Students honored for academic achievements by Saint Mary’s

Evan Shockley earned multiple academic awards April 11 at Saint Mary's University. Dr. Paul Weiner, interim chair of the Department of Physics, presented Shockley with the Brother Jerome Rademacher Award.

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University recognized outstanding senior students Friday, April 11, at the annual Honors Convocation. Highlights of the evening included the announcement of graduate and professional school acceptances, grants and fellowships, and the awarding of the following special honors:

National Delta Epsilon Sigma Awards — National DES undergraduate scholarship, Melissa Radermacher, daughter of Tim and Amy Radermacher of Plymouth, Minn.; National DES graduate scholarship and National DES Student Award, Matthew Traxler, son of Timothy and Jeanne Traxler of Le Sueur, Minn.

Lasallian Honors Program Outstanding Senior Awards — Grace Hoffman, daughter of James and Julie Hoffman of St. Paul; and Evan Shockley, son of Steven and Lisa Shockley of Omaha, Neb.

Creative Spark Award (art and design award) — LeiLani Oas, daughter of John and Joan Oas of Minnesota City, Minn.

Kevin Martineau Award and Outstanding Accounting Major (business awards) — Gabriel Thiel, son of Brian and Debra Thiel of Berlin, Wis.

Outstanding Entrepreneurship Student (business award) — Brooke Bartelt, daughter of David and Connie Bartelt of New Prague, Minn.

Outstanding Human Resource Management Student and Outstanding Marketing Major (business awards) — Kaylee Bunne, daughter of Dominick and Kathi Bunne of Le Roy, Minn.

Outstanding International Business Student (business award) — Cassandra Kujawa, daughter of Chris and Judy Kujawa of South Milwaukee, Wis.

Outstanding Sport Management Student (business award) — Tyler Grabau, son of David and Jean Grabau of Wabasha, Minn.

American Institute of Chemists Award (chemistry award) — Erika Reith, daughter of Theresa Pirozzoli and Kelly Reith of Watertown, Wis.; and Jillian Martin, daughter of Michael and Jennifer Martin of Owatonna, Minn.

American Chemical Society Award (chemistry award) — Eric Amerling, son of Steve and Bobbijo Amerling of Fond Du Lac, Wis.

De La Salle Outstanding Preservice Teaching Awards (education award) — Kaitlyn Keefe, daughter of Daniel and Suzanne Keefe of Chatfield, Minn., and Katherine Wall, daughter of Michael and Michelle Wall of Aurora, Ill.

Outstanding English Paper — Katie Sonnek, daughter of Daniel and Kathleen Sonnek of Lake Crystal, Minn.

History Department Distinction Award and Brother J. Robert Lane Historical Essay Award (history awards) — John Soucheray, son of John and Kate Soucheray of Woodbury, Minn.

Brother Leo Northam Award (math award) — Grace Zachman, daughter of DonEva McPherson of Maple Grove, Minn., and Evan Shockley, son of Steven and Lisa Shockley of Omaha, Neb.

Brother Laurence Walther Founder’s Award and Performance Award (music awards) — Augustine Esterhammer-Fic, son of Chris and Mary Esterhammer-Fic of Chicago

Saint Thomas Aquinas Award for Excellence (philosophy award) — Andru O’Brien, son of Scott and Tera O’Brien of Bloomington, Ill.

Father Andrew Fabian Scholarship (philosophy award) — The Hoang, son of Thieu Hoang and Mai Nguyen of Owatonna, Minn.

Brother Jerome Rademacher Award (physics award) — Evan Shockley, son of Steven and Lisa Shockley of Omaha, Neb.

Psychology Distinction Awards — Heidi Martin, daughter of Mark and Sallie Martin of Ankeny, Iowa; Ellie Niedbala, daughter of Richard and Barbara Niedbala of Geneva, Ill.; Amanda Weber, daughter of Lawrence and Anne Weber of White Bear Lake, Minn.; and Shelby DeWall, daughter of Jerry and Sue DeWall of Caledonia, Minn.

Mille Harrison Spirit Award (theatre award) — Seniors Alexander Akers, Anthony Balamut, Charlotte Deranek, Julie Frederickson, Timothy Gleason, Alexander Green, John Goblirsch, Alyson Kriz, Taylor Marshall-Miernicki, Elyssa Mattson, Lydia Munroe, Natasha Nelson, Brian Pipal, Katherine Sapper, and Matthew Schneider.

Grove Bree Holman Award (theatre award) — Katy Kosiek, daughter of James and Judith Kosiek of Hanover Park, Ill., Hans Heukeshoven, son of Eric and Janet Heukeshoven of Winona; and Mary Klinghagen, daughter of Charles and Carla Hansen of Crystal, Minn.

Michael G. Flanagan Ghost Light Award (theatre award) — John Goblirsch, son of Michael Goblirsch and Mariana Ginder of Minneapolis; and Charlotte Deranek, daughter of Suzanne Zablocki Deranek of Winona

Gerald Sullivan Outstanding Theatre Major Award (theatre award) — Katie Sapper, daughter of Steven and Cynthia Sapper of El Cajon, Calif.

SMU to host interdisciplinary undergraduate conference April 25-26

WINONA, Minn. — On Friday and Saturday, April 25-26, Saint Mary’s will host the second annual Undergraduates, Inc. Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Conference Program that will bring students from North Dakota State, Iowa State, Winona State and other regional universities to present their work in academic panels along with Saint Mary’s students. The conference rotates among the North Dakota State campus, Iowa State and Saint Mary’s.

The public is invited to attend a presentation by Dr. Dometa Brothers, assistant professor of English at Iowa State University, at 5 p.m. April 25 in the Common Room, located on the third floor of Saint Mary’s Hall. Dr. Brothers will speak about “Romantic Math and Science: How Literature Influenced Nineteenth Century Thought,” and her presentation is free and open to the public.

The event continues April 26, as students from several disciplines, including English, history, women’s and gender studies, and communication, make presentations from 9 to 11:45 a.m., followed by a lunch buffet with a keynote presentation by Dr. Hiromi Mizuno, associate professor of history at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Mizuno’s speech, “The Divine Emperor’s Children and Popular Science Culture in Wartime Japan,” will begin at noon in the Common Room. Afternoon student presentations resume from 1:45 to 3 p.m.

The cost of attending the Saturday conference is $30, and those who are interested in attending may contact Dr. Erin Mae Clark at eclark@smumn.edu or (507) 457-6643 or Dr. Tycho de Boer at tdeboer@smumn.edu or (507) 457-6995.

100 presentations planned for SMU Celebration of Scholarship

WINONA, Minn. — The Saint Mary’s University Celebration of Scholarship — the annual celebration highlighting the accomplishments of undergraduate students across all academic disciplines — will be held Friday, April 11. More than 100 presentations by more than 130 students are planned. The community is invited to view the research and talents of our students.

The event will take place at various locations and times on campus. Attendees are asked to register in Saint Mary’s Hall, on the first floor, before attending presentations. The event will run from 8:30 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. For more information and a list of presentations, visit www.smumn.edu/studentscholars.

SMU, U of M partner for dual degree programs

WINONA, Minn. — In accord with its strategic plan, Saint Mary’s University has forged a transfer agreement with the University of Minnesota that will strengthen its science programming and provide opportunities to students. Under the agreement, a set of five-year, dual-degree programs allows chemistry and physics students to start their studies at Saint Mary’s, finish at the U of M College of Science and Engineering, and graduate with two degrees. 



Students in the dual-degree program in chemistry/chemical engineering complete the requirements for a Saint Mary's chemistry major and then may apply to transfer into the chemical engineering program at the U of M CSE. They will graduate with a B.A. in chemistry from Saint Mary’s after completing upper-division credits at the U of M CSE in their fourth year. Students then graduate with a B.Eng. in chemical engineering from the U of M after satisfying those program requirements.

Students in the new physics/engineering program will complete requirements for a Saint Mary’s major in physics with engineering emphasis, and may apply to transfer into one of seven engineering programs at the U of M CSE: aerospace engineering, civil engineering, electrical engineering, geo-engineering, industrial and systems engineering, materials science engineering, or mechanical engineering. They will graduate with a B.A. in physics with engineering emphasis from Saint Mary’s and a B.Eng. from the U of M.

“This dual-degree program allows students to get the traditional liberal arts experience — with small class sizes and personal attention — and they will have a more well-rounded overall educational experience,” said Dr. Donna Aronson, vice president for academic affairs at Saint Mary’s. “After their time at Saint Mary’s, they will also be better prepared for the next step of their educational journey at the University of Minnesota. The personal contact they receive at Saint Mary’s will help them succeed in this highly competitive field.”

Saint Mary’s offers two new majors in partnership with Mayo

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University is announcing two new majors in collaboration with the Mayo School of Health Sciences.

Beginning as early as this fall, Saint Mary’s students can pursue majors in Radiography and Echocardiography. Radiography is a highly sophisticated medical technology using x-rays, and echocardiography involves sonography of the heart. Both programs are designed so that students study two years at Saint Mary’s and then finish their degrees after studying two years at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

According to Dr. Jeanne Minnerath of the SMU Biology Department, “these are exciting additions to our collaboration with Mayo for in-demand healthcare fields.” Saint Mary’s is the only private college in Minnesota to partner with Mayo in these programs. Saint Mary’s also has affiliated programs with Mayo including Nuclear Medicine Technology, Cytotechnology, and Medical Laboratory Science.

Saint Mary's honors students at Academic Awards Banquet

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University recognized outstanding senior students Thursday, April 26, at the annual Senior Academic Honors Banquet. Highlights of the evening included the announcement of graduate and professional school acceptances, grants and fellowships, and the awarding of the following special honors:

American Institute of Chemists Award (chemistry award) — Benjamin Ludescher, son of David and Nancy Ludescher of Northfield, Minn.  

American Chemical Society Award (chemistry award) and Future Alumni Committee Scholarship — Jill Spitzmueller, daughter of Bill and Kathy Spitzmueller of New Brighton, Minn.

Kevin Martineau Award (business award) — Yu Wang of China

Outstanding Accounting Major (business award) — Brian Dillon, son of William and Lisa Dillon of Arden Hills, Minn.

Outstanding International Business Student (business award) — Anne Drazkowski, daughter of Barry and Tammy Drazkowski of Fountain City, Wis.

Outstanding Entrepreneurship Student (business award) — Sheree Haslemore, daughter of Ross Haslemore of Gore Southland, New Zealand

Outstanding Human Resource Management Student (business award) — Samantha Otto, daughter of Bruce and Debra Otten of Buffalo, Wis.

Outstanding Sport Management Student (business award) — Thomas Healy, son of James and Julie Healy of Rolling Meadows, Ill.

Outstanding Marketing Majors (business award) — Amanda Gehrman, daughter of Guy Gehrman and Sandy Wiers of Stevens Point, Wis., and Joseph Rysavy, son of Laura Rysavy of North Aurora, Ill.

Saint Thomas Aquinas Award for Excellence (philosophy award) — Christopher Sindelar, son of Ron and Kathy Sindelar of Syracuse, Ind.

Father Andrew Fabian Scholarship (philosophy award) — Michael Pica, son of Jerry and Jane Pica of Champaign, Ill.

Gerald Sullivan Outstanding Theatre Major Award (theatre award) — Thomas Conry, son of Michael and Joanne Conry of Waunakee, Wis.

Grove Bree Holman Award (theatre award) — Jacob Rivet, son of William and Debra Rivet of Forest Lake, Minn.

Michael G. Flanagan Ghost Light Award (theatre award) — David Dean, son of John Dean and Yasmin Solares-Dean of Wayzata, Minn.

Brother Leo Northam Awards (math awards) — Long Chen of China, Justyna Kujtkowska of Poland and Yuanyuan (Jasmine) Wang of China

Lasallian Honors Program Outstanding Senior Awards — Samantha Dahlstrom, daughter of William and Roseanne Dahlstrom of Rochester, Minn., and Thomas Conry, son of Michael and Joanne Conry of Waunakee, Wis.

Delta Epsilon Sigma – Megan Hellman, daughter of Thomas and Diana Hellman of Oshkosh, Wis.

History Department Distinction Award and Brother J. Robert Lane Historical Essay Award — David Spriegel, son of William and Amanda Spriegel of Gurnee, Ill.

Saint Teresa Leadership and Service Institute for Women 2012 graduates — Mary Glenski, daughter of Patrick and Margaret Glenski of Rochester, Minn.; Maria Pechacek, daughter of Davia Mattson of Milwaukee, Wis.; and Amy Streit, daughter of Joe and Kathleen Streit of Oak Lawn, Ill.

Psychology Department Distinction Awards — Morgan Carlson, daughter of Wally and Darla Carlson of Theilman, Minn.; Bethany Hastings, daughter of James and Pam Hastings of Inver Grove Heights, Minn.; Kelsi Addabbo, daughter of Steven and Lenae Addabbo of Owatonna, Minn.; Allison Johnson, daughter of Richard and Michele Johnson of Austin, Minn.; Jamie Jones, daughter of Kathleen Jones of Omaha, Neb.; and Cassandra Berning, daughter of Roger and Mary Berning of Cuba City, Wis.

Saint Mary’s hosts Tegrity luncheon for regional institutions of higher education

Discussing the benefits of Tegrity, a leading provider of lecture capture technology, are, from left: Jason Spartz of Saint Mary’s University, Mohamed Elhindi of Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, and Bryan Arvinson from Tegrity.

WINONA, Minn. — Tegrity, a leading provider of lecture capture technology, hosted an executive luncheon at Saint Mary’s University on Wednesday, July 28. Invitations were extended to regional institutions of higher education to learn how Saint Mary’s University, Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical, and Winona State University are using Tegrity.

All three institutions presented and discussed their deployment strategies, Tegrity’s impact on student populations and best practices as an instructional technology. In total, 11 colleges and universities from Minnesota and Wisconsin attended the event.

Tegrity Campus 2.0 makes class time available all the time by automatically capturing, storing and indexing classes on campus for replay by students. With patented Tegrity “search anything” technology, students instantly recall key class moments for replay online, or on iPods and mobile devices.

SMU to host High School Challenge tournaments

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University is sponsoring the final round of 2009-2010 High School Challenge — a tournament of knowledge — on Saturday, March 6, in Figliulo Recital Hall, located in the SMU Performance Center. The Consolation Championship between Cotter White and Decorah Red begins at 8:30 a.m., and the final run for the Super Challenge is scheduled to follow.

The brackets for the Super Challenge features teams from Decorah, La Crosse Logan, West Salem Black, Cotter Blue, Lewiston, Holmen Maroon, Riceville, and Eau Claire Regis Green.

Thirty-two area teams from Eastern Minnesota, Western Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa started competing in High School Challenge in the fall for a chance to participate in the Consolation and Super Challenge tournaments. Participating teams earn scholarships for their schools.

The 2009-10 season marks the 39th year of the longest running academic competition for high school students in the area. The games will be taped by Fox 25/Fox 48 and aired Sundays, March 21 through May 9, from 10 to 10:30 a.m.

For more information, contact Nicole Gerdes, High School Challenge coordinator, at (507) 457- 1761 or ngerdes@smumn.edu.

Report shows Saint Mary’s athletes excel in classroom

WINONA, Minn. — For any student-athlete, statistics help tell the story of their individual or team successes.

Goals, assists, attack percentage, field goals made, split times, service aces, batting average … the list goes on and on.

For members of the 21 varsity intercollegiate sports at Saint Mary’s University, however, one statistic stands out above all the rest — 3.11. That’s the overall SMU student-athlete grade-point-average for Fall 2009 semester, as calculated by Saint Mary’s institutional research.

“I am very proud of the accomplishments of our student-athletes on and off the field of competition,” said SMU athletic director Nikki Fennern, noting that 16 of the 21 varsity teams boasted a team GPA of 3.00 or higher, with the women’s track and field (3.53) and the men’s cross country (3.43) leading the charge. “Academic success is the main goal of all of our students. To achieve this while committing many hours per week to their sport, work, and other campus activities is even more impressive.”

Of the 325 current student-athletes — who make up 25 percent of SMU’s full-time undergraduate population — 15 had perfect 4.0 GPAs, while 73 were named to the Dean’s List with GPAs of 3.60 or above, and 182 finished the fall semester at 3.00 or higher.

Along with their successes in competition and in the classroom, several Cardinal teams have also been busy volunteering their time around the Winona community. Over half of SMU’s teams have spent time volunteering in the community or for special events such as cancer awareness and Gifts for Winona. More community service opportunities are scheduled for second semester.

“It is important for our student-athletes to give back to the community,” Fennern said. “These young men and women show great generosity with their time and energy.”

Student History Research Symposium is April 19 at SMU

WINONA, Minn. — Seniors from five area universities will present the results of their historical research at the Student History Research Symposium on Saturday, April 19, at Saint Mary’s University. The event — free and open to the public — is sponsored by the history departments of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, Saint Mary’s University, Viterbo University of La Crosse, and Winona State University.

In addition to the student presenters, Dr. Kirsten Fischer, associate professor of history at the University of Minnesota, will highlight the day with her presentation, “Religion and the Founders: A Conversation about Original Intent.”

Saint Mary’s University and Winona State University have co-sponsored a student research symposium for eight years, with UW-La Crosse and Viterbo University joining last year. This year they welcome UW-Eau Claire to the event. Each school asks senior history majors — and at Winona State, law and society majors — to write a senior thesis based on their original research of a historical question of their own choosing. In this way, the students actually do the work of historians, and in the process, deepen their research, writing and speaking skills.

All symposium sessions will be held on the third and fourth floors of Saint Mary’s Hall. The symposium opens at 9 a.m. in Salvi Lecture Hall (Room 332) with a short welcoming ceremony and coffee. At 9:15 a.m., students will present their research in concurrent sessions of three students each. At 10:30 a.m., a complimentary brunch will be served in the Common Room, followed by a second session of concurrent panels at 10:45 a.m. and Dr. Fischer’s talk at noon.

The last round of student presentations run from 1:15 to 2:30 p.m.

For further information, contact Dr. Tycho de Boer, Department of History, Saint Mary’s University, at (507) 457-6995 or tdeboer@smumn.edu.

Area schools compete in High School Challenge Saturday at Saint Mary’s

WINONA, Minn. — Area schools will compete in the final round of High School Challenge — a tournament of knowledge held at and sponsored by Saint Mary’s University — Saturday, Feb. 23. The 2007-08 season marks the 37th year of the longest running academic competition for high school students in the area.

Thirty-two area teams from Eastern Minnesota, Western Wisconsin and Northeast Iowa started competing in High School Challenge in the fall for a chance to participate in the “Consolation and “Super Challenge” tournaments. Participating teams earn scholarships for their schools.

The public is welcome to watch the consolation championship between Onalaska and La Crescent high schools, beginning at 8:30 a.m. in Page Theatre, located in SMU’s Performance Center. After this competition, the final run for the “Super Challenge” begins, with brackets featuring teams from Viroqua, Winona Senior High, La Crosse Central, West Salem, North Crawford, Eau Claire Regis, Seneca, and La Crosse Aquinas.

The games will be taped by Fox 25/Fox 48 and aired Sundays, March 9 through April 27, from 10:30 to 11 a.m.

For more information, call Nicole Witt, High School Challenge coordinator, at (507) 457-1761 or nwitt@smumn.edu.

Charron named dean of the SMU School of the Arts

WINONA, Minn. — Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota has named Michael Charron as the new dean of the School of the Arts, effective June 1.

Charron earned his bachelor’s degree in theatre and English, with a secondary education license from Saint Mary’s College in 1979, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in theatre from the University of Minnesota in 1983. He has been a faculty member at Concordia University in Saint Paul since 1983, where he is currently a tenured professor of theatre arts and chair and artistic director of the Department of Theatre. He has extensive experience as a director, playwright, actor and leader within the arts community. He also served in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2004-06.

Charron replaces Larry Gorrell, who was named executive director of the Minnesota Marine Art Museum in January.

Saint Mary’s receives notice of continued accreditation

WINONA, Minn. — On May 2, Saint Mary’s University received official notification from the Higher Learning Commission (HLC) that its accreditation was continued. This action by the HLC Board of Trustees was the last step in the university’s reaccreditation efforts, which included preparation of a self-study document and an October 2006 HLC Evaluation Team visit. Saint Mary’s next comprehensive evaluation with HLC is scheduled for 2016-2017.

Many faculty, staff and students at the university were engaged in the intensive two-year process of self study. Saint Mary’s was required by its regional accreditor, The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, to undertake the process of self-evaluation for reaccreditation, the purpose of which is to assure quality and continuous improvement. All accredited institutions participate in this process, usually every 10 years.

Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis stated that “the HLC action is wonderful news for the university, and affirms what we already know: that Saint Mary’s provides a high quality, distinctive education. I am grateful to the members of the SMU community for bringing this reaccreditation process to a successful conclusion.”

Dr. Jeff Highland, provost and chairman of the Self-Study Steering Committee, noted that “we have already begun to implement some of the recommendations from the self-study and the Team Report, and we look forward to using the findings to make SMU an even better institution.”

The team report states, “Saint Mary’s University is to be commended for the high-quality programming at low cost to individuals at their many sites throughout Minnesota and Wisconsin.”

SMU announces VP for Academic Affairs for the College

Thomas Mans, Ph.D.

WINONA, Minn. — Brother Chancellor Louis DeThomasis has appointed Thomas Mans, Ph.D. as Vice President for Academic Affairs for the undergraduate College, Saint Mary's University of Minnesota, effective June 1.

The vice president is responsible for the academic programming, academic support service areas, faculty, and academic administrative staff of the undergraduate College.

Dr. Mans is a native of Northeastern Iowa. He comes to Saint Mary's from Saint Vincent College in Pennsylvania, where he served as Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the College from 2002 to the present. His administrative experience includes serving in various dean and associate dean positions at Creighton University in Nebraska, and as an assistant and associate professor of political science at Creighton as well as Berea College in Kentucky.

Dr. Mans holds a B.A. in government and history from St. John's University in Minnesota, and an M.A. and Ph.D. in political science from the University of Iowa. His academic specialization is American political institutions, processes and public policy.

SMU business programs receive specialized accreditation

Dr. Tom Marpe, left, chairman of the Saint Mary’s University Business Department, is congratulated by Dr. Terry Girdon, chairman of the board of commissioners of the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education. Saint Mary’s University was granted specialized accreditation of its business degree programs.


WINONA, Minn. — At the 2007 annual conference of the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE), the board of commissioners announced that Saint Mary’s University was granted specialized accreditation of its business degree programs. Accredited programs have been examined by trained evaluators who ensure that the IACBE’s standards are being met in eight key areas: outcomes assessment, strategic planning, curriculum, faculty, scholarly and professional activities, resources, internal/external relationships, and educational innovation. The quality of the business programs is measured by the accomplishment of the school’s mission and broad-based goals, the effectiveness of student learning, and the operational effectiveness of the business programs.

Based in the Kansas City metropolitan area, the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education is the premier business accrediting association for business programs in student-centered colleges and universities. Saint Mary’s joins a growing list of 230 IACBE member institutions in the United States and 20 countries that support quality assurance in education.