You are an important part of the Saint Mary’s Family

Saint Mary's hosted a reception for parents of new undergraduates on

Move-In Weekend, August 23. The first year of college is a new
experience for every member of a family.

As the 13th president of this fine institution, I want you to know that the university welcomes your partnership. We are a community of students, faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and friends working together. In this “Campus Connection” update, we will focus on communicating with parents of undergraduate students and our undergraduate alumni. I invite you to help the university enrich the experience of our current students who are experiencing the Lasallian Catholic education at Saint Mary’s that both touches hearts and teaches minds.

There is so much that we want to share with you, our extended Saint Mary’s Family. There is so much energy and life on the Winona campus. It is the “beautiful noise” of student academic and social activity. At Saint Mary’s we meet students where they are, and help them to grow intellectually and spiritually to become the people they can be. Soon enough these undergraduates will become alumni, taking an energy and passion that is contagious into the world beyond this campus.

We want to spread the good news about Saint Mary’s University, to keep you up to date about what’s happening here. We also look forward to our journey together in which the young people entrusted to our care are transformed. With your support, Saint Mary’s will continue to flourish.

On a personal note, I am thankful for the opportunity I have had to get to know some of you over the last three months, and I welcome the opportunity to meet personally with many of you in the future. Until then, I intend to stay in touch. In return, I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

— Brother William.

SMU fares well in the rankings, lists & guides

At Saint Mary's we value the opinions of our students.
We encourage them to engage with faculty and administration.

We don’t worry too much about polls and rankings. However, they are a modern-day fact of life, and you should know that SMU holds its own on the various lists.
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U.S. News & World Report lists Saint Mary’s University as a “National University” in its “America’s Best Colleges” survey for 2009. Saint Mary’s was placed in the fourth tier of that category.

Top schools in this division are Princeton, Harvard, Yale, MIT and Stanford. Saint Mary’s, St. Thomas and the University of Minnesota are the only Minnesota schools in this category, and SMU is one of only 17 U.S. Catholic universities listed.

SMU was recently reclassified from a master’s comprehensive to a doctoral institution due to the rising number of doctoral degrees conferred. SMU formerly was in the first tier of U.S. News’ “Midwestern Colleges and Universities with Master’s Degrees” category.
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“Creative Colleges: A Guide for Student Actors, Artists, Dancers, Musicians and Writers” names Saint Mary’s one of the top 200 programs for creative students. This guidebook is aimed at college-bound creative students and gives them information and resources to pick the right program. The author singled out our theatre, art and music programs as recommended for potential students.
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The Princeton Review college guide profiles institutions that “uphold the standards of the Best Midwestern College distinction.” Saint Mary’s University is one of 159 schools receiving that designation for 2009, based on student opinion surveys and data collection.
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Forbes magazine has listed Saint Mary’s University in its first ranking of “America’s Best Colleges.” Saint Mary’s was ranked 267th based on the quality of education provided, and the success of graduates. Only 569 institutions were selected for inclusion out of more than 4,000 colleges and universities nationwide.

Freshman class pushes undergraduate enrollment to record high

The 2008 freshman class posed for its first group photo during Move-In Weekend
(click photo to see larger version).

Our 2008 freshman class — our second largest ever — added to already strong returning student numbers to produce a record undergraduate enrollment at the Winona campus. A total of 404 freshmen are enrolled this fall, the most since 1988.


Full-time and part-time undergraduate enrollment is a record 1,413 — up 4.7 percent from last year’s 1,350. The previous record was set in 2002, when Saint Mary’s reported a total of 1,376.
Numbers for the Schools of Graduate and Professional Programs will be released later this fall.

This is certainly good news. It shows that Saint Mary's is strong and healthy, and that our programs and opportunities are attractive to an increasing number of young men and women.

New track heads list of campus improvements

The first phase of the new track and soccer complex will be
complete in mid-October.

When I came to the Winona campus in June, I found much activity that will enhance the academic and social education of our students. Most evident is the new track and soccer complex. The Sprinturf soccer field is ready to go, and the track will be ready in October. The baseball and softball fields were completely remade last year and are playable this fall. All the outdoor sports facilities are now better suited to performing in Minnesota’s climate.

A new gazebo graces the athletic fields. Later this fall, we will install a low- and high-ropes course that will be used by student groups, faculty and staff for team-building. It will also be attractive for our summer conferences. There’s a shiny new roof on Gilmore Creek residence hall and other improvements to our student residences. A new campus-wide emergency alert system will further enhance our community’s safety. And, we have announced that we will engage with generous friends and benefactors in pursuit of a new science complex. You’ll hear more about that important initiative in the coming months.