Message from the Office of the President: August 12 update

Greetings Colleagues,

We are excited to offer you a few updates as we get closer to the Saints Institute and opening days at St. Scholastica. Just a friendly reminder to RSVP for the institute as well (see below). Our sincere thanks to the Saints Institute team for their incredible work in putting the day together – as we celebrate this year’s value of Hospitality, we are so looking forward to welcoming you to the academic year ahead.

A few items to share with you this week:

Commencement News

We have made some changes to commencement and wanted to share this with you well ahead of the operational shift. Beginning FY24, The College will host one commencement ceremony per year in May for all graduating students. With all the positive feedback we have received this past year, we have decided to hold the ceremony on our beautiful, Duluth Kenwood campus instead of at the DECC.

For the last fall commencement (2022), we anticipate returning to a traditional, seated ceremony. Logistics to be determined. Future commencement dates are Saturday, Dec. 17, 2022, and Saturday, May 13, 2023. Mark your calendars!

From the Chief Diversity Officer

The Eue Fellows program kicked off this week with two full days of workshop learning. 15 faculty and staff members came together to learn more about advancing equity, diversity, and inclusion in their work setting. The two days consisted of large and small group work, guest speakers, and community building.

On Day two, cohort one alumni joined the group for lunch and sharing. The Fellows will spend the academic year working on a problem of practice specific to their work setting. See the pictures attached.

This program is a collaboration between the CDO’s office and the Center for Teaching and Learning with generous support from the Eue family.

Finally, the Duluth Superior Pride festival is coming up. The EDI office will once again be tabling at this family-friendly event. The event runs from 11 am to 7 pm on September 3.

St. Scholastica Board of Trustees Updates

This fall Deb Amberg steps in to chair the board, with Ed Crawford as vice chair. David Sparby will serve as past chair. Deb Amberg welcomes these new members this fall:

Heidi Johnson (St. Scholastica Faculty Representative)

Emma Mischke (St. Scholastica Student Representative)

Jennifer Alaspa (St. Scholastica Alumni Representative)

Stephen Kent (goes by “Kent”) – Kent is currently serving as Vice President of Finance and Administration at Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN. Kent brings decades of financial acumen to the Board, having served in senior finance positions during his over 20 years of military service. He has been in higher education since 2016 following his retirement from the military.

To learn more about our dedicated Board of Trustees, please visit: https://www.css.edu/about/our-people/board-of-trustees/

Update from Facilities

Work continues on the Somers Welcome Center. The Oratory and clothing closet has been relocated to Tower Hall. and further work will be done to the Residential Life offices in order to share the space with Enrollment Management.

Tower Hall 1121 Gold Parlor and T1119 – The marketing department has been relocated to areas in the Science building and Tower Hall. Work is now being done to restore these rooms to their original décor and furnishing styles.

The Theater steam lines replacement project is in progress which replaces the steam piping from Tower Hall to the Theater building. This is a large excavating project and is due to multiple leaks in the current steam piping.

The Nursing Skills Lab renovation is moving along nicely, and the space will be ready for use at the start of the school year.

Campus Safety is changing its name to better reflect the type of department that they are. Going forward, the new title is the Campus Safety and Security Department. Safety and security for all of those who live, work, and learn on our campus is always their number 1 priority.

In addition to the name change, new uniforms will be adopted in the coming months. While the blue uniforms reflect our community, they were causing officers to blend into the crowd. In order to present a professional, identifiable, and capable image, uniforms will be transitioning from black and blue to Silver Tan tops and Charcoal pants. Keep your eyes out for their new look!

In other news, Campus Safety and Security and the Information Technologies departments are working together towards the implementation of a grant that will ensure that there is adequate security camera coverage of our academic spaces, residence halls, and parking lots. This grant allows for adequate coverage of our campus and will allow officers to more effectively perform their duties, and will ensure that our community members and their assets remain secure.

Update from IT and Finance

We are excited to share the launch of our new online student billing portal! Students will now be able to view real-time on-demand statements and account activity, make or schedule online payments, enroll in payments plans, view annual tax statements and add direct access for any authorized user (parent, guardian, relative, etc.).

This new solution will truly provide a single location to access all information pertaining to their student bill in an easier and quicker manner than what was previously available. We want to thank everyone on the project team for their dedication and commitment to a successful launch. The partnering of multiple areas across the college, coming together to achieve something that will undoubtedly enhance the student experience, is a great example of how we live out our values in the work we do.

Summer Hours

Just a reminder that today, August 12th, is the last day of our summer hours for the year. We hope you’ve had a wonderful summer and are gearing up and getting ready for our new academic year.

Enjoy the beautiful weekend ahead and stay safe,

Barbara