Blessings to you and your loved ones

Students, faculty and staff here at Saint Mary’s join me in prayer for your special intentions during this holiest of seasons in which is celebrated the mystery that, in the words of Saint John Baptist de La Salle, “God has come to earth and wishes to come into our hearts to give us a share in God’s nature, and help us become altogether heavenly persons.”

Remembering the less fortunate in our community

As the temperatures dip to the single digits, and a blanket of white covers the campus, it looks — and feels — like Christmas is nearing at Saint Mary’s. Students hung Christmas lights in their dorm windows as they counted down the days until the semester was completed.

As we give thanks for our countless blessings, we must also remember those less fortunate. The holidays can be an especially difficult time for those who are facing economic hardship.

In this traditional time of giving, our students, faculty and staff have been busy with a number of community efforts including the 10 Days of Giving, which benefits the Winona Food Shelf; the “Toys for Teens” drive, run by our Cardinal Athletic Council; numerous volunteer efforts; and the Saint Mary’s-sponsored Gifts for Winona, which is helping a record number of 1,800 community members enjoy Christmas this year.

Through Gifts for Winona, a community-wide gift-giving program in its seventh year, many families in need are having a happier holiday season. It’s truly heartwarming to see the generosity that shines through in our SMU community, and beyond.

Take time out this year, as you rush about with shopping, baking and decorating, to give thanks to God for his abundant love, and to remember your neighbors in need. I pray that God continue to bless you and your family this holiday season and throughout the approaching New Year.

An introduction to Minnesota’s governor

Brother William, Governor Pawlenty, Bernie Wagnild and Michael Dougherty

I met with Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on December 10 at the Capitol in St. Paul. The visit was arranged by Bernie Wagnild, trustee emeritus, and Michael Dougherty ’76, trustee. The meeting served as a useful introduction, and the conversation was wide-ranging.

Saint Mary’s response to the economic situation

We want you to know that Saint Mary’s is keenly aware of the challenging financial situation that unsettled the global economy this fall. We are concerned but confident about the University’s continued financial health. We are more concerned about the impact of economic developments on the families of our students. We’ll have a better sense of this after January, 2009.

Saint Mary’s financial status is stable. We budget conservatively, we invest conservatively, and we live within our means. We are less impacted by the stock market than some other schools because we are tuition-driven and don’t rely on endowment income. Enrollment the past few years has been excellent.

In general, our students still seem to be able to find loans if they need them. We are concerned about individual family situations, and we will work with families who are trying to cover college cost. If your financial situation changes during the school year, you are welcome to contact us to see if you qualify for additional aid.

In the longer-term, higher education is often considered a good investment in difficult financial times, and Saint Mary’s is positioned on the lower end of pricing for Minnesota private universities. We provide an excellent private education at relatively low cost, and we will continue to be as accessible as possible to as many students as possible. More than three-quarters of our students attend here with the benefit of financial assistance.

Meetings with friends in Chicago

At the Vie Restaurant: John Domanico ’77 (president of the alumni board of
directors), Brother William, Joan (Fallon CST ’78) Domanico, Bo Rettig ’77.

The Office of Development and Alumni Relations staff and I spent a couple of days last month in Chicago to meet and connect with our alumni, parents and friends. It was a very busy three days meeting with benefactors and friends of Saint Mary’s.

We hosted a breakfast with 10 members from the class of 1959 who will be celebrating their 50th anniversary this summer at homecoming. Michael ’87 and Peggy (Drennan ’87) Meagher hosted a wonderful gathering for alumni, friends and current parents at the Vie Restaurant in Western Springs. Thanks also to Patrick ’75 and Lindy Salvi for hosting at their home in the Chicago area a gathering of current parents and alumni.

An SMU/CST luncheon at the Chicago Cultural Center was held on November 13, where I spoke to this group of alums of both institutions about the awesome and privileged opportunity we all have as educators and as parents to be “visible angels” of love and compassion in the lives of those entrusted to our care.

Seven forums provide feedback on our priorities

A Winona campus student offered his opinion during a
November 20 town hall forum on university priorities.

As I promised during my inauguration address, roundtable sessions were held on the Winona and Twin Cities campuses for faculty, staff and students on November 17 and 18. A special invitation was extended to alumni and parents to attend an evening roundtable session in Minneapolis. I invited input as we attempt to finalize a set of priorities which will be used to guide operational planning for the university over the next several years. After the roundtable sessions, two Town Hall meetings were held to which the entire faculty, staff and student bodies were invited. More information will be forthcoming with regard to the outcomes of these significant university gatherings

Students put on a great show in London

As part of my attempt to acquaint myself with our Study Abroad Program, the weekend of Oct. 17 I traveled to London to visit our students studying abroad. I attended the well-performed and thought-provoking play, “Radium Girls,” produced by our students, at the Wimbledon Studio Theatre and observed the students where they lived and studied. I also met with their teachers and took the students out for dinner at Azzurro.

NSSE survey reconfirms our student satisfaction

Dr. Janet Heukeshoven of the Music Department
worked with a flute student in Saint Yon’s Hall.

On November 10, the Winona undergraduate College was cited by USA Today for our scores in the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Saint Mary’s was recognized for a high level of student-faculty interaction, particularly outside the classroom, as reported by our first-year and senior students. The article is titled “Faculty play role outside class as mentors, models.”

The NSSE survey is a measure of the student perception of and satisfaction with their college experience. In our most recent survey, Saint Mary’s compares well against other schools in our Carnegie classification (Doctoral/Research Universities), as well as with regional peers, a consortium of Catholic institutions, and the larger national sample. The NSSE results illustrate our culture of engaged, active and supportive faculty, which contributes to a good learning environment for students.

You can check out our website for more about Saint Mary’s NSSE results.

Alums are elected senator, representative

Mike Johanns - - ------------ - - - - - - - Tim Walz

Congratulations to Mike Johanns, a 1971 graduate of Saint Mary’s University, who has been elected to the United States Senate to represent Nebraska. Johanns is a Republican who served three years as Secretary of Agriculture in the Bush Administration. Previously, Johanns was governor of Nebraska for six years, and also served as mayor of Lincoln. In 2004, Saint Mary’s recognized Johanns’ accomplishments with our Distinguished Alumnus Award.

Congratulations also go to Tim Walz, who was re-elected as U.S. Representative from Minnesota’s 1st District. Walz, a Democrat from Mankato, is a candidate in our doctoral program in leadership.

Additionally, four alumni retained their seats in the Minnesota House, each of whom have received a Master of Arts from SMU. The group of four will be entering their second terms, including David Bly M’04 (DFL-Northfield), Carolyn Laine M’03 (DFL-Columbia Heights), Robin Brown M’99 (DFL-Austin), and Will Morgan M’99 (DFL-Burnsville).

We salute all alumni who ran for public office. Whether your race was national, state, city or within a school board, you are working hard to make a difference. Saint Mary’s acknowledges your effort and congratulates you for trying to build a better tomorrow.