April 8 Safe Return update

Dear Colleagues,

I hope this communication finds you all well. Easter is right around the corner, and we are looking forward with anticipation! We have some items to share with you today. The biggest news is that our COVID positive numbers continue to be extremely low. We hope this trend continues. For those who qualify, second boosters are now available. We encourage you to contact your provider to find out more.

Exemption form updates

Thanks to Teresa Guerrero and her Student Health Service team for making some important changes to our Student Immunization Exemption Form. Of note:

This updated form can now be found in the Student Health and Wellness portal of my.CSS
The form is used to submit exemption requests on the basis of medical, religious or conscientious grounds
Once submitted, completed forms are reviewed and verified by Student Health Service to ensure compliance with Minnesota College Immunization Law requirements

2022 Benedictine Pedagogy Conference

Registration is now open for the Benedictine Pedagogy Conference! Interested in learning how other Benedictine colleges and universities infuse our Benedictine identity into their work? Want to get some ideas to enrich the student experience? Would you like to meet more of our Benedictine family? The 2022 Benedictine Pedagogy Conference held June 15-17 at the University of Mary, Bismarck, ND is your opportunity to interact with staff and faculty at other Benedictine institutions of higher education. It’s a great opportunity to learn, grow and reconnect! Registration is open until April 22.

It’s not too late! Let your voice be heard!

The College of St. Scholastica is participating in the Synod on Synodality in cooperation with the Diocese of Duluth’s Let’s Listen initiative and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities. You are invited to participate with us. This opportunity is open to anyone who has been impacted by the Catholic Church, Catholics and non-Catholics alike. Thanks to all who participated in our in-person sessions. If you were not able to attend an in-person session and would like to provide feedback virtually, you are invited to use this google form. We hope to hear from you! Please reach out to a member of the Synod Planning Team, Jessica Ellingson, Mark Hakes or Sister Kathleen Del Monte if you have any questions.

Saints presenting during the REIF

On Tuesday morning, Stender School of Business and Technology student Omar Bensouda presented results of a business confidence survey at the Regional Economic Indicator Forum at the DECC to a large crowd of Twin Ports business leaders. The event is sponsored by the National Bank of Commerce. Omar completed research with fellow student Matthew Norgaard and finance professor Erica Henkel supervised the research (be sure to check out a photo of the trio on the College’s Facebook page). Congratulations to all!

Saints presenting in Philadelphia

Additionally, some biology faculty and students attended an international meeting in Philadelphia this week to present on undergraduate research. Thanks to Amber Schlater

Those in attendance included: Gloria Baxter, BIO ’21; Austin Armon, BIO ’21; Amber Schlater, Associate Professor, Biology; Jenean O’Brien, Assistant Professor, Biology; Kaya Zelazny, Assistant Professor, Biology; Fayja Erceg, BIO ‘22; Nicole Larson, BIO ‘22; Yass Kobayashi, Associate Professor, Biology.

Public Health Week recognition

On Tuesday, St. Louis County recognized and celebrated 35 community organizations as valuable partners during the pandemic. Mike Turner, Laura Johnson and Michelle Hoffman were there to accept this recognition on behalf of the College. In the coming weeks, the College will also be presented with a commemorative plaque which will feature an empty vial of vaccine, symbolic of the community’s efforts to protect people and prevent illness. You can see all of the partners who were recognized on the St. Louis County Facebook page here.

Athletics Updates

To wrap up NCAA Division III Week, for the first time since 2019, the Saints Sports Awards will be an in-person ceremony this Sunday and will take place in the Mitchell Auditorium. The program starts at 7 p.m. If you can’t be in attendance, you can watch online here.

Additionally, our first full spring home weekend is ahead of us with Men’s Tennis at home tonight at DISC at 5:30 p.m., Softball welcoming St. Kate’s and Augsburg this weekend at Ordean Softball Field beginning at 1 p.m. both days and Baseball hosting Bethel on Saturday at Wade Stadium beginning at 1 p.m. On Sunday, Women’s Tennis hosts St. Olaf up in Virginia at 1 p.m.

Go Saints!

Bringing home the gold

We are very proud to announce that our redesign of css.edu took home the GOLD at the 37th Annual EduAD Awards!

The Educational Advertising Awards is the largest, oldest and most respected educational advertising awards competition in the country. This year, they received over 2,000 entries from over 1,000 colleges, universities and secondary schools from all 50 states and several foreign countries. Judges for the Educational Advertising Awards consist of a national panel of higher education marketers, advertising creative directors, marketing and advertising professionals.

A huge round of applause to everyone on the Marketing team who helped out (big, small, and everything in between) with this mountain of a project! Special shout out to Lori Luing for her determination and unwavering attention to detail on this project. The judges took notice!

Nursing site visit

The School of Nursing is proud to announce that this morning, at the conclusion of our Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education site visit, we were informed that our baccalaureate, DNP and post-graduate nursing programs met all Standards and Key Elements with no compliance concerns! Our thanks to SON faculty, staff, students and preceptors, the SON Advisory Board, Student Support Services, College Administration, and all who participated in the evaluation process!

Have a wonderful weekend, stay safe and blessings to you all,

Barbara