Four alumni to be honored at SMU’s Homecoming June 25-27

WINONA, Minn. — Each year during summer Homecoming festivities, Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota honors outstanding alumni.

This year’s Distinguished Alumnus Award recipient is Dr. Jane (Weydert ’86) Homeyer of Reston, Va. Lasallian Service Awards will go to James Cunningham ’49 of Coos Bay, Ore., and Christine (Coglianese’ 93) Collins of Orland Park, Ill. Additionally, Timothy Horan ’70 of Plymouth, Minn., will receive the Alumni Appreciation Award. All four will be honored during a reception Saturday, June 26, on the Winona campus.

Approximately 300 alumni, family and friends will return to their alma mater for Saint Mary’s Homecoming festivities, which begin Friday, June 25, and run throughout the weekend. In addition to the alumni awards ceremony, highlights include a golf outing, the Gilmore Gallop 5K, a 50+ anniversary social, and the alumni picnic. Alumni can go to www.smumn.edu/homecoming for more information.

2010 Saint Mary’s Homecoming Honorees:

Distinguished Alumna

Dr. Jane (Weydert ’86) Homeyer
Reston, Va

Jane (Weydert) Homeyer, Ph.D., began her career as a forensic scientist at the Northern Illinois Police Crime Laboratory and was eventually promoted to the laboratory’s executive director. Five years into her career, she joined the FBI in its laboratory division as the unit chief of the Forensic Science Training Unit in Quantico, Va. Homeyer assumed her current position as director of Competencies and Standards for the Central Intelligence Community (IC) Chief Human Capital Officer of the Director of National Intelligence in April 2006. She is responsible for establishing common competencies and standards for the IC workforce to help unify the IC agencies.

Alumni Appreciation

Timothy Horan '70
Plymouth, Minn.

Tim Horan’s dedication to Saint Mary’s University can never be questioned. He has generously shared his time and talents with SMU by first serving as a member of the Alumni Board of Directors from 2001-2003 and then on the Board of Trustees from 2004-2009. But his involvement doesn’t stop there. Horan is also a former parent, phone volunteer, and fundraising volunteer. He is currently assisting the Office of Development with raising funds to endow the Brother Raphael Memorial Scholarship. A strong advocate of the university, Horan is also a loyal and dedicated benefactor.

Lasallian Service

James Cunningham '49
Coos Bay, Ore.

James Cunningham has educated the poor for more than 50 years. He spent 18 fulfilling years as a Christian Brother, but it was the eight years he spent working in Nicaragua that he found life-changing. There he witnessed intense poverty, extreme poor living conditions and severe illness. He soon recognized that teaching these students had to extend beyond the classroom and into their daily lives. One day, looking down on the school’s muddy fields, he realized these students needed a gymnasium. After a year of soliciting funds, he raised enough money to purchase a pre-fabricated gym. Cunningham’s college career began at Saint Mary’s at the tender age of 16; a life-long learner, he has attended classes in 16 colleges and universities in six states and two foreign countries. He has authored a book, “Education on the Wild Side,” about his years in Nicaragua, and he is in the process of publishing two more books.

Lasallian Service

Christine (Coglianese’ 93) Collins
Orland Park, Ill.

For the past 12 years, Christine (Coglianese) Collins has infused Lasallian ideals and faith-based values into her youth ministry group at Our Lady of the Woods Parish in Orland Park, Ill. Her work as a youth minister includes weekly liturgy and advanced faith exploration sessions. She also initiated summer service trips to Appalachia involving more than 100 high school students. This summer she is planning a pilgrimage to Lourdes, France. In recognition for her efforts, Collins was awarded the Knights of Columbus Regnum Caeli Award in 2000. In 2008, she was presented with the Catholic Charities Vincentian Award and was also recognized by the Archdiocese of Chicago for her and her group’s work with soup kitchens in the Chicago area. She also currently serves on the Archdiocese of Chicago Vicariate V Leadership Award Committee.