Sandbulte Honored at St. Scholastica

Release Date: 03/29/12

The College of St. Scholastica, in partnership with ALLETE and the Minnesota Power Foundation, is hosting a rededication of The Arend J. Sandbulte Endowment for Ethical Leadership at 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 3, in Mitchell Auditorium.

The public is welcome.

Minnesota Power created an endowment at St. Scholastica when Sandbulte retired in 1995 after more than 30 years with the company, including serving as its CEO.

The April 3 event will feature the premiere of a video entitled, "The Arend J. Sandbulte Endowment for Ethical Leadership," as well as a virtual Sandbulte Center on the College's website. Both will serve as ongoing educational resources at the College. 

The program will include remarks by senior leaders from ALLETE and St. Scholastica, as well as by Sandbulte.

Arend "Sandy" Sandbulte's relationship with St. Scholastica dates to the 1970s. In 1979 he joined the independent Catholic Benedictine college's Board of Trustees. He served on the Board until 1991, including a stint as its chair, and has remained an active supporter ever since.

Over the years the Sandbulte Endowment has funded a variety of initiatives at St. Scholastica, including an endowed chair in ethics, courses in ethics, and visits by top business and ethics leaders for interactions with students. Most recently the emphasis has been the professional development of faculty members.

"When you use the funding to educate the educators about the integration of ethics," said St. Scholastica President Larry Goodwin, "I think the impact is a lot more broad and a lot more profound."

Kurt Linberg, dean of the School of Business and Technology at St. Scholastica, said the fund is "supporting innovative ways of teaching ethics across traditional, online, and blended learning environments."

"Our ultimate goal is to make ethical decision-making an integral part of students' lives," Linberg said. "That's the way Sandy Sandbulte always did business, and it's a very good model for our students now and in the future. We're grateful for the vision of Minnesota Power and ALLETE in establishing the Sandbulte Endowment for Ethical Leadership."

"ALLETE is proud to be a part of this rededication and recognition of Sandy," said ALLETE Chairman President and CEO Al Hodnik. "Sandy's legacy will help prepare students for future leadership roles in our region, and remind individuals and businesses that every successful organization begins with an ethical foundation."