurse practitioner on
the small rural Hawaiian island of Molokai. The
clinic is called Ka Hoailona Rural Health Clinic.
1990
1983
Greg Castronovo, Bozeman, MT, is a managing
partner for Northwestern Mutual in Bozeman.
Dr. Linda Chlan, Lakeville, MN, was recently
inducted as a Fellow in the American Academy
of Nursing. She recently joined the Faculty in the
Lori Dobrzynski Moyer, Brainerd, MN, is
a licensed alcohol and drug counselor for the
Effective Living Center in Little Falls, MN.
Fifteen Sisters of St. Scholastica
Monastery, all alumnae, celebrated jubilees
(anniversaries of religious vows) this year.
Celebrating Golden Jubilee (50 years) were
Sister Jeanne Ann Weber ’66, Sister
Arlene Kleemann ’66, Sister Susan
Fortier ’66, Sister Luella Wegscheid ’66,
Sister Judith Oland ’65, and Sister Renata
Liegey ’66. Celebrating Diamond Jubilees
of 60 years, Sister Mary Richard Boo
’51, Sister Mary Catherine Shambour
’51, Sister Agnes Alich ’54, and Sister
Michelle Dosch ’64; 70 years, Sister
Johnetta Maher ’45, Sister Elizabeth Ann
Gilbertson ’61, Sister Mary Hope Novak
’56; 75 years, Sister Marilyn Micke ’56,
85 years, Sister Devota LaVoie ’53, who
celebrated her 103rd birthday this year. All
together these Sisters have served 910 years
in religious life.
33
Class Notes
Certification coursework and am now licensed
1-8 in Wisconsin. I currently teach fourth grade
at Oconto Elementary School, Oconto, WI, and
am loving it!”
Leah Nachtmann Theivagt, Duluth, is a social
worker with St. Louis County’s Public Health &
Human Services.
Chris Utz (MA ’96) Albert Lea, MN, is a
physical therapist with Mayo Clinic Health
System- Albert Lea.
1996
Maureen Murray, Waseca, MN, accepted the
position as Director of Health Services for South
Country Health Alliance in Owatonna, MN, in
April 2012.
1997
Jennifer Katzenberger Ostnes (MA ’98),
Fairbanks, AK, is the Manager of Rehabilitation
Services at Fairbanks Memorial Hospital.
Christel Wienen Welch, Grand Forks, ND, is a
Reimbursement & Recovery Specialist for Altru
Health System in Grand Forks.
Kristi Finifrock Wickstrom, Barnum, MN,
is a Certified Health Coach at Take Shape
for Life in Barnum. Check out the website:
www.joyofthejourney.tsfl.com.
1999
Jennifer Ellis Jervis, Spring House, PA, is an
adjunct faculty member in the Human Services
Program at Montgomery County Community
College. She recently assisted with writing the
self-study, and active participation in the site visit
for the program to obtain national accreditation
through the Council for Standards in Human
Service Education. Jennifer is a volunteer selfstudy reader for the Council for Standards in
Human Service Education.
Michelle Moritz Jordan, Breezy Point, MN,
is a State Principal Planner for the Minnesota
Department of Health - Office of Emergency
Preparedness.
Diana Haverkamp Ottman, Horton, KS, works
with YES HIM Consulting.
2000
34
Dr. Rajean Moone, Minneapolis, MN, was
selected as a national Health and Aging Policy
Fellow by The Atlantic Philanthropies. The
program annually provides 10 individuals a
unique opportunity to make a positive contribution
to the development and implementation of health
policies.
2001
Matthew Cartier, Hermantown, MN, is the
President of Cartier Agency, Inc. in Duluth.
Ellen Johnson, Winthrop, MA, is the Director of
Undergraduate Admission at Simmons College
in Boston.
Patience Bodoh Lamers (MA ’02), Woodruff,
WI, recently passed the certified hand therapy
examination. She works as an Occupational
Therapist/Certified Hand Therapist in Woodruff,
WI at Ministry Rehab an affiliate of Ascension
Health Care. She writes, “I have spent the last year
assisting in the implementation of an ergonomic
initiative to establish a Minimal Lift Program at
our hospital. This program is now expanding to
other facilities and I have been asked to attend
an ergonomic committee meeting representing
the Ministry Northern Region Hospitals from
Wisconsin at the corporate headquarters in St.
Louis, MO this fall. When I am not at work, I
enjoy spending time with my family; husband
Jamon, and daughters Elise and Maelle, hiking or
kayaking in Northern Wisconsin and Michigan.”
Karen Evans Odell, Capitol, MT, has retired
from teaching and has published her first novel,
“Search for Rescue”, about a young teacher
who trains her dog for Search and Rescue work.
Karen has drawn on her own experience as a
tracker and teacher. She was a past Montana
Conservation Teacher of the Year and US
Regional Conservation Teacher of the Year.
She has four grown children and lives with her
husband on a ranch in Montana.
David Wallace, Cottage Grove, MN, retired
from the U.S. Army on September 11, 2012,
after 23 years of service. He began working at
MNSure in May 2012.
2002
Jill Lindeau Bloomer, Raeford, NC, was hired
as a Nurse Case Manager by the consulting firm,
BoozAllenHamilton. She works as a Nurse Case
Manager embedded in a U.S. Army Special
Operations Command (UASSOC) unit on Fort
Bragg, NC.
2003
Garrett Estenson (MA ’04, DPT ’12), Pine City,
MN, is the Manager of Rehabilitation Services at
FirstLight Health System in Mora, MN.
Lynda Mitchell, Doylestown, PA, writes, “I
founded Kids With Food Allergies Foundation
(KFA) after graduating in 2003. Recently we
negotiated a merger with the nation’s oldest and
largest asthma and allergy charity, the Asthma
and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA).
Post merger I will remain as Senior Director of
KFA, which will operate as a division of AAFA.
See the website www.kidswithfoodallergies.org.
2004
Jennifer Sarazin Mangan, Cloquet, MN, is a
Registered and Public Health Nurse for Carlton
County Public Health and Human Services.
Jackie Novotny Nord, Grand Forks, ND, is the
Dental Director for Valley Community Health
Systems.
Beth Pokela, writes, “My mom passed away last
May after suffering from Alzheimer’s. She had
the opportunity to join the Alumni Association
on two trips, to China and to Provence (along
with Sister Tim). She enjoyed knowing Sister
Tim, and both my mom and Sister Tim are dearly
missed. My Foreign Service job has now taken
me to Buenos Aires. I encourage anyone who
likes adventure, travel and change, and wants to
work in service of our country and connecting
with other countries to consider a job with the
Dept. of State. St. Scholastica, with all the gifts
that it gave to me, is still with me in my heart, as
it is to so many alums.”
2005
Aleah Reinke Martagon, Brooklyn Center,
MN, is an ICD-10 Application Analyst for
Hennepin County Medical Center.
2006
Heather Lorenz Bibeau, Grand Rapids, MN,
is the Pharmacy Manager for Bigfork Valley
Pharmacy in Bigfork, MN.
Jackie Zinken, Otsego, MN, is a Medical
Records Administrator for the Minneapolis
Veterans Administration Health Care System.
2007
Jake Bonacci, Las Vegas, NV, is the new Strength
and Conditioning Coach for the Blackzilians
mixed martial arts team. Prior to this, Jake was
the former Strength and Conditioning Coach for
Xtreme Couture Training Center in Las Vegas, he
was instrumental in preparing many successful
athletes for competition, chief among them:
Vitor Belfort; Randy Couture; Forrest Griffin
and Martin Kampmann.
Hans and Joann Juten Jacobsen, Lakeville,
MN. Hans has been with Target for six years
now. He was promoted to Store Team Leader
of the Richfield SuperTarget in 2012, which is
a $100 Million Store – the 12th largest Target
out of 1,800 stores. He supervises 350 team
members. Joann, 2007 alumni, also works for
Target Corp as a District Administrator.
The 2013 gathering of the Saints Heritage Club included a visit by centenarian Margaret Mohr Beketic ’35, at far left
in second row. For a complete roster go to alumni.css.edu and click on “Events,” then “Saints Heritage Club.”
Each year, Convocation is a significant event in the life
of incoming students, made even more meaningful by the
presence of members of the Saints Heritage Club, alumnae
who graduated at least 50 years ago.
Convocation 2013 was especially memorable because the
new freshmen, faculty and staff welcomed back to campus
Margaret Mohr Beketic, who graduated from the School
of Nursing in 1935. The oldest known graduate of the
College’s nursing programs, she was born the day before
the College opened in 1912. On Sept. 9, she celebrated her
101st birthday at her home in Grand Rapids, MN.
“Margaret enjoyed her visit thoroughly,” said Sister Joan
Dr. Shannon Sauer, Janesville, WI, is a Resident
Physician with Mercy Health System.
Angela Laubmeier Schema, Inver Grove
Heights, MN, is the Director for Communications
for Securian Financial Group in St. Paul, MN.
2008
Samantha Szczech Axt, Fridley, MN, is a
Synergy Outreach Coordinator for Health
Integrated/UCare.
Nicky Kline Ploog, North Mankato, MN, is a
Clinical Informatics Education Specialist with
Mayo Health System.
2009
Kellee Potter, Brooklyn Park, MN, is a Training
and Development Coordinator for UCare.
2010
Don Kittleson, Rochester, MN, works in Human
Resources for Hiawatha Homes, Inc.
Marie Stelman, assistant director of alumni relations. “She
was amazed at the growth of the campus and of St. Mary’s
Medical Center, where she worked in the latter half of
the 1930’s. She said she never could have imagined how
wonderful her visit would be – and all who met her, from
President Goodwin to the freshman student who escorted
her in, were inspired by her.”
Impressive as her birth date is, Beketic is not the College’s
oldest living alum. To the best of Alumni Relations’
knowledge that honor goes to Phyllis Champagne Fremont
of Duluth, who was born in 1910 and graduated in 1932.
2011
Eric Hanson, Minneapolis, MN, is a .NET
Developer with Horizontal Integration in
Minnetonka, MN. His website is www.
blurryphoenix.com.
2012
Mark Charter, Bismarck, ND, is the Weekend
Anchor/Reporter for KFYR-TV in Bismarck.
Check out his video: http://vimeo.com/62125161.
Johannah Comee, Duluth, shares “I just bought
my first house in Duluth and will be starting
grad school this fall to obtain my master’s
in communications arts with an emphasis in
media.”
Whitney Hansen, Madison, WI, works in
Quality Assurance, for Epic in Verona, WI.
Emily Morley, Roseville, MN, is an eHIM
Supervisor with Allina Health.
Bari O’Neill, Eagan, MN, is a Licensed Social
Worker at Augustana Health Care Center in
Apple Valley.
Julie Sandstrom, Blaine, MN, is an RN in the
Surgical Intensive Care Unit at Regions Hospital
in St. Paul.
Cole Scaterelli, Elk River, MN, is a Logistics
Coordinator, Medical Education for Boston
Scientific. He writes, “In my current position I
have a lot of face-to-face physician interaction
and being able to speak with them at an advanced
clinical level is very important. The EXP master’s
program at CSS has allowed me to do this...My
clinical aptitude and overall professionalism
was increased a great deal while attending the
35
Class Notes
EXP master’s program. I am grateful for all the
professors that have helped me get to this point
and further in my career.”
Martin Smith, Tampa, FL, is an Associate
Professor at Hodges University in Naples, FL.
He was honored this year with the FHIMA
Educator of the Year award from the Florida
Health Information Management Association.
He was also elected to be FHIMA’s delegate to
the American Health Information Management
Association (AHIMA) national organization for
the upcoming year.
David Sternberg, Broken Arrow, OK, is the
Operations Training Coordinator for Omni Air
International in Tulsa, OK.
Dan Ubl, Rochester, MN, is working on his
online Master of Public Health with a focus in
epidemiology and biostatistics at the University
of Southern California.
Richard Vicory, Apopka, FL, is a Doctor of
Physical Therapy and owner of Performance
Rehabilitation in Apopka, near Orlando.
2013
Briana Anderson, Coleraine, MN, is a Class
Lines Specialist with KOOTASCA Community
Action.
Stephan Giambi, Starbuck, MN, who graduated
with a Master of Science Degree in Exercise
Physiology, has been accepted into medical
school. He will be attending the Dr. William
Scholl School of Podiatric Medicine at Rosalind
Franklin University, North Chicago.
Denise Hoell, DPT, Sugar Hill, GA, owns
her practice, Special Needs Pediatric Therapy
Services in Suwanee, GA.
Ashley Knutson, DPT, Cumberland, WI,
practices with Cumberland Health.
Kenzie Meagher, Paynesville, MN, shares,
“I am in my first year of graduate school at St.
John’s School of Theology!”
Bryanna Schoeffel, Madison, WI, is a Clinical
Decision Support Analyst with St. Mary’s
Hospital in Madison.
Anika Tideman, DPT, practices with MTI
Physical Therapy in Seattle, WA.
36
Genereau; sons, William and Edward; 25
grandchildren and 62 great-grandchildren.
Ruth Kulig Pond ’38 died on Feb. 6, 2013 in
Stafford, VA. She is survived by daughter, Diana
Pond Jagoda; son, Frederick Outland Pond
II; granddaughter, Emily Pond Walken; great
granddaughter, Madeleine Louise Walker; sister,
Gertrude Baldischwiler; and several nephews
and nieces.
Eleanor Tarnowski Pons ’41 died on July 31,
2013 in Duluth. She is survived by her daughter,
Jeanne Pons; Bonnie Kemppainen; nieces, Mary
Joan and Kathy; nephew, Jay; and other relatives
and friends.
Arline Otto Waagen ’42 died on March 07,
2013.
Donna Quinn Devinck ’42 died on July 12,
2013 in Superior, WI. Donna is survived by
daughters, Patty Berg and Julie Pasowicz;
son, Steve DeVinck; grandchildren, Bill Berg,
Kathleen Skoraczewski, Kristine Wobig, Erin
Druva, John and Eric Pasowicz, Jessica and Sara
DeVinck; great-grandchildren, Emma, Josee and
Billy Berg, Ella, Nora and Grant Skoraczewski;
and several nieces and nephews.
Betty Krafve Belknap ’43 died on April
13, 2013 in Ashland, WI. She is survived by
her husband, Kenyon; sons, Mark and Bill;
grandsons, Paul, Daniel, Ben and Samuel; sisterin-law, Mary Krafve; and nieces and nephews
and their families.
Mary Adamski Haddrill Bacon ’43 died on
Jan. 15, 2013 in Las Cruces, NM. She is survived
by her children, L. James, Dan, Richard, Kevin,
Aaron, and Lisa Haddrill, Dove Flowers,
Margaret Leach, Sarah Stegall, and Connie
Singh; grandchildren including Jeff, Christopher,
Heather, Hector, Ana, Merri Kathryn, Jeremy,
Shane, Jessica, Brandy, J. and Jonathan; and
several great grandchildren.
Maryon Cizek Aulie ’44 died on July 24, 2013.
Survivors include three sons, Michael, Stephen,
and Mark; two daughters, Barb Neprud, and
Mary Stegora; 18 grandchildren; and 15 greatgrandchildren.
DEATHS
Donna Prescott McKnight ’45 died on March
12, 2013 in Colorado Springs, CO. She is
survived by her daughter, Diane Romero; her
grandchildren, Nicholas, Paul, and Delaina, and
her great granddaughter, Nora.
Evelyn McKeever Gooder ’33 died on April 16,
2013 in Duluth. She is survived by daughters,
Elizabeth Krezowski, Diane Doty, and Annabelle
Dorothy Johnson Andrews ’45 died on July
24, 2013 in Sun City West, AZ. She is survived
by her two sons, Richard and Steven Johnson;
her daughter, Dee Ann Oresek; brother, James
Juricich; sisters, Tillie Hansen, Julia Olin, and
Marian Tastsides; grandchildren, Joe and Becky
Johnson; great-grandchildren, Lexi Platt and
Rachael Johnson, and numerous nieces and
nephews.
Mary-Josita Reding ’46 died on June 09, 2013
in Milwaukee, WI. She is survived by sisters
Mary Bernadette Moser and Mary Eileen R.
Baeten; nieces, Mary Magdelen Moser, Paula
Marie B. Schrum, Mary Claire B. Gwyn; nephew
William Reding Moser; and other relatives and
friends.
Margaret Doran Schanbachler ’47 died on
March 28, 2013 in Aitkin, MN. She is survived
by her children, Anne, Jeffrey, and Mark;
grandchildren, Matthew and Kelly Mohaupt;
step grandchild, Che Riedl; sisters, Patsy Solien
and Loretta Johnson; and brother Daniel Doran.
Rosemary Ruf McKee ’48 died on Jan. 15,
2013 in Canyon City, CA. She is survived by her
sister, Dolores Anderson; sons, David, Donald
and Stephen; daughter, Joanne McKee Foley;
and grandchildren Quinton, Alexa, Kiley, and
Morgan McKee, and Kellan and Shae Foley.
Bernadette Whalen Johnson ’48 died on Aug.
08, 2013 in Brooklyn Center, MN. She is survived
by her husband, Clyde; daughter, Jill Kufrin;
sons, Gary, Tom, and Chuck; grandchildren
Drew, Joe, Sarah, Derek, Dane, Emily, Becca,
Jackie, and Cooper; 7 great grandchildren; sister,
Mary Warner; and brothers, Richard and Darby
Whalen.
Adelia Dennis Neigum ’50 died on July 05,
2013 in Onamia, MN. She is survived by her son,
Galen; grandchildren, Brian and Todd Neigum;
great-grandchildren, Kaya, Ethan, Greta and
Ingrid; and other relatives and friends.
Evelyn Rother ’50 died on June 22, 2013 in
Oakland, CA. She was survived by her good
friend Dolores Warmuth ’50.
Dolores Warmuth ’50 died on June 23, 2013
in Oakland, CA. She is survived by her brother,
Carl; sisters, Marie DeMuri and Gertrude Koller;
and many nieces and nephews.
Clara Nekich Doucette ’51 died on Jan. 07,
2013 in Little Falls, MN. She is survived by
her husband, Leonard; sons, Robert and Jim
Doucette; daughters, Judi Kosbau and Nancy
Tufenk; grandchildren, Nathan Kosbau, Garrett
Doucette, Grant and Tanya Dalquist, and Connor
Tufenk; sister, Eleanor Kosmach; and other
relatives and friends.
Jeanne Gaugler Kopec ’51 died on March 21,
2013 in Denver, CO. She is survived by her
husband, Leonard; children, Tom, Susan Petri,
and Kathy DeVault; grandchildren Kurt and Neal
Kopec, Brian and Jeff Petri, Kayla Barber, and
Eric DeVault.
Jeanette Wolf Dugan ’51 died on March 31,
2013 in Berkeley Spring, WV. She is survived by
daughters Patricia Cuza and Virginia Giessing;
son, James Dugan; sister, Kathryn Lippie;
grandchildren, Joel and Gina Cuza and Kevin
and Grant Giessing; and great-grandchildren,
Noah and Levi Cuza.
Norma Gastino Berry ’55 died on Jan. 26,
2013 in Cooper City, FL. She is survived by her
daughter, Mary Sue Gizzi; son, Michael Berry;
grandchildren, Jacqueline, Vinnie, and Joey
Gizzi, and Alexander and Christopher Berry.
Ruth Maki Hubner ’71 died on Aug. 23, 2012 in
Chisholm, MN. She is survived by her brothers,
David and Russell Maki; nephews, Patrick, Otto,
and Eric Maki; niece, Bekki Glaser, step-niece
Debbie Weppler and step-nephew Terry Ayotte;
step-daughters, Hilary Corritore and Tracey
Tynan; and five step-grandsons.
Barbara Manthey Ammerman ’73 died on
Aug. 03, 2013 in Duluth. She is survived by her
mother, Jean Manthey; children Christie Larson,
Tim Ammerman, and Sherry Kruczek; grandson
Nicholas Edward; brothers, Bruce Manthey and
Rukshan Wijesekera; sisters, Beth Davidson
and Jennifer Simonson, and many nieces and a
nephew.
Jean Wotczak Charbonneau ’78 died on
April 15, 2013 in Duluth. She is survived
by her husband, Jim; son Tim Charbonneau;
daughters Jill Rodberg and Molly Charbonneau;
grandchildren Libby and Ben Rodberg; brothers
Dick and Ken Wotczak; sisters Eileen Bergman
and Mary Patton; sister-in-law Yvonne Wotczak;
and many nieces and nephews.
Kimberlin Ulland ’83 died on April 29, 2013 in
Duluth. She is survived by her mother, Marcia
Ulland; father, Bill Ulland; sister, Galen Ulland;
brother, Randy Ulland; aunt, Andrea Merkel;
grandmothers, Albee Merkel and Charlotte
Ulland; and many other relatives.
Roberta Billingham Ostoff ’57 died on Feb.
5, 2013 in Silver Bay, MN. She is survived by
her sons, Paul, Tom, and James; grandchildren,
Dustin, Kaylea, Brianna and Amber; greatgrandchildren, Kierah and Mason; siblings, Joan
Carlson, Dede Parenteau, Jean Newton, and
Herbert Bellingham; and nieces and nephews.
Joanne Burns VanCaster ’58 died on March
17, 2013 in Algoma, WI. She is survived by
husband, Jack of Sturgeon Bay; daughter, Lisa
McMulkin; granddaughters, Megan, Wendy,
Julie Joanne, and Anna McMulkin; and her
mother, Chlorist Wagner of Algoma.
Sister Ruth Nistler, OSF ’61 died on July 20,
2013 in Little Falls, MN. She is survived by
her sisters, Catherine Radermacher; Lucille
Dockendorf; and Theresa Brummer; sister-inlaw, Anna Nistler; nieces, nephews and her
Franciscan Community.
Rosemary Trihey Madison ’63 died on April
16, 2013 in Duluth. She is survived by her sisters,
Margaret Nelson, Cela Latola, Kathleen Trihey,
and Mary Ruth Schultz; brothers Michael, John,
and Jim Trihey; stepchild, Carlotta Madison; and
numerous nieces and nephews.
Marcia Ness ’65 died on May 31, 2013 in
Minneapolis. She is survived by her twin brother,
Mark, and other relatives and friends.
Angela Dwyer Sanderson ’65 died on Aug. 01,
2013 in Janesville, WI. She is survived by her
husband, Paul; step-children, Tom, Kathy, Jean
Shue, Tim, and Nancy; brothers, Pat and Joe
Dwyer; nieces, nephews and friends.
Joanne Benke-Helm ’69 died on June 13,
2013 in San Diego, CA. She is survived by
her husband, Ron; children, Lisa and Jonathan;
brother, Robert; niece, Jordan and father-in-law,
Morris Helm.
Parent partners
The Parents Council is made up of current St. Scholastica
parents who have a shared interest in communicating matters
of interest to the College from their perspective. They serve
as a resource to students in areas of mutual interest, including
careers, internships, and community service, and participate
with the College in nurturing a tradition of parent giving. The
Council met on the Duluth campus in August for a day-long
planning session, followed by dinner with Drs. Larry and
Anette Goodwin.
Shown are Nancy Kaplan, Augie Kazlauskas, Anita Greden,
Kim Kazlauskas (partially hidden), Mari Sloan, Correne
Jenson ’84, John Kaplan, Mary Bakken ’80, Scott Bakken,
Dana Hackbarth, Lorene Bohn ’91, Elizabeth Simonson ’04
(staff) and Joe Hackbarth.
37
Class Notes
Charlotte Hecht ’87 died on March 08, 2013 in
Spring Hill, FL. She is survived by her husband,
Donald; daughter, Connie Lindmeier; and
grandson, Jake.
Barbara Betzler Hellgren Raihala ’88 died on
June 05, 2013 in Milwaukee, WI. She is survived
by her husband, Kenneth; children Tamara and
Loren Hellgren; siblings, William “Skip,” David,
and Steve Betzler, Laurie Collier and Marilyn
Balchan; and her father, William F. Betzler.
Wanda Bonneville ’92 died on May 10, 2013 in
Duluth. She is survived by her brothers, Robbie,
Richard, Wayne, Patrick, and Michael; sisters
Linda Grotheer, Jackie Sheldon of Barnum, Jill
Bonneville, and Winnie Lynch; and many nieces
and nephews.
Melanie Rotz Hartman ’93 died on April 15,
2013 in Minneapolis, MN. She is survived by
her husband, Tim; children, Reid and Autumn,
parents, Wayne and Linda Rotz; brother Derek;
grandfather, Urban Klimek; and many other
relatives.
Margaret Big George ’93 died on April 17,
2013 in Duluth. She is survived by her children
Joe Big George, Dawn Stevens, and John
McMillen; grandchildren Fawn, Bear, John
Henry Jr. and Timmy McMillen; six greatgrandchildren; sisters, Cecile Whitefield, Mae
Jamison, and Josephine Wood; and numerous
nieces and nephews.
Phyllis Zuke ’93 died on June 03, 2013 in Duluth.
She is survived by sons, Gary and Brian Stewart;
daughter Erica Stewart-Nuezil; grandchildren,
Devon, Marisa, Damian and Riana Stewart and
David and Carolyn Nuezil.
Laura Prettyman ’05 died on March 15, 2013 in
Aitkin, MN. She is survived by her parents Linda
and Terry; brother, John; sisters, Carla and Sara;
nephew, Aiden and niece, Adison; grandmothers,
Geneva Prettyman and Vera Bertram; and aunts,
uncles, and other relatives.
OUR SYMPATHY TO
Dorothy Johnson Andrews ’45 on the death of
her husband, Louis.
Kathryn Wolf Lippie ’46 on the death of her
sister, Jeanette Dugan.
Patricia Doran Solien ’48 on the death of her
sister, Margaret Schanbachler.
38
Mary Reding Baeten ’48 and Mary Reding
Moser ’51 on the death of their sister, MaryJosita Reding.
Nancy Ruthford Sodeman ’52 on the death of
her brothers, Bob and Dick Ruthford.
Josephine Lunka Elioff ’53 on the death of her
mother, Ann Marie Lunka.
Joan M. Wilson Wasnick ’53 on the death of
her husband, Ted.
J. Putzel Milanowski ’54 on the death of her
sister, Gwyneth Lee.
Barbara Dillon Hoene ’54 on the death of her
daughter, Diane Madden.
Argene Torma Whalen ’65 on the death of her
husband, William.
Barbara Sperling Dickenson ’67 on the death
of her mother, Angeline Sperling.
Patricia Madsen Richards ’67 on the death of
her husband, William.
Cecilia Trihey Latola ’68 and Kathleen Trihey
’72 on the death of their sister, Rosemary
Madison.
Nancy Ahl Farb ’71 on the death of her mother,
Dorraine Ahl.
Judy Hurd Levine ’71 on the death of her
mother, Phyllis Hurd.
Lorraine Spinler Eckardt ’71 on the death of
her husband, Robert.
Marjorie Spehar Fajardo ’71 on the death of
her father, William Spehar.
Scott LaPlante ’74 on the death of his sister,
Deborah High.
Linda Oestreich Anderson ’74 on the death of
her brother, Patrick Oestreich.
Janet Shisler Blankush ’76 on the death of her
mother, Vera Shisler.
Sandra Vukad Metzler ’76 on the death of her
mother, Helene Vukad.
Renee Theroux Gerlach ’76 on the death of her
husband, Michael.
Toby Ellen Segal Sillanpa ’76 on the death of
her father, Stanley Segal.
Joseph “Jay” Mitchell ’78 on the death of his
mother, Anne Mitchell.
Robert LaFond ’78 on the death of his mother,
Mary Ann LaFond.
Cheryl Winzenburg ’79 and Andrew
Winzenburg ’10 on the death of their mother,
Dorothy Winzenburg.
Claudia Robert DeRoma ’79 on the death of
her sister, Joanne Freeburg.
Dawn Hutchinson Mahai ’79 on the death of
her stepsister, Jill Sundstrom.
Stephen Erickson ’80 on the death of his father,
Edwin F. Erickson.
Rita Perry Schmidt ’81 on the death of her
father, Kenneth Perry.
Walter Aufderheide ’82 on the death of his
father, Dr. Arthur Aufderheide.
Jean Sabroski Revier ’83 and Alan Sabroski
’92 on the death of their sister, Nancy Engelsgjerd.
Frank Gerard ’84 and Julie Gerard Wieczorek
’89 on the death of their father, Frank Gerard.
Mary Andrews ’85 on the death of her father,
Donald Andrews.
Lisa Anderson ’85 on the death of her father,
Leo Johnson.
Marian Fischer Gentner ’86 on the death of her
mother, Mary Fischer.
Jamie Hofstedt Freeman ’86 on the death of
her stepson, Jeffrey Freeman.
Jean Salmela Beauduy ’86 on the death of her
husband, Bryan.
Anne Robillard Beaufeaux ’86 on the death of
her father, Leo Robillard.
Kelly Cardiff ’86 on the death of her sister,
Heidi Cardiff.
Susan Coen-Lazzaro ’87 on the death of her
father, Kenneth Coen.
Jan Wren ’87 on the death of his mother,
Eleanore Wren.
JoAnn Waleski Olson ’88 on the death of her
father, Joseph Waleski.
Colleen Gorman ’89 on the death of her mother,
Ellen Marsnik.
Lisa VanCaster McMulkin ’90 on the death of
her mother, JoAnne VanCaster.
Amelie Lindberg-Livingston ’91 on the death
of her mother, Shirley Lindberg.
Maria Krynicki ’91 on the death of her brother,
Roy Oaks.
Katherine Leek ’78 and John Leek ’83 on the
death of her mother, Frances Leek.
Joni Katalinich Schuessler ’91 on the death of
her mother, Betty Katalinich.
Sarah Hoene Serre ’78 on the death of her
sister, Diane Madden.
Lois Teich ’91 on the death of her mother,
Lauretta Teich.
TELL YOUR FRIENDS WHAT YOU’RE UP TO
We need your personal and professional updates for Class Notes. Pictures also are welcome.
(Please identify all subjects by name and by class year if applicable.) If your name has changed,
please include your name while at St. Scholastica. You can send in your news via the Internet.
It’s easy! Go to: www2.css.edu/app/alumni/new_update/. You may also e-mail your news to
alumni@css.edu
Class Notes, including pictures, are now available online.
Laura Mason Thompson ’92 on the death of
her father, James Mason.
Todd White ’92 on the death of his mother,
Dorothy White.
Amy Spollar Kraus ’93 on the death of her
father, John Spollar.
Phil Appicelli ’93 on the death of his mother,
Ethel Appicelli.
Trudy Ujdur ’94 on the death of her mother,
Flora Oveson.
John Heino ’94 on the death of his father, Roy
Heino.
Timothy Luczak ’94 on the death of his father,
Chester Luczak.
Lisa Lind-Repensky ’95 and Lana Lind Arro
’98 on the death of their father, Curtis Lind.
Connie Lund Jonas ’96 on the death of her
mother, Joanne Freeberg.
Bradley Anderson ’97 on the death of his
mother, Adine Anderson.
Kyle Erickson ’97 on the death of his mother,
Dorothy Erickson.
Melody Hicks Krattenmaker ’98 on the death
of her son, Colten Bloom.
Lyle Giersdorf ’99 on the death of his sister,
Deanne Schaefbauer.
Isabelle Hill Westman ’01 on the death of her
father, Robert Hill.
Sally Gehrts Kenny ’02 on the death of her
father, Kurt Gehrts.
Sandra Ollah ’03 on the death of her brother,
David Larson.
Emily Dobbs Keilback ’04 on the death of her
father, Steve Dobbs.
Elizabeth Pokela ’04 on the death of her mother,
Dolores Pokela.
Regina Adamy ’06 on the death of her brother,
Rex Vaughan.
Brianna Miller-O’Neil Waldoch ’07 on the
death of her father, Steve O’Neil.
Jennifer Pilon ’07 on the death of her father,
Darrell Jensen.
Elizabeth Eklund ’10 on the death of her
mother, Lorraine Makowski.
Sister Chisom Azuogu ’11 on the death of her
father, Patrick Azuogu.
Kelsey Marceski ’12 on the death of her mother,
Therese Marceski.
Name (first name/maiden or birth/current last name)
Class year
Address
City
State ZIP code Phone
e-mail
Spouse’s name (first name/maiden or birth/current last name)
News • Birth/Adoption • Marriage Announcement • Death Announcement
Class year
(attach additional sheets as necessary)
We’ll be seeing you!
Please join us at any of the following events. Check your mail for events taking place near you.
Contact Alumni Relations or check the website for additional information.
Nov. 8, Twin Cities
Occupational Therapy alumni social
Dec. 14, Duluth campus
Commencement and alumni reception
Nov. 9, Duluth to Twin Cities
Charter bus shopping trip to Mall of
America
Feb. 1, Washington D.C.
Alumni lunch
Nov. 12, St. Paul
“Talking Volumes” with Pat Conroy,
Fitzgerald Theater
Nov. 14, Duluth
No Jobs for Slobs etiquette dinner
Nov. 15, Duluth
McCabe Renewal Center
Dec. 3, Duluth campus
Advent Vespers and Lighting a
Tradition
Dec. 6, Duluth campus
Katie McMahon reception and concert
Feb. 7, Twin Cities
Alumni social
April 26, Duluth campus
Oozeball
April 10, Duluth campus
Alumni reception and St. Scholastica
Theatre performance of “End Game”
May 15, Eveleth, MN
Alumni lunch
May 10, Duluth
Commencement and reception
June 27-29, Duluth Campus
All-Alumni Reunion
Invitations to events are mailed three to four weeks prior to the event date. If you do not receive an invitation
to your local event, or if you would like to attend any of the other events, please contact Alumni Relations at
(218) 723-6071 or (866) 935-3731 or visit our website at: alumni.css.edu
39
Class Notes
UNIONS
BIRTHS/ADOPTIONS
Katie (Liebelt) ’05 and Barry Sjodahl, a
daughter, Alissa Ann Sjodahl, May 13, 2013.
Margaret (Reedy Olding) ’57 and Boyd Schluter,
Aug. 24, 2013.
Joseph Dolence ’07 and Jennifer (Forsberg),
Aug. 24, 2013.
Jennifer (Daniels) ’95 and Matthew Roe, a
daughter, Serena Marin Roe, March 9, 2013.
Marina (Herrera) ‘06 and Michael Kern, a son,
Lucas John Kern, April 5, 2013.
Kelly (Frid) ’97 (MA ’98) and John Stadelman,
a son, Alex John Stadelman, April 30, 2013.
Sarah (Heine) ’09 and Jordan Johnson ’10,
May 18, 2013.
Erin (Anderson) ’09 and Michael Dillett, June
21, 2013.
Brianne (Anshus) ’10 and Aaron Mansfield,
June 21, 2013.
Jenna (Fischer) ’10, (DPT ’12) and Peter
Koenig, Aug. 17, 2013.
Tara (Croteau) ’99 (MA ’05) and Matt
Anderson, a son, Lucas Eric Anderson, March
7, 2013.
Brenda (Nye) ’00 and Andrew Petcoff, a son,
Benjamin William Petcoff, Feb. 11, 2012 and
a daughter Zoey Jennifer Petcoff born Jan. 17,
2013.
Josh ’02 and Kris (Maasjo) Glood ’02, a
daughter, Anna Marie Glood, June 18, 2012.
Brian ’06 and Kari (Johnson) Phillippi ’07, a
daughter, Aria Jean Phillippi, March 30, 2013.
Brittany (Harkonen) ’11 and Nathan Ortler,
Feb. 2, 2013.
Christine (Long) ’07 and Peter Gaffney, a son,
Owen Thomas Gaffney, May 18, 2013.
Leslie (Karpen) ’12 and Jake Wendland ’11,
Aug. 10, 2013.
Stephanie (Kistner) ’07 and Nicholas Aretz, a
son, Henry Howard Aretz, Jan. 13, 2013.
Kayla (DeVoll) ’12 and Troy Johnson, Sept. 21,
2013.
Beth (Hanlon) ’13 and Robert Gruber, Jan. 18,
2013.
Rebecca (Mueller) ’13 and Tyler Hassel ’09
(MS ’10), June 8, 2013.
Allison (Bristol) ’13 and Taylor Johnson, Aug.
10, 2013.
Maria (Theisen) ’03 and Aaron Petersen, a son,
Elijah Aaron Petersen, March 9, 2013.
Jessica (Koebensky) ’04 and Austen Jensen, a
son, Jackson William Jensen, Dec. 20, 2012.
Riana (Dittel) ’08 and Kyle Damjanovich, a son,
George Thomas Damjanovich, April 3, 2013.
Maggie (Blechinger) ’09 (MS ’12) and Aaron
Borchardt, a daughter, Madilyn Veronica
Borchardt, Oct. 30, 2012.
40
Emily (Kuhnau) ’13 and Connor Blacksher ’14,
Aug. 24, 2013.
Kenny ’05 and Rikki Kolquist, a daughter,
Berkley Hope Kolquist, May 19, 2013.
Bella Voce in Italy
In honor of the College’s Centennial year, in May the Bella Voce women’s choir immersed themselves in the
College’s Benedictine heritage in Italy. The 45-voice choir visited Subiaco, Norcia, Rome, Assisi, and Siena.
The 10-day tour “was designed to strengthen the choir’s understanding of the worldwide Benedictine community and
to provide a unique insight into our College’s Benedictine traditions and values,” said director Bret Amundson.
A few reflections from the participants:
MAY 19 - BASTIA UMBRA/
NORCIA/ASSISI
MAY 15 - ROME
We headed to Sant’ Agnese in Agone
for our first concert in Italy. It was
amazing to see posters up around
Rome promoting our concert—
between that and the warm reception
we got from the crowd that gathered
at our impromptu performance in the
street (some even asked for pictures
with us), we felt famous!
Bianca Aspin ’16, psychology and music
This morning we sang for Mass in Bastia
Umbra with the Benedictine nuns of
Sant’Anna Monastery. Afterwards, they
invited us into their beautiful courtyard to
eat a bounty of delicious snacks they had
prepared for us. I felt incredibly blessed
by their hospitality, especially when I
realized that in preparing all of this, they
loved us even before they met us or heard
us sing! We spent the afternoon touring
Norcia, where St. Benedict and his twin
sister St. Scholastica were born (today the
Basilica and Monastery of St. Benedict
stands at the site).
Emily Valine ’13, music
MAY 17 - SUBIACO
MAY 21, 2013 - TRAVELING HOME
The day started out looking very gloomy as the rain poured
profusely on our entire travel from Rome to Subiaco. Not long
after our arrival, the sun came bursting through the clouds,
welcoming us to one of the most beautiful places on Earth. The
Monastery encompasses the cave that St. Benedict lived in as a
hermit before he organized his first monastic community. My
most memorable moment was singing at St. Scholastica Abbey,
located just feet below St. Benedict’s Monastery. The performance
was heavenly! I felt as though the spirit of St. Scholastica and
St. Benedict were with us as we sang.
To say that this trip was great would be an understatement. Each
day we learned new things about ourselves, our school, and
each other. We had the opportunity to sing in some of the most
treasured cathedrals in the world. We saw the places where
St. Scholastica and St. Benedict grew up and created the
foundation of our school. We touched people with our music,
even bringing some people to tears after they heard us sing. These
experiences brought us together. Music is a window to the soul
and it is wonderful that we were able to share a part of our soul
with each other and with Italy.
Antonia Ross ’15, music education
Emily Lundgren ’16, biology pre-med intended
Department of Marketing and Communications
The College of St. Scholastica
1200 Kenwood Ave.
Duluth, MN 55811- 4199
NON PROFIT
ORGANIZATION
U. S. POSTAGE
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Homecoming 2013 is in the books. Presiding over the “Saints Nation”
festivities were King Brandon Torres, a psychology major, and Queen
Laurel Ohaju, a nursing major.
Class of ’73 friends Shizue (Kato)
Nishikawa and Cynthia (Riste)
Haynes enjoyed looking at photos
during Reunion in June.
For more photos from
Homecoming and Reunion, visit
alumni.css.edu.