We welcome the arrival of spring!

After what seemed like a long winter — certainly with more snow than I am used to — spring is finally making an appearance on campus. As we welcomed students back from their week-long break, the increasing daylight and warmer temperatures all brought a freshness and new energy to campus.

In the midst of the cold and wintry months since Christmas, our faculty, staff, and students have been engaged in many meaningful, productive, helpful and fun events. Let me tell you about a few . . .

Students gaining real-world experience . . .

Biology students Sam Callisto, Alexander Thomas and Killian Gordon attended a talk by world-renowned neurosurgeon Garnette Sutherland, M.D. They had a chance to question Dr. Sutherland about his use of robotics in surgery, and later toured the advanced neurosurgery units at United Hospital in St. Paul.

Stephanie Valentine and Jennifer Koezly presented the results of their research projects at the State Capitol. Stephanie, a computer science major, presented “Just Truss Me: Geometric Recognizers,” while Jennifer’s research project was titled, “Iron Oxide/Nanoparticle Arrays as Multimodal Imaging Agents.”

Four Mayo Scholars from Saint Mary’s — Cree Kachelski and Brian Kasel, biology, along with business students Zachary Cizek and Billie Keilen (shown with their mentors and SMU advisors) — presented their joint project work to the Office of Intellectual Property at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The students are this year’s Mayo Innovation Scholarship award winners.

Athletes in action on and off the courts . . .

Will Wright, Chris Palmer, Jess Miller

Austin Balko, Dy-anna Stewart, Nicole Olson

Congratulations to Cardinal athletes who received post-season honors for their excellence during the winter sports season. In basketball, Will Wright and Chris Palmer were named 1st Team All-MIAC, while Jess Miller was named 1st Team on the women’s side. In hockey, Austin Balko was named to the MIAC All-Rookie Team. For the hockey women, Dy-anna Stewart and Nicole Olson were named 1st Team All-MIAC.

For the second time in three years, our student-athletes were honored for their community service. SMU is one of 19 schools to receive the National Association of Division III Athletics Administrators award. Among the many service projects and activities this year was the Hockey Night for Winona’s Big and Little Pals program (shown above), held in the Gostomski Fieldhouse. Other efforts included educational programs for youth, food and gift drives for charity, campus and community cleanups, and more. Almost all of our 300-plus student-athletes participated.

Sharing their special talents . . .

The Chamber Singers have returned from Rome after their 2011 concert tour that included performances in the spectacular Basilica of St. Peter and at the Christian Brother’s Generalate. Two pieces debuted by the 25-voice select ensemble were written especially for the tour by faculty Dr. Patrick O’Shea and A. Eric Heukeshoven. Highlights of the tour can be seen on a blog posted by Bob Fisher '97 at smusingswithbob.blogspot.com.

Our international students shared some of their many talents and gave our campus community insight into their homeland cultures during the annual International Showcase of music and dance. One of the outstanding participants was Jasmine Wang, shown performing on a zither. The evening capped a week of international activities and speakers sponsored by the Office of Student Life.

Recognition for our programs . . .

We were delighted to hear that Forbes ranked Saint Mary’s as the number one institution in the country for the percentage of minority graduates in STEM programs. The Forbes survey cited colleges and universities that statistically did the best job helping these students succeed in the important areas of science, technology, engineering and math.
Saint Mary's Press Release
Forbes.com Article

Our Bachelor of Arts program in business is accredited by the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education . . . which has just been granted recognition by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation. This is yet another validation of the high standards and quality teaching afforded to students in our business program.

One popular activity with our business students is the Cardinal Corner, a small business operated by the Entrepreneurship class in the Toner Student Center. Proceeds from sales benefit various campus clubs and organizations, as well as this spring’s target charity, an orphanage in Poland. See more about the store on its Facebook page.

Giving thanks for giving back . . .

Students organized a “Celebrate. Give Back.” day to show their appreciation for the generous gifts around campus that enhance their SMU experience. This was a way to say “thank you” to alumni, family and friends of the university, and to spread awareness of the importance of philanthropy on campus and in the community. Hundreds of students signed a “Thank-You” banner, and the day concluded with a free concert and dance. Our Young Alumni Association and the Future Alumni Committee sponsored the event.

Best wishes to our seniors!

I’m proud of all that our students have accomplished thus far this year and I look forward to witnessing their activities and accomplishments during these remaining weeks. Seniors, in particular, are gearing up for the final push toward commencement. During the weeks ahead we will be recognizing their accomplishments at various ceremonies and celebrations. We have been blessed with their presence over the past four years, and we wish each of them the best as they graduate and continue their lives of service and leadership.

- Brother William